Occasionally I leave a movie theatre and a thought will go through my head that sounds like “I’m glad to have lived to experience this movie.” Tetro was such a film. It plays out like an opera with music, dance, and a tragic story. Filmed in the backdrop of Buenos Aries in black and white with a few sections in color, it is art, culture, and emotion beautifully wound together and speaks to the audience the same way that Van Gogh’s Starry Night captivates its onlookers.
The story begins with a Bennie (Alden Ehrenreich), a young man looking for his brother Tetro (Vincient Gallo, Goodfellas) who left for a sabbatical when he was just a boy. He left behind a letter for him promising that he would return for him and that he would understand someday. He finds his brother, a tortured artist, who no longer wants anything to do with his family. He agrees to let the brother he’s abandoned stay with him for the 5 days it will take to fix the engine on his boat, but keeps all his motives to himself. Tetro’s wife Miranda (Maribel Verdu, Y Tu Mama Tambien, Pan’s Labyrinth) takes an interest in Bennie as she knows very little of her husband’s past only that he is a very tortured artist who harbors resentment for his family. Much happens in their short time together as Bennie learns about the life his brother is living now while he and Miranda try to piece together brother’s secrets.
The story of this family is Shakespearean in its conception and execution. It is something you would expect to see on stage but performed for the camera in such a way that makes film seem fresh and vibrant again. Frances Ford Coppola uses the sequences of color and dance to express everything that his characters are thinking and feeling and to tell the story without so much as a word being spoken. The passion of the actors in the main story matches the elegance of those in the dancers and the two weave gracefully through a story of trust, betrayal, love, art and beauty.
So many filmmakers are able to interweave black and white film with color and make it into an art form. Coppola makes it seem almost simple which is a testament to how much he knows what he’s doing. The last film I can think of that did it so well was Edward Nolen’s Memento. This is a movie you absolutely cannot look away from. It subtly and gently pulls you in without you noticing you’re on a hook. It makes me appreciate everything that has come before it and everything that will continue to come from this medium.
Grade A+
Meta Grade 100
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
It's their livelihood to care
Within the time span of one week I was able to review and revisit Punk Justice because the developer released an update for the game that made it better. Patches are nothing new to the world of video games, in fact PC gamers have been enjoying them for years as their gaming platform of choice most likely has an internet connection of some kind. Getting the latest update for a game like Left 4 Dead or Team Fortress 2 is as routine as an anti-viral update. It's a rather new addition to console gaming and portable gaming now that Apple and Google have thrown their hats into the ring.
The thing of it is, the people charging you $60 per game seem to be getting it the most wrong and the plethora of developers making games $9.99 or less for the iPhone and Android operating system seem to get it the most right. Last year Rockstar released a special edition of Bully for the 360 that had a horrible bug that caused the game to crash often. It was just shy of unplayable until and update was released for it. More recently Terminator Salvation was released for the PC and the retail copies of the game didn't allow you to install it making the game absolutely unplayable. Meanwhile a game like Dropship for iPhone which I picked up for $0.99 has had numerous updates that make the game better and more. A few days ago Star Defense, which was just released earlier this month received an update that adds a new mode to the game with several other welcomed features.
The other thing that the little guys get right is telling you exactly what is in the update. Every time I turn on my 360 or PS3 and a game tells me there is an update available, I'll download it but often times I have no clue what I'm getting unless I had prior knowledge. It's true you can go the the developer's website and read what the contents are, but why not just give me a pop up screen telling me what you are adding or fixing? For the G1 and the iPhone when there's an update available I'm told exactly what is in the update before I download it. It's nice to not be in the dark about whether or not a particular bug is going to be fixed when you download an update. I wonder how many Gears of War 2 players actually visited the site to find out what all bugs of the many that were in that game were fixed. Secondly, often times when new features are added to a console game there is a fee attached. This is especially infuriating when the features you pay extra for are on the disk the game comes on like the alternate costumes in Street Fighter 4, or the new recent Wolverine DLC level. When something is added to an iPhone game, it's free and it feels like the developer is putting it there because they want you to have more fun not make more money off you.
Aside from the fact that I know the developers of these games care about their product, it's also their livelihood of the small iPhone/Android developers to care more about their product and to continue to make it better after its release. One thing Ngmoco has mastered is not only making a good product, but continuing to iterate on it and make it better by tweaking the difficulty, adding content, and making the overall user experience better. They know that if you buy one of their products and like it, you will be more likely to buy another game made by them especially when the barrier to entry is $10 or less. I probably wouldn't have considered buying Firemint's Real Racing if I haddn't wanted to see what else they've done since I had so much fun with Flight Control. With every update I download for these games it's like the developer is sending me a note that says "hey, I care about my product and I want to make sure you're having the best possible time with it." The only console developer I've seen actually get it right is Criterion with Burnout Paradise. They gave their players free content updates for over a year and when the introduced paid content made sure it that the people who didn't buy it were still able to play with those that did. Valve has also set the bar on the PC side for delivering high quality content to their users for free of charge.
It all boils down to brand loyalty and the little guys know that you will come back if they've done right by you. Some of the big guys get it and some won't until they've destroyed the reputation. I didn't mind spending a little extra for the SF4 costumes even though they were on the disk because I would have had to pay extra for them on the Japanese arcade machine anyway. I did mind and refuse to buy the Soul Calibur 4 content because there was no precedent set up by an arcade release of the game and it just didn't make any sense to me. In this new world of constant updates it's going to be very clear who cares about you and who is just trying to squeeze a few more bucks out of you.
The thing of it is, the people charging you $60 per game seem to be getting it the most wrong and the plethora of developers making games $9.99 or less for the iPhone and Android operating system seem to get it the most right. Last year Rockstar released a special edition of Bully for the 360 that had a horrible bug that caused the game to crash often. It was just shy of unplayable until and update was released for it. More recently Terminator Salvation was released for the PC and the retail copies of the game didn't allow you to install it making the game absolutely unplayable. Meanwhile a game like Dropship for iPhone which I picked up for $0.99 has had numerous updates that make the game better and more. A few days ago Star Defense, which was just released earlier this month received an update that adds a new mode to the game with several other welcomed features.
The other thing that the little guys get right is telling you exactly what is in the update. Every time I turn on my 360 or PS3 and a game tells me there is an update available, I'll download it but often times I have no clue what I'm getting unless I had prior knowledge. It's true you can go the the developer's website and read what the contents are, but why not just give me a pop up screen telling me what you are adding or fixing? For the G1 and the iPhone when there's an update available I'm told exactly what is in the update before I download it. It's nice to not be in the dark about whether or not a particular bug is going to be fixed when you download an update. I wonder how many Gears of War 2 players actually visited the site to find out what all bugs of the many that were in that game were fixed. Secondly, often times when new features are added to a console game there is a fee attached. This is especially infuriating when the features you pay extra for are on the disk the game comes on like the alternate costumes in Street Fighter 4, or the new recent Wolverine DLC level. When something is added to an iPhone game, it's free and it feels like the developer is putting it there because they want you to have more fun not make more money off you.
Aside from the fact that I know the developers of these games care about their product, it's also their livelihood of the small iPhone/Android developers to care more about their product and to continue to make it better after its release. One thing Ngmoco has mastered is not only making a good product, but continuing to iterate on it and make it better by tweaking the difficulty, adding content, and making the overall user experience better. They know that if you buy one of their products and like it, you will be more likely to buy another game made by them especially when the barrier to entry is $10 or less. I probably wouldn't have considered buying Firemint's Real Racing if I haddn't wanted to see what else they've done since I had so much fun with Flight Control. With every update I download for these games it's like the developer is sending me a note that says "hey, I care about my product and I want to make sure you're having the best possible time with it." The only console developer I've seen actually get it right is Criterion with Burnout Paradise. They gave their players free content updates for over a year and when the introduced paid content made sure it that the people who didn't buy it were still able to play with those that did. Valve has also set the bar on the PC side for delivering high quality content to their users for free of charge.
It all boils down to brand loyalty and the little guys know that you will come back if they've done right by you. Some of the big guys get it and some won't until they've destroyed the reputation. I didn't mind spending a little extra for the SF4 costumes even though they were on the disk because I would have had to pay extra for them on the Japanese arcade machine anyway. I did mind and refuse to buy the Soul Calibur 4 content because there was no precedent set up by an arcade release of the game and it just didn't make any sense to me. In this new world of constant updates it's going to be very clear who cares about you and who is just trying to squeeze a few more bucks out of you.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Punk Justice for iPhone review
Punk Justice offers a few nice touches to the genre but the novelity wears off quickly.
I’m a huge fan of fighting games so when I came across Punk Justice for the iPhone I was anxious to see what people were trying to do with the genre on the platform. Punk Justice is more like Punch Out!! than the 2D or 3D fighters I’ve come to know and love. It has a static camera placed behind the character you control with your opponent facing you, and has two buttons on either side of the screen that allow you to punch or dodge in that direction. You have a stamina bar that allows you to continue punching and a power bar that when depleted you predictably get knocked out and lose. There are combos and hitting the punch button while dodging will result in a stronger punch being thrown. There are also challenges thrown into the fights like having to KO your opponent within a certain time limit or only giving you the ability to dodge for a certain amount of time before you can throw a punch.
Unlike Punch Out!! the characters are all pretty much on the same note. The skins for the characters changes, but other than tweaks to their speed or power they throw the exact same punch. Also there is no telegraphing what is to come. They’ll go into a punch animation and you have a split second to guess which direction to dodge before the hit lands. Quite often you’ll eat a few punishing hit strings from a mistimed dodge. There are a few different backgrounds, but after 5-10 minutes you’ve basically seen all the game has to offer. The game is fun for a few minutes but it’s not the sort of app you’ll be in a rush to return to.
Grade D+
Meta Grade 40
I’m a huge fan of fighting games so when I came across Punk Justice for the iPhone I was anxious to see what people were trying to do with the genre on the platform. Punk Justice is more like Punch Out!! than the 2D or 3D fighters I’ve come to know and love. It has a static camera placed behind the character you control with your opponent facing you, and has two buttons on either side of the screen that allow you to punch or dodge in that direction. You have a stamina bar that allows you to continue punching and a power bar that when depleted you predictably get knocked out and lose. There are combos and hitting the punch button while dodging will result in a stronger punch being thrown. There are also challenges thrown into the fights like having to KO your opponent within a certain time limit or only giving you the ability to dodge for a certain amount of time before you can throw a punch.
Unlike Punch Out!! the characters are all pretty much on the same note. The skins for the characters changes, but other than tweaks to their speed or power they throw the exact same punch. Also there is no telegraphing what is to come. They’ll go into a punch animation and you have a split second to guess which direction to dodge before the hit lands. Quite often you’ll eat a few punishing hit strings from a mistimed dodge. There are a few different backgrounds, but after 5-10 minutes you’ve basically seen all the game has to offer. The game is fun for a few minutes but it’s not the sort of app you’ll be in a rush to return to.
Grade D+
Meta Grade 40
Let's talk DS-i for a bit
Since its release in April of this year I've been waiting for a good reason to justify my purchase of the console and still haven't gotten one yet. I was on the fence about it for quite some time. I never upgraded to a DS Lite from the chunkier clam shell version I bought back in '04. When the DS-i was announced, I was intrigued because it offered better amenities than the DS Lite, a faster processor, cameras, downloadable games, an SD card reader, and would be able to work on my secure Wi-Fi connection. All of these were reasons for me to update but they weren't good reasons. Yes, the screen is bigger and brighter. Yes, I can take goofy pictures of myself and make them goofier. The question is where are the games?
When the DS came out it launched with a ported version of Super Mario 64 which is still my favorite Mario game - and it was able to fit on a tiny little card and be carted around anywhere I went. It was something I could show my friends and say "look at what you can do with portable games now." Making the DS-i Ware store exclusive to this console I was excited thinking that it would be similar to the app store for iPhone but with a greater percentage of quality games since proper developers know how to make a decent DS game. So far Nintendo has been content to just sell us $2.00 chunks of DS games they've released and there are only three games that are actually games on the console. As if that's not bad enough they want to throw salt in the wound by releasing clocks and calculators with Animal Crossing and Mario themed skins.
I wish we could return to the old days when companies delayed releases of the new consoles a few months to ensure there would be some good games to play on them when they were available for public consumption like the North American release of Sega's Dreamcast. The free 1000 DS-i points I received for buying and registering my system remained unused until the release of Mario vs Donkey Kong last week and while it's actually a decent game to play, I'm not running to show my friends that this is what they can do with portable games now. I'd rather show them Real Racing or Star Defense for iPhone. I thought it would be a good product to recommend to at least the people who have a 1st generation DS but I can't say that now. A year from now it could be a different story but there is no reason to buy this thing. I wonder how long it'll be before there's a good enough reason to spend my remaining 200 DS-i points?
When the DS came out it launched with a ported version of Super Mario 64 which is still my favorite Mario game - and it was able to fit on a tiny little card and be carted around anywhere I went. It was something I could show my friends and say "look at what you can do with portable games now." Making the DS-i Ware store exclusive to this console I was excited thinking that it would be similar to the app store for iPhone but with a greater percentage of quality games since proper developers know how to make a decent DS game. So far Nintendo has been content to just sell us $2.00 chunks of DS games they've released and there are only three games that are actually games on the console. As if that's not bad enough they want to throw salt in the wound by releasing clocks and calculators with Animal Crossing and Mario themed skins.
I wish we could return to the old days when companies delayed releases of the new consoles a few months to ensure there would be some good games to play on them when they were available for public consumption like the North American release of Sega's Dreamcast. The free 1000 DS-i points I received for buying and registering my system remained unused until the release of Mario vs Donkey Kong last week and while it's actually a decent game to play, I'm not running to show my friends that this is what they can do with portable games now. I'd rather show them Real Racing or Star Defense for iPhone. I thought it would be a good product to recommend to at least the people who have a 1st generation DS but I can't say that now. A year from now it could be a different story but there is no reason to buy this thing. I wonder how long it'll be before there's a good enough reason to spend my remaining 200 DS-i points?
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Some PS3 cleaning
There was some error in Prototype that kept telling me I didn't have 700 megs of space for the install that drew my attention to the fact that while I did have well over the required amount of space for the game, I only had about 4 gigs of the 80 (read 74 usable) left as free space. I deleted my Ninja Gaiden Sigma install which gave me over 10 gigs and the game installed obviously, but I didn't think the hard drive would fill up so quick with just game installs and DLC. I think RE5 and DMC4 were the biggest offenders with over 4 gig installs. MGS4 was also a big offender. Surprisingly with all the DLC Burnout has released (I own Party, Cops & Robbers, Legendary Cars, Toy Cars, Special Cars, and the new Big Surf Island) it's under 3 gigs.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Rockband Unplugged reviewed revisited
Some feel that I may have judged the game too harshly with my score of D- considering several other reviewers at other outlets gave it higher scores and more praise. Even I had to think about it for a bit and ask myself if I really disliked the game that much. I spent some more time with it this weekend and for those who were expecting a dramatic change of heart, I'm sad to report that I still don't think it's a good game.
First of all, it is not because I'm bad at the game. I've been able to 5 star a few songs on expert and clear the setlist on hard difficulty. There's only one music game I fear. The reason I don't like the game is because it takes the fun out of just playing the song and losing yourself in the music. When you start out playing the guitar part you're use to that rhythm and pacing, then the game takes those notes away from you after playing the phrase correctly and makes you play something else. It's really distracting when you're playing the vocal part of a song like Everlong just as it picks up with "and I wonder, when I sing along with you" and you're ready for the "if anything will ever feel this real forever" but instead it makes you go play the drums or bass track instead. If you've ever played Dance Dance Revolution on a controller you know that you can have much better transitions from one part of the song to the next without the experience being jarring to the senses.
Secondly this is a Rockband game on a platform that not only has the ability to connect to the internet through wifi but also other devices through ad-hoc so there is absolutely no reason for you to not be able to play with at least one other person.
Lastly, I cannot understand why they thought it was a good idea to punish you with removing sound from the other tracks which makes it harder for you to get the one you've missed a few notes on back on rhythm. I play the drums on expert in the console version of the game. If I miss an entire section of notes it does not remove the guitar track, but in this game if you miss one note in a phrase you will likely lose the music for the track you're playing but another one as well.
In the end all of this is subjective and it is my opinion that this is a bad game. It's not going to put me off Rockband for good or detour me from purchasing The Beatles: Rockband or Lego Rockband later this year. It's just not my bag. The score I gave it last week stands.
First of all, it is not because I'm bad at the game. I've been able to 5 star a few songs on expert and clear the setlist on hard difficulty. There's only one music game I fear. The reason I don't like the game is because it takes the fun out of just playing the song and losing yourself in the music. When you start out playing the guitar part you're use to that rhythm and pacing, then the game takes those notes away from you after playing the phrase correctly and makes you play something else. It's really distracting when you're playing the vocal part of a song like Everlong just as it picks up with "and I wonder, when I sing along with you" and you're ready for the "if anything will ever feel this real forever" but instead it makes you go play the drums or bass track instead. If you've ever played Dance Dance Revolution on a controller you know that you can have much better transitions from one part of the song to the next without the experience being jarring to the senses.
Secondly this is a Rockband game on a platform that not only has the ability to connect to the internet through wifi but also other devices through ad-hoc so there is absolutely no reason for you to not be able to play with at least one other person.
Lastly, I cannot understand why they thought it was a good idea to punish you with removing sound from the other tracks which makes it harder for you to get the one you've missed a few notes on back on rhythm. I play the drums on expert in the console version of the game. If I miss an entire section of notes it does not remove the guitar track, but in this game if you miss one note in a phrase you will likely lose the music for the track you're playing but another one as well.
In the end all of this is subjective and it is my opinion that this is a bad game. It's not going to put me off Rockband for good or detour me from purchasing The Beatles: Rockband or Lego Rockband later this year. It's just not my bag. The score I gave it last week stands.
Zombie Run review
If you've been wanting to experience what the zombie apocalypse would be like first hand without the risk of having your brains eaten, Zombie Run gives you that chance. The game available through the Android marketplace (for the price of free) drops you into a zombie apocalypse using the phone's google maps functionality and GPS features.
Chose from 4 levels of infestation from controlled outbreak to total pandemic, the speed of your flesh craving enemies (rated from Night of the Living Dead to 28 Days Later), and finally a destination on your map. The game will show your location and populate zombies around you for you to avoid as you try to reach the destination you've set. Red zombies know where you are and will continue to chase after you. Green zombies are not yet aware of your location, but will join in the hunt if alerted to some ripe brains being in their vicinity. The object of the game is to reach the destination you've set for yourself before they do.
This is a great game to play if you've got an errand to run or just want a bit of exercise. The maps feature is great for putting your destination marker in the exact location you want to go. There's a great Vietnamese restaurant about 9 blocks from my house so I set it to a late local infestation with zombies moving at 5mph and made my way. As I began my trek the phone began to vibrate letting me know where the zombies were and I'll tell you my pace picked up quite a bit and I even found myself jogging through a couple stretches along the way. If you chose 28 Days Later (which are my favorite zombies) speed setting, you had better be prepared to RUN because just like in the movie, they are fast.
Zombie Run is surprisingly fun and you'll have a great time with it provided you aren't opposed to looking slightly crazy in public sometimes. There are some drawbacks though. You can't set a destination by entering an address so if you want to go someplace in particular you have to drag the map around and zoom in and out until you find where you want to go. You can play while driving, but stop lights can be instant death and pulling out your phone to pause and un-pause the game every time you come to a stop isn't recommended when you live in a state where you can't talk/text and drive. I wish the game used the phone's camera system to place the zombies into the environment when viewing in camera mode, or something else cool like this, but it's a free app so I can't complain. Other than that, get ready to smile a stupid grin while running from imaginary zombies.
Grade B
Meta Grade 83
Chose from 4 levels of infestation from controlled outbreak to total pandemic, the speed of your flesh craving enemies (rated from Night of the Living Dead to 28 Days Later), and finally a destination on your map. The game will show your location and populate zombies around you for you to avoid as you try to reach the destination you've set. Red zombies know where you are and will continue to chase after you. Green zombies are not yet aware of your location, but will join in the hunt if alerted to some ripe brains being in their vicinity. The object of the game is to reach the destination you've set for yourself before they do.
This is a great game to play if you've got an errand to run or just want a bit of exercise. The maps feature is great for putting your destination marker in the exact location you want to go. There's a great Vietnamese restaurant about 9 blocks from my house so I set it to a late local infestation with zombies moving at 5mph and made my way. As I began my trek the phone began to vibrate letting me know where the zombies were and I'll tell you my pace picked up quite a bit and I even found myself jogging through a couple stretches along the way. If you chose 28 Days Later (which are my favorite zombies) speed setting, you had better be prepared to RUN because just like in the movie, they are fast.
Zombie Run is surprisingly fun and you'll have a great time with it provided you aren't opposed to looking slightly crazy in public sometimes. There are some drawbacks though. You can't set a destination by entering an address so if you want to go someplace in particular you have to drag the map around and zoom in and out until you find where you want to go. You can play while driving, but stop lights can be instant death and pulling out your phone to pause and un-pause the game every time you come to a stop isn't recommended when you live in a state where you can't talk/text and drive. I wish the game used the phone's camera system to place the zombies into the environment when viewing in camera mode, or something else cool like this, but it's a free app so I can't complain. Other than that, get ready to smile a stupid grin while running from imaginary zombies.
Grade B
Meta Grade 83
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Space Ace - It's always about a girl
Twenty some years ago when my love for video games was just beginning there was this one arcade game I couldn’t get enough of. It was Dragon’s Lair and I used to beg my mother to take me to Show Biz all the time so I could play it. My pre adolescent self loved seeing the cartoon on screen and wanted to keep it going as long as I could. Space Ace is the 2nd game that team made, set in the future and every level had two separate branches the action could take.
While Dragon’s Lair was basically a collection of short scenes with a big finish, Space Ace is more like an episode of a cartoon played from beginning to end. It tells the story of Dexter/Ace, trying to rescue his girlfriend Kimmy from the evil Borf who shots Ace with his ultimate weapon, the infanto ray which turns Ace into his childhood self. During sequences you can energize and return to Ace and take a different, more gun ho path through the segment, or continue to play Dexter and play a less combat scenario.
The Dragon’s Lair/Space Ace games basically invented what we now refer to what the developers of Shenmue coined QTEs (quick-timed-events) where you had to press the direction or a button within a certain time window to advance the game. There is no gameplay involved other than pressing the appropriate button at the right time to keep the action going.
The iPhone version was created from the HD master and looks better than it ever has, excluding the full 1080p Blu-ray version of course. A slightly transparent control pad appears on the bottom right corner of the screen and the shoot/energize button on the bottom left. It has three difficulty modes just as the original did and also gives you the option for infinite lives as there are no check points. The easiest setting will actually highlight the button you need to press so you don’t have to learn by trial and error as I did decades ago. It doesn’t really seem like a game at that point, but sometimes you just want to see show and not have to memorize everything.
This game really isn’t for everyone. Some argue that it really isn’t really a game and I admit that my love for Dragon’s Lair 1-3 and Space Ace is aided by nostalgia for the games. There is no doubt that it is a part of gaming history and several other developers have used aspects from it in their games. The folks over at Quantic Dream the development team behind Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit are doing a lot of interesting things for the upcoming Heavy Rain, my most anticipated game that of the year, and they owe a lot to Space Ace in particular as it was the first to offer branching paths during the scenarios. I’ve bought this game twice already and now I’m pleased to have it in my pocket.
Grade B
Meta Grade 80
While Dragon’s Lair was basically a collection of short scenes with a big finish, Space Ace is more like an episode of a cartoon played from beginning to end. It tells the story of Dexter/Ace, trying to rescue his girlfriend Kimmy from the evil Borf who shots Ace with his ultimate weapon, the infanto ray which turns Ace into his childhood self. During sequences you can energize and return to Ace and take a different, more gun ho path through the segment, or continue to play Dexter and play a less combat scenario.
The Dragon’s Lair/Space Ace games basically invented what we now refer to what the developers of Shenmue coined QTEs (quick-timed-events) where you had to press the direction or a button within a certain time window to advance the game. There is no gameplay involved other than pressing the appropriate button at the right time to keep the action going.
The iPhone version was created from the HD master and looks better than it ever has, excluding the full 1080p Blu-ray version of course. A slightly transparent control pad appears on the bottom right corner of the screen and the shoot/energize button on the bottom left. It has three difficulty modes just as the original did and also gives you the option for infinite lives as there are no check points. The easiest setting will actually highlight the button you need to press so you don’t have to learn by trial and error as I did decades ago. It doesn’t really seem like a game at that point, but sometimes you just want to see show and not have to memorize everything.
This game really isn’t for everyone. Some argue that it really isn’t really a game and I admit that my love for Dragon’s Lair 1-3 and Space Ace is aided by nostalgia for the games. There is no doubt that it is a part of gaming history and several other developers have used aspects from it in their games. The folks over at Quantic Dream the development team behind Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit are doing a lot of interesting things for the upcoming Heavy Rain, my most anticipated game that of the year, and they owe a lot to Space Ace in particular as it was the first to offer branching paths during the scenarios. I’ve bought this game twice already and now I’m pleased to have it in my pocket.
Grade B
Meta Grade 80
Prototype impressions
Like inFamous, I spent a lot of time with this game and lost a bunch of sleep too. Unlike inFamous, I don't think or don't know if I advanced the story all that much or know what my motivation really is, but it's still too early to call.
What I like about it is that you are in New York. Running through Central Park does give off a similar vibe of what that place is supposed to look like especially if you've ever been there. There are also a few other recognizable buildings and climbing to the top of the Chrysler Building and looking down at the boroughs in the distance is epic. People and vehicles react to you. When you're barrelling down the street in oncoming traffic cars try to swerve out of your way and if you nudge or bump into people they'll yell at you. If you attack someone with powers everyone runs away in horror and tries to stay the hell away from you for an extended period of time. The most awesome thing about the game though is that every character model is playable. Alex has the power to morph his body into the appearance of the last person he absorbed from the business man in the expensive suit to the diva girl in the cashmere sweater and Uggs.
The parkour in the game doesn't really feel like parkour. Alex will jump and flip over obstacles but he doesn't grab ledges, shimmy, or swing. You just hold R2 and he runs up a building, or he can spiderman style crawl along the side of it. The powers are fun to mess with and fighting assault teams, helicopters, tanks, and monsters all at the same time is cool, but the constant respawning makes if feel like you're not really having much of an effect. The other thing I don't like is how some of the power upgrades are split up. I'm fine with having to buy a special attack or power with EP (the game's upgrade commodity) but being able to throw something while sprinting should not be something I have to spend EP on. inFamous spoiled me a little as well as got did power distribution so right and let you preview what the upgrade was before you spent your XP on it. All games should adopt that system.
The story seems interesting. It's told in flashbacks and they do the Metroid thing where you start nearly all the way leveled up then spend the rest of the game learning the powers you used before. From what I can tell there are no side missions. There are events you can do to gain more EP like racing from rooftop to rooftop withing a certain time limit and GTA rampage style missions, but nothing that supplements what you are doing. The main story missions are long though with multiple checkpoints. You'll start by having to find someone, then infiltrate a military base, then destroy the base, then destroy the the new weapons, then destroy or evade the enemies tracking you.
Bottom line for now is the game is really fun and has some epic battles. As far as a comparison to inFamous, it's still to early to call, but I think inFamous may be the better game. You motivations are more clear in that game, you can actually affect the environment, and there are no constantly respawing enemies. I should have a full review and a full comparison write up posted by the end of the weekend.
What I like about it is that you are in New York. Running through Central Park does give off a similar vibe of what that place is supposed to look like especially if you've ever been there. There are also a few other recognizable buildings and climbing to the top of the Chrysler Building and looking down at the boroughs in the distance is epic. People and vehicles react to you. When you're barrelling down the street in oncoming traffic cars try to swerve out of your way and if you nudge or bump into people they'll yell at you. If you attack someone with powers everyone runs away in horror and tries to stay the hell away from you for an extended period of time. The most awesome thing about the game though is that every character model is playable. Alex has the power to morph his body into the appearance of the last person he absorbed from the business man in the expensive suit to the diva girl in the cashmere sweater and Uggs.
The parkour in the game doesn't really feel like parkour. Alex will jump and flip over obstacles but he doesn't grab ledges, shimmy, or swing. You just hold R2 and he runs up a building, or he can spiderman style crawl along the side of it. The powers are fun to mess with and fighting assault teams, helicopters, tanks, and monsters all at the same time is cool, but the constant respawning makes if feel like you're not really having much of an effect. The other thing I don't like is how some of the power upgrades are split up. I'm fine with having to buy a special attack or power with EP (the game's upgrade commodity) but being able to throw something while sprinting should not be something I have to spend EP on. inFamous spoiled me a little as well as got did power distribution so right and let you preview what the upgrade was before you spent your XP on it. All games should adopt that system.
The story seems interesting. It's told in flashbacks and they do the Metroid thing where you start nearly all the way leveled up then spend the rest of the game learning the powers you used before. From what I can tell there are no side missions. There are events you can do to gain more EP like racing from rooftop to rooftop withing a certain time limit and GTA rampage style missions, but nothing that supplements what you are doing. The main story missions are long though with multiple checkpoints. You'll start by having to find someone, then infiltrate a military base, then destroy the base, then destroy the the new weapons, then destroy or evade the enemies tracking you.
Bottom line for now is the game is really fun and has some epic battles. As far as a comparison to inFamous, it's still to early to call, but I think inFamous may be the better game. You motivations are more clear in that game, you can actually affect the environment, and there are no constantly respawing enemies. I should have a full review and a full comparison write up posted by the end of the weekend.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
The Hangover - I guess I did do that
We’ve all woken up one morning and couldn’t quite remember what we did the last night. Some of us have even found ourselves in a strange and unfamiliar place when this happened. Usually you have a friend or an acquaintance that can give you a play by play of what you did and how messed up you were, but what happens when you friends are just as clueless as you? Oh, and that weird location, it’s Vegas.
The Hangover takes that scenario to the extreme, and when you think they can’t go any further, they do. Four friends take a road trip to Vegas for a bachelor party and pledge to have the time of there lives over Jager shots. The next morning three of them wake up together in their hotel suite amidst the remnants of what looked to be one hell of a party that includes a live chicken and a tiger in the bathroom. Once they get some of their wits about them the realize their friend, the groom to be is missing and they set out to find him by trying to piece together whatever they did the night before from the clues they have around them and what people they’ve ran into tell them. This includes a trip to the hospital, a wedding chapel, a call girl’s apartment, the desert, and of course a police station.
The humor in this movie is that of extremes. For example when the group finds their missing car and hears someone beating on the trunk from the inside they find not their friend but a naked Asian man who jumps out and attacks them with a crow bar. It’s fun to watch what will happen next and try to piece together what exactly did happen to them, and a feeling of genuine concern for the whereabouts of their friend does come across rather well. At no point in the movie does anything feel forced, appear out of place, or to be just there for a cheap gag. Every action advances the story and there is humor in it that serves the story. You’ll have quite a bit of fun with this movie, and stay for the pictures during the credit sequence. They’re well worth it.
Grade B+
Meta Grade 88
The Hangover takes that scenario to the extreme, and when you think they can’t go any further, they do. Four friends take a road trip to Vegas for a bachelor party and pledge to have the time of there lives over Jager shots. The next morning three of them wake up together in their hotel suite amidst the remnants of what looked to be one hell of a party that includes a live chicken and a tiger in the bathroom. Once they get some of their wits about them the realize their friend, the groom to be is missing and they set out to find him by trying to piece together whatever they did the night before from the clues they have around them and what people they’ve ran into tell them. This includes a trip to the hospital, a wedding chapel, a call girl’s apartment, the desert, and of course a police station.
The humor in this movie is that of extremes. For example when the group finds their missing car and hears someone beating on the trunk from the inside they find not their friend but a naked Asian man who jumps out and attacks them with a crow bar. It’s fun to watch what will happen next and try to piece together what exactly did happen to them, and a feeling of genuine concern for the whereabouts of their friend does come across rather well. At no point in the movie does anything feel forced, appear out of place, or to be just there for a cheap gag. Every action advances the story and there is humor in it that serves the story. You’ll have quite a bit of fun with this movie, and stay for the pictures during the credit sequence. They’re well worth it.
Grade B+
Meta Grade 88
Real Racing - True Advertising
Firemint, the developer behind Flight Control, has created the best racing game you can buy for your iPhone. Real Racing which was released a few days ago and was completely off my radar is the most fun I’ve had with a portable racing game since Burnout Legends for the PSP. It’s silly how good this game is.
It has the look, feel, features, and presentation you would expect to find on a console racing game all represented on your iPhone. There is local multi-player (wifi connection required), on line ranking, on line leagues, time trial runs can be uploaded to YouTube. There are three car classes all with multiple cars in each class and over 50 events to choose from.
The game gives you a few control options. Steering can either be done tilting or by touching the screen. I’m usually not a fan of accelerometer steering, but it works well in this game. You can have manual control over accelerating and breaking or the game can take control of one or both of those for you depending on how comfortable you are with the controls. A break assist feature to aid with cornering is also present with tunable sensitivity. You will be cornering a lot as the tracks are full of bends, twists, and straights that you’ll want to revisit over and over trying to shave fractions of seconds off your best time.
The graphics, music, and sound effects are phenomenal. As I said, it looks as good as any PS2 racing game. There are a lot of jaggies on the track edges, but that’s really being nit-picky considering this is an iPhone game. The in game music fits the genre to a T and you also have the option of playing your own music if you like. The sound design is what really shines as it feels as if you are in the race with the left and right channels creating the illusion of surround sound. This is most apparent at the beginning of a race when the camera weaves through the line of cars at the start line.
This is a full featured racing game. There is no mistaking that it is not only the best racing game on for the iPhone, but probably the best game on the platform as well as far as features, length, replay value, and overall fun that’s packed in. Firemint believes that downloadable games are the future and they’ve shown with this game and their last effort that they can bring pure quality to medium. Real Racing will run you $9.99 and believe me when I say it’s worth every penny considering it offers more features and more fun than any most PSP games that cost 3 times as much. I’m looking forward to what they have in store for us next.
Grade A
Meta Grade 98
It has the look, feel, features, and presentation you would expect to find on a console racing game all represented on your iPhone. There is local multi-player (wifi connection required), on line ranking, on line leagues, time trial runs can be uploaded to YouTube. There are three car classes all with multiple cars in each class and over 50 events to choose from.
The game gives you a few control options. Steering can either be done tilting or by touching the screen. I’m usually not a fan of accelerometer steering, but it works well in this game. You can have manual control over accelerating and breaking or the game can take control of one or both of those for you depending on how comfortable you are with the controls. A break assist feature to aid with cornering is also present with tunable sensitivity. You will be cornering a lot as the tracks are full of bends, twists, and straights that you’ll want to revisit over and over trying to shave fractions of seconds off your best time.
The graphics, music, and sound effects are phenomenal. As I said, it looks as good as any PS2 racing game. There are a lot of jaggies on the track edges, but that’s really being nit-picky considering this is an iPhone game. The in game music fits the genre to a T and you also have the option of playing your own music if you like. The sound design is what really shines as it feels as if you are in the race with the left and right channels creating the illusion of surround sound. This is most apparent at the beginning of a race when the camera weaves through the line of cars at the start line.
This is a full featured racing game. There is no mistaking that it is not only the best racing game on for the iPhone, but probably the best game on the platform as well as far as features, length, replay value, and overall fun that’s packed in. Firemint believes that downloadable games are the future and they’ve shown with this game and their last effort that they can bring pure quality to medium. Real Racing will run you $9.99 and believe me when I say it’s worth every penny considering it offers more features and more fun than any most PSP games that cost 3 times as much. I’m looking forward to what they have in store for us next.
Grade A
Meta Grade 98
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Rockband Unplugged - don't plug it back in
Did I mention that I have over 450 songs in Rockband? It was a close 2nd for my pick for game of the year in 2007 and I do have 4 sets of plastic drums in my house. All that being said, I really, really tried to like Rockband Unplugged for PSP but the game makes it rather hard.
The core structure of the game is the same as the console versions. Notes scroll down and you have to hit them in time with the music to get a combo going. The difference here is that you are responsible for all 4 tracks at the same time. The instrument tracks are divided into phrases and when you combo a phrase correctly that one instrument will play by itself for a short time while you jump to another instrument's phrase. If you've ever been to a circus and seen the guy running back and forth trying to keep 20 or so plates spinning on sticks, that's basically what your doing in this game. When you're able to combo everything all the time it works great, but if you get a little off beat and miss a few notes the game not only punishes you by removing the audio from the instrument you're playing, it also removes the audio from ones you're supposed to be playing had you completed the phrase correctly. It is possible to lose audio from two or all three portions of the song while you're trying to get one instrument back on rhythm. This is a humongous problem because (and anyone who plays in a real band will tell you) when someone can't find the beat in the middle of the song and the bass or drummer is also off beat, it's incredibly difficult to get back on beat even if you have the notes in front of you.
The other huge problem that game has is the way it's played. When you play the guitar part you're thinking about what the rhythm of the guitar is, but as soon as the phrase is finished you have to immediately switch the rhythm of what you were playing to another instrument which makes it quite easy for you to lose the overall rhythm of the song and end up in that awful situation I described above.
I have major issues with this game. For one when you are playing the console version and you miss a few notes, the game doesn't punish you by removing the rest of the song until you get back on rhythm. The main mode of this game feels more like a bonus challenge mode of the game that developers would drop in saying "see if you can play every instrument now" while if you want to just play one track the entire song you have to go into the extras menu and play survival mode. The other thing that is wrong with this game is the lack of multi-player. Rockband is a game about where everyone can get together and have fun making fools of themselves and they've completely removed that aspect from the game. Last time I checked all PSPs are capable of both ad hock and wifi infrastructure. There is no reason why it shouldn't at the very least have a mode where two PSPs can link together through ad-hock and play a song together.
There are some good spots in the game though. You are still able to create and customize your 4 band members. I'm surprised by how many options were kept in the game. World tour mode is done the exact same way it's done in the console game and manages to give you the same feel of its big brother when it doesn't make you want to toss you PSP across the room. The track list is great and features songs I'm still waiting to show up in the console version like Kryptonite by 3 Doors Down and Would by Alice in Chains, and ABC by the Jackson 5. It's a shame they're all in a game I don't want to play much more. I couldn't possibly recommend buying this game though which is unfortunate because some very talented music savvy people made it. I hope there's a sequel that can fix the issues I had with it. The track list is the only reason it doesn't get an F.
Grade D-
Meta Grade 33
The core structure of the game is the same as the console versions. Notes scroll down and you have to hit them in time with the music to get a combo going. The difference here is that you are responsible for all 4 tracks at the same time. The instrument tracks are divided into phrases and when you combo a phrase correctly that one instrument will play by itself for a short time while you jump to another instrument's phrase. If you've ever been to a circus and seen the guy running back and forth trying to keep 20 or so plates spinning on sticks, that's basically what your doing in this game. When you're able to combo everything all the time it works great, but if you get a little off beat and miss a few notes the game not only punishes you by removing the audio from the instrument you're playing, it also removes the audio from ones you're supposed to be playing had you completed the phrase correctly. It is possible to lose audio from two or all three portions of the song while you're trying to get one instrument back on rhythm. This is a humongous problem because (and anyone who plays in a real band will tell you) when someone can't find the beat in the middle of the song and the bass or drummer is also off beat, it's incredibly difficult to get back on beat even if you have the notes in front of you.
The other huge problem that game has is the way it's played. When you play the guitar part you're thinking about what the rhythm of the guitar is, but as soon as the phrase is finished you have to immediately switch the rhythm of what you were playing to another instrument which makes it quite easy for you to lose the overall rhythm of the song and end up in that awful situation I described above.
I have major issues with this game. For one when you are playing the console version and you miss a few notes, the game doesn't punish you by removing the rest of the song until you get back on rhythm. The main mode of this game feels more like a bonus challenge mode of the game that developers would drop in saying "see if you can play every instrument now" while if you want to just play one track the entire song you have to go into the extras menu and play survival mode. The other thing that is wrong with this game is the lack of multi-player. Rockband is a game about where everyone can get together and have fun making fools of themselves and they've completely removed that aspect from the game. Last time I checked all PSPs are capable of both ad hock and wifi infrastructure. There is no reason why it shouldn't at the very least have a mode where two PSPs can link together through ad-hock and play a song together.
There are some good spots in the game though. You are still able to create and customize your 4 band members. I'm surprised by how many options were kept in the game. World tour mode is done the exact same way it's done in the console game and manages to give you the same feel of its big brother when it doesn't make you want to toss you PSP across the room. The track list is great and features songs I'm still waiting to show up in the console version like Kryptonite by 3 Doors Down and Would by Alice in Chains, and ABC by the Jackson 5. It's a shame they're all in a game I don't want to play much more. I couldn't possibly recommend buying this game though which is unfortunate because some very talented music savvy people made it. I hope there's a sequel that can fix the issues I had with it. The track list is the only reason it doesn't get an F.
Grade D-
Meta Grade 33
Ever wonder what it’s like to work as an air traffic controller? Flight Control from Firemint gives you a taste of what it’s like by putting you in charge of an airport landing field. There are three static maps; one a standard airport, a Hawaiian air field complete with pontoon planes, and a Navel cruiser. Planes approach the air fields from every direction and you have to draw them a flight path to the proper runway while making sure to avoid any mid air collisions.
The game is deceptively simple, but requires a lot of strategy to keep advancing. The planes and runways are color coded so you know what goes where. Jets are faster than propeller planes and helicopters are very slow. But then there’s 747s which are bigger and faster that you'll have to make room for while more and more planes keep coming in. Eventually you’re being swarmed with planes you have to direct and re-direct while collision courses you have to sort out come out of seemingly nowhere and much fun and laughter ensues. Reaction time is critical as well as being able to think critically when you’re drawing those paths.
The game is also full of style. The music chosen for it as well as the art carry that feeling of nostalgia for the way air ports and air travel used to from the muted color pallets to the uniforms the stewarde... er flight attendants wear. Scores can be uploaded so you can see how you’re doing against everyone else and it tracks you stats like how many planes you’ve had on screen at once or what plane you’re most likely to crash. It’s easy enough for anyone to pick up and play and the challenge will suck you in and keep you up at night trying to land that one more plane. If you’re afraid of flying though, you may want to forget this game exists though.
Grade A-
Meta Grade 97
The game is deceptively simple, but requires a lot of strategy to keep advancing. The planes and runways are color coded so you know what goes where. Jets are faster than propeller planes and helicopters are very slow. But then there’s 747s which are bigger and faster that you'll have to make room for while more and more planes keep coming in. Eventually you’re being swarmed with planes you have to direct and re-direct while collision courses you have to sort out come out of seemingly nowhere and much fun and laughter ensues. Reaction time is critical as well as being able to think critically when you’re drawing those paths.
The game is also full of style. The music chosen for it as well as the art carry that feeling of nostalgia for the way air ports and air travel used to from the muted color pallets to the uniforms the stewarde... er flight attendants wear. Scores can be uploaded so you can see how you’re doing against everyone else and it tracks you stats like how many planes you’ve had on screen at once or what plane you’re most likely to crash. It’s easy enough for anyone to pick up and play and the challenge will suck you in and keep you up at night trying to land that one more plane. If you’re afraid of flying though, you may want to forget this game exists though.
Grade A-
Meta Grade 97
What I'm playing this week
My iTouch and G1 are overflowing with apps right now. I’ve got Star Defense from ngmoco and Space Ace from Digital Leisure for iPhone, I’ve got Cestos and a few tower defense candidates for my G1, and I’ll definitely be playing some Rockband Unplugged all this week now that the game is out and I can say goodbye to the demo. Then there’s the stuff I’m still playing like King of Fighters ’99, and Street Fighter Alpha 1&2 which are all available for purchase through PSN and fit nicely on my PSP memory stick. Expect reviews for Space Ace and Star Defense shortly.
You can also check my personal blog for a review of Prototype which is also out this week and the inevitable comparison between that game and inFAMOUS that I’ll no doubt be writing. Both of those articles should be up later this week.
You can also check my personal blog for a review of Prototype which is also out this week and the inevitable comparison between that game and inFAMOUS that I’ll no doubt be writing. Both of those articles should be up later this week.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Scribblenauts - you'll need a dictonary for this one
Every now and then something truely from left field comes along and gets us all interested. Scribblenauts is that game. The more I read about it the more I want it in my hot little hands so I like several others can attempt to beat the games dictionary by typing confusion, or absinthe, or serendipity with the hope that it will magically represent what I've asked of it in comical fashion. It's something else to look forward to this fall. Check out 1Up's interview with the games creators.
Stick Wars - Stick it to the stick man
I was a little busy this weekend, but the cool thing about iPhones is that they’re just about always in your pocket when you find yourself waiting in line for something or waiting for a movie to start. I spend some time with Stick Wars this weekend which is a defense game that puts you in more direct control of your fate.
God is the role you play in this game more or less and you have a wall to defend. Enemies advance towards it trying to destroy it and you can pick them up and flick them into the air killing them instantly. There aren’t really any levels in this game, just and increasing amount of units and more difficult unit types. Some enemies you’ll have to tap first to make them drop what they’re holding before they can be tossed or slammed to the ground. You can also capture some enemies and make them fight for you, training them to either carry bombs, become archers, or wizards. These units will allow you to fight some enemies that you can’t kill from touching or flicking. You’ll need money to do this which you earn by (you guessed it) killing those stickmen who just won’t seem to stop attacking your wall.
The game is competent at best. The location and basic structure of the game never changes which a game like Plants vs Zombies can overcome by making you think about your strategy, but the only strategy involved in this game is be fast with your finger and have a the counter to the approaching unit that you can’t flick. It’s fun in five minute bursts but there is really no reason to go back to it especially when there’s stuff like Geo Defense and Vanguard Storm out there.
Grade C-
Meta Grade 47
God is the role you play in this game more or less and you have a wall to defend. Enemies advance towards it trying to destroy it and you can pick them up and flick them into the air killing them instantly. There aren’t really any levels in this game, just and increasing amount of units and more difficult unit types. Some enemies you’ll have to tap first to make them drop what they’re holding before they can be tossed or slammed to the ground. You can also capture some enemies and make them fight for you, training them to either carry bombs, become archers, or wizards. These units will allow you to fight some enemies that you can’t kill from touching or flicking. You’ll need money to do this which you earn by (you guessed it) killing those stickmen who just won’t seem to stop attacking your wall.
The game is competent at best. The location and basic structure of the game never changes which a game like Plants vs Zombies can overcome by making you think about your strategy, but the only strategy involved in this game is be fast with your finger and have a the counter to the approaching unit that you can’t flick. It’s fun in five minute bursts but there is really no reason to go back to it especially when there’s stuff like Geo Defense and Vanguard Storm out there.
Grade C-
Meta Grade 47
Uncharted 2 multi-player beta impressions
The first Uncharted was graphically the best looking game on the PS3 and arguably the best looking current-gen game period. I spent a lot of time with the multi-player beta for the sequel and let me tell you, it’s no slouch either. The environments are just gorgeous from the way the moonlight hits the pools of water collected in the crevices of the highly topographical Plaza map, to the tropical Village map full of rooftops and vegetation. No other console multi-player map feels like it’s had this much attention to detail paid to it. The character animations for Nathan Drake and company are also some of the best in the business as well. It embodies that Indiana Jones feel off a hero without catlike grace who’s just barrels in head first to get the job done.
Currently deathmatch and plunder (that’s Uncharted speak for capture the flag) are the only two verses modes that can be selected, and there’s a co-op mode allowing 3 players to team up to advance through 3 sections of a level. Both of the verses modes also come with a leveling system. You get gold for however many kills you get with bonuses for taking out multiple enemies at once or using melee attacks and after you collect enough gold you advance a level. There are boosters as well you can assign to your character which will give you things like more bullets per clip or increased accuracy when firing certain types of weapons. As mentioned, the levels are very topographical but also quite vertical and a bit of platforming can be done on them. I’d have liked to see a more platform friendly level than what they’ve put out, but they may be holding that one for the full release. There were still many locations you could climb to and attempt to snipe the other team.
The main gripe about the first Uncharted was it took way too many bullets to take an enemy down and I’m sad to report that’s still an issue here. It isn’t that bad in the multi-player verses, but playing the AI opponents in the co-op section you’ll put 20 AK-47 bullets into someone before they drop. This is kind of a shame as the co-op is well paced, quite fun and challenging. Enemies come at you from every direction and you always have to be on your toes. When one of your team members is injured you have the option to save them Gears of War style, or let them die. They’ll re-spawn if enough time passes, but if you fail to complete an objective, you have to restart from the last checkpoints. You only have three chances per mission, so it’s in your best interest to work as a team and keep everyone alive.
This beta has me excited for the full version which will be out this fall. Despite the hit detection issue with enemies not wanting to die when you pump them full of bullets, the Uncharted series is still king of the mountain as far as action platformers goes. It eats Tomb Raider’s lunch and out Indiana Joneses Indiana Jones. Whether or not the game needs multi-player is debatable, but the feature is beyond competent and offers a nice alternative to the Halo, COD, Gears, and Killzones of the world. Let’s just hope that when the full version does come out it takes at least 10 less bullets to drop a hostile.
Currently deathmatch and plunder (that’s Uncharted speak for capture the flag) are the only two verses modes that can be selected, and there’s a co-op mode allowing 3 players to team up to advance through 3 sections of a level. Both of the verses modes also come with a leveling system. You get gold for however many kills you get with bonuses for taking out multiple enemies at once or using melee attacks and after you collect enough gold you advance a level. There are boosters as well you can assign to your character which will give you things like more bullets per clip or increased accuracy when firing certain types of weapons. As mentioned, the levels are very topographical but also quite vertical and a bit of platforming can be done on them. I’d have liked to see a more platform friendly level than what they’ve put out, but they may be holding that one for the full release. There were still many locations you could climb to and attempt to snipe the other team.
The main gripe about the first Uncharted was it took way too many bullets to take an enemy down and I’m sad to report that’s still an issue here. It isn’t that bad in the multi-player verses, but playing the AI opponents in the co-op section you’ll put 20 AK-47 bullets into someone before they drop. This is kind of a shame as the co-op is well paced, quite fun and challenging. Enemies come at you from every direction and you always have to be on your toes. When one of your team members is injured you have the option to save them Gears of War style, or let them die. They’ll re-spawn if enough time passes, but if you fail to complete an objective, you have to restart from the last checkpoints. You only have three chances per mission, so it’s in your best interest to work as a team and keep everyone alive.
This beta has me excited for the full version which will be out this fall. Despite the hit detection issue with enemies not wanting to die when you pump them full of bullets, the Uncharted series is still king of the mountain as far as action platformers goes. It eats Tomb Raider’s lunch and out Indiana Joneses Indiana Jones. Whether or not the game needs multi-player is debatable, but the feature is beyond competent and offers a nice alternative to the Halo, COD, Gears, and Killzones of the world. Let’s just hope that when the full version does come out it takes at least 10 less bullets to drop a hostile.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Plants vs Zombies - Shotguns down, shovels up
Who needs shotguns when just a few plat seeds, dirt, and water will provide your home with the ultimate defense against hoards of brain craving zombies? The people at Pop Cap are helping to re-educate everyone who has ever seen a zombie movie with Plants vs Zombies. It is not a tower defense game sort of the same way that Vanguard Storm isn’t a tower defense game. You have a house with a front yard, back yard, and a roof. Zombies want to come in and eat your brains, and your superior gardening skills have to keep them out. To do this, you are given several different types of plants to place across your lawn which attack the approaching hoard of zombies. All the while you need to collect sunlight which is the game’s commodity that allows you to purchase more plants or other items you receive as a line of defense.
The game does a good job of making you think and adjust your strategy. During the night the isn’t any sunshine so you have to plant a certain type of mushroom which gives you sunlight quicker than your average sunflower, but will only give you a small amount at first before maturing. When you fight on the roof you can’t use normal pea shooter plants because of the shape of the roof so you have to manage the smaller spacing with catapult plants. The many types of zombies you are facing must also be addressed or your entire line of defense could get wiped out in one wave. There are also several mini-games that help you get more money to buy power-ups and new types of plants of your crazy next door neighbor. You even get to play as the zombies on one of them. Pop Cap has a great since of humor and it really shows in this game as if the dancing zombie (straight out of the Thriller video) who calls up backup dancers from the dead wasn’t enough, there are also little tidbits that make you snicker like the message you get when you click on help from the main menu.
For a $20 PC game(or $10 if you can catch a good Steam sell), it packs a lot of fun and has great replay value as there is no way you’ll figure out how to optimally use every plant on your first try through it. The many levels are fun little puzzles and more challenging than they appear at first glance. The mini-games will also have you scratching your head as to how to solve them. It shows that the folks who brought us Peggle have way more to offer. I can’t wait for a portable version.
Grade B+
Meta 87
The game does a good job of making you think and adjust your strategy. During the night the isn’t any sunshine so you have to plant a certain type of mushroom which gives you sunlight quicker than your average sunflower, but will only give you a small amount at first before maturing. When you fight on the roof you can’t use normal pea shooter plants because of the shape of the roof so you have to manage the smaller spacing with catapult plants. The many types of zombies you are facing must also be addressed or your entire line of defense could get wiped out in one wave. There are also several mini-games that help you get more money to buy power-ups and new types of plants of your crazy next door neighbor. You even get to play as the zombies on one of them. Pop Cap has a great since of humor and it really shows in this game as if the dancing zombie (straight out of the Thriller video) who calls up backup dancers from the dead wasn’t enough, there are also little tidbits that make you snicker like the message you get when you click on help from the main menu.
For a $20 PC game(or $10 if you can catch a good Steam sell), it packs a lot of fun and has great replay value as there is no way you’ll figure out how to optimally use every plant on your first try through it. The many levels are fun little puzzles and more challenging than they appear at first glance. The mini-games will also have you scratching your head as to how to solve them. It shows that the folks who brought us Peggle have way more to offer. I can’t wait for a portable version.
Grade B+
Meta 87
Oregan Trail - Die of Dyssentery again!
Apple hooked a bunch of us when we were young. I distinctly remember being in 3rd grade and turning on a monochromatic Apple II machine and booting up Oregon Trial with several classmates looking over my shoulder as I gave it a try. I don’t think anyone in the class was able to complete the game. We could all shoot bears, deer, and squirrels with expert accuracy. A few of us were able to float down a river or two before everyone died of dysentery or some other disease. We couldn’t stop playing it though no matter how many times we tried and failed.
I downloaded the new version of the game off the app store the other day and took it for a spin. Graphically it’s worlds apart from the game I played in 3rd grade but it’s still very much the same game. You chose your character class, a wagon, what month you’ll begin your travels in and set off down the trail. This one is a little more educational and a bit more game-y than before. You’ll run into a young Custard, congressman Lincoln, and a few other historical figures. You’ll learn just a bit of history along the way as every loading screen (and there are a lot of them) has an interesting tidbit about the journey and time period on it. You’ll also play some mini-games such as hunting (which is still pretty fun and simple), repairing your wagon, and panning for gold. Floating down the river is just as hard as it ever was as well. The games are sort of challenges giving you goals to meet and grading your performance. They’re easy enough for any kid to beat, yet still challenging enough for seasoned gamers to have fun at.
The entire journey can take a couple hours to complete, but has an abundance of checkpoints that save your progress so you can put it down without worrying if your family will be raided by bandits in the middle of the night. I wish there was a little more education packed in though as you will see the same blurb pop up on a loading screen more than once. This is an educational game after all. It succeeds in being faithful to memory while giving the game the upgrade it needed to exist in this day and age and works quite well on the platform.
Grade B-
Meta Grade 78
I downloaded the new version of the game off the app store the other day and took it for a spin. Graphically it’s worlds apart from the game I played in 3rd grade but it’s still very much the same game. You chose your character class, a wagon, what month you’ll begin your travels in and set off down the trail. This one is a little more educational and a bit more game-y than before. You’ll run into a young Custard, congressman Lincoln, and a few other historical figures. You’ll learn just a bit of history along the way as every loading screen (and there are a lot of them) has an interesting tidbit about the journey and time period on it. You’ll also play some mini-games such as hunting (which is still pretty fun and simple), repairing your wagon, and panning for gold. Floating down the river is just as hard as it ever was as well. The games are sort of challenges giving you goals to meet and grading your performance. They’re easy enough for any kid to beat, yet still challenging enough for seasoned gamers to have fun at.
The entire journey can take a couple hours to complete, but has an abundance of checkpoints that save your progress so you can put it down without worrying if your family will be raided by bandits in the middle of the night. I wish there was a little more education packed in though as you will see the same blurb pop up on a loading screen more than once. This is an educational game after all. It succeeds in being faithful to memory while giving the game the upgrade it needed to exist in this day and age and works quite well on the platform.
Grade B-
Meta Grade 78
Geo Defense - I think, therfore I can play
I like using my brain and when you come across a tower defense game made by a game developer named Critical Thought Games, you know you’re not going to be able to randomly throw up a bunch of towers and coast through every level. Geo Defense is the tower defense game for people that want a challenge. It’s the best one I’ve played since Q Game’s Pixeljunk Monsters and the awesome thing about Geo Defense is that it’s always in my pocket.
For the most part, it’s the same tower defense game we’ve all seen before. There is a beginning and end to every level and enemies travel along a set path to the end and you place units which can be upgraded along that path to stop them. What makes this game a gem is that you really have to think about where you’re placing your units. The laser cannon for example works best when it’s able to fire across a straight. If you place it in a location where it can’t be it’s most effective, you will likely lose. Every unit has optimal locations to be placed which you need to discover. Some levels restrict the type of units that can be placed to prevent you from placing multiple overpowered towers (like the Tesla Towers in Field Runners) and make you concentrate on how to effectively place what you have to win.
While the game makes you find the optimal tower placement locations, there is more than one solution to every map. This is one of those games like Punch Out!! where you can (and will) fail over and over yet you will come back for more because it’s just a puzzle you haven’t figured out yet, and once you do you kind of slap yourself on the forehead and exclaim “why didn’t I see that before.” In a world now overrun with tower defense games, on a platform overrun with tower defense games, this game shines brighter than all its rivals. There are over 34 levels of brain bending challenges to attempt and you’ll have fun trying them all.
Grade A
Meta Grade 93
For the most part, it’s the same tower defense game we’ve all seen before. There is a beginning and end to every level and enemies travel along a set path to the end and you place units which can be upgraded along that path to stop them. What makes this game a gem is that you really have to think about where you’re placing your units. The laser cannon for example works best when it’s able to fire across a straight. If you place it in a location where it can’t be it’s most effective, you will likely lose. Every unit has optimal locations to be placed which you need to discover. Some levels restrict the type of units that can be placed to prevent you from placing multiple overpowered towers (like the Tesla Towers in Field Runners) and make you concentrate on how to effectively place what you have to win.
While the game makes you find the optimal tower placement locations, there is more than one solution to every map. This is one of those games like Punch Out!! where you can (and will) fail over and over yet you will come back for more because it’s just a puzzle you haven’t figured out yet, and once you do you kind of slap yourself on the forehead and exclaim “why didn’t I see that before.” In a world now overrun with tower defense games, on a platform overrun with tower defense games, this game shines brighter than all its rivals. There are over 34 levels of brain bending challenges to attempt and you’ll have fun trying them all.
Grade A
Meta Grade 93
Abduction - The cows are coming back
Abduction is a fun little time waster for those that have that other cool phone, the Android equipped G1. It’s played using the tilt controls of the phone. You are a cow. There are several platforms floating above your head. There is a flying saucer way up in the sky above you have to reach to clear the level. Once the game starts your begins jumping constantly while you tilt left or right to control which platform it lands on to continue going up. There are “power-ups” that can give you more or less platforms, extra lives, or make the platforms crumble beneath you. There’s nothing else to it but that. It is integrated with Score Ninja and has online ranking so you can see how well you’re doing against everyone else. It’s great fun if you’ve got a bit of free time on your hands and since it’s played entirely with tilt, if your on a packed bus or train, you can still break it out without accidentally throwing an elbow at an unsuspecting passenger.
Grade B
Meta Grade 83
Grade B
Meta Grade 83
Sway - A new way to fall off platforms to your death
Sway is a great looking game for iPhone with a great platforming technique, but it suffers from bad play controls. You play the part of a frog who’s friends have been locked up and you need to rescue them and put your world back together. There are many levels each with their own challenges. You have to swing from platform to platform using the touch screen to swing left and right and gain your momentum. Therein lies the problem. To spin your character, you have to put your thumb/finger on the screen and rotate him around blocking your field of view. Also the game doesn’t give you any indication of when to release to actually make the jump or how far your character will jump. It’s a trial and error nightmare. When spiked blocks are introduced it becomes even more frustrating as you immediately die if you make contact. It’s an awesome effort by the developers and I hope they make another game with improved controls but if you like your iPhone and don’t want to break it in a fit of rage by throwing it across the room, you should probably leave this one alone.
Grade C-
Meta Grade 50
Grade C-
Meta Grade 50
Crystal Defenders: Vanguard Storm - What Would Boby Fisher Do?
If you like chess, tower defense, and Final Fantasy then you should give Crystal Defenders: Vanguard Storm for the iPhone/iTouch a look. It’s a difficult one to explain but basically you are placed on a squared board with a string of enemies on the left and your units on the right. The board is split in half and you cannot cross the line but the enemies can. The enemies advance toward the right and if they can make it across the line and to the end of your side of the screen you lose. Your units can only attack in certain directions, for example an archer can only shoot diagonally and a soldier can only attack squares immediately in front of it. You do not get to choose which units to deploy, but in between waves sometimes you are given a choice of an aid unit to join you in your fight.
The game makes you think a lot about strategy and how to best deal with the approaching enemies. You are under a time limit and if you lose a unit, you’ve lost it for the remainder of the wave so you have to consider unit strength and location vs the enemies and who should attack who. There are 10 levels each with unique waves of enemies and there are level bosses as well. It's more of a thinking man's game, yet easy to master and lots of fun.
Grade A-
Meta Grade 89
The game makes you think a lot about strategy and how to best deal with the approaching enemies. You are under a time limit and if you lose a unit, you’ve lost it for the remainder of the wave so you have to consider unit strength and location vs the enemies and who should attack who. There are 10 levels each with unique waves of enemies and there are level bosses as well. It's more of a thinking man's game, yet easy to master and lots of fun.
Grade A-
Meta Grade 89
Rhythm Heaven full review
Rhythm Heaven reminds me a lot of Wario Ware. It involves either tapping, holding, and flicking the stylus on the touch screen. The games encompass all types of music (Russian, tropical, pop, weird) and have you doing crazy and interesting things that are hard to put into words. The kind of sad part is that the touch screen isn't actually used in the actual gameplay. It changes colors but no action takes place on it. The music is fun and the games are challenging. Every 5 games there's a remix level where the rhythm changes and you have to figure out how to solve the puzzles with the new music.
There are over 30 games to choose from, and after the credits challenge versions of 20 of those games unlock. You’ll do everything from play a lizard trying to attract a mate to a dog ninja slicing vegetables and skillets. The cute and weird nature of the games makes it hard not to be engaged. It is a little short and you can conceivable finish it just a few hours. It’s a great game to have with you on a bus or train commute as mini-games last for just over a minute, and the fun addictive nature will make each play a pleasant experience.
Grade: B
Meta Grade: 83
There are over 30 games to choose from, and after the credits challenge versions of 20 of those games unlock. You’ll do everything from play a lizard trying to attract a mate to a dog ninja slicing vegetables and skillets. The cute and weird nature of the games makes it hard not to be engaged. It is a little short and you can conceivable finish it just a few hours. It’s a great game to have with you on a bus or train commute as mini-games last for just over a minute, and the fun addictive nature will make each play a pleasant experience.
Grade: B
Meta Grade: 83
Elite Beat Agents - When the Ghostbuster's line is busy...
I’ve been playing a lot of music/rhythm games recently and Elite Beat Agents for the Nintendo DS is the best one. I’m about two years late to the party on this one, but better late than never right. Elite Beat Agents is one of those games you can absolutely lose yourself in without realizing five hours have gone by. It’s very easy to play, you just tap a button to the beat, sometimes you slide your pointer on the screen, and fun ensues.
The magic of the game comes from the story each song tells. Every mission starts with a story of someone having a particularly difficult time in their life who needs help, and the agents swoop in with their power of music and dance to save the day. You’ll enjoy seeing them help a lost dog get back home set to Deep Purple’s Highway Star or question why game developer’s love Avril Lavigne so much as you help a speeding taxi driver to the tune of Sk8er Boi. Some of the skits work very well. The one set to Chicago’s Inspiration is the best emotional experiences I’ve ever experienced in a video game.
The game starts off with two difficulty settings and a third is unlocked if you can clear the more difficult one. There are also unlockable songs and you can save your replay of every stage. There’s co-op and verses if you have friends around who want to get down as well. There is no reason to not own this game. It should be in every DS collection.
Grade: A+
Meta Grade: 100
The magic of the game comes from the story each song tells. Every mission starts with a story of someone having a particularly difficult time in their life who needs help, and the agents swoop in with their power of music and dance to save the day. You’ll enjoy seeing them help a lost dog get back home set to Deep Purple’s Highway Star or question why game developer’s love Avril Lavigne so much as you help a speeding taxi driver to the tune of Sk8er Boi. Some of the skits work very well. The one set to Chicago’s Inspiration is the best emotional experiences I’ve ever experienced in a video game.
The game starts off with two difficulty settings and a third is unlocked if you can clear the more difficult one. There are also unlockable songs and you can save your replay of every stage. There’s co-op and verses if you have friends around who want to get down as well. There is no reason to not own this game. It should be in every DS collection.
Grade: A+
Meta Grade: 100
Hands on with the Rockband Unplugged demo
I think I’ve mentioned music and rhythm games before. I got the chance to play the upcoming Rockband Unplugged demo this weekend and was impressed with what they did with it. With the exception of singing, it’s pretty much the same game with button presses being swapped for fake guitaring or drumming and vocals are now done with button presses as well. All 4 parts of the song are available and in single player you can switch between which part you want to play. The demo was pretty gimped though with only 3 songs. It was actually extra gimped in that you only get to play about half of the song before it kicks you into the purchase the full version screen. I can understand not wanting to give away the whole kit and caboodle for free, but at least let me get through an entire song.
Drag Me To Hell - OOOhooo Witchy Woman...
This movie made me jump. It blatantly telegraphed that it was going to make me jump and still managed to make me jump. I believe that says something about Sam Raimi’s skills as a writer/director as he obviously knows his genre very well and is willing to have a lot of fun with the audience while still making what will likely be this years best (and scariest) horror movie.
The story is a simple setup. A cute young Southern girl who wants to make something out of her life gets cursed by a gypsy woman and an evil demon begins stalking her. She finds out that at the end of this curse she will be dragged to hell by this demon so she does everything she can to try and stop it.
The acting is perfect for this sort of thing that is able to walk that line between B movie and so bad it’s good movie. The setups are obvious and at times you don’t know whether to laugh or jump, but every minute of it is great for what it is. An anvil gets dropped on someone’s head, there’s a battle between the lead actress and a corpse, and there’s a scary invisible demon who actually is scary every time it appears. This movie is worth seeing. You will have a lot of fun watching it.
Grade B
Meta Grade 85
The story is a simple setup. A cute young Southern girl who wants to make something out of her life gets cursed by a gypsy woman and an evil demon begins stalking her. She finds out that at the end of this curse she will be dragged to hell by this demon so she does everything she can to try and stop it.
The acting is perfect for this sort of thing that is able to walk that line between B movie and so bad it’s good movie. The setups are obvious and at times you don’t know whether to laugh or jump, but every minute of it is great for what it is. An anvil gets dropped on someone’s head, there’s a battle between the lead actress and a corpse, and there’s a scary invisible demon who actually is scary every time it appears. This movie is worth seeing. You will have a lot of fun watching it.
Grade B
Meta Grade 85
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
inFAMOUS - Red Light, Blue Light
I like Grand Theft Auto. I like super powers. I like open world. inFAMOUS combines things that I like into one fine game that robs me of several hours of sleep. You are Cole, a messenger who delivers a bomb that destroys several areas of a large city. This weapon also gave you a power over electricity. You put these powers to use either heroically or thuggishly to find out who was behind the whole thing.
The world the game drops you in is huge. You can scale to the top of pretty much everything you can see and the sections of each of the three parts of the city are enormous. No two places in this game look alike. You can get around by jumping from rooftop to rooftop, riding the metro rails, or just running around on street level. The world is inhabited with sever people, police, and each section of the city has their own enemies. The story is carried out in the same fashion as the GTA games with missions appearing on your map. There are also numerous side missions which not only give you extra XP to upgrade your powers with but also they help you take over sections of the city to keep the baddies from spawning there and sniping you from rooftops all the time.
Cole is a great character to play as far as what he can do. One of my favorite things to do is jump off the highest skyscraper I can find and land with a fully charged thunder drop which leads to a huge explosion with all the cars exploding and then force pushing people in the air and shooting them with lightning bolts as they fall in slow motion. This game makes it so easy to look awesome it’s ridiculous and oh, so satisfying. It also has a very Sly way of making you want to play through it a 2nd time. Cole’s special attacks changes depending of if you are playing good or evil. To upgrade his powers you have to go into the upgrade menu. This menu cleverly lets you see what the counter version of the power you’re upgrading looks like, and trust me – the grass always looks greener on the other side no matter how you play him. The story changes a bit as well to accommodate the actions of the player. One other thing the game does well is assist you in discovering the “hidden items” that plague so many games. You can tap the L3 button which will tell you if you are near something and if you are you can go find it. No more pouring over areas looking for something that may or may not be there for completion’s sake.
inFAMOUS is not without flaws though. For one the AI of the people in the city could be better in that if there is an guy shooting electricity out of his hands at people shooting automatic weapons at you, maybe you don’t want to run directly in the line of fire. I could understand if it were the police or soldiers, but not pedestrians. Also it’s great that every ledge, pipe, rail or power line sucks you onto it seamlessly without it feeling weird like in some games that auto-correct jumps and landings, but sometimes you just want to freefall but Cole won’t stop grabbing stuff. There’s a few bugs as well with Cole clipping weirdly and being stuck at the top of a ledge unable to climb over without a few extra jump button presses. These are very small gripes in an otherwise great game.
Grade A-
Meta Grade 90
The world the game drops you in is huge. You can scale to the top of pretty much everything you can see and the sections of each of the three parts of the city are enormous. No two places in this game look alike. You can get around by jumping from rooftop to rooftop, riding the metro rails, or just running around on street level. The world is inhabited with sever people, police, and each section of the city has their own enemies. The story is carried out in the same fashion as the GTA games with missions appearing on your map. There are also numerous side missions which not only give you extra XP to upgrade your powers with but also they help you take over sections of the city to keep the baddies from spawning there and sniping you from rooftops all the time.
Cole is a great character to play as far as what he can do. One of my favorite things to do is jump off the highest skyscraper I can find and land with a fully charged thunder drop which leads to a huge explosion with all the cars exploding and then force pushing people in the air and shooting them with lightning bolts as they fall in slow motion. This game makes it so easy to look awesome it’s ridiculous and oh, so satisfying. It also has a very Sly way of making you want to play through it a 2nd time. Cole’s special attacks changes depending of if you are playing good or evil. To upgrade his powers you have to go into the upgrade menu. This menu cleverly lets you see what the counter version of the power you’re upgrading looks like, and trust me – the grass always looks greener on the other side no matter how you play him. The story changes a bit as well to accommodate the actions of the player. One other thing the game does well is assist you in discovering the “hidden items” that plague so many games. You can tap the L3 button which will tell you if you are near something and if you are you can go find it. No more pouring over areas looking for something that may or may not be there for completion’s sake.
inFAMOUS is not without flaws though. For one the AI of the people in the city could be better in that if there is an guy shooting electricity out of his hands at people shooting automatic weapons at you, maybe you don’t want to run directly in the line of fire. I could understand if it were the police or soldiers, but not pedestrians. Also it’s great that every ledge, pipe, rail or power line sucks you onto it seamlessly without it feeling weird like in some games that auto-correct jumps and landings, but sometimes you just want to freefall but Cole won’t stop grabbing stuff. There’s a few bugs as well with Cole clipping weirdly and being stuck at the top of a ledge unable to climb over without a few extra jump button presses. These are very small gripes in an otherwise great game.
Grade A-
Meta Grade 90
So now that I'm officially a video game journalist...
You read that right, I now am being paid (a tinny-tiny bit) to write about games, handheld games to be specific. Examiner.com has taken me on as Seattle’s handheld examiner so there will be many more DS, PSP, iPhone, and G1 games reviewed both here and on my examiner page. I’ve also changed my grading system a tad. From now on every game will have a letter grade score and a metascore grade so the people pooling reviews won’t convert a B- into a 47/100.
Be sure to check it often so I can get some $$$ because I’m still losing my job at the end of this month and game reviews will not come close to sustaining me. I’ll still be doing console game reviews and movie reviews here, and everything I write on that page will be posted here as well. Oh yeah, the life updates will still be going up here too. So view my page, tell your friends about it and get me some clicks.
Be sure to check it often so I can get some $$$ because I’m still losing my job at the end of this month and game reviews will not come close to sustaining me. I’ll still be doing console game reviews and movie reviews here, and everything I write on that page will be posted here as well. Oh yeah, the life updates will still be going up here too. So view my page, tell your friends about it and get me some clicks.
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