Ok, so due to some editing problems, the video podcast will be up NEXT weekend. This weekend, we’re bringing you just your typical normal written review. Plus, it’ll be a good weekend to begin the podcast with, right? New month, new format. Yeah, planned it JUST like that”¦
However, since most of the cool reviews are in the podcast”¦this week all I had left was one game”¦
RIDERS ON THE STORM
So, as is typical with a movie’s release into theaters, there’s always the video game tie-in, made in the hopes that fans of the license will snatch it up in order to recreate or extend their movie going experience. This time out, it’s GHOST RIDER, out for PS2 and PSP, based on the film that’s based on a comic book. And just like the film, it’s only mildly entertaining with occasional parts of really bad.
Once again the developers see to it that they extend the experience of the game past what the film offers, and thanks to comic scribes Garth Ennis and Jimmy Palmiotti we get a tale set somewhat after the events of the film. Johnny Blaze, who becomes Ghost Rider whenever the blood of innocence is spilled, is tasked by Mephisto to stop Blackheart once again from trying to kick-start the apocalypse. What this means in terms of gameplay is that you’ll be bashing a lot of minor demons and other weird looking thugs in a manor reminiscent of GOD OF WAR. Only, you know”¦not as good.
GR uses his chains much like Kratos uses his”¦the whip and pummel baddies in a frenzy of flourish and combos. Sadly, GR doesn’t have quite as many combos at his disposal, and his attacks can become repetitious quickly. What’s more, as you attack, you build up a combo meter, much like the one found in DEVIL MAY CRY 3, used in order to unlock larger attacks and special moves like shotgun blasts and large scale blasts of power.
While this sounds fine and dandy, the meter usually serves no real purpose unless you come up against a demon that has on a “shield” ““ one that can only be broken by reaching the right level in your combo meter. This is an especially lame way of extending gameplay, and usually as you’re building the meter to break the shield, you can be attacked from behind by another baddy and are forced to start all over again.
Then there’re the driving levels. Like a game of ROAD RASH but with little steering control, you whip down courses and attack whoever opposes you. Here, however, the baddies are much weaker than before, as you blast them out of your way on the course with your hellshot, or whip the mobile ones to the left and right of you with your chains. There are a few cool moments when you have to jump over or slide under things”¦but really, how cool can that continue to be after the first time you do it?
Like the movie, the game has its moments, but overall, isn’t that great. It tries (unsuccessfully) to ape the styles of more popular games, but doesn’t quite reach the grace or fun of those titles. If you’re a fan of the character, there’s some joy to find in the unlockable extras, but the game itself will leave you wanting more, as many of the character’s better foes are ill represented here. For everyone else, it’s a day’s rental.
One Gamer’s Opinion:
Next week is the premiere of the video podcast for “Game On!”, featuring reviews of Wii titles, a few DS games, and an interview with Bethesda Softworks about their upcoming PS3 version of OBLIVION and its PC and Xbox 360 expansion, SHIVERING ISLES. Tune in next time!
THE GAME ON! RATING SYSTEM
Ratings From Greatest to Least:
Kick Ass, Right On, Okay, Eh, and Stinker (aka CRAPTACULAR)
One of the first new titles released for the Xbox 360 this year has been Capcom’s LOST PLANET, a fantastic shooter/platformer”¦if you’re a fan of the old school style of gaming. Which, no, isn’t a bad thing. Using a tried and true style of level design, enemy structure and goal acquisition, LOST PLANET brings to mind many of the greatest Capcom titles of old, not the least of which is BIONIC COMMANDO.
As a new up and coming customizer in “Pimp City” (say what now?), you take on a challenge from X to the Z himself and compete against a rival crew of (unseen) pimpers to see who’s the best at tricking out phat rides. To do so, you take the customer’s car and drive it around the city to raise money to pay for all the customization you’ll do to it.
A few years ago, I reviewed a little volleyball game that had some impressive graphics and a little titillation that was oddly based on a fighting game. Now, just before X-mas, they released a sequel for this game for Xbox 360, and added a whole mess of unnecessary stuff. Of course I’m speaking of DEAD OR ALIVE XTREME 2. No longer just about volleyball, this game has just pilled on the mature rating situations, be they by bikini clad tug of war, mad dashes through sand for a stick or bouncing across pads on a pool”¦there’s just some point when it all gets TOO ridiculous. And bouncy. Too Bouncy. Now, I like buoyant mammaries as much as the next straight male, but this game”¦wow. I never thought I’d be truly disturbed by next generation graphics in this way. Adding games like “Butt Bounce” to the mix, or even as the characters run during “photo shoots” you’ll notice tat each breast is animated”¦independently of the other. Watching the two move in opposite directions is almost TWO real”¦I’ve never seen tits do that and neither have you. It’s like those crazy googliy eyes they stick on badly made stuffed creatures you get from a quarter machine, each one spinning around completely separate and wholly unrealistically from the other. What’s worse is the rest of the title can’t even qualify as a game”¦at least not a very good one. The volleyball element has been dumbed down to the point of questioning why you even have a partner, and inclusion of jet skis is just…well, the whole thing is just not needed. The first title was a fun little goof, this one just takes itself too seriously while trying to be cute and naughty for all the wrong, weird and crazy reasons.
Gametap, that online streaming gaming service, just announced that MYST ONLINE: URU LIVE is now up and running. Taking the series familiar locales and puzzles and fusing it with a MMO structure, this title is part of Gametap’s own Originals series, a looks to offer a lot for gamers of all ages, both new and familiar to the MYST worlds.
For those of you (those very few of you, I should say) who were worried that the two year wait for the sweet looking and finally adult version of Link would be all for naught and fraught with disappointment can now rest assured. THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: TWILIGHT PRINCESS, out now for both the Wii and the Gamecube, quite simply, will rock your fucking socks off, and never let you stop playing. And that’s only the BEGINNING of the good news.
As many readers of my column will attest to, I am not only a big ZELDA fan, but also a huge METAL GEAR fan. Despite delving into the wacky and bizarre realms of science fiction, to me the Kojima productions games can do no wrong, and this is further proved by my love for METAL GEAR SOLID: PORTABLE OPS, out now on the PSP system.
Another series favorite of mine, CASTLEVANIA, has reached its 20th anniversary this year. As such, it’s newest entry, PORTRAIT OF RUIN on the Nintendo DS bring familiar play mechanics and graphics to the table, while providing some new and unique control and characters for gamers to explore with.
SUPERNOVA, for one, has an all-new “Battle” mode, where two players actually “fight” each other based on how well you dance, and yes, it’s just about as ridiculous as it sounds. There’s also a training mode for beginners, and an all new Stellar Master Mode, which is as close to a campaign mode that DDR will ever get. In it, players dance through various “joints” (planet locations on a map of sorts) and complete dance-centric tasks to move on. There are dance showdowns, basically boss battles, to complete as well, to move down to the next series of joints and so on. It’s the first freshest addition in a long time to a series that has only seen marginal “updates” to most of it’s modes.
ULTRAMIX 4, however, seems to be more of the same. Still, it does offer a few nice things, such as the ability to utilize any of the download song packs from the previous entries, as well as sporting a good variety of songs for non-J-pop fans. In fact, both ULTRAMIX 4 and SUPERNOVA feature actual AMERICAN artists such as David Bowie, Fallout Boy and Oingo Boingo across their soundtracks. This makes finding a decent tune to dance to a bit more bearable once you find a name that you can actually recognize without having to be a 14-year-old Japanese girl first.
What makes GUITAR HERO II so enjoyable is its simplicity. Using the guitar controller, press the proper colored fret and strum as the notes pass by. There’s (thankfully) a practice mode to those who never picked up the first game, where you can now not only choose sections of songs to practice, but you can even slow them down to make sure you nail that solo. The main game features the same four difficulty levels as last time (easy, medium, hard and expert) but for some reason even the lower levels seem tougher on some songs. The roster of songs is also much expanded (obviously) with a huge amount of unlockable songs able to be bought down the line.
POWERSTONE COLLECTION, for example, takes the two entries in the series (both released on the Dreamcast) and puts them together for the first time, as well as including some odd mini games from the ill-fated system’s VMU memory card. Both games are glorious representations of the original game, where fighters do battle on a multi-tiered field, with plenty of objects to pick up and chuck at your foe and power-ups to collect. The game works well on the PSP’s screen, with bright vibrant colors highlighting the action and simple commands used to execute punishing moves.
MORTAL KOMBAT: UNCHAINED, however, is merely a port of last year’s DECEPTION, just with a few new additional fighters. As well as including MOTARO and SHAO KHAN (from the Gamecube version of the game), we get Blaze, Frost Kitana, and Jax. All of the unlockable fighters from the home version are there, but they’re already unlocked, making the Konquest mode’s inclusion rather unnecessary (because, really, who played that mode for the story?).
Firstly, my favorite hero gets a brand new game in the form of SPIDER-MAN: BATTLE FOR NEW YORK, out now on GBA and DS (reviewed). Built off the same engine for the previous handheld versions of ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN, this title again takes its cue from the Ultimate Universe. In fact, it seems to stem from some of the early issues of the book, where Peter first fought Norman Osbourne, otherwise known as the Green Goblin. In the Ultimate U, ol’ GG is a giant demon looking beast created by the Super Solider Serum gone wrong, and in the game, you play as both Spidey and his nemesis.
The premise is ok by itself. A game based on the film of the same name, fleshed out a bit with side missions and non-movie story modes to continue the game well past the film. Sure, they all do that. But here, it doesn’t quite flow the way that they intended. Maybe it’s the fact that you only really fight two kinds of enemies in this game (drones and boss characters). Maybe it’s the fact that between events, you just sort of hover above the city, waiting for something to happen. Or maybe it’s just because Superman is TOO POWERFUL to make a good game about. Sure, they finally have all his powers, and he’s quite formidable. But, he’s so powerful, that they don’t even give him a health bar. No, instead what we’re treated to is a meter which registers “Metropolis Health”, the life bar of the city itself. If the city becomes too damaged in a fracas, it’s game over for the big caped guy. Lame.
As most of you know, of all the sports I don’t like, I like football the least. Which is why I was so surprised that I enjoyed BLITZ: THE LEAGUE as much as I did. When I reviewed it for the original Xbox, I found that, while the main game had its hiccups, it was still a fun diversion from a normal gridiron game and still had a lot to appeal to football fans as well as arcade players.
For our other title, some would argue that its subject matter doesn’t officially count as a “sport” (despite the in game announcers claiming that it contains the worlds best “athletes”). Still, now that it’s become a yearly franchise, WWE SMACKDOWN VS RAW 2007 (on PS2, PSP and for the first time Xbox 360) has continued to grow into the world’s best wrestling title”¦though currently there’s not much competition.
Who’s tired of WWII shooters yet? Obviously not Activision. They have good reason not to be, however, as their CALL OF DUTY series is the most popular and best selling series in the genre. So, it’s no surprise that once again they visit familiar ground with CALL OF DUTY 3, out now for PS2, PS3, Xbox, Xbox 360 (reviewed) and the Nintendo Wii. What is surprising is that PC developer Infinity Ward has stepped aside and allowed Treyarch to take the reins. What we’re left with is a mix of the best elements of the series past, with a few new tricks added to the mix, but an overall feeling of sameness.
Firstly, THE SOPRANOS, out for PS2, takes place between the HBO series 5th and 6th seasons and puts the player in the shoes of Joey LaRocca, son of the late rat, Sal “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero. Joey’s you’re typical mook out for a buck by snatching purses, but Tony Soprano puts a stop to that in his neighborhood but quick, and decides to take the kid on in more “legitimate” business exploits.
What at first looked like a cheap GTA knock off (which, in all accounts, is a rip off of the movie SCARFACE, especially VICE CITY) is actually more of a shooter in an open world environment. There are cars and weapons, buildings to enter and enact with, but the main story is very structured, and there’s more combat than anything else. Tony has a decent lock-on system, which you can finely tune to concentrate on specific body parts to shoot. The more serious wound you inflict, the more “Balls” you have. You can even taunt foes as they die, giving you more “Balls” for your meter. Max this meter out, and you’re filled with Tony’s “Blind Rage”, which enters the player into first person mode with all foes automatically targeted, and lets you blow them all away, increasing your health. It’s a good way to save your ass in deep fire fights, and you’ll actually end up using it pretty often.
After a great deal of success with the X-MEN LEGENDS series, developer Raven Software turned it’s sights towards the entire Marvel Universe with a daunting idea: what if ALL the villains teamed up? Players take on the familiar four hero teams and beat down all that oppose them in the typical dungeon crawler fashion made popular in those X-MEN past games. Here, however, there’s more emphasis on team play, as well as team dynamics. Include heroes from already existing teams (such as the Fantastic Four or the New Avengers) and you’ll be given bonuses in health or other stat attributes.
Sadly, the same can’t fully be said for DC’s JUSTICE LEAGUE HEROES. While it too apes the dungeon crawling button mashing style of X-MEN LEGENDS, it’s pedigree is closer to the D&D side of things, as developer Snowblind Studios has it’s heritage with the BALDUR’S GATE series. In JLH, you can choose only TWO heroes to battle through the stages with, and in some cases, the choices aren’t even yours, the game makes them for you.
For the little purple dragon that could, his new game is all about how his story began. As a reboot for the series, Sierra has released THE LEGEND OF SPYRO: A NEW BEGINNING on PS2, Gamecube, Xbox, GBA and DS. Here, Spyro’s story is completely redone. After being rescued by Ingnitius, an elder dragon, he is left to wash away in the river, in the hopes of finding a safe place after Cinder lays waste to the dragon homeland. And he does, being raised by a family of fireflies, with his best bud and “brother” Sparx. One day, his dragon powers start to kick in, and so does his life’s destiny: of being the chosen purple dragon of legend to save the dragon’s once again.
As with DEATH JR II on the PSP, the production value is also high. The cut scenes, while not featuring as recognizable a voice cast, still tell the story quite well, and are some of the best looking scenes I’ve seen for a handheld game. While on a trip in the woods to hunt down a cocoon for a science project, DJ and Pandora accidentally unleash a hellish wood nymph on the land, which ends up capturing DJ’s father”¦Death. It’s up the kids to save pops”¦and everybody else on the planet, naturally.
On the DRAGON BALL Z side of things, however, the same format as before works just as well, and BUDOKAI TENKAICHI 2 (on PS2 and Wii) is the largest game yet in the series. Featuring over 100 fighters from the TV show’s three different series (Dragon Ball, Z and GT) and a storyline that spans the entire 160+ episode run of the Z series, this is definitely a lot of bang for your buck. There’s over 60 hours of gameplay in the main story!
For GRAND THEFT AUTO: VICE CITY STORIES, the fault lies with the series itself. After 9 games of gangsters doing gangster shit, it’s starting to become stale. Still, this story has some legs to begin with. Vince Vance (brother of Lance Vance from the original VICE CITY) has been dishonorably discharged from the military after being caught with his superior officers’ contraband. Back on the streets of Vice City (two years before Tommy Vercetti’s tale) Vince is trying to stay on the straight and narrow”¦but it doesn’t quite work out that way for the big lug. After dealing with a drunken gunrunner and bootlegger, Lance hooks up with his brother and the local drug cartels, and Lance isn’t quite the cool cat yet we’ve come to know. Backstory shapes the characters we’ve been familiar with and every plays out in that familiar GTA style.
While it’s console version takes place after the film and incorporates a similar GTA style, the PSP version actually takes place DURING the film, but it’s execution is a bizarre one. After viewing some lengthy movie scenes directly from the feature, you’re dropped inexplicably into a TURN BASED STRATEGY GAME. Yes. I’ll repeat that. SCARFACE on PSP is a TURN BASED STRATEGY GAME.
First up is the Xbox 360 version of the newest Tom Clancy title SPLINTER CELL: DOUBLE AGENT. Here, Sam Fisher is just about at the end of his rope; the heir to his title as “sneakiest spy around” has just fouled up in a mission and bit it, and Sam’s daughter has just died in a car crash. With nothing left to lose, Sam takes on some seriously dangerous escapades as he moonlights as a thug in prison and attempts to join the John Brown’s Army, a terrorist faction, all the while still keeping tabs with his associates at the NSA. As you progress through that game’s missions, you’ll have to keep and eye one which company holds you with the most trust. Lose it from either and it’s game over.
So, after all these years, I finally get to play a FINAL FANTASY game. And sure, some fans may argue that XII may not be the one to start with, but it’s the newest, and seems to be the most hyped and most awaited, so here we go.
When the Xbox 360 was announced, one title had gamers salivating in a most Pavlovian way, and they have continued to do so up until this title’s release. Thankfully, all that drool hasn’t been wasted, as this is a game truly deserving of a tubs worth of saliva. GEARS OF WAR has lived up to the hype, cut it up with a chainsaw, and stomped its skull into the curb, and walked away laughing at the non-believers.
I reviewed F.E.A.R. when it was released for the PC a year ago, and as it has now hit the Xbox 360, my opinion still stands: this is a frightening, well-paced game that just about any FPS fan should play. The plot (such as it is) of a Hannibal Lechter wannabe crossed with the supernatural and your “heightened senses” allowing for slow motion and super charged kung fu work exceptionally well here as before, though the repetitive backgrounds, though detailed, may bring some shooter nuts down a bit. Still, the 360 version boasts a new mode in “Instant Action” where players are dumped into a setting with a huge onslaught of enemies and must fight their way to the end. Scores are built on how many enemies killed and how quickly, how many health packs are used and stocked and more, and scores are uploaded to Xbox Live leaderboards, While most will argue about innovation in the title, one can’t deny it’s visceral appeal, and just about any fan of survival horror and first person shooters should give this jump-fest a shot. Its scares may be different than GOW’s, but are none the less worthwhile.
Rockstar Games is well known for video game controversy. The makers of GRAND THEFT AUTO have been sued more than I care to recognize simply due to the fact that folks aren’t doing proper parenting. So when it was announced that their next big title for PS2 would take place in a school setting, the outraged outcry began without so much as a single detail of what the gameplay was going to like. Folks were threatening to ban the game from stores before its release, calling their upcoming title a “Columbine Simulator” and other such ridiculous terms. And why? Because it came from the House that GTA Built. Never mind the fact that they never revealed the gameplay, what the tasks would be, etc”¦they just automatically assumed the worst. Well, I’m here to say this: nyah nyah neener neener. BULLY is, simply, a story about a kid who attends BULLWORTH ACADAMY”¦it’s not so much about him being a bully as it is him stopping the bullies. No guns, no death, just kids going to class and dealing with the same crap cliques that kids always have to deal with.
As I’ve said many times before, I am not a car guy. If it gets me from point A to point B without breaking down, I’m a happy guy. Still, there are a smattering of race titles out there that I do enjoy, just so long as there isn’t TOO much of the gearhead mentality needed to go along with them. Sadly, this is not the case with IMPORT TUNER CHALLENGE, out for the Xbox 360. Another chapter in the TOKYO XTREME RACER series, this title pits you as a racer on the streets of Japan, tuning cars and winning races in the most basic and boring of ways. There is no free roaming city, and no real need to try to learn maps either since there really aren’t any. Most take place along the same circling highway, just on the outer or inner loops. Races are done much in the same way as STREET SUPREMACY on PSP: racers have a “Spirit Point” (or health) bar that depletes depending on how much of a lead the y have/lose or how much they run into shit, making some races quite short, and hence, boring. The tuning aspects are also fairly basic so that non-greasers like me can fiddle with parts enough to get good speed and handling, but don’t really offer much to recommend the title, let alone call it a “challenge”. The graphics are only ok, but definitely not worthy of the “next gen” console it’s on. Sadly, this is just a passable game that doesn’t really do anything special unless you must have every racing title on the market, or are REALLY into the TOKYO XTREME style of games.
One of my favorite games from last year finally gets the handheld treatment this year with GUN SHOWDOWN hitting the PSP. Taking the core gameplay and spicing things up a bit with mini games and wireless multiplayer, the developers attempt to breathe new life into what is normally a short title, as well as expanding on the story in the main missions for fans of the original to have something fresh to play.
Okay, by now, I’m sure many of you have read about BOMBERMAN ACT: ZERO and how MOST fans of the series are angered by it. How the game’s style has been changed, taking away the cute cartoon character and setting him in a futuristic cyber inspired setting and removing most of the advances the multiplayer games have made. And I can understand that. And while the game does have its faults (for some, there are many) it does have at least one thing going for it: good multiplayer.
DS fans are starting to get a good deal more RPGs for the system, and old school genre fans will have something to enjoy this week once CONTACT is released. With a style reminiscent of EARTHBOUND for NES, the game takes a leisurely pace through islands and worlds as you help guide a boy in his quest to get a scientist back to the future (among other oddball revelations). The player actually plays an active role in the story too, even so far as being addressed outside of the main game, breaking the fourth wall between gamer and game, making the title essentially about three characters: the boy, the scientist and you. Combat is a unique hybrid between turn based and real time that includes steady attacks and real time movement and even includes mid-fight leveling. It’s a interesting title to be sure, and one that old school RPG fans should really check out.
Sadly, the same cannot be said for RENGOKU II: STAIRWAY TO H.E.A.V.E.N. on PSP. Usually most sequels, especially ones in which the original did not do well, try to improve on the ideas and gameplay styles of the original. Not this one. Everything is the same, from the clunky control, to the horribly ugly randomized backgrounds. For those not familiar with the original (and count yourselves lucky) you are a battle cyborg trapped in a tower who must fight other creations like you. When you win, you obtain their weapons, which you attach to either your arms, head or back to augment your fighting powers. Each room and level of the game is completely randomly generated, making multiple playthroughs the aim. Sadly, when each background looks as dull and crummy as this, it doesn’t matter that they’re randomized. The combat is also horrible, with sloppy lock on and just bad tiny animations. I gave the first game a chance, but this one, which should have at least improved something in someway, is just more of the same crap.
This week on Live, we saw one of my favorite games released, the OG of FPS’, DOOM. The classic PC shooter is back, featuring 4 player deathmatches and 2 player co-op, as well as fancy new upgrades like a remixed soundtrack in 5.1 digital surround sound and redone in High Def…not that you’d really notice.
I know this was released quite a few weeks ago, but sadly, my Xbox Live has been down for a bit, so I missed this when it was first released. Still, I’m no stranger to the game. Taking the 12 World Warriors into battle brings back some great yet strange memories of my youth, and some of them actually aren’t that happy.
I hope the state of Oklahoma doesn’t mind me using their slogan for this review’s title, but it was all I could think of. OKAMI, just released for PS2, is Capcom’s big “art” game ““ a game that has significant buzz for the past TWO E3 shows, not just for it’s look, but it’s gameplay. Developed by Clover Studios (the team responsible for the VIEWTIFUL JOE games), OKAMI takes you on a journey unlike any seen in games yet, and will hopefully spark a new age of unique gameplay and non-Western themed storytelling for games in the states.
Next up is an unexpectedly fun little adventure for the DS named DRAGON QUEST HEROES: ROCKET SLIME. In it, you take the titular hero (that would be a slime named “Rocket”) on a adventure to save his brethren. The Plobfather has kidnapped all 100 residents of Rocket’s town and it’s up to him to rescue them. Sounds a bit kiddie-fied, yes, but don’t let the goofy names and cutesy cartoon graphics fool you. There’s an incredibly deep adventure waiting here beyond some simplistic cosmetic functions.
It began with a car. The Interceptor. Folks would plunk down their 25 cents and drive the coolest car imaginable. Outfitted with guns, missile launchers, oil slicks and more, this car would make James Bond soil his tux. With the top-down view gamers would pilot this vehicle of ultimate craftsmanship against the evil BADGUYS that roamed the land, and shoot them down without hesitation, all while the Peter Gunn theme played endlessly in the background.
Yeah, gaming was simpler then. Enemy approaches, shoot it down. But the fast action and twitch gameplay proved to be a challenge as the onslaught of enemies never seemed to let up. The corners became sharper, the supply vans fewer and overall the sense of speed and urgency became greater. While your hero character had no name or face (we never saw who drove the car in the game) you almost empathized with him. I mean, here he is, just driving around when he has to unload his guns on every vehicle that crosses his path. Well, Californians can empathize at least.
With nearly ten years behind the last game’s release, MIDWAY decided to relaunch the series in 3D with the current generation of systems. Now SPY HUNTER has stepped into the new millenium and has gotten much more than a prettier facelift. The game now pits you as an IES agent trying to stop a terrorist group known as NOSTRA (no longer the generic BADGUYS) from attacking from space with a giant EMP. How? By driving and shooting, of course! While the game gets a major cosmetic makeover, the core gameplay remains, and it’s as awesome as ever. The Interceptor now has many more upgrades and weapons, which the player can cycle through using the shoulder buttons. Also, the vehicle can change forms, depending on the situation. Jump in the water and the car becomes a boat. Sustain too much damage, and the hull of the car breaks off and it becomes a motorcycle. Finally, the series shows some innovation.
Picking up where the last game left off, you once again battle the forces of NOSTRA in your Interceptor car, only this is the next model number, featuring more upgrades and weapons, including a turret and better armor. While the graphics and control have improved once again, the gameplay has taken a turn for the worse.
Now, with the series newest iteration, we finally get to see who’s been DRIVING the damn car. And apparently, he looks and sounds a lot like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Actually, for this game, The Rock has not only provided the voice, but the likeness and even did the motion capture for the driver’s moves. The driver even has a name, Alex Decker, and a history. As a former test pilot for the CIA he’s joined the IES to rid the world of international terrorist group NOSTRA. The game is actually the basis for an upcoming film starring The Rock, and is the first time an actor has been hired to play a character in the game BEFORE the film.
Alright, you’ll have to indulge me here for a second. When the opportunity arose for me to check out and review the newest CD from the prince of parodies, I couldn’t turn it down. I’ve been a “˜Weird Al” fan for almost 20 years, and every new CD from him is an event in my household. This time around, the polka master has found himself with a newest batch of parodies and originals, spanning many different musical styles. While many of the parodies are going for a decidedly more “urban” feel than previous albums, the comedy still hits head on, and there’s lots for fans of all types of music to enjoy here.
Once again those two great tastes that taste great together have joined forces to emulate the three Star Wars movies that don’t suck (in block form) with LEGO STAR WARS II: THE ORIGINAL TRILOGY, released this past week on every console that’s currently available. Taking the familiar groundwork from the previous game and kicking into hyperdrive, this new title fixes many of the problems of the first game, while adding a new flash and fun to keep things fresh.
For the “anime game of the week” this week, we’re looking at ONE PIECE: GRAND ADVENTURE, a sequel to last year” excellent ONE PIECE: GRAND BATTLE, available for both PS2 and Gamecube. Honestly, not much has changed between the two games, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. With great control, a good sense of speed and combat, and combos galore, this new title actually adds value with its new game modes, while still retaining all the fun of the original.
Finally this week we have RULE OF ROSE, a twisted survival horror-esque game for PS2 full of crazy, creepy children, imps, and a dog named Brown. Set in the early 1930s, you play and orphaned girl named Jennifer who comes to a strange orphanage, only to be abused and mistreated by The Aristocrats of the Rose, a group of girls who filled out the “vindictive” and “creepy” boxes on their applications WAY too fully. With your faithful pooch by your side you’ll collect clues and give offerings to the Aristocrats in order to keep them happy and, essentially, keep them from killing you.
The sandbox genre is becoming a very popular style of gameplay nowadays, made famous of course by the free-roaming, do-anything GRAND THEFT AUTO series. Now, yet another young upstart is staking it’s claim to the open world genre, and it takes some big cues from the GTA series. Hell, more than cues, it outright copies many things flat out. I’m speaking of course of SAINTS ROW, the suped-up, next-gen heir to the throne of all things thugish AND rugish.
Fans of the old school side scrollers be far warned; the master is back. The GHOSTS N GOLBINS series is notorious for being amazingly fun and amazingly difficult all at the same time, and its newest entry in the series, ULTIMATE GHOSTS N GOBLINS for the PSP is no different. It’s a fine example of what gaming has been before, and what it should always be. Entertaining, challenging and a great looking game.
Once again we go with a highly apropos title for a review this week with our look at FLATOUT 2 for the PS2 and Xbox. The sequel to last year’s surprise it racing game has more of the same, and thankfully includes a good bit of polish, but eventually ends up just as our title suggests.
Well, it’s that time again. Time to review yet another DRAGON BALL Z game. This one, entitled SUPER DRAGON BALL Z, out now for PS2, is a bit of a departure for the series. A departure in that it doesn’t suck nearly as badly as many of the previous titles have, and in that it’s not nearly as much fan service as the previous titles either.
Although, I’ll admit, despite having FINAL FANTASY VII in the title, I don’t think DIRGE OF CERBERUS qualifies as a FF game, at least not in the traditional sense. While it technically is a sequel (taking place just three years after the events in the original FFVII game, and one year after the CG-i movie ADVENT CHILDREN) it’s not an RPG, but rather a first/third person shooter with elements of platforming and RPG thrown in for good measure.
The first of our two movie licensed games this week is THE ANT BULLY for PS2, Gamecube and Game Boy Advance, based on the film of the same name (ironically enough). Here you take on the role of Lucas “The Destroyer”, a kid who’s been taking out anthills with a garden hose, only to have been shrunk down to ant-size and taught a lesson by the very antennae-bearing creatures he sought to wash out of his backyard. Karma’s a bitch, ain’t it?
Thankfully, the same cannot be said for BARNYARD, out now also for PS2, Gamecube and GBA, and also based on its titular movie. This time around you’re taking on the role of a new cow (male or female, though, for some odd reason, they both shoot milk”¦don’t ask) to the barnyard where you’re set loose to wreak havoc, earn some coin, or even design your own nightclub. What’s even more odd is that it’s actually loads of fun. Yeah, I’m serious.
On the next-gen side of things, things are decidedly more violent. In CHROMEHOUNDS, out now for Xbox 360, in a distopian not-too-distant alternate future, wars are waged with gigantic mechs and battles play out across barren lands between warring countries aligned with factions each out for the advancement of their own personal ideal of peace. Kind of sound familiar”¦all but that “gigantic mechs” part.
Regardless, there’s nothing I love more than a good zombie film. Well, unless it’s a good zombie GAME. And DEAD RISING, out now for the Xbox 360 is just that. Taking a cue from DAWN OF THE DEAD (though not authorized, sanctioned or intentionally ripping of George A. Romero, as the disclaimer on the cover would have you believe) drops you into a mall during an outbreak of undead shoppers and crazed psychopaths all out for their own ultimate survival. As Frank West, photojournalist, you have 72 hours to cover the story and make it out alive, just about everything at hand can be used to get make sure you make it out alive, making for some really fun gameplay.At first glance, one could simply cast off this game as STATE OF EMERGENCY with zombies. And sure, I can see that, but let me make a distinction. Where as that game was a full-scale riot, full of chaos and clunky combat and missions that were a chore, this one has you free to do just about whatever you choose within the mall. Beating down the undead, following leads on your story, or just rescuing all the hapless survivors stuck in the same situation as you are all the orders of the day, though none are necessary for the completion of the game (though some help with the better endings).
As with most summer movies, there’s always the video game tie-in, especially if the film is an animated feature ““ it makes more sense for the kids to be able to play through their favorite sequences in the film they just saw. There’s going to be quite a few of these such titles that I’ll be reviewing in the coming weeks, but the first for now is MONSTER HOUSE, out now for PS2, Gamecube, GBA and DS.
I have to be honest, when I first saw that there was going to be a game based on the new MIAMI VICE movie, and that it was going to be exclusively for the PSP, I was worried it was going to suck. Usually licenses based on summer blockbusters don’t quite offer the same kind of thrills we see on the screen, and especially if it’s going to be a handheld offering, things are usually dulled down a great deal. However, I was pleasantly surprised with MIAMI VICE: THE GAME once I actually booted it up and started playing.
For our one non-licensed game this week, we’re taking a look at JUICED: ELIMINATOR for the PSP. In what is little more than a port of last year’s console title with a few minor upgrades, ELIMINATOR continues the series’ foray into all things street racing, and still manages to bring along that odd cell phone bit.
For our first DVD review this week, we’re taking a quick look at the re-release of the STREET FIGHTER II animated movie. Released back in the game’s heyday, the film was cut a bit when it reached the US shores (as happens with much of the dubbed anime we receive). Now for the first time in the US we get the overseas cuts of the film featuring more fighting, longer more violent sequences, and, of course, Chun Li in the shower. Yes, this was actually what was listed on the press release for the DVD.
Sadly, that usually isn’t the case with films based on video games, and one of the worst cases of a director just not getting it is Uwe Boll, scourge of the cinematic game fan. Dr. Boll usually fills his films (if you can call them that) with over excessive amounts of violence and sex, seemingly giving no regard to script of substance, thinking that these things are “cool” so gamers should like them automatically.
Some of you may know that I’m a big comic book geek, so it should come as no surprise to you that I’m reviewing this DVD set. Sure, it really has no place in a video game column, but that’s neither here nor there. They sent it to me, I feel obligated to review it. As the longest running series based on a comic book, THE INCREDIBLE HULK is a triumph in the science fiction/superhero genre, mainly due to the fact that it doesn’t really adhere to the source material, but rather tackles the human side of the character in a way that has barely been seen before or since, with a few exceptions (SMALLVILLE being the most recent).
Flight simulators are as common place in gaming as it gets. Flight sims for consoles however aren’t as prevalent as they are for PC. Still, when one comes along, it hits that niche market that craves a little speed and the sensation of soaring through the clouds, engaging in dogfights and sweeping across the countryside in giant metal beasts with wings. OVER G FIGHTERS attempts to answer the call with some realistic style gameplay and customization, but eventually falls flat.
Last week i checked out the singleplayer demo for PREY, and enjoyed it more than i thought i would. This week, the full game has been released, and my opinion hasn’t changed much from that initial demo review. There’s plenty to like about PREY, and after playing through the single player and “multiprey” options, FPS fans may agree with me.
One of my favorite genres for games has always been the twitch-shooter. fast, frantic gameplay, quick deaths, skill and strategy, and trail and error have always been the earmarks of a great twitch-shooter. None have done this better (argueably) than the GRADIUS series, which is now collected on the PSP’s aptly named GRADIUS COLLECTION. Here we’ll see the first four games from the series, as well as the unreleased (on US shores, anyway) GRADIUS GAIDEN collected onto one disc for the first time ever.
Licensed games are usually a mixed bag when it comes tothose that are based on anime properties. Usually quality control is sacrificed for fan service, but on occasion, you’ll find a quality title out there for folks who may not be too familiar with the series to still enjoy with the fans. NARUTO: ULTIMATE NINJA aims to be one such of these titles, and succeeds in many ways, though it’s shortcomings are a bit obvious as well.
Starting off our handheld reviews also starts off our sports games reviews as well this week with NBA BALLERS: REBOUND on the PSP. The franchise’s penchant for 1 on 1 games and lavish cribs and bling is back and portable, and it’s just as good as it’s console counterparts.
Once again, our game systems are “graced” with another film to game tie-in, this time the Disney/Pixar flick CARS makes it’s way to PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, GBA, DS and PSP, covering all the markets in that time-old tradition of a media blitz. Thankfully, these versions are actually enjoyable to play, and in a rare instance, one of the handheld versions is MORE fun than the home game.
We go from one driving and racing title to the next with our quick look at MOTO GP 06 for Xbox 360. Once again THQ brings all the realism and power of the MOTO GP circuit season to the Microsoft console, and this time, in high definition, it’s better than ever.
Wow, I sure like to hyphenate in this column, don’t I? Well, our next review is for the much-awaited expansion to last year fantastic THE MOVIES. Now you can create more blockbuster-type features in the game with THE MOVIES: STUNTS AND EFFECTS expansion pack, available now.
This week’s quickshot isn’t much of game at all, but rather an interactive PSP title, geared towards the die-hard METAL GEAR fans out there. METAL GEAR SOLID: DIGITAL GRAPHIC NOVEL takes the pages of the Ashley Wood painted IDW published comics and adds sound effect, animation and minimal voice effects to create a simulated comic experience, similar to THE SILENT HILL EXPERIENCE released this past April. The main difference here, however, is that while reading the comic, you can focus in on certain parts of the panels and search for “Memory Elements” and collect them in order to unlock more of the backstory of the series in a mode called “Memory Building Simulation”. As the story of the Shadow Moses incident from the first game unfolds, you’ll be treated to flashbacks after unlocking certain details, and you’ll be able to piece together clues to gain the whole story. While it sounds a bit more complicated than it really is, it’s a cool little addition for MGS fans to tinker with while waiting for the next chapter(s) to be released. My only complaint with the title is that many of the clues are hard to focus on and collect with the weird little PSP analog nub. Still, most who play this will only be die-hard MGS fans as it is, so they’ll naturally have the patience built up anyway. For everyone else interested, you can also just watch the comic in a non-interactive form if you choose.
It’s nice to see that the PSP is picking up a few more RPGs as of late”¦something that the DS is in dire need of. This past week, Ubisoft ported over the European adventure ASTONISHIA STORY, a tale about a knight on a quest”¦no, not quite that epic. It seems our young Lloyd (who names a knight Lloyd anyway?) has lost an important religious relic to a band of thieves and is the only knight who survives the attack. So, in order to redeem himself and avenge his mentor who was slain in the battle, he sets off to find the culprits and bring them to justice. Fairly simple.
When one thinks of Rockstar games, usually games of debauchery and violence come to mind. So it comes a bit of a surprise that the publisher’s first title for Xbox 360 harkens back to the days of Pong”¦albeit a bit more on the Next-Gen side of things. ROCKSTAR GAMES PRESENTS: TABLE TENNIS is a smooth playing, smooth looking title that explores the subtle nuances of Forest Gump’s favorite past time, and does just about everything well.
Once again, Capcom has answered the 2D fighting fan’s cries, and yet another collection from days gone by has graced our PS2. This time around, STREET FIGHTER ALPHA ANTHOLOGY collects every title from the sub-series’ history, and even includes a few extras to make the hardcore stand up and notice.
I may not be much of a sports player, video game wise, but I do enjoy the odd basketball game every now and then. Street ball is especially fun for me, and when I heard there was to be a licensed title based on the AND 1 ballers tour, I was thrilled. Sadly, the game that resulted from it is anything but thrilling. While games like NBA STREET or even NBA BALLERS use flashy moves and effects to punk players on the court, the real players who make it look so amazing have a really crappy game. Sure, all of the actual AND 1 players are here, with their signature moves”¦but why are they so damn hard to execute? First, press the right analog stick in a direction to perform a Level 1 juke or move. Then, after building the meter a bit, hit the LEFT analog stick in a direction AS well as the right. Yeah, the left stick”¦the one you’re moving your player with. Then, for the level 3 move, add the right trigger or shoulder button to that mix to perform a special move or anklebreaker move. Sound complicated? The game seems to think so too, as usually it won’t perform the move, just spin the player around in a circle while it tries to decipher your controler code for “bounce the ball off his head, spin it around your back, then dunk”. Even when just playing simply the game feels broken. Never have I faced one side of the court, thrown the ball in that direction, only to have it fly BEHIND me and go towards the opposite basket. It defies physics, even for a video game. Yeesh.
