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| Review- Mega Man 9 |
| Monday, 29 September 2008 |
 Retro remakes are all the rage at the moment. With the recent Bionic Commando; Rearmed setting a very high standard for a retooled NES game can Mega Man 9 deliver in the same fashion?
The Mega Man franchise has in recent years become more famous for the way Capcom have milked the series over the years. Many old school fans of the series have become disillusioned as numerous spin offs have been born and the story has become more and more convoluted. Each of these new additions to the series seem to have added another layer or take on gameplay that simply wasn't needed. This however is a return to the principles the series built itself upon and is more like a direct sequel to Mega Man 2. It shares everything with it right down the same graphics, gloriously reimagined for todays consoles. No HD visuals, no hand drawn art style just plain old good 8 bit NES graphics. It would be incredible if someone could find a way to dump a ROM of this onto a NES cart and play it on the machine. (not that Gaming Corner condones piracy, this kind of experiment would purely be for fun!)
It can't be helped that there is this niggling feeling that this game could have used the kind of face lift that we recently saw in Bionic Commando. That helped the game to come kicking and screaming into the 21st Century world of HD. Purists will love the retro throwback whilst people will find the looks jarring and it may even make the game unplayable for those who don't wish to return to the days of old.
It is not only graphically where this title could be accused of coming up short. Whilst the music is fantastically retro and 8 bit it is not as memorable as the tunes from both Mega Man 1 and 2. There is something missing and none of the tracks are quite as catchy. Retro remixes of the old tunes may have been more preferable but would not have been in fitting with the graphics.
This all sounds very negative so far, but where the title really excels is the core gameplay. The basic premise is the same, work your way through 8 levels and beat the bosses. The clever part this system is you can tackle the bosses in order you wish, reach the end of their level and beat them and you will be rewarded with a power up that will help your adventure. Certain power ups help beat certain bosses, working out this order is an important part of the game. The platforming is as sweet as ever and those looking for a challenge will certainly be pleased. The level design is definitly up there as some of the best out there and is leagues above the most recent Mega Man games. The normal game is also supplemented with a smattering of current gen features such as in game achievements which help to increase the longevity of the title.
So which is the best version? Well purists would say that the Wii version is the best as it uses the classic patented D-Pad design that was present back in the NES days. Microsoft fans would argue that the inclusion of Xbox Achievements sets their version a cut above the rest, however the 360 controller does have D-Pad issues. Whereas the PS3 version with its own direction pad perhaps offers the best controlling HD smoothed version. Whatever the case if you are old school Mega Man fan you will find that whatever version you get this game will satisfy your need. There is set to be DLC for the game but so far it has only 100% been confirmed for Wii.
Mega Man is a NES game through and through it comes with a smattering of modern features yet it is clearly a product of the original era that the franchise was born during. Fans of the series will welcome the return a simplier day whereas casual gamers will be turned off by the decidedly ancient looking visuals and the difficult gameplay. One things for sure Mega Man has returned and is back to his best.
 Labels: PS3, Reviews, Wii, Xbox 360
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posted by flameboy @ 19:34  |
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| Preview - Star Wars: The Force Unleashed |
| Friday, 22 August 2008 |
Star Wars games have been very much a hit and miss affair of late. But with a new title in the franchise comes a New Hope. We look at the latest Star Wars spin off where the force is well and truly unleashed.
Games based on licenses are usually rushed jobs in order to fit in with the movie or DVD release of the said franchise. However there is certainly a good amount of sense in letting a game have a usual development cycle and releasing it as and when it is ready. Star Wars Force Unleashed is one such example. It could have been rushed out to hit this summer to tie in with Star Wars Clone Wars but instead it will hit worldwide in mid-September.
The demo of this game recently hit on Playstation Store and Xbox Live Marketplace and gives gamers the chance to let rip. Players take the role of Starkiller (interestingly the original name of Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars film) fresh from his advertising orientated cameo in Soul Calibur IV, who is also the secret apprentice of Sith Lord Darth Vader. The game takes place between Episodes III and IV and follows the story of Starkiller as he aides Darth Vader in eradicating all the remaining Jedi, whilst remaining unknown to the tyrannic Emperor.
The game is a third person action game, a genre explored before by Lucasarts but very rarely one they have succeeded in. Force Unleashed seems about to change all of that. First lets discuss what really matters to everyone; the lightsaber play. Force Unleashed takes a style that has become typical to the genre since God of War was released. With a simple move set that can be used by the more casual gamer and still be enjoyable on the easier difficulty settings as well as having enough depth to create a wealth of combos for the more seasoned gamer. Each of the lightsaber moves can also be used in combination with a mixture of jumps and force powers. In the demo only Push, Grip and Lightning are made available, however the trailer at the end of the 15 minutes of gameplay reveal many more powers. One that is certain about this Starkiller is a Sith at the peak of his use of the Force and whoever is stupid enough to stand in your way is in for a beating. Both Lightsaber and Force mechanics work well alone and in tandem and there is immense satisfaction to be had in the use of both.
The demo level takes place on board an Imperial Shipyard. This environment provides a surprising wealth of locations and ways in which to use the Force mechanics. There is little better experience than flinging around Stormtroopers or even better realising the Force Push can be charged and send hangar doors flying open rather than just the edging it open with a quick press. The demo ends with a great boss battle (that we won't wreck for you) which helps show the depth of the combat system as well as reveals some Quick Time Events thrown in for good measure. As long as the game keeps up this variety of play and does not rely on the same environmental gimmicks but instead throws up new ones, it will prove to an entertaining action adventure romp. Finally lets give the graphics a quick mention, they look as really good with the bigger areas in the ship yard looking fantastic, this game will not disappoint when it comes to looks.
Star Wars Force Unleashed is released 16th September in North America, 17th September in Asia and the Pacific with Europe seeing the game hit its shore on 19th September. Be sure to check back for our full review of the game upon its release.
Daft's Opinion:
I was looking forward to this and I was disappointed. For starters the character model of Starkiller is pretty dire compared to his appearance in Soul Calibur IV. Yes, it is a pretty minor gripe and is only really noticeable in the opening cutscene of the demo but it's a bit strange that Namco have a better looking character model considering he is the central character in Unleashed.
Next up, the controls. Altogether they are solid and accessible but I felt slightly disjointed with the Force. Aiming objects with force grip tends to rely fairly heavily on auto-targeting, which itself isn't great, meaning throwing things isn't always as useful as you want it to be.
Finally, the fighting. Why exactly a sith, who throws TIE fighters about like matchsticks and can levitate in mid-air while charging up a force push with the view of quite literally wiping the floor with a squad of stormtroopers, is unable to move while blocking is beyond me. Similarly when swinging your lightsaber you are pretty much rooted to the spot which, in my humble opinion, leads to some stuttered fighting. Also the sudden occurrence of a quick time event, and I'm usually a fan of these, when facing off against the AT-ST wasn't particularly welcome since it's appearance seemed slightly random, but that could just be my unfamiliarity with the game.
However, some of these issues are probably symptomatic of the fact that this is a demo. Force powers get leveled up, hopefully improving their effect and efficiency. The level on offer was relatively barren, especially when held up against the other levels seen in Unleashed, but the interactivity shown in it was promising. The demo never manages to reach a high, it seems to stutter along. With all this in mind I still think The Force Unleashed has a lot of promise – I'm just hoping the demo is only hinting at what we can expect from the full game.Labels: Previews, PS2, PS3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360
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| posted by flameboy @ 12:03 |
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| Top 10 - Games to keep you sane... |
| Wednesday, 20 August 2008 |
 I've taken the liberty of kicking off the 'Top 10' feature with games to take your frustration out on, and generally keep you sane after being stamped on by the boot of life every day. Please feel free to add in the comments any game think deserves to be added to the list.
1. Crackdown
We've all got to the point where we just want to go all Incredible Hulk after being pushed a bit too far. You just want to pick up the desk you're at, hurl it through the wall. Let rip an epic roar, dousing the offending antagonist with saliva, and jump through the ceiling landing a mile or so away on an unsuspecting car with the intention of throwing the closest pedestrian into the rapidly approaching police vehicles.
Okay, that might just be me but Crackdown allows you to do things to this effect – while, I might add, allowing the player to keep the moral high ground. Crackdown is the ultimate in stress relief. None of this 'story' rubbish, no invisible walls or need to reserve ammo.You do what you want and your reward is that you get better at... whatever it is you were doing. If along the way you want to takeout a few mobsters, that's your choice. As long as things are burning, or are about to burn, you're playing the game right. It's more fun than working in a trampoline factory, getting paid by the bounce.
2. Project Gotham Racing
I've been with the PGR series ever since Metropolis Street Racer. "It's not how fast you drive, it's how you drive fast." That's one of the joys of the game; the controls are tight letting you swing your fantastically expensive cars round the narrowest bends with the perfect balance of ease and necessary technique. Also, in the same way X-Box 360 gamers have a Pavlovian response to the sound of an achievement popping up, the sound of 'Kudos' racking up is a heavenly sound, especially when accompanied by tire squealing. If you're lucky enough, or unlucky depending on whether you like these places, to live in one of the in-game cities you'll appreciate the deserted roads...something you'll never see in London. For the ultimate in stress relief, I recommend playing Cat'n'Mouse online. As a racing game, you're meant to race, not collide or put you opponent off in any way. Cat'n'Mouse, however, is about crashing into the other team, and not just that, you are actually meant to bully their weakest car. It sounds brutal... and it is.
3. Burnout: Paradise
You've had a long day at work, you're stuck in traffic on the bus or in your car, you're probably going to get angry, rattled, frustrated - not too unlike a caged animal. It isn't how anyone should end his or her day really, step forward Burnout: Paradise. If PGR was about how you drive fast Burnout:Paradise is basically about how much rampant destruction you can cause while driving fast.
Opponent getting on your nerves? Introduce them to a wall. It's the kind of instantly satisfying justice that you wish you could deal out in real life when say, babies are crying on public transport, or when someone sends you grammatically incorrect texts to save time. Burning rubber, high speeds, twisted metal, solid walls; it's the ingredients for one hell of a time. Remember kids, speed doesn't kill you, it's the sudden lack of it, that's the real killer.
4. Eledees
No one likes living in a messy house but it is undeniably fun making a mess. Eledees gives you a gravity gun and doesn't care much for the whole cleaning up thing. With the use of the WiiMote your job is to smash things around the place looking for little critters to trap and enslave, giving you more power to throw around bigger things. It's a wonderful cycle of destruction and mayhem. Combine that with the little screams of fear that the Eledees emit while you hunt them down, and you can be your own little family friendly dictator.
5. SingStar
Not much to point out here. Scream as loud as you can and pretend you can actually sing, don't worry, you can't. Then get rated on how you did by the most generous and easy to trick scoring ever conceived. Might not sound like much fun but it is. If that still doesn't sound appealing, something you can apply to life as a whole to vastly improve it, just as alcohol.
6. Earth Defence Force 2017
"EDF!! EDF!!", music to my ears. Earth Defence Force is a thing of beauty. It knows it is rubbish, you know it is rubbish - I know it is absolute rubbish. However unlike most games, that is half of the fun. In the same kind of way as Crackdown, mass killing equals bigger mass killing. The more you play, the more health you get, the bigger weapons you are rewarded with. You'll be pretty pleased when you get the Tortoise, a slow moving, homing tactical nuke. You'll be even more pleased when you find out that later on you'll get weapons that make the Tortoise look like a pea-shooter.
There really is nothing like seeing the horizon of a ruined Tokyo city at sun down fill up with giant ants as you fire off your Prominence MA. As you turn to face the next wave, and your missile crashes into the alien hordes, you won't fail to smile at the ants' death screams and their lifeless corpses as they blot out the sun. Play this in co-op and prepare to lose hours to it. I dare you not to smile.
7. Tori-Emaki
Okay, so a theme that might be emerging here is that violence means stress relief (Yes, I'm including the abuse of music in SingStar) so I thought I would have a bit of variation and that comes in the form of Tori-Emaki. Tori-Emaki isn't really a game though. It's more of a Playstation Eye based flash game. By imitating a Thunderbird puppet on an LSD induced trip you can manoeuvre a flock of crows around a traditional Japanese wood block print style landscape, accompanied with suitably breezy and relaxing music. It sounds stupid but don't underestimate the power of acting like at total inbred moron.
8. Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition
A game where you can suplex a zombie, making it's head explode. Where you can cap someone in the knees and then round-house kick them in the face. A game where one of the bad guys is an evil midget. It has everything.
9. Assassin's Creed
Love it or hate it - I don't care. There's no better way to utilise your pent up frustration than becoming a 12th century parkour enabled assassin stalking the holy land. One of the key reasons there is so much enjoyment to get out of the game is because Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, or Altaïr for short, has a real physical presence within the game world. If a beggar woman is annoying you, "Please sir, can I have some money?", don't settle for what you'd do in most other games and just kill her, do the humane thing, chuck her down some stairs and watch her roll. If that sound bite, "No you don't understand, I have nothing!", is really getting on your nerves and you have a brick wall at hand, smack her into it before she can shriek her last syllable. Just before people get up in arms about me being sexist, you can apply exactly the same method to the lepers - it's just they don't annoy me as much by repeating the same ear shattering sound bite at me for the nth time.
Swords and hordes are also on the menu as the enemy guards will actively stand by as you slaughter them one by one. It's a pretty rhythmic fighting system which I think suits the game. You can't beat the feeling when your sword connects perfectly and are rewarded with a bloody neck exploding execution.
Now picking the final game has caused me a few problems. Do I go with Portal and the energy contained within its gameplay, Mario Galaxy where I can bound planets or a thousand other different games that should really get a mention? Like I said earlier, feel free to tell me in the comments of games you would add to the list.
Finally, my number 10 goes to...
10. Super Stardust HD
I love this game. I loved it when it first came up and I loved it even more when trophy support was added. A game that fits in that wonderful bracket of easy to learn, difficult to master. I'll try and get my lyrical waxing out of the way quickly. The game looks phenomenal in all its 1080p glory. There is so much going on that certain tasks, like surviving for 7 minutes without dying in Endless Mode, are incredibly daunting but the game is so easy to get into, and so inviting to learn, that most will find it a joy to attempt such challenges.
There were two things that convinced me to put SSHD in my list. First, setting off nukes, sending a shock wave around the planet ripping to pieces anything in it comes into contact with, is awesome. Second, my experience of trying to get the 'Late Boomer' trophy. For this trophy you try and recoup 15 bombs on a rapidly busier planet where your only form of defense is swift dodging and bombs, the latter of which you really need to hold onto if you want the trophy. I managed to get 14 bombs and then those masochistic red triangles of death started to land and I though I was about to be annihilated again. I manage to swerve out the way for about 10 seconds missing rocks by only a pixel's width. Desperation sets in, my heart is pumping. Suddenly I see the supply ship carrying two bombs halfway across the planet. I boost. I detonate. As two magic bomb tokens hover in infinity, so close yet so far, the universe is coming for me. The massive gold asteroids want me, the myriad of rocky debris want me and the red triangles of death are coming for me, building in number. In blind hope I swoop. 13. 14. 15.
I've done it.
Shock, joy, relief. I've f*cking done it.
As the Trophy message acknowledges my achievement, I am blinked out of existence by the force of the universe. And that, dear readers, is the last time I will ever play the 'Bomber' mode on SSHD.
There we have it, 10 games to keep you sane.Labels: Console, Daft, Playstation 3, Top 10, Wii, Xbox 360
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| posted by Daft @ 09:30 |
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| Through the Looking Glass - Halo: Emotion Evolved |
| Sunday, 27 July 2008 |
Before I start, I would just like to point out that this article isn't a comment on what I think of Halo as a game. To be completely honest, I like Halo but I'm not fanatical about it. This feature is for examining subtexts or looking at alternate readings of games and I hope you enjoy reading it.
In the cold hard depths of space, suspended forever in a moment, a halo floats at the centre of a war. We are on the Pillar of Autumn and a recently awakened Master Chief arrives on the bridge, humanity’s last hope, it’s captain and hero. With the ship’s main cannon offline Cortana is vulnerable and her capture is unacceptable. This is where the Chief comes in, time for a hard transfer. If they capture her they'll learn everything: force deployment, weapons research…Earth. With the transfer complete, Cortana and Master Chief are now one. “Your architecture isn't much different from the Autumn's.” and so this is how they begin, a whisper in a bang.
“We're gonna make it aren't we, sir? I don't wanna die out here.” One of the marines on the lifepod asks. He doesn’t get an answer and he never will as only moments later, Master Chief emerges, a lone figure, from the flaming wreckage that had rescued them from the Autumn. This isn’t the last time the Chief and Cortana will survive in the face of spine shattering odds, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.
Cortana is Master Chief’s voice. She is as commanding as the Chief is brutal. Ripping through the enemy lines, united they claw together more fortunate marines from other crash sites. The Chief is on a combat high, Cortana is working, thinking, plotting. Things are close to desperate but looking up. Time to save Keyes. The Chief and Cortana complete each other. She thinks, he does. She has power over this blunt weapon, this “demon” and as they travel on the gravity lift into the heart of a Covenant ship, they are becoming closer, anticipating each other, beating as one. The momentum is with them.
Later on, Keyes is safe, they find themselves in Halo’s central control room. “You all right?” the Chief asks. “Never been better! You can't imagine the wealth of information; the knowledge! So much so fast. Its glorious!” comes the response. Unlike Master Chief’s control on the battlefield, Cortana’s dark desire for information and power shows who is the real demon. The Chief feels this bubbling malice, Cortana snaps, “This ring isn't a cudgel, you barbarian.” However, Cortana becomes aware of a new threat, something beyond her conception and control.
Cortana: The Covenant found something buried in this ring; something horrible. And now they're afraid.
Master Chief: Something buried? Where?
Cortana: The captain! We've got to stop the captain!
Master Chief: Keyes? What do we...?
Cortana: The weapons cache he's looking for is not really... We can't let him get inside!
Master Chief: I don't understa...?
Cortana: There's no time! Get out of here, find Keyes stop him before it's too late!
The Flood are coming, remaining hooked to the halo’s computers she sends Master Chief off, alone, to stop Keyes. She has abandoned the Chief.
We now find ourselves in Installation 04 and 343 Guilty Spark, an A.I. construct of Forerunner origin, shows Master Chief the way, “We must collect the index before we can activate the installation.” They only find death and destruction in this place - and the precious ‘index’. Keyes and his squad are dead and the Flood have been unleashed. Time to escape back to the control room.
Cortana, absorbed in Halo’s fountain of knowledge, has lost focus and with it command of the Chief and the situation in general. She has let Guilty Spark use Master Chief to achieve its own calculated ends and, as hers was before, his loss is now unacceptable.
Cortana: I've spent the last twelve hours cooped up in here watching you toady about helping that thing get set to slit our throats.
Master Chief: Hold on now. He's a friend.
Cortana: Oh! I didn't realise. He's your pal, is he? Your chum? Do you have any idea what that bastard almost made you do?
“Sod off!” Cortana barks in a rage as Guilty Spark notices in disgust this new alien A.I.. Master Chief is wavering, “The Flood is spreading. If we activate Halo's defenses we can wipe them out.” Guilty Spark reminds him. The Chief is an unknown, a volatile weapon, a blunt tool vulnerable, needing instruction and now at the mercy of the universe’s most powerful artificial intelligences. However, Cortana is more than just a calculating construct. She has grown to know the Chief, as he has her. She returns, humbled, to her familiar self, a creation of logic growing beyond her preconceived parameters. She tries to regain control of the spiraling situation “You have no idea how this ring works, do you? Why the Forerunners built it? Halo doesn't kill Flood - it kills their food. Humans, Covenant, whatever; we're all equally edible. The only way to stop the Flood is to starve them to death and that's exactly what Halo is designed to do - wipe the galaxy clean of all sentient life. You don't believe me? Ask him!” And so she sparks doubt in Master Chief’s mind, “Is it true?” he asks Guilty Spark. “More or less.” comes the response.
Cortana has wandered through the horrors of the shade but has finally emerged bloody, but unbowed. Ignoring Guilty Spark’s blathering Cortana and the Chief are working as one again, “Get us out of here.” With everything to lose, the halo must be destroyed; the only way is to detonate the crashed Pillar of Autumn.
The Maw - the Autumn is enveloped in rot. Just like the previous two chapters Master Chief and Cortana are alone. They have evolved together and we can see the culmination of their interaction almost explicitly expressed as they approach the Autumn:
Cortana: This thing is falling apart!
Master Chief: It'll hold.
Cortana: We're not going to make it!
Master Chief: We'll make it.
Computers, A.I.s, machines are definably inhuman through their inability to look beyond reason. To borrow from Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, which captures this idea perfectly, “There are things that machines will never do. They cannot possess faith - they cannot commune with God... They cannot appreciate beauty - they cannot create art. If they ever learn these things, they won't have to destroy us. They'll be us.” The Chief has led Cortana to this epiphany and she presents us with the most human of characteristics - faith. It isn’t an illusion or an attempt at replicating an idea; it is genuine faith. Neither solely logical nor abandoned to emotion she now places her trust, not to mention her life, in Master Chief’s hands against her own judgment (and considering her intelligence, her judgment might as well be law). As Master Chief put his trust in her before, it is time for her to return the favor.
 Together, not only do they complete each other, they are holistic. With the job done, the halo destroyed, they escape into the dust and echoes. “We're all that's left. We did what we had to do - for Earth.” Together, adrift in space, the threat to humanity is extinguished; there is nothing more for them to do. “Halo - it's finished.” remarks Cortana. Master Chief: No. I think we're just getting started. And there we have it, Halo: Combat Evolved, at least, is over – job done, boy meets girl, boy and girl blow up universe destroying alien artifact. In part two we’ll see what happens when their bond is put to the ultimate test – the ride is definitely just getting started. Labels: Daft, Features, Halo, Through the Looking Glass, Xbox 360
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| posted by Daft @ 00:31 |
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| Review: Beijing 2008 |
| Saturday, 26 July 2008 |
 Ive always been a fan of Athletics games (although not the actual sport for some reason). I used to play one a lot on the N64 with friends, although for the life of me I can't remember which one. Anyway, this is why I was quite happy to hear an official Olympics game was coming out and I decided to rent it.
Ive got mixed feelings about this game, hopefully you'll understand why as I carry on with this review.
One nice feature of the game is that its Xbox Live leaderboards are linked directly into the game, so the World Records you see on the screen are the records that people have set from all over the world. Now while this is a great feature, its already proven to be very flawed. One of the first events I tried out was the Pole Vault. Looking at the World Record I was shocked to see that it was over 600m! I'm sure some people may find it hilarious to have scores this high, I didn't. I think it actually takes a lot of the fun out of it. This is a game in which the basic premise is to compete against other people to get the highest score/time possible. Now with these new ridiculous scores (brought about by cheating or glitches I don't know which) then fun for me is taken out. I know now that I will never be able to gain a World Record by normal means so why bother at all?
Still, I don't want to complain too much as it is still an enjoyable game. There are a wide variety of events. All the ones you would expect are there. Some of my favourites so far have been the diving, where you choose the type of dive you want and then use the two thumbsticks to line up the dive correctly. Archery is another good one, having to account for the wind and the feeling when you get a ten. High Jump I found every interesting, instead of with all the other athletics games Ive played where you just button mash to get up speed then jump at the correct time, here you actually have to press buttons at the correct time in the run up, almost turning it into a quick time event.
The rest of the events are pretty similar to those you would have seen before, either mashing the correct buttons to gain speed or wiggling the thumbsticks. Another change though is the starting of races, gone are the instances of just button mashing as soon as the gun shoots. Now instead you hold one of the shoulder buttons down and a bar starts to fill up, the speed of this depends on how hard you hold the button. Now when this bar gets to the red section you have to run, the trick in this is to time it perfectly so that you hit the red just as the gun sounds, otherwise you get some pretty slow starts. I'll admit that I haven't quite gotten used to this yet so my starts tend to be pretty poor!
I have been impressed with the graphics in Beijing 2008. The character models seem top notch to me, with expressive features and definitely looking more human than the older Olympic games I played before this! Unfortunately the crowd can be a bit repetitive, watching 50% of them all tilt their heads in the same direction and style every now and again can get a bit distracting.
Playing this game was always going to be best on multiplayer. I tried it out with goaferboy and we had some fun trying to beat each others times and going head to head in certain events. I have not had the chance yet to try it with more people but I thinks its safe to assume the multiplayer would be great fun with a full four people playing.
Overall I would say Beijing 2008 is a good athletics game, although a lot harder than previous athletics games I think this does spur you on a bit to work harder. As I mentioned before, the World Ranking problems really have made it hard for me to want to event attempt going for records and that's why currently this game wont get a higher score than I would have given it just from the normal play through. I can only hope that a patch might be released at some point to fix this. If not then I wont be playing it on single player a whole lot after the initial career.
Oh, and one more thing to note...............MY THUMBS ARE KILLING ME FROM ALL THE BUTTON MASHING!
 Labels: Reviews, Xbox 360
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| posted by Happenstance @ 11:39 |
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| E3; Round Up Part 2 |
| Friday, 25 July 2008 |
Following on from Nintendo we take at the Microsoft Press Conference at this years E3, where there were not many surprises but all mighty twist at the end.
What is evident from Microsoft's conference is that they feel that they no longer to chase the hardcore and can keep them happy pretty easily and without effort. Their conference included demonstrations of Fallout 3, Resident Evil 5, Fable 2 and Gears of War 2 all games that had been previously announced and given hands on time with the press. Crucially two of these are also multiplatform. Whilst they did all look fantastic and offer plenty of surprises (surely few expected Fable 2 to actually be finished and Resident Evil 5 to have such a great co-op mode) it is hard not to feel disappointed that these were given so much time when they are sequels that have already been revealed. With regards to giving time to certain games it seems baffling that Microsoft omitted Bungie's big announcement because of time constraints, yet they managed to find the time to have Duffy up on stage sining a long to Lips, their new Singstar clone.
Cloning was a actually a good way to sum up this conference as feature after feature was revealed that has been seen else where. Whilst it is easy to jump on Microsoft's back for this there is reasoning behind it. Sony recently updated their firmware and are slowly but surely getting a service resembling Xbox Live, Microsoft needed to add features to justify their continued charging for Gold Membership.
Arguably the biggest 1st Party announcement wasn't even a game, it was the revealing of how they plan to reinvent the system through software, the heavily rumoured Dashboard update is coming in Autumn/Fall this year. Instead of a total revelation it takes the best features from a number of other game/media devices; it has a XMB/Wii Channels/ IPod Cover Flow navigation system and has their versions of the Mii system, the "imaginatively" titled Avatars. Despite a lot of people's misgivings about this new look there can be little denying its impact. The menu system does everything the old blades system did plus extra. Think of it as a menu driven version of Sony's Home service (still yet to be given a date), with gaming parties being created and then following each other where ever they go.
The middle section of the conference is probably best left unmentioned. Microsoft showed off Lips and In the Movies, a mixture of age old Eyetoy style games with admittedly neat movie creation. If the editing tools are flexible enough then this could prove to be a hit, but it didn't make for good conference viewing. Nintendo executives have made an event of their on stage tom-fooley at E3, their Microsoft equivalents just simply looked embarassing.
Live Arcade wasn't left out with a reveal of the new Galaga game, touted as the first true sequel being created by the team that did Pacman Championship Edition, as well as the four player Geometry Wars 2. Also present was the announcement of Portal; Still Alive which if rumours are to be believed is an expansion pack, what is known is that it will be XBL exclusive.
Of course it seems natural to end with the well the end. After the conference was seeming over, a movie came on to reveal that Final Fantasy XIII will be launching on Xbox 360 at the same time as PS3 in the US. This is a big slap in the face to Sony in the US and is blatantly obvious not a move to get more people buying their console but instead prevent fans of the series picking up a PS3 as well. It's a good move on Microsoft's part and has ensured renewed vigour in the endless fanboy wars.
Thats it for now, check back for our final round up of Sony's Conference.Labels: E3, Features, Microsoft, Xbox 360
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| posted by flameboy @ 19:06 |
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| Review: Hail to the Chimp |
| Thursday, 24 July 2008 |
It would be easy to dismiss Hail to the Chimp at nothing more than just another party game. If you were to do that you would miss out on some of the funniest presidential banter you are ever likely to see in a game.
It is of course worth bearing in mind very few other video games have ever aimed in delivering this particular brand of comedy. Satire is the comedic flavour being used with the colourful animals providing witty remarks and a walrus doing his best impression of Ron Burgundy prsenting the news on GRR News. The news reels and advertisements throughout the game provide the political flavoured laughs and do in fact cover a very extensive range of issues. However you will find yourself occasionally groaning at some of the more terrible and cheesy jokes. It could be argued that Hail to the Chimp has few highlights as game bar this humourous look at the USA's election system.
The game uses a very unique and funky art style with a paper grain effect used in abundance. Each character is bright and vibrant and can have a variety of accessories plastered on them to make them look truly garish. The levels fit in with this ton using bright colours and sharp contrasts to make areas stand out, it can still be hard to keep a track of things.
Despite earlier saying this game should not be dismissed as just another party game, unfortunately the gameplay does fall into the genre's stereotypes. All of the games humorous content is delivered outside of the actual game which means it is largely devoid of laughs. To simply sum it up, the game suffers from very shallow gameplay and simplistic mechanics.
 There are a choice of different stages each with their own unique twists as you would expect, all of the games different modes can also be played on each of these stages. All of the varying types of games don't be differ too much to be honest and it actually three other candidates collecting clams which represent votes, there are different game types but they only vary in the way which the game collates the clams into votes. This can be handy if you are better at dashing and grabbing clams for the ballot for example, than keeping hold of the most clams for 2 minutes. It could be seen as a way of representing the multi-faceted of the presidential election system and can be used to tactically try and win your favourite stages, demonstrating how not every state has to be won. Clams can be acquired by simply running into them and picking them up as they appear on the stage, or more aggresively fight for them. It is shame however that the combat mechanics descend into button mashing. This gives little risk-reward balance to fight as it feels so random and unfair, coupled with it feeling boring, only helps to add to the games full repetitive structure.
The game offers little variety in multiplayer just giving you chance to play each of the battles with friends instead of the AI. The computer controlled characters deserve a mention if only for how extremely unbalanced they are. They either kick your ass, beating you into submission or you do exactly the same and serve that up to them. There is no such thing as a close battle at the AI seems either too easy or too hard. So with this in mind it is hard to recommend this game if you are only going to play it solo and without mates!
Whilst the game is indeed funny there is little to keep you coming back once all the jokes have been seen and this happens far too quickly. Some of the jokes do stand up to repeat viewings but not the vast majority and they in fact start to grate and it become increasingly frustrating. It's a problem the game as a whole suffers as there is simply not enough to keep your attention. It would have perhaps benefited from being a cheaper downloadable title to make up for its shortcomings, instead its a budget price disc game that is barely worth it and suffers from severe longevity problems.
Labels: Playstation 3, Reviews, Xbox 360
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| posted by flameboy @ 16:13 |
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