GAMES
7-5-10: Crackdown 2 Review (XBox 360)
The original “Crackdown” may be my favorite game of this generation. Cleaning up the gang-ridden streets of Pacific City as a super-powered cop was pure, unadulterated fun. With “Crackdown 2,” developer Ruffian Games has kept everything that was great about the first game, and added in a few new features as well.
The storyline in “Crackdown 2” picks up several years after the original game. The once beautiful Pacific city has fallen into chaos once again, as a plague was unleashed on the citizens that has mutated many of them into monsters called Freaks, who roam the streets at night, attacking citizens and Agency Peacekeepers alike. During the day the Freaks hide underground, but a terrorist group called The Cell battles the Agency and tries to thwart their attempts at restoring order. As the game progresses, the motivations of The Cell and the backstory of how things got this bad are revealed. Your main goal as an Agent is to retake strategic locations from the Cell as well as activate a series of devices (called Beacons) that will eradicate the Freak population, thus restoring order to the city.
Gameplay in “Crackdown 2” is essentially the same as the original, which is a good thing. You are a super-powered Agent that uses weapons, vehicles and hand to hand combat to take down enemies and restore order to the city. The more you use your skills, the better they become. The game world is also populated with orbs that improve certain skills when you collect them. Over the course of the game your agent eventually becomes the equivalent of the Hulk, able to leap huge distances, toss cars around like they were made of paper, and create massive shockwaves that rip through everything around you.
The biggest addition to “Crackdown 2” is how the day/night cycle affects the enemies you'll be dealing with. As soon as the sun goes down, the Freaks crawl out of the ground en masse. Depending on what your objective is as the time, this can have some interesting effects. There were times that I was attacking a Cell stronghold as night fell. The Freaks showed up and actually helped me, as they indiscriminately attacked anything that wasn't them. Battling Freaks also allows you to use your melee skills more, as they are a close combat enemy for the most part. I must have spent hours running through Freak-infested areas just pummeling wave after wave of enemies. It's a nice change of pace from the gunplay that makes up most encounters with the Cell.
“Crackdown 2” is an open world game, and you can explore most of it right out of the gate. The missions have a logical progression to them, but there's no penalty for getting sidetracked. Many a time I was on my way to complete the second leg of an objective, only to get sidetracked by a group of random enemies, or some agility orbs that I wanted to snag. Objectives are always represented on your map, and even if you do get sidetracked, chances are you'll end up near another objective anyway. There are some places you won't be able to explore until you've leveled up your Agent, and for the most part these are heights which you simply can't up to until you get to a certain skill level. For the most part though, there are very few limitations, even early in the game.
The other major upgrade in “Crackdown 2” is the addition of four-player co-op as well as 16-player competitive multiplayer. Co-op is especially helpful when you're attacking Freak lairs, as Beacons take a while to charge, and you have to fend off insane amounts of freaks while protecting the Beacons from damage. I was more interested in competitive multiplayer though, and I'm impressed with how well Ruffian pulled it off. In Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Rocket Tag modes you've essentially got a fully-powered Agent, so the action is fast, and the key to staying alive is constant movement. Adding to the verticality of each map are several glowing jump pads that vault you across the area, similar to the “Man Cannons” in “Halo 3.” There's also plenty of weapons scattered throughout each area, and multiplier orbs to collect that give bonuses for each kill. Overall the multiplayer works well, and it feels somewhere in between “Unreal Tournament III” and “Halo 3” to me.
“Crackdown 2” does a great job of building on the successful formula of the first game. I'll be spending plenty more time in Pacific City over the rest of the summer.
5 out of 5 Restoring Order By Any Means Necessaries
6-18-10: Review--Alan Wake (XBox 360)
I’ve been waiting for “Alan Wake” for a long, long time. The game was first announced by developer Remedy at E3 2005. It started out as a multi-platform game, but ended up becoming an Xbox 360 exclusive. It wasn’t until 2008 that things started really coming together and now, finally, we get to see the finished product. Was it worth the wait? Absolutely.
“Alan Wake” takes inspiration from a lot of different horror and thriller icons—everything from Stephen King and David Lynch, from shows like “Lost” and “Twin Peaks,” to movies like “The Thing,” and games like “Silent Hill.” The story centers on writer Alan Wake, a successful Stephen King knockoff who has had writer’s block for the past two years. His wife Alice decides to get him out of the city and takes him on a vacation to the Pacific Northwest town of Bright Falls, where he can get away from it all and hopefully kick start his writing. All of that goes down the tubes however, when Alan’s wife disappears and he starts to realize something is very wrong with the town of Bright Falls. There is a darkness consuming many of the people in town, the nights are becoming extremely dangerous, and it seems like Alan’s latest novel is coming to life—even though he can’t remember writing any of it.
On the gameplay side, the core theme is that light is good, and darkness is really, really bad. Alan must use light to burn the darkness off of enemies before he can harm them. The flashlight beam acts as a reticule, and can also be used to stun enemies. Over the course of the game, Alan gains access to stronger light sources including flash grenades, flares, spotlights and handheld lanterns (really big flashlights). Revolvers, shotguns and hunting rifles are the standard weapons are his weapons of choice.
The mechanics work pretty well, and once I got into the rhythm of using the flashlight and weapons well together, combat takes on a certain fluidity. There’s also a dodge mechanic that will slow time down if you time it correctly, although sometimes your best move is just running toward the nearest light source, which drives the enemies away. There’s not a lot of depth to the combat system, as you pretty much learn everything in the first couple of encounters, but for me that was a good thing. I don’t want to be worried about learning new mechanics when I’m immersed in the atmosphere and story of the game.
Speaking of immersion, what really drew me into “Alan Wake” was its excellent presentation. The game’s six main chapters are treated as episodes of a television show. With each new episode, you get a recap of what happened in the previous one. In the game world itself, the use of light and darkness is very well done, and there is a constant sense of foreboding whenever there’s not a light source in the immediate vicinity. The darkness-possessed humans (called ‘Taken’) are freaky because they utter these insane babblings like “Omega-3 fatty acids are good for your heart!” or “The graveyard shift can give you cancer!” as they come stampeding out of the darkness toward you. All of those things combined with good pacing kept me engrossed throughout.
If there’s any gripe I have with the game it’s that the character models are not great, and that’s where the game really shows how long it’s been in development. The voice acting was great, but the character models just couldn’t convey emotion very well. As a result, the cutscenes are often the worst part of the game, as it looks better when it’s in motion and you’re taking control of Alan. Graphics aren’t that important to me though, so the strong story and atmosphere was more than enough for me to overlook some of the visuals.
“Alan Wake” is a game definitely worth playing, and it provides a unique experience at a time when much of the gaming landscape looks the same. Highly recommended.
4.5 out of 5 An Apple A Day Makes Sevens
5-18-10: Review--Skate 3 (XBox 360)
When it comes to video games, my skateboarding history begins and ends over twenty years ago. In the 80’s I played and enjoyed “720” in the arcade, and “Skate or Die” and “California Games” for the NES. I never really got into any other skating games over the years, and although the first couple “Skate” games looked interesting from afar, they seemed to be pretty difficult and sim-like, so I never approached them. So when “Skate 3” was building up to release, I was intrigued to hear the developers talking about opening up the series to a wider audience, and making it more accessible for newcomers. After spending some time with “Skate 3,” I’m happy to say that not only is the game newbie-friendly, it’s also has a lot more depth than I was expecting from it.
The story in “Skate 3” is simple—you are starting up your own skateboard company, and you have to drum up business. Getting on magazine covers, winning races, and filming your best tricks all result in the sale of more skateboards, and your sales numbers are basically the currency you use to unlock everything from new clothes to new challenges and locations. You also expand your company as you go by bringing on teammates to represent your brand, and they can earn you more sales.
The game is set in the city of Port Carverton, a virtual skater’s paradise. You can’t go ten feet in PC without finding something to jump, grind or flip off of. From the PCU campus to the downtown district to residential areas, there’s plenty of variety to the environments you can skate in, and since the game allows you to teleport to different areas, you can get skating in your favorite areas without having to travel all the way across town. If you’re at the college and you want to complete a challenge downtown, you just open the map, select the challenge icon and teleport over to that part of town. In Career Mode, the game does a nice job of keeping you constantly engaged in one challenge or another. However, it also gives you the option to turn the Career Mode off and just free skate around the city, if that’s what you’re looking for.
The story, setting and game modes wouldn’t matter much if the game’s core mechanics didn’t work, and fortunately for “Skate 3,” they work great. The basic skate trick system is called the ‘Flick It’ system, which has you using the right analog stick to move your board, and the left stick to move your body. Tricks are done by completing certain motions with the right stick—it actually feels similar to some sports and fighting games, and there’s a variety of motions that result in different moves. How easy the tricks are to pull off depends on what difficulty you set the game on, and this is where “Skate 3” really opens itself up to a wider audience. On Easy (which is what I play on), you are making the same movements as in other modes, but you don’t have to be as precise, and objects you interact with are more forgiving. As you ramp up the difficulty, your timing and movement inputs need to be better.
In addition to the different difficulty settings, “Skate 3” also has a great tutorial for newcomers. Jason Lee (My Name Is Earl, Mallrats) plays “Coach Frank,” basically an over the top version of his Earl character, decked out in tennis gear. He guides you through learning the basics of the game in a genuinely funny way. In fact, the entire game has a great sense of humor and charm, and it’s funny without being vulgar, which makes it a lot more accessible to younger players.
A big theme in “Skate 3” is creating your own content. Whether it’s video, custom graphics, or entire skate parts, “Skate 3” has a great set of creating and sharing tools that make it easy to customize your own experience. I don’t have a lick of artistic talent, but I was able to navigate the graphics creator on the game’s website (www.skate.ea.com) and create a logo for my boards, shirts and hats that I then imported in my game. There’s already a ton of videos, logos and parks that users have created that you can check out and can download, and the creative community around “Skate 3” is a great reason to keep coming back to the game.
Another big theme in "Skate 3" is being part of a team. A lot of the challenges are team-based, and you can either choose to have AI teammates, or hop online and recruit some friends. The game is flexible enough so that you can play the challenges either online or offline, and you usually get a bonus for choosing the online option. It's a nice way of encouraging online play without forcing it.
If I have one gripe about “Skate 3,” it's that even on the easiest difficulty, it's can be unforgiving at times. The tricks are simple enough to learn, but to able to string them together or time them correctly will take a while to learn, and the game will often put you on a timer during challenges, so there's not much room for error. On the flipside though, if you get frustrated with a challenge you can just quit out of it, open the map and instantly teleport to a different challenge.
All in all, “Skate 3” is a very well-rounded experience. From the “pick up and play” controls, to the online features, to the ability to create endless content, there's a lot of reasons to give this game a try. Even if you haven't played a skating game in a long time, you'll find plenty to like about “Skate 3.”
4.5 out of 5 Nollies
5-11-10: Review--Iron Man 2: The Video Game (PS3)
“Iron Man 2: The Video Game” is somewhat of a Jekyll and Hyde experience. The game contains a mix of fun superhero moments and controller-throwing, white-hot anger moments that in the end keep it from breaking the “movie tie-in” mold.
“Iron Man 2” features a story by writer Matt Fraction that takes place after the events of the Iron Man 2 movie. A former Stark employee by the name of Kearson DeWitt has stolen a bunch of information from the JARVIS AI program, and is working with the Russians and A.I.M. to create the Ultimo weapon. Tony and Rhodey have to battle through Russian separatists, Crimson Dynamo, Roxxon and A.I.M. on their way to tracking down DeWitt, who ends up becoming one with Ultimo. Along the way, they get some help from Nick Fury, Black Widow and S.H.I.E.L.D. Through the game's eight story missions, you get to choose to play as either Iron Man or War Machine (there are a couple missions where the story dictates that you use a certain suit).
The controls for both the Iron Man and War Machine suits are pretty much the same―it's the weaponry that changes. As you might imagine, War Machine specializes in heavy artillery, but is not as agile as Iron Man, who makes up for his lesser firepower by being more agile. The strongest aspect of the control scheme is the transition between ground movement, hovering and flying. Moving between modes is simple and easy, and I found myself using hover mode for most of the game, only using full flight and ground modes to either make up distance or navigate tight spaces, respectively. Weapons are controlled with the trigger buttons, and some weapons allow you to charge them up by holding the button down for a longer period. There's a lock on system that you can toggle on and off as well, which I found worked great in some situations and poorly in others. In general, the controls are simple to use and you should pick them up quickly.
As you play through he game, you'll unlock different Iron Man armors―everything from the original Iron Man suit to the Ultimate universe version. On top of that, there's a pretty deep customization system that allows you to upgrade weapons and create new ones. Before each mission, you can customize your loadout, and many of the weapons can be used with both iron man and War Machine, so you're not necessarily upgrading one at the expense of the other. You'll never unlock or upgrade everything in the first playthrough, so you'll have to prioritize the first time through.
The game is at its best when it gives you wide open spaces and a variety of targets to take down any way you want. A really fun sequence might start with Iron Man softening enemies up with a few missiles from afar, then dashing in to battle flying drones hand to hand before dropping to the ground to take on a couple of tanks, only to vault back up into the air when things get too hot.
Where “Iron Man 2” really stumbles though, is when it requires a level of precision that the game's mechanics are incapable of. It puts you in situations where you'll either need to fly through tight spaces, or interact with specific objects, and that's when things start to fall apart (especially when you're put on a timer). There's a scene that kind of like the old Star Wars arcade game for example, where you're flying out of a series of collapsing tunnels, having to dodge objects in each direction. The clunky camera and the looseness of the flying controls take what should be a cool superhero moment and turn it into a choppy, frustrating sequence, where I bumbled and stumbled my way out to the eventual cut scene.
The final boss is murder, too. Playing as both War Machine and Iron Man (you switch off), you make the final assault on Ultimo. War Machine's task is to disable and then pry off energy cores on Ultimo's body. This requires precision, as War Machine has to get in just the right position and press the interact button. Ultimo is constantly moving, and the hover/flight controls just aren't precise enough to get you in the right position at the exact moment you need to be. The level just devolves into a frustrating scene where you'll die over and over again, hoping to maneuver yourself into position out of blink luck more than any sort of skill. It kills what is supposed to be the climactic battle of the game.
What this game really needed was a co-op mode. Some of the control issues would have been easier to deal with if there was a second player, as one player could have drawn enemy fire while the other fumbled with whatever object interaction needed to take place. Not to mention, War Machine and Iron Man raining down destruction together would have been awesome, and it would have increased the replayability factor of the game quite a bit. As it stands, the major incentive to replay missions is to unlock all the suits and upgrade all of their components, which will likely only appeal to completionists.
Between the variety of suits and weapons, and the ability to attack levels as either War Machine or Iron Man, the pieces are in place for a solid game. But when it comes to the control scheme, the game confuses the word “simple” with “precise," and the difference between those two words is the difference between “Iron Man 2” being a decent game and a really good game.
3 out of 5 Shellheads
5-7-10: Review--The Saboteur (XBox 360)
“The Saboteur” as a whole is much greater than the sum of its parts. It’s a World War II action game that combines a lot of familiar elements to create a very unique experience.
“The Saboteur” takes place in 1940 France and centers around the character of Sean Devlin, an Irish mechanic-turned racecar driver. When the Nazis invade France and Devlin’s best friend is killed, he gets sucked into the resistance movement and becomes a major force for the Parisian underground. Devlin wreaks havoc against the German forces as a saboteur, restoring the people’s will to fight and weakening the Nazis’ hold on the area, all while seeking revenge against the man who killed his friend.
The core gameplay in “The Saboteur” involves five major elements: platforming, sneaking, shooting, brawling and driving. All of the missions you undertake for various members of the resistance involve a combination of these elements. For example, a typical mission could be to sneak into a Nazi installation, use your brawling skills to take down Nazis quietly, blow up a communications tower, and then evade the alerted Nazis in a high speed chase through the streets of Paris. What’s great about both the sneaking and shooting however is that you can play the game in a way that emphasizes one element over the other. It’s possible in most missions to be completely stealthy, taking out guards silently and then slipping into the night after you complete your objective. If you’re a “run and gunner,’ you can blast your way through missions, provided you bring the right firepower and use cover effectively. My preference was always to attempt to be stealthy, and then bring out the big guns when I inevitable alerted the guards.
One of the coolest aspects of “The Saboteur” is its use of color. When you start the game, the entire area of France it takes place is drained of color, with the exception of the red Nazi banners and armbands. When you complete major story missions, the natural color of the world returns, as it signifies the French people’s will to fight back against the Nazis. Over the course of the game, the entire area gets bright back to life. That’s not to say the war’s over, just that the resistance has grown stronger and the people are willing to battle against the occupation.
I think the big tradeoff in a game this ambitious is that some aspects aren’t going to be as polished as they would be in a game that had a smaller focus. The driving mechanics aren’t as tight as they would be in a driving-focused game like “Burnout Paradise.” The sneak mechanics aren’t as polished as a game like “Metal Gear Solid” or “Splinter Cell.” Shooting doesn’t measure up to “Gears of War,” and the platforming doesn’t rival “Assassin’s Creed.” Those games do one or two things very well. The Saboteur does all of them in a fairly average way, which can lead to a frustrating moment or two. Trying to win a race when the car sometimes feels like it has one wheel in the middle instead of one on each corner can be difficult. There were times where I snuck up on a Nazi guard, and because I wasn’t in exactly the right position behind him, I couldn’t execute a stealth kill. Other times the clunky brawling mechanics kept me from being able to finish off a guard before he alerted his buddies. It was never enough to keep me from enjoying the game, but it was noticeable.
As I mentioned though, it’s a tradeoff, and it’s one that I’m completely comfortable with. Being able to explore a huge open world in a bunch of different ways is what makes “The Saboteur” great. Couple that with a really interesting story and “The Saboteur” manages to take the ‘done to death’ genre of World War II and make it a really interesting backdrop for a game again. It’s a shame that Pandemic was basically closed after this game was released, as I would've loved to have seen a sequel. It’s a criminally overlooked gem, and I highly recommended it.
4.5 out of 5 Viva La Resistances
You can pick up “The Saboteur” brand new at most retail outlets for $19.99 right now. For the amount of game you’ll be getting, you’d be hard pressed to find a better value.
5-2-10: Review--Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Multiplayer (Xbox 360)
I’ve been putting this off because I haven’t finished the single-player campaign yet, but I can wait no longer. I have to talk about how amazing the multiplayer in “Battlefield: Bad Company 2” is.
I enjoyed the multiplayer in the first “Bad Company,” and I had a blast with “Battlefield 1943” this past summer. What’s great about “Bad Company 2” is that it feels like developer DICE really learned what worked and didn’t in both of those games, as they’ve crafted a superb multiplayer experience.
The four classes in “Bad Company 2” (Assault, Medic, Engineer and Recon) are very different from one another, and all have real pros and cons to playing them. Take the Medic for example, which is my preferred class. The biggest pro to playing a medic is that you can heal and resurrect teammates, which not only helps your team, but nets you huge amounts of experience points, which lead to better weapons and gear. One of the cons is that you don’t have a heavy duty weapon like a rocket launcher, and your light machine guns are pretty slow to reload. Some of the unlocks you get help alleviate those cons, but in general the Medic is a support class, and doesn’t so as well when trying to lead the charge alone or attack from far away. All of the classes are well crafted and work best when they fulfill the roles they were designed for. Recon is great at sniping and spotting, as well as calling in mortar support. Engineers are at their best when they are keeping allied vehicles up and running, and they can also quickly take out enemy vehicles. Assault is exactly what you think it is—strike fast, strike hard and lead the charge.
The classes are designed so well, having a good variety in your group can make your squad (and your team as a whole) near-unstoppable. In fact, the whole multiplayer component is designed in a way that constantly encourages teamwork. The game rewards you for assisting your squad by giving you extra experience points for healing or resupplying teammates, or assisting a squad mate with a kill. You can spot enemies for teammates, and you receive a bonus when someone takes the enemy out. And at the end of each match, you can earn bonus points for being the best team, or playing your role really well. Between the well-defined classes and the RPG-like experience system, “Bad Company 2” also scratched that “Dungeons & Dragons” itch for me. After all, running around the battlefield healing and resurrecting your party members is what being a cleric is all about.
But perhaps my favorite aspect of “Bad Company 2’s” multiplayer is the way the game is balanced. With the ability to use so many vehicles, and the variety of classes and weapons, it would be easy for a game like “Bad Company 2” to have major balance issues. For the most part though, the game is balanced very well. When you have two teams that are working together, matches often come down to one or two kills, or a last stand to defend a control point. Most sessions that I play with my friends have at least one or two epic battles that are decided by a slim margin.
“Bad Company 2” really provides a multiplayer experience that differs from almost everything else on consoles. The emphasis on teamwork, combined with the great class system, variety of vehicles and balanced gameplay combine for a great online experience. In fact, it’s so good that you may gloss over the single-player component entirely.
5 out of 5 Cure Light Wounds
4-27-10: Super Street Fighter 4 Review (XBox 360)
“Street Fighter 4” exploded onto the console gaming scene in February of 2009. The game was pretty much universally acclaimed for everything from the new art style, to the new combo system, to the roster of both familiar and new characters. “Street Fighter 4” was everything that fans of the franchise had hoped it would be. But when Capcom announced that “Super Street Fighter 4” would be arriving a little over a year after the original game, some fans and critics wondered aloud if it was too soon, and questioned why Capcom couldn’t just make additional content available through download.
Now that “Super Street Fighter 4” has hit store shelves however, it’s hard to argue with the value of the final product. “Super Street Fighter 4” is a great package, and it’s a lot more accessible to new players than last year’s model.
“Super Street Fighter 4” adds a host a new features to the game, chief among them being the ten new characters. Well, two of them are new, and eight of the characters are returning from previous “Street Fighter” games. For me, the standouts in the group are Cody and Guy of the “Final Fight” series, as well as the two new characters Hakan and Juri. I loved the side-scrolling beat ‘em up badness of "Final Fight," so I was psyched to see them included in "SSFIV." The two true new characters are very different from both each other and the other characters in the game. Juri, who uses a style of Tae Kwon Do, is a quick, kick-based character whose attacks include vicious wheel kicks that juggle opponents in the air, as well as projectile attacks that make her a dangerous ranged opponent. Hakan is a Turkish oil wrestler that bathes himself in olive oil before the start of each match. He’s powerful and has some great ground attacks, like the ability to slide on his oil-covered stomach, knocking opponents to the ground so he can immediately belly flop back on top of them. All in all there's a ton of characters to choose from, and they are all unlocked from the start of the game, which makes the game much more accessible that "Street Fighter 4," where many of the characters had to be unlocked by playing through Arcade mode with other characters.
The online component of “Super Street Fighter 4” is where things have really stepped up since the first version. The new Team Battle mode allows up to eight players to face off in teams of two, three or four. Endless Battle is just like the old arcade days, where up to eight people face off one at a time and the winner stays while the loser moves to the end of the challenger line. As far as performance, I had no lag issues during the merciless beatings I took over Xbox Live. But by far my favorite mode is the Replay Channel, which allows you to watch recorded matches from all around the world. The Replay Channel has sub-channels, so if you just want to watch matched featuring the new characters, or just characters from the original game, you can. It's a great training tool, as I was able to see how people who knew what they were doing used my favorite characters. You can literally sit in a lobby and match after match will play. It's like watching the really good kids at the arcade without that awkward feeling of looking over their shoulders.
My only gripe with the game is that the Training and Trial modes where you learn and practice your moves are not as helpful as I'd like them to be. They never show you why you failed to pull off a move. I'd love to see a system like in “MLB 2K10,” where the game shows you the motion you made with the stick, and how far away it was from the ideal motion. It would make learning new moves a lot easier.
Between the fantastic gameplay and the new modes and characters, “Super Street Fighter 4” is a great package. If you already own Street Fighter 4, then you'll have to decide whether the new characters and online upgrades are enough to buy the new edition, but it's a no-brainer for anyone who didn't get "SFIV," as this is the superior version, and it's twenty bucks cheaper than its predecessor.
4.5 out of 5 Oil Slides
3-20-10: Deadly Premonition Review (XBox 360)
“Deadly Premonition” is one of the hardest games I’ve ever tried to review. The game is both amazing and terrible at the same time, and most people will either be madly in love with it, or hate the game completely. For me, the good far outweighed the bad, and I found “Deadly Premonition” to be one of the most interesting games I’ve played in a long time.
“Deadly Premonition” centers on Agent Francis York Morgan, who has come to the quiet Northwest town of Greenvale to investigate the murder of a young woman. Her death has revived rumors of the return of the “Raincoat Killer,” a serial murderer who shows up when it rains, which it happens to do in Greenvale quite a bit. More victims start piling up, putting York and the local police in a race against time to catch the killer before he or she strikes again. The story is broken up into chapters and episodes, which feature TV-style recap segments in between. “Deadly Premonition” is clearly inspired by the television show Twin Peaks in terms of story, and the gameplay is a mix of genres, pulling from games like “Resident Evil,” “Grand Theft Auto” and “Silent Hill.” You explore the open world of Greenvale, interview its townspeople, and engage in story missions, side quests and minigames while trying to find out who the killer is.
Let’s start with the negatives first, because there are some issues with “Deadly Premonition” that may make you walk away before you’re even out of the first chapter. The biggest issue is that much of the game’s control system is downright awful. The combat controls are reminiscent of “Resident Evil,” with ‘stop and shoot’ style, but the aiming is less precise. Luckily, there is a ‘lock on’ button that will shift your aim to the nearest enemy, which I relied on quite a bit, especially in the early going. Driving is not much better, as vehicles feel like they have one wheel in the middle as opposed to four on all sides. The inventory system is archaic, the minimap is not very helpful, and the tutorial is almost nonexistent. To cap it all off, the game has the visual fidelity of an early PS2 or original Xbox game. In short, “Deadly Premonition” does not look good or play very well, and the game does little to help you figure out what you’re supposed to be doing.
So, why would anyone want to put themselves through the frustrations I mentioned above? Because the writing, story and characters are some of the most unique I’ve encountered in a game, so much so that the things I didn’t like about the game just faded into the background.
Seriously, if you can get past the ugly wrapper, “Deadly Premonition” really is amazing. Lead character Agent Francis York Morgan is an FBI investigator with an imaginary friend named Zach. He spends most of his alone time musing about 80’s movies like “Ladyhawke,” or comparing the first two “Superman” movies to the first two entries in the “Star Wars” trilogy. It’s a movie nerd’s dream, and I was impressed on several occasions with how obscure some of the references were. York’s mannerisms and the way he interacts with others are really funny, and despite the story’s serious tone, there are a ton of laugh out loud moments in the game.
The supporting cast is interesting as well. Sheriff George Woodman and Deputy Sheriff Emily Wyatt are great, and many of the townsfolk have funny personalities too. They all go about their daily lives, and what you learn from them will depend on where and when you encounter them. Many side quests will only be found if you are in the right place at the right time, which encourages you to explore the town and get to know everyone.
As York makes his way through each chapter, there are times where he will use his profiling skills to put clues together. This usually involves finding pieces of evidence and watching York play out situations in his head. At the end of each chapter the process is a little more interactive, as York poses questions about the case that you have to answer. This served as a nice way to keep you engaged in the details of the story, as you’re constantly being reminded what’s come before and how it all fits together.
The third act features some great twists, and the plot in general jumps up a few notches on the crazy scale, but I found the story to be very satisfying overall. I felt a tinge of sadness at the end, because unless this game sells extremely well, there's very little chance I'll be seeing Agent Morgan in a game anytime soon. I may just have to play through the game again, as I'm sure there's plenty of golden moments that I missed in my 21-hour experience.
So, while “Deadly Premonition” can't be considered a good game from a technical standpoint, it's easily one of the most memorable games I've ever played. Do yourself a favor and check this one out. Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention that it costs $20.
4 out of 5 Red Seeds
3-2-10: Plants Vs. Zombies Review (iPhone/iPod touch)
Developer Pop Cap has created an empire by continuously building better mousetraps. They look at the types of games and genres that are popular with people at any given time, and then they make their own version, only better. Their latest game “Plants vs. Zombies” was an instant hit when it debuted on PC in May of 2009, and the iPhone version that arrived this week is every bit as good as the original.
“Plants vs. Zombies” takes the very popular ‘tower defense’ style of game and combines it with everybody’s favorite monster—the zombie. While that may sound cliched, where Pop Cap sets themselves apart once again is in their execution. “Plants vs. Zombies” is mechanically sound, has a cute, cartoony aesthetic, and a great soundtrack. That combination results in a completely addictive experience that is perfectly at home on the iPhone/iPod Touch.
In “Plants vs. Zombies,” you defend your home from a zombie invasion by populating your lawn with different kinds of weaponized plants. Each plant costs a certain amount of sunlight to make grow, and you collect sunlight as you play the game. Some plants function like pea shooters, slowly chipping away at a zombie’s health. Some resemble the giant venus fly trap from ‘Little Shop of Horrors,’ and have the ability to eat a zombie whole. You can plant potato mines, which explode into a mess of mashed potatoes on impact. There’s also defensive plant types, like Wall-Nuts, which block the zombies from progressing until they eat through them. Finally, by planting sunflowers, you can increase the amount of sunlight you collect, allowing you to get more plants on your lawn more quickly.
By clearing waves of zombies, you earn rewards, which could be either new plant seeds or currency to buy other seed packs and upgrades. Since you can only have so many seed types in play at one time, there’s an element of customization to the game. It’s almost like you’re creating a deck in a collectible card game, selecting the plant types that fit your strategy best. The zombie types get more sophisticated as well, so each level will have you reassessing what types of plants you want in your arsenal, as well as prioritizing what you spend your sunlight on.
There are variations to the standard gameplay, and some levels will have you doing things like bowling for zombies with Wall-Nuts, or taking random plants off a conveyor belt and arranging them the best way you can to stop the zombies.
It may sound a little overwhelming, but the game eases you into things and never gives you more than you can handle, which makes it great for all types of gamers. The cartoony design, the charming humor and the lack of any gore or graphic violence also make “Plants vs. Zombies” a great game for all ages.
5 out of 5 Cob Cannons
2-18-10: Skee-Ball Review (iPhone/iPod Touch)
Remember the days where you’d head down to the arcade or the boardwalk and blow $20 bucks playing “Skee-Ball” just to get enough tickets for that Duran Duran velcro wallet?
Developer Freeverse remembers, and they’ve created a “Skee-Ball” game for the iPhone and iPod Touch that recaptures the magic of those ticket-collecting days.
“Skee-Ball” is exactly what you picture it to be in your head—that lighted sign on the top of the alley, the little chute where the balls roll down, and those glorious circles of varying sizes and point values, daring you to forgo the straight shot and try to angle one for 100 points. You throw balls down the alley by moving your finger up the screen. The game translates your motion and angle extremely well, and the physics provide as realistic a feel as possible to the gameplay.
As fun as playing "Skee-Ball" is though, it’s all about the loot. Freeverse really nailed this aspect of the game, as you will be able to spend your tickets on everything from lava lamps to popsicles to mullet wigs. What’s better is that every time you log into the game, the items available in the store will change. Anything you purchase gets placed in your own personal trophy room, so you can show off that plastic spider ring to your friends next time you’re waiting at the bus stop.
To top it all off, “Skee-Ball” has achievements and leaderboards, so you can challenge yourself and compare your skills with your buddies.
A simple concept executed to perfection, “Skee-Ball” is an absolute blast to play. Oh yeah, it also costs a whopping $0.99 on iTunes. Considering the hundreds of hours you’re going to lose to this game, that’s a pretty low-risk investment.
5 out of 5 Hundos
2-9-10: Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars Review (Wii)
“Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars” is a great arcade-style fighter that offers something for both seasoned fighters and those new to the genre. A cast of colorful characters and a great set of gameplay options combine to make for a great fighting experience that hearkens back to the coin-op days.
“Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars” pits characters from the Capcom video games against those of Tatsunoko Productions, one of the most storied animation studios in Japan. There are 26 characters to choose from, and familiar characters like Ryu from “Street Fighter” and Ken the Eagle from “Gatchaman” are accompanied by more obscure characters like Gold Lightan (“Golden Warrior Gold Lightan”) and Saki Omokane (“Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams”).
As an arcade-style fighter, “Tatsunoko vs. Capcom” features pretty much everything you could ask for. There’s the standard Arcade mode, where you pick two characters and battle through a slew of enemy characters to face the final boss (Yami from “Okami”). Versus mode pits two players against one another locally. There’s also Time Attack and Survival Modes, which test your ability to dispatch enemies quickly and take out as many as possible without dying, respectively. And there’s a full featured online mode, which allows you to battle against friends or complete strangers online in ranked an unranked battles. Playing the game earns you in-game currency (Zenny) that you can use to unlock new character outfits, movies and artwork.
What really impressed me the most about this game can be summed up in one word though—accessibility. To control your fighters, you can choose to use the Wiimote, the Wiimote and Nunchuk, the Wii Classic Controller or a GameCube controller. The Wiimote control option features simple controls, which allow new players to pull off special moves and combos without being intimidated by the more complex controls. There’s even a “simple controls” option with the Wiimote that streamlines the controls further, mapping certain functions to basic motion controls. Combine that with a handicapping option in versus play, and each player can tailor the difficulty and controls to their skill level. As a father of two young kids with a wife who rarely games, the options available in “Tatsunoko vs. Capcom” make it a game that the entire family can play.
From a performance standpoint, the game looks and plays great. While the game is a 2D fighter, the characters and stages are 3D, which lends an additional layer of depth to the visuals. No matter what control scheme you’re using, the controls feel tight and responsive. In the online matches I played, there were one or two instances of minor lag, but for the most part I had no problems. It took about a minute on average to find a random opponent, and from there it was just like playing offline.
Aside from being a great all-around game, “Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars” is a good introduction to a lot of Tatsunoko’s franchises that many people may not be familiar with. I’ve already started tracking down DVDs of the ones I hadn’t seen before, like Karas and Tekkaman. On the flip side, if you’re an anime fan with little or no experience with fighting games, you’ll be able to get into this one without any problems. Highly recommended.
4.5 out of 5 K.O.’s
2-4-10: Review--Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne
With “Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne,” writer David Gaider adds another level of depth to the world that he helped create for the “Dragon Age: Origins” video game.
“The Stolen Throne” is set approximately thirty years before the events of the “Dragon Age: Origins” game. The nation of Ferelden has been invaded and taken over by the Orlesian Empire, whose only major resistance is a group of rebels led by the former Queen Moira Theirin. When the Rebel Queen is killed, her son Maric escapes and ends up meeting a group of outlaws. With the Orlesians on his trail, Maric and an outlaw named Loghain Mac Tir escape into the wilds and eventually meet up with the remaining rebels. Maric then reluctantly takes up his mother's cause and embarks on a mission with Loghain and his betrothed Rowan to try and gather an army to overthrow the Orlesians. Love triangles, spies, Darkspawn and epic battles area all part of Maric's journey to the throne of Ferelden.
By setting this tale well before the events of the game, Gaider is able to focus on the history of Ferelden and some of it's most storied characters and events. While Maric is the lead character, this is Loghain's story as well, and he is a much different character here than the one players will encounter in the game. Reading this book could definitely impact how players approach Loghain in “Dragon Age: Origins.” This story also adds a lot of depth to the world of “Dragon Age,” particularly Ferelden. Locations from across Ferelden are explored in detail, and Gaider continuously imparts bits of each place's history to the reader, making Ferelden feel like much more than just the backdrop to video game.
If you're not planning on picking up the game and are just looking for a good fantasy tale, “The Stolen Throne” can certainly stand on its own. While it's clearly inspired by most of the other pillars of the fantasy genre, the characters are interesting enough to make the story feel unique.
Overall, “Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne” is a good fantasy tale that is highly recommended for anyone interested in the world of “Dragon Age."
4 out of 5 Darkspawn
1-25-10: Dragon Age: Origins Review (XBox 360)
Bioware, you’ve finally done it. You managed to combine an RPG that embodies all of the things I love about playing “Dungeons & Dragons,” and meld it with a truly epic storyline to create a fantasy masterpiece.
“Dragon Age: Origins” takes all of the familiar concepts of “Lord of the Rings,” “Dragonlance,” “Wheel of Time” and every other fantasy setting and manages to do something unique with them. Instead of diving right into the overarching “save the world” story, “Dragon Age” takes a step back and allows you to play through the origin story of your character. In fact, you don’t encounter the main storyline of the game until several hours in, and that’s a good thing. By letting you actually play through your origin story, you’re completely bought into the world and your place in it when you hit the main storyline, giving the events that transpire a much greater impact.
As a Dwarven commoner, my character started out casteless, rejected by her own people. I spent time learning about the politics of Dwarven society and undertaking several quests for the crime lord I was working for, as I was a petty thief at the time. When one of the fabled Grey Wardens (the protectors of the land) comes to visit the city, an opportunity to rise beyond my current lot in life presented itself. By entering and winning a combat tournament, my character impressed the Grey Warden enough to earn an invitation to join the Wardens and help deal with a threat to the entire land. From there, my character’s story melded into the main storyline of the game, and the epic adventure began. Over forty hours later, I closed the book on one of the best fantasy stories I’ve ever experienced, and one that I felt was my story—my choices and actions created a story that was unique to my experience.
Great pacing, storytelling and voice acting more than offset the slightly outdated visuals in “Dragon Age: Origins.” It’s a tradeoff I’m completely fine with, as the graphics are certainly adequate, and after an hour I didn’t even pay attention to them anymore. The score is amazing, and I actually bought the soundtrack, which may be the first game soundtrack I’ve ever purchased. The presentation overall is fantastic. The final act of the game rivaled some of the best scenes from the "Lord of the Rings" series in terms of epic storytelling, and I actually went back and played through the same section twice just to watch the cutscenes again.
My only real complaint with “Dragon Age: Origins” is that when the story ends, you can’t continue to explore the world. That issue will be resolved in March however, when the first expansion pack for the game will allow me to embark on a whole new storyline with the character I played through the game with.
I cannot recommend “Dragon Age: Origins” highly enough for RPG fans, or those who enjoy a great fantasy story. Those who enjoyed the “Baldur’s Gate” series will also find a lot to love with this game, as it’s pretty much a spiritual successor to that series. Go buy it.
5 out of 5 For Fereldens!
1-4-09: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Review (PS3)
“Uncharted 2: Among Thieves” may just be the most well-crafted experience I’ve ever had in a video game. Equal parts “Indiana Jones,” Tomb Raider and “Half-Life 2,” it sets a new standard for storytelling in games as well as the seamless integration of story and gameplay.
“Uncharted 2” once again puts players in the shoes of treasure hunter Nathan Drake, who is hired to help a couple other hunters steal an artifact that may hold the key to finding Marco Polo’s lost fleet (and his lost treasure). Things get complicated however, and Drake finds out that Marco Polo may have found the legendary city of Shambala. Drake gets double-crossed, and learns that the man who originally hired him is trying to find Shambala and a mythical stone that will make him the most powerful man in the world. Drake reunites with an old friend to try and stop the madman before he can get the stone.
What’s truly amazing about “Uncharted 2” is the way developer Naughty Dog has combined every element to make something that’s much greater than the sum of its parts. While the third-person combat, platforming, puzzle-solving and stealth elements of the gameplay are all solid, it’s the way they are woven into the story that makes the experience so great. The gameplay transitions seamlessly out of the cutscenes, so you’re never taken out of the moment. The pacing is great, so just when you start to get your fill of combat, there’s a nice puzzle-solving segment to cleanse the palette. And the platforming segments offer you a chance to take in the gorgeous vistas and huge set pieces. All of those elements are combined with a story that rivals anything “Indiana Jones” has ever done.
While “Uncharted 2’s” story is excellent, it wouldn’t be nearly as good without the amazing voice acting and direction. Nolan North (Drake), Claudia Black (Chloe), Emily Rose (Elena Fisher) and Steve Valentine (Harry Flynn) lead a fantastic cast of voice actors that have really set a new standard for video games. Whether it’s witty banter, heated arguments or emotionally heavy scenes, the actors bring the characters to life in a way I haven’t seen before in a game. When Drake first runs into Elena again, you feel the history between the characters. You can also feel the tension between Elena and Chloe, the ‘new girl.’ The game is littered with laugh out loud moments, and Nolan North’s delivery in particular is spot on. I would love for Naughty Dog to create a series of animated movies based on this franchise, and I’ll be playing through the game again just to experience the story.
Accompanying the stellar single-player campaign in a very solid multiplayer component. You can customize your character by using money you earn through playing, and the platforming elements provide an extra layer of strategy to the standard multiplayer shooter formula. There's also co-op missions that take levels from the game and give you new objectives to accomplish in them with a buddy.
Every year the term “system-seller” is thrown around when it comes to console exclusives. “Uncharted 2: Among Thieves” is one of the few games deserving of that label. If you do not own a PS3, this game is a reason to buy one. It’s by far the best game I’ve played this year, and quite possibly the best of this console generation.
5 out of 5 Adventures of a Lifetime
12-19-09: Half-Life 2--Episode 2 Review (XBox 360)
Bittersweet. That is how I would sum up my feelings toward “Half-Life 2: Episode Two” in one word. But one word wouldn’t do this game justice, so let me expand on that. “Episode Two” is the defining chapter of what is, in my mind, the best shooter ever made.
“Episode Two” continues the story of scientist Gordon Freeman’s battle against the alien Combine that have taken over the earth. Gordon and his companion Alyx are trying to make their way to White Forest, a resistance base that houses a rocket the rebels plan to use to close the gigantic portal through which the Combine plan to bring their entire army to Earth. I won’t spoil the details for anyone who hasn’t played it, but let’s just say there is plenty of story left to be told when “Episode Three” finally arrives.
What makes “Episode Two” (and the “Half-Life 2” series in general) great is that Valve never overuses anything. The game is constantly balancing the presence and absence of several elements to shape the player’s experience. A good example would be the use of sound in the game. For much of the game, the ambient sounds of the environment, or the sounds of Gordon interacting with it, are all that you hear. Music is used very sparingly in the game overall. So when a big action sequence is accompanied by music, you actually notice it, and it fits perfectly with the scene. Similarly, the action/shooting elements of the game are perfectly balanced with the puzzle solving elements of the game. The game will stress you out then bring you down—it has a rhythm to it that keeps you engaged by never burning you out on one aspect of the experience.
From a storytelling standpoint, I have never played another game that presents its story as well as “Half-Life 2” does. Nevermind the fact that that it’s a shooter, a genre that is known for its terrible storytelling. This game has a better narrative than most RPGs, and because you’re immersed in the first-person perspective, you feel closer to what’s going on. By the time Episode Two ends, you are so invested in the characters and their plight that it’s excruciating to know the rest of the story may not be coming for a while. Therein lies the bittersweet feeling I had when finally finishing “Episode Two.” I was happy to have completed that portion of the story, but immediately sad that it was over. Very rarely does that happen to me with a video game.
“Half-Life 2” came out in 2004, followed by “Episode One” in 2006 and “Episode Two” in 2007. We are approaching 2010, and there’s no clear indication of when we’ll get “Episode Three.” However, at least I’ll have time to play through the original “Half-Life” as well as the “Half-Life 2” games all over again before the next installment comes out.
5 out of 5 Masterpieces
If you’ve never experienced these games, I implore you to check them out. You can grab the original Half-Life on Steam for $10, and the “orange Box” for PS3 and Xbox 360 contains “Half-Life 2” as well as both expansions and two other games (Team Fortress 2 and Portal) for around $20.
12-17-09: Saints Row 2 Review (XBox 360)
Oh “Saints Row 2,” how I love thee.
“Saints Row 2” is an insanely fun romp through what can only be described as the greatest B-movie of all time. The story picks up five years after the original “Saints Row,” which ended with the main character in a coma. Here you wake up in prison, and the plastic surgery you had to have allows you to customize your character to look like whatever you want. From there, you escape from prison, meet up with some of your old crew, and begin taking back the city from the three rival gangs that have moved in: The Samedi (voodoo guys), The Ronin (samurai dudes) and the Brotherhood (kind of a ‘Hell’s Angels’ knockoff). In addition to the gangs, there’s also the Ultor Corporation, led by CEO Dane Vogel, who is really the power player behind everything in Stilwater.
“Saints Row 2” is all about playing the way you want to play. There are three main storylines that are intertwined with you taking on the three rival gangs. You can approach them any way you want and in any order. As you play through the storylines, the details of what happened in your absence are revealed, and you get to see the inner workings of each rival gang. Completing missions allows you to reclaim neighborhoods across the city, which brings in income for the Saints. You can also buy businesses in the neighborhoods you own, which will give you discounts when buying things like weapons and ammo.
The general gameplay includes third-person shooting, melee combat and driving vehicles, which range from golf carts to jet skis to helicopters. When you’re not playing missions for the main storyline, you can engage in ‘Activities’ and ‘Diversions’ like base jumping, taxi driving, vandalism, stunt driving, and about a dozen others. Completing these earns you money and respect, which unlock story missions. To aid you in all of your endeavors is a wide array of weapons and vehicles. Every time you take down an enemy or steal a car, you can bring it back to your own base and make it part of your collection. It doesn’t take long to build up quite an arsenal. Anything you don’t pick up off an enemy can usually be bought at one of the stores in Stilwater. I found myself using the samurai sword as my main melee weapon, and dual-wielding sub machine guns as my ranged weapon of choice. You can also bare-knuckle it, and there are fighting styles you can adopt that include finishing moves, when you just want to duke it out with someone. Again, it’s all about how you want to play.
The city of Stilwater itself is pretty expansive, and it feels alive, with plenty of traffic and civilians on the streets at any given place and time. From nightclubs to college campuses to shorelines, there’s a ton of variety in Stilwater. You can also purchase ‘cribs’ around the city, so once you find a setting you like, you can set up shop there.
I could go on and on, but the point is that there’s so much to do and see in Saints Row 2, that you’ll spend dozens of hours taking it all in. Anyone who dismisses this game as a “Grand Theft Auto” clone is really missing out. I think it’s actually better than “GTA,” because it keeps all the fun parts of the formula, and gets rid of all the boring parts. “Saints Row 2” also doesn’t take itself too seriously; a mistake “GTA IV” made that really affected how much fun you could have with it. The shooting and driving in “Saints Row 2” is also better than “GTA IV’s” in my opinion.
Lots of options, lots of laughs, lots of fun. That’s how I’d sum up “Saints Row 2.” I would highly recommend it.
5 out of 5 Samurai Swords To The Chin
You can now get "Saints Row 2" for $19.99 at retail, or you download the game On Xbox Live’s “Games on Demand” for $29.99.
12-12-09: Jurassic: The Hunted Review (Wii)
“Jurassic: The Hunted” is a first-person shooter that puts you in the role of Craig Dylan, a mercenary who is serving as a bodyguard for a research team that is investigating some strange energy readings coming from a remote island. As the team is flying to the island in the beginning of the game, the plane is caught in some sort of a time storm. The crew and their supplies are scattered all over the island, and Dylan must make his way back to the rest of his team. Sounds fairly straightforward, right? Oh, I forgot to mention—the island is teeming with DINOSAURS. It seems that the strange temporal events actually brought Dylan back in time.
As both a comic and B-movie fan, the story of “Jurassic: The Hunted” appealed to me in that “Monster Island meets SyFy Original Movie” sort of way. The voice acting is decent, and Dylan has a kind of charm to him. In fact, he takes the whole dinosaur thing in stride—not that he has a lot of time to think about it, with the dinos trying to kill him and all.
The game uses the CloakNT engine, which is a version of the engine developer Cauldron HQ has used in games like “Chaser,” “Civil War: A Nation Divided” and “Cabella’s Big Game Hunter 2010.” From a mechanical standpoint, I felt the shooting performed better than some of the bigger name FPS games that have shown up on the Wii over the past year or so. While you can use the Wii Zapper or other gun peripherals, I used the Wiimote and Nunchuck and had no problems at all. The Wiimote moves your crosshairs, flicking the Nunchuck throws grenades and a push of the ‘-‘ button lets you use “Adrenaline,” which slows down time and highlights a dino’s most vulnerable areas. The gameplay generally consists of fighting off either packs of smaller dinosaurs or one larger one at a time. There are places in the game where you need to hole up in a makeshift fort and defend yourself from the swarming dinos that are trying to get in. Similarly to the zombie mode in “Call of Duty: World at War,” you can actually repair the windows in your fort by holding down a button in between fighting the dinos. The fort-defending element provides a nice change to the more linear parts of the levels..
I hate complaining about graphics in Wii games, but the fact of the matter is that “Jurassic: The Hunted” on Wii looks like a much lower-res version of the PS3 and Xbox 360 games. The main problem with the graphics is that the backgrounds blend together and it's difficult to make out everything from enemies to even the basic path you're supposed to follow. A decent checkpoint system does help matters a little, but more than a few times I died because I just couldn't see what was going on.
Another place I felt the game missed the mark with the potential younger audience the game could have had. If you took out the blood and replaced the bullets with tranquilizer darts, Activision could have marketed this game toward a younger audience. And let’s face it, what kid doesn’t like dinosaurs? It just seems like a missed opportunity, especially for the Wii platform.
Overall though, “Jurassic: The Hunted” is a fun game that has solid mechanics and campy storyline B-movie fans will get a kick out of. If you’re sick of shooters filled with space marines and political conspiracies, give “Jurassic: The Hunted” a shot.
3 out of 5 Temporal Storms
It also bears mentioning that "Jurassic: The Hunted" carries a price tag of $39.99, ten bucks cheaper than most Wii games, so it's a little easier on the wallet.
12-2-09: Left 4 Dead 2 Review (XBox 360)
“Left 4 Dead 2” is one of the few sequels I’ve played that manages to improve upon its predecessor in every possible way. It’s so good that not only is it worthy of being called a true sequel, but it may just make you forget about the original.
The game’s story is set in the South this time around, moving from Savannah, Georgia to New Orleans, Louisiana over the course of the game. Like the first game, an epidemic of a rabies-like infection has turned most of the population into crazy, zombie like mutants. Four survivors band together to try and make it out of the infected area alive.
What I immediately loved about “L4D2” is the improvements to both story and characters. The overarching story links the five campaigns together this time around, which makes the whole game feel like a giant, epic zombie miniseries. The characters are fantastic as well, and the dialogue is much richer than in the first game. Each of the four characters—Coach (a high school football coach), Rochelle (a TV production assistant), Nick (a con man) and Ellis (a mechanic)—have their own personality and charm, with Ellis being the standout, as everything that the survivors experience reminds him of a story that involves one of his friends or relatives. I had several laugh out loud moments with the random dialogue that comes for the characters.
The enemies have gotten better this time around, too. In addition to the special infected from the last game, “L4D2” introduces several new enemies to the mix. The Spitter hurls acidic phlegm at the characters that pools on the ground can caused damage to anyone who touches it; the Charger has an oversized arm that he uses to bash characters into the ground after bowling them over; the Jockey is a little person that jumps on your back and steers you toward other zombies, and the Witches from the first game now get up and wander around, creating a whole new level of tension. There’s also “uncommon” infected now, like a clown whose squeaky shoes alert other zombies, and “mud men,” who jump up from the bottom of the swamp and obscure your vision with mud, leaving you more groping around, getting pummeled by zombies.
The gameplay in “L4D2” has received a substantial upgrade with the addition of melee weapons. Chainsaws, katanas, axes, bats and frying pans can be used to slice, dice and bash zombies. You can also use adrenaline shots to give you a speed burst when you need it the most, and a defibrillator to bring a fallen teammate back to the land of the living. The variety of choices you now have results in new strengths and weaknesses in your group. For example, while running to a helicopter at the end of one campaign, I was swarmed. My teammate, who was already in the escape helicopter, couldn’t help me because he had traded his pistol for a melee weapon. He watched me die as the helicopter took off.
Did I mention the game also CHANGES EVERY TIME YOU PLAY IT? The AI Director not only spawns enemies differently each time, but it now has the ability to change the physical layout of the level, so a path that was there the last time you played through could end in a brick wall this time around. Weather and lighting can also change during a playthrough. These new additions really do make the game feel different each time you play, and every time you take a wrong turn down a path you thought was the right way, you have to begrudgingly give pops to the developers for keeping you on your toes.
I could go on with the list of changes, but you get the point. “L4D2” is very different from last year’s game, and all of those differences are for the better. Valve took an incredibly entertaining cooperative game and built on the strengths of it, while adding more variety and more reasons to keep coming back to it. I will gladly hand over $60 a year if this is the type of innovation I can look forward to in the franchise.
5 out of 5 Midnight Riders
11-30-09: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Review (XBox 360)
“Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2” offers an action movie-like single player campaign, bite-size cooperative missions, and one of the most full-featured multiplayer modes of any game this generation. While I feel the developers made a few missteps here and there, it’s a blast to play and certainly met my expectations as a sequel to one of the best games of all time.
The campaign in “Modern Warfare 2” picks up five years after the original, and the Soviet Ultranationalist you killed in the first game (Zakhaev) has been replaced by a new guy (Makarov) that’s just as crazy as his predecessor. You take on the roles of a few of the people who are trying to take down Makarov, and the campaign jumps to different missions that are taking place around the world as the story unfolds. Much like the first “Modern Warfare,” the campaign is a well-paced roller coaster, never slowing down enough for you to become bored with it or become focused on the holes in the story. It felt like I was playing through a season of “24,” especially since there’s a good portion of the story takes place on U.S. soil. Sure, the story is completely over the top at times, but that’s exactly what I was hoping for. The voice acting is superb, with Keith David and Lance Henriksen being the standouts for me.
As much as I don’t want to discuss it, there is a controversial level in the game that I would be remiss without mentioning. Early in the game, you are put in the role of an undercover U.S. agent who has to take part in an act of terrorism in order to keep his cover. The point of putting you in this situation was to show you how far ‘the good guys’ sometimes have to go for the greater good. In this case, maintaining your cover could result in saving millions of lives, which outweighs the few hundred who are going to perish through the act of terrorism you are committing. There are many in the gaming community who were offended by this. I did not find the level offensive, just poorly executed. Outside of the initial shock value, it wasn’t particularly effective, and what happens at the end of the level works against what the developers were trying to accomplish. In any case, I give kudos to Infinity Ward for taking a risk with their storytelling, and hope that the backlash won’t discourage future attempts.
The ‘Special Ops’ mode of the game is a cooperative mode that puts two players in a variety of scenarios. Some play out like a horde mode, where you just battle waves of enemies, and some have specific objectives that need to be completed. This is a nice addition, especially since the campaign does not have co-op.
Multiplayer retains the core of what made the first Modern Warfare great, with a variety of maps and game modes, and a leveling system that has you unlocking perks, weapons and add-ons with the experience you gain from playing. However, the ‘kitchen sink’ approach Infinity Ward has used this time around is almost too much. There’s a constant stream of in-game rewards that are flashing in front of you while playing, and the fact that you can have multiple deployables (like jets and attack helicopters) active at the same time can unbalance a match very quickly. The biggest disappointment in multiplayer though, is the fact that most game modes do not allow Xbox Live party chat. This means you have join the in-game chat and be subjected to the racist and homophobic rantings of every 10-year old whose mom decided to buy a mature-rated game for them. It really sucks the fun out of an otherwise great experience.
So while it’s not perfect, Modern Warfare 2 is still one of the best games of the year, and I’ll be playing it for months to come. I had so much fun with the single player campaign that I’ll be going through it again, and I may even go back and play the campaign from the previous Modern Warfare. Highly recommended.
4.5 out of 5 Price and Soap Need Their Own Spin-Offs
11-27-09: Borderlands Review (XBox 360)
“Borderlands” is a fun and addictive hybrid of the FPS and RPG genres that is almost impossible to put down. The game has its flaws, but it does so much right that the flaws don’t get in the way of the overall experience.
The world of “Borderlands” is very ‘Mad Max,’ and the story takes place on a planet called Pandora that was the sight of a gold rush years ago. People flocked to Pandora and its rumored riches of mineral resources, only to find a barren and harsh land that proved difficult to survive in. Everyone that could afford to left Pandora, and many of those who are there now are eking out a meager existence. There are still some fortune hunters though, and for them, the holy grail of Pandora is the Vault—a horde of treasure and alien artifacts that every mercenary and treasure hound is looking for. Players take on the role of an adventurer who is also seeking fame and fortune, and gets caught up in the mix of parties looking to unlock the Vault.
Players choose from one of four classes: the Siren (rogue), the Soldier (fighter), the Hunter (ranger) and the Berserker (barbarian). Each class plays differently, and as you upgrade your character, there are plenty of variations within each class to your character to the way you like to play. From there, it’s pretty standard stuff—you take on quests, you get loot and experience, you upgrade your character, and you advance the story.
The three things that “Borderlands” nails as a game are the shooter elements, the loot system and the multiplayer. The controls are tight, and weapon classes feel different enough from each other that most players will end up carrying something of each type. The loot system is right out of “Diablo,” with found items being color-coded to signify their rarity. Each encounter brings the potential of a rare item, so there’s always incentive to dive back into combat and hope for that one super-rare item that will give you a huge advantage.
Multiplayer is flat out amazing. At any time, you can invite up to three friends into your game. The transition is seamless, and the game ramps up the amount of enemies and the difficulty to match the number of players. Best of all, any experience and loot you earn in another person’s game comes back with you to your own game. You can also complete quests in other people’s games and get credit for them in your own game. This is where the multiplayer shines, as you can call in a few buddies to help you complete a particularly hard quest, and when they leave again your difficulty goes back to where it was before. It’s quite simply the best implementation of cooperative play I’ve seen in a console game.
Where “Borderlands” doesn’t quite hit the mark is in the RPG department. The character creation tools are almost non-existent, and the storyline is pretty thin. The game is not so much a hybrid as a shooter with some light RPG elements. I would love to see Gearbox beef up the RPG side of things next time around, as it would be scary to think of how good the game would be if it truly achieved a 50/50 RPG/shooter split.
In the end, “Borderlands” gets right a lot more than it gets wrong, and everyone should at least give it a try for the multiplayer alone. Between that and the addictive nature of the loot system, I’ll be revisiting Pandora quite a few times over the next several months.
4.5 out of 5 Loot Drops
11-17-09: Star Wars The Force Unleashed: Ultimate Sith Edition Review (PC)
2008's “Star Wars The Force Unleashed” was a huge commercial success, selling over six million copies world. Set in the time period between the two movie trilogies, “The Force Unleashed” put players in the role of Darth Vader's apprentice Starkiller, who Vader uses as a pawn in his bid to usurp the Emperor and ferret out enemies of the Empire. The choices that players make throughout the game determine the ultimate fate of the apprentice and Vader's plans. “The Force Unleashed's” storyline was well received by critics and fans, and considered to be the game's greatest strength. Last October Secret Identity contributor Armand Nadeau reviewed the original game, giving a 3.5 out of 5 (scroll down the page to find his full review). While Army loved the story, he thought the game had its share of problems, citing camera and framerate issues, as well as some questionable AI.
On November 3rd, “Star Wars The Force Unleashed: Ultimate Sith Edition” hit shelves for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. This is the first time that PC owners have gotten a chance to experience the game, and in addition to the original game, “Ultimate Sith Edition” has three new missions that take the apprentice to Coruscant, Tatooine and the ice planet of Hoth. It’s this Hoth level that’s new for all versions of the game, as the two other missions were released via DLC a while back. Anyway, it’s all new for the PC version, which is what I spent time with this past week.
What I love about the new missions is that you don’t have to play through the original game to unlock them. All three missions are available from the get go, and in them you play as a fully powered-up version of Starkiller.
The Coruscant mission sees the apprentice visit a Jedi temple in search of information on his father. After battling through most of the temple, Starkiller sees a vision of his father, engages in some Jedi trials and must fight an alternate version of himself, signifying his battle with both sides of himself. While it was cool to explore the temple, the puzzle aspect of the Jedi trials was a bit frustrating. The trials require you to move glowing orbs along a very specific path, and the controls when using the force grip are just not that articulate. One puzzle in particular took me several attempts before I finally completed it, and I felt it was more luck than skill that carried me through it.
For me, the real draw to the “Ultimate Sith Edition” was the “Infinities” storyline that is comprised of the other two bonus missions. These missions are sort of a “what if?” type scenario. The basic premise is that Starkiller actually killed Darth Vader and is now the Emperor’s right hand Sith. Starkiller travels to Tatooine and Jabba’s palace to try and locate Obi-Wan Kenobi. Of course, Jabba is less than helpful, and Starkiller has to battle his minions as well as a Rancor before escaping and heading to the Mos Eisley cantina for a showdown with Obi-Wan. From there, he tracks the Millennium Falcon to the secret Rebel base on Hoth, which ultimately ends in a showdown with Luke Skywalker. I loved this storyline, as it was a great chance to revisit some classic characters, with an added twist of Starkiller replacing Vader. I’m a sucker for alternate endings, and I find Starkiller to be an interesting enough character that it’s fun to suppose what might have been if he took Vader’s place.
All told, the new missions add a couple of hours onto the original game. The “Ultimate Sith Edition” also contains a bunch of skins that allow you to play the game as other characters, including Luke, Anakin, Obi-Wan and C-3PO among others.
The only real downside to the “Ultimate Sith Edition” is that it doesn’t address any of the concerns about the original game. I particularly would have liked to see the developers fix the camera, which at times is more of a nuisance than any of the enemies you face in the game. Also, PC fans aren’t getting anything different from their console brethren, as the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the “Ultimate Sith Edition” are the same.
At the end of the day, “Star Wars The Force Unleashed: Ultimate Sith Edition” is the definitive version of the game that PC fans have been waiting since last September. You’re getting a lot of game for $40, and even the wonky camera can’t take the fun out of tossing enemies around like ragdolls and slicing through Rebel scum like a hot knife through butter.
4 out of 5 It’s Good To Be Bads
10-31-09: Dead Space Extraction Review (Wii)
With “Dead Space Extraction,” Visceral Games has created a prequel worthy of the original game that features an excellent story and a unique take on the “on-rails shooter” experience.
“Dead Space Extraction” delves into the events that occur on the mining colony of Aegis VII when a mysterious marker is unearthed on a distant planet. In the original “Dead Space,” players got to see the aftermath of an alien virus infestation. Here—you get to experience it firsthand. When bad things start happening on the planet’s surface, you’re there. When all hell breaks loose, you’re there. And when a group of four strangers have to band together to try and find a way to survive, you’re there. “DSE” does an amazing job of immersing you in the terrifying wave of the Necromorph infection.
One of the biggest concerns about “DSE” coming into the game was the switch from third to first-person, and the fact that the game is “on-rails.” Luckily, both of them work perfectly. Not having to worry about navigation let’s you focus on the creepy atmosphere and the excellent story (penned by Mr. Antony Johnston). The Wii is built for shooters, and Visceral has done a great job of adapting all of the mechanics from the original game for the Wiimote and Nunchuck. Everything works well, and there is an option to customize things like the amount of camera shake for those that want a less jarring experience.
“DSE” also has features that the original game lacked. Here you can play two-player local co-op, for those that are too scared to tackle the Necromorphs alone. You can also play through unlocked chapters in a score-based mode, which is a nice reason to revisit parts of the game you’ve already beaten. What I really appreciated though, was the fact that the original six-issue motion comic that was based on Johnston and Templesmith’s series is here as an unlockable extra. It’s a great addition, and that storyline happens parallel to what players will be experiencing in the game.
The best compliment that I can pay the creative team is that the fact that “Dead Space Extraction” is a Wii game is completely irrelevant—it’s a great game that expands the “Dead Space” universe, and every fan of the original needs to experience it. It’s also a great introduction to the series for those wanting to know what all the fuss is about.
5 out of 5 Horrifying Origins
10-29-09: Nostalgia Review (DS)
Over the past several years, my once fervent love of the Japanese RPG genre has faded. When I was a kid, JRPGs were whimsical adventures, with straightforward stories, simple control schemes and imaginative worlds to explore. With each console generation, it seems like the genre has become overcomplicated and in many cases, not much fun anymore. Which is why I was so pleasantly surprised to find “Nostalgia” for the DS to be a refreshing trip down memory lane that encompassed all the things I used to love about the genre.
“Nostalgia” follows the story of young Eddie Brown, son of the world’s greatest adventurer Gilbert Brown. The game opens with the last known adventure of Gilbert Brown, who is depicted as an Allan Quatermain/Indiana Jones type character. While rescuing a damsel in distress he seemingly plummets to his doom, his airship carrying her to safety. Upon learning of his disappearance, his son Eddie decides to take up the mantle of adventurer and travel the world in his dad’s airship to search for him.
Gameplay in “Nostalgia” is simple and straightforward. You explore the world either on the ground or in your airship, traveling to different locations and looking for clues about your father while accepting quests in each of the areas you visit. There’s plenty of traditional dungeon crawling, as you’ll be traversing everything from sewers to pyramids in your quests. The combat is turn-based, and each character in your party has certain weapons and abilities they can use in battle. Like many JRPGs, whenever you run into an enemy in the world, you're whisked into a battle screen to face off. You earn experience and upgrade your characters abilities, and you upgrade your gear through either finding loot or the purchase of bigger and better items from the various places you visit. Whether you’ve played a JRPG before or not, the game mechanics should be very easy to pick up.
What really stands out to me about “Nostalgia” is the presentation. The graphics are fine, but the score is excellent, and it really lends a swashbuckling tone to the game. Unlike a lot of JRPGs today, Nostalgia has a very whimsical vibe to it, and the sense of adventure that the characters exude adds to the sense of fun—this is what an adventure RPG is supposed to feel like. No dystopian future societies embroiled in political chaos, just fun, high-flying adventure.
“Nostalgia” is an aptly named gem of a game that reminded me why I fell in love with the genre in the first place. I would highly recommend it for those who want to return to the days of yore, or anyone looking to see why the genre became so big in the first place.
4 out of 5 Trips Down Memory Lane
10-24-09: Bakugan Battle Brawlers Review (XBox 360)
I’ll be honest, I knew very little about “Bakugan” going into playing this game. I had seen the cards and toys at the comic shop and the cartoon on TV, but I really had no idea what it was about. After playing “Bakugan Battle Brawlers”, I’m starting to see why it’s become so popular—it’s a simple, quick and addictive game. The developers have done a nice job of bringing the physical version to video game form, and they’ve made it accessible to those unfamiliar with the game.
“Bakugan” is like marbles on steroids. You place cards in between the two players and roll marble shaped balls at them (Bakugans), trying to land on one of the cards. When a Bakugan lands on a card, it springs open and morphs into a creature of some type. When two opposing Bakugan land on the same card, there’s a battle. Battles are point-based, and bonuses to the different Bakugan come from the cards that players can use during battle, as well as the cards they land on (“Gate Cards”). The video game adds another element to the battle, by having players compete in mini-games before each battle that can add points to their Bakugans. At the end of the mini-game, and after applying any bonuses, the Bakugan with the most points wins the battle.
The game’s presentation is pretty average. The cel-shaded graphics are fine, but the character animations are very limited. You don’t actually see the Bakugan fight it out as much as strike a pose and then win or lose a battle. The one good thing about the lack of combat animations is that there’s really no violence shown in the game, which will make parents happy.
The human characters also have about three different animations, and one or two catch phrases. Within an hour of starting the game, my character had exclaimed “That’s my skills talking’!” about a hundred times. The story is also pretty lean, as it’s basically a way to move you from one battle to another. On the plus side, you do get to create your own character and interact with all of the characters from the cartoon, which fans of the series should love.
The strength of “Bakugan Battle Brawlers” is that it captures the essence of the physical game and combines it with a simple control scheme. The tutorial is great, and I learned how to play in about ten minutes. The battles take less than five minutes each, so it’s a perfect game to play in bite-size chunks. And then there’s the whole collectible aspect of the game, where the points you earn in battle can be used to upgrade your Bakugan, as well as buy new ones. Because you can constantly edit your deck and the Bakugan you take into battle, every fight will likely be a different experience.
Probably the most disappointing aspect of Battle Brawlers is the lack of online multiplayer. This game was made to play with other people, and while battling NPC’s is still fun, taking your collection online and battling others would have been so much better. Hopefully if this game is successful, we’ll see the multiplayer piece in future installments.
All in all, “Bakugan Battle Brawlers” is a fun title that fans of the series will love, and those new to the game will still have fun with. It’s a good pickup if you have little ones, whether they’ve played the physical game or not.
3.5 out of 5 “That’s My Skills Talkin’s”
10-15-09: Halo 3: ODST Review
For me, “Halo 3: ODST” was a nice change of pace from the other games in the series. Instead of taking on the role of Master Chief in some far off space battle, you get put in the shoes of regular joes right here on Earth. The Covenant have attacked the city of New Mombassa in Africa, and a squad of ODSTs (Orbital Drop Shock Troopers) involved in the battle have become separated and scattered al over the occupied city. Players take on the role of the squad’s rookie trying to find his teammates, but they also get to experience happened to the other members of the squad when they got separated.
The game’s plot is decent, and switching perspectives between the different squad members is an interesting way of telling the story. Nate Fillion and Tricia Helfer provide great voicework for two of the main characters Buck and Dare, although their love story subplot is pretty lame.
The setting of “ODST” is what I struck me the most. The streets of New Mombassa are eerily quiet, and you are constantly making your way through the scene of a battle that’s already happened. Burned out buildings and scattered corpses give you an idea of how things played out, where key battles were lost, and where humans were able to hold out before getting overwhelmed. The game’s score is very somber and has a noir movie feel to it, which hammers home the concept that the good guys lost in New Mombassa, and now you’re trying to find some small glimmer of hope, something to turn the tide in the battles to come.
Aside from the campaign, the game also introduces a new multiplayer mode called ‘Firefight.’ Much like “Left4Dead’s” ‘Survival’ mode and “Gears of War 2’s” ‘Horde’ mode, the idea is to hold out as long as possible against wave after wave of enemies. While the mode itself is not unique, the difficulty modifiers tweak the gameplay enough to make each playthrough unique. For example, there are tweaks that make enemies throw more grenades, take more damage, become more evasive, etc. It’s a welcome addition to “Halo 3’s” multiplayer modes, and probably the one I’ll spend the most time playing in the future.
Speaking of multiplayer, the “Halo 3: ODST” package includes a second disc that has all of “Halo 3’s” multiplayer maps on it, as well as a couple of new ones. So, if you traded in your old copy of Halo 3 like I did, you are all set to go for multiplayer.
I enjoyed “Halo 3: ODST,” and it’s good to see Bungie exploring other elements of the Halo universe with new characters.
4 out of 5 Mal and Six Love Stories
9-21-09: Fantasy Craft RPG Review
From the makers of “Spycraft,” one of my absolute favorite modern day game systems, now comes “Fantasy Craft,” a flexible system for traditional fantasy roleplaying from Crafty Games.
As a long time player of “Spycraft” games I found the basic rules of “Fantasy Craft” fairly easy to pick up. They have kept many of the things I liked, removed a few of the things I do not like about “Spycraft,” and generally succeeded at making a useful, generic fantasy RPG with opportunities for all kinds of players and games.
“Fantasy Craft” is a d20 based game, with classes that go from level 1 to 20 and skills, feats and spells. New features include clever action dice uses, a host of interesting and appealing races, feats that knock the socks off D&D core feats, and vitality/wound point system that make death a bit rarer but critical hits more satisfying.
Running two games of “Fantasy Craft” helped me see how the system worked and also how complex it was for new players to learn. At the start the rules have a bit more complexity than standard 3.5 edition “Dungeons and Dragons,” but the high consistency in how actions are resolved makes starting play easy. To mix up the standard (and sometimes dull) pattern of combat, tricks and stances give characters options to modify their attacks and take advantage of specific situations or foes. This serves to differentiate characters from each other and also adds to the tactical satisfaction the game provides.
The editing and the layout of the book are helpful for the new player but lacking in some small respects, such as terms missing definitions where you would expect them and an index less full than I would like.
There were also some unanswered questions from our sessions, such as poison saving throws or what happens if you shoot into a grapple (luckily grappling rules are easier than before and skill based).
One big change in the creation of “Fantasy Craft” and its evolution from D&D comes with spellcasting. Arcane magic works on a spell point system, with many familiar spells in the grimoire and good space to add more. Mages require a skill check to cast their spells, and expend spell points that are allocated per scene. Divine magic, working through miracles, is different: it just works. No god-given power will fail you, but that also means that divine casters in “Fantasy Craft” tend to have fewer magic powers than mages and sorcerers. I like this distinction a lot, and I look forward to exploring it further. These two changes combined remove the hassle and headache of spell preparation, a real momentum killer for many D&D games using 3.5 rules. This makes adventures flow more smoothly and allows newer players to approach spellcasters much more easily.
I am very happy with “Fantasy Craft,” and look forward to playing it more. An organized play campaign called “Wyrmstone” is in the works and should have some modules ready in time for AnonyCon. In the mean time I will be filling up spreadsheets with character and party ideas and running more demos to teach people the game. I heartily recommend it to any fantasy game enthusiast and hope to be more involved as it continues to grow.
4.5 out of 5 Action Dice
For more information on “Fantasy Craft,” head over to the official website at www.crafty-games.com. To check out the developing “Wyrmstone” campaign, go to www.wyrmstone.org. To find out more about AnonyCon and register for this year’s event, check out www.anonycon.com.
9-11-09: Muramasa: The Demon Blade Review (Wii)
“Muramasa: The Demon Blade” is a fantastic game that combines side-scrolling 2D action with beautiful visuals and an interesting story steeped in Japanese mythology. While the gameplay can get repetitive, the presentation is so well done that you won’t mind hacking and slashing your way through the thousands of enemies that stand between you and the powerful weapons you are seeking.
The story of “Muramasa” takes place against the backdrop of a time of unrest in feudal Japan. There are mythical swords called Demon Blades that are scattered throughout the land, and the shogun is trying to collect them all to make him the most powerful person around. Players take on the role of one of two characters that are also seeking the mythical blades, each for their own reasons. Momohime is a young princess that has been possessed by a demon that is also looking for the fabled swords. Kisuke is a ninja who’s lost his memory, and is being hunted down for a crime he supposedly committed. Finding a particular sword is the key to his mysterious past. Unfortunately for all of the sword seekers, the Demon Blades are cursed, and they are spreading chaos through the land and unleashing powerful demons upon the earth.
It’s impossible not to talk about the visuals when discussing “Muramasa,” as it’s one of the prettiest games I’ve played in a long time. The backgrounds have an oil painting vibe to them, and as you travel to different locations, it’s easy to get caught up just staring at the leaves drifting across the screen, the fields of grain swaying back and forth or the sweeping vistas of the Japanese countryside. The character design is great as well, as you’ll encounter everything from your standard looking ninja to humongous bosses that reminded me of something you’d see in a Monty Python animated skit. It’s all gorgeous. Adding to the great visual presentation are the original Japanese voiceovers, which I have to say I’m glad the developers kept for the US release, as opposed to dubbing the game in English.
The combat in Muramasa can be as deep as you want to make it. One button is used for blocking and slashing, one unleashes special attacks, and two other sallow you to switch between swords and items, respectively. Based on what difficulty you choose, it’s fairly easy to slash your way through enemies by hammering on attack button, although you’d be missing out on the nuances that can make combat a lot more fun. The attack button in conjunction with certain directional pushes will allow for high and low attacks, uppercut and airstrikes. By switching swords in mid-combat, you can unleash special attacks that often deal damage to all enemies on the screen. There’s a rhythm that you can get into that will have you gliding around the screen, gracefully dealing out deathblows to the multitude of enemies you are facing. It’s also noteworthy that the game allows you to use a variety of different control options for the game, including a GameCube controller (I used the Wii Classic Controller for my playthrough).
The swords are the major focus of the game, and there’s two ways you can equip yourself with Demon Blades. When you defeat bosses, you are rewarded with blades that you’ll need to unlock previously inaccessible areas. In addition, regular enemies leave collectibles behind that you use as currency to pay for forging new blades. You carry three blades with you at any point in time, so as the game wears on, you’ll have to make some decisions about which ones you should be carrying based on the types of enemies you’re facing. Every blade has a special property, is it’s a matter of bringing the best combination of blades to any given fight.
On the downside, the game does get pretty repetitive after a while, and even if you’re using the full array of attack moves, you’re going to end up doing the same things over and over again in combat. You’re also forced to do quite a bit of backtracking throughout the game, and even though those backgrounds are pretty, I still felt like I was wasting a lot of time traipsing through areas I’d seen before. These gripes are a small in comparison to the many things the game gets right, and they’re well worth putting up with for the rest of the experience.
Overall, “Muramasa: The Demon Blade” is an excellent game that combines some classic 2D gameplay elements with beautiful visuals to make a game that truly stands out from the crowd. This should be a no-brainer purchase for Wii owners.
4.5 out of 5 Possessed Princesses
9-8-09: Raven Squad Review (XBox 360)
With “Raven Squad,” developer Atomic Motion has attempted to fuse the first-person shooter and real-time strategy genres into one seamless experience. While the core mechanic of “Raven Squad” works really well, mediocre presentation and lack of polish mean there's not enough meat on the bones to make the game truly stand out.
“Raven Squad” follows a bunch of mercenaries that get caught up in a civil war in the Amazon jungle. Players control two squads of three mercs apiece, and must battle their way through various locales to try and turn the tide of the civil war, recover sensitive information and get out of the jungle alive. In addition to the combination of FPS and RTS gameplay, the game features online co-op through the entire campaign.
Let's talk about what works first. The core mechanic of the game is the ability to switch on the fly between first-person shooter view and an overhead view (RTS style). One of the squads you control specializes in assault tactics and one is more suited to stealth. Each squad member has a standard weapon and then a special weapon, anything from a grenade to a sniper rifle to a rocket launcher. You can also switch between the two squads by pressing down on the d-pad, allowing you to move from squad to squad and from FPS to RTS pretty seamlessly. This core mechanic works really well, and it allows you a good deal of flexibility in how you approach the game. I would usually start in RTS mode, canvassing the area and moving my squads into position. If there were only a few enemies in the area, I'd let the squads take care of them in RTS mode. For larger groups, I'd switch to FPS mode and target the enemies that posed the biggest threat (snipers, machine gunners, etc.).
The game has a good checkpoint system, so failing part of a mission doesn’t mean starting from scratch again. Another feature I liked was the ability to change the difficulty back and forth, so a particularly frustrating section could be made easier without dialing back the difficulty for the entire game.
On the downside, “Raven Squad” certainly has its share of issues. The graphics are very average, and there's not much of a score to speak of. None of the characters have any depth, and the voice acting is hilariously bad--not in the funny, 80's action movie kind of way mind you, just bad. The lead character Paladin is the worst of the bunch, which is unfortunate, because he narrates the entire campaign. His monotone delivery is reminiscent of some of the early “Resident Evil” games, and the dialogue itself is way too bland for a game that is trying to be an homage to 80's action movies. I think the game would have been much better served with an over the top portrayal of movies like “Commando” or “Missing in Action,” with a lot more explosions, zippy one liners and “F-Yeahs.” A more frenetic pace would also keep players from focusing on the less polished parts of the presentation.
In the end, “Raven Squad” has a solid premise and manages to blend FPS and RTS gameplay together well, but it doesn't do a whole lot to build on those strengths. I'd like to see what the developers could do with a larger budget, as well as some more inspired writing and voice acting. As it is, “Raven Squad” will likely best be enjoyed by co-op partners who have seen a lot of direct-to-video action movies. Don't be surprised though to see other developers taking inspiration from what Atomic Motion has done in combining two genres of gameplay, as I think you'll see it show up in some big releases over the next couple years.
2.5 out of 5 “Get To The Chopper's”
8-25-09: EA Sports Active Review
Even though I picked up “EA Sports Active” in late June, I’ve been holding off writing a review until I had a chance to really put the game through its paces. After two straight months of consistent use, I can honestly I think “EA Sports Active” is a great fitness tool with a great deal of customization, but not necessarily a weight loss solution for those looking to shed extra pounds.
“EA Sports Active” comes with the disc, a thigh holster for the nunchuck, and a resistance band that is used for most of the upper body exercises. As opposed to “Wii Fit,” this game is heavily focused on strength building and cardio, and it offers three levels of difficulty. You can choose to customize your own workouts from the 25 that are included, or you can run through some pre-set routines that are about 20 minutes each. The leg exercises are very focused on squats and lunges, with many variations, while the upper body exercises consist of a lot of curls and presses for arms and shoulders. The interface is simple, and your avatar will mirror your movements during exercises, while your trainer appears in a window at the lower right corner of the screen, giving you encouragement and correcting you when you use improper form.
The real of core of “Active” though is the “30-Day Challenge,” and that’s what utilized the most. The “30 Day Challenge” puts you on a schedule of varied workouts for a month at a time. The schedule is two days on, one day off for the duration. All of the workouts are in the 30-minute range, and depending on the difficulty, you could be burning anywhere from 150-250 calories per workout on average. At the end of each workout, you get a summary of your performance that includes the total workout time and the amount of calories burned. You can also choose to take daily surveys about your eating habits and lifestyle that will give you more of a focus on overall health than just the workouts.
I’ve now done two complete “30-Day challenge” modes, one on medium difficulty, and one on hard. The harder difficulty definitely provides a strong workout that had me drenched in sweat by the end of each session. The interval training and variety of activities really help you feel like you got a full body workout, and I will definitely be using this game as a backup to the gym when I can get there, or I’m looking for a little extra workout on the side. I dare say that this could replace a gym membership, especially if you upgrade the resistance band (the one it come with is light), and add some ab work of your own on the side, as the game doesn’t have any.
As a weight loss tool though, I didn’t see dramatic results from my two-month stint. In fact, I weighed exactly the same on the day of my last workout as I had weighed two months earlier. Granted, I did not really change my eating habits until month two, but I figured I’d drop at least a couple of pounds. That’s not to say you can’t lose weight with the game, but I’d hesitate recommending to someone who’s buying it for that purpose alone. The strength of “EA Sports Active” is in its “total boy fitness” approach, and in that vein it’s a very balanced, very well constructed tool.
4.5 out of 5 Squat Holds
* In November, the game will be getting a sequel that adds 35 more exercises, including some focused on ab work.
8-4-09: Watchmen: The End is Nigh Review (PS3)
“Watchmen: The End is Nigh” is a surprisingly good brawler that offers some interesting insight into the Watchmen universe. Unfortunately, there’s a big difference between episodes one and two that drags down the overall product.
“The End is Nigh” features two stories involving Rorschach and Nite Owl that take place several years before the Keene act. The first episode has the duo tracking down the criminal Underboss after the escapes from jail, while the second episode sees them trying to rescue a girl that has been abducted and forced into the adult film industry. Len Wein wrote the storylines for the game, and Dave Gibbons provided the art. The motion comic style presentation of the cut scenes works well, and the story shines some light on why Rorschach and Nite Owl stopped working together years before the events of the film.
Mechanically, this game is a lot of fun to play. Most of the moves at Rorschach and Nite Owl’s disposal can be achieved with three buttons, so it’s easy to pick up and play. I found it to be very reminiscent of old school beat 'em ups like Streets of Rage and Double Dragon, complete with boss battles. The action is very repetitive, as you make your way through wave after wave of generic bad guys, beating the crap out of them. Brawlers by nature are repetitive though, and I never got sick of Rorschach pummeling people’s faces into the pavement. Seriously, there are some brutal beatdowns in this game. Nite Owl has some sweet moves too, and his suit can build up an electric charge that allows him to deal extra damage to multiple enemies. There is campaign co-op, but it’s offline only, so no hooking up over Xbox Live or PSN to play with a friend. Still, the AI is good enough to get you through the game with few problems.
So what’s the downside? Well, even though it’s $5 cheaper than Part 1, Part 2 is only half the length of its predecessor. There are nine total chapters in the game, and six of them are in Part 1. This makes part 2 feel like little more than an add-on, even though it involves a separate storyline. All told, downloading the two episodes of the game will run you $35, which is a bit steep for this one until unless you are a diehard Watchmen fan. The best way to get this game is to pick it up as part of the PS3’s “Watchmen: The End is Nigh—The Complete Experience.” The $50 Blu-ray collection includes the director’s cut of Watchmen as well as both episodes of the game. If you’re an Xbox owner, you’ll be able to get both episodes on a disc for $30, which is still cheaper than downloading the game.
All in all, “Watchmen: The End is Nigh” is a really fun game that would have benefited from online co-op and a $20 price tag.
3.5 out of 5 Broken Teeth
7-13-09: Treasure World Review (DS)
Aspyr's "Treasure World" is a unique combination of a collecting game and a social networking platform that makes great use of the Nintendo DS' Wi-Fi capabilities.
The game's story revolves around a space-traveling creature named the Star Sweep, who crash lands on earth. His spaceship is out of fuel (Stardust), and the player needs to help his partner the Wish Finder gather more, which is done by locating stars and "cleaning" them to remove Stardust and reveal any hidden treasures. Interestingly, the main gameplay consists of walking around your neighborhood (or any public space) as the DS searches for Wi-Fi connections. Each connection registers as a star in the game, which either gives the player a treasure or some Stardust. Players can trade Stardust for unique treasures with the Star Sweep, as he needs the dust to fuel his ship.
Players are given their own world (represented by a grid) to display their treasures, which they can arrange as they like within that space. Once displayed, each treasure also creates a sound or musical note that can form unique songs based on how treasures are arranged within the world. Players can then upload their worlds to www.clubtreasureworld.com and share songs, trade treasures, etc.
The arranging, collecting and trading aspects of "Treasure World" taps into that Pokemon, action figure or baseball card collector in all of us. There's an addicting quality to the collecting, as you can just leave the DS closed and it will still pick up any connections you pass by, encouraging you to take it wherever you go. I actually took the DS around with me for a week, and as I traveled to different locations I racked up the treasures and Stardust. Connecting and uploading my world to the "Club Treasure World" website was easy, and younger kids should have no problem with the process (although it does require parent permission, which is a good thing).
I think "Treasure World" is a great introduction for kids into the whole trading/collecting genre, as it's simple to collect, customize and share, and it doesn't overwhelm players with the combat and RPG elements that most games in the genre usually have. Kids already take their DS to school or on vacation, and with "Treasure World" they'll be discovering treasures every time they go somewhere new. Even if they don't take advantage of the social networking aspect of the game, they can still create their own unique space, record songs, etc. In a landscape where most games in a genre are hard to tell apart, "Treasure World" carves out its own unique space that should tap into the explorer in every kid who plays it.
4 out of 5 Space Treasures
7-2-09: Roman Taxi Review
Here we have a game of delivering historic Roman citizens to various sites around Rome. Cute historic premise to start, but the game went downhill from there. The play involves moving your taxi around the board using colored squares drawn as cards, basically like Candyland or similar children's games. There are some random event cards and some time limits so your passengers do not get cranky.
We found that many of the event cards were boring, others were worded such that we needed a FAQ to understand what they were supposed to do exactly. The action of the game progresses very slowly, giving players little chance for excitement. Very few choices are presented to the player on his or her turn, so moves are often quite obvious. During play sometimes one player's taxi would be in the way of another, but resolving that was left to us, since it was not explained in the rules. Blocking or leap-frogging would both be interesting, but it was unclear. Finally, with four people the cycle of drawing from face-up cards could be brutal, leaving one player out of the 'good' moves for multiple turns in a row.
Overall we found this game disappointing. I think with some good house rules (like a hand to choose from, faster movement and more nuanced events) the game could be much stronger, but it is low on my list for investing my time.
1 out of 5
6-30-09: Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 Review (Wii)
Back in the day, the PGA Tour golf series by EA was a staple of my regular gaming schedule. “PGA Tour ’96” for the original PlayStation is still one of my all-time favorite games. As the years went on, the lack of real innovation and some questionable mechanic choices led the series to fall off my radar. So when PGA Tour 10 was announced as essentially the vehicle for debuting MotionPlus, I decided to give it a try and see if it was time to jump back on the PGA Tour game bandwagon. I can happily say that not only is “PGA Tour 10” a great Wii game, it’s probably the best golf game I’ve ever played.
First things first. How does the MotionPlus perform? In a word: awesome. Physically, the small add-on that comes bundled with the game snaps on to the bottom of the Wiimote. A new Wiimote cover is included as well, which is a bonus. In terms of gameplay, MotionPlus creates almost a perfect 1:1 translation of a real golf swing. The places where I noticed the biggest improvement over previous games is in reading the angle of the clubface as well as the overall feel of putting. You can now reliably apply draw and fade to shots just by opening or closing the clubface during regular shots. On the green, the “Precision Putting” system is fantastic, and actually allows you to put based on feel, as opposed to a meter (although it does have one for visual reference).
The great thing about “PGA Tour 10” is that it doesn’t rest on the laurels of having great controls. The game is packed with features. You can create your own golfer and launch your career. You can play online against other golfers. You can also play online against the pros each week during actual tournaments. In “Play the Pros,” you play and submit a score each round during the weekly PGA tournaments, and the leaderboards will chart your place amongst the pros. Heck, you can even play Frisbee golf, which is a great way to get kids into the game, as throwing the Frisbee is very easy, and they can play the same courses as in golf mode.
My only real complaint with the game is that you can’t save your place during the “Play the Pros” mode, so you need to finish a round and submit a score before you can quit. It’s a minor issue, and it’s vastly overshadowed by everything else that’s great about the game.
All in all, “Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10” is the total package, and it may be the last golf game you need to buy for a long time.
5 out of 5 Holes in One
6-20-09: Paper Toss Review (iPhone/iPod Touch)
Backflip Studios’ “Paper Toss” is an addictive game for the iPhone that is both simple and challenging, and would be well worth the dollar or two that it should cost to download. Luckily for all of us, the game is absolutely free, making it a no-brainer for any iPhone or iPod Touch owner.
“Paper Toss” at it’s core is a game that involved throwing crumpled balls of paper into a wastebasket. The game is set in a generic office, and takes place mostly in a cubicle. Players use a flicking motion on the touchscreen to launch the paper toward the basket. The distance is determined by how hard you flick, and how straight you keep your finger will affect the angle of you shot. To add additional challenges, there are three difficulty levels, each one putting the basket farther away from the previous one. There is also a fan on one of the desks in the office, and it blows at variable speeds, affecting your shot the same way winds gusts in a golf game would. Your goal is to get as many consecutive shots to fall in the basket as you can. It sounds easy, but between the distance and the wind, it’s lot harder than you’d think. If you get a decent streak going, you can submit your score to an online leaderboard and compare your stats against your friends and others.
The graphics in the game are great, and they invoke that “Office Space” kind of feel. The physics are excellent, with both the wind and your shot angle being represented consistently and accurately. All in all, “Paper Toss” is a great game and a perfect fit for the iPone/iPod Touch. Highly recommended.
4 out of 5 Games Too Good To Be Free
5-16-09: Let's Golf Review (iPhone)
“Let’s Golf” offers single player and multiplayer golf matches, ranging from a simple 3-hole quick match, to a full tournament. Players choose from one of four golfers, which you can customize as you progress through the game. There are four courses in the game, two of which need to be unlocked by playing through tournament modes.
Graphically, the game is impressive, and it matches the style of “Hot Shots Golf” very well, with stylized player models and colorful courses. The controls and interface are simple, and will be very familiar to anyone who has played golf games before. You tap on a meter to start your swing, tap when you get to the power level you want, and tap at the bottom for accuracy. You can even add spin to the ball in mid-flight. Positioning your shot on the ground is easy, as you just drag the arrow to where you want the ball to land.
All in all, this game is pretty much everything I’ve wanted in a golf game for the iPhone. It’s easy to play, controls well, and looks great. It will even save your game when you cancel out to the main iPhone menu, so you can play tournaments a few holes at a time. Here’s hoping that new courses and golfers get released in the future.
4 out of 5 Nice Shots
5-6-09: Velvet Assassin Review (XBox 360)
by Brian LeTendre
Velvet Assassin is a very good stealth action game that offers a unique take on World War II, showing players the war from inside enemy lines.
Inspired by real-life spy Violette Szabo, Velvet Assassin follows the story of Violette Summer, a spy operating inside Nazi occupied territories. Violette undertakes several missions that have her infiltrating heavily guarded areas to accomplish a variety of objectives, ranging from sabotaging fuel depots to assassinating high-ranking Nazi targets. At the start of the game, Violette is bedridden, and she is reliving the events of her life through a series of fevered dreams. Those dreams are the missions you play through, which are narrated by Violette as if she's recounting what happened.
The gameplay in Velvet Assassin is very methodical. Running into an area guns blazing results in almost instant death, as Violette can't take a lot of damage. Hiding in shadows, watching patterns, and taking out enemies when they are isolated is the key to making through a level alive. As Violette sneaks around environments, she becomes outlined in purple whenever she is hidden from sight. While hidden you can survey the environment and determine the best way through. There are often multiple ways to approach a given situation, and you can use the environment to your advantage. For example, in one of the early missions, Violette has to navigate her way through a warehouse area. There was a guard outside and two inside. I whistled to lure a guard away from the front door, and hid behind some crates until he walked past me. Sneaking up behind him, I took him out with a dagger to the neck. I then climbed up some crates and looked into the warehouse from the rooftop. The two guards inside were talking to one another, so I was able to climb back down and sneak around the side of the building. I lured another guard out, and he walked outside, standing in a small pool of oil near one of the many drums outside. I shot the puddle, igniting the oil and sending the guard to a fiery death. When the last guard came out to see what was going on, I took him down with one shot between the eyes. As I then walked through the empty warehouse, I noticed two other paths that I could have taken through the area, one of which would have allowed me to disable a fuse box, plunging the area into darkness and making it easier to sneak around.
One of the more interesting gameplay elements is tied to the story's presentation. Violette has the ability to use morphine, which puts the game into a sort of bullet-time, allowing her to take down enemies that are frozen temporarily. From a narrative standpoint, when a player uses morphine, it signifies Violette medicating herself in her hospital bed.
In addition to completing your objectives, you also need to keep an eye out for various collectibles, as they hold the key to being able to upgrade Violette's abilities. Each collectible item has a experience point value, and once you amass enough points, you can upgrade one of three abilities (morphine, stealth, strength), allowing you to tailor the game a to your playing style. If you want more running and gunning, upgrade strength to allow you to absorb more damage. Upgrade morphine to make its effects last longer, or to carry more of it at a time. If you upgrade stealth, you can sneak faster, giving you more opportunity to catch an enemy unaware. For me, stealth was the way to go, as the extra quickness gave me more margin for error when sneaking up on enemies.
The graphics and presentation in Velvet Assassin are good overall. The way the story unfolds through Violette's visions and a series of photographs is interesting, and the voice acting throughout is good. Some of the character models aren't so great, but since the focus is more on gameplay, it's not a big deal.
My only real complaint about Velvet Assassin is the checkpoint system. Even on the normal difficulty setting, the checkpoints are too far apart. Because much of the game involves trial and error, this results in you repeating a good chunk of a level at a time, just to get to that one part you screwed up on. I would have preferred a “save anytime” system, or at lest more forgiving checkpoints. That said, knowing how unforgiving the game is makes you think your strategy through before jumping into any given situation. And, when a mission pays off at the end of a level, there's a real sense of accomplishment, as you know you've earned it.
Overall, Velvet Assassin is a great entry into the stealth genre, providing a very challenging, but also rewarding experience. It's also a breath of fresh air in the stagnant World War II genre. Highly recommended.
4 out of 5 Silent Kills
5-4-09: Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff Review (DS)
by Brian LeTendre
It’s not an exaggeration for me to say that the original “Tecmo Bowl” was my second most-played NES game of all time, right behind Super Mario Bros. The simplicity of gameplay, the ability to play against friends, and the NFL license made came together to form a game I spent countless hours on. To this day, it still holds up. 1991’s “Tecmo Super Bowl” was even better, as it included more plays and the full roster of NFL teams, and I put a huge chunk of time into that as well. So as you might imagine, I was excited when I found out that a new edition of Tecmo Bowl was coming to the DS. After picking the game up and playing it for a few weeks, I’m happy to say that it’s an almost perfect throwback to the 8-bit days.
While “TB: Kickoff” doesn’t have the NFL license (thanks a lot, EA), the 32 fictional teams are fully customizable, from logos to team colors, to names and even cities. If you so desire, you can actually recreate the whole league, but I only went so far as to try and remake my beloved Chargers’ color scheme.
The gameplay and presentation is exactly as series fans will remember it: pick from one of 8 plays (4 run and 4 pass), and hope the defense doesn’t pick the same play you did. On the defensive side of the ball, you have until the ball is snapped to pick the one defensive player you will use for the play—no switching on the fly like in “Madden.” Touchdowns and field goals trigger cheesy cut scenes, and the halftime show features cheerleaders who wink at you knowingly. It’s a perfect re-creation of the original games.
A welcome new addition to the series is online multiplayer. You can battle other players through local wireless or through a wi-fi connection, matching up with people across the world. While I haven’t spent much time with this feature, it certainly works well, and gives the game another level of replayability.
There is only one area where the game fumbles (get it?), and that’s in the sound design. “TB: Kickoff” eschews the scores of the original games for a guitar rock theme that gets annoying really quickly. Why they didn’t use the iconic theme from the original is beyond me. As it is, I turn the sound down and hum the original score to myself while playing.
All in all, “Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff” is an absolute blast, and completely recaptures the feel of the original games. Much like the originals, even non-football fans can get a lot of enjoyment out of the simple gamplay and nostalgic presentation. Highly recommended.
4.5 out of 5 Touchdowns
4-10-09: Wii Fit Review
by Brian LeTendre
Like many others, I was somewhat dismissive of the Wii Fit when it first arrived in the US almost a year ago. As a lifelong gamer, I had seen enough gimmicky peripherals (hi Virtual Boy!) come and go that I am pretty skeptical when new ones come along. However as the year went on, positive reviews kept pouring in, and even my non-gamer wife started expressing her interest in getting Wii Fit. So about a month and a half ago, I happened to be in a Best Buy when a palette of Wii Fits was put out on the floor. I impulsively picked on up, as these things are selling like hotcakes, and I didn’t know whether or not I’d see one again for a while. After getting it home and playing around with it for several weeks, I can honestly say that the Wii Fit is a great workout tool, and well worth the $89 dollars, but your mileage will vary depending on how much you put into it.
Setting up the Wii Fit is very simple. When you place the Balance Board on the floor and turn it on, it will automatically sync with the Wii. You create a profile by selecting your Mii and then go through a “body test,” where your balance, your weight and your BMI are all recorded. You then set a weight loss goal for yourself and a timeframe that you want to accomplish it in. From there, you can jump right into an array of exercises and minigames that are available. The activities are categorized into four categories: Yoga, Strength Training, Aerobics and Balance Games. Each of the four categories has a handful of basic exercises and games unlocked in the beginning. As you engage in the different games and exercises, you unlock “fit credits,” which are used to unlock other activities.
Activities range from things like hula hooping to push-ups to step aerobics. There’s even a jogging activity, where you put the Wiimote in your pocket and it acts like a pedometer. Best of all, you can pick which activities you do each time, allowing you to completely customize your workout. Each individual activity has a leaderboard, so you can try to beat yourself or any of the other users each time you complete an activity. Whenever you log into Wii Fit, you’ll see a calendar that displays the dates you’ve used the program, and you can see your progress toward your goal. You’ll also have the option to take the “body test,” although you don’t need to every time.
In the several weeks I’ve been using Wii Fit, I have been augmenting my regular gym workouts with it. In this fashion, it has served me very well. What I like most about Wii Fit is that the activities on it focus on flexibility, balance and building core strength. The board itself is very sturdy and durable, much more solid than I had expected it to be. One thing that bears mentioning though is that the trainers and AI can be a bit critical at times. The game will chastise you when you don’t consistently use it, and the trainers won’t hesitate to tell you that you are weak in certain areas and need more work. Also, after you go through the first “body test,” your Wii will get chubbier if you are seemed overweight. All of those things serve to motivate me more, but if you’re overly sensitive (like Matman), you might just get your feelings hurt.
Overall the Wii Fit is a great peripheral and a solid workout tool that should help you get results if you use it consistently.
4 out of 5 Gimmicks That Work
**I should also mention that my wife has been suing Wii Fit as well, and she gives it her non-gamer seal of approval.
3-28-09: Fallout 3 Review (XBox 360)
by Brian LeTendre
Fallout 3 is a stellar RPG by that combines an epic post-apocalyptic world with great story and gameplay to create a game that is truly a standout in the genre.
In the world of Fallout 3, the culture of America reached its pinnacle in the 1950’s, and in many ways never moved away from that. In 2077 a nuclear war broke out, and to escape the horrors happening on the surface of the earth, people built underground “vaults” that became cities unto themselves, places where people were born, grew up and died without ever leaving.
The character you play in Fallout 3 is someone who was born in a vault. One day, your father up and leaves, and you decide to venture out into the surface world to find him. What you find is a Wasteland that has been devastated by nuclear war. Out in the world you find people and creatures that have been mutated by radiation, as well as regular people who have found ways to eek out and existence on the surface, and in some cases, even live comfortably. As you search for your father, you come into contact with many of these people and creatures. You form relationships, take on jobs and missions, and create an identity in the world based on the actions you take.
From an RPG standpoint, all of the staples are here, including skill points and “perks,” which increase with each level. It’s actually very much like Dungeons and Dragons 3rd edition, where feats are the equivalent of perks. There’s enough variety that you can have completely different experiences with the game based on how you level up. My character, for example, eschews melee weapons in favor of long range weapons and stealth skills. I prefer the quiet, long range kills as opposed to getting my hands dirty.
Much like Bethesda’s last RPG Oblivion, Fallout 3 takes place in a gigantic world (the remnants of Washington, D.C.), which you can explore at your leisure. I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve spent just wandering around through bombed-out towns, crumbled bridges and labyrinthine subway tunnels. Because of the scarcity of resources in the world of Fallout 3, exploring and scavenging is almost a necessity, as you’ll constantly be looking for supplies, weapons and ammunition to replace or repair what you already have.
The easiest way to level up is through the completion of quests, as opposed to just running around, so I had to break up my exploration with the occasional mission now and again. The side quests are interesting enough though, that I found myself putting off the main storyline in favor of taking quests and seeing as much of the world as possible. There are so many stories to be told out in the Wasteland, and Bethesda pays so much attention to detail that you never feel like you’re wasting your time.
Mechanically, the game offers a completely customizable experience. You can approach combat from a real-time perspective, and the game acts like a third-person shooter. Or, you can take a more turn-based approach, where you activate the V.A.T.S. (I forget what it means) system, which allows you to target different enemies’ body parts, making combat very deliberate. The turn-based system is based on “action points,” which is what you spend to target enemies. I use a combination of both, depending on who I’m facing and what weapons I have. The controls are very easy to pick up and play with, and your inventory system is managed by a device you wear on your arm, which is called up by pressing a button. It all fits together quite well.
While I am by no means finished with Fallout 3, 26 hours is enough to tell me that I love it, and I’ve already gotten my money’s worth. I highly recommend Fallout 3 to anyone who wants an immersive single player experience that you can get lost in for hours at a time.
5 out of 5 Super Mutants
3-19-09: Retro Review--Dodge 'Em
by Brian LeTendre
Dodge ‘Em is a super simple driving game that debuted in 1980 for the Atari 2600 system. The basic concept was simple: race around a track that has four different levels, and avoid colliding with the computer-controlled enemy car. As you race around the track, there are four gaps that allow you to switch to a different level. Similar to Pac-Man, you drive over little traffic lines on the screen, and the level is finished when you clear all of the lines. The main advantage you have over the computer is the ability to accelerate to twice your normal speed, by holding down the controller button. However, it’s also more difficult to switch lanes when you’re speeding, so there’s a trade-off there.
The computer in this game is downright evil, seemingly anticipating your every move before you make it. For me, this resulted in trying to “fake out” the computer, and switch tracks at the last minute. One second too late though, and I was stuck on a collision course with the other car. To make things even tougher, once you clear the first two screens, a second computer-controlled car shows up, and things get near impossible.
The game can last anywhere from 30 seconds to several minutes, making this a great game to enjoy in bite size chunks. If you have a friend to play with, there’s also a 2-player mode as well. For such a simple game, Dodge ‘Em does a great job of capturing that “one more try” addictive feel that still holds true today.
4 out of 5 Collisions
*Dodge ‘Em can currently be found on the Atari Anthology for the PS2.
3-1-09: Game Over--Why Gamefly Wasn't For Me
by Brian LeTendre
Economic times are tough. As an avid gamer, I am faced with the reality that there is no possible way for me to afford to buy the majority of games I want to play on a regular basis. On a good month, I can possibly afford two new games, which are usually discounted because I'm trading in recent games (for a terrible value) and applying the credit toward the new ones. This results in my collection constantly turning over, and I still can only afford a couple of games a month.
Enter Gamefly. In December, I rationalized that if I pay $24 a month (the two-game out at a time plan), I could play a ton of games and save myself a ton of money. So I signed up, and for the last three months, I've been using the heck out of that service. It seemed like a no-brainer: Gamefly made perfect sense for me.
Then I found myself buying a few new games recently, and I had to step back and re-examine the situation. I asked myself: “If I am getting all the games I want through Gamefly, why the heck and I still spending all this money?” The answer was surprisingly simple: because I am not getting the games I want through Gamefly.
I looked back at my order history over the three months I've been a member. The way it breaks down, I have been playing a lot of games, but none of the top-tier releases I have in my queue are ever available. This results in me getting a steady stream of older games (or less popular new ones), while the new games I want to play sit on my queue. Eventually, I end up going out and buying these games, so I end up spending what I usually spend, along with an extra $24 a month.
To illustrate my situation, below is a list of what I've played over the past few months, along with a list of some of the titles in my queue. And for those that are not familiar with Gamefly, the way it works is that they send you the game that is available and closest to the top of your queue on any given day (like Netflix and Blockbuster).
Here's the lists:
Games Played:
February
Ultimate Spider-Man (PS2)
Dark Sector (360)
Soul Calibur 4 (PS3)
House of the Dead 2&3 Return (Wii)
January
The Darkness (360)
Mercenaries 2 (360)
Quantum of Solace (360)
Star Wars: Force Unleashed (360)
Prince of Persia (360)
December
Harvey Birdman: Atoorney at Law (Wii)
No More Heroes (Wii)
Mushroom Men: Rise of the Fungi (DS)
Persona 3: FES (PS2)
Silent Hill: Homecoming (360)
Games in Queue:
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
Fallout 3
Alone in the Dark
Saints Row 2
Mirror's Edge
Motorstorm: Pacific Rift
Sonic: Unleashed
Spider-Man: Web of Shadows
Far Cry 2
Afro Samurai
Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts
Rainbow 6 Vegas 2
Need for Speed Undercover
GRID
Keep in mind too that I own all three systems (PS3, Wii, Xbox 360), so I try and get games on whatever console they are most available on. The list above is pretty striking, and the trend is clear: new games are just nowhere near as available as older ones. Now mind you, this is not necessarily a huge problem, if your primary interest in Gamefly is playing older games. If you don't care when you get your hands on something, then the service is probably a great value. Heck, when I first signed up, I thought I didn't care about when I played new games. Turns out I do though, and that makes Gamefly a bad investment for me.
So, at the end of the day, I am canceling my Gamefly membership. The added expense isn't something I can justify if I can't get my hands on the newest releases in a reasonable time frame. I guess it's back to trade-ins and hard choices for now, at least until Blockbuster gets their game rental service up and running.
2-22-09: X-Blades Review (PS3)
by Brian LeTendre
X-Blades is a fast paced hack and slash game with a deceptively deep combat system. While it has a few flaws that hold it back from greatness, there's still a lot of fun to be had with the game.
X-Blades tells the story of Ayumi, a treasure hunter who unwittingly releases a great darkness into the world, cursing herself at the same time. She then must find a way to rid herself and the land of the evil that has corrupted it.
Ayumi is a scantily clad young woman with a pair of gun swords and a snarky attitude. There's a definite anime feel to her character design, and this extends to the game's cut scenes, which are done in the same style. The environments are designed more realistically, and the large, open levels sport some very good looking visuals. The look of the enemies lies somewhere in between, with some looking more realistic, and some more cartoony.
Speaking of enemies, Ayumi does battle with lizard creatures, giant spiders, ghosts, elementals and more. Each time she encounters something new, an entry is made into her bestiary, which she can read to find out about the strengths and weaknesses of everything she faces off against. This becomes important, because certain enemies, especially some of the larger bosses, can only be defeated by certain powers.
It's in Ayumi's array of powers, and the combat system in general, where X-Blades shines. As Ayumi defeats enemies, she collects small orbs (souls). These are used as currency to purchase new abilities and upgrades. Ayumi's spells and powers are based on the elements, so she can use fireballs, cause earthquakes, and even freeze groups of enemies at a time. The powers are mapped to different buttons on the controller, and you can pause combat at any time to switch up the configuration based on personal style and the weaknesses of enemies. One very important thing to note about powers is that you choice of whether or not to use dark powers will have an affect on how Ayumi’s story ends.
All of Ayumi's powers are fueled by her rage meter, which fills up when she engages directly in combat. It's in this way that the game encourages you to constantly be in the thick of your enemies, hacking and blasting away. The combat is fast and furious, with hordes of enemies swarming you at once, and attacks coming from all sides. As Ayumi's abilities increase. She's able to do heavy damage to bunches of enemies at once. Melee upgrades give her the ability to glide through combat, slashing enemies and gaining damage multipliers for chaining attacks together. It actually reminded me a bit of both “Too Human” and “Devil May Cry,” as the game is at its best when you are flitting around the battlefield, cutting foes to ribbons and using devastating area of effect spells.
X-Blades has its share of problems too, though. The story is not that engaging, and both the cutscenes and voice acting don't do much to help. From a gameplay standpoint, the camera sometimes struggles to keep up with the pace of combat, and you'll find yourself frequently clicking on the analog stick to re-center it on Ayumi. This can result in you losing your bearings at times, making you vulnerable, especially to attacks from bosses, who do a lot of damage. The levels also get redundant after a while, as the second half of the game has you playing back through the levels from the first half, under slightly different circumstances.
Which brings me to what I thought was the game's biggest drawback: the bosses themselves. While the game has huge bosses that look great, it's the implementation of boss battles that works against the design of the rest of the game. Several of the bosses have respawning minions that must be killed before the boss will take any damage. This often results in long battles that slow down the flow of the game, as you kill minions, get one or two shots on the boss, kill minions, etc. It becomes a pattern that goes on way too long before the boss finally goes down, breaking the momentum of the gameplay.
So in the end, X-Blades is a fun, fast-paced game that works well when it's not getting in its own way. If the game gets a sequel, I'd like to see them build on the strengths of the combat system and streamline the boss battles to be more in line with the rest of the game.
3.5 out of 5 Gun Swords
2-14-09: House of the Dead 2 &3 Return Review (Wii)
by Brian LeTendre
The House of the Dead series is by far my favorite light-gun series of all time, and I have fond memories of the games in both the arcade and on consoles. I’m really psyched for the release of House of the Dead: Overkill, so I decided to spend some time with House of the Dead 2 &3 Return for the Wii.
Porting light-gun games to the Wii is a no-brainer, and five minutes into HOTD 2, I was having as much fun as I did in the arcade back in the day. For those that aren’t familiar with the HOTD series, they rail shooters, which means you are basically a camera with a gun attached to it. The game controls how you move through the levels, and you just point and shoot. The Wii controls are perfect for this, as you use the trigger to shoot, and you just point off screen to reload. I thought the targeting worked fine, and I actually found controls worked better than in the arcade, as you can reload much faster.
The story in both games has you as an agent of the AMS, fighting armies of the undead. Most of the undead can be traced back to experiments by a mad scientist named Dr. Curien in the first HOTD game. Story is not really a strongpoint of the series, and the voice acting is absolutely horrendous, I mean laughably bad. When running from zombies, civilians say things like “No…don’t come!” Lines of dialogue that are supposed to be threatening are spoken as questions (“Suffer like G did?”), and in general, everything is stilted and poorly delivered. This just adds to the camp of the game, and makes me enjoy the series even more.
Graphics in both games look pretty much like the did in the original games, which means they’re a little outdated now. The gameplay still holds up though, and the offline co-op is really fun, as you can blast away with a buddy and laugh your way through together. That’s also the only way you are likely to finish the game, as you have a limited amount of continues and it’s very hard. The more you play through the levels, however, the more you’ll recognize the patterns and be able to get a little farther each time.
House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return is a great port of two very fun arcade games, and having them together on one disc is fantastic. If you’ve got someone else to play with, this is a must-have for your Wii library, and even if you don’t, but you’ll have plenty of fun on your own as well.
4 out of 5 G’s
2-1-09: Vericon 2009 Report
by Max Saltonstall
I am still sore from the festivities, and just had a very good time up in Cambridge this past weekend with the past and present members of the Harvard Radcliffe Science Fiction Association. Thanks to the con staff who helped me have so much fun!
Friday I arrived early enough to meet some of the folks setting up, help out a bit with the program book assembly and find out who was involved with what. They were kind enough to move my events around to allow me to participate in some events I was very much looking forward to, including the LARP that night.
The Tale and the Twilight, written by HRSFA alumni who have done a series of similar LARPs, told a tale of heroes seeking to marry the daughters of the sultan through gaining favor and telling stories. I missed the window to sign up as a player and instead got the opportunity to know more behind-the-scenes info as an NPC (the Captain of the Guard). The group contained all sorts and though the game ran long it was very fun. Each character had some special qualities, motives, interlocking agendas and ways to help or hinder others. I highly recommend trying one of these LARPs if you get the chance, I enjoyed the evening very much.
Saturday morning (most convention events start at 10 or 11 am, not too early) I finally realized my efforts to play Capture the Flag with Stuff (tm), another famous and exotic HRSFA standby. Imagine an indoor, three team game of Capture the Flag with magical wands, potions, belts and glyphs. We got a good turnout and diverse players, some experienced and other brand new like me. The two games wore me out and proved much more fun than any Capture the Flag game I've ever played. The items almost got confusing when a few were interacting at once, but the expert players and the judge made sure that we all had good instruction.
After coming down from the adrenaline high of running up and down stairs for two hours I found some food and then ran Go West, a one-shot Dogs in the Vineyard module adapted from a home campaign I ran. The secret agents of the United States Geological Survey put a stop to the strange tax evasion and the mysterious missing persons, almost suffering a casualty themselves. The big tough farm girl got in some trouble, but she was saved by the faith healer and monkey. A very fun session, all pretty new to the system but getting the hang of things quickly enough.
The Dogs game went longer than intended thanks to players getting into the story and helping craft a collaborative narrative that rocked. We ended as some other events were starting up for the evening, and so I got some food and settled down to play some Race for the Galaxy. My goal for the evening: experiment with the first expansion to the game, since I already loved Race. After a few games I concluded that the expansion cards are useful to fill out some gaps and the goals added provide very nifty incentives to motivate different styles of play. I know have my own expansion in the mail from boardsandbits.com.
Sunday's main event drew a big crowd as folks woke up and filtered in. MST3K focused on “National Treasure 2” this year, a whopper of a film with enough mediocre acting and writing to provide much amusement. The script our three hosts had written kept us laughing, as did their clever (and minimalistic) sketches that helped fully mock the plot holes and weird leaps of logic. The movie was never better than in that crowded classroom.
Lunch with some friends, new and old, capped off my weekend and I got on a long Amtrak train back to the Have'. I am very glad my friends finally got me to go to VeriCon and I will be back next year to repeat the awesome events.
1-30-09: Prince of Persia Review (XBox 360)
by Brian LeTendre
Prince of Persia (PoP) does an excellent job of capturing the best parts of the series and combining them with a unique visual style to breathe new life into a series that had gotten a little stale.
The story in PoP involves a brand new Prince, who is returning from his latest adventure. He loses the donkey that is carrying all of his treasure, so he’s wandering around searching for it when happens to stumble into a young princess who is on the run from some goons. As often happens when you are a swashbuckling young rogue, the Prince gets caught up in a conflict that could decide the fate of the world. He must join forces with princess Elika to cleanse the land of the corruption that threatens to consume it.
PoP has an open world quality to it, and players can choose to explore the different locations in whatever order they choose. Each area consists of platforming and puzzle solving, culminating with a boss fight. As you clear out an area and free it from corruption, the land reverts to its normal state and a bunch of energy orbs are left place of the corruption. Elika needs these orbs to keep her energy up and to unlock new areas to explore.
Built on the Assassin’s Creed engine, PoP sports a streamlined control scheme that favors constant motion and fluid combat without a lot of complex button mashing. As you run along walls and soar through the air, well-timed button pushes create an almost seamless sense of movement. Combat is mostly one on one, and again the stress is on well-timed, one-button actions. The simple nature of the controls helps to keep the game moving forward constantly.
Another element that keeps things moving forward is the Prince’s partner Elika. Rather than being the girl you have to save at the end of the game, she’s a powerful ally that accompanies you along the way. Every time the Prince misses a jump or falls off a ledge, Elika is there to grab him and return him to safety. She can also aid the Prince in combat and can act as a compass to highlight the most appropriate path to a new location. Conversing with Elika throughout the game reveals a great deal more of the story, and makes her feel like a true companion, as opposed to just an AI-controlled ally.
What I like most about PoP is that the game wants you to succeed. The controls, the storytelling and the open world nature of the game all combine to let you set the pace of the game, and explore the story as much or as little as you want to. No matter what your choices are, the game tries to keep things moving and keep you immersed.
My only real complaint is that the collection of energy orbs feels a little unnecessary and repetitive. It’s almost as if the developers felt like they didn’t have enough game, so they figured out a way to make you have to go through each level twice. I think the game would have been better off without it.
All in all, Price of Persia is a great game, and I’d really like to see Ubisoft use this blueprint as the series moves forward.
4 out of 5 Lost Donkeys
1-28-09: Gears of War 2 Review (XBox 360)
by Brian LeTendre
Gears of War 2 is exactly what a good sequel should be: everything that the original was times two. From the graphics to the scope to the story, Gears 2 delivers a very polished experience that surpasses the original in every way.
For those unfamiliar with Gears, the themes of humanity fighting for survival against an alien-type species pretty much sums up the core concept. What’s different in Gears 2 however, is that writer Josh Ortega manages to add some depth to main character Marcus Fenix and the supporting cast, which was almost completely absent in the original game. He gives us something to care about, like the subplot of Dom searching for his lost wife, who was captured by the Locust. There’s also a civil war brewing among the Locust that makes them seem more than one dimensional bots, and gives a reason for why they’ve attacked the surface world.
Story aside, where Gears 1 established itself as a blockbuster was with its solid gameplay and beautiful graphics. Gears 2 raises the bar on both counts. It’s easily the best looking game on any next-gen console, which is amazing when you see the depth and scope of some of the levels. Camera effects that blur objects in the foreground and background; particles of debris floating around; it’s visually stunning. The “stop and pop” gameplay is largely unchanged from the first game, except that getting out of cover feels a lot easier than it did the last time around. There’s a good variety of weapons, and the ability to use fallen enemies as “meat shields” is a nice bonus.
I did not get a chance to really put the multiplayer through its paces, but I have played some of the new “Horde” mode, and it’s great. You and up to four friends pick a map and defend it from increasingly difficult waves of enemies. It’s like “Call of Duty: World at War’s” zombie mode, but much, much better. I also played some of the campaign co-op, and while Epic failed to deliver the promised 4-player experience, the 2-player version is still a lot of fun.
Gears of War 2 lives up to the hype of being one of the best games out there on any platform. Highly recommended.
5 out of 5 Lancers
**For anyone interested in the Gears of War comic that ties into the game, you can check out the interview I did with writer Josh Ortega over at CBR by clicking here.
12-31-08: Left 4 Dead Review (XBox 360)
by Brian LeTendre
At first glance, Left 4 Dead may seem like a one-trick pony that isn’t worth the price of a full game. While that may be true of the single player experience, once you play the multiplayer modes you’ll find that it’s worth its weight in zombies ten times over.
Left 4 Dead is a first person shooter that follows 4 regular joes who are trying to survive the zombie apocalypse. There’s Louis, your average 9 to 5’er, Francis the biker dude, Bill the Vietnam vet, and Zoey the college girl. These four have been thrown together and forced to depend on one another as they try to escape various locations teeming with swarms of the undead.
The game is structures into four “movies,” which consist of multiple levels linked by a common theme. The group must battle through different areas, stopping briefly at safe houses, until they find a way to escape. For example, the “No Mercy” movie involves making it across town to the local hospital in order to catch a ride out of town on a chopper. The final battle is a frantic defense of your position as you are waiting to be airlifted out.
In addition to the hordes of zombies that are trying to destroy you, there are also several “boss” characters that can pop up anywhere along the way. These are enhanced creatures, each with a distinct way of attacking and causing problems for players. The “Smoker” uses his ridiculously long tongue to grab you and pull you away from your friends; the “Boomer” throws up on you, which immediately attracts hundreds of zombies to you; the “Hunter” can scale walls and jump long distances, and deals massive damage with attacks, and the “Tank” is a raging hulk that destroys everything in its path. And let’s not forget about the “Witch.” The only thing you need to know about her is that you should stay far away from her…
Weapons in the game range from pistols to assault rifles, and a few in between. You can also pick up Molotov cocktails and pipe bombs, which come in handy when you need to take out large groups at a time—which is pretty much always.
Where Left 4 Dead succeeds the most is in capturing the frantic horror and atmosphere of a great zombie movie. The unique AI director populates the game with zombies and bosses based on many factors, including the skill level of the players and their health status, making each play through a totally different experience. The pacing in the game is fantastic, ramping up at random moments, and each stage culminates in an epic firefight that often results in one or more team members not making it out alive.
Both the single player and multiplayer modes of the game feature the same maps and storylines; however the experiences could not be more different. In single player, you will be accompanied by three AI controlled teammates. The AI is exceptional, and it’s still a great time playing through each level. The game really shines when you get together with friends, though. The screaming, laughing and yelling at each other only contributes to the frantic nature of the game, and each play through provides you with different stories to tell coming away from it. Four maps may not seem like a lot, but the AI ensures that each play through is unique.
As a multiplayer game, Left 4 Dead is an absolute blast and is highly recommended. As an offline game, there’s still a lot to enjoy, but you may want to wait until the price drops before investing. Either way, Valve has created the definitive zombie game, and games like Silent Hill, Dead Rising and the Resident Evil series may need to shake up their formulas to compete in the future.
4.5 out of 5 Don't Startle the Witches
12-20-08: Legendary Review (XBox360)
by Brian LeTendre
Legendary is a fast-paced, fun shooter that offers a unique take on the genre, even if it doesn't quite live up to its name.
In the game, players take on the role of Charles Deckard, an art thief who unwittingly opens the mythical “Pandora's Box,” unleashing ancient creatures of lore into the world. He then must team up with a secret military organization and find a way to close the box and keep a madman and his splinter group from gaining control of it and destroying the world.
One of the things I noticed immediately about the game is that the developers (Spark Unlimited) had a truly ambitious vision for the game. From the set pieces of New York and London, to the scale of the gigantic Golems and Krakens, there are times where Legendary looks like a bigger game than it is, which is a window into what the developers might have done with more resources. As it is, Deckard is often operating on a smaller scale, with larger events going on around him. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as there's plenty to keep him occupied, namely werewolves, fire drakes, griffons and minotaurs. Oh, and let's not forget about the paramilitary soldiers from “The Black Order,” who are trying to kill Deckard and wield the power of Pandora's Box.
The gameplay combines traditional first-person shooting and a Bioshock-esque power system, where Deckard can absorb energy from fallen enemies and channel it into blasts that can stun or even decapitate foes. Using these two elements effectively becomes more and more important as the game goes on. For example, Minotaurs can sustain a ton of damage, but are more vulnerable from behind. Stunning them to get behind them is the easiest way to take them down. There's a good variety of weapons in the game, ranging from pistols to flamethrowers and everything in between. The controls can feel a little floaty at first, but once you settle in, you'll be pulling off headshots like a pro.
Deckard has a PDA through which he intercepts messages and picks up information, and this becomes the primary way of getting story updates in the game. It works fine, however the game pauses and takes you into a sub menu whenever you use it, which can interrupt the action at times. The rest of the story is conveyed through cut scenes and storyboards, which oddly was the only place in the game I experienced any frame rate issues, as the transition from cut scene to storyboard sometimes caused the game to slow down or even skip a second or two. Luckily, I did not have any of the same issues during gameplay.
Graphically the game is a mixed bag. Some of the larger set pieces and monsters look great, while the supporting cast members could have used some additional polish. The in-game animations looked good, and there is even a nod to old school light gun games, as claw marks will appear on screen when Deckard takes damage from werewolves or other clawed creatures.
The game ends with a bit of a twist, and leaves the door open for a possible sequel. I for one would like to see that happen, hopefully with a bigger budget. I'd love to see what the developers could do with Call of Duty or Gears of War type money. Even without all the bells and whistles, Legendary provides a nice departure from many other shooters, and its ambition deserves to be recognized.
3.5 out of 5 Minotaurs
12-1-08: Ninjatown Review (DS)
by Brian LeTendre
Based on Shawn Smith’s line of Shawnimals plush toys, Ninjatown is a very challenging strategy game hiding behind a cute and cuddly aesthetic.
Ninjatown is a small peaceful village in the Shawnimals world that is populated by, you guessed it, ninjas. The ninjas spend their days practicing their skills and making cookies. On either side of Ninjatown are potential dangers that could threaten their way of life. Mt.Feroshi is a giant volcano that the ninjas believe is ruled by Mr. Feroshi, the giant dino slug. They pay tribute to him in order to keep the volcano from erupting. On the other side of town is the DarkForest, which is ruled over by Mr. Demon. Mr. Demon has an army of Wee Devils and his goal is to invade Ninjatown and get the recipe for the ninja cookies. It’s Mr. Demon’s nefarious plot that forms the narrative of the Ninjatown game.
The gameplay is very simple at its core. There are several different types of ninja in Ninjatown, and each type of ninja has a different set of skills. Each type of ninja is a distinct color, making it easy to associate them with their skill set. For example, the Wee Ninja are dressed in black, and are the standard units in the game, as their skills are balanced between speed and strength. Anti-Ninjas are orange, as they have forsaken speed and stealth in the name of strength and more powerful attacks. White Ninjas have ranged attacks, as they throw snowballs that slow down enemies. There are several more types of ninja, and you unlock them as the game progresses. You also unlock special attacks, which come either in the form of tokens that can be used one at a time, or special “’Ol Master Ninja” attacks that require you to do things like blow or speak into the microphone.
In each level of play, Mr. Demon is sending his Wee Devils (of which there are also many types) into Ninjatown. Your job is build different types of Ninja Huts in strategic places in order to defeat the Wee Devils before they can reach their goal on any given level. You buy huts with Ninja Cookies, which are the game equivalent of money. Each hut contains two ninjas, and you can level up each hut several times, improving the attacks and defenses of each group of ninjas. As you defeat enemies, you’ll earn more cookies, which can be used to build more Ninja Huts, or upgrade existing ones. Certain ninjas will fair better against certain enemies, so it’s imperative that you choose wisely when setting up your Ninja Huts.
Each level takes about 10-15 minutes to play, which makes it a great DS game that you can play chunks of whenever you have a small amount of time. When you complete each level, you will be graded on your performance, on a scale of “A” through “D” based on how many enemies made it through your defenses. If you let too many through, you will have to start the level over. If that happens a few times in a row, the game will ask you if you want to try the level in Easy mode. This is a nice feature which should save you from getting too frustrated with any one level. If you complete the level on Easy mode, you will receive a grade of “E,” but will still be able to move on to the next level.
The game does a great job of introducing you to the basics, and then slowly ramping up the level of difficulty. If you’re not careful, the game will actually sneak up on you, as you can be lulled into a false sense of security after a few easy levels. This happened to me on a level where there were multiple points of entry for the Wee Devils. I did a nice job of protecting one point of entry, but neglected the other until it was too late. I had to try the level over a few times before completing it, as the wrong combination of ninja types will result in your defenses being overrun pretty quickly. When you do complete a level though, it’s very satisfying and you feel like you’ve earned it.
The game features a multiplayer mode that allows two players to compete for scores on the same map. Two players can access a few of the maps off of one cartridge, but there are several more maps in multiplayer if each person has a copy of the game.
My one concern with the game is that it is really difficult to rally if you make a mistake. You can sell off Ninja Huts in order to build other elsewhere, but once the pace of the game picks up, it’s very difficult to switch tactics. The decisions you make at the start of the level go a long way toward determining victory or defeat, and since you don’t really know the different types of enemies you’ll be facing, it’s fairly easy to make the wrong choice early. However, the positive side of this is that you learn very early not to waste any time or actions in the crucial early moments of a level.
All in all, Ninjatown is a great game, and one of the best I’ve played on the DS. While it’s easy to pick up and play, the game has a lot of variety and becomes extremely challenging as it progresses. Hardcore gamers will be impressed with the level of strategy involved, while the ability to fall back on Easy mode makes the game more accessible to kids or casual gamers. Here’s hoping we’ll see more entries in the series, perhaps featuring some of the other inhabitants of Shawnimal Land.
5 out of 5 Ninja Cookies
11-27-08: Resistance 2 Review (PS3)
by Brian LeTendre
Resistance 2 is a bigger, better version of the original, but it fails to deliver as one of the more anticipated shooters of the year.
For those unfamiliar with the franchise, Resistance takes place in an alternate history where the world is invaded by the Chimera, an extraterrestrial species that is systematically taking over the world and turning humans into modified versions of themselves. The main hero of the Resistance games is Nathan Hale, a US Army Ranger who has been infected with the Chimeran virus, but has not completely transformed, leaving him with enhanced abilities. The storyline in Resistance 2 sees the Chimera launching a full scale invasion of the United States.
While the story of Resistance is on par with similar games like Halo and Gears of War, it’s nothing to write home about. You play as Hale and try to stave off an invasion of the country, while also trying to solve the mystery of the Chimera and save yourself from transforming into a full-blown Chimera yourself.
Developer Insomniac definitely had a bigger budget to work with this time around, and for the most part, it shows. Sets pieces are much larger in scale, and some of the bosses in the game are absolutely huge. You get a good sense of the fact that man is really outmatched and the odds are with the Chimera when you see the scale of the invasion. On many levels, large battles are taking place in the background while you are sneaking through buildings and streets. The game does a nice job of conveying the sense that things are happening all over the place, not just with Nathan Hale.
Graphically however, the game is a mixed bag. Character models are ok, but are certainly not on par with call of Duty 4 or Gears of War 2. Backgrounds and sets are impressive though, and the aforementioned background skirmishes look great, when you have time to stop and appreciate them. Controls are tight, but are poorly designed. The melee button is originally mapped to the right analog stick, which is very sensitive in the PS3 controller. This leads to a lot of unintentional melee attacks when you are trying to aim or look around, which is very frustrating, especially in multiplayer. You can customize the controls, so at the end of the day it’s not a huge deal.
The biggest disappointment in playing through the single player campaign is the archaic level design. You essentially travel from kill room to kill room in a very predictable way. Rooms feature a point of no return, such as a broken staircase that you can’t go back up, or a door that closes and locks behind you. You are also forced to learn by dying, as there are many “monster closet” moments that you won’t figure out until you’re already dead. The paths through each level are extremely linear, leaving little room for strategy. Invisible walls round out the list of shooter clichés that a title of this magnitude should not suffer from.
As frustrating as the single player experience can be, the multiplayer pretty much makes up for it. With up to 60 player matches at a time, the multiplayer offers a great variety of modes, maps, weapons and customization. There is also a co-op mode where you can assume classes and play through squad based missions with your friends. Almost every aspect of multiplayer works well and is polished, leading me to wonder if most of the resources went into that aspect of the game, as opposed to the single player campaign. In any case, good multiplayer is what gives a game legs, and Resistance 2’s multiplayer is arguably the best on the PS3. That fact alone makes it a must buy for PS3 owners.
As a total package, Resistance 2 is a very good game, and one that should be in every PS3 owner’s library. It’s just not on par with other AAA shooters in terms of design and polish, and the single player experience fails to live up to the hype.
4 out of 5 Invasion USA’s
11-25-08: Call of Duty: World at War Review (XBox 360)
by Brian LeTendre
Call of Duty: World at War is the latest game in the franchise, and features a return to World War II after last year’s modern warfare offering. A lot of fans were hesitant about this game, both because of the return to an earlier era and because it was being developed by Treyarch (as opposed to CoD4’ Infinity Ward). After playing it however, I can safely say that fans have nothing to worry about. World at war is a great game, and in some ways surpasses its predecessor.
The single player campaign follows two main storylines that cover the final battles of World War II. In one storyline you are Private Miller of the USMC, battling the Japanese in the PacificIslands. The other storyline has you taking on the role of Private Pitrenko in the Soviet Red Army, which is marching toward Berlin and taking revenge on the Germans for what happened in Stalingrad. Both storylines are well paced, building up to two of the major battles at the end of the war. Treyarch does a great job of keeping you immersed in the action, and in each story you are accompanied by a superior officer. On the American side, Keifer Sutherland provides the voice of Sgt. Roebuck, while Gary Oldman plays the role of Soviet Sgt. Reznov. Whether they are barking orders at you or giving inspirational speeches, it serves to keep you grounded in the moment and gives an emotional weight to what is going on around you. In between levels of the game are some great cut scenes and statistics about the War, which further lends a level of realism that Call of Duty 4 was not able to achieve.
The co-op multiplayer portion of the game is something that CoD4 did not have, and it’s really fun. Playing through levels of the campaign with a few of your buddies is a great time, and the competitive scoring keeps it fresh each time through. The remainder of the multiplayer modes will feel familiar to players of CoD4. You earn experience points and level up, which unlocks weapons, perks and customization options. The level cap is 65, at which point you can start all over again and reset all of the unlockables. There are a variety of maps and modes, and the addition of vehicles to the mix adds enough to make the multiplayer not feel like just a re-skinning of last year’s game. There is also a special “Nazi Zombie” mode that you unlock once you finish the single player campaign. You and your friends are holed up in an abandoned building while wave after wave of undead continually assault you from all directions. The speed and number of the zombies ramps up with each round, and you earn points that are used to buy bigger and better weapons to battle the undead with.
Overall, Call of Duty: World at War is a more than worthy successor to CoD4, and the engaging campaign may even be better. Multiplayer is still great, and the tweaks that Treyarch has made to this year’s game will be more than enough to keep players busy until Infinity Ward’s next entry into the series.
4.5 out of 5 Victories
11-17-08: Dead Space Review (PS3)
by Brian LeTendre
Horror is a tough genre to pull off in a video game. Horror depends on tension and atmosphere, both of which are hard to keep up over a long period of time. Most horror movies are under two hours, and many of them can't keep the viewer on the edge of their seat. So it's all the more impressive that Dead Space managed to keep me on the edge of mine for thirteen hours.
Dead Space is a brilliant game that combines elements of Event Horizon, Aliens and Night of the Living Dead with great controls, an intriguing story and incredible visuals. The story follows Isaac Clarke, an engineer sent to repair the communications array on the interstellar mining ship, the USG Ishimura. The Ishimura mysteriously lost contact after completing a mining mission in the fear reaches of space. When Isaac arrives with a small crew to find out what happened, he discovers that the ship has been overrun by Necromorphs, alien parasites that infect and reanimate dead tissue. As he fights to survive, he begins to uncover the origin of the Necromorphs, and also learns what it's going to take to stop them once and for all.
Graphically, Dead Space is gorgeous. While most of the action takes place within the giant mining ship, EA does a great job of offering varied locations and set pieces. There are times where you'll find yourself staring through a window out at an asteroid field, or stopping to check out the posters and advertisements on the walls, which are usually followed by some horrific monster driving a claw through your shoulder, as they're not ones for sightseeing. The creature designs are sufficiently disgusting, and the combat is very visceral. In terms of gore, this may be the bloodiest game I’ve ever played. The main way of defeating enemies is to dismember them, so you can imagine how the body parts pile up when you’re faced with a swarm of enemies.
Gameplay is great. The controls are tight, and the camera was never an issue. There are times where monsters jump out at you, but it’s not quite the “monster closet” mechanic that Doom was famous for. Most of the time you can see the enemies coming, and you have a chance to react. It’s when you don’t react well that things can spiral out of control quickly, which totally ramps up the tension. My only real complaint is that the game does not pause when you go into the inventory, however weapons and health packs are hot keyed, so it wasn’t that big of a deal.
Overall, Dead Space does a fantastic job of creating a good horror story and keeping you immersed in it for the entire game. It’s easily the best horror game I’ve ever played, and I think it surpasses the current king of the hill, Resident Evil 4. EA has also done a great job of supporting the IP, with a comic (written by Antony Johnston) and an animated movie (written by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti). It’s likely that this is the start of a franchise, and they’re off to a great start.
5 out of 5 Severed Limbs
11-6-08: Fable 2 Review (XBox 360)
by Brian LeTendre
I can say without reservation that Fable 2 is the best RPG that I've ever played. Ever. Peter Molyneux and Lionhead Studios have delivered a game that tells a great story and is an absolute joy to play, so much so that I was actually sad when I finished it.
The story of Fable 2 begins during the childhood of the main character. You can choose to be either a girl or a boy, and you'll spend some time adventuring as a child before the first major event of the game takes place. When it does, you lose someone close to you, which sets the table for the rest of the game's narrative. The story then becomes one of revenge, and the choice is yours in terms of how far you'll go to get it.
The story makes up the backbone of the game, however it's the gameplay and the way that the world unfolds before you that makes Fable 2 great. You can choose to be good or evil, corrupt or pure, or somewhere in between. Every deed, interaction and action will affect how those around you precieve and react to you. Treat people poorly, and you become an outcast. Shop owners charge you more, people will avoid you, and your appearance will start to change. Become corrupt, you start to grow horns. Become evil, you turn a pale, vampirish color. Be the pure hero, and you might even earn a halo by the end of the game.
The controls are very simple, with each type of attack being assigned to a button. For stronger attacks, you hold a button down longer, or push a certain direction at just the right time. The experience you earn through encounters is used as currency, to buy better abilities, allowing you to customize your character to fit your style of play. I prefer melee combat, so I used weapons and spells that would compliment my sword skills. The social interaction system is reminiscent of the Sims, as you have the abiltiy to choose different actions or expressions when interacting with people. You can get married, have sex, have kids and even get divorced (not necessarily in that order).
You can power through he main storyline, or busy yourself with endless side quests. You can even get a job, working as a blacksmith, bartender or woodcutter. Money you make can be invested into local shops and houses, enabling you to generate income. A very cool feature of the game is that money continues to generate from your investments when you aren't playing. It's great to jump into the game after a few days off and find you've made several thousand gold.
Accompanying you along the way is your faithful dog, which just might qualify as the coolest NPC ever. You can teach your dog tricks, fighting techniques, and treasure hunting skills. No matter where you go, the dog follows, and you'll quickly become very attached to it.
The game features Xbox Live co-op, through which a friend can join you in your game as a henchman. While it's unfortunate that they won't be able to use their own character, the co-op still proves to be fun, especially when you combine skills in combat. My only minor quibble was that the camera is fixed, meaning both players will have to make a conscious effort to stay near one another. To be honest though, you won't be playing this game for the co-op, as it's all about the single player experience.
Once you've completed the main storyline, you can continue to adventure in the game world, and there are some quests that won't even be available to you until you finish the story. I was happy to stay and play in the world after finishing, and I expect it will be a while before I tire of adventuring in Fable 2.
Overall, Fable 2 is a wonderful game, and should earn a place on the list of all-time great RPGs. I highly recommend it to everyone.
5 out of 5 Faithful Companions
10-5-08: Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Review (XBox 360)
by Armand Nadeau
The Force Unleashed had been on my gaming radar for the better part of two years, and after experiencing shipping delays earlier this year and reading about the pending layoffs at LucasArts, I began to grow concerned as to how the final product would turn out. After having TFU since launch and logging in quite a bit of game time, I think it’s fair to say that I am reasonably satisfied.
The story of TFU takes place between Episodes III and IV where we find that Darth Vader is on a mission to hunt down and destroy any remaining Jedi in the galaxy. Reports from Imperial spies have led Vader to the planet Kashyyyk, a world that played a pivotal role in the Clone Wars, and also home world to the Wookie population. Assuming control of the Sith Lord, we get to experience the raw nature of the Force: splintering trees with Force pushes, Force chokes, levitation, lightsaber combat, etc. It gives a pretty good preview of what to expect from the rest of the game. After completing your primary objective, the story takes a very interesting turn where Vader unexpectedly encounters a small boy who he secretly “adopts” as his apprentice. We then cut to 18 or so years after Episode III where the apprentice is now a young man and begins running Jedi extermination missions for Vader, all in secrecy of course, because the Emperor would not be pleased to learn of this. You may recall that the Sith operate under the “rule of two,” they have a master and an apprentice, and no more. Vader’s actions could easily be interpreted by the Emperor as treachery.
The subsequent missions take place in exotic locations and grow progressively more difficult as you encounter Jedi who have varying degrees of skill with the Force. In addition to facing challenges from those who practice the Light Side, you will also oppose natives of various planets as well as Rebels and Imperials that you must destroy (again, your identity must remain a secret; no witnesses!).
As the story unfolds, the Apprentice eventually learns that Sith cannot be trusted, and he will come to face the difficult decision of which path of the Force to follow: the Light or the Dark. The choice he makes will dictate the ending sequence of the game. One path follows the comic book ending, the other being an alternative.
As far as what I liked about TFU – there is quite a bit. First off, I absolutely loved the CGI intermissions. TFU has a really interesting story that for the most part, I’ve accepted as official Star Wars canon. I enjoyed the cut scenes so much that I often wanted to breeze through the missions quickly so that I could get to the next cinematic segment. I was constantly wondering, “What’s going to happen next??” I think that most Star Wars fans would agree that TFU’s story would have made a very good Episode 3.5.
The new characters are interesting additions to the Star Wars Galaxy and ones that I would like to see appear in additional Expanded Universe material. I also really enjoyed the cameos from Classic Trilogy and Prequel characters that appeared at various points throughout the game. I think their role in TFU added some legitimacy to the overall story.
While I did have some issues with the actual game play, I must admit that it was fun to have the ability to power-up huge Force pushes and send ‘troopers flailing as they hurtle backwards, generate Force Lightning, use my lightsaber as a boomerang, or execute a number of Force-fueled combos to dispatch my opponents. Having these once fabled powers at my disposal and magnified as if the Apprentice was on steroids is a pretty cool experience, despite being a bit far-fetched.
The inclusion of the well-hyped Havok and Euphoria technologies really can’t be enjoyed for what they offer due to the intensity of action throughout the game. There is simply no time to sit back and take it all in. In many instances, you will find yourself facing overwhelming odds, and battling frantically in order to stay alive. Of what I did take notice of, the rag-doll physics are pretty cool.
With regard to actual game play mechanics, I must admit that I was a bit disappointed in some respects. First off, the camera must be controlled manually in order to always have an optimum viewing angle, and at times when on rocky edges or bridges fighting against multiple enemies, it becomes too cumbersome to deal with. If you suffer from “Doom Induced Dizziness” (DID) or vertigo, this game may give you fits as you are required to swing the camera around constantly when fighting enemies who attempt to surround and overwhelm you.
Another issue I have with TFU is the frame rate. During normal gaming sequences, it feels that the game runs under 60fps. When the action heats up with numerous combatants and/or mini-bosses, movement can become a bit choppy. I suppose this is typical for a LucasArts or Star Wars branded game, but in today’s gaming environment, this remains entirely unacceptable. 60fps has become the standard for a high quality console game, and for as long as TFU has been in development, it should be of very high quality – especially considering the resources LucasArts had at their disposal (i.e. Industrial Light and Magic).
Another issue I have with TFU is the fact that as your powers grow stronger, you encounter more enemies who seem to always have some sort of ability or technology to nullify your newly developed skills – whether it is an energy shield or some sort of armor impervious to specific Force powers, as you grow stronger, they do too. There are considerable inconsistencies with this. For example, you can literally Force grab a TIE Fighter out of flight, but yet you can’t levitate a Dark Trooper. To me, this didn’t make any sense whatsoever. Granted, the game would be too easy if you could just crush everyone and every thing in your path, but some of the challenges you face as the game progresses don’t necessarily contribute to the overall flow of the game’s action sequences. As you grow stronger, your opponents should seem weaker. The only fodder for the Apprentice’s unleashed powers is your basic stormtroopers, rebel soldiers, and some planetary natives.
My final gripe is with the Achievement System. I really have a problem when developers aren’t creative when it comes to Achievement Points, and resort to offering rewards when playing through a game at each of the available difficulty settings. I’ll play TFU twice through so that I can see both endings, but I won’t be playing it any more than that simply to get the “Sith Apprentice” easy difficulty award, nor will I attempt it on the most challenging skill level.
All in all, TFU is a nice looking game despite the aforementioned issues, and Star Wars fans will likely enjoy the engaging story which includes quite a few familiar faces. The 3rd –person action is average to slightly above average at best, but as a whole, the game earns a recommendation from me. This is one of those games that is worthy of more than rental status, but probably just at or slightly below a buy for most people. For a Star Wars fan, this game is definitely a must-have. Time to completion on the default difficulty is approximately 12-15 hours depending on how obsessed you are with finding all of the holocrons.
LucasArts has announced that two DLC packs will be made available for The Force Unleashed, one of which will hit the Xbox Live Marketplace before the end of the year.
Please note that my review is based on the Xbox 360 version. After speaking with a friend who has The Force Unleashed on the Wii, there are significant differences in both play mechanics and specific events that take place within the game.
3.5 out of 5 Braided Wookie Scalps
Highs: Very cool story, interesting new characters, familiar faces from the Prequels and Classic Trilogy, and the fun factor associated with having super-embellished Force powers at your disposal.
Lows: Poor camera requires constant manual control for optimum viewing during combat sequences, frame rate is noticeably clunky at times of intense action, poor A.I. in most enemies (and potential allies).
Bottom Line: One of the better Star Wars games produced and likely to be well received by fans of the movies as well as fans of 3rd person action games.
Easter Eggs and Other Notables: Jimmy Smits does the voice of Bail Organa. Tom Kane (voice of the animated Yoda) also lends his talents to voice-work. If you look carefully, Jar-Jar Binks can be found encased in Carbonite and Salacious Crumb’s head can be seen mounted on a wall. The Wilhelm scream appears in TFU. A fan favorite bad guy makes a brief appearance on the Xbox 360 version, but from I’ve been told, not on the Wii during the story mode. Aside from a deleted scene from Episode III, TFU offers an alternative look as to how the Rebel Alliance was formed.
