A Winner is You: a skewed look at the world of electronic entertainment.

A lesson in Domestic violence: A Super Smash Brothers Brawl review

2008-03-24T16:42:00.000-07:00

Massively-hyped games never seem to deliver. It’s not that they’re no good; it’s just that they seem to be held to a higher standard, and to please everyone they would have to do things that no game could do.

A producer at Sega recently told me: “In the gaming community, there will always be complaints - you just have to do your best to put out what you feel is a quality game.”

For the last few years, no game has seen as much hype as Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the latest chapter in Nintendo’s long standing fighter series.

So does it deliver?

For those unfamiliar with the world of Smash Brothers, think of it as a way to relive some of those arguments you had back in grade school. It’s a 2D, action-centric fighting game that pits legendary and recluse Nintendo universe characters against each other in mortal cartoon combat.

But it’s more - oh so much more.

Brawl plays and feels like a love letter to the Nintendo universe. Sure, there are the expected mainstays like Mario, Link, Peach and Zelda, but much credit has to be given to the developers for including names that the mainstream might not get, but that dedicated gamers will freak out over.

Look for names like Olimar from Pikmin, Meta-Knight from Kirby and Sheik from Zelda. Fancy a trip back to the 80s? Try not to smile too much as you unlock characters like Mr. Game and Watch and even R.O.B the gaming robo.

For the first time ever, characters from non Nintendo titles enter the fight. Solid Snake, complete with cardboard box and rocket launcher from the famed Metal Gear Solid series sneaks in, as does everyone’s favorite hedgehog, Sonic.

While these are great additions, it also begs the question: if this is the final Smash Bros. game, as stated by producer Sakurai, why not push for more outside characters? Who wouldn’t love to see Cloud from Final Fantasy VII take on Link, or Mega Man go head to head with Samus? Producers have gone on record as saying that they only included characters from companies that approached them, but imagine if they took a more aggressive approach.

Brawl’s in-game environments are amazing in their own right. Based off Nintendo games past and present, each stage has interactive environments that directly affect the outcome of each battle.

For instance, the Mario Kart stage has two different levels on which to fight, each with shy-guy’s racing full speed towards you get in their way and you can expect to be swept right off your feet. Some of these stages are not what you’d expect, like Pictochat, which places fighters literally in a message created on the Nintendo DS chat program while objects and terrain are being drawn all around them.

Even cooler scenes include a 3D creation of the first 2 levels from the first Mario Brothers and a Wario Ware stage.

These small touches really make Brawl shine. Sure, it was delayed countless times during it’s development cycle, but when you get a title with so much depth and replay value, it makes it worth it.

Brawl isn’t like most games, where it can be completed within a day or two of purchase. From mastering move sets to unlocking trophies and characters, this is a deceptively deep game.

Of course, at the heart of Brawl — like the other Smash Brothers games before it — is the actual combat. Damage taken by each character is represented as a percentage at the bottom on the screen. Matches, especially those featuring more than two characters and items, are incredibly frantic, so much so that players new to the franchise might be a bit overwhelmed at first.

However, the real beauty of Smash Brothers is that for a game adopted by the hardcore crowd, it’s incredibly accessible. The control scheme is intuitive and simple. There’s the jump button, a block button and two attack buttons. Which way you move the control stick governs your move choice, making it easier for new players to discover new attacks without having to worry about long button combinations.

Super Smash Brothers Brawl is controllable through four different control schemes; Wii-mote and Nunchuck, Wii classic controller, holding the Wii-mote sideways and yes, even the sturdy old Gamecube controller. This ensures that everyone can be comfortable right from the start.

Each character and each stage comes with its own strategy and play style. Brutes like Donkey Kong and Bowser may not move very fast but they are incredibly strong, while Link and Mario’s attacks may not pack the most power but they’re quick enough to deal a lot of damage quickly. There are characters who can fly, who are better with projectiles, even ride motorcycles and … fart. Half the fun is playing around with each character and seeing just what they can do.

Ask any seasoned Smash Brothers player what’s best about the series and odds are they’ll say the same thing: multiplayer. For the first time ever, multiplayer isn’t limited to your console, as Brawl takes the fight online with the Wii’s Wifi service. It’s a nice touch, using a democratic voting system for players to chose match types and stages, but to fully open up the vast array of customization options, you’ll have to connect via the hated friend codes.

For the majority of matches played online, we experienced quite a bit of lag, which admittedly happens to many games upon their release, especially ones with so many players online at one time.

Capping off the already robust customization, Brawl features a Stage editor screen where players with a bit of patience and dedication can create their own arenas to use in game. You start off by choosing the size, background (only three sadly — has there ever been more of a case for Nintendo to introduce downloadable content?) and music you’d like to use. You’re then taken to a grid like screen where you’re able place terrain, and items anywhere as well as change the position of already placed elements. Though the choices are admittedly a bit lacking, it’s extremely rewarding to battle your friends on your own creation.

You can exchange stages you’ve built with friends and even submit then to Nintendo, which will pick the best ones and make them available to players all over the world.

Brawl is more than multiplayer. Gamers looking for more of a solo experience will find plenty to love as well. There’s a classic mode, which is your basic win and advance gameplay. There is also event mode which presents a rather robust series of challenges that deal with performing special moves at certain times or defeating enemies in a certain time frame. You can chose to put your fighters through training against customizable enemies and environments or try your hand at stadium mode, a retooled version of the bonus target breaking stages from classic mode.

The greatest draw for solo players is the Subspace Emissary mode, where each of the characters come together to fight a mysterious enemy (it’s a Nintendo game - is there any other kind?) An adventure mode that harkens back to the days of previous Smash Bros games, Emissary plays like an eclectic mix of Brawl and platforming game as each new level manages to channel the spirit of the source material while still maintaining the feel of Brawl. For instance, the level you play as Donkey and Diddy Kong, you feel like you’re playing a retooled version of Super Nintendo classic Donkey Kong Country. Emissary will take most players a good eight or nine hours to complete, even if they take advantage of the cooperative mode.

With it’s incredibly accessible and addictive gameplay and insane amount of replay value that will keep even the most fickle gamers coming back for quite some times, it joins Super Mario Sunshine and Twilight Princess as games Wii owners need in their library.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl delivers.

2008-02-10T18:54:00.000-08:00

We all know that upper Smash Brothers Brawl and Mario Kart are going to be the Wii’s big guns this year, along with Too Human and Fable 2 on the Xbox 360 and Metal Gear Solid and Little Big Planet on the PS3. We’ve been hearing about these titles adnauseum for the last few years. While they’re sure to be great – what about the lesser-known titles? We run down a few of the games you might not know yet – but you will.

Title: Brutal Legend
Platform: Xbox 360, PS3
Release Date: TBA 2008

Trailer:

From the mind of Tim Schaefer, the man behind such cult classics as Psychonauts, Grim Fandango and Day of The Tentacle comes the tale of Eddie Riggs (voiced by none other than Jack Black) -- a heavy metal roadie sucked back in time and forced to lead an enslaved civilization’s uprising. Commanding everything from demons to barbarians and everything in between, Legend is Schaefer’ love letter to the world of Heavy Metal (already confirmed are cameos by the immortal Dio and Lemmy from Motorhead)

Though not much is actually known about the gameplay. Schaefer was able to shed some light in a recent interview. “We have it pigeonholed as a third person action adventure in an open-world environment, and the open-world thing that's important to me is that we want to make a real world - the world of Brutal Legend - like a place that exists, where crazy beasts are wondering around, as well as epic characters,” Schaefer told IGN in a recent interview. “It's just all real, y'know, you're not just going down some track. You put this hotrod together and you can just drive all over the world, and find all these little nooks and crannies. And that's the kind of stuff that we hinted at in Psychonauts

Schaefer also went on to hint at being able to control members of the society – dubbed headbangers similar to the way troops are controlled in tactical shooter like Ghost Recon or even Oddworld.
Psychonauts was nothing short of genius, and Schaefer has never seemed more excited about a project. This could be the game that takes him from cult favorite to household name.

Title: Saboteur
Platform: Xbox 360, PS3
Release Date: Fall 2008

I know what you’re thinking -- a WWII game – yaaaawn. Sure, the source material of EA Game’s upcoming may seem less than inspired, but everything else about it feels fresh and new -- especially its Schindler’s List like, color/black and white art style.

What makes the art even cooler is that it plays into the game’s storyline. As one would expect, WWII era France is a pretty dreary place – the Nazi soldiers and aura of death have left the city to be blanketed in black and white. Every mission you pass, as British race car driver, turned rebel Sean Devlinn brings more and more color to the world.

Developer Pandemic Studios (Mercenaries 2) has promised varied missions and open-world gameplay to further differentiate Saboteur from the usual WWII fodder. It wouldn’t be surprising to see this game slip into 2009 though, as Pandemic has been delaying titles left and right these days.

Title: Alan Wake
Platform: Xbox 360
Release Date: Fall 2008

If this were one year ago, Alan Wake would not be on the list. It was arguable one of the most anticipated games of the current console generation, and then came the delays. It seemed as if Mr. Wake would be joining the ranks of Duke Nukem Forever and BC in the land of limbo, but Remedy Games assures us that the game is on track for a fall 2008 release.

The visuals in Wake are nothing short of breathtaking. Everything from the character animations, to the use of light and shadow in the game’s small town is absolutely gorgeous.

In the game, Alan Wake is a successful horror writer, who has since seen his own world fall apart. To get a fresh start on his new book, based on his nightmares. When he gets there, he realizes that something is going horribly wrong – as what he writes is coming true. Look for the game to be a mix of action, adventure and mystery – similar to Remedy game’s previous title – Max Payne.

Title: Afrika
Platform: PS3
Release Date: Fall 2008

Like Alan Wake, Afrika is visually stunning – except in a completely different way. This non-violent, safari simulator features photo-realistic animals and environments, along with like life animations and conditions. While a picture taking game may not excite the average gamer – Afrika could be of Sony’s keys to getting back into the console race in 2008.

Think about it. What is really driving the Wii? It’s not hardcore Japanese games like No More Heroes or the ports of established franchises – the Wii is appealing to non gamers with casual, interactive experiences. If Sony can grab hold of this market with a casual game that looks ten times better than anything on the Wii, it could lessen Nintendo’s dominance quite a bit.

Title: Boom Blox
Platform: Wii
Release Date: May 2008

When the world saw Steven Spielberg at E3 some year’s ago – rumors began to swirl why he was there. We now get our answer (well, kind of – he was seen at the Microsoft and Sony booths as well) with Boom Blox for the Wii.

While the Wii is full of puzzle games, EA is claiming that Blox uses the Wii-mote in new and more interactive ways than anything on the Wii. Based heavily on physics -- Boom Blox seems like a high-octane version of Jenga, but as the trailer shows, players must use the Wii-mote and nunchuck in a variety of ways to destroy towers and structures created by your enemies.

Plus – it’s a cartoon world envisioned by Steven Spielberg – does anyone remember how awesome Animaniacs was? Yeah. Let that sit for a bit.

DSI Games could be the worst developer in history: Exhibit B: Showtime Championship Boxing

2008-02-08T20:08:00.000-08:00

When I was younger, the Official Nintendo Seal of Quality meant the world to me. That little gold emblem ensured that whatever I was about to play – was certified by the same people who brought me games like Super Mario Bros, Mike Tyson’s punch-out and F-Zero.

Something strange has happened to the seal over the last few console generations though. Sure, it’s still there – on every product that Nintendo licenses for use on or for its systems, but the Seal of Quality has become known as merely the “Nintendo Seal.” Catch that? The keyword – quality has mysteriously vanished.

Now, we can all agree that the Wii is one fun little system. Everyone from average gamers to grandma and children can all find something to love on the system. Sadly though, the Wii has also become a seemingly fertile breeding ground for crap games. For every Zelda and Mario – there seems to be a million Ninja Gingerbread man or chicken shoots.

Case in point – Showtime Championship Boxing by repeat offender DSI Games. Everything, from the presentation, design and gameplay mechanics is so sub par, it’s quite laughable – until you realize just how much potential this game could have had if released under a different developer.

Showtime Sports has become synonymous with boxing. It’s become one of the premier places to both break new talent and see new stars get their start. Names like Holyfield, Lewis, and De La Hoya have all graced Showtime’s ring from some of the worlds most famous arenas. Too bad you won’t get any of that in the game. There are no licensed elements in the game – at all. Instead we get brawlers with such uninspired names as “Lazy Lorenzo, “ Psycho Sarge and “Punching Bag Pat.” Why use the Showtime name if were not even going to get realistic characters?

Sadly, the arenas aren’t much better, but at least there seemed to be an attempt on behalf of the developers to make them familiar. Instead of immortal buildings rich in history, we get bland, buildings named after cities that are supposed to represent actual buildings. For instance, the New York arena is supposed to be Madison Square Garden, Los Angles the Staples Center and Vegas would be Caesar’s Palace. These similarities are in name only as each one looks like a run down bingo hall, with no more than 200 fans in the stands.

You know when you’re grocery shopping and there’s the brand names, then the cheaper, crappier brand Xs of every product? Showtime Championship Boxing feels like the Brand X Boxing title to the great Fight Night series and even the small boxing mini game on Wii Sports. Sure, at first glance it looks similar, but once you actually give it a try – you realize just how bad it is – even if it tries so hard to be like those that came before it.

Boxing is based on timing and speed – so it’s a problem when a game cant execute either. In theory, the game controls just like Wii Sports, using the nunchuck and Wii mote as your boxing gloves, and delivering jabs and haymakers with your on screen character mimicking your actions. In reality though, the game takes a good two second delay in interpreting your actions on the screen, leaving your boxer open for a pummeling. What’s worse? It seems that no matter what you do – the game will interpret it as a jab. Motion for an uppercut? Left jab. Haymaker? You guessed it – left jab.

With only two real game modes – there isn’t much Showtime Championship Boxing can offer gamers. Its sad really, if under a different developer – it could have made for a viable opponent to the big boxing titles like, but instead DSI games decided to make it a cheap, gimmicky imitation of that which came before. Save yourself some money – stick with Wii Sports.

DSI Games could be the worst developer in history: Exhibit A: Sea Monsters.

2008-02-08T20:04:00.001-08:00

So after months of camping out in front of stores in the freezing cold, you finally got your Wii. Like an eager child, you quickly opened the box and played through the little quirky system’s top titles. You’ve developed tennis elbow from your marathon Wii Sports sessions, you’ve battled from one end of Hyrule to the other in Twilight Princess – hell, you’ve even collected all the stars the cosmos could offer in Super Mario Galaxy. Now you’re looking for that next title to warrant your $250 white box.

As if I had to tell you – Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure is not that title. In fact, it’s no where close. Sea Monsters, has almost no redeeming qualities and puts up a good fight for worst game on the system – and that’s saying something.

Sea Monsters is based on an ambitious and interesting CGI documentary produced last year by National Geographic, which showed what many believe the lives of these giant sea creatures were like. Sea Monsters - the fine folks at DSI games have chosen to forgo all of this and make a game with little to no direction which consists merely of eating, breathing and awkward swimming. Yeah, that’s it.

The game revolves around guiding your sea monster through the murky depths of the ocean, competing in challenges and collecting fossils. Why prehistoric beasts are collecting fossils is beyond me – but most of the action, and the game’s – ahem - - progression, revolves around your obtaining them. It’s through these fossils that new creatures (each with it’s own unique abilities) and challenges are unlocked, but you’ll be hard pressed to make it through the challenges through the force of sheer boredom alone.

Most of the challenges revolve around eating creatures smaller than yours against no time limit or oppressing factor. While this may sound easy, the game’s utterly horrible control system makes even the smallest tasks incredibly difficult and frustrating. Pressing A causes your creature to swim, while the combination of the nunchuck and moving the Wiimote navigates.

Let’s do a simple math equation shall we? Slow moving, lethargic sea monsters plus overly sensitive Wiimote controls equals what? If your answer included anything about frustration or annoyance, you’d be correct. The camera moves too quickly for any of the monsters to keep up, causing you to get turned around and lost in an already confusing map. What’s worse is the fact that when your monsters hits the ocean walls or floor, creatures have a tendency to merge with the walls and get stuck. When this happens there seems to be no other option than to move the Wiimote around like crazy, hoping that some sudden movement will free the creature.

You know a game looks bad when the best compliment you can give is “Well, the load screens don’t look half bad.” While the load screens ( merely a picture of a Sea Monster) aren’t that bad, Sea Monsters looks like a first generation N64 game, it’s blocky, pixilated and bland. More often than not, you’ll have trouble distinguishing your character from the others on screen. Yeah, it’s that bad.

Perhaps my biggest pet peeve with Sea Monsters is that it could be so much more. Sure, it was never destined to be a AAA title, but it with the inspired source material, it could have at least been a decent and game that actually served to educate kids at the same time. Instead, we get a game that no one, should ever play. Ever.

"Yes, there will be blood" A No More Heroes Review

2008-02-08T19:55:00.001-08:00

Goichi “Suda 51” Suda is kind of a weird guy. The Japanese producer, famous for works like “The Silver Case” and the highly underappreciated, cult favorite Gamecube title Killer 7 is known for his unique sense of style both in and out of his games. Case in point -- Killer 7 was a bloody, brain-scratching art house title that failed to catch on with anyone outside of the most hardcore gamers. Who would have thought that something so odd would come from a man who donned a lucha libre mask while promoting the game?

Suda 51’s latest title, No More Heroes for the Wii is just as weird as his previous works – if not more so. It’s a bloody, sex-driven romp filled with a mix of styles and gameplay elements that make it one of the most eclectic and intriguing titles to hit the North American market in quite some time.

In Heroes, you play as Travis Touchdown, your average, everyday anime fan in Santa Destroy, California. After buying a brand new beam katana on an internet auction, Travis enters into a tournament of sorts to become the top ranked assassin in the world. For a nominal fee, Travis is given the name, bio and location of the next ranked assassin (who oddly all live in this small town). Each assassin’s hideout is crawling with thousands of nameless, copies of the same cronies looking to take you out in any way possible. Get through them, and it’s on to your ranked fight.

This is where Heroes truly shines. Sure, it’s quite repetitive, in the same way that a Final Fight or Double Dragon was in the golden age of gaming, but there’s something sublimely satisfying about the combat system. Perhaps it’s that it does bring back those memories of games gone by, but credit must be given to the simple on the surface, yet deceptively deep control scheme.

Heroes avoids many of the pitfalls of previous action games on the Wii by not depending on the motion controls too heavily. You control Travis by way of the thumbstick and attack with the a-button (minor moves, like dodges and throws are done via other face buttons). The Wii-motes motion capabilities come in to play in a matter similar to that of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, only in a much, much more sinister fashion. After depleting your enemies life bar, an icon will appear on screen telling you which way to move swing your Wii-mote to administer the “death blow.” These moves are over the top, violent acts of aggression not short of decapitating your opponent or slicing them directly in half. You’ll also find yourself using the Wii-mote to charge your Beam Katana and initiate duels, which when won – leave your opponent wide open for the death blow.

Travis can be in two different stances while in battle mode -- high (initiated by holding the Wii-mote straight up like a baseball bat) or low (like a hockey stick), and can perform different moves based on the situation and what stance he is in. For instance, charging the attack button while in the High stance will cause Travis to perform a heavy upwards slash attack, while charging in the low stance will result in an awesome cyclone swing, taking out most enemies around you.

By not relying too heavily on the motion sensitive Wii-mote, Heroes manages to steer clear of the pitfalls so many other Wii games have become victims of. The motion controls feel fresh and important, not like a tacked on gimmick. What’s more, the game finds other small ways to implement the controls including lifting weights and mowing lawns. Yeah really, mowing lawns.

Travis is able to travel all throughout Santa Destroy on his motorcycle to perform odd-jobs to collect money towards his entrance fees for the ranked matches. These jobs are broken up by class and range from collecting coconuts, to the after-mentioned lawn mowing and of-course, side assassin missions.

These side missions are reminiscent of those found in the Grand Theft Auto Series. Wait – scratch that. The missions are more like one of those bad GTA clones that only 13-year-old play. While doing the jobs, you’ll find yourself just wanting to get them over with and get back to the hack and slash gameplay. The cities are not as detailed as a Liberty City or San Andreas, as sans a few landmarks, buildings seem to just go by in orange, yellow and gray blurs. What makes things worse is that the driving mechanics of Travis’ motorcycle are just plain atrocious. It’s unresponsive and slow – and the collision detection is almost absent. Invisible walls form around most objects as you’re almost hit them, only letting you crash on random occasions.

Suda openly admits to using movies as inspiration for a lot of his games, and it’s very obvious in Heroes. While he mentioned that most of Heroes comes from a mixture of Japanese art-house flicks – I couldn’t stop thinking about Kill Bill while playing through the game. The obvious link is the assassin VS assassin gameplay, but more-so than that – the dialogue and art styles are reminiscent of Tarantino’s slash fest. While they don’t exchange pleasantries, Travis and his opponents quip about life and other mundane topics while getting ready to enter in the kill-or-be-killed battles. At a few points in the game, we even hear Travis’ thoughts as he battles with bosses and other characters throughout the game. Oh, and the buckets of blood don’t hamper the comparison either.

Blood, innuendo, extreme violence and profanity – No More Heroes makes no bones about the fact that it’s a mature game aimed at hardcore gamers. In fact, the opening cut scene has Travis decapitating two guards, while calling them “fuck-heads.” Women in Santa Destroy are smart and sassy sex objects that seem to serve no purpose other than to drive Travis’ libido crazy (after killing the first assassin, Travis even asks one of the ladies if she’ll “do it with him” if he makes the next kill). This is half of the reason No More Heroes sticks out on the Wii -- it’s so different than anything else that available.

No More Heroes deserves to be played by anyone (of age) with a Wii – merely for it’s novelty factor, even with it’s plethora of flaws. It’s not the best game on the system – but it’s the most original.

I get by with a little help from my friends: Kane and Lynch: Dead Man Review

2008-01-03T21:27:00.000-08:00

On February 12 2007, Variety reported that Lions Gate Studios had purchased the movie rights to Eidos’ upcoming shooter; “Kane and Lynch: Dead Men” ( Link: http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117959357.html?categoryid=20&cs=1). The deal, the first time a game has ever been optioned before it’s release, should prove to be a smart choice by Lions Gate as Dead Men’s story is fast paced, and intriguing – just like a Hollywood blockbuster.

Unfortunately, as an interactive experience – Dead Men is more of a mixed bag. Sure, there’s some solid action, but the title is so fundamentally flawed that it’s hard to even enjoy the game’s brightest spots.

At the start of Dead Men, we find our two heroes (in the loosest sense of the word), Kane and Lynch en route to Death row. When things are at their bleakest, a mysterious outfit known only as The 7 interrupts the trip. We learn that Kane is a former member of The 7, and owes them a hefty amount. They give Kane an ultimatum, return the loot or they off his wife and daughter – and a narc – a pill-popping, psychopath named Lynch to keep tabs on him.

Without spoiling anything, Dead Men features twists, turns and some of the best character development seen in this console generation. What it also features is some of the most mature content ever in games. Right from the start, you’ll kill police officers, drop f-bombs and off innocent hostages with no remorse or recoil. In the past, some games have featured these same actions – but they’ve come off almost as cheap, shock tactics -- which thankfully is not an issue in Dead Men. It would feel awkward if these two anti-heroes didn’t do these things, and the mature content gives it almost an edgy independent movie feel.

Aiding in that feeling is the game’s pitch perfect presentation. Minus a few camera glitches, the action unfolds very cinematically, with little to no interruption. Rather than interrupt the title’s flow with cut-scene after cut-scene, most of the story takes place in game (save for the traditional post-level cut-scenes). Kane and Lynch argue, and nitpick at each other, almost like a murderous odd-couple.

Sadly, Dead Men falters in almost every other aspect. When initially announced, Eidos promised that gamers would be able to choose their own style of play – whether it be old school run and gun or commanding Kane, Lynch and the squad of miscreants you encounter throughout the game similar to the style of the Ghost Recon or Rainbow Six franchises. Unfortunately, the squad-based controls seem rather useless and besides a few key moments in the game where you are almost forced to use them, you’ll more than likely forget that they’re even in the game. Sure, it’s nice to have your guys cover certain exits, or attack a group of enemies, but it just becomes more of a hassle when you’re constantly running over to heal them, and you end up doing the work you sent them to do as a result of the horrible AI. Luckily, the enemy AI is just as bad, and most enemies jump right out of their cover – seemingly happy to let your bullets hit you.

The cover system is another major disappointment. 90% of Dead Men is gun fights, and as a result the game’s faulty cover system makes it much more frustrating than it should be, and you’ll be stuck crossing your fingers hoping one of your squad members is close enough to give you an adrenaline shot and boost your health. Unlike the intuitive cover system of games like Gears of War, Dead Man requires no button presses to go into cover – as your character will find cover automatically when in close enough proximity to a wall, counter etc. While this may sound easier, far too frequently, you’ll be sticking to surfaces you don’t want to, causing yourself to become vulnerable to incoming fire, rather than being able to pick your best point in the aforementioned games.

Perhaps what bugs me the most about Dead Men is its problems with cheap gameplay. In many shooter games, the opening levels are used to set-up the game’s basics and rules, allowing players to seamlessly build upon them in the later levels. This seems nearly impossible when those rules are broken quickly after their established. Take for instance the level early on just after escaping from a bank where you must shoot cop cars trailing your getaway van from the back. Throwing grenades underneath the cars will sometimes do them in, but others it will merely result in an acme like cloud of dust billowing u p around the car. It must also be noted that it’s in levels like this that it becomes apparent that the backgrounds ad NPC’s have literally no personality. Case in point, the same level mentioned above, while shooting at the cop cars makes them swerve, other people on the road, just keep driving along, unaware of the bullets flying around – even when they’re the target!

Dead Men’s visuals are like the rest of the title – some great – and some are just plain old horrible. Wide-shots, like that of downtown Tokyo as seen repelling down the side of a high rise or nothing short of breathtaking – but those up close – especially player models are down right bad – reminiscent of many games from the early part of this generation.

The developers must be commended on Dead Men’s online mode – Fragile Alliance. Rather than bank on the tried and true Deathmatch mode, Fragile Alliance uses the squad-based gameplay to create an original and compelling experience. One team plays as bank robbers, while the other as cops – you can guess what each team’s objectives are, but what makes Fragile Alliance truly unique is that anyone on the team controlling the bank robbers can choose to risk it all, and screw over their teammates, taking the loot for themselves.

I’m sure Kane and Lynch: Dead Men will make a great movie, but as a game – it’s a forgettable and lackluster run-of-the-mill shooter with some deep, fundamental problems. If you’re looking for a distraction from some of last year’s Triple-A titles, it might be worth it to give the title a rent, it may take some of the frustration out.

Smashy Smashy! A hands on preview of Burnout Paradise

2007-12-30T22:20:00.000-08:00

Gamers can be a fickle bunch. Change too much in a well-established series and watch the flames arise, but rest on your laurels too much and you’ll be hearing cries of the series becoming stagnant (case in point – the Madden series) nonetheless.

Burnout Paradise, the latest in EA’s high-octane, crash and smash simulation series seems to be destined for controversy. On the surface, Paradise, which releases in mid January for the Xbox 360 and PS3 looks like a sharp departure from the series roots. Gone is the one race at a time linear gameplay in favor of a new, wide-open sandbox style gameplay. Gamers can now tool around the massive Paradise City, wrecking what they want - when they want and taking place in events at their own leisure.

While some might cry-foul at the developers for taking such a large step away from the formula that made the series so popular – it must be noted that at its core – Paradise plays and feels just like the older games – only with much, much more freedom.

In most open-world games, parts of the world are locked until you complete certain missions or chapters – not so in Paradise City. Right from the start, the entire city is yours to explore – and it is massive. While you will be able to take part in any of Paradise City’s events in any order you please, you will have to wait to unlock the nicer cars. It’s alright though, even your junker-cars can be given high-class looks by visiting one of the game’s many gas stations or body shops, which get added to your map every time you visit one.

Anyone familiar with The Burnout series knows that it’s not so much about racing as it is causing destruction and crashes – which Paradise looks to take to the next level. I’m no masochist or anything – but crashes look and sound amazing. When you wreck, a grainy, black and white filter slows down the action, allowing you to hear and see your ride bite the dust. I found myself purposely crashing to see how many different ways I could find to see new animations.

Burnout Paradise is different, but a lot of fun so far. Anyone familiar with the series should give it a look when it launches in early 2008. Stay with Blast Magazine for the review.

They made what into a game?! -- A Napoleon Dynamite: The Game Review

2007-12-30T22:15:00.000-08:00

The latest trend going through the game industry sees developers playing the nostalgia card. Rather than merely cashing in on the latest Hollywood blockbusters, gamers have seen their favorite movies from year’s past given the digital treatment. The possibilities seem endless -- swim the ocean in search of unaware swimmers in Jaws, carry out mob rule as the newest member of The Corleone Family in The Godfather Game, feed ham to Tina in Napoleon Dynamite.
Wait –What?

Yes, there is a Napoleon Dynamite game and yes – it’s weird. The game supposedly takes place after the events of the movie, but is essentially a rehash of the source material with a bit of extra thrown in to expand gameplay. You play as Napoleon as he wanders through town interacting with characters from the movie through a series of minigames that range from fun and quirky to head-scathingly frustrating and everything in between.

You’ve already played Napoleon Dynamite: The Game even if you’ve never even touched the cartridge. Most of the mini-games (especially those at the beginning of the game) are mere rehashes of other games. Most of them can also be found on lesser platforms like cell-phones and online flash properties. Many of the games feel like they aren’t very well planned out -- especially those which require you to control multiple characters at the same time, essentially leaving your fate in the game’s seemingly absent AI system. When the AI system is present, it’s very cheap – take for example the mini-game “Uncle Rico’s Football Toss.” Your only goal, as the name suggests, is to throw the football further than your Uncle Rico. On a few of my attempts, the ball landed nearly 400 yards away – pretty decent right? Yeah, until the computer controlled Uncle Rico managed to bounce the ball off of every bundle of firecrackers and trampoline (which send the ball even further). Lame.

That’s not to say that there’s nothing fun here. In fact, some of the mini-games are quite addictive and fun. Try not to crack a smile as you control Napoleon Dynamite as he rides a unicorn through space. After each game, you are scored and given a rating, like most games part of the fun is trying to beat the records your – or anyone else on the system has set.

The developers must be commended on their bold and refreshing visual style choice. Abandoning the realism from the movie, the folks over at 7 Studios chose to take more of a scrapbook style, making the characters look like cutouts with big heads tacked onto the backgrounds complete with pushpins. This novel style evokes the same style seen in the posters and oddly enough – better conveys the quirkiness in the film.

Napoleon Dynamite isn’t meant to be a game-of-the-year candidate, it’s merely meant to be a fun and quirky distraction – which it succeeds at. As a licensed game, Napoleon Dynamite is a cut above the rest, but as a game itself – it’s nothing special.

GASP! A slightly original and less repetitive World War II shooter? --- A Medal of Honor 2: Heroes review

2007-12-30T22:03:00.000-08:00

I’m going to admit it, when I first laid on my eyes on the wii-mote and its nunchuck attachment, one thing went through my mind; First person shooters are going to rock. I couldn’t wait to try out the new control scheme, that would surely provide more
precise aiming, and more realistic combat movements.

Then came Red Steel. The Wii’s first FPS was a disappointment to say the least – it was almost impossible to aim, as the any flicker of your arm would cause the wii-mote, and consequently your weapon to move around the screen wildly. From this point on I looked with a weary eye to any FPS on the Wii.

Nintendo, you have been forgiven. Medal of Honor: Heroes 2, the latest in the long running WWII shooter series has taken the genre and turned it on its head, with responsive and tight controls, even if everything else in the game is run-of-the-mill.

If you’ve played previous Medal of Honor games, or 90% of WWII shooters, you’ll feel right at home when you load into Heroes. You play as an OSS agent dropped behind enemy lines to find out what those crazy Nazi’s are doing and stop them. Throughout the game you’ll visit many locales throughout Europe, but you’ll essentially be doing the same things – shoot these guys, blow up that wall, shoot that guy, retrieve intelligence, shoot more guys. Perhaps even more troubling is the fact that it seems that the series has resorted to “borrowing” gameplay mechanics from other shooters, including the “clouded vision” health system from Call of Duty.

Sadly, the folks at EA’s Team Fusion didn’t decide to copy the AI from other series along with the other gameplay mechanics. The aforementioned Call of Duty series features teammates and enemies that can at least hold their own, if not have a direct impact on the outcome of battles, while those of Heroes 2, along with the other Medal of Honor games before it, would make Gomer Pyle and Beetle Bailey seem like Harvard graduates. While taking cover behind a some recently fallen shrapnel and exchanging fire with a group of Nazi soldiers, my teammates repeatedly walked, and stopped in front of said shrapnel, and turned to look at me before shooting at the enemies. It wasn’t much harder to outsmart the enemies either as multiple times I would be able walk right up to a Nazi soldier as they were firing at a teammate, and take them out as they never once turned to look at me.

Luckily, due to the controls, the game manages to feel new and entertaining in most spots. Oddly enough, most players will not be comfortable with the game’s controls right out of the box, luckily this can be fixed with one trip to the game’s robust options menu. Most everything (thankfully including many sensitivity options) can be tweaked and changed, and when you find your comfort zone with these options – it becomes an entirely new game. Combined with the ability to lock on to enemies easily with the Z-button, it’s easy to forgive the game’s occasional control hiccups when it does so much right.

Visually, Heroes isn’t gorgeous like some of the FPS war games released recently on other platforms, but it’s no slouch either -- especially when you take into consideration that it originally appeared on the PSP. Running at a smooth 60 frames per second, the animation in Heroes 2 stays fluid and realistic most of the time, but does suffer from small chugs and hiccups throughout gameplay. These hiccups are small and rarely take away from the action on screen. The biggest let down graphically is that the player models seem to have changed the least since the original PSP version. It might be a littler harsh, but immediately upon seeing them, I was reminded of Goldeneye for the Nintendo 64. Ouch.

While most WWII shooters are rather sparse on features, usually featuring only campaign and multiplayer modes -- Heroes 2 aims higher with an array of exclusive features. Most notably is that the game gives players the ability to chose the aforementioned wii-mote and nunchuck controls or try their hand with the Wii’s newest peripheral – the Wii-Zapper.

Using the Wii-zapper proved to be a cool and interesting change to gameplay – for five minutes. After that, reality started to step in. The “light gun” threw off the entire control scheme that I worked so hard to perfect in the options system earlier in the game. Moving slowly and awkwardly, the Wii-zapper seemed to be more of a burden than an addition to gameplay. These complaints subside a bit in the game’s Arcade Mode where the Wii-zapper is the weapon of choice. In arcade mode, players merely aim the zapper and do little else (think a less involved Time Crisis). While it has its own set of problems, including a troubled zoom and incredibly repetitive gameplay, it is a nice feature not seen in many titles of the genre.

Medal of Honor: Heroes 2 is not a perfect game – in fact, it’s far from it, but what it does do well, it does very well. Players itching for a tight controlling Wii FPS, with some added features not seen in many titles from the crowded should add it to their collection.

Wait -- they're trying to make me learn! An Assassin's Creed Review.

2007-12-02T21:13:00.000-08:00

It’s been a great year for video games. Just think about it! We’ve soared the cosmos in search of new galaxies with Mario, we’ve finished (and continue finishing) the
fight against the covenant, not to mention explored the dark and twisted world of Rapture – and that was all in the last four months!

Ubisoft’s ambitious, stealth sim Assassin’s Creed seemed like it was destined to join the year’s triple-A, must have titles. Each time it was shown in public, it was met with long lines and auditoriums packed with throngs of fans cheering its completely
open and intuitive gameplay. Ladies and gentleman -- I believe there to be a kink in
the hype-machine.

Assassin’s Creed is not a bad game, in fact – sometimes it’s down right impressive,
but playing through it one can’t help but be disappointed when looking at what was initially promised. Poor design choices, a weak, hard to follow story and some of the year’s worst AI lead Assassin’s Creed into the realm of average, run of the mill adventure games.

Assassin’s Creed follows the story of Altair; a member of Assassins that performed politically motivated killings during the third crusade in the Middle East. One of the best parts about the game is that it is so steeped in actual historical events. It’s a shame the developers felt the need to make such radical choices in the game’s story. Fans looking for a story of betrayal and murder in the middle ages may be disappointed as the game takes a very sharp turn that seems to do nothing but detract from what should be the core of the story. Sure, surprises in storylines are great – but when it’s revealed in the game’s first five minutes, it confuses more than surprises. Were there too many stealth games set in the third crusade that the developers thought they needed to be different?

Assassin’s Creed is very heavy on story – almost to a fault. At certain points in the game, especially when the above plot twist is mentioned, the game borders on preachy, as you’ll sit in agony – just waiting to play rather than listen to an old man talk back-story in a temple. Speeches are long winded, but voice acted well – except for that of Altair, who turns out one of the worst voice acting performances of recent memory. Seriously, it’s laughable – for the half hour. At least the in game music, performed by Jesper Kyd is top notch.

Visually, it’s hard to deny that Assassin’s Creed looks stunningly accurate to what the Middle East would most likely look like in 16th century. The buildings in the bustling marketplace look disheveled as the sun and all of the amazing lighting effects bounce off them. Even the character animations are top-notch, as everything from climbing and running look fluidly realistic – with the more involved maneuvers (most having to do with the actual assassinations) bordering on works of art.

At the core of Assassin’s Creed are of course -- the assassinations. In the beginning of most assignments, you’ll find yourself doing recon like work to gain information on your target. You’ll stalk in the shadows to hear conversations, pickpocket useful items from passers-by and intimidate people with more information than you. These tactics seem to get tedious faster than they should, as each mission, though a little different, proves to be very repetitive. Shake up this guy, get this information, gain entry – repeat. What’s worse? Most of these investigations force you to take little or no action – take the eavesdrop action for example; you literally sit on a bench, waiting for someone with information to spout it out. That’s it. You sit. Nothing else. What fun.

The assassinations themselves prove to be quite fun and rewarding, if not a bit too simple. Like the Hitman series, players have the choice of going of how to go about their kills. Do they go in through the shadows, and do your job site unseen? On the other hand, do you go in like thunder, taking the life of anyone who opposes you? Sadly, most attempts to take the stealth route turn into clumsy - kill everything that moves that moves slaughter fests, a real tragedy in a game that preaches stealth.

After shuffling your victim loose from the mortal coil and hearing them babble on and on, the guards will be notified of your presence (did a “Hey! Our guy just died alarm” go off somewhere?). From here, you have two options, The first - take advantage of the game’s horrible AI and find a quick exit. The guards will come to your location in a hurry, but don’t bother to look up or anywhere around them. Even worse, they give up and go back to their normal patrol routes after too long at all. The second option is to try your hand at the game’s awkward and clunky combat system to fight the guards throughout the city. Combat essentially consist or holding down one button to guard from oncoming attacks, and pressing another to strike – or so it seems. Get into enough battles and you’ll see that like most Hollywood fights – they follow a distinct rhythm. While button mashing will lead you to moments of frustration, taking a step back and watching your opponent’s actions can lead to some very cool moments.

Assassin’s Creed takes a unique approach with it’s control scheme. Players basically act as a puppeteer, using different buttons to control Altair’s different actions and using the right trigger to change between high profile and low profile actions. While the developers must be commended for trying something new – this tactic proves to hurt gameplay rather than add anything. In most games, running is simply done by holding down the left thumbstick, but in Assassin’s Creed you must literally press three different buttons to run. First, you hold down the right trigger to change into high profile mode, then the a-button, then press the left thumbstick. This is unnecessarily complicated and puts a damper on some of more fun action sequences.

With a bit more focus and a little more tweaking, Assassin’s Creed could have been a great game. Unfortunately, it fails to deliver on many promises we’ve heard over the last year. While the game does do some things great, including it’s visuals, and the first few assassinations, there are far too many flaws that keep it from being a great game, and with so many other great games available this fall, it’s hard to give Assassin’s Creed more than a passing look.

Some things never change -- a Super Mario Galaxy Review

2007-11-18T16:28:00.001-08:00

For someone who got their start as a humble Italian plumber – Mario has sure had his share of occupations. Think about it – Mario has tried his hand at everything from driving go-karts and prescribing medicine to becoming a multi-sport athlete and even a music producer. In his latest adventure; Super Mario Galaxy, Mario is once again trying out a new career field; one not only entertaining and addictive but which should prove to stand the test of time as one of Mario’s greatest adventures ever.

Galaxy’s beginnings can prove to be deceitful, as it starts in all too familiar territory. Mario receives a note from the lovely Princess Peach asking him to meet her at the annual festival because she has a “special gift” for him. Anyone who’s played any Mario game should know by now that nothing is that easy in the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario arrives at the festival to find Bowser and his troops using a fleet of airships to abduct the princess.

While this may all sound like a retread, Galaxy wastes no time in veering sharp left from the tried and true Mario formula. Unable to catch up with Bowser, Mario is transported to Outer Space where he learns from an unusual race called Lumas and their mysterious leader Rosalina that Bowser has stolen a number of power stars from throughout the Cosmos. It’s here that we learn our mission, travel to the different galaxies and collect the power stars en-route to an eventual showdown with Bowser.

If it must be compared to something – traveling from galaxy to galaxy is similar to the way Mario 64 used paintings to transport players to other worlds, but that comparison ends rather abruptly as there is so much more going on here. Each galaxy contains multiple planets – each acting like a giant floating puzzle and each vital to obtaining stars. Prior to the game’s release, message boards were full of gamers worried that Nintendo’s choice to put Mario’s next adventure in space would ruin the wide-open gameplay that was a major factor in Mario 64 being great. Those claims were unfounded. Sure, the world’s aren’t as prevalent in Galaxy as in previous games, but they are there – and each galaxy is designed so uniquely you won’t be pining for the old days for long at all.

In fact, the new spherical levels are almost a breath of fresh air – new territory to discover if you will. In most cases, Mario can run completely around the planets, and use launch stars to send himself to new, unexplored areas. It’s these factors, along with other little touches that make Mario Galaxy’s level design so extraordinary. With no time limit, gamers will find themselves exploring every inch of each galaxy looking for each item, secret or nod to a previous chapter in Mario’s universe -- and there are a lot of them – just look carefully at some of the planet shapes, or listen to the remixed Mario 3 music.

Perhaps the best thing about the Mario franchise is how accessible it has always been. Everyone, from children, to the most hardcore gamers, even those who have never held a controller before, feels right at home in the Mushroom Kingdom. This is also the case in Galaxy, as the difficulty starts out very easy, but progresses as the game does, easing the player into the later and sometimes frustratingly tougher levels.

What would a Mario game be without abilities and power suits? Naturally, Mario can turn invincible, and shoot fireballs, but Galaxy introduces players to a number of new suits including that of a bumblebee (which allows Mario to fly for short periods and stick to certain surfaces), and a bouncy spring to help Mario jump even higher. Undoubtedly, the coolest of the new power-ups is the ability to turn into a boo and float right through most walls.

Galaxy does an incredible job at using the Wii-mote in new and unique ways. Mario’s movements are controlled via the thumbstick on the nunchuk, but most everything else is done with the Wii-mote. For instance, launch stars and vines are controlled by shaking the Wii-mote, and the camera is controlled by the d-pad. What’s interesting is that in some cases Galaxy uses the Wii-mote in familiar ways, but does it much better than the games who originated it. Take for instance the level where Mario finds himself on top of a ball rolling in a very monkey ball-like fashion. Unlike in the clunky controlling Monkey Ball title released earlier in the Wii’s lifespan, players hold the Wii-mote straight up and down, as if it’s an arcade joystick, which makes for an incredibly responsive and entertaining control scheme.

Perhaps the most noticeable change in control revolves around the game’s reliance on star bits. Almost taking the coin’s place as the most important collectible in the game, Star Bits are used for essentially everything in Mario Galaxy. They can be collected and fed to hungry Lumas in exchange for launch stars, used for 1-ups or even shot at unknowing enemies to stun them. What’s unique about this is that players must merely aim the Wii-mote cursor over the Star-bits to collect them, making collecting coins (which still must be touched to be collected) seem like a hassle. This new way of collecting also brings about the games “multiplayer” aspect. Using a second Wii-mote, players can collect Star bits for Mario, and shoot them at enemies, or help clear obstacles. While it’s a novel idea, the multiplayer mode comes across as tacked on, and minimal. Is it too much to ask to go back to the old school style of having players take turns as Mario and Luigi?

As amazing as Galaxy’s gameplay is, it’s no slouch in the visual department. Fantastic art design, along with the superb character designs and animation makes Galaxy easily the best-looking game on the Wii. The game’s cinematic camera system is phenomenal, and is usually able to pick the best angle to portray the action on screen with little or no player action required.

With its simple, yet addicting gameplay and amazing visuals, Super Mario Galaxy is by far the best game available for the Wii, along with the best Mario title released in years. Everyone with a Wii should experience Mario’s latest adventure, over and over again.

Because It takes a village: Team Fortress 2 Review

2007-10-22T00:09:00.000-07:00

Quick heads up guys -- this review is meant to be part of a package with different gamers giving their perspectives on the contents of Orange Box, and I drew Team Fortress 2. As such, there may be some refferences to other articles or some passages that refference other pieces (like the opening).

While Orange Box does feature perhaps the best single player game in recent memory in Half-Life 2 (along with it’s offshoot chapters – Episode 1 and 2) along with Portal, the most daring, addicting and original game of the modern age, it also takes it’s action online in Team Fortress 2. Fortress 2 is the sequel to the original Fortress, which took the world by surprise back in 1996, and while it does go miles ahead of it’s older brother, there are certain setbacks that may delay the game from joining the rest of it’s orange box brethren in such high critical acclaim.

Only being able to be played online, Team Fortress 2 is all about action. From the moment players log on, they are immediately placed into a war zone that can only be described as chaotic and fast moving. The game features two different modes – a capture the flag style mode and a mode called control where the object is to occupy all of the enemies supply points.

Oddly, it seems that some of the character’s weaknesses are more apparent in each map. For instance, due to the small size of the majority of the maps, the sniper character is almost useless, especially to new gamers. While this will curb the sniper-dominance seen in other games, it can feel very daunting to newer gamers.

Players are split up into teams of 12 and asked to pick a class, or they’re character’s specialty. The amount of class ranks players can choose from is nothing short of amazing. There are three different groups, offense, defense and support, each with at least four characters. For instance, if a player chose the offense group, they would be able to choose between a Scout – a wiry little guy who shoots quick and seems to have had ingested too much caffeine, Pyro or Demo-man (think explosives).

Team Fortress' art style is nothing short of breathtaking.

What makes this class system work above anything else is the fact that there is no one dominant class. Each has their own strengths and definitely their own weaknesses. Take our old friend the Scout for instance – sure he’s quick and can fire of quick shots, but from the start he has a significant less amount of health than one of the bigger characters. Who in turn may have the strength and firepower to blow take out massive amounts of enemies, but their large weapons take a while to start up, and they move like boulders and roller-skates.

This virtual chess game sets Team Fortress 2 apart from other class-based shooters. Players are almost forced to work together as a team, as going it alone and trying the Halo strategy of going in guns blazing will get you nowhere. In the interest of victory, players are encouraged to communicate with their teammates and develop strategies.

While most games go for realism and photo-reproduction graphics, Team Fortress 2 is presented in a cell-shaded, cartoon style that gives it a unique and novel look. This less than realistic style allows characters to portray more facial animations that separates Team Fortress 2 from many other shooters. This is especially evident in the game’s most mentally daunting character - the Spy. While other characters us strictly firepower to take control of situations, spies must rely almost solely on their mental prowess. The animations of the spy as they sneak around, take out enemies and even puff on cigarettes when they’ve achieved points is simply amazing to watch.

Sure, it has a few downfalls, but what game doesn’t? Team Fortress 2 is a solid online shooter that requires some more mental strength than firepower; a welcome change in the Halo era of video games.

A lesson in acceptance -- Lair Review

2007-09-23T08:51:00.000-07:00

Sigh. Please forgive me dear readers – as this might prove to be one of the hardest reviews I’ve ever had to write.

I was optimistic for Factor 5’s Dragon-flying-sim Lair. For months, when people would bash the PS3’s lineup, I would show them previews of the game. “Just wait for Lair; it’ll change your entire perspective on the PS3,” I would tell them. I even went as far as to say it would be the system’s first big killer ap. I’ll take my words with BBQ sauce and a side of shame please.
Not only is Lair not the messiah of the PS3 I had touted it as to so many of my peers; it’s just plain not a good game. Sure, the production values and cinematics are amazing, but that doesn’t make up for the game’s horrid control system, predictable story, repetitive gameplay and shameful combat system.

The premise of Lair is simple enough; fly around on a dragon, torching, clawing and devouring anything and everything in front of you. You play as Rohn, a member of the Asylian army, currently at war with the Mokai. Throughout the game, the story’s twists and turns prove to be very predictable. Seriously, if everyone played the first ten minutes of the game – I’d be able to go into detail here; sans spoiler warning. These cut scenes are incredibly cinematic, with very high production values that show off what’s possible on the system – so we can forgive that.

What I can’t get over is just how horrid Lair’s control scheme is, especially being a flight-sim from the same studio that brought us the Rouge Squadron series. In an effort to highlight the PS3’s six-axis technology, movement is handled exclusively via tilt control. While it sounds great in theory, the six-axis proves to be more of a burden than blessing. The biggest problem? Due to the limited motion sensing technology of the six axis -- tight turns prove to be next to impossible, causing your dragon to move slowly, which in turn causes you to take on more damage, which causes you to throw down your controller in a fit of rage. To make matters worse, most of the levels are filled with canyons and other narrow passageways that would require quick movement. At least the developers were able to recreate the experience of flying in wide-open skies – right. Sadly, invisibles walls disrupt the sense of freedom Lair should provide.

You would think it would be hard to mess up dragons fighting, but Lair misses the mark on the combat front as well. The biggest problem is that you are not able to choose what enemy you target. Similar to the targeting system found in most airplane sims, a white circle will appear on screen when an enemy target able. From here you have two options – you can either hit circle and dive headfirst into your enemy, which initiates one of the most annoying slow motion sequences in recent memory – you can’t even control your character anymore, only the camera horizontally. The problem with this is that it completely ruins the chance for combo kills, as you can’t even see the enemies below or above you.

Your other option once an enemy is target is to hit L1 or R1 and lock on to that enemy. This allows you to spit fire at your enemy, or pull up beside them and motion the six-axis towards them to ram them Roman Chariot style. The delay in your motion and that on the screen is incredibly frustrating and can lead to some missed kill opportunities. The lock on targeting system falters heavily when used to take out ground enemies. The ground is usually filled with an impressive amount of enemies, but you can’t select who you target, so if the game doesn’t notice who you want it to, you’re stuck with no other choice than to try to do a 180 turn, and we know how hard that can be.

Lair is not a good game. Not simple enough? How about this – you should not play Lair. At all. Sure, the visuals are extremely impressive, but the gameplay is a complete and total travesty. For a game that could have displayed the PS3 and the six-axis’s potential it merely serves to point out their flaws.

On another note – have you guys seen Little Big Planet? It will completely change your perspective on the PS3…

Change? Who needs change? A Review of NCAA Football 2008

2007-08-01T22:23:00.000-07:00

Game franchises that have been around for a long time seem to have the habit of falling into a rut. This is especially true for those franchises that year after year, continue to sell regardless of the content the developers put in or in some cases take out. This seemed to be the case with EA Sport’s collegiate pigskin franchise NCAA Football. Like Madden before it, each iteration of NCAA Football 2008 seemed to be uncomfortably similar to the one before it.

Then came NCAA Football 2007. While most of the core gameplay was left untouched, the jump from current-generation systems to the Xbox 360 gave the game a whole new look and along with it came a new feel. Now that gamers have had a year to digest the change, will this year’s game be able to take the same, if not greater steps?

Yes and no. While there are certain changes and additions that make NCAA 08 a better, much more solid game, one can’t help but get that “been there, done that” feeling.

Thankfully, the developers fixed last year’s biggest hang-up and gave gamers a plethora of modes of which to choose. Of course, the standard modes are present, but there are enough options to satisfy even the most hardcore pigskin gamer. Including a fair share of mini games and taking part in classic battles courtesy of the ESPN and ESPN.com license.

One of the most welcomed additions is the Campus Legend mode. Mysteriously absent from last year’s Xbox 360 edition, Campus Legend mode let’s you create a player and take him through the high school playoffs and into his collegiate career. The playoffs system is a more realistic way to set your attribute points (which determines what schools offer you scholarships) than just participating in drills as seen in previous editions. Once you choose a school, it’s on to making a name for yourself. You do this by taking part in drills and working your way up the depth chart.

Campus Legend mode is a fun addition, but comes off a bit rushed and feels like it wasn’t completely thought through. For instance, you only control your created player. Read – you don’t pick the plays, you don’t control your teammates –it’s strictly a one-man show including the camera, which stays with your player throughout the entire play unless you manually switch it.

Those in need of a little more control will find comfort in knowing that Dynasty mode is not only back, but features even more depth than ever before. Everything starts out the same; you select your school, go through the normal off-season routine. The biggest and most welcomed change is the new recruitment system, which is incredibly deep – so much that it could intimidate those who are new to the mode.

You start by choosing 35 prospects from across the country, which is made much easier this year by a handy new “prospect search” feature which let’s you search by everything from hometown, position, height and rating. Once you have your prospects chosen, it’s time to butter them up – each week you’re given ten in-game hours to call prospects and discuss your program. You can chose to talk up your program, your school’s academics, make promises (playing time as a freshman, not recruit another player at the prospect’s position etc…) or schedule a visit. Each prospect has his certain likes or dislikes and will hang up on you if you aren’t talking about things he wants to hear. While the new depth is appreciated, at times it feels random, like throwing a dart if the prospect will like what you’re saying.

Perhaps the biggest letdown in NCAA 08 is the presentation or lack thereof. If college football is about the raw emotion and pride that exists both on and off the field why does each game, including rivalry games and bowl games feel the same? The game charts which stadiums are the toughest to play at, why don’t we get the “Stadium Pulse” feature that would actually shake the screen when the crowd would get rowdy. Speaking of the crowd, it’s sad to say that the fans who populated the stadiums in the last-gen NCAA football games holding signs and acting crazy. Even worse, like the Madden games before it, there are no victory celebrations not even for winning a national championship. It’s these things more than anything else that made set NCAA Football apart from other football games.

Them racecars be fancy lookin': Forza Motorsport 2 Review

2007-08-01T22:21:00.000-07:00

There are two types of racing game fans in the world. The first loves the high speed and balls to the wall action of arcade style racers like Cruisin’ USA and Mario Kart. The second is more of a realist–-they love the meticulous tuning, customization and trial and error of simulation style games.

Most attempts to cater to both of these groups at the same time have failed, and the games have come out awkward or just plain bad.

Forza Motorsport 2 for the Xbox 360, does not try to make both groups happy. It’s a simulation game for sure, and it has enough modes, features and extras that any gamer would have a hard time putting the controller down. Forza has a few downfalls, but the things the game does right–which is a lot–more than make up for it.

Of course, the first thing anyone will notice about Forza is that it’s aesthetically drop dead gorgeous, especially the cars, which are incredibly detailed.

The game runs at 60 frames per second. Combine that with some of the most photo-realistic representation of more than 300 international cars, and get ready for your jaw to hit the floor. The cars even look good crashing, as they feature some pretty impressive damage modeling. Oddly enough, while watching your car systematically fall apart, the damage system doesn’t seem realistic, as you won’t notice much of a difference in sideswiping a rival or burning out and going head first into a barrier at high speeds.

As we’ve seen in the past, the world’s most amazing graphics don’t mean much in terms of gameplay, but luckily Forza has the goods in this category as well. The game combines over 300 real life cars from over 50 manufacturers, along with an impressive amount of parts, upgrades and tracks. The beauty of all this is that driving each course feels different on each of the cars, and even more different when you start modifying your ride. No two cars will act the same, but they all feel incredibly realistic and true to life.

All too often, the artificial intelligence computer players that compete with you in racing games are horrible. Unlike other racing games, where cars seem to be mere masses of metal plowing through anything ahead of them without strategy or warrant for human life, your rivals in Forza 2 are smart. Drivers will do what it takes to win, but unless you give them a reason to, or you initiate it, won’t hit you. Instead, they’ll take corners or give up a few seconds to go around you. Even cooler, drivers seem to have different personalities, start playing bumper cars and wrecking everything and everyone in site, the more passive drivers will stay back, while the more confident ones will attempt to go through you.

While Forza does have many different modes to tinker with, most of your time will be spent in the game’s career mode. Starting out, you’ll be asked to select a home region, which determines which cars are available at start and which companies are more eager to sponsor you.

You start career mode with a small, yet decent selection of cars and tracks from your region. As you might expect, from here you race to earn cash and up your driver level. Your cash let’s you purchase parts and upgrades, while your driver level allows you to unlock new courses to drive on.

What’s really cool about the career mode is that even though you’re just doing race after race (with the occasional tune-up or upgrade); it finds way to stay fresh for quite some time. You’ll partake in races specific to everything from horsepower to class, which will find you constantly upgrading or making changes before races.

Forza 2 also features a very prominent online presence. There are many deeper and interesting reasons for going online to play this one. You can actually take your career races online, risking cash just as you would during an offline race. Microsoft will also host weekly tournaments open to anyone who finishes a qualifying lap.

The coolest online feature is the Forza Auction House. Players can take their customized rides (everything from engines, to paint jobs, thanks to the games surprisingly deep paint program) and auction them off to other gamers around the world for in-game experience points.

Forza Motorsport 2 is not only the best racing game on the Xbox 360; it has a case for best on any platform. It features enough depth and gameplay to keep even the most meticulous of racing fans happy –all the while looking amazing. Forza Motorsport 2 is an achievement and shows what the next generation is capable of.

Metal is my Religion and Judas is my Priest: A Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s review

2007-08-01T22:11:00.001-07:00

When someone talks about guitar heroes, certain names often come to mind. They talk about Jimmy Page or Carlos Santana’s soulful style. They talk about Kenny Wayne Shepard’s bluesy-rock and Paul Reynold’s catchy riffs. Wait – what?

If you were able to recognize Paul Reynold’s as the original guitarist from 80’s phenomena and hairstyling rebels Flock of Seagulls do I have a game for you. Get ready to rock the synthesizer and feather your hair; Red Octane and Harmonix are bringing you back in time with Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s.

Anyone who has ever played any of the previous Guitar Hero games will feel right at home with Encore, but for continuity’s sake, and for those who have found a permanent residence under a rock, let’s rundown the basics. Using the game’s guitar controller, you time your presses of colored fret buttons and a strum bar along with the actual notes of the song. Think of it as a digital version of air guitar. The games have become cult phenomena and have grown to be not only the biggest music franchise of all time, but one of the fastest growing gaming franchises in general.

Encore acts more as an expansion pack than a new installment and while it is fun, it does thin out long before the previous games. Any music game, and Guitar Hero especially is only as good as its track list and while there are plenty of big hits in Encore that are incredibly addicting and fun to play (Turning Japanese and the aforementioned Flock of Seagulls hit come to mind) the list seems to be bogged down by slower and lesser known songs. I mean did anyone get excited when they announced songs like “Balls to the Wall” by Accept or “Los Angeles” by X?

It would be easy for any reviewer to sit here and fault Red Octane for choosing a synthesizer driven decade like the 80s, but they made a smart choice from a financial aspect. Retro and especially the 80s are in right now. The track list just seems so light because the previous games weren’t limited to a single decade — there was something from practically every offshoot genre of rock, while we are incredibly limited in Encore to metal, hair metal and pop.

Encore features practically no new content besides a new 80s aesthetic and of course the new songs. There are no new characters, guitars or stages, merely retro versions of what we saw in Guitar Hero 2 (for instance, since there was no Warped Tour in the 80s, a new festival has taken its place). While this is disappointing, not many people are looking to the series for its unlockables, content or story. They play the series for the fun and addicting music gameplay, which is definitely present here in Encore.

Encore is not a bad game by any means; it just does not measure up to the original two in most categories. Those who can’t get enough Guitar Hero, and don’t mind a few boring and no name tracks will feel right at home, but anyone looking to get started in the franchise may want to pick up some of the older installments or wait until this fall when Guitar Hero 3 hits shelves.

BlackSite: Area 51 - Hands on Preview

2007-06-03T14:27:00.000-07:00

To say that the original Area 51 game was bad would be like saying the Virtual Boy underperformed. The 1996 FPS was sub par in almost every way imaginable, the graphics were horrible even for their time and the gameplay was intolerably simple and dull – you couldn’t even move your own character.

Now, over ten years later, Midway looks to turn the franchise around with BlackSite: Area 51 – an updated version of the old school shooter that shares more in common with games like Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six than its older, “shoot everything that moves” brother.

In BlackSite, you control Special Forces agent Aeran Pierce and two of his subordinates. Much like other squad shooters, you issue commands to your squad with the shoulder buttons. Interestingly, how each squad member reacts to your commands will differ depending on the situation and their personality. For instance, one soldier was more than willing to talk about, and go ahead shooting everything that moves, especially when we hesitated to give orders, but the other almost refused to do anything unless I gave permission to proceed. Midway promises that as the game goes on, this team function will get incredibly deeper, as each character will have their own fears, and will react to the way you command your squad.

Though we only played a short bit of the game, we had to be impressed with what we saw. Our small demo set us into the small town of Rachel to search for survivors of an attack from the Reborn Army. The majority of the action took place at the rubble of what was once a gas station, a great place to show off the game’s destructible environments: things went from eerily quiet to loud and explosive in mere seconds thanks to exploding cars and propane tanks. The game has a sci-fi thriller feeling to it which in actually quite enticing.

One thing that ruins many modern FPS games is the fact that the controls are loose and unresponsive, a problem the developers seem to have avoided in BlackSite. In the hectic battle at the gas station, the controls were amazingly tight and responsive. Though we didn’t get to experience switching weapons or much use of the face buttons, it’s nice to that the developers took care of the control system this early in the game.

BlackSite definitely takes advantage of the fact that it will be on next-generation platforms this fall. Even at such an early stage in the game’s development, the game has a slick visual style that serves to impress and move the game’s storyline along. The attention to detail, from character’s faces that actually show emotion based off what is happening to the condemned and destroyed buildings is highly impressive. We did however see the frame rate slow during some of the more intense action sequences.

BlackSite: Area 51 is still more than four months away from hitting shelves, but if the developers seem to have a well rounded and fun shooter on their hands. Not bad for a game that shares its name with one of the worst shooters in history.

Spiderman 3: The Game review!

2007-06-03T14:24:00.000-07:00

Spiderman 3 follows the same model as most other licensed games - - loosely follow the movie’s storyline while adding in new original content to satisfy even the most hardcore fans. The game does a great job with this, incorporating a wide variety of missions, like landing a stolen helicopter, to stopping car thieves, especially when Spiderman 2 consisted of roughly three repeating side missions. Each time you stop crime, your Citizen Satisfactory Index (CSI) goes up in a specific gang territory and crime will go down. For instance, if you have a strong CSI rating in the Dragon Tail’s gang (yes, that truly is the gang’s name) territory, the area will have less crime than the others.

Making the whole CSI thing even cooler is the fact that the game’s designers have completely redone the Spider Sense feature. Now, clicking the right thumbstick will not only slow down action on the screen, but will illuminate all crime and threats in bright red while everything else turns a muddy shade of gray. This is where the city truly comes alive as you could be on your way to a mission, when you see cops race by you, and your spider sense acts up. Want to see something cool? Swing up to one of the tallest buildings in the city and look down, now turn your spider sense on -- New York is not a safe place indeed.

This doesn't look good.

A city that never sleeps must have it’s fair share of problems, and boy does Spiderman 3’s New York have its own. While, the NPC’s that populate the cities streets will react to the action going on during the missions, when swinging around the city, they act as if you’re not even there. I’m sure it’s easy to ignore a grown man dropping from a skyscraper in a red and blue spider costume. Though the developers made the city huge, they did so at the expense of detail and continuity. Most buildings look the same, with little or no distinguishing features, and when Spiderman climbs to the top of some of the tallest buildings, his animations become very sporadic and jumpy looking.

Like Spiderman 2 before it, web-slinging is at the heart of Spiderman 3. Literally every inch of New York City is completely open to you as soon as you boot up the game. Want to go to the top of that building? Go for it. Feel like watching traffic from high atop Times Square – you can do it – and in style too. As you progress through the game, you’ll receive upgrades to everything from your speed to your vast array of gymnast like air maneuvers. It’s a really cool feeling to be able to swan dive off one of the city’s tallest buildings, and then pull a web line at the last second, zooming up to the top of another tall building.

With how awesome web-slinging is, it’s too bad that the game’s camera system is so atrocious. Too often when zooming around the city, you will suddenly go from a clear view of Spidey going through the city at Sunset too the backside of a building. What’s more, this happens a lot during races and pursuit missions, which of course hinder your progress. Things don’t get better during combat either, as you’ll find yourself looking at Spiderman, instead of the bad guys who are shooting guns or throwing fire at you. What’s the point in having icons above enemy’s heads if you can’t see them?

Spiderman 3 features new contextual mini games. Inspired by God of War, these mini games take Spidey through scripted heroic events like rescuing people from buildings or disarming bombs with a sense of times button presses. These events don’t happen frequently, so when they come up they manage to stay fresh, even if they are extremely simple. Most of these events require you to press one, or two buttons, which obviously can be done quite easily. They also come up at weird times, sure, it’s cool to have them during boss battles, but why couldn’t I just save that woman from the burning building?

It may look nice now, but just wait until you're stuck looking at a building...

Combat is pretty much what you’d expect if you’ve played previous Spiderman games – button mashing and bad AI. The thugs and gang members you’ll encounter in Spiderman 3’s New York are so inept that you’ll find them trying to fight a wall, or trying to run through cars more often than you will find them attempting to fight you in any way. New to Spiderman 3, is the game’s reversal system, which slows down time much like bullet-time in other games. By pressing the right bumper when a small yellow icon appears over an enemies head, Spidey will be able to dodge and issue an attack to the enemy. The system works well, but the game relies on it too much. When surrounded by a crowd of enemies, it seems to be the only thing that can clear out the crowd – even with all of Spidey’s fancy moves.

As a licensed game, Spiderman 3 is exceptional, but its problems and shortcomings stop it from being a notable game altogether. Though fans of the movies and comic books will enjoy swinging through a wide-open New York, and the mildly amusing storyline, the game could prove to be all too frustrating when the glitches really start to go bad.

Burnout: Dominator Review

2007-06-03T14:21:00.000-07:00

Okay I admit it -- I’m not the biggest racing game fan. Sure, it’s cool to customize cars, sopping them up with the hottest in engines, parts and paint jobs, but at the end of the day it all just feels redundant -- race here, brake there, boost around this corner. Shouldn’t there be more?

That’s exactly why I’ve always loved the Burnout series. Built more on action than racing, the Burnout games have always rewarded players more for driving dangerously than their ability to win races.

To tide series fans over until Burnout 5, which is currently in development for next-gen platforms, EA has released Burnout Dominator, a game which holds true to the traditional smash and crash burnout gameplay enough to please diehard series fans, yet steers away from those traditions enough to create a compelling and unique gameplay experience all its own.

In past Burnouts, chaos and destruction were a top order, and while they are most definitely present in Dominator – driving skill and tricks seem to take over. Your main goal in Dominator is to fill up your boost meter by pulling off dangerous feats such as driving on the wrong side of the road or tailing and sideswiping other cars. Once your meter fills up with all blue, it’s time to supercharge – or hold down the boost button until your meter drains completely. Not only does this give you more points, but it also fills up a second meter, which determines how much extra boost you get. Chaining your burnouts together is the key to driving as fast as possible down the tracks, and gaining more points.

As I said before, this is not Burnout 5, which is very noticeable from a visual perspective. Sure, standing still, the cars and maps look decent, but once the pace picks up, it’s an entirely different story -- Cars often become blocky, pixilated messes. The game’s aesthetics are especially disappointing for gamers used to playing the Xbox 360 Burnouts in high definition.

While most of the modes you would expect from a Burnout game are present, Crash Mode oddly isn’t. The mode, which appeared in previous Burnout games, let players wreck havoc by trying to create as big as big a crash as they could. Crash Mode wasn’t anything major, but it did offer a nice (yet sinister) diversion from the traditional racing and drifting modes. I also have to question the fact that Dominator features no online support. Past games have had incredibly fun multiplayer modes, why are we stuck to a single console this go around?

Make no mistake about it -- Burnout Dominator is a fun and addicting arcade -racing game that fans of the series will enjoy, it’s just missing some key features that would make it a one of the series’ best, for that we’ll have to wait for the true sequel later this year.

Marvel ultimate Alliance Review

2007-06-03T14:14:00.000-07:00

Comic book fans are known the world over for being hard to please. Whether Marvel or DC buffs, they know their stuff and remember everything. If anyone messes with their heroes, they do not sit idly by to say the least. Case in point – the internet backlash that resulted when the Spiderman movie had Peter Parker naturally gaining the ability to shoot webs rather than building customized web shooters like the original comic storyline. See, I told you, we remember everything.

It can be looked at as no less than an achievement then that Raven Software has made Marvel: Ultimate Alliance an experience that will please even the most diehard comic book fans with it’s depth and little touches, while pleasing casual fans with its fun, old-school beat-em up style.

Anyone familiar with the surprise hit X-men legends or its sequel X-men Legends: Rise of Apocalypse will feel right at home upon loading Ultimate Alliance. You have access to a deep catalogue of Marvel heroes past and present as you smash, punch and use your mutant powers to get through the game’s dungeon like levels. At any given time, your group consists of four superheroes, any of which you can control with a simple touch of the D-pad. At first, you are limited to controlling Captain America, Wolverine, Spiderman and Thor, but halfway through the first level, you reach your first chance to switch your team, kicking off one of the game’s coolest and most intriguing aspects.

The amount of selectable heroes in Ultimate Alliance is simply astounding. Always wanted to see Luke Cage team with the Thing? Go ahead. Always thought you’d like to see storm in the Fantastic Four? You now have your chance. Even lesser known fan favorite characters like Moon Knight and Deadpool are included in the game’s eighteen immediately selectable heroes, with more, including the Silver Surfer and Blade to unlock as your progress through the game. What’s more, alternate attire for each hero is available throughout the game to add even more depth.

Wow, Ghost rider is doing an awesome job...at...just standing there...

In a cool addition, Ultimate Alliance gives players rewards for putting together certain groups of heroes, such as legendary teams, or heroes with similar abilities. For instance, putting together Mr. Fantastic, The Invisible Woman, the Thing and the Human Torch will result in players receiving the “Fantastic Four bonus” or choosing a team of solely female heroes creates the “femme fatale” bonus.

What would the largest gathering of heroes be without something menacing to fight? Enter Dr. Doom and his newly formed Masters of Evil, a gathering of criminal masterminds and all around no good nicks with a secret plan that is revealed only as you progress through the game. The cast of villains is equally as impressive as the heroes, as for every Galactus and Loki you face, there’s an Arcade and Fing Fang Foom waiting to take you out as well.

Players play through various locations in the Marvel Universe such as the Shield Helli-carrier and Arcade’s deranged amusement park, using their mutant’s combined abilities to get through puzzles and hordes of similar looking enemies (think Double Dragon). Upon starting the game, each hero has their basic abilities and one or two special abilities at their disposal, with the ability to upgrade these attacks or learn new ones as you level up. As you level up, your inactive heroes also get stronger and learn new abilities, so when you switch them in for your active heroes, they aren’t useless.

The game can be played alone, or by up to four players online or off, with the computer filing in for whatever heroes are not being controlled when four players are not present. The AI for both the heroes and villains isn’t horrible, but it’s not great either. All too often AI controlled heroes seem to get stuck in corners, or continue to throw punches at already downed enemies. The real fun comes when you get three others to play along side you, recalling the good ole’ days of Gauntlet and Final Fight.

Besides in certain sections of the game where lighting and other effects really stand out, Ultimate Alliance really does not look like a next-gen game. Even on high definition TVs, characters and locations look jagged and uneven, often giving a bumpy, action figure like appearance making for some really god awful scenes. Graphics in the cut-scenes are fairly decent looking – why not make the entire game
this polished?

The sheer amount of superheros in Ultimate Alliance is nothing short of amazing.

Though it is fun to go berserker rage style with wolverine or clobber a Doom-Bot with The Thing, the game’s engine is starting to show its age and become tiresome. Midway through the game, fighting wave after wave of enemies that essentially look exactly like the wave of enemies you just beat leaves the player looking for something else. It will be interesting to see what Raven software does with the next game in the series.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance plays like Raven Software’s love letter to the Marvel Universe and improves on a tiring game formula with more depth and customization. Though not that pretty to look at, it serves its purpose as a fast, multiplayer friendly old school beat-em up, even if its all been done before.

PS3 Differences
While the core game does remain the same the PS3 version has seen some slightly enhanced aspects that make them worth mentioning. For starters the game now runs at the ridiculously high resolution of 1080p, which for a game of this type really causes each minor detail stand-out when run side by side with the other versions. Of course only a few lucky people will ever be able to realize this as most of us do not own the expensive TVs nor the fifty dollar HDMI cable to support it. Regardless the game is a bit smoother than it's XBox 360 counterpart in this respect.

Raven has also added in support for the Sixaxis controller. The motion-sensor in the controller is used to perform grabs, dodges, and even charging up your attacks, but it's main use is during the boss battles. Onscreen indicators will flash showing you specific movements to perform during the fight. This turns certain boss fights into almost a collection of mini-games and really adds a nice layer of depth to the monotonous hacking and slashing found through most of the game.

Even with these subtle improvements the game is still the same package you have been able to play on all the other consoles for a while now. However if you have yet to take the plunge into the Marvel Ultimate Alliance the PS3 version is by far the best of the bunch and more than worth checking out if you were able to snag a PS3 this holiday season.

Medal of Honor Vanguard Review

2007-06-03T14:10:00.000-07:00

To stand out in the crowded field of World War II shooters, it is no longer acceptable for a game to just be good. Now don’t get me wrong – there are some really great ones out there, just look at the Call of Duty or Brothers in Arms series – it’s just that even when these games are exceptional, they still seem to leave us with that “been there, done that,” “deja-vu” feeling. Due to the flooding of the market, it takes a truly amazing game to break out from the pack.

Sadly, Medal of Honor: Vanguard is not one of these exceptional games. The latest in the long running shooter series, Vanguard merely sticks to the genre’s clichéd conventions and doesn’t bother to offer anything new to players looking for a unique experience.

The game does have an original story, placing you in the role of paratrooper Frank Keegan, but with it being essentially the same story as every other WWII shooter; odds are you won’t even watch the game’s cut scenes. Essentially the game consists of the same clichéd missions, with redundant and monotonous mission objectives that more often than not require you to kill Nazi soldiers, sabotage enemy supplies, kill Nazi soldiers and obtain valuable information from behind enemy lines. Did I mention you’ll be killing Nazi soldiers?

Vanguard would be on par with other WWII shooters if it were able to handle the basics, which proves to be a problem. More often than not Nazi soldiers seem more like 1940’s cartoon versions of themselves. Seriously – the AI is that bad. Enemies will take cover, only to pop their heads out mere seconds later as if they forgot what was happening. Perhaps the soldiers realize exactly how bad the game’s hit detection is and are willing to take the chance. It frequently takes multiple shots to register a hit on an enemy, but only one to take out you and your soldiers. Combine this with horrible gun physics, especially with the bigger weapons and you’ll be calling for a premature end to the war.

Like most other aspects of the game, Vanguard’s audio and visual aspects are – average. You’ll fight in the same old locales – fields, villages, and churches and truth be if you didn’t know what game you were playing – they would seem at home in just about any other WWII shooter. Like most other WWII shooters, you’ll hear your troops screaming to each other, as you will the enemies. Oddly enough you’ll also hear gunfire that doesn’t match up with the action on the screen at all.

Medal of Honor: Vanguard isn’t a terrible game. It’s just that the majority of the game is so mundane and average that the only part that really sticks out is the points that are below average. With so many WWII shooters available, some that still manager to brave new territory, there really isn’t much reason to pick up Vangaurd.

WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2007 Review!

2007-06-03T14:00:00.000-07:00

Let's be honest with each other - every wrestling game released for the Xbox has been extremely disappointing to say the least. Raw and Raw 2 featured control issues that made the game a burden to play, and Wrestlemania 21 was so bad the company recalled it.

To avoid being added to the list, THQ seems to have taken an "if it's not broke, don't fix it" stance when bringing the newest entry of it's best selling wrestling series; WWE Smackdown VS Raw 2007 to the Xbox 360. While the technique does make for a balanced and fun beat-em-up, it ignores long running problems that have been plaguing gamers since the series debut on the original PlayStation system.

Right out of the box, the first thing most people will notice is how realistic the player models look. Down to the little details including scars, tattoos, facial features and hair -- these are the same WWE wrestlers you see on TV week in and week out. Each virtual superstar also acts like their real world counterpart, just check out Ken Kennedy's complete ring entrance, truly a step up from previous Smackdown games.

Sadly, the entire game doesn't get this graphic overhaul as the crowd and the arenas themselves look like they were ripped directly out of the previous generation games. During some moves, the player model's faces become twisted and their eyes bug out of their heads, giving off a skeleton like appearance. Creepy.

The biggest change from previous Smackdown games to 07 is the completely reworked grapple system. Gone are the days of short and long presses of the face buttons to pull off grapple moves -- in fact, there's no grapple button at all. All grapple moves are now mapped directly to the right thumb stick. A simple flick in any direction will pull off a surprisingly large amount of different moves unique to each superstar including arm drags and other quick attacks. Holding the right bumper as you flick the thumbstick initiates a strong grapple, with submission moves being done in the same way.

Just watchin' him jump at you, great strategy champ...

This new system becomes really cool when you start to use the ultimate control system, a new feature that gives players much more freedom in their move selection. Clicking the right thumbstick after a grapple as opposed to flicking it opens up a new menu with even more selections on how to dispose of your opponent. For instance, when picking your opponent up for a suplex, you either can choose to show off your strength to the crowd by holding them up for a while or drop them in front or behind you.

The ultimate control system is at its best when paired with the game's new interactive hot spots. When players bring their opponents to certain areas in each arena, they can use their surroundings to their favor. Dragging a downed opponent over to an area like the ring steps or announcers table and moving the right stick (is there anything it can't do?) up and down makes your superstar pound their opponents head onto the surface. There is even an entire area in the audience filled with these interactive hot spots. With tables, guardrails, stereo systems and audio cables at your disposal -- think of it as your own little demented playground of pain.

With these new additions to the game, it's a shame the developers chose to ignore some of the series most glaring problems, specifically the AI. While okay in some instances, in most cases, computer controlled grapplers come off as thick skulled meatheads. Case in point, it became increasingly awkward when my opponent kept attempting to make me tap out in a first blood match. Even on the highest difficulty, matches are often too easy to win, as the AI doesn't even take advantage of the limb damage system and pulls off whatever random attacks it can at the time.

The problem becomes increasingly frustrating when in a match with multiple AI opponents. Like a kid on a Halloween sugar-rush, each of your computer-controlled opponents will continually switch their attention from one opponent to another, often going after the superstar you have been working on the entire match, completely abandoning any hope of forming or carrying out a strategy.

This picture of Max Moon really has nothing to do with the game, but man was that a horrible idea.

Like previous games in the series, '07's collision detection can only be described as a total mess. While big moves usually hit, there are times when even from point blank range, you will completely miss your opponent. Running strikes prove to be the biggest problem as sometimes you find yourself running directly through your opponent, pulling off the move two feet behind them. It's also a shame that moves that should be high impact, like putting someone through a table or knocking someone off a ladder come off as weak in all aspects. It doesn't do nearly enough damage as it should.

Perhaps more than anything else, the Smackdown series has been known for offering players an incredible amount of content, and '07 is no exception. Each game mode from last year's game returns, with the only new mode being the Money in the Bank Match (a glorified six-man ladder match). The fun really comes in playing specialty matches like last man standing, Tables, Ladders and Chairs or Ultimate Submission with friends on or offline. Combine this with the game�??s many create modes, unlockables and achievements and it's highly unlikely you'll run out of ideas anytime soon.

Season mode has improved a bit from previous installments though comes off as a rehash of last year's game. Sure, there are over forty storylines, but which one you get mostly depends on what superstar you use, and the results of your last match. The choices you get to make are minimal at best, and really have no effect on the storyline, if you can call it that. Each show strings along a feud between you and a different superstar that results in a match at the next pay per view. When you're done, you immediately move to the next feud, as if the last one didn't happen at all.

One of last year's most intriguing new features was General Manager Mode. Meant for those who live by Madden's Franchise mode, or can't get enough Command and Conquer; GM Mode let's you strategically sign superstars to either of the two shows, and then book your cards and create feuds in an attempt to outperform your rival show. In '07, GM mode makes its return with enough new features to warrant at least one play through. Instead of randomly assigning feuds to different wrestlers, you can now hire storyline writers who each specialize in different writing styles and put your superstars in the corresponding feuds. Sadly, the game only lets you use a dirty character and a clean character in most feuds, and not have good guy VS good guy or bad guy VS bad guy feuds. You also have access to the Power 25 a ranking system that let's you see the top 25 superstars on both shows, it's helpful when planning feuds and contemplating trades. GM mode feels like a mode that we should be enjoying, but just doesn't feel like it's there yet, as if it's missing something.

Smackdown VS Raw 2007 is not a bad game by any means. It's a solid wrestling game that mixes strategy and arcade gameplay elements to make a unique experience. It is however plagued with quite a few problems that prohibit it from being an outstanding game. In the very least, it's a fun way to get bragging rights over your friends without actually inflicting pain, and hey, it could be worse -- we could be playing Raw 3.

Final Judgment - 7.5

NHL 2007 Review

2007-06-03T13:53:00.000-07:00

The word "revolutionary" isn't used much when talking about sports games. In fact, it's used even less to describe the slew of supposed next-gen sports games we've seen lately that seem to subscribe to the beliefs that less is more and looks are everything.

It was a pleasant surprise then, to see what EA Sports, the company behind some of the slimmest sports packages we have seen in quite some time has accomplished with it's first foray into next-gen hockey; NHL 07.

The biggest change to the long running hockey franchise is the compete overhaul of the offensive engine. Sure, the left thumbstick still controls your skater and aims, but the right stick is where the magic happens. As the mandatory video tells you the first time you start up the game, the right stick is your hockey stick. Flick it forward to do a quick wrist shot, move it side to side to deke the goalie or flick it to the back, then the front to hammer in a pounding slap shot, and that's just the start of the crazy realistic control you have.

NHL 07's new control scheme is a welcome change to previous installments.

This new offensive formula comes with a large learning curve, and will feel fairly awkward at first (for instance, one-timers now require near perfect timing), but once you get the hang of it and start to realize the freedom the new engine brings with it, you�??ll find yourself forgetting all about shooting with the face buttons as on earlier versions. What's more, the engine makes the game more fun and rewarding, as you know you've earned each goal and assist you've made.

With all of the emphasis on the offensive side of the puck, it seems that the EA team forgot about improving on the game's defensive play. The defense isn't bad at all, it's just relatively the same as it was in previous versions and while the developers did say the defense was set to get the next-gen treatment in NHL '08, it would have been nice to have the total package. The defense also relies on the right thumbstick to throw bone-crushing hits, but the system was an afterthought to the offensive control and at times, it feels like it.

LOOK OUT!

NHL 07 is a definite treat in its audio and video departments as well. Each stadium comes alive with authentic lights, sounds and effects. You can actually tell the difference between playing a game against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden and playing at the Pond in Anaheim. What's more, each player model is frighteningly realistic and their facial expressions more often than not match the action on the ice.

The fans also play a huge part in the realism in NHL 07. Remember the promise of "smart fans" in NCAA Football 07? Yeah, they must have gotten lost and found their way into NHL 07. The crowd's reactions are amazingly on par with how the game is going. They go nuts (you can both see and hear this) when the team does well, just as they'll boo when they're getting destroyed.

Though NHL 07 only features exhibition, shootout, world tournament, dynasty and online game modes, each option features enough depth to satisfy even the harshest critics. At the heart of the game is the franchise mode, which features everything from owner mode to a slightly thin create-a-player mode.

NHL 07 does a lot more right than it does wrong. In fact, it completely changes the way an entire genre is played. Though the game has its share of problems it succeeds in not only becoming the Xbox 360's best hockey game, but the systems best sports game in general.

Final Judgment: 9.0

The Ongoing Saga that is Bully

2007-06-01T15:52:00.000-07:00

Do me a favor, before you read this blog, watch this trailer for the game Bully from Rockstar:

As many of you know, Bully is the new project for the PS2 by Rockstar, who are also behind the now infamous Grand Theft Auto series. The game takes the free roam style gameplay out of the busy city streets and into the gated fences of Bullworth academy,a ritzy, hard nosed prep school.

With the recent rash of school violence, the thought of releasing a game with a theme of bullying may not be that great of an idea right? Such was the worry of Florida lawyer and Video Game Darth Vader Jack Thompson. Thompson, who is well known for his campaign against violent games, many, from Bully's producer Take-Two has been crusading against Bully since the game's innitial announcement.

"The goal is to make it such a negative thing that the retailers won't carry it," said Thompson. "This thing hasn't really reached critical mass as a [public relations] problem yet; that's what I'm trying to do."

After conspiracy theories and threats, Thompson was able to convince a judge to order Take-Two to submit a final copy of the game, which would be played under the supervision of the court, to decide if the game was fit to be released.

As expected, an elated Thompson rang the death bell for Take-Two and the video game industry itself. "It appears that finally the violent video game industry is going to be held accountable to someone," Thompson said.

Judge Ronald Friedman was assigned the case and spent days with the game. When Friedman finally reached a verdict, it wasn't exactly the one that Thompson was looking for as the judge deemed the game okay to ship.

"There's nothing in the game that you wouldn't see on TV every night," Friedman is quoted as saying. The judge added he wouldn't want his kids to play the game, "but that shouldn't mean that the game won't ship."

Of course, Thompson wasn't finished, sending an attack letter to Friedman that was picked up by various gaming news outlets:

"Now that you have consigned innumerable children to skull fractures, eye injuries from slingshots, and beatings with baseball bats, without a hearing as to the danger, let me tell you a few things, with all respect for your office and with no respect for the arbitrary way in which you handled this matter," he wrote. "The way you conducted yourself today helps explain why a great Dade County Judge, the late Rhea Pincus Grossman, could not abide you."

The letter went on to attack Take-Two, the Miami police, and oddly compare the court proceedings to "the equivalent of Iran leading UN weapons inspectors around the country taking them to places where the illegal activity was not occurring."

Friedman has not issued a response and the game will ship for the PS2 on October 17th. World War III is sure to follow.

________Below this line is not fact, just oppinion_____

The funniest thing about the entire Bully/Jack Thompson saga is that, like other games good ole' Jack has tried to "save us from," he has not played the game.

Judge Friedman has, and he deemed it no less violent than what we see on TV on a nightly basis. But of course, that wasn't good enough for Thompson, and he attacked the judge just as he did Penny Arcade and just about anyone who made a valid point against his own beliefs.

Just like every dog will have his day, every man will have their day in court, and Jack -- you lost. Get over it. While I havn't played the game, reactions from the trailer and those who have played the game suggest that it is the equivalent of a kid's action movie. What are we going to do, start banning films like "How to eat fried worms" or "Monster House?"

Rockstar and Take-Two are not dumb. They may have made some mistakes, but there is way they would release a GTA like game centered around a school and children. The game does not have any guns, and no one dies. In fact, the main character is not the bully, he is the one getting bullied.

Jack Thompson is a publicity whore who frames his ego with a facade that he actually cares about the children in this country. The National Institue for Media and Family, a non profit group that actually does care, have asked Thompon to stop using his name in association with their company.

Dead Rising Review

2007-06-01T15:43:00.000-07:00

Zombies were once kings of the horror genre. Thanks to George A. Romero and movies like Night of the Living Dead, people lived in fear of an undead uprising. Unsurprisingly, the brain-muchers translated incredibly well to the world of video games. Titles like Resident Evil and House of the Dead turned the gaming world upside down with moments of zombie-filled suspense and terror.

Then, the market became over saturated, and instead of zombies being terrifying creatures, they merely served as distractions in a bigger battle. Some odd zombie games came out (I'm looking at you Typing of the Dead) and it wasn't long before zombies were completely written out of Resident Evil 4.

Capcom, the masters of the survival horror genre, are bringing zombies back, and then proceed to hit them with baseball bats, cash registers, sledgehammers and just about everything else you can get your hands on with Dead Rising for the Xbox 360.

Dead Rising follows Frank West, a freelance photojournalist who gets a tip that something strange is happening in the sleepy little town of Williamette, Colorado. Flying high above in a hired chopper, Frank sees the town over run with the living dead, who are destroying everything in sight, and devouring anyone who crosses their path. Like any rational human would do, Frank tells the pilot to let him down on the roof of the town's mega mall, and to be back in exactly three days.

I love the smell of commerce in the morning!

From here on in, you're more or less on your own to cut through the thousands of zombies roaming the shopping center. From benches, to rocks and baseball bats, practically everything can be used as a weapon, and some in very humorous and satisfying fashion. Try not to snicker as you rifle a bowling ball down a crowded staircase, watching your undead foes fall like it's League bowling night, or render a zombie helpless as you place a novelty horse or servebot (of mega-man fame) mask over their head, and watch them bump into walls. Some weapons are much more gruesome, but never manage to lose the fun factor. Simple items like hedge clippers and chainsaws can completely sever your opponents in half, while shopping carts and lawn mowers run down zombies like a semi running through a herd of unaware animals.

Watching the number of zombies you send back to their graves rise is uniquely satisfying and never seems to get completely redundant, it's just a shame that more time isn't allotted to it. Since you only have 72 hours to figure out why the zombies have returned (revealed to you in a sequence of case-files think of them as chapters), your time must be strictly managed to complete the games many tasks, or you will miss a vital clue.

Though the game tries to run in real time, the system just manages to come across as hokey and full of holes. Time runs very fast in Williamette, and it sometimes causes you to miss important information that is needed to continue in the game. Combine this with an awkward and dated save system that allows only one save per storage device, and you're in for some long and frustrating, zombie-filled nights.

The games tasks vary between the main missions like helping other survivors fight weird bosses, and side missions, that range from aiding a fellow photographer to helping save survivors, barricaded in stores. Helping these survivors essentially becomes an escort mission, which can prove very tough, especially when you never know how each one will react. Some, are grateful, and will attempt (read -- attempt) to assist you, while others won't trust you in the least and will attack you before you can even begin to save them.

That uncertainty is an example of one of Dead Risings best features. The mall, actually fells like a mall you would find in everyday suburban America. As you go through zombie after zombie, the speakers pump out elevator music and recorded advertisements for stores. It's all fun and games until around 11pm on each night, when the malls lights go out, meaning you'll have to keep moving, though now in almost pitch black.

Oh balls...

The game can be mighty challenging, especially if you don't take the time to level Frank up, RPG style. Every time you do level Frank up, you gain more health, learn a new skill, or add more space to your inventory, all things you keep if you miss a case-file and have to start the game again. While the challenge is a welcome change of pace from the slew of unbelievably easy games that we've seen released lately, it seems that the developers are just milking the game for replay value.

While Dead Rising isn't the best game available for the Xbox 360, it is an addicting experience that puts a fun new spin on the survival horror genre. Gamers looking for something to get them through the summer months will find Dead Rising a welcome addition to their library. Welcome back my undead friends, welcome back.

Final Judgment - 8.0

NCAA Football 07 Review!

2007-06-01T15:35:00.000-07:00

NCAA Football 07

Perhaps more than any other sport in the United States, The NCAA is built on pure passion. The athletes don't get multi-million dollar contracts or endorsement deals; instead, they play merely for love of the sport and to make a name for themselves.

It's this heart and passion that EA is trying to recreate with NCAA Football 07, the latest in its long running college football franchise, and the first to grace a next generation console. Was the EA team able to take advantage of the 360's power, bringing us a more realistic and fun college football experience? In some ways no, but in so many others -- emphatically yes.

Let's get one thing out of the way first, NCAA 07 for the Xbox 360 is missing a lot of gameplay modes and features. The 360 game does not have the new campus legend mode, or the spring games found on PS2 and Xbox. The game's create a player is also very lacking and awkward. While the absence of these features creates an obvious hole in the game experience, focusing strictly on them takes away from the extremely fun and addicting gameplay.

Under the helmet, NCAA 07 is a mix between last year's Madden 360 and past NCAA games. While running on the Madden game engine, NCAA manages to keep its college football feel thanks to the new "living stadiums." EA has taken over 70 stadiums throughout the country and mapped them out to the tinniest detail. From the field, you can pick out things like the visitor section, alumni section and the school band. EA has packed these beautiful virtual stadiums with new "smart fans." These fans will react to what is happening on the field. If the home team makes a huge play, you can actually see the fans rising to their feet as you hear them go crazy. On the flip side, the crowd becomes silent and still when the visiting team does well.

Quinn for Hiesman?

These new features are a welcome addition, but what about the teams who didn't get the "living stadium" treatment? They play in drab, generic fields that only mirror their real life counterparts in very subtle ways. It's a big jump from mapping even the drain pipes of some stadiums to seemingly not even attempting others. What's more, the living stadiums seem like a perfect match for stadium pulse, another feature that is absent from the 360 version. Imagine playing Florida VS Florida State in a living stadium, complete with smart fans that truly get as loud as fans would at a meeting of these two rivals. It's a college football fan's dream, and one that EA dropped the ball on.

NCAA 07's gameplay sticks to the conventions of its predecessors and changes little gameplay wise. The controls are mapped out exactly the same as Madden, with the left trigger serving as a pitch button. While this may seem awkward, it really does work well. You use your right index finger to sprint and your left to pitch, leaving your right thumb open to control the "impact stick" on offense or the hit stick on defense. These three simple controls can make for some replay inducing moments that will cause you to make frequent use of the game's snapshot creator, letting you take pictures of your greatest moments and share them with your friends.

The kicking mechanic has also been redone in NCAA 07. Instead of using the A-button to start and stop the kicking meter, everything is now mapped to the right thumb stick. You chose the general direction, and then pull back and then quickly up on the right thumb stick, similar to swinging a club in the Tiger Woods Games. Defending kicks has also become easier, with the new line jump feature. By pressing the Y-button at exactly the same time the offense hikes the ball, you can get into the backfield easier and create havoc, think of it as a new way to blitz, and a new way to cheese online.

I'm not an expert or anything, but leaving him wide open might not be a great idea...

The heart and soul of the NCAA games has always been Dynasty Mode, and is here in almost full force in 07. Baring small omissions (like ESPN the Magazine), Dynasty Mode should not disappoint. You've got your in season recruiting, Hiesman watch and Top 25 polls to work with and take your team to the top. Something seems to be frighteningly wrong with the way the computer ranks teams. For example, a team ranked 26th at the beginning of the year begins rocking and rolling, knocking down teams ranked higher than them. Odds are this team won't even crack the top ten before the season ends. It seems EA made the Dynasty Mode last 60-years for a reason.

NCAA 07 is a great first attempt at next generation college football, with a few holes that make it stumble. Its clear that the franchise is on its way from breaking out from the shadow of its older, more popular sibling, Madden. Sports fans or anyone who truly enjoys a competitive game should check out NCAA 07.

Final Judgment - 8.5/10

Superman Returns: Hands on Preview!

2007-06-01T15:29:00.000-07:00

Superman Returns: the Game has a lot going for it. It's coming off the heels of one of the most anticipated movies of our generation and features one of the world's most recognizable characters.

That being said, it also has a lot going against it. It's no secret that with a few notable exceptions (Chronicles of Riddick, X: men Legends) games based off movies and comic books, well, suck. To make matters worse, past Superman games are notorious for being lackluster and disappointing; in fact, Superman 64 is widely recognized as one of the worst games of all time.

Much like comic book turned movie games before it, Returns takes the story from the film and expands upon it, giving you a much larger and much deeper Metropolis. Not only will you face off against Kevin Spacey's Lex Luthor, but you'll also do battle with some of big blue's most menacing foes from the pages of his long running comic adventures including Metallo and Brainiac.

Superman Returns features villians not featured in the Hollywood blockbuster.

While the game has been delayed until this October to coincide with the film's eventual DVD release, early videos have shown that EA is focusing on Superman's ability to fly as a focal point. Much like in Spiderman 2 and The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, players have the ability to control their hero in a completely living city. Supes can fly from one end of Metropolis to the other, swoop down to street level and back up with ease. In a nice touch, when flying at higher speeds, the screen starts to go blurry and you can actually see yourself breaking the sound barrier.

Often in the videos, Superman will be flying straight into buildings, only to almost bounce off as if there was rubber padding over the sides of the structures. While the game is only roughly 50% complete, we should be able to do some damage to the things we hit, at the very least maybe we could see some very small debris falling off the building. Just think of the added gameplay this would bring; not only do you have to stop the giant robot attacking downtown Metropolis, but you must also keep the citizens below safe from falling mess being made. It looks like the rest of your surroundings including cars and landmarks, are interactive, why not in this aspect?

You will of course have access to Superman's entire arsenal of Kryptonian abilities. Everything from heat vision, to ice breath seems to be well represented. Check out the videos of Superman using his heat vision to seemingly make a large stone fall on a baddie, or even cooler, picking up the globe from high atop the Daily Planet, then zoom down to street level at a screaming velocity, throw the globe down the street, then freeze almost the entire area with his breath. It seems that Returns may be the first game to finally capture the freedom and thrill of being the man of steel.

Keeping track of someone who's faster than a speeding bullet can prove to be a daunting task, but luckily it seems that, barring a few minor problems (that seem like they will be changed before the game goes gold), the game's camera system seems to work extremely well. The camera is constantly changing to give you the best vantage point of the action. In one of the videos, Superman uses a move called "1,000 fists" where he inflicts damage on an enemy by coming at him at very high speeds from all directions, and the camera manages to do a decent job staying with the frenetic action.

Like other recent superhero games, the main quest finds you battling against major enemies and notable foes, but you can also veer from the past and take side quests that vary from putting out fires to stopping huge tornadoes heading towards Metropolis. Tiburon studios, the game's developers, have said that your choices will affect gameplay, in various ways. For instance, you will be able to see the path of destruction set forth by that Tornado you were to busy to stop. This very same feature was hyped heavily in 2004's Spiderman 2 but when the game was finally released, there were about four or five side quests that repeated themselves, and had no effect on gameplay. Hopefully, this is not the case here.

From flight to heat vision; all of the man of steel's powers are at your disposal

Even among men with abilities and powers far greater than any human; Superman is an almost god like figure. This poses a problem for Tiburon, much like it has for every game developer who has tried to take the task of turning the man of steel digital. Upon starting the game, the main character is essentially a walking god mode. No bullets can harm him, and he has an array of weaponry at his disposal. It will be very important to see how the game deals with these factors and gives gamers a challenge, as the release date grows closer.

Though we are still over four months away from playing the finished version of the game, Superman Returns looks as if it has the potential to break tradition, and quite possibly be the first good Superman video game. Keep watching this site for future news on Superman Returns: the Game.

NFL: Head Coach Review

2007-06-01T14:54:00.000-07:00

The Indianapolis Colts went 14-2 in the 2005-2006 regular season. They obliterated teams, and the record book along the way to what many thought was a trip to Detroit, the home of Super bowl XL. Their aspirations were quickly flattened, when they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC semi finals. Sure, they had a good season, but you could not help but feel that they could do so much more with what they had.

The same holds true for EA's new football strategy game; NFL Head Coach, while it is a valiant effort to pump life into what is quickly becoming a stagnant genre, in the end, due to many problems that you just cannot ignore, it falls short of the end zone. Very short. You get the feeling that so much more could be done with such a novel new spin on the traditional sports simulation.

The game starts you off creating your very own coach. You set everything from your coach's strategy and in game philosophy to his look on and off the field. While you do get to set multiple looks (office, practice and game-day), the choices available seem limited. Let us see, do I want a t-shirt or a sweatshirt? Brown or black pants? Really, that's the extent of your choices here.

The gameplay is best described as The Sims series meets franchise mode in the Madden series. As Trey Wingo tells you on NFL live, you were part of the coaching staff (what position exactly depends on your choices when you create your coach) of the newly crowned Super bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers. In my experience with NFL Head Coach, I was the Offensive Coordinator, and while they talked me up as the next big thing in coaching, NFL Live showed actual highlights from Super bowl 40 in the Madden engine. Remember that awesome reverse that ended with a touchdown pass from Eugene Baker to Hines Ward? Yeah, it's in there, and it looks pretty cool.

You are then ushered into your home office where you begin the interview process to land your first coaching job. Strangely, you interview with just one team, and you get interviews from four or five teams that never even contacted you before. For instance, I chose to interview with the Green Bay Packers, and received offers from the Pack, the Vikes, Saints, Rams and Raiders, all teams with different play styles and systems. What's more, all of these offers came the second I ended the interview process with Green Bay. It would have been better to make me wait; maybe have me interview with a few more teams in the process. Oh well, Trey Wingo did say I was being heavily courted by teams throughout the league.

Strategy is everything in NFL Head Coach.

Once you select your team, it's on to the heart of the game, running your team. You literally control every aspect of your team. Everything (and I mean everything) you do is set into tasks that range from hiring your coaches and staff to changing your look. As much as this system tries to keep things organized, it manages to just annoy, as you must wait for tasks to come up on your calendar to do things that are quite essential to your team. Want to trade away that corner that has been going to the press and complaining about not getting enough playing time and disrupting your locker room? Too bad, you'll have to wait until the "trade player" task comes up. Looking to sign a new fullback to fill a hole in your roster? The same. What's worse, during most of these tasks you can only make three moves before your day is over. Want to reorder your depth chart after a big loss? You can only change three spots, and then you'll have to wait until your next opportunity. This is especially annoying when you take into account that the "office hours" task pops up most on your calendar. It would be nice to be able to use this time to tie up any loose ends in your team.

One of the main features of the game is the ability to change the way your team is playing with your coaching style. At any point during a practice or a game you can pull any player aside in a group or separately and impart your words of wisdom on them. You choose between two boxes, one with a passive response and the other with a typical football coach aggressive style. Each player will react differently to how you approach them, which is shown in little Sims style positive and negative signs above their heads, and in truth it will effect their play, but with only two possible responses, it's way to easy to please players. Priest Holmes doesn't like that you yelled at him and chose the aggressive option? Simply go back and chose the passive option twice and not only has he forgotten everything that just happened, he's also likely to play better as well. If only it was that easy.

Can you become the greatest coach of all time?

You'd think that with such an in depth game geared towards hardcore football fanatics the game would at least have realistic AI. Truth be told it's just plain ugly. During games, players make choices that would even make peewee football players wince. For instance, I'm playing my opening game of the season, my Green Bay Packers against the San Diego Chargers. After they kick off, we have the ball, and are pinned against our own goal line. I call for a dive up the middle. Since the only action you control after calling the play is the camera view (which you can set to everything from blimp view, to a very cool sidelines view), I sit and watch as Favre neglects to hand the ball off, and does his best Michael Vick impression only to be caught by Steve Foley, the Charger's 265 lb lineman. Next, I try a passing play only to get the same results. What's the point in calling plays when your guys won't even run what you've called?

Off the field isn't much better either. Looking to make a splash in the draft, I offer my halfback, Ahman Green and a very mediocre receiver to the Cardinals for their first round pick. They bite. So rather than having the fourth pick in the NFL draft, they chose to take a halfback and receiver, neither of their overall rating above 60.

Truth be told, the NFL draft is actually one of the coolest aspects of the game. It's put together just as it would be on ESPN, with Trey Wingo returning to discuss the draft picks. After every team makes their pick, he talks about it, including background, and what he sees as their future on the team. This nice touch is interrupted by the utter incompetence of every other aspect of the draft. In what would be just next to impossible in real life, every team before me passed on Reggie Bush, Vince Young, Matt Lienart and Mario Williams. Let that digest for a second. Every computer-controlled team chose players that in reality went in the early second round, leaving me with my choice of the best the NCAA had to offer. Being up next for the fourth and fifth picks thanks to my earlier trades, I look to my draft advisor. He advises me to take some halfback from Bowling Green. Sorry man, but I'm going to go with Reggie Bush and Vince Young, remind me to fire you when we get back to Green Bay.

It must be noted that though this game does look similar to the Madden series, it is not a game for casual fans. This is not the hard hitting; fast-paced action fans have grown accustomed to from the annual pigskin classic. NFL Head Coach is a slow paced, strategy game for those people who really know their football. This is painfully obvious when asked to choose your defensive scheme for the game ahead. Sure, there are small descriptions of each option, but to really excel at this game, you're going to need to know your X's and O's.

NFL head coach takes a bold leap and attempts to start something well needed in the sports simulation field, change. Unfortunately, it falters in more aspects than it flies, with horrible AI, and an in game system that makes the game feel like more of a chore than a fun experience. If EA continues this series next year, it has a great starting point where they can easily improve, but for now, NFL Head Coach feels like a drive that gets stopped at the 20-yard line.

Final Judgement: 6.5

Video Game Violence: Who's to blame

2007-06-01T14:41:00.000-07:00

When you were a kid, your video game heroes were stout Italian plumbers, elves or some kind of weird animal with a sugar rush. They would run, jump and collect power-ups, and at the end of the day, they would always conquer evil.

Not anymore. Today's heroes are intimidating, wearing all black touting huge firepower with scantily clad women at their side. Often, they use excessive force to get what they want, and there is a trail of carnage in their wake.

Is this new breed of Anti-heroes merely the next evolutionary step in the young life of the video game industry, or are they communicating with young gamers in a way that says it's okay to hurt, or even kill?

Jack Thompson thinks so. Thompson, a Miami-based lawyer and political commentator has become the central figure in the war on violent video games. He has launched multiple lawsuits where he took on over 10 of the world's largest media outlets such as Time Warner, Nintendo and Sony.

"These are murder simulators," Thompson told CBS.com in a recent interview. "The federal government found that in the year 2003, there were 48 school killings, the year before that there were 16, and the year before that 17. Something is going on. I submit that the video game generation is coming of age."

While Thompson admits that no direct link can be made to games in most cases, he does add that "some of the most violent crimes would not occur but for the violent entertainment. For the families of the deceased, that is the only statistic that matters."

The argument over violent media became a war in 2005, when a group of gamers discovered a string of unused programming code in the game "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas that would become known as "The Hot Coffee Mod." The code, hidden so deep in the game that you would need an external device to unlock it, allowed players access to mini games featuring sexual act.

"Rockstar(creators of the game)is on the fast track to corporate destruction, all because they have decided to play chicken with the federal government," said Thompson. As a result of the scandal, GTA San Andreas was pulled from store shelves and its rating was changed from "M" for mature to "AO" for adults only, marking the first time a game's rating has been changed after release.

Philip Artin, an up and coming independent game designer from Oak Creek, Wis., doesn't exactly have the same beliefs as Thompson.

"The responsibility of any developer is simple: to entertain. We're not there when retailers fail to card underage kids, and we're not supervising when parents ignore the warning labels and buy inappropriate games for their children. Unfortunately, inappropriate games will end up in the hands of minors no matter what measures are taken." Artin continues. "Few people will disagree that these are problems. However, if we don't manage to ignore the Jack Thompson's out there, we'll never be able to have a productive discussion," Artin added.

Still, Thompson presses on with his war, citing the fact that the US Army has used video games to help train their new recruits. In an article with ABC News, soldiers said they were calmer on the battlefield after taking part in what the army calls "virtual training simulations". The very same simulator in question was released to the public in the form of "America's Army" for Playstation 2 and X-box.

Manhunt has been called the video game equivalent of a snuff film.

"The Army uses these games to break down the inhibition of new recruits to kill. The industry then turns around and sells these games to kids. If it works for soldiers, of course it works for teens. The video game industry has absolutely no rebuttal for this argument, NONE," Thompson snapped.

The industry does, however have a rebuttal. In 1994, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) was faced with growing concern over the content of their games, which were easily available to every age group. As a result, the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) was created. According to the organizations website (http://www.esrb.org) The ESRB is a self-regulating panel that applies ratings and guidelines based on the principles and values set forth by the video game industry. In short, the ESRB is responsible for the ratings you see on the corner of your game boxes.

Ratings have two components, an actual rating (E for Everyone, T for teen and M for Mature) and content label which gives a brief description of the game's content. US Sen. Joseph A. Lieberman, (D-Conn.), also a very outspoken critic of violent video games, has gone on record as calling the ESRB the "best entertainment rating system in America."

That doesn't mean that it's not without its problems. Members of the ESRB panel are hired on a freelance basis and do not actually play the games they are rating. The publisher merely submits a tape of the games worst content, and the board makes its decision off that. Also, many parents do not understand or simply do not pay attention to the rating system at all.

The industry is selling these games to kids whose parents are reckless. We need to punished the industry and the parents whoa re putting innocent people in harm's way." Charged Thompson.

"I think that most people overplay the role of the ESRB," Artin added. "Their job is simply to rate software releases. After that, it's up to the retailers and parents both to decide what software minors are allowed to purchase. Short of sitting down with every parent in America, there isn't much else they can do."

Artin was also quick to point out that violence in video games is no new thing. "The Interactive Entertainment Industry is still in its infancy. Violence has been a part of video games for years. It wasn't until fairly recently that consoles and handhelds were able to accurately emulate real life," Artin says.

Artin may be on to something, as six of the games in the top 10 of the "100 most violent video games of all time" became available before the current generation of video game systems (Xbox, Playstation 2) were on the market, some even a decade before.

Like any good video game, this story has a surprise twist, the kind that changes the story around completely. Recently, people have been questioning Thompson's motives. Many people point to the fact that Thompson is only targeting high profile games. San Andreas was one of the top selling games of 2005, and even before the "hot coffee " scandal was a primary target. Meanwhile, God of War, a lesser known release for the Playstation 2 gaming system allowing players to perform incredible acts of violence resulting in excessive digital bloodshed, and yes even partake in mini games involving sex (This time in plain site) has gone virtually unnoticed.

Instead, Thompson decided his next target should be the Sims 2. Yes, that Sims 2. The popular life simulator has been called a "training ground for pedophiles" by Thompson, in response to codes that can remove blurs from characters as they change clothing that show no more than a blank flesh tone slate.

The Sims 2; a training ground for pedophiles?

So what does the future hold? The Xbox 360 has been on store shelves for just over six months now, and has clearly been marketed towards a more mature audience. At http://www.gamefly.com, eight of the top ten rented games, are rated "teen" or higher, with four of those games being "mature only"games. In fact, only 13 of the near 80 games released for the system are rated "E for Everyone" and nine of those games are sports titles like Madden or NBA Live.

As we slowly begin to learn more about the PS3, we are also seeing that Sony is taking the same route as its competitors. With games like Metal Gear Solid 3 and Killzone 2 getting top billing on Sony�??s next gen offering, it is very clear that major game companies are realizing that their target audience has grown up, and are offering up more and more games to appease them.

Lost Planet: Extreme Condition Preview

2007-06-01T08:20:00.000-07:00

Ahh, it's a great time to be a gamer. I remember years ago when all I could do was read about the exciting new games that would soon (sometimes not so soon) be gracing my video game systems. Essentially, we would have to take the writers words for just how great the game is. Those times have changed however, with the rise of online gaming and the Internet. Now, the very same demos that wow crowds in LA are also on your TV screen. As part of their E3 promotion, Microsoft will release a slew of E3 related content to its Xbox live Marketplace in the coming months.

One such Demo is for Capcom's wildly anticipated Lost Planet. In the game, you control an amnesic solider, on a planet filled with hostile aliens known as Akrids (think the big bad bugs from Starship Troopers). The other remaining humans on the planet have formed groups of Snow Pirates, who are almost as much trouble as the Akrids.

In the demo, you are in a barren artic wasteland, and it doesn't take long before you are ambushed by the Akrids You can use your machine guns or grenades to drop them, but after while you start to notice that they just keep coming. Look closer. The bridge ahead is infested with nests spitting out the creepy crawlers. Your best bet is to blow through them first, then focus on the Akrids themselves.

The Akrids come at you fast and heavy, in a variety of different ways. Some crawl above you, and swoop down to take digs at you, others burrow under the snow and the rest just come at you full throttle. If you do allow one of them to get to close, they have a variety of moves that will take large amounts of your health out. The solution? You guessed it, lots and lots of bullets.

That's one big bug...

Moving past this initial batch of enemies, you are greeted with a phenomenal view of what looks to be a city in ruins through a brisk snowfall. In one of the demo's coolest moments, the world around you starts to shake and you come face to face with a giant Akrid. These big guys take much more firepower, and much more grenades to bring down, but give up much health (little yellow orbs) in the process. Your character will slowly regain health when not taking fire, but you also have to watch your thermal meter, as with any movement, or every hit you take, it dwindles, and when it's all gone, your health will no longer regenerate.

One of the most fun areas in the demo is the underground area, because it's here that you can really let your destructive side show. Cars, barrels, doors, fences, anything can be blown up and shot at, and what's more, these items can be used to your advantage as well. A storm of Akrids was coming near me, so I shoot a grenade in their direction, causing the car in front of them to partially blow up. The Akrids are reeling, and I unleash a rain of bullets from my machine gun, causing the car to go up in flames, taking the bugs with it. Later, it is imperative that you destroy fences and doors to move on, but these instances aren't nearly as fun as luring a group of Akrids into your homemade car bomb trap.

You will get into multiple boss battles, sometimes with more than one gigantic enemy at once. In one particular battle, facing off with three armadillo like creatures that kept curling up into balls and rolling at me, I became very frustrated with the camera and controls. Turning to fire at one would cause me to lose sight of the other two, and I wouldn't have enough time to turn back and get ready for the next attack. The best solution to this problem is the left and right buttons, which turn you 90 degrees in their respective direction. This is extremely convenient, especially taking into account the fact that both of your weapons are mapped to the left and right triggers. Mastering this skill makes the game a whole lot easier, and smattering bug guts even more fun.

Speaking of weapons, you have your choices. You start off with a machine gun and grenades, but quickly find a shotgun lying in the snow. Each weapon has a different range, strength and rate of fire, bringing unique and fun strategy elements to the firefight. For instance, the machine gun will fire short, fast bursts, that take out more enemies at once, but has a short range and isn't extremely powerful against the alien beasts. The shotgun however, will fire single shots, but in most cases take out the Akrids in one or two shots. Before long, you start to find other weapons including sniper rifles and rocket launchers. Word of advice, for the demo, although it�??s tempting to use the rocket launcher on the horde of Akrid's coming at you right when you find it. Save it, you've got bigger problems just around the corner. Literally.

Why does that Snow pirate look like a Jawwa?

The second level of the Lost Planet demo, you are pitted against a faction of Snow Pirates. Upon starting, you immediately see a group standing at the entrance to what looks like a base or headquarters. Your itchy trigger finger tells you to start blasting away like you did to the Akrids in the previous mission, but its best not to listen. You'll find that it's best to stake out a spot with sufficient cover, and then begin your attack, as once one pirate knows you're there, they all do. As you try to reach the center of the base, you will be faced with everything from turrets and rocket launchers to explosions and yes, even mechs. What, you thought you it would be easy?

Though we won't see a final version of Lost Planet until 2007, what we did see was very promising. From the addicting game play, to the amazing sound and visuals, Lost Planet is poised to be one of Xbox 360's hard hitters in the coming year.

Hitman: Blood Money Review

2007-06-01T08:14:00.000-07:00

The Hitman series has always been about violence, stealth, and perhaps more than anything else; frustration. The series trademark trial and error game play has caused gamers the world over to throw down their controllers, only to pick them up again for one last try at making that big hit.

Eidos interactive hopes for similar results with the series newest installment; Hitman: Blood Money. This, the fourth game in the Hitman series (third on consoles) follows the same Hitman formula of walk in, disguise, kill target, walk out, with a much welcomed list of new features that serve to add new depth to an already solid game engine.

Blood Money starts with a training level that holds your hand and walks you through the basics of the game. After that, kiss linear game play goodbye, as your training wheels are off and you are on your own. There are literally hundreds of ways to go about your objectives, and each one brings its own surprises and problems. In most levels, you are given multiple targets to eliminate along with a few objectives that mostly require you to retrieve or destroy something. How you want to go about this is completely up to you, and can make for some fun and exciting game play moments. Like a chameleon, you can knock out and steal the clothes of someone with access to secure areas in order to get closer to your target. Another option, new to the Hitman series, is the ability to create "accidents" that off your target in very clever ways. These accidents range from falling chandeliers to the more clever kills including switching a real gun for a prop gun backstage of an Opera production and injecting food with a poison serum. What's great is that though the game will sometimes give you hints, for the most part it lets you discover these moments on your own. The world is your sick, twisted little playground.

Did I mention the game had a twisted sense of humor?

Of course, you do have one more option, go in, guns blazing, and taking out anyone and anything that stands in between you and your targets. No survivors mean no witnesses right? While this has held true for past Hitman games, Blood Money takes a different approach with the addition of the notoriety system. Every time someone becomes suspicious of you, anytime you are caught on camera, and especially anytime you kill someone, especially a civilian, your notoriety rises. Your actions will actually affect your future missions, as more people will begin to recognize you and report you to security. You'll even hear the citizens talk about your latest shooting spree. Once you finish a mission, you are treated to the local newspaper report of your crimes. The lower your notoriety, the less the public knows. Go in and kill anything that moves and you'll be treated to a nice police sketch of yourself. The newspaper clippings seem different after each mission and vary with how you go about your mission. This novelty wears off after you realize that the majority of information is the same in each clipping, with only cause of death and small specifics changed.

Blood Money also lets you choose how you spend your payment for each successful kill. You can choose to upgrade your weapons, with each weapon having a multitude of upgrades available from silencers to longer scopes and laser sights. Each upgrade is visible on screen, and you choose what weapons you bring along on each level, making customized trademark kills a fun, and intriguing possibility. You could also choose to spend your cash bribing everyone from the press, to the police, and even the witnesses of your crimes. This immediately lowers, or in some cases erases your notoriety, but since it's available after every mission, it almost cancels out the entire notoriety concept all together. I had enough cash after most missions to completely customize one of my weapons, and bribe everyone with a bit of cash left over. Why worry about covering your tracks if you know you'll just be able to magically wipe everything away with a touch of the X button?

Playing on the Xbox 360, it was easy to see the aesthetic leap in this, Agent 47's first foray into next generation gaming. For the first time ever, most of your kills take place on American shores, in very familiar and beautiful settings. From the blinding lights of a Las Vegas Casino to the jam-packed streets of Mardi Gras, the visuals may cause you to miss your target at first glance. Climb up a drainpipe on the outside of almost any building, and stand at the top; what do you see? Miles and miles of next generation skyline. The presentation has gotten a boost as well, when a significant event happens that may affect your hit, the screen splits in two, so you can watch the event unfold in real time.

A problem many have with previous Hitman games is that many of the game's actions were mapped to one button. When you wanted to open a door, or take someone's costume, you would have to navigate through a window of possible options and select it, costing you valuable time and more often than not getting you caught in the process. This problem has been solved in Blood Money, as your actions are now mapped out to three different buttons. Each time an action becomes available, it pops up next to the corresponding button in the upper left corner of the screen. No more accidentally picking a lock, when you meant to drop a weapon.

Check out the detail on this guy's face as 47 offs him

Previous Hitman games suffered from a lack of a compelling story that hooked gamers in. The cut scenes often acted as a snack or bathroom break in between taking out targets. Eidos has made a significant attempt to change this with Blood Money, as the story and cut scenes have become almost as integral to the game as offing targets. Agent 47 is being hunted by a rival agency, as we learn through a reporter's interview with a mysterious man who is obsessed with tracking down the urban legend known as The bald clone killer. With each new scene, we find out more about Agent 47's past, a topic much debated since the series debut.

One thing Blood Money neglected to change was the fact that even when your notoriety level is completely empty, even at the start of a mission, guards and civilians still stare you down when you pass by them. This may add to the suspense, but it takes away from the realism. In a crowded (and I mean crowded) New Orleans street during Mardi Gras, the guards ignore everyone else, and stare intently at me, walking calmly around with everyone else. What's worse is that this alone sometimes causes your suspicion meter to rise, making for more of that famed trail and error game play.

What did Jake Elwood ever do to deserve this?

In a game being praised for its small changes, Blood Money's biggest change is also its worst. Once you leave a mission, your in game saves are completely wiped clean. No matter what you do, once you hit restart, or turn off your game, your information is gone. The save system in the previous games worked fine, sure your in game saves were limited, but you at least had them. Why Eidos felt they needed to change this is beyond me.

Hitman: Blood Money improves on an already successful game formula with minor improvements that fans have been asking for. Both seasoned veterans and new comers to the series will take well to this game that tackles the world of contract killing, with a sadistic smile.

Final Judgment: 9.0

Condemned: Criminal Origins Review

2007-06-01T08:04:00.000-07:00

We have all had that dream where some maniac is chasing you through dark hallways you're not familiar with and attempting to hurt you -- badly. You hear him, all around you, to your left, your right, somehow even above and below you. Your heart races. Suddenly, he lunges at you. In a cold sweat, you shoot up in your bed, before anything bad can happen.

So what happens next? If you play Sega's Condemned: Criminal Origins for the Xbox 360, you bash said maniac in the face with the closest blunt object you can find until he learns his lesson. In Condemned, you are Ethan Thomas, an FBI agent pursuing a serial killer known only as The Match Maker. Your search leads you to an old dingy abandoned warehouse, where two of your partners have been viciously murdered, and somehow all of the evidence points straight to you. It is up to you to find the real killer and clear your name.

Let's hope all he's doing is trying to get the kink out of his back....

At first glance, Condemned looks like any other First Person Shooter, but to merely lump it in with every other corridor crawler would be like lumping The Godfather in with every other mob movie. Sure, those same elements are there, but so much more is going on in Condemned, that it is hard to classify the game in any certain way. There are guns available to you in Condemned, but they are so rare that when you do get your bloody hands on one, you almost get an invincible feeling. You'll find your best, and most fun, means of self-defense are objects you find laying around. Metal pipes, 2x4's with nails and wrenches are just some of the items at your disposal. Each weapon has its own speed, block, damage and reach ratings that add a strategy element to the game. Big weapons like fire axes and metal pipes may have an excellent damage rating, but due to their size and weight take forever to swing, giving those maniacs an open shot at your face. Specialty weapons like fire pokers, and paper cutter blades add variety to your selection, but they only appear when they are required to complete an objective or advance to another area, for instance when you face an old, boarded up door, you can always count on some whacko with a fire axe jumping at you around the next corner.

The melee combat system in Condemned has more depth than even it lets on. Your enemies will come fast, and can pick up the same weapons as you. A well-timed block or a shot from your trusty taser can send your assailants reeling, upon which you steal their weapon and drop them to their knees. From here, an option appears on screen, allowing you to give the junkies a violent sendoff. By pressing the d-pad in any direction you can choose to snap their neck, pound their heads to the pavement, deliver a haymaker like punch or impart a skull cracking head-butt. While this is being done, you see your character's arms outstretch and grab the other character. This is just the start of what the team at Sega did to make sure the player believes that they are Ethan Thomas. One cool aspect is that at times you are hit so hard that you fall down stairs or an elevator shaft, while most games would cut to a movie sequence in this case; Condemned keeps you in the story by staying with the first person view as you tumble.

This is what Condemned excels at; creating that creepy atmosphere that makes any good scary story great. Floorboards creek, pipes drip and shadows dance across the floor as you try to make your way through the old abandoned buildings. While you will find that enemies are around most every corner, Condemned rarely takes the easy way out that so many similar games have by having them standing waiting for you in the middle of the room as soon as you open a door. Instead, it is almost as if you entering the room alerts your enemies, causing them to come after you. In fact, in most cases, you can hear your enemies before you can see them in the darkened room. If you have a surround sound system, make sure it is on, it truly ads to the experience.

With all Condemned has working for it, its a shame how linear the game is. The buildings are so large that you will find yourself backtracking and spinning in circles to find the one way out. In cut scenes, Agent Thomas uses Windows, and tunnels to navigate, why can't we do this in the actual game? It's a little less frightening knowing that you have a set path to walk through when you're being chased by maniacs. To add to the disappointment, most levels look very similar to one another. Sure, you're in a train station, but you can bet before long you'll be in an old abandoned office located within the train station that oddly looks like the same dilapidated building you were just going through. There are some interesting levels (Two words- meat locker), but it's just a shame that a game with so much unforgettable atmosphere takes place in such lackluster settings.

To give players a break from head bashing, the developers have included a forensic science aspect to the game. In dark corners of certain rooms, you'll receive either a cell phone call or merely an on screen notification letting you know that evidence might be near. The right tool for the job, such as a DNA collector or digital camera are automatically selected for you and most investigations are done by lining up a group of arrows in a box that appears on screen. At first, this feature is intriguing, but as the game progresses, it merely serves to slow down the story. It would be more fun if you were free to search for clues on your own, and when you find them, they changed the game play.

A gun, truly a rare site in Condemned...

Condemned has no multiplayer, so once you've finished the 10 levels of the story, you've pretty much done it all. There are achievements to unlock, and a slightly interesting side quest that involves collecting dead birds, but you'll find that the reward for completing these quests isn't worth going through the game again if you didn't get them all the first time through.

Condemned: Criminal Origins accomplishes what it sets out to do, create a dark, gritty world where you never feel safe. Though it has no multiplayer, the single player story is engaging enough to sit through even if extremely straightforward and linear. Its film noir like atmosphere creates moments of tension that will make you squirm in your seat uncomfortably. Condemned is a horror junkie's dream, and one of the Xbox 360's best launch titles.

Final Judgement: 7.0