Some Video Game Blog

Half-Life 2's opening: an example of good storytelling techniques in action

2012-02-03T19:22:00.000-08:00

The g-man: the very first person you see upon starting the game. Kind of a creepy fellow.

In any sort of storytelling medium, one of the most important skills is to make the opening scenes immediately grab the viewers attention. In video games, this is especially important because if the player doesn't feel they're being engaged from the get-go, they're likely to shut the game off and never look back.

Crafting a good opening sequence, however, is hard. If story is to be a primary focus, then clearly you'd want to make sure the tone is set and groundwork laid quickly. That's how we often end up with heavy exposition.

Valve Software, makers of Portal and Half-life, and proprietor of the popular PC game storefront Steam, have a good understanding of this area. They forgo long explanations and refuse to take control away from the player whenever possible, instead inserting progression unobtrusively and quickly. For instance, Half-Life 2's intro.

Half-Life 2's introduction is great for many reasons, but two in particular stand out. For one, it doesn't take long for you to gain control. Anything that lets you start playing quickly is always welcome. And second, it doesn't outright tell you anything; it shows you.

Walking through the streets of City 17 reveals a lot about the state of the world following the events of the first Half-Life. Human kind is now enslaved by a masked, dictatorial race known as the Combine, who patrol the streets at all times and frequently raid citizens houses. Oppression is clear from the second you walk off the train leading into town. Citizens are forced to wear blue work uniforms and are often unjustly punished by their overseers. Security checkpoints are placed all throughout the station, the watchful eyes of the guards always on you. It's an unsettling atmosphere.

Once outside, the gravity of the situation truly hits home. Barren streets give off a ghost-town feel, security checkpoints and the occasional Combine cruiser being the only regular signs of life outside. The interior of living spaces looks old and decrepit, as though abandoned long ago and only recently taken up. Residents live in fear of their overlords, resigning themselves to merely counting the days until they become the target of the next raid to be taken god knows where.

All the while, large screens play propaganda that attempt to ease the populace. The speaker's calm voice and professional manner clearly an act, his speeches of a better life being an obvious farce merely to guise the corruption rampant throughout the city.

An example of how the Combine treat the locals. Seems that they find any reason they can to
administer their authority.

The place feels like a prison.

All that is conveyed not through words or cutscenes, but through visuals. The brief time spent jogging through the streets of that metropolis enough to show how bad the state of the world is. The incident at Black Mesa has taken a terrible tole on both human and alien kind. And never once does Valve spell out the situation or how it came to be. They trust the player to understand the circumstances, the influence of the last game's events being clear. And even if the player is not familiar with the series' debut, enough subtle hints are placed for the pieces to be aligned. It's rather incredible.

I've already had some experience with Valve's particular talents through the Portal games, but I'm still amazed at how effortlessly they handle story progression. Most developers assign such duties to lengthy, static cutscenes. That Valve's able to avoid that almost entirely is a testament to how seriously they take this matter. If everyone were to adopt their methods of doling out info, I think game stories everywhere would be much better off for it. (Better writing and acting wouldn't hurt either, though.)

Sin and Punishment: Star Successor is hardly punishing

2012-02-02T17:37:00.000-08:00

Missiles! Explosions! Running! All the ingredients for a good action sequence...
except without the ferocity.

For a brief period, I gave the second Sin and Punishment game a try. A sort of bullet-hell rail shooter from the fine folks at Treasure, the game, based on all the impressions I've read, was poised to be something great. To be the sort of no-holds-bared, off-the-wall chaos that characterizes the bullet-hell genre in the first place.

What I got was a overly safe and relatively uneventful rail shooter.

I should state that I only made it through three stages before sending the game back to GameFly. So yes -- I fully acknowledge that I may very well have given up on the game too early and missed out on the good stuff. I accept that. But, that said, that still doesn't make up for the design's noticeable lack of tension.

A proper bullet-hell scenario is one where the player is weaving through nearly endless waves of enemy firepower, particularly when one misstep is all that stands between survival and an untimely death. (A one-hit-kill, in other words.) Star Successor's prime mistake is giving the player character a hundred hit-points worth of health.

On its own, that's not inherently abhorrent. Just up the amount of projectiles to compensate for the handicap, right? Sure... except Sin and Punishment doesn't do that. Instead of using those hit-points to lend the player a fighting chance against the tortuous onslaught of energy-based bullets, it only serves to further simplify. And it's all because of the dodge move, which grants temporary invincibility upon use and can be spammed endlessly.

That feature alone is what did the game in for me. For instead of paying close attention to myself and my surroundings, all I had to do was mash away on the dodge button, allowing me to fly freely through each challenge with nary a scratch. And if I did happen to die, the forgiving checkpoint system ensured that I'd start off right where I died. So, really, there wasn't anything to fret over. Just keep on blasting through hordes of baddies until the credits roll. Hardly interesting when games like this traditionally live and die by their difficulty level.

The charge shot makes things pretty easy, too. Though at least you can't spam that.

Now, if this were a proper bullet-hell game, such components wouldn't exist here, let alone ever be considered. Development would only focus on making the levels increasingly intense right from the get-go. Sin and Punishment, by comparison, begins on a very dull note, with the first level being a suffocatingly controlled doling out of foes and obstacles. It's a tutorial, granted, but even so. A chance to test one's mettle right from the very first second is always the best approach when it comes to this.

Again, I completely accept that the later content could very well be mind-blowingly fierce. But, at the same time, that doesn't make the underwhelming start forgivable. Action games need to enrapture the player as soon as humanly possible, because otherwise you're just going to lose players' attention. Given Treasure's track record with the genre, I expected better of them. Hopefully their next shooter will be faster to entertain.

My top 10 games of 2011

2012-01-01T15:28:00.000-08:00

So long, 2011. It's been swell.

Another year gone. With 2011 just about done, now's about time we all start reflecting on the year that was. In this case, that's recognizing the best the industry had to offer us these past 12 months. I didn't get to play many actual 2011 releases this year (certain circumstances prevented that), so I've definitely missed a ton. But what I did manage to play proved to be nothing short of amazing.

Before I get into it, a few honorable mentions:

Okamiden: A strong sequel to what I consider to be the greatest game ever made. I now know the series is in good hands over at Capcom's internal dev teams.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: I only just started this a few days ago, so I haven't had enough time to really sink my teeth into it (figuratively, of course). I'd like to see more before I claim it to be one of the year's best, so that's why I've left it out of my list. Damn good game, though. Incredibly detailed world. Easy to lose hours just on side content. In fact, it's 'cause of Skyrim that this list is going up so late. If it weren't for that, I'd have probably gotten this up a few days ago!

NightSky: A splendid little puzzler with a cool atmosphere. Maybe a bit too much abstract, though I had fun when I wasn't screaming in frustration at the absurd level of precision being asked of me.

Voxatron: I still don't know if I completely understand what a voxel is, but they certainly made a cool game. A dual-stick shooter made around user-created levels, Voxatron's got some amazing potential behind it. The game just launched in Alpha a couple months ago through the Humble Bundle, and it's been pretty cool so far. Looking forward to seeing how it develops.

And with that, onto the list!

10. de Blob 2

Monorail surfing! Woo!

Yeah, I know. This is primarily a kids game (as evident by this particular entry carrying the Sy-Fy Kids logo on it), but I don't care. I love de Blob. Sure it doesn't evolve on the formula of the first game even slightly, and sure it's ridiculously simple, but it was also some of the most fun I had all year.

Bringing back life and color to the streets of Prisma never ceased to enthrall. Rejuvenating distorted lands is a theme that always resonates with me. My deep seated love for Okami is no doubt something to do with it, but I also enjoy the concept of restoring worlds to their natural state. It's a nice change from the usual themes of destruction and ruin we so often participate in. The infectious upbeat attitude of de Blob with its funky jazz and vibrant landscapes always manages to bring a smile to my face. It's a very relaxing and uplifting game. It's a real shame that Blue Tongue was lost this year, as de Blob 2 will probably be the last we ever see of that lovable guy.

9. Burnout: Crash

Not the best demonstrative screenshot,
I know. But it gets much crazier. Trust me.

Frankly, I'm surprised it's taken so long for Burnout to have a crash mode focused game to come out. As a series staple, you'd think Criterion Games would have done so ages ago. Ah well. Better late than never, right?

With Burnout: Crash, Criterion delivered a true return to form for the much-beloved mode. The concept was already immensely absurd, but since that obviously wasn't enough, the developers went ahead and upped the level of crazy ten-fold. Calling on natural disasters. extraterrestrials, and... lobster monsters to aide in your swath of vehicular mayhem is simply awesome. The clever use of licensed music lends a ton of extra personality as well.

8. Outland

Man... that's a lot of bullets.

Outland's biggest claim to fame is easily the new genre it crafted: the bullet-hell platformer. It's unusual mixture of projectile dodging and alignment shifting created some great, challenging levels. Fluid movement and snappy controls, as well as a ultra-stylish tribal aesthetic culminate in a fantastic platform/action game.

It also had some of the best boss battles I've seen in a long time. All big on spectacle and each being worthy opponents. Sure the co-op was unfortunately plagued by game-breaking lag, but damn if those co-op chambers weren't fun to participate in regardless. Would love to see Housemarque branch out like this more often.

7. Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective
Ghost Trick is awesome for many different reasons. It's witty writing, it's fun, quirky characters, its intriguing, well-paced story, it's fantastic puzzles -- any of which on their own would be totally applicable. But honestly, it's the premise that really does it for me. Playing as a dead guy trying to solve his own murder is a great basis for a story. That the team behind the Ace Attorney series developed it only makes it that much better.

6. SpaceChem

Science!

This is the only game on the list that I haven't actually finished yet. I'm only a few chapters in, having clocked well over 12 hours into it, and am nowhere near being done. It's a puzzle game -- a very-complicated-yet-still-very-accessible one at that. What you do in SpaceChem is bond atoms together to form elements and chemicals. It's basically a game of chemistry, but without the prerequisite of having to know the subject to understand what's going on. Here -- just read Rock, Paper, Shotgun's review of it. Sums the game up pretty well.

What makes SpaceChem amazing is how there are literally thousands of possible solutions to any puzzle. Just looking at the game's leaderboards, you can see how each individual solution is truly unique. The secret lies in the fact that SpaceChem's puzzles aren't about discovering solutions; they're about creating them. And then optimizing them to climb the leaderboards, should you be the competitive type. I haven't seen all its tricks yet, but what I've played is enough to convince me of its splendor. Easily one of the best pure puzzle games in years.

5. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Believe it or not, these guys prove to
be formidable foes. Turns out performing
a horizontal slash isn't as easy as it sounds.

At this point, it's no surprise that a Legend of Zelda game would get high praise. They're well made games, regardless of your position on the series' stance on sticking to its age-old formula. Skyward Sword doesn't make any radical changes, sure, but delivers what we've come to love about Zelda and makes even makes a compelling case for why motion control matters. A little late, yes, but, like with Burnout -- better late than never, eh?

Skyward Sword's combat shines brilliantly because of the one-to-one motion control. It feels like you're actually engaged in battle because you're performing the actions rather than just mindlessly mashing away on buttons. It's immersive in the best way possible, aiding the experience both on a mechanical level and a gameplay level. The only problem is that it came out so gosh darn late. If this came out earlier in the Wii's life-cycle, I'm certain the console's software lineup would have turned out much different.

4. Frozen Synapse

Remember Rainbow Six and it's planning
stage? Frozen Synapse is a lot like that,
but leagues better.

Frozen Synapse does one thing that every other turn-based strategy game I've ever played (that is, very few of them) has never managed to truly capture: the intense uncertainly of battle. Being able to react quickly to an enemy's actions doesn't do well to instill fear for your units, as it turns out (Fire Emblem being the obvious exception because of the whole permanent death thing). But Frozen Synapse? Nailed it.

The key lies in making your enemy's movements masked until you've locked-in your own, because that way the wait for the outcome can build appropriate tension. Here, you don't swap back and forth taking turns moving and attacking. Instead, you both act simultaneously, but don't see each other's actions until you've both submitted them. Why is this important? Because it lends ample opportunity for fear to rise, make yourself start questioning your actions. Was it really a good idea to send your shotgunner right into that den of machine gunners? Is your sniper going to be safe close to those walls? There are a lot of rocket launchers about...

Things like that distill the experience Frozen Synapse brings with its take on strategy games. The best ones are always those that raise anxiety and force you to think ultra-critically of your actions, and Frozen Synapse delivers like few others can. Plus, the music is awesome. Some of the best you could ask for a game like this. Here, listen for yourself. Doesn't that just get you in the mood for stategizing?

3. Rayman Origins

Honestly, screenshots don't do this
game justice. It needs to be seen in
motion to really be appreciated.

Words cannot describe how happy this game makes me feel. And I'm not just talking about the evocative artwork or snazzy music. Those are great, but it's the pitch-perfect gameplay that makes Rayman Origins a joy to play. That fine balance of challenge and simplicity is expertly struck, crafting a myriad of gorgeous, intelligently designed levels to leap, glide, and wall-run through.

After having gone into unexpected retirement following the debut and success of the Raving Rabbids franchise, Rayman Origins brings Ubisoft's limbless wonder back spectacularly. Now if only they hadn't been so dumb as to release it right smack-dab in the middle of the holiday game rush. Maybe then it would have found a bigger audience. Shame on you, Ubisoft!

2. Portal 2

Ah, Wheatly. How you amuse me.

Millions of words have already been written about what it is that makes Portal 2 such an enchanting game. From the way it effortlessly weaves story and gameplay together unobtrusively to the charming, deeply developed characters and humor and to the brilliant puzzle design itself, Portal 2 hits nothing but high marks at every juncture. The game is a master-class in stellar game design, every facet exuding only the utmost excellence. That Portal 2 was able to build exponentially upon the bare-but-still-plenty-strong foundation of its predecessor is astonishing.

The introduction of characters like Wheatly, Cave Johnson, and the other personality cores (SPAAAAAACE!) add so much more to the story. It's all paced very well, keeping the intrigue and humor constant while upping the ante all the time. And that ending... oh my god, that ending! And the co-op, too! So good. And there's still more to come! Amazing!

1. Bastion

Now Bastion, on the other hand...
that's a game that looks amazing in
stills and in motion.

Oh man... where do I begin?

Bastion is... a very special game. You know how there's always that one game that resonates with you so deeply that it forever sticks out in the forefront of your mind? Even consider it to be the very best the medium has to offer? To me, that's Bastion. What the folks at Supergiant Games have accomplished is, for a start-up "indie" developer, just... phenomenal.

It's exceptionally well-told tale crafts a rich world with very few words. The narrator's terse speech regales Bastion's story of calamity constantly but never over does it. Every snippet is carefully doled out, his words always being used to educate the player just as questions about the world, the level, or... anything, really, arise. The developers clearly believe in "less is more," and I couldn't agree more.

But its not just narrative alone that makes Bastion magical. Finely tuned gameplay brings a mixture of depth and simplicity to combat, the varied customizable arsenal bringing endless possibilities as to how play. The art and music set a perfect tone, each adding life and beauty to each and every crippled piece of reformed land. Its like a painting brought to life supplemented by an acoustic soundtrack that suits the frontier-fantasy-style of the world.

Most importantly, though, every single element works in perfect harmony with each other. No one part feels less important than another, each acting in service to the other. It's rare to see that kind of collaboration, let alone for it to be done so marvelously.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Review

2011-12-25T08:04:00.000-08:00

A console's potential fulfilled.

When most people think of Wii games, they think of waggle-fests. The majority of the Wii's game library is plagued by titles that simply slap-on motion control into games that weren't at all designed with them in mind. This isn't so much a fault of the hardware (not entirely, at least), but of Nintendo itself.

They set the precedent for this behavior five years ago when The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess launched on their newly launched console. Everyone was looking for an example of how to use motion control in traditional video games, and Nintendo was poised to show them the way. Unfortunately, they made a bad call by giving their flagship release a tacked-on control scheme that, while decent, was a poor example, thus setting the stage for others to follow.

With the Wii slowly on its way out, however, Nintendo has wised up and decided to leave us with an example the platform was clamoring for: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. As one of the very few games to use the Wii Motion Plus add-on, granting the game true one-to-one motion, Skyward Sword makes the ultimate case for why motion matters and how it can be used effectively. It's not perfect, suffering from the occasional technical oddity like all other Wii games do, but it's also the best use of motion control there is.

The best example lies with the swordplay. Before, swinging Link's sword was a matter of mashing away on an attack button. No strategy whatsoever was involved, every skirmish being very passive. Now, however, with the Wii Motion Plus powering Skyward Sword's controls, you swing his sword by swiping the Wii remote, it essentially being Link's sword. Horizontal, vertical, and diagonal slashes all translate beautifully, each executed near-flawlessly. Every little movement you make is captured as well. Tilt the remote slightly and Link will do the same with his sword. The pleasure of seeing your actions translate so effortlessly into the game gratifies immensely. It's a fantastically immersive feeling, one that demonstrates the potential of motion-based input.

Because of the added fidelity, combat comes alive like never before. Suddenly you're having to pay close attention to your enemies' movements as well as your own. The position of your sword, and the stances of your foes, matter. No longer can you just wildly and senselessly attack your way to victory. Now, you need to slice-'n'-dice judiciously, think critically; watch and wait for an opportunity to strike.

These guys are one of the best early examples of the greatness of Skyward Sword's combat.

Tangoing with a spider? Flip it on its back with an upper-cut so you can stab it in its weak point, for its hide is too strong to slice through. Dueling against a large, shielded, spear-wielding monster? Tear its wooden shield apart; or, if its guard is barbed with streaks of metal, parry its thrusts and attack while the brute is stunned. Battle is no longer a simple case of mindlessly bludgeoning foes: its about carefully watching their patterns, learning their tells, and using their weaknesses to your advantage. It feels like actual combat now. And it's all thanks to the one-to-one motion.

As a Legend of Zelda game, there are few surprises in store if you've played the series regularly. The story, which is another riff on the ol' "chosen hero rescues Zelda and saves the world" bit, the gameplay, heck, even some of the music: it'll be familiar to you. That's not a bad thing, of course -- that's what made The Legend of Zelda so successful -- especially since it only highlights what has changed this time out.

For one, the lack of a semi-open world to explore. The vast fields of yore have been abandoned in favor of smaller, more structured locales. The over-world has moved heavenward, now acting as the middle-man between Skyloft (the hub; a floating slab of land and the only real town in the entire game) and the lands below. Your means of transport are through birds known as loftwings, avian which every citizen of Skyloft owns.

For it being the only open space around, there's little to see and discover in the sky. Only a handful of landmarks exist in, the nondescript rocks and the occasional patch of land housing a treasure chest or two (or three) taking up the rest of the real-estate. From a narrative perspective, it's understandable why the surrounding skies are empty. (Very little land ascended heavenward, you see.)

Still, to give such a sizable playground but not populate it is a waste. There's nothing to make flight interesting. No combat, barely any obstacles, and nothing to discover; just a straightforward, uneventful journey. The act of flying works joyously, of course, tilting the Wii remote working wondrously in steering your bird about. But again, with nothing to do, soaring amongst the clouds ceases to charm before long.

The earth below is much more carefully structured, made with constant engagement in mind. The locations of Skyward Sword present themselves as elaborate, intricately crafted gauntlets. They aren't very big, but there's plenty to be done within them. Enemies and puzzles litter the path to the dungeons proper, giving your trek onward a constant series of challenges to overcome. Sometimes even creating small-scale set-pieces, such as one instance where Link must ascend a mountain of sand while archers rain down fury upon him.

Hey, remember these guys?

Action receives a bigger focus out in the field, the roads leading to dungeons/temples/whatever-you-wanna-call-'em not as concerned with solving puzzles. Traversal and combat are what command attention here, and that gives way to more thrilling, eventful excursions. Because you're always doing something, whether that be vanquishing monsters or climbing about the environment, you never grow wearisome from pushing through previously trotted ground. That the types of monsters that appear change as the game progresses, offering up a new challenge or two, only solidifies that ward.

The dungeons are roughly the same as the paths leading up to them, only with emphasis on puzzle solving and with a big boss fight at the end. They, too, have been downsized, mostly consisting of a handful of rooms set on a single floor. A far cry from the multi-tiered labyrinths of Zeldas past, certainly, but no less effective in their goal.

These are the crux of The Legend of Zelda. They are what move the game forward and expand your tool repertoire. Within each lies in item that plays a critical role for that particular dungeon. For instance: find a whip and that will receive extensive use, as the temple is made with that tool's use in mind, puzzles especially. In general, the items are employed as a means of uncovering switches that open doors or chests containing keys to the next room. Often the precise steps to reaching a solution are a touch roundabout -- exiting and entering a room by scaling the outside of the complex so that another door can be opened, for example -- but that's what makes the puzzles taxing and sometimes brilliant.

Dungeon items also tend to play a role in the boss fights, save for a couple of instances of pure sword fighting. It's a part of the formulaic design that The Legend of Zelda so adores, and a predictable one at that. Nevertheless, the battles provide plenty of spectacle to keep them enthralling. Whether it be facing off against a massive, six-armed suit of armor wielding a number of gigantic swords, slicing up over-grown insects amidst a bed of sand, or even combating a massive sea monster on the remnants of an old pirate ship, Skyward Sword delivers a ton of style and urgency to its boss encounters.

Orchestrated music brings those struggles a strong, dramatic flourish to the action. Wailing violins and sonorous drum beats slowly build, inducing dread as the gargantuan beast advances toward you. Then, as the tide shifts in your favor, the violin notes adjust to a constant high-pitched tone supported by a low, barely audible percussion, declaring your move to gaining the upper hand, every sword strike eliciting quick, piercing, satisfying string plucks. The music's swift evolutions add an extra layer of excitement to boss battles. Never before have they felt so energizing to fight.

Skyward Sword's biggest asset is its increase on engagement. The game always keeps you busy. You're never not preoccupied or driven while in the field, even if it's just sweeping the area for previously-overlooked treasures. One instance could see you searching for the parts to a dungeon key, another seeing you ride in a mine-cart like a rollercoster. The healthy variety and elaborate design of the levels keeps them from being a bore, even when you have to backtrack (which happens a lot). In actuality, backtracking unveils secrets and allows you to access once unreachable areas. You start wanting to return to levels, therefore, because you have to know what treasures lie in wait that you may missed before. Maybe it's a heart piece, a rare treasure (which can be used for crafting; more on that in a sec), or just a bunch of rupees; either way, it's gotta be something good.

I assure you there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for this.

That sense of discovery is always what's made The Legend of Zelda gratifying to play, and the same remains true here. Its not quite on the same level as previous installments what with there being fewer open plots of land, lessening that sense of just randomly happening upon something, but it's hardly an issue. Again, it's merely a trade-off for more fully populated levels, and a more than reasonable one at that.

One of the more interesting additions is the ability to upgrade Link's gear. By collecting various trinkets from felled monsters like skulls or claws, Link can take them to Skyloft's blacksmith to enhance his equipment. Shields can become more durable, for instance (they can only take so many hits before expiring), or the size of arrow quivers and bomb bags can be increased, among others. None of these ameliorations are necessary, of course. They're merely there if you wish to give yourself the upper-hand. It's a swell addition, though, one that could be expanded on in the future.

Skyward Sword presents its world through a mixture of stylized art and realism. There's an unmistakably cartoonesque look to many of the world's inhabitants, their misshapen features granting an endearing and distinctive likeness. The art itself is lush and vibrant. From the liveliness of Faron Woods and its bright colors to the empty, desolate deserts of Laynaru, ruled by seas of quicksand and peppered by ruins of old civilizations, Skyward Sword's incarnation of Hyrule is a constant visual treat.

When people will look back on the Wii years from now, Skyward Sword will likely be the game people remember as the game to deliver on the Wii's initial promise of motion controlled delights. Sure it's not perfect -- slashes sometimes register as thrusts and vice versa -- but it's damn close. This is the best the console has to offer, control-wise. Incremental adjustments spice up the age-old formula in small but effectual ways, making the game one of the first in a long time to try evolving the series in a long time. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is a fantastic beginning to Nintendo's grand send-off for its first foray into the world of motion, and a genuinely superb game as well.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Humble Indie Bundle 4 is out now

2011-12-13T11:44:00.000-08:00

Boy, that sure didn't take long. Weren't they just offering the Humble Introversion Bundle just a week ago? They sure are upping the rate at which they're publishing these. (Not that I'm complaining, of course.) So what's in this new bundle? Quite the odd assortment: as of this writing, the bundle is offering Shank, Bit.Trip Runner, Jamestown, NightSky (both the standard and the new HD version), and for those that pay above the average, Gratuitous Space Battles, and Cave Story Plus. All that for whatever price you want. Not a bad haul, I must say. Plus, some of the proceeds go to charity, so that's cool too! So, what are you waiting for? Go buy that bundle!

You can now play Bastion in Google Chrome

2011-12-08T22:48:00.001-08:00

If you haven't played this excellent game yet, you're running out of excuses. So quit stalling and get to it!

Well, this is interesting.

Bastion, Supergiant Games' first game, just got released onto the Chrome Web Store. So now you can play it through any Google Chrome browser you're logged in on (provided you meet the system requirements, of course). How is this possible? Through the magic of Google's "Naitive Client" technology, which allows high-end programs to be run right in a browser.

The game goes for the same $15 price as the Steam version, which, given the game's superb quality, is a steal. If you're big Chrome user and have had interest, check it out. There's a demo and everything. It's well worth playing. And as Joystiq notes, it's a version that's totally playable on Mac! So that's cool.

Serious Sam 3's DRM is pretty clever

2011-12-07T23:31:00.001-08:00

In an age where digital rights management measures are becoming more and more obtuse in the never-ending fight against piracy, it's nice to see that, occasionally, there are still those who enjoy getting creative with their DRM protocols. Case in point, Serious Sam 3: BFE. As Rock, Paper, Shotgun reported today, the game takes a more... unorthodox countermeasure against pirates by, well... see for yourself.

If for some reason you can't view the video, the DRM manifests itself in-game as a large, pink, armor-clad scorpion that is invincible. You know have a stolen copy because that nightmarish beast will start stalking you right from the get-go and will continue to chase you down until you are dead. It's a pretty great idea, I must say. Punish unlawful players by making your game unfairly hard. Brilliant stuff. Other developers could learn a thing or two from the guys at Croteam.

Skyward Sword brings meaningful combat to the Zelda series

2011-12-06T23:16:00.001-08:00

If you think back on the 25 years we've been playing The Legend of Zelda series, something has always been constant. No, I'm not talking about the franchise’s much-criticized formula and its refusal to change. I'm talking about combat. Until The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword came about, the series' battle mechanics have been on the bland side, amounting to nothing more than waiting for a chance to pound on the attack button. Nintendo's latest entry in its long-running saga fixes that by making you a part of the action -- literally.  

The key lies in Skyward Sword’s one-to-one motion controls. You're given full command of Link's sword and are able to dictate every movement. At first, it seems like a recipe for disaster, considering the Wii's shaky track record with anything demanding even a modicum of precision. But it works here. Splendidly.

Continue reading at Bitmob >>

Rayman Origins Review

2011-12-04T19:44:00.001-08:00

Rayman makes his triumphant return in this beautiful, splendidly wacky platformer.

Ever since Ubisoft introduced us to the lovably psychotic rabbids, Rayman, who was technically the star of the first couple of Raving Rabbids games, has gone into an unexpected retirement. The limbless wonder was the star of a couple well-renowned platformers during the PlayStation and Nintendo 64 days, but has had a very small presence in console generations since.

Well, he's back now, in what can only be described as New Super Mario Bros. Wii if it were designed by crazy people. (Or crazier people, as the case may be.) It's a fantastic game, delivering a true return to form for Rayman and company, where platforming feels solid and graceful while also feeling completely off-the-wall and zany. It's also charming as heck, with a gorgeous hand-drawn art style being employed here to incredible effect, the game oozing with personality from every pore. It's a game rife with brilliance, every facet of its design showing the utmost craft. And on top of all that, it's just a lot of good, doofy fun.

Rayman Origins begins with our titular protagonist and his pals just chilling on the branch of some large tree. Unfortunately, their neighbors aren't very appreciative of all the noise they make while sleeping, causing them, in a attempt to quiet the noise, to release a great evil known as "the darkness" upon the world... or something to that effect. Honestly, the story in Rayman Origins is entirely inconsequential. It's relevance is minimum at best. It's merely there for the sake of context. All you need to know is that the faeries of each land have been imprisoned and it's up to you, your buddy Globox, and a couple of teensies to save them so that you can confront the big bad evil in charge of this whole mess. Simple enough, right?

The journey takes you across six distinct locales, such as a lush jungle, a desert with musical inspired architecture, icy mountains littered with food, and more, each containing a wealth of levels to explore. You move through levels with one goal in mind: freeing caged electoons, which are small, pink beings who possess magical properties. Almost every level has three cages to find, two of them being hidden behind cleverly obscured paths. They're found by listening for the electoons' cries for help, for they signal that you're close to finding them. Freeing them has no bearing on the progression of the story, but doing so unlocks extra levels, so you're encouraged to do so purely for the sake of curiosity.

The action gets appropriately crazy when multiple players are active.

Between you and your goals lie many trials to test your platforming prowess on. Though Rayman Origins is mostly a cakewalk, it still produces a modest challenge, particularly when playing with another player or three by your side. The game throws the usual assortment of obstacles your way: collapsing platforms, spike lined walls to carefully climb, long bottomless pits where enemies must be used as stepping stones to gain safe passage; you name it. Rayman Origins doesn't just throw all that at you all at once, though. It slowly and deliberately introduces them, easing you into the more tricky traversal sequences by getting you properly acquainted with moving about.

Most of Rayman's abilities are locked from the start. At first, there's very little he and his companions can do. As you free the faeries of each world, however, more means of traipsing become available, such as wall running, gliding, and swimming, to name a few. Each one's introduction brings another wrinkle or two to the level dynamics, increasing the complexity of navigating the wondrous locales of Rayman Origins at a steady clip. The late-game content in particular demonstrates the devious ingenuity of the level design by forcing you to employ all your skills simultaneously, but never in a way that feels overwhelming. It's deliberate in doling out new obstacles and challenges, letting you learn how to aptly use your new abilities before throwing you into the very thick of it.

Rayman is a very nuanced platformer. Momentum is easy to lose and tough to gain. The game rarely puts huge emphasis on keeping a steady speed, allowing you to hop your way through most of the early goings with little difficulty. When it does, however, any slight hiccup spells your doom. In chase sequences especially, Origins demands the utmost perfection when dashing through their treacherous courses. You're expected to react quickly and assess the correct amount of push to put into your leaps and bounds with lightning-fast reflexes, obtained only through a bit of trial-and-error. It's through these sequences, however, that the brilliance of the game's mechanics shine.

Traversing the worlds of Rayman Origins exhibits a certain grace. Every action feels perfectly tuned. Jumps strike a fine balance between being floaty and tight, making it easy to judge how much push you need to insert into each leap and how fast you need to be going to cross whatever obstacle lie before you. It's a pitch-perfect game, mechanically. Everything flows with absolute finesse, Rayman and company segueing between animations with much fluidity, complementing the smooth gameplay marvelously.

A kitchen in a volcano. Makes sense.

A madcap attitude give the game a very jubilant and uplifting tone. From the expressive, comical actions of the characters to the vibrant art direction that brings the whimsical worlds of Rayman to life, the game is very much in a playful mood at all times; the type that's so sickeningly joyful that you can't help buy carry a big, doofy smile on your face at all times. Springy, invigorating music perpetuates that sense, its catchy beats sticking in your head long after you've stopped playing. It all instills the feeling of being in a living cartoon; a more than welcome atmosphere for all the crazy hijinks that occur throughout.

Best of all is just how much there is in Rayman Origins. This is a game that does more than it's share of justifies its worth. Time trials to compete in, ribbons to earn, hidden levels to discover -- there's quite a suite of activities past the usual level-to-level progression. Variety is very much the spice of life for Rayman, it doing everything it can to keep things new and interesting throughout. The aforementioned chase scenes are just one example; side-scrolling shooter levels and inventive boss battles supplement the day-to-day platforming nicely, and are quite fun as well.

The only real drawback, and it's a very minor one, is that multiplayer is limited only to local play. It's a totally understandable choice -- a game as fluid as this would be destroyed by even the slightest touch of lag -- but it still disappoints to think about what could have been. Even so, don't let that hold you back, for Rayman Origins is a brilliant return to form for Ubisoft's limbless wonder, and a remarkably good platformer to boot. He may have been out of work for a while there, but Rayman's still got plenty of life left in him.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

VVVVVV Review

2011-11-23T23:24:00.001-08:00

Without a doubt, VVVVVV is one of the hardest platformers around. It's also one of the best of its class.

1309 deaths in 2 hours and 43 minutes of gameplay. The total amount of times I died by the time I finished VVVVVV. I think that alone says something for how brutal this game is.

Don't let it's simple unsuspecting appearance fool you. Beneath the inviting Commodore 64-esque visuals lay a game of absolute terror. Not the usual sort of horror, mind you; it doesn't make you jump or mess with your mind. No, this game terrifies you with its sheer intense level design, demanding nothing less but total perfection to conquer its gantlet of doom. To best this game you need fortuity, to be able to hold steadfast in the face of adversity, and some crazy fast reflexes.

I'm being completely serious here. VVVVVV is not a game that goes even remotely easy on you. This is a game that would be justly classified as being nigh impossible. It takes pleasure in your failure, presenting insurmountable obstacle after insurmountable obstacle. To say this game is painful would be an understatement. Yet, in spite of the constant punishment it dishes out, you're always driven to conquer it, to not let it beat you down no matter how many times you fall short of success. And it's precisely that which makes VVVVVV a roaring good time.

You take on the role of Captain Viridian, who, after being separated from his crew while attempting to escape their ship via teleporter due to some odd disturbance that immobilizes their craft, sets off to find his lost comrades in the vast, treacherous, complex space that is Dimension VVVVVV. And maybe find out what that strange disturbance was while he's at it.

One the few cases where words really can kill.

In this dimension, you don't jump: you flip. Viridian can shift his gravity, you see, allowing him to stick onto any ceilings he comes across. Though its clearly a simple replacement for simple jumping, it also creates most of the challenge in VVVVVV. In you're typical run-of-the-mill platformer, you always have some level of control over how high your character can jump. VVVVVV, however, doesn't. Once you've flipped, you cannot flip again until Viridian has landed on solid ground again. All you can do while he plummets is move him left or right to avoid myriad obstacles.

The kinds of obstacles you face range from spikes and disappearing platforms, to lines that cause you to flip when touched and an odd assortment of moving blockades, such as words (like, actual words), shapes, and... fish? It's an eccentric game, no doubt. Just look at any one of the names for the rooms you traverse. In one room, labeled "What lies beneath?", you see a few breakable platforms carefully placed under a row of spikes. The answer to that question? "Spikes do!" You find that out the hard way, of course. Others take a less obvious route with their meaning, using vague statements like "Three's a Crowd" or "B-b-b-busted." They're a nice, fun little touch.

Any of the obstacles alone are treacherous enough, but VVVVVV often throws a few of them at you at a time. Imagine a hall lined with spikes on the floor and ceiling, those disintegrating platforms being all that separates you from a skewered end. Now, imagine those platforms having very little space between them, demanding that you quickly but with the utmost precision, for one step too far is all that separates you from success and failure. Under most circumstances, you could easily perform the needed actions, because most instances like this happen in large rooms rather than tight corridors. In the proposed setting, however, you're forced into a lot of trial and error to understand the exact timing of the required motions for success. It gets frustrating after a while, certainly. But it remains fun all the while.

There's an art to its level design. Trial and error may be a commonality here (the game is very generous with checkpoints, thankfully, so death is but a minor inconvenience), but it doesn't detract so much as it does enhance. For you see, with every death comes knowledge. With that knowledge comes skill, and with that comes victory. As infuriating as the game can be, what with its increasingly unfair challenges that demand the absolute best from your platforming prowess, it never feels like failure comes at the fault of the game; rather, it always feels like a simple mistake on your part. And when you do finally beat that last choke point, you feel justly rewarded. To weave through tight, spike-ridden corridors where there's zero margin for error with ease, feels incredible. Mastering the mechanics gratifies like nothing else can. It's like running a marathon, almost. You're exhausted by the time you're done, but the sweet taste of victory makes all that effort worthwhile.

Don't be deceived: this game does not love you. Those hearts are out to kill you.

VVVVVV is a very carefully crafted game. Each and every room is made to be maddeningly difficult, but never impossible. Even the most antagonizing rooms, while annoying as hell at times, feel doable. There's one instance where you're climbing up a auto-scrolling level to avoid the spikes that protrude out of the edges of the top and bottom of the screen, moving through winding corridors and performing very particular feats of traversal under the utmost urgency. And when barriers that automatically make you flip enter the equation (it's hard enough making it through those god-forsaken death-traps without them), it only gets that much crazier. The game constantly pushes you to your limits, demanding more and more out of you move deeper.

But it's that unrelenting madness that makes VVVVVV such an agonizing yet intensely enjoyable pleasure to play. Triumph over adversity is why this game entertains so much. If the levels were but pedestrian jumping puzzles, the only danger being the threat of a platform collapsing after standing on it for a couple of seconds, the game wouldn't be nearly so fun. It's a tough balance to strike, retaining enjoyment while delivering borderline impossible tasks, but VVVVVV does so splendidly.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

And Yet It Moves Review

2011-11-23T23:18:00.001-08:00

Though none of its elements truly come together, And Yet It Moves is a solid platformer.

What is And Yet It Moves? Apart from the obvious -- a two-dimensional indie platformer -- I'm not sure. It is a game steeped in mystery, for the very sake of mystery. It never gives you any inkling to motives of your pencil-drawn protagonist or how he ended up in this strange world of paper. All you know is that you need to traverse it. Whether the journey will lead to salvation or ruin no one knows.

Such is And Yet It Moves, a two-dimensional platformer from indie developer Broken Rules. A game that indulges greatly in the realm of the abstract. So much so, in fact, that the experience loses any semblance of meaning, the journey you embark on being incomprehensible because it eschews context in favor of the enigmatic. Though you won't have any idea what's going on, And Yet It Moves still manages to grasp a fair level of entertainment.

For the most part, And Yet It Moves is standard platforming fare. It's an easy-going game on the surface, its environments rather nonthreatening and its puzzles light. Obstacles are easily leapt over, despite your character's lacking physical abilities. Small jumps and slow movement limit his exploration prowess, but not to any serious measure. For you see, the protagonist, remarkably enough, has the innate ability to twist the world around at will.

Just make sure you aren't careless enough to let this happen to you.

The crux of And Yet It Moves lies here. From navigation to light puzzle solving, everything And Yet It Moves does involves twisting the world around to a certain degree. Come across a large pit? Flip the world on its head and walk along the ceiling then. Iguana blocking your path? Direct some nearby bats toward it by twisting the world around, thus causing them to move to a new ceiling to hang from. In puzzle solving, its use, while occasionally clever, is wasted on the over-simplicity of the puzzles. They don't outright tell you the solution, but they aren't subtle about it either. Using the aforementioned iguana puzzle, for instance, the bats standout as the only solution because there is literally nothing that suggests another alternative. Walking forward only causes the lizard to attack and the tunnel isn't populated by anything else which could be manipulated. All but a couple of the game's puzzles are like this. They drop you into a situation of "clear this obstacle" and give you a very clear solution. Never does the game try to stump you by introducing some new way of using your world twisting ability nor does it obfuscate the solution even slightly. Puzzles here are but mere speed-bumps -- a momentary hiccup in the game's action.

And Yet It Moves' real obstacles come from the platforming. Traipsing about proves difficult because of the momentum that quickly builds up from twisting the world mid-jump. Landing with anything more than the momentum you left the ground with always results in immediate death. Though of its no huge consequence -- you just end up at the last checkpoint -- it's vexing enough during more particular spaces of traversal because checkpoints are just scarce enough to make setbacks like that just punishing enough to enrage. It's an accumulative effect: die enough times on a certain section and you'll be on the verge of going mad. It's like the old-fashioned "lose all your lives and start again" method but without the added torture of having to re-play the entire level.

The gantlets contained within each level prove adversarial because of the precision they demand. You're only allotted so much control over world manipulation (you can only go 90 degrees at a time). With the aforementioned factors to consider -- the pitiful height of the protagonist's jumps, the momentum that builds as you begin descent -- that lack of specific control feels, at times, inhibiting. Failing just short of a checkpoint at the end of a particularly grueling journey because that last leap happened just late enough for deadly velocity to kick highlights one of the game's more annoying failings: it's terrible job of conveying when you've got too much speed or not. The line separating the two is a very fine one. One instance the height you fell from is endurable; the next, that same height crushes you. In such occurrences you're left to try over and over again in the hopes that you can shave that half-second off your time soaring to beat death.

There's a lot of cool imagery here, but none of it has any real purpose.

It's frustrating because the game is otherwise completely solid on that front. The time trials especially (the results of which are uploaded to the game's leaderboards) exemplify the grace with which the game contains in its movement. Turning the world to create inventive shortcuts and navigate much more efficiently, for instance, demonstrate the mechanics at their absolute best. It works spectacularly during those moments of fleeting sublimity. And all it takes to undo it is the game's simple mistake of not achieving greater consistency in the causations of death.

But even worse than that is And Yet It Moves' disregard for its surrounding elements. The aesthetic, the music, the setting -- none of it feels like it belongs here. It's a mis-match of dissimilar components all chosen without giving any thought to their effects on the game. Take the art style, for example; though it looks great and grants the game a distinctive look, it doesn't serve any exact purpose. It's an eye-catching design, sure, but that's it. It doesn't invoke a certain tone or setting. It just acts as something to be enjoyed passively rather than actively. Whatever appreciation you could get from it can be obtained just by viewing screenshots, the gameplay having nary an affect on it. The same extends to the music. It's percussion-heavy tracks, while nice and catchy, don't instill or re-enforce any tones presented by the game's levels or the aesthetic. Seldom does it rise, and when it does, it doesn't amount to much more than background noise.

In fact, the game is basically a blank slate on that end. And Yet It Moves is a great game, no doubt about it. Pleasing platforming and an engaging challenge make it a worthwhile experience. It's muddled vision, however, drag it down into a nebulous mess of a narrative. The gameplay is able to carry the experience on its own, but its still a shame that the rest of the game couldn't get its act together to achieve cohesiveness.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

NightSky Review

2011-11-23T23:07:00.001-08:00

A compelling atmosphere and strong, rewarding puzzle design make NightSky a splendid puzzler.

NightSky presents an interesting juxtaposition of atmosphere. It's set in a world of silhouettes cast against the soft, warming glow of the sky. Beautiful, if a bit foreboding because of the constant stream of darkness. Yet, at the same time, the game plays a low, relaxing variety of jazzy tunes, offsetting the slight disquieting nature of the landscape. It's that in particular which makes NightSky initially compelling, and continues to keep you around as the puzzles increasingly difficult despite temptation to give up as frustration slowly kicks in.

The name of the game here are puzzles; particularly those of the traversal sort. You play as a small black sphere that, for some unknown reason, rolls through varied locales like the wilderness or factories on a journey of some sort. Where it's destination lies is unknown. The only glimpse at story comes in the very beginning, where a cutscene shows the sphere being found on a beach somewhere by a young boy. He takes it, and since then he's had strange, vivid dreams involving the sphere. These dreams (I assume) act as the game's levels. There's 11 in all, each separated into 13 parts which in turn consist of three rooms per part.

Navigating these hazardous levels serve as the puzzle element. Momentum, gravity, timing, balance -- all those play an important role in solving puzzles. Just how much depends on the puzzle. If loads of ramps are involved, speed and momentum are undoubtedly key. Or, if there's a large bolder strategically placed just below you, chances are you need to balance on top of it as it rolls to reach the exit. And other times you need make use of certain machinery scattered throughout, such as removing blocks to drop bridges or firing rocks to push or knock over things. To help ease (or increase) the challenge, the sphere possesses a couple of skills: the ability to increase its speed and lower its weight, and the ability to slow its speed and up its weight, which are used by holding down the A and S keys respectively. You can't use these two on every level, however, as some puzzles lock one or both away.

The way the sphere collides with things like chains exemplify the sophistication of the game's physics system.

Unless you decide to play on the game's "normal" mode, discerning what those powers do would be... well, a much longer process. You see, the game presents two different difficulty settings: normal, which lends some tutorializing while delivering easier puzzles (mostly because the game almost always spells out the solution for you); and alternate, which drops the tutorial and brings much harder puzzles into the equation. The game actually recommends that you start on normal and play through alternate on a second play-through; unless, of course, you enjoy a strong challenge, in which case alternate is for you.

Though its nice that the game offers those options, NightSky is a game best played when you're discovering the solutions yourself. It dropping heavy hints removes almost every ounce of fun to be had. The complete lack of guidance alternate gives you has its hindrances, sure -- figuring out how I could those aforementioned machines was a mystery for me for much of the game before I happened to unexpectedly stumble upon the means of doing so -- but its a trade-off for what amounts to a more rewarding experience. NightSky is adept at making discovery feel noteworthy. Just understanding even the smallest and insignificant of tricks feels like a huge find. And when that trick becomes key to solving a puzzle, the sense of reward increases ten-fold.

The road to success is a long one. If played on alternate your first time through (like I did), you'll spend what feels like hours on any given puzzle as you slowly begin to understand the solution. Many a failure comes while you work out each room, and with that, eventual frustration. The game is very specific with how it wants its puzzles solved. Discerning what exactly it wants you to do takes a long time. It wears you down mentally considerably, frustration setting in quickly. To be clear, though -- that doesn't come from figuring out the solution so much as it does executing it. That's where the aforesaid specifics come into play.

Beautiful backgrounds set a moody, yet calming tone.

This is a game of heavy nuance. You have to be patient, learn everything you can about the environment before tackling it. Controlling the occasional vehicle, for instance, takes immeasurable patience, as they topple over at the slightest touch. With all the inclines that pepper the road forward, its easy to be driven mad by how sensitive vehicles can be. Figuring out the precise place you need to be to catapult yourself forward or launch yourself off a precariously balanced plank further foster that building rage NightSky often instills.

Though you'll definitely be infuriated by its taxing challenges, NightSky's atmosphere keeps you grounded. The calm melodies that rise and fade frequently, contrasting with the dark, moody scenery, ease your mind when on the verge of quitting in a fit of rage. Plucks of guitar strings instill a relaxing, homey feel, allowing you to keep your focus in spite of frustration. It's not often music has such an affect, usually acting as mere background noise to help set the tone of the location or events.

Atmosphere is NightSky's strongest component. The landscapes you traverse display a subtle beauty, the shadowy aesthetic bringing a touch of intrigue. The juxtaposition of relaxing music and gloomy visuals create an unusual mixture that suit the game's abstract nature perfectly.

You won't understand what's going on in NightSky, the prevalent ambiguity casting a large veil over any semblance of coherence. Even so, the devilish puzzle design and compelling world are reason enough to take a look at NightSky. It's challenges reward constantly, the rewards gratifying enormously. Satisfaction for puzzle solving may not be a new concept, but NightSky at least manages to make extensive and splendid use of it.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Nice going, IGN

2011-11-02T00:24:00.000-07:00

So someone posted a quote from IGN's review for Goldeneye: Reloaded on the GameSpot forums, and one thing in particular came to my immediate attention -- this... unfortunate typo:

For the record, that should be multiplayer, not multiplier. It's amazing how their editors missed such an obvious error. Maybe I ought to apply for an editing job there. I could do much better than they clearly can.

First Portal 2 DLC supposedly arrives on October 4th

2011-09-30T12:34:00.000-07:00

We'll be seeing more of these two here soon.
And more of GLaDOS!

After missing their Summer release window, the first piece of (free!) Portal 2 downloadable content finally has a firm release date. This coming ~~Wednesday~~ Tuesday, October 4th, is when the "Peer Review" add-on will be landing. (Assuming they delay it again.)

This first pack will deliver a new test track for the co-op campaign, challenge modes for both single-player and co-op, as well as leaderboards for which to compare scores from the challenge modes in. Joystiq's got the press release posted in full if you're interested.

But the (second) best news out of this? The third part of the Portal 2 soundtrack is up for download! For free! Yay! So, what are you waiting for? Go get it!

Author's note: Somehow I mistook the 4th to be a Wednesday instead of a Tuesday like it actually is. My bad. It has now been fixed!

Burnout: Crash Review

2011-09-27T19:23:00.000-07:00

Burnout: Crash is a rip-roaring, long-overdue return to what Burnout does best: crashing cars.

Interesting fact about Burnout: Crash: it originally started off as a Wii game. Take a look at any screenshot and that becomes apparent, it's low-fidelity cartoon visuals being a far cry from the gritty realism the series has been moving toward. Instead, it's traded all that in for character. For novelty. Though Burnout has always been a series full of character, never has the series achieved so much of it as it has with Crash. This is a game set in the land of pure absurdity. This is what Burnout would look like if it were made by crazy people fully indulging the dark depths of their minds. And the result is amazing.

Burnout: Crash is a top-down puzzle game where you're job is to crash cars to earn points. Set in the unfortunately named Crash City (seriously, who thought that was a good idea?), you travel across its many districts, taking down unsuspecting automobiles wherever you go. It's a faithful recreation of the original mode and a natural next step, bringing the series in an unexpected new and welcome direction.

Upon starting, the game gives you a quick run-down of the how the basics through a tutorial video. To sum it up, you direct your car in to the first moving vehicle you see, then wait for the crashbreaker to fill so that you can both send immobilized automotives flying and ignite them to spark a chain-reaction of detonations. All the while, you can continue to control your car through the power of aftertouch, which allows you to move toward more traffic following a crashbreaker. All of this is viewed from a top-down perspective, granting you the perfect window to watch the mayhem unfold from. And when I say mayhem, I do mean mayhem.

See? What'd I tell ya!

Creating large-scale car pile ups isn't all that Burnout: Crash is about. It's about bending the elements to your will. That's a bit of an over-dramatization, but its the truth. Natural disasters and supernatural entities cap off each crashing session, stomping through the junctions to raze the scenery into a wasteland, appropriate apocalyptic music playing during their brief spat of destruction. To summon these forces of nature, you need to crash the specified number of vehicles shown in the upper-left corner of the screen, your progress indicated by an arrowed bar that fills with each act of ruin.

In fact, just about everything you do is accompanied by some over-the-top event or musical chime. Cause a massive chain-reaction of explosions, leveling an entire section of the map, and a quick chant of hallelujah will play. Freeze all the traffic-goers on-screen and you'll get a quick passage of "Ice, Ice, Baby" accompanying the sudden tundra. It's these oddball actions that define Burnout: Crash and give it character. The series has never been one to take itself seriously to begin with, but Crash does away with it entirely.

This is its greatest advantage. The sheer absurdity of Burnout: Crash is a huge part in what makes it such a pleasure to play. It's use of licensed music to compound the ludicrous actions that play out before you is novel and makes some hysterical results. Car accidents may be horrifying occurrences in reality, but in the fictionalized world of Burnout, its a comical, uproarious activity. The goofy way its all presented is partly responsible, but more than that, it's just because orchestrating large-scale road-side disasters is so much fun. Pulling off a carefully structured plan successfully after so many failed attempts, finally learning the optimal plan of attack and launching an extravagant parade of destruction, is immensely gratifying. It taps into that train-wreak fascination we all have and indulges it splendidly.

Burnout: Crash gives three modes to wreak carnage in: Road Trip, Rush Hour, and Pile Up. The main mode, Road Trip, sees you crashing cars for a good three or four minutes, keeping the pile up growing and preventing cars from escaping the wreaking field until the super feature -- one of those major events that summons things like tornadoes, tidal waves, UFOs, and (get this) lobster monsters -- activates and transforms the juncture into a wasteland. Rush Hour drops the super features but increases rate at which targets are streamed in. Here, you're objective is simply to cause as much damage as possible in ninety seconds, then finish with a massive chain-reaction of explosions with your vehicle's souped up crashbreaker. It's the best mode simply for its encouragement to let loose with the destruction. Pile Up is more methodical, having you with a finite number of cars to crash before engaging the multiplier-carrying inferno mode, which sets your car on fire and multiplies all points earned by up to a factor of five.

Just a couple more seconds and... KA-BOOM!

Out of the three, Pile Up is the weakest, and Rush Hour the strongest. Pile Up is undoubtedly the most puzzle-esque mode of the three, but it's also the least Burnout-y. Burnout: Crash performs at its best when its constantly asking you to go nuts with the 'splosions to destroy everything as you go rather than conserve them until you happen to get inferno active. It's not worthless, but it is noticeably lacking by comparison.

To lend some longevity, Burnout: Crash also lifts the autolog system from 2010's Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit entry for its leaderboards. This only lets you compare scores with friends, however, which means you can't see how well you stack up against player worldwide. It's a nice feature, but if you haven't any friends who are playing, the autolog does little to justify its presence. The multiplayer in the 360 version is also disappointingly absent here.

It's a small loss, however, for the rest of the package brings more than enough value for its $10 price tag. Burnout: Crash is a lot of fun. A return to the insanity of vehicular accidents was long overdue, and Burnout: Crash delivers an appropriate revival of that most beloved mode from Burnout's past.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Bastion Review

2011-09-10T20:06:00.000-07:00

"You did good, kid."

A small slab of land rests suspended in the sky; a young boy sleeps peacefully, unaware of the cataclysm that's transpired around him. You press a key and -- "he gets up," says a deep, male voice. You start walking toward the small archway to the left the boy's bed. As you do, the ground begins re-forming beneath him. He keeps moving, not stopping to think about this strange phenomena. That mysterious voice, commenting on his every action as if spectating right alongside you, the player, guides him forward, his trusty hammer in hand.

And thus begins your journey to the Bastion.

"Smart," "imaginative," "magical." Words that distill the experience Bastion harbors. It crafts an intriguing tale of a world gone wrong, a world-shattering event known as The Calamity plunging the world into disarray, and the kid who's going to fix it. Chronicled by a mysterious old man, Bastion sets out to regale a heartfelt story of hardship, wrapped in the intricate mold of a hack-and-slash role-playing game. In this voyage Bastion succeeds, having created an absorbing, compelling world set against an enthralling narrative.

It all began when The Calamity struck. Everything -- from the cities to the wilds -- gone, now but mere shadows of their former selves. Few survived, the young protagonist -- referred to as "the Kid" by the narrator -- one of the lucky folks to come out unscathed. He travels to the Bastion, a safe haven where everyone was told to meet in the event of a disaster. There, he meets an old man. He tells the Kid all about the Bastion. Apparently, its power is locked, kept dormant until the world's cores unite. According to him, bringing the cores together activates the Bastion, supposedly delivering the world from its cruel fate. So the Kid sets off to search for cores, maybe find some other survivors along the way.

The Kid fights a couple of gasfellas. They don't move very fast, but they attack hard.

In Bastion, the entire story is told through narration. The voice of the narrator is the only one you'll hear, the only company you get on this lonely trek through the wastelands of Caelondia. As a storyteller, he eschews the long-winded diatribes so common in games dense with exposition. He tells this tale in a terse manner, wasting no time in getting straight to the point. Though brief his sentences may be, they're still rife with back-story, exploring many different facets of Bastion's world and its inhabitants. Listening to his reflections on the old world greatly flesh out the setting, revealing a rich history to indulge yourself in should you choose. The majority of his speech, however, pertains to The Kid's actions and those of the environment, announcing everything that occurs on-screen, scripted or not.

Interesting fact about Bastion's narration: its reactive. Do something out of the ordinary (say, go on a destruction spree) and the narrator will comment on it. Minute details like that may seem of little importance, but acknowledgement of your actions grants immense gratification. It gives the impression that you're actions carry some actual worth. Because the feedback you receive stems from actions you'd never think would be noticed, hearing the narrator talk about them feels much more rewarding a way of making you feel like you're dynamically participating in this world. Most of the game's events are scripted, but the speech isn't. It feels organic, unpredictable. Almost as if the narration were being pumped directly to you from the actor.

Bastion displays itself from an isometric viewpoint, presenting a grand panorama of its graciously crafted world. A living tapestry of shattered beauty, the lush, imaginative, frontier-era fantasy landscape depicts itself with loving, hand-crafted detail. Watching the world form before you, fragmented lands rebuilding themselves to a semi-normal state, continuously awes. To get a glimpse at what the world was like before catastrophe struck -- it's a remorseful moment. Walking down the dilapidated, empty streets of once heavily populated cities, the narrator lamenting the poor souls who didn't survive the Calamity, while a soft, almost melancholic theme hums quietly: it really drives home the tragedy that's befallen Caelondia, urging you onward to complete your quest.

Moving through the carnage-ridden paths of Bastion takes some care. Very rarely do barriers surround the edges of the world. One misguided roll sends the Kid hurtling down the abyss, landing back on solid ground with a few bruises. The WASD-key combo for movement feels limiting, eight-directional traversal at times seeming less-than-optimal. On diagonal pathways in particular, you have to swap between vertical and horizontal input constantly to create a semblance of proper traversal while crossing angled walkways. Annoying, but the solidity of the overall control layout compensates for its quirks.

Kid takes aim at a pecker, the bird completely oblivious to his presence.
Taking those pesky birds down's a snap with the Carbine.

In combat, the mouse accounts for attacks and aiming. The cursor acts a reticle, the direction its facing determining where the Kid strikes, the left- and right-mouse buttons deciding which weapon he uses. Under the frenetic conditions of battle, the mouse and keyboard combo hold up well. All the important functions -- using health potions, dodging, interacting, etc -- place themselves in easy reach, preventing you from fumbling about perplexedly. The manual aim the mouse offers brings an extra layer of skill to the proceedings, though the handy auto-aim from the Xbox 360 version still finds itself here, regulated to the shift key, which also brings up the Kid's shield, in the event that things get too hairy for manual control.

Bastion's combat remains simple on the surface, boiling down to clicking furiously to bring down foes quickly. The strategy needed to fight back effectively, however, staves off monotony. Your adversaries, ranging from hooded, humanoid figures with ghostly bodies wielding pickaxes, to massive flora that spews flurries of tiny spiked spores from its maw, do not hold back. They attack relentlessly, mercilessly, doing everything in their power to over-power you. Charge headlong into battle and defeat won't be far behind, the enemy's vast numbers instantly engulfing you. To survive, you need to employ strategy. Not immaculately, of course -- the game moves far too fast for careful, elaborate plans.

You need to be able to think fast on your feet. Reacting to sudden changes in the environment (the ground can sometimes break away) and the movements of enemies is crucial. Because once embroiled in combat, you don't get many chances to stop and calmly assess the situation; you can only concern yourself with staying alive. The hectic atmosphere of battle especially manifests itself in the arena challenges, where you're pit against twenty increasingly difficult waves waves of adversaries. In those instances, it's pivotal that you select a strong weapon combo. Any mistake can spell disaster.

The Kid amasses a wide arsenal of weaponry over the course of Bastion, from swords to guns. He can only carry two weapons at a time and one special attack to use in conjunction with one of the two, forcing you to carefully consider which two to take. Though each has its pros and cons, no wrong choices can be made. Literally any assortment works. Like to go for the direct approach? Take a hammer and machete then, tearing and smashing creatures and objects alike to pieces quickly and efficiently. Or maybe you like to keep your distance, in which case a bow (or a rifle) and a couple of pistols would do nicely. The key to their versatility lies in the upgrades, which allow you to extensively customize them to your liking. Focus on increasing damage dealt, crowd control, reloading speed, whatever -- the choice is yours. Again, there are no wrong choices.

Pincushions: the Wilds' own sentry system.

Upgrades can only be assigned at a forge, which can only be found at the Bastion once you've built one. Upon returning with a core in hand (the Bastion acts the hub), installing it into the Bastion's center causes the place to restore itself, granting you the choice of one new establishment. An armory, a shop, a forge, a memorial (where upon you can earn fragments -- the new currency -- for completing certain conditions), a shrine, and a distillery (where you can spec out the Kid's stats and passive abilities) are your choices. You'll build them all by default, the choice lying in the order they're built.

The shrine is the most interesting of the bunch. Here you can invoke idols of Caelondia's deities, which enhance the game's challenge by increasing the damage enemies deal, making them drop bombs upon defeat, or letting them randomly deflect attacks. For activating them, you earn more experience points and fragments. The more you activate, the higher the percentage of extra experience gained. When playing through the game a second time with the new game plus benefits (all your progress from a previous play-through being carried over), the modifiers grant a welcome additional challenge.

After you finish Bastion, you're likely to want to go through it again. No specific reasons why (well, nothing I'm about to spoil, at any rate); only that you want to keep playing this spectacular title. Everything comes together so well. The storytelling blending seamlessly with the gameplay, the frenetic pace of battle delivering a constant, enjoyable struggle. That this is Supergiant Games' first creation says a lot about the studio's talent. For anyone to create something as well crafted as this is an achievement all its own; that it was done by an up-start team of seven is even more astounding.

Oh, awesome: EA's Origin serivce includes spyware of sorts upon install

2011-08-25T20:04:00.000-07:00

Pictured: Origin spying on one of its
unsuspecting users.

Companies collecting personal information of its users isn't a radically new concept. Everyone basically does it, even if they don't admit it. But at least they aren't installing what amounts to spyware onto your computer without your knowledge.

In what has to be the most abhorrent move since GameStop decided it was cool to open sealed games, discard certain contents, and re-seal them to sell as "new," EA's End User License Agreement for their Steam wanna-be Origin states that, by agreeing to it, you're giving EA permission to track all sorts of personal and computer information. Among the list of tracked items are: personal information, computer information, application usage, software and software usage, and peripheral hardware usage. The rationale for this invasion? "Marketing purposes," and the usual "to improve our products and services" spiel.

The Web has, predictably, been thrown into a state of mass vitriol spewing hysteria as it's known to do in light of debacles like this. To be fair, though, Steam, as the Giant Bomb story points out, does the same thing upon installing their own client. The difference, however, is that Steam, unlike Origin, allows you to opt-out of the data tracking. It's completely voluntary.. For Origin, no such option exists. If you want to use the service, and you will undoubtedly be forced to if you want to play online-enabled EA titles (say, Battlefield 3), regardless of whether you buy it digitally or physically, you have to accept the bogus agreement and let them go about their nosy business.

I'm puzzled by what makes EA think they can do this. Stealing -- oh, I'm sorry -- "voluntarily" collecting data on the hard drive level is just despicable. Hopefully they'll realize the error of their ways rectify this egregious course of action.

Portal 2 Review

2011-08-23T19:45:00.000-07:00

Portal 2 is one of the best games you'll ever play, guaranteed.

I'm not usually one to start off reviews with such hyperbole, but in the case of Portal 2 it's necessary. Because the above isn't simple hyperbole; it's fact.

Portal 2 is a game made of nothing but the utmost excellence. Not a single element falls short. Everything delivers only the absolute best. The writing, witty and humorous, giving the characters infectious personalities; the gameplay, constantly challenging your mental faculties with cleverly crafted puzzles; the story, lengthy and full of intrigue. The sheer amount of care put into crafting this game is immense. That level of love and care is what makes Portal 2 the truly astounding game it is, and, without a doubt, one of the most enthralling gaming experiences ever created.

Portal 2 picks up many years after the events of the previous game. You awake once again in the Aperture Science Enrichment Center, this time having woken from cryogenic storage. In the years since your last trek through the sterile halls of Aperture Science, the place has changed -- and not for the better. The facility now rests in a dilapidated state. Plant-life has taken over the place, now resembling a sort of makeshift jungle. The interior lay in shambles, wall panels and broken machinery littering the floor. A more haunting, abandoned tone permeates the scene now, compounded by the low ambient beats of music infrequently chiming in.

Your old friend GLaDOS is back as well. She's now rebuilt herself after you destroyed her in the last game, and is just as dangerous as before. She's now in the process of rebuilding the testing facility, sending Chell (the game's silent protagonist) through another series of test chambers. This time around it's not just you and GLaDOS. You're often accompanied now by a small spherical robot named Wheatley (voiced by Stephen Merchant). He's a meek fellow, bumbling about the place with only a slight measure of knowledge of what it is he's doing. He and GLaDOS are who you hear for the majority of the game, but eventually you encounter the man behind Aperture Science himself: Cave Johnson (voiced by J.K. Simmons), who can only be described as... insane -- and in the best way possible. He's an upbeat guy, always speaking with a strong sense of positivity in his voice, even while explaining the horrific effects his tests may have on participants. (For instance: test subjects' blood being turned into pure gasoline.)

That's Wheatley, by the way.

All of the voice actors give brilliant performances. Wheatley is particularly noteworthy because he just seeps comedy without even trying. He's written to be the comedy relief, yet it doesn't feel like he was made for that purpose. It all comes off as just a natural part of his personality. GLaDOS continues with her sarcastic and insulting remarks, which she states with perfect deadpan delivery. Her disdain for Chell literally drips from her voice, the vitriol she spews being superbly hurtful and witty. Just sitting back and hearing the cast talk is one of the most rewarding parts of Portal 2. You often don't want to act immediately because you don't want to miss a line of dialog. Wheatley in particular has a tendency to drivel on, and on, and on, and on; the comedy gold only increasing with each new line spoken. Most amazing is the attention to detail. Do something out of the ordinary -- say, breaking monitors or voluntarily falling into an obvious death trap -- and often the characters will comment on it. Re-playing the game multiple times just to see every line of dialog, therefore, becomes an enticing proposition.

Of course, simply playing through previously conquered test chambers entertains as well. Portal 2 is a puzzle game first and foremost. Its prerogative being to challenge you mentally, yet never once overtax your brain with all the little details. And, boy, are there plenty of small details.

The concept of portal placement may seem like a pedestrian one on cursory inspection -- just place 'em wherever you want and solve puzzles instantly, right? But it's actually much more complicated. Portal thrives on its concept of "thinking with portals." To think with portals, you need to be able to think in multiple dimensions, to understand how portals can be used to propel yourself about the environment. Portals don't act only as gateways, you see. Throwing on the wall next you and another on the wall high above you to access a raised platform may be a common use for portals, but more often than not, they act as a means of transporting other objects and liquids around, setting the scene properly for your elaborate solution.

Puzzles always revolve around finding a way to open the exit. They start off as easy block placement puzzles to get you settled, portals being set at predetermined locations. Then thing start getting increasingly intricate, forcing you to think creatively as you get full control over portal placement. You can only set two portals at a time -- a blue one and an orange one (the colors letting you set them apart; they both function identically). And with those two you will pull off incredible feats.

Moving around the environment is the most common employment. Most of Aperture Laboratories is made with such means of traversal in mind. White walls -- the only ones you can create portals on -- litter both the test chambers and the inner assembly-line workings of the facility. Outside of test chambers, the white-covered walls lead you onward, pushing you toward your next obstacle.

Repulsion gel: a destructive force when applied on boxes.

In test chambers, portals take on a greater number of uses. The first game only focused on portal placement. Figuring out how to traverse each test chamber using only portals was all you had to do, which in itself was challenging enough already. Using them to power up doors and transport blocks in addition was enough to generate thought-provoking puzzles. Portal 2 expands on the initial concepts, introducing a ton of new variables to work with. Chief among these are the propulsion and repulsion gels. The former causes you to bounce off of it upon contact, the latter causing you to break into a sprint whenever you walk on it. Used in conjunction, you can fly almost anywhere, within reason of course. Another new element is the solid beams of solar energy, which are used to bridge gaps and as shields against turrets. How these gels interact with portals is typically as a means of directing them around the environment, finding the proper placements being a key component of the puzzles in which these elements appear.

Knowing the many ways portals can be employed is crucial. Looking upon a puzzle for the first time, you'll likely be at a loss at how to proceed. The solution is always in the realm of possibility, though. Never does the game expect you to figure out some outlandish, left-field logic. Labyrinthine solutions aren't ever employed. If you can't figure something out, it's only because you aren't thinking creatively enough. The solution always remains grounded in the game's own logic. By the time the game starts getting more complex with its puzzles, you've already been taught everything you can learn about using portals, gels, and whatever else the game throws at you. It's just a matter of figuring out how to apply that knowledge. The key lies in experimentation.

Portal 2's greatest pleasure comes from solving puzzles. The puzzles here are all intelligently designed, each making you feel incredibly smart for having solved them. As far as rewards go, that's most certainly one of the better ones. The process behind discerning solutions is a long and involved one. It actually feels like you're testing these advanced technologies and elements, participating in some lunatic science experiment. The complexities of working with every puzzle component all at once (which doesn't actually happen, but comes close), require so much micromanagement, so many different applications of portals that keeping everything straight is in and of itself a puzzle. It's tempting to look up the answer, but you don't, because you know you can figure it out. Because you want the satisfaction of solving these devious tests yourself.

At their core, the puzzles are simple; no doubt there. Moving blocks onto buttons, using the environment in creative ways to traipse about the scenery -- it's all stuff that's been done before. They're very familiar concepts. But it's rare to see them done so well, and in such a fresh, remarkable fashion. It's all so varied. In one room you're flinging yourself about via springboards, attempting to catch boxes out of mid-air; the next, you're carefully moving about corridors littered with turrets, attempting to dispatch or avoid them. It always feels like you're doing something new and unexpected.

Scenes like this are a common sight.

Things only get better in the cooperative mode, for the dynamics of two players working together concurrently with the aforementioned variables make for more elaborate puzzles and solutions. The co-op sees you take control of two robots, named ATLAS and P-body. GLaDOS created them for a separate cooperative testing program, a story which occurs independently of the single-player campaign. The story here is a lighter affair, consisting solely of navigating test chambers while GLaDOS employs her usual downplaying of their successes and tries to turn the two against one another (and of course fails).

Communication is important, as you can imagine. Working in working together teeters on that very concept. Though voice chat would be the easiest method, Portal 2 has its own solution. Mapped to the d-pad are gestures and ping tools. Gestures are purely there for fun, causing your character to perform a variety of actions ranging from waving or high fiving, to performing ridiculous martial arts-like moves or playing rock, paper, scissors. Doing these in front of cameras draws humorous responses from GLaDOS. The ping tools are what really help. With them, you can direct your partner toward points of interest by pointing and pressing L2, which will set a temporary target on whatever it is you've pinged. You can also set countdowns. It's not a replacement for real communication, but the tools help remedy the usual frustration that comes with not being able to properly communicate something.

Most interesting about the PlayStation 3 version is its Steamworks support. By connecting your Steam account (if you have one), you can gain access to play with players on PC as well as gain access to the Steam Cloud, allowing you to back up your saves online. Though its use is limited if you aren't a regular Steam user, it's a novel idea.

Portal 2 is undoubtedly a masterpiece. It does everything right, exceeding expectations greatly. The puzzles are smartly designed and gratifying to solve. The cooperative mode is a worthwhile addition, receiving the same amount of craft as the single-player portion. Games rarely get anywhere near this level of quality. Portal 2 isn't just a masterpiece: it's one of the greatest games of this generation.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

de Blob developer Blue Tongue has been shuttered

2011-08-09T22:32:00.000-07:00

The image currently shown on Blue Toungue's Web site. Just tragic.

Dreadful news today. Blue Tongue, developer of the absolutely splendid de Blob games, was shut down. Some talented folks there. Really loved their work on de Blob. Truly a shame that they won't be able to continue their fine work anymore. My heart goes out to all whom were affected by the layoffs at THQ. Hope you all land on your feet.

Feel like starting up de Blob again now. Seems only right, to honor their work and all. Terrible news to end the day with. So sad.

Resistance 3 is pretty okay

2011-08-03T23:43:00.000-07:00

Couldn't find any pictures from the
multiplayer, so here's a guy punching
one of the aliens from the game.

The beta (or multiplayer demo) for Resistance 3 is underway. Right now only those who either bought Socom 4 or snagged a beta key (myself having done the latter) can get in. PlayStation Plus subscribers can gain access later this month. So far it's been good, if unstable. (Expected for a "beta," I know, but bear with me.)

I'm gonna keep this short because I haven't had much time to mess around with the beta yet. This is solely because of the constant freezing issues I've been encountering that always occur right before a match ends. I mean, I know this is a "beta" and all, but when your game is a month away from release, you'd think your "beta" would be in better shape.

Anyways. As per usual for these demos, content is limited. A couple of maps and modes (those modes being Team Deathmatch and Chain Reaction -- a variant on the ol' King of the Hill game type that sees players racing to capture control points) make up the available content. The maps are small and tight, accommodating the 16-player (or is 18-player?) cap nicely. Battles erupt constantly and are always fierce, the small size of the maps giving little in the way of solace from the action. It's really great, because you don't spent nearly as much time running around looking for combat. The radar can be credited for that, marking enemies as big red dots on the map. Still befuddled why games don't incorporate radars into multiplayer anymore. It would really help cut back on the dullness sometimes present in these environments.

Haven't had a chance to experiment with the weaponry, but in usual Insomniac fashion, they're plenty crazy. The gun I used was on the tamer side, being a standard assault rifle with a grenade launcher attachment. Simple, but very effective. The one most players were wielding, however, was a shotgun whose rounds cause their target to burst into flames upon impact; also equipped with a grenade like attachment. Awesome, yes -- but also a bit on the... unbalanced side. I say that because, if that one match where literally everyone on the opposing team using that gun was any indication, that thing is all kinds of cheap. Just about every shot sets you aflame, unable to anything but resign to your fiery fate. Clever use, sure -- but also downright infuriating when your on the receiving end. They really need to balance that out some. Nothing sucks more than a one-hit-kill weapon that's easily attainable in a multiplayer setting.

Here, another picture from the single-player campaign for your amusement.

One other low-point: the movement speed. Far too slow. Feels like the character is slogging through some thick mound of mud or something, or taking a casual afternoon stroll through the battlefield instead of moving hastily, like anyone in such conditions would. The dash speed isn't much better, basically amounting to a light jog rather than an actual dash. Maybe I'm just being nitpicky, but it just feels wrong for this sort of game.

Kill-streaks are also here, which I'm still not a fan of. They haven't been too egregious yet, though -- the shield and cloak, the two starting kill-streak awards, haven't been too big of a game-changer, nor have I seen them in action often. So that's something.

Still, I like what I've played. Not sure if it's something I'd pick up (doubt it, honestly; there ain't much incentive for me to buy shooters anymore when I can play multiplayer this way, but that's an article for another time), but it's certainly been entertaining so far. If any of you happen to get in, hit me up. Maybe we can play a match or two.

And on that note, I'm off to play more. May come back and write more later once I'm further in.

UPDATE: Okay, since originally writing this earlier today (yes, I write my blog posts in a word processor), I've run into odd connectivity issues. I assume it was just the servers going under a touch of maintenance, but it's definitely made playing a lot harder. I foresee another patch on the horizon.

Outland Review

2011-07-31T17:43:00.000-07:00

Outland is a thrilling, successful blend of bullet-hell and platforming gameplay

Outland is more than a simple homage to Treasure's classic shoot-'em-up Ikaruga. A game that marries the fluidity of platforming with the madness of a bullet-hell shooter in spectacular fashion, Outland crafts a stylish, nail-bitingly challenging two-dimensional action side-scrolling game. A game where the simplest of jumping puzzles become extraneous death courses, bullets of red and blue hues flooding the screen in a dazzling, horrifying display. An exercise in skill and patience, as it were -- and a beautiful one at that.

A shadowy foreground paints a scene of silhouettes against an intense saturation of primary colors in the background. Small, intricate designs, tribal in nature, decorate both the scenery and its inhabitants, their glow making each character and object pop. Tribal artistry pervades Outland, its ancient setting -- filled with remnants of a once thriving civilization, massive stone structures looming in the background -- complimenting the artwork. You never approach those looming structures, only seeing them from a distance, wondering what secrets lie within them and amongst the streets of the city they inhabit. You never learn anything about your environment, a brief cutscene at the beginning of the game being all the set-up you get.

Moreover, the game performs brilliantly, it's animation silky smooth. The nameless protagonist moves with the utmost grace, climbing and jumping with absolute fluidity. Snappy controls help achieve the feeling of fluid motion, allowing you to jump, slide, and launch around with ease.

Scrambling up walls and platforms make up the majority of Outland's action. A platformer at heart, jumping puzzles are the bread and butter of Outland. Usual conventions such as moving and non-moving slabs of ground suspended in mid-air rear their heads, issuing a fair mix of quickened movements and patient navigation. The protagonist leaps across distances, but not without aide of momentum. Luckily, building up a good run isn't necessary as in other games in the genre, which is crucial, because most of Outland's challenges involve leaping to and fro between small pieces of land, great distances lying between. Attempting to gain strong momentum on such precarious placements, snappy, responsive controls or not, would only frustrate; missing a ledge because you're just a hair short of reaching it being especially infuriating. Outland isn't clear of frustrations like that, but they are also not infatuations as they are light vexations. The difference is that mistakes in Outland feel like something caused by yourself rather than the game mechanics working against you.

That's where the bullet-hell component comes in. Feelings of that sort commonly reside in shooters of the bullet-hell variety despite the constant trudge of trial-and-error -- a usually negative mark against games. To describe it as tough but fair would be accurate, as while the game often presents extreme challenge, it never crosses into the realm of impossibility. A hard line to walk, but Outland does so splendidly.

Here's an example of the bullet-hellishness of Outland. A tame one, but an example.

Bullet-hell manifests itself through the torrents of red and blue hued projectiles. Small box-like objects laced throughout the game's geometry fire off the harmful energies of light and dark. You can only dodge those energies at first. Soon enough, however, you harness the power of these energies, allowing our hero safe passage through the once deadly colored bullets through alignment. Align yourself with light (blue) and that energy no longer harms you; same with aligning with dark (red). Pressing R1 swaps between the two, something you'll be doing a lot of as you move deeper into Outland as the energy streams become more complex.

So complex they become that, at times, not a single ounce of respite can be found, the assault only increasing in intensity; streams of both energies intermixed converging on you constantly, small breaks in their movement pattern serving the only solace available. That level of extremity seldom surface, but when it does, the game doesn't hold back. Boss fights in particular love to deliver such punishment, launching flurries of bullets right when they're most vulnerable. These mammoths pull no punches, relentless in their attacks. Alignment swaps only grant solace for so long, the enemy taking swipes at you soon after firing their artillery of energy. Besting these monstrous foes is thrilling, for each battle feels grand in scale. Environments breaking apart as the battle continues, making the landscape more treacherous, the enemy colossal in size -- it all works to create an extravagant, enthralling climax to each level.

Outland is split into five distinct locations, taking you from the lush scenery of the jungle to frigid mountain peaks. The aesthetics for each are similar, the background imagery and color being the prime differentiators. Slight alterations in the silhouetted architecture -- the plant-life prevalent throughout the jungle, for instance, or the torchlit, stone-heavy rooms of the Underworld -- add an extra touch of individuality.

Though linear in progression, the levels are open for revisiting whenever you please. Backtracking through previously trotted ground is essential. New skills earned from later sections open up new paths; paths that unveil precious upgrades, coin deposits, and more. Upgrades for the heath and special attack gauges (the latter appearing right under the health bar, which is represented by green hearts) cost coins to buy, each costing progressively more. Coins are always a plentiful resource throughout, but also a precious one. Gaining enough to buy an upgrade doesn't take much effort in the early stages. Once you're deeper in, however, meeting the money quota becomes a grind. The alternative being to more carefully consider what you buy. Extending life doesn't make a huge dent in the difficulty level, but it does provide an extra fighting chance. And in Outland, that's good enough; you need every advantage you can get.

And here's another, more apt example. Still not as crazy as could be, but close.

Basic combat contradicts the otherwise complex nature of Outland. You have a standard three-hit combo and can perform upper- and lower-cuts, as well as a charged attack, among others. Encounters boil down to just mashing the square button, occasionally hitting X to jump away from and over enemy attacks, your adversaries barely putting up a fight. They advance slowly, taking time to wind up their attacks before unleashing their wrath, granting just enough time to land a combo or two, maybe even vanquish them, before retaliation strikes. Only through hasty, impatient actions do encounters truly endanger you. Simple combat may be, but cockiness can still be your undoing.

Restoring lost hearts (your health gauge) isn't always as easy as smashing that pot in the corner or vanquishing nearby foes -- the usual means of summoning hearts to heal yourself with. They appear frequently, but never enough to make them feel like a common find. Health is precious, but not obscure. When you need replenishment, hearts start dropping with increased frequency. If not in dire need, the drop rate scales back. A subtle means of keeping the preciousness of health intact while providing a fair chance.

Outland's story is paper thin. The nameless protagonist (referred to as "the hero") is haunted by troubling dreams and seeks out a shaman hoping to better understand the meaning behind these nightmares. The narrator, another faceless character, then tells a tale of two sisters -- goddesses, actually -- of light and dark, who created the world many moons ago. Over time, they changed, and suddenly sought to destroy the world they created. It's around this time that another hero rose to seal these calamitous gods away, and succeeded. The sisters have broken away from their seal, however, and are again trying to raze their creation, our protagonist being forced to step up to the challenge.

That's all explained in the intro. No progression or development is made on the story front from then on. Back-stories for each of the boss enemies grant a touch of insight to their characters, but they have no immediate bearing on the greater narrative. The motivations of the sisters is never once alluded to (they apparently just woke up one day and said, "Hey! Let's destroy the world, sis!" "Okay!"), painting them as your average shallow villains. It never advances past that baseline set-up. With so much work poured into the art, that the same care couldn't have been put into fleshing out the world and story is truly a shame.

Outland's campaign can be taken on either alone or with a partner via online play (no local play, disappointingly). Cooperative play online, however, is plagued by lag, and punctuated by a barren community. Seldom can you find someone through regular matchmaking. And when you do, every session moves at a snail's pace, the latency exorbitant, the game bordering on unplayable. These setbacks become especially apparent during the co-op challenges -- special levels that test players' cooperative skills.

Fighting gargantuan bosses like this make for quite a spectacle.

These challenge rooms are exceptionally designed. Cooperation with your partner is essential and easy to do without any means of communication (might be headset support, I don't know; don't have to test it with). Your actions speak clearly enough to understand. That helps, because often these challenges pit you two against puzzles requiring ultra-precise timing. One of the earliest rooms sees you and your partner tossing bombs to blast open the forward, some requiring careful juggling acts to get the explosive to its target. In another, one player controls the alignment of both characters, the level filled with platforms that require a specific alignment to be active before they can be walked on or used as lifts. They're quite clever. In both cases, lag hinders players' abilities greatly. Button presses suddenly take a life time to be received by the game, your timing being thrown off considerably. Most cases of failure are a direct result of this. With this in mind, and with no local option available, your only choice if you want to see these rooms' excellence first-hand is to suffer through the nigh unplayable nature of it. Excruciating.

Painful as that is, the single-player portion makes up for that one sticking point. Outland's blend of bullet-hell and platforming works beautifully and plays just as well. The art lends a distinctive look and feel, contrasting against the red and blue fixtures perfectly. A shallow narrative dampens the intriguing, though weakly established world, but the many thrills gameplay provides enthrall just as well. An incredible game at incredible value ($10), Outland is truly something special.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

MDK Review

2011-07-13T07:46:00.000-07:00

It's short on content, but for a budget shooter, MDK's breezy shooting action make for a fun way to spend an afternoon

To say that MDK is "quirky" would be an understatement. Accurate, but understated. It looks simple enough on the surface -- a typical third-person shooter of the '90s -- but underneath that veneer is an assortment of oddities and an off-kilter sense of humor. If you're familiar with Shiny Entertainment's work, they're involvement will come as no surprise to you, their penchant for whimsy being clear. If you aren't familiar, what you get is an eccentric, underwhelming, though cheap and entertaining shooter perfect for an afternoon's worth of fun.

MDK follows janitor turned reluctant hero Kurt Hectic on a mission to save Earth from an invading alien force that's mining the planet for all the minerals its worth. Many large cities have already been destroyed as a result of the mining, the Earth's military forces being in disarray. A scientist named Dr. Fluke Hawkins, having flown up to space on a research project so many years before, foresaw the invasion and concocted a plan to counteract. The plan? Send his janitor, who's equipped with state-of-the art gear developed by the doc himself, onto the alien vessels to assassinate their leaders and thwart the attack, otherwise known as "Mission: Deliver Kindness."

All of that is explained in the game's manual (the story doesn't actually rear its head in-game), along with other goofy details and insights, such as how their six legged dog, Bones (or "Max," as he prefers), who assists Kurt in the field from time to time, was created. It's a fun read. It's a wonder why the developers didn't sought to bring that same personality to the game itself, whose own story efforts consist only of cursory debriefings before and after each level, naming only the location that is under attack and whether you succeeded in saving it or not (you're on a time limit, you see). Nothing from the manual is alluded to even slightly, instead acting like it doesn't exist.

The aesthetics of this level are quite the spectacle.

MDK's whimsical nature permeates itself elsewhere, then. Its weapon assortment, for instance, which consists of the typical inclusions such as an automatic rifle and sniper rifle (which are in the same gun), sees some... interesting creations such as "The World's Smallest Nuclear Explosion" crop up. Or health packs that get up and run as soon as you approach them, screaming like a banshee all the while. One level joins in the fun also, with a bright, colorful, cartoony aesthetic decorating a few rooms providing a strong contrast against the otherwise prison-like setting. Other levels don't go to such lengths, rather focusing on less eccentric designs like that of a military base or one covered in reflective surfaces.

Its whimsy inclinations don't seep greatly into the gameplay, however, content instead with taking a more conservative route. It's very basic. Linear levels are populated by legions of foes and are all easily dispatched with your automatic rifle, circle strafing making dispatch that much easier. Enemies are streamed in via stout spawn points, fallen adversaries being replaced almost instantaneously. You're goal in MDK is to get to the end of the level as fast as possible. A time limit -- settled in the lower-right corner of the screen, encircling the small oval that displays your hit points -- exists to hasten your run through, for you've only so much time before the alien invaders destroy the city you're charged with saving. No severe consequences surface if you fail, nor do any bonuses. It's effective at getting you into gear, though, regardless.

Auto-aim is much to thank for the simplicity of the action. Unable to be disabled, the auto-aim function removes almost any measure of skillful combat in favor of the "one-man army" approach. The sniper function of Kurt's rifle is kept from the front-lines, taking a specialized role solely for enemies that are just out of your automatic rifle's extensive reach. You aren't forced to use any one weapon, granted (except in rare cases where you are), but with the speed at which MDK moves when engaged by the estrange robot infantry of the alien forces, standing still lining up shots from afar is seldom worthwhile; the rain of bullets pelting you make it impossible to employ any level of precision.

Encounters like this are what make sniping impossible.

It's a shame. The sniper function of Kurt's rifle is gratifying to use. Picking off foes from great distances is satisfying and appropriately brutal, particularly so when head shots are achieved, pints of green substance -- oil, maybe? -- gushing out. It's very tame violence, yes (it's Teen rated game from the late-'90s; of course it'd be tame), but murderous enough within its limitations to be pleasantly savage.

The power of a sniper rifle is well captured. To wield such strength is definitely empowering; less so against bosses, who are, frankly, a bunch of pushovers with easy to recognize and exploitable patterns, but especially so against grunts. Standard ol' vanilla ammunition is quick to make impact and slays lesser adversaries effortlessly. Other types of ammo -- explosive types, specifically -- are far more the ones to see more use, though only because the game often calls for them. Mortar ammo is especially popular with the game, supplying you with it constantly and presenting many an instance where it's heavy payload is needed. Homing bullets and explosive variants on the default ammo-type round out the ammo-types, but seldom see use unless you're heavy with the sniping.

Running-and-gunning, simple as it may be, has its highs. Most every encounter is met with much opposition. Bullets fly everywhere, enemies constantly being strung in through spawn points, grenades or far more destructive weaponry (a tornado, perhaps?) being thrown about -- it always remains manageable, but the hectic spectacle of it all keeps every encounter engaging.

Interspersed with all the shooting is some light platforming. One of the most unique features of Kurt's suit is its stealth parachute. Though using it seems impossible based on its design -- it's just four evenly spaced lines with nothing between them -- it's integral to any sort of areal movement. Kurt isn't the athletic type, nor is he capable of leaping to great heights, hence the parachute. Platforming is effortless, with the hardest jumping puzzles being cases of ascension, as Kurt's lacking jump ability can prove a touch frustrating.

MDK isn't a difficult game, nor is it a long one. Containing only six levels, each of which can be completed in 15-20 minutes at the very least, MDK is best described as quick afternoon entertainment -- or weekend entertainment, depending on your shooter prowess. (For what it's worth, I didn't notice any significant differences between the three challenge settings. The quantity of certain side-arms decreased, but foes still wrought the same margin of damage, their accuracy consistently straddling the line between marksman and drunken.)

MDK is light on replay value. It lasts a few hours at the most, ending abruptly almost as soon as suddenly as it began, offering no immediate reason to jump back in. Still, you get what you pay for. The $5 or $10 it retails for on most digital PC storefronts make the game akin to today's downloadable offerings. MDK's age shines through all over, from the blurred textures and blocky character models to the fact that Kurt is just a superimposed image rather than a polygonal model, but the action is still frantic and the world kooky. As a shooter on the cheap, MDK satisfies.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Ivy the Kiwi Review

2011-07-09T23:44:00.000-07:00

Beneath this game's pleasing veneer lies a satisfyingly challenging experience.

Ivy the Kiwi is hard. Hellishly hard. It may look like something out of a children's storybook, but make no mistake: beneath its charming, inviting exterior lies a frustratingly difficult game of escort. It coaxes you in with its unassuming storybook aesthetic only to run you down hard with myriad obstacles with relentless abandon. This is a game that single-handedly disproves any claims of games becoming too easy, harking back to the days of extreme trial-and-error and requiring fast-action to succeed.

If that sounds menacing, then I've successfully conveyed the level of challenge present in Ivy the Kiwi. (Okay, so that last line is rather hyperbolic. You get the point, though.) Rather than be a deterrent, however, the relentless challenge is the appeal. Much like the bullet-hell variety of shooters, Ivy the Kiwi is a game that revels in its difficult nature, making no compromises whatsoever for the sake of accessibility. Harsh? Perhaps, but it's that no-holds-barred attitude that makes Ivy the Kiwi endearing and immensely rewarding.

What exactly the game is from a gameplay standpoint is hard to say. It doesn't really fall under any of the conventional labels. Classifying it through such would be a disservice. To put it simply, Ivy is a game of guidance. You're given no direct control of the adorable titular, fiery red, eggshell clad bird with whom your charged with babysitting; she moves on her own, pressing onward constantly without regard for whatever danger lurks ahead. Your role is guide Ivy through the 100 plus perilous, obstacle-ridden levels using vines, which you can call out of thin air wherever you like.

The Wii remote pointer is your means of interaction. Holding down the A button summons a vine that you can stretch in any direction and place by letting go of the button, with the pointer directing where it moves. It's swift and intuitive control, if a touch inaccurate, complimenting the manic pace of the game.

It may look easy, but the game gets crazy hard later on.

You wouldn't know it by looking at screenshots or listening to its cheery soundtrack, which betrays the manic nature of the gameplay with its controlled pace and mix of cheery and moody tunes to match the static background images that accompany each new world, but this game is very frenetic.

The game climbs in difficulty at a fair and steady clip -- the first couple of worlds are almost effortless, requiring little from you to achieve success -- it doesn't take long for it to start upping the ante. In terms of obstacles, the first real threat are spiked walls, which are easily rendered threat-less by placing some vines before them to act as barriers. Then enemies, both ground and airborne, are introduced. Then blocks that can only be destroyed by boulders, as opposed to using Ivy as a bullet for a makeshift slingshot made of vines. Then drops of water that somehow inexplicably kill. Then all of it gets thrown together, at which point you begin to curse the developers for their fiendish level designs as the whole game begins conspiring against you.

When you combine all of the above and put them into tight, intricate courses, and add a three-minute time limit on top of that, you get Ivy the Kiwi at its finest: remarkably fast and devilishly challenging. Replete with obstacles around every corner, you're forced to react quickly and with the utmost accuracy to survive each course. The game moves so fast, however, that accurately placing vines on the fly is a very trying task, particularly when trying one of the more advanced techniques. For instance, using vines to catapult Ivy upward over spiked floors or simply ascend. Even when propelled upward, Ivy continues to move left or right, granting not even a hint of solace throughout her journey.

That journey being a search for her mother, presumed to be missing. The set-up is that Ivy wakes up in a forest clearing, one day, freshly hatched from her egg, and doesn't see her mom anywhere. Panicked, she sets of looking for her mother, which leads her through a number of static locales such as a city, the frigid lands of the mountaintops, and the sky itself. Nothing stops this bird. She's on a mission and she ain't stopping for no one, regardless of the many dangers ahead. She's a tough bird to manage, therefore, forcing you to be comparatively speedy with the vine dropping to have any hope of guiding her safely.

Areas like this prove difficult time after time.

Again, trial-and-error is a crux component. Death is inevitable, and with each failure comes greater understanding of how to proceed, that knowledge bringing success closer and closer. Frustration starts setting in after the fourth or fifth consecutive failure -- doubly so when you die right on the cusp of victory -- but that also makes your eventual triumph much more satisfying. Overcoming the many obstacles before Ivy is exercise in vexation oftentimes, teetering on the border of impossible in a couple levels, even. The strong sense of satisfaction you get from finally getting past that choke point that's been tormenting you for the past half-hour counters the immense dissatisfaction of failure perfectly.

Finishing the story once, which should take around 5-8 hours depending on your level of skill, unlocks a slightly harder version of the story mode for your masochistic pleasure. From there, you may also partake in some competitive multiplayer for up to four players in a race to see who can finish a level first. You can also replay individual levels to improve your score, improve your time, and find all of the feathers dispersed throughout. All of them do a fine job of extending the game's longevity.

They say you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover; Ivy the Kiwi is easily a perfect example of such. It seems like a children's game on the surface, what with the storybook narrative and cutesy art style, but in reality it's well suited for just about anyone -- particularly those with a penchant for playing nail-bitingly hard games. It's an enjoyable little game, if a bit on the vexing side, but that's just part of Ivy's charm.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Wipeout HD Review

2011-07-08T18:23:00.000-07:00

It can infuriate as much as it does entertain, but the thrills contained within make Wipeout HD an electrified racer.

Believe it or not, there is such a thing as a racing game that moves too fast. One such game is Wipeout HD, the latest from Sony's futuristic hovercraft racing series. A series always known for moving at insane speeds -- 600 mph being the average -- the action is often hard to follow. Turns arrive without notice, your craft ramming into them time after time; explosives go off all over constantly, covering the scene in a flurry of lights as participants rub against each other and the rails; the camera making drastic, sudden changes in perspective, loosing sight of your vehicle for a second or two in the process. It's incredibly overwhelming, especially on difficulty levels higher than "novice."

The chaotic landscape may intimidate, and frustrate, but that exhilarating, out-of-control nature is also the very appeal of Wipeout HD. It's not often you get the chance to move faster than a hundred miles per hour, if that. Though HD is technically a new installment, its content is lifted from previous Wipeouts, making this a sort of "best of" entry. If you've up to this point played Wipeout religiously, unless the prospect of online play sounds appealing to you, there is therefore little to coax you to buy. For new players, however, there's plenty of worth -- just don't expect to get the hang of playing Wipeout quickly.

Why the warning? Because Wipeout HD is not very friendly toward new players. Apart from the game moving at incredible speeds, which makes steering hard enough, the driving mechanics are... different. You don't have a traditional drift function -- just oversensitive airbrakes that jerk you hard toward the right or left by pressing the lower trigger button associated with the direction (L2 and R2), which steer you into a wall rather than safely around tight corners, oftentimes. Learning how to use the airbrakes is an exercise in patience. The game doesn't give you any assistance -- not counting that poor steering assist -- its in-game guide only stating what they do, leaving you to fend for yourself. At first, you might think that these brakes are be used around most corners due to the slow nature of your vehicle's turning; you'd be wrong, too. As the game says, it's best used around especially tight turns.


That explosion is what happens when your craft's energy is completely depleted. Least you get a flashy exit, eh?

Granted, the difference between those and normal turns is a very fine line. What appears to be a tight turn is actually something you can get through without aid of the airbrakes, or vice versa. Trial-and-error, as you can probably imagine, is constant presence. And once you do learn how to navigate, when you graduate to higher speed classes (there's four in all: Venom, Flash, Rapier, and Phantom) you have to re-learn how to navigate the tracks because the vehicles handle very differently at different speeds, forcing you to change how you approach each and every twist and turn. At Phantom, for instance, every thing moves at binding speeds -- literally. Your craft moves at what can only be described as hyper-speed. The out-of-control feel I mentioned earlier? That speed class is the very epitome of out-of-control racing. Where you once had to start making turns very close to the arrival of corners, you now have to start turning very much ahead of their arrival, because waiting any longer than that results in endless crashes into the walls, not only slowing you down but also damaging your craft considerably.

Little known fact about Wipeout: it's got a touch of Mario Kart-esque car combat in it. Weapons are lain about the road in the form of lighted, red colored panels. Driving over them grants you a random weapon, such as a homing rocket, a Gatling gun, a small speed boost, or a leech beam with which to drain another racer's energy. In Mario Kart fashion, these weapons are thrown about almost constantly. You and your opponents are almost always pummeled by attacks, coming ever so close to the brink of elimination as your energy quickly depletes into critical condition. The only break you receive from the onslaught is when you're either in the very front of the pack, ahead by a number of seconds, or, more often, very far behind the pack. Being involved in such mayhem is very thrilling, although.

Weaving through the dense pack of racers and their bombardment of weaponry with ease is one of the game's highs. You wouldn't expect that to be possible when you move at speeds upward of 600 mph, but when you've mastered it, Wipeout HD delivers well on that thrill, and makes working the matter of mastering the mechanics worthwhile.

Learning how to drive properly in Wipeout HD is hard, but not impossible (it certainly teeters on that border, though). It's like learning to ride a bike. You fall off a lot, but each time you climb back on you slowly get better and better. Course, there's a lot more steps here, what with the speed classes and the reverse versions of tracks that further force you to change how you approach a given track, but once you get the hang of it it's a blast! Frustration often threatens to make you call it quits (almost happened to me plenty of times), which is where you wish that the mechanics weren't so nuanced and the AI so unfathomably good, but the payoff is worthwhile.

Zones is especially flashy with the visuals, though light on gameplay.

Luckily, when the AI becomes too much, you can just jump online and have a fairer chance. Single-races and tournaments are both available for you to partake in online; a much bearer set of modes than what's presented in the campaign, which sees the usual suite of racing modes like time trials and speeds laps enter the mix. Most interesting of the offline modes is Zones -- an electric neon visual feast that sees you charged with hitting boost pads to continuously gain speed until certain marks are reached, the colors of the environment changing all the while. It's gameplay is very lax for most of any session, only getting difficult once you've nearly surpassed the usual top speed, so it's stunning visual style is the primary draw. Getting back to the online, though, the game is still nicely populated, so finding a game is never difficult. Online play runs smoothly as well, with no noticeable lag present. Multiplayer is also available locally through split-screen play.

If I had to summarize Wipeout HD, it would be as a rather mixed game. The fast, out-of-control pace at which the game moves entertains greatly, certainly. At the same time, it also infuriates. It's a fantastic game, don't get me wrong; it's just got a lot of frustrating qualities. For long-time fans, it's easy to recommend Wipeout HD. The presence of online play and the chance to see select favorites from previous games in glorious HD is an enticing proposition. For newbies, it's not a bad place to start, but it's also a rather unfriendly game toward players of that sort. It's certainly worth outlasting the trials and tribulations of mastering Wipeout, though, for in terms of high-octane action, few deliver as strongly as Wipeout.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The complete Bit.Trip saga arrives on Wii and 3DS September 13

2011-06-24T18:01:00.000-07:00

Just Imagine this in 3D. It'll
blow your mind.

Though the Bit.Trip series has primarily been a digital stint, come September 13, the six-part series -- Beat, Core, Void, Runner, Fate, and Flux -- will arrive on store shelves for Wii and 3DS in the form of Bit.Trip Complete and Bit.Trip Saga, respectively, complete with bonuses.

Saga on 3DS gets 3D while Complete on Wii sees 120 new challenges, audio, video, and image galleries, letters from the series director, a bundled soundtrack CD, new difficulty levels (because the games weren't hard enough already), and online leaderboards. The two collections will trip onto stores on September 13.

If you haven't checked out this series at all, be it through Steam or WiiWare, do yourself a favor and do so once these anthologies hit.

Source: Giant Bomb

Valve goes free-to-play with Team Fortress 2

2011-06-23T19:45:00.000-07:00

Those rumors of Valve developing a free-to-play game of their own from last week just came to fruition. The game? Team Fortress 2, which, from now onward, will be free-to-play.

The change in pricing business model was something long in the making. "We've been toying with the idea of making Team Fortress [2] free-to-play ever since the Mann-conomy update," said Valve software developer Robin Walker speaking with Develop. The Mann-conomy update is what first introduced microtransactions to Team Fortress 2, offering up weapons. outfits and other in-game content for real-world cash.

Going forward, microtransactions will be the sole source of profit from the game. Advertising and premium subscription services, walker says, will not be used in any fashion. Team Fortress 2 was (and still is) being offered for free as a two-week trial through Steam. The latest update, titled "Uber Update," released today, heralded the change to the free-to-play model.

Gaikai and Walmart team up, allow free game trials via Web site

2011-06-21T19:48:00.000-07:00

Cloud gaming just got a whole lot cooler. In a discovery by VentureBeat today, Walmart is now hosting the option to stream a demo from their site using Gaikai as part of their newly launched Game Center site.

Currently all the site is offering a demo for is Dead Space 2. Like OnLive, your computer specs are irrelevant. All the processing is being done on a separate terminal miles away. All that matters is your Internet speed. You need a good one for it to run so that there will be minimal lag, or run at all, for that matter..

Gaikai says that more games are on the way as they set up deals. "Over the next 12 months, when people see a video game on TV and want to try it out, they can be sure the fastest way will be on Walmart's website," said chief executive of Gaikai David Perry. "It's an exciting time and you'll see more sites around the world doing these stealth launches with us."

I wasn't able to get the demo to work (my connection's too slow), but the concept is definitely brilliant. Demo's like this are easily the best demonstration of cloud gaming yet. OnLive, as of yet, hasn't got anything like this set up, though it'll be interesting to see how they retaliate. Same with GameStop, whom 1UP reports will likely develop something similar in light of their acquisition of streaming tech company Spwan Labs and game's distributor Impulse.

Indie game documentary looks to extensively explore the process of game development

2011-06-21T13:06:00.000-07:00

Though I'm someone who's actively pursuing a career in the videogame press, the process of game development is I've always been eager to learn. Many articles have covered it in varying degrees over the years, but seldom do they explore the very specifics and drudgery of it all. Indie Game: The Movie looks to fill that hole.

Indie Game: The Movie Official Trailer from IndieGame: The Movie on Vimeo.

The film follows Team Meat's Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes of Super Meat Boy fame, Phil Fish and his game Fez, as well as Jonathan Blow and his game Braid. It's currently set for a fall release, though filmmakers James Swirsky and Lisanne Pajot -- the minds behind the movie -- are looking for a bit of help to add that last bit of polish.

The Kickstarter page has the details, but to sum it up, they're looking to "get the feature film done right and taken to the next level, technically-speaking." Things like audio, color, and mastering.

It looks like a swell film. Looking forward to seeing it. If you've any interest in it, you may as well support them by pre-ordering or backing their Kickstarter page.

LittleBigPlanet Review

2011-06-20T19:35:00.000-07:00

A celebration of creativity and imagination.

The above best sums up what LittleBigPlanet is all about. It's a game about level creation and sharing. It's about showing off your creative prowess to the world for all to enjoy. A simple platformer at heart -- a very floaty one at that -- LittleBigPlanet is a humble little game that appreciates all things creativity and imagination. The focus on the works of players is a testament to that, putting them in the spotlight before the developers themselves.

Developer Media Molecule's own contributions for the story mode -- all of which are excellent -- serve mostly to give you a taste of what's possible with the game's robust tool set, granting you supplies to make your own levels all the while. Journeying along the story's path takes you across many environments, such as urban allies of a large city, the frigid peaks of the mountains, and the deserts of the wild west, the justification of which being that you, a knitted plush doll referred to typically as Sackboy (or Sackgirl, should the case may be), are on a trip to meet all of the creators who inhabit the world of LittleBigPlanet. Your purpose: to gain inspiration from these master craftsmen so that you may create your own wondrous worlds.

The story remains superficial throughout, with no character development or any real interactions to be made with any of the inhabitants of the worlds you visit. Narrative is simply there rather than being something deeply involved.

Not that that's a problem. LittleBigPlanet's not concerned with telling an engrossing tale so much as it is with introducing you to its imaginative world of arts and crafts. A look that permeates every facet of its aesthetic, lending an unusual yet appealing art style that suits the whimsical tone of the game perfectly. All the story exists for is to acquaint you with the laws and mechanics of LittleBigPlanet's platforming -- an extended tutorial of sorts, if you will.

One of the levels from the middle of the story. Swift platforming skills are especially helpful here.

It's a necessary step, for platforming here is far from the usual snappiness of platforming greats like Mario. LittleBigPlanet is much more floaty and slippery. Sackboy isn't nearly as nimble as his platforming peers. He can't jump very high, no doubt due to the level of gravity in LittleBigPlanet, nor is he blessed with strong traction, causing him to unexpectedly slip off of land if too much momentum is built up. The realistic physics system that the game is governed by is mostly the cause for its unfamiliar feel. On the creation side, this is helpful. No worrying about wonky game physics! Everything acts as it should, making it easy to predict how objects will behave. On the player side, it's... okay. It doesn't hinder the game, but the more nuanced, floaty feel of jumps lend a sort of off feeling to it.

Most times when you're faced with a jump, there's an uncertainty about whether you can make it or not. Looking at it, you don't think "I can make this jump," you ask "can I make this jump?" Confidence isn't something LittleBigPlanet's platforming is in supply of because what appears to be a serviceable jump at one point ends up being just barely out of reach later. It's frustrating, 'cause you can almost never immediately tell what is and isn't achievable. That frustration passes as you gain more familiarity with LittleBigPlanet's eccentricities, but you'll find yourself wishing for snappier mechanics. Minor exploration is where it works best; simple activities like that are what the mechanics are most capable of handling because they're less about precision or similarly challenging tasks.

Players seem to have realized that as well, making sure to keep things simple in their works. The selection of levels is truly astounding; their craftsmanship even more so. Some of them I dare say even rival those from the developers themselves, displaying a masterful use of atmosphere and narrative (some even have deep stories in them). The game's community is what's driven this game in the years since its original release in 2008. It's not nearly as active as was back then -- the superior sequel stole everyone away, you see -- but the level population still remains incredibly rich. You have to sift through some muck to get to the good stuff, though.

Luckily Media Molecule has made it relatively easy to sift through the vast library of user-content. Apart from their own personal picks -- the most direct method of seeing the best the community has to offer -- you can also search based on tags (a single word that sums up one's thoughts on the level), ratings, and most hearted, among others. You can also just dig through the hearted levels of a user by dropping by their profile. Whatever your preferred method, it doesn't take too much effort to find the good stuff.

Point bubbles everywhere!

Having some friends with you in tow makes the process much more enjoyable. Up to three others can join you in LittleBigPlanet both locally and online for a bit of cooperative/competitive play. The competitive side occurs in the scores. Every level in LittleBigPlanet is filled with small prize bubbles that contain both points and tangible rewards, such as costume pieces to adorn your Sackperson in or stickers you can use to decorate your surroundings. Points are tallied at the end of each level, with the player who earns the most being denoted as the winner.

Simply exploring the level landscape with friends is the real treat of multiplayer. It can become rather chaotic having more than one player in the field, but that's part of the fun. Much like 2009's New Super Mario Bros. Wii for the Wii, the ensuing madness of players attempting to work in tandem while trying to outdo each other is a delight to play. That LittleBigPlanet has so much content to see only amplifies the merriment of cooperative play because there's always something new out there for all to see. You're not just going through the motions endlessly on the same few levels.

That limitless value is LittleBigPlanet's biggest strength. As the progenitor of Sony's "Play, Create, Share" line, LittleBigPlanet proved how a community can support a game greatly when you give it the right tools. Though it's sequel has rendered this inaugural installment redundant, LittleBigPlanet still has enough charms and hooks to make it a worthwhile visit.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Valve developing free-to-play title of their own

2011-06-17T23:55:00.000-07:00

Given the recent news of Valve adopting free-to-play games for Steam, the mega-popular PC game digital storefront, it's hardly surprising news that the Half-Life developer would begin prepping a free micro-transaction-based game of their own.

French gaming site Barre De Vie got the scoop, having approached Valve about the likelihood of then contributing to the micro-transaction-based gaming market. The answer, as given by Valve marketing head Doug Lombardi, was a "yes."

They were unable to get any info on this project, however, leaving people to speculate that DOTA (Defense of the Ancients) 2, slated for release later this year, is that project. The basis being that the team behind the original Warcraft III mod by the same name, Runic Games, developed a free-to-play game of their own: League of Legends, which the Barre De Vie story cites as a direct competitor.

Crytek denies claims of having SDKs for new Xbox

2011-06-17T19:28:00.000-07:00

CryEngine: the Unreal Engine 3 for
next-gen consoles?

Earlier this week, Crysis developer Crytek was cited by Videogamer.com as having access to a software development kit (SDK) for the next Xbox. The story claimed that TimeSplitters 4 was in development for the system and that DirectX 11 would be used in development for said game. Videogamer.com asserted that the new Xbox would be revealed at E3 next year.

Today, Crytek addressed the claims, stating that they are not in possession of such hardware. "Relating to the recent rumours," began the statement, "Crytek do not have any next generation hardware from Microsoft, nor do we know when Microsoft may announce future hardware or what that hardware will entail."

Regarding next generation consoles, however, the company said that their CryEngine tech would be set up "as a next generation engine for all consoles," according to their estimations.

This is the second time rumors regarding a new Xbox have been denied. Previously, Develop declared that, based on a "trusted, well-placed source" within Electronic Arts, who they claimed to be in possession of an SDK themselves, a new Xbox would be revealed at this past E3. Though E3 came and went without even a whisper of a new Microsoft platform, the rumor was preemptively denied before E3 by EA vice president of corporate communications Jeff Brown, who said that the story was "a total fabrication -- 100 percent not true."

Details on an announcement may still be sketchy, but development is clearly underway. Back in March, GameSpot uncovered some job listings that pertained to console development. One particular position mentioned that it will play "a key role in the development and verification of the Xbox and future platforms." Moreover, given the age of the Xbox 360 -- six years old this coming November -- it isn't far-fetched to assume that Microsoft is preparing a new console.

The mystery on when this fabled console will be unveiled, however, remains elusive and will likely stay that way for the next year or so.

Nintendo Wii U won't have a unified online structure

2011-06-11T12:10:00.000-07:00

The Konami ID: The bane of online
gamers everywhere.

Some bad and possibly damning news regarding Nintendo's new console came in just recently. In a recent interview with GameTrailers, a Nintendo spokesperson said that there will be no centralized online structure for the Wii U.

"Online gaming is very important to us," said Charlie Scibetta of Nintendo's corporate communications department, "and we've heard the demands of the veteran gamers that want that. So, we're going to be more flexible with online this time when it comes to online, we're going to work with our third-party partners. We're not going to have a centralized one type fits all approach, it is going to be more the publishers trying to figure out what they want to do and we'll try to bring that to life and make sure our platform can support that vision."

Awesome. Way to take online play seriously, Nintendo.

No centralized structure is a problem because there's no quality control, for one. A centralized service at least is guaranteed to work flawlessly (or mostly). With third-parties you don't get that guarantee. All you get a guaranteed headache from trying to get everything in working order. The Konami ID is an often cited example of why this system doesn't work.

From what I understand, in order to play Metal Gear Online, you had to have, in addition to your PlayStation Network ID, a Konami ID that took forever to get set-up correctly before you could play. I've never played Metal Gear Solid 4, so I haven't any experience on it; I'm going off of other people's experiences. If it's anything like EA's own service, though, which has caused me numerous headaches from trying to get accounts re-activated, then I feel their pain.

The connection between those two is that they both have independent log ins. If Nintendo's plan is to have these partners' needs supplement some baseline service from Nintendo, it might be a reasonable plan. Otherwise Nintendo will no doubt once again fail at making a good online experience. They'll need to learn how to do that properly one of these days, especially if they want to be taken seriously by the gamer crowd.

Source: NeoGAF

[Credit for the transcript courtesy of GAF user Truth101]

Thoughts on the E3 press conferences

2011-06-10T19:11:00.000-07:00

I'm a tad late with getting this posted, I know -- but I wasn't able to watch the Nintendo conference until just yesterday, nor have I had a lot of time to dedicate to writing this past week. But now I do! So let's get to it. (Note: I'm only focusing on the big three because I don't have a whole lot of stuff to say on EA and Ubisoft. Maybe next year I'll be more opinionated on those conferences.)

Microsoft
Kinect was really Microsoft's focus this year, as expected. Most of the conference was solely devoted to it. And, man, was it embarrassing. The people they had demoing the games were horrible actors. They were making it painfully obvious that they were faking their enthusiasm. It was laughable. They really need to stop having their presenters act. Just demo the games. The games themselves weren't remarkable, either. All a bunch of mini-game or sport compilations.

There were some interesting things, though. Most notable being Mass Effect 3 getting Kinect support, or rather voice command support. Curious addition. Voice input is hardly something to advertise. But what do I care? I don't play those games! Also of note was Ghost Recon's Kinect functionality, which they announced was a fully functional way of playing it. The actions, however, were a little... odd. You fire your gun by opening your right (or maybe your left?) palm and stop once you close it while you aim with your left arm. Shooting that way just doesn't seem intuitive. Feels like developers are trying too hard to put Kinect functionality where it needn't be.

One of the other things revealed at the conference: a new dashboard. I guess you could call it
the New New Xbox Experience?

And that, to me, is much to the detriment of Kinect. Motion control works best when you build the game around it instead of vice versa. It always comes off as a case of shoehorning, otherwise. That it's being supported is good; a significant peripheral like this needs it given how late it was introduced. Problem is, though, that, like the Wii, no one seems to know how to really make a compelling use of the hardware to create a game that appeals to both markets. That's why we're seeing people either making mini-game compilations or weird implementations like Ghost Recon did.

I know that Kinect is primarily aimed at the non-gamer market -- the majority of the software makes that clear given that they're copying Nintendo in some respects -- but if they want to capture the existing gamer market, they'll have to do more than shoehorn in Kinect functionality. I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say that never helps.

On the games front, there wasn't anything that particularly interested me. The Summer of Arcade lineup this year includes Bastion from Super Giant Games, though, which really excites me. I've been following the feature Giant Bomb's been doing on the development of the game. It's looking great. Hope being apart of the promotion will allow it to see incredible success. They deserve it.

Sony
Sony was evenly split between everything: PlayStation 3, PlayStation Move, and PlayStation Vita -- the now confirmed to be official name of the previously titled Next Generation Portable. Strong presentation all-around. Rather boring in delivery, though. Sony really ought to start working getting some liveliness and entertainment in there.

Like Microsoft, Sony looks to be trying hard to keep their motion control device well-supported. Medieval Moves was the big Move only software, with the rest of the demonstrations being its functionality in other games as an optional control choice. It's a shame that the Move isn't getting a whole lotta exclusive software for it. Developers seem keen on just tossing it in rather than design a game around it, making it little more than an expensive under-supported Wii Remote knock-off. Say what you will about the Kinect, but at least Microsoft is keeping it constantly supplied with software centered around it. Sony's trying, but even they seem happy enough to just toss it in as a secondary control scheme. Not very enticing reason to buy one, I gotta say. Support's support, though.

The PlayStation Vita was also there. Biggest news of the conference (apart from Sly 4 being unveiled; so can't wait for that) was the price. It's going to launch in the fall at $250 for the wi-fi only version and $300 for the 3G (with AT&T) and wi-fi enabled version. Smart pricing. This puts them in direct competition with the 3DS. Assuming Nintendo doesn't drop the price in time of the PlayStation Vita's release, the hand-held console arena is going to become real interesting. Nintendo's never had much in the way of a strong competitor (mobile platforms could be argued to be their first real threat, although). They've all always failed to make much of a dent in their control of that sector of gaming, mostly because their pricing was never good enough to actually compete. If Sony does it right, they could present a real challenge for Nintendo.

The second Sony announced that AT&T would be the platform's 3G provider, the entire audience
groaned in disappointment, which caused others to laugh. Then groan again. And then more laughter.
It was great.

Strangely, they never once tried to advertise the multi-media capabilities of the platform. They seem to be banking squarely on its gaming capabilities -- not there's anything wrong with that. A peculiar tactic given their history shows they usually advertise multi-media functions extensively. I'm thinking that means they're relying on its games to sell the platform instead. Whatever the case, the device is really cool. Definitely sold on it.

Games-wise, Sony continued its tradition of focusing primarily on exclusives. They didn't hold back on the software, showing off lengthy demos for games like Uncharted 3. There were a lot of absent games, though. The Last Guardian from Team ICO wasn't mentioned even in passing at the show, nor was Journey or other newly announced PSN exclusives (Papo & Yo, for instance) mentioned. Heck, even Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One didn't get demoed. I understand that they only had so much time, but it seems odd to have snubbed mentioning what many are most excited about.

Nintendo

Honestly, when I first saw this,
I thought it meant we'd be getting
a Zelda collection similar to that
Mario one last year.

To put it simply, this conference was far too short and light on info. It was the most entertaining of the bunch, though.

It started with a bang: an orchestra performing tunes from The Legend of Zelda series. Hearing them in full orchestral form was truly a delight. Nintendo really needs to start making orchestration the standard for their soundtracks. MIDI is getting kinda old. Anyway, after the performance, Miyamoto walked on stage and started reminiscing about Zelda. Didn't reveal anything about Skyward Sword, the newest installment, except for a release window (this holiday worldwide), but he did announce that a free DSi game of Four Swords would be coming out in the near future. No exact details were given on that either, however.

The Zelda portion took up almost a half-hour of the conference. For that much time, it's odd that more details weren't revealed, let alone any demonstrations performed. But then, we all know how Zelda works at this point. Not a whole lot of stuff you could show, really.

After the Zelda portion it was onto the 3DS. Not a whole lot of announcements there -- just stuff we've known about since last year, like Mario Kart, Kid Icarus, and Star Fox 64. Luigi's Mansion 2 was announced, though, which I find an odd choice for the 3DS given the mechanics. The flashlight element would have been a natural fit with the Wii remote, I'd think. They would have been able to make better lighting effects, too, that way.

Honestly, I'm surprised Nintendo didn't have more to announce for 3DS. That system is in dire need of some strong software and Nintendo hasn't provided a huge amount of games for it just yet. Most of what they had at the presentation is coming out before the end of the year, but I feel like they could have had more, even if it was just a couple of third-party titles. Nintendo must really be banking on the DS name to sell the system.

Interestingly, with the exception of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, there wasn't a single Wii game there despite there being WIi games from them coming this year. I suppose it's just a result of their conference being little more than an hour long, but ignoring games for your still current console seems like a poor decision. Though it's certainly not uncommon for Nintendo. Once they've got a new console unveiled, they start ignoring their older console, dropping support almost immediately.

Speaking of which, Nintendo's long rumored new console was there. It's called the Wii U. It's key feature? The screen embedded within the controller. It's essentially a tablet of sorts equipped with a conventional control scheme. Intriguing concept. From what I can tell, implementation ranges from the obvious (displaying inventory menus and maps) to more exceptional, gameplay-affecting uses, like using the controller as a scope of sorts attached to the Wii Zaper.

There were a lot of conceptual ideas Nintendo trotted out. The most eye-catching, to me, was how it could be used in a multiplayer setting. One example played two players, using Wii remotes (you only get one Wii U controller per system), on the TV screen working together to shoot down some flying ship, which was being controlled by a third player on the Wii U controller. It sounds really cool. I could see this bringing a ton of great ideas.

Here's a basic idea of how it can be used.
As an aside, Zelda looks great in HD, right?

No actual games were announced for the system specifically, though. The conceptual ideas were playable on the show floor, I hear, but they weren't actual games. I assume that's because whatever games they are working on aren't anywhere near ready to be shown. Come time for E3 next year there will undoubtedly be tons of games being shown for it.

What I'm most interested in, however, is how ports are going to be handled. Since the Wii U is at least on par with 360 and PS3, the console is going see ports left and right. Heck, they even announced plenty of them at the conference. Games like Darksiders 2, which will be a launch title, they've confirmed; Ninja Gaiden 3, Assassin's Creed, Dirt, etc. are all coming to the Wii U. Will all of the controller's features be used? Or will they just shoehorn everything in? I would hope that they would be judicious in their use of the controller's functions, but if since we're dealing with ports, I'm keeping my expectations low.

The one problem I see with Nintendo's conference is that there just simply wasn't enough info on the console itself. What are the specs? How's the online infrastructure going to be? The controller's cool, but we need details on the hardware. That lack of info is undoubtedly what's causing some to misinterpret that the Wii U isn't a new system but a controller add-on for the existing Wii. They need to rectify that perception if they want to make sure that they can again court non-gamers to jump on board with their new platform.

Overall thoughts on the show
E3 was great this year. Not a whole lot of huge surprises here this year -- the stuff that could have been big were leaked beforehand -- but it was entertaining and enlightening nonetheless. A lot were saying this E3 was the year of the Quick-Time Event. I'm hoping that's going to be a short-lived fad. We don't need more excuses for developers to take away control from the player just for some light cinematic flair. Just give us full control to execute those cinematic actions ourselves instead.

What about you? What'd you think of this year's E3?

PSP Remaster series announced

2011-05-22T19:05:00.000-07:00

From the small screen to the big screen!
And in HD, too!

Expanding their catalog of remastered hits from the past, Sony announced this weekend that a new PSP remastered series will be arriving on PlayStation 3, beginning in Japan.

The press release (which you can view here) states that this new series will see the games receiving a new high definition coat of paint, downloadable content (the release didn't elaborate on whether or not this would be specific to the new release or not), stereoscopic 3D, as well as compatibility with the original PSP releases. Save data, for instance, can be shared between the two version, allowing one to play on the go and then pick up on the PS3 later. Ad-hoc multiplayer support will also be present in the PS3 releases.

Japan is where the new line will debut, with no immediate confirmation for other territories (not hard to imagine it heading elsewhere, though). The first game to receive the treatment will be Monster Hunter Portable 3rd, the latest portable installment in the popular hack-'n-slash series, though no release date or window was given. Portable 3rd has shipped over 4.5 million copies in Japan since its release in December 2010.

Footage of Monster Hunter in action can be seen below (or here, alternatively).

I'm hoping the Patapon games will be included as part of this. Being able to play 'em without needing to buy a PSP would be great. Make it happen, Sony!

Source: Joystiq

PSN begins restoration

2011-05-14T20:30:00.000-07:00

It took over three weeks, but PSN is finally going back up after being taken down due to an outside intrusion that resulted in the personal info of millions being stolen. It's been a turbulent three weeks, but we're finally on the road to getting past this fiasco. I'd say I'm relieved, but the outage hasn't really affected me. (Not much of an online game player, you see.)

Still, good to see that everything is going back up. It was looking like they were going to never get PSN back up for a while there. Hope those new security measures will be strong enough to prevent another attack like this from happening.

Though if all those statements about Sony's old security measures were true, then they should be good. A lot of security experts claimed that Sony's infrastructure was erroneously out of date and quite primitive. One expert said that Sony didn't even have a firewall installed -- the most basic security measure imaginable! That firewall claim was based off forum conversations held on a security forum, which the speaker didn't disclose. All the other stuff, however, looks to be true.

Experts revealed, through a quick Google search of all things, how poor their measurements were. I don't understand all that technical mumbo jumbo (I never have been very technically proficient; I just select things randomly and hope things work in my favor), so I'll just quote one of the articles on the matter (that being Reuters):

Through a series of Google searches, Bumgarner was able to find a software program that Sony developed in 2001 to run a SonyStyle.com Christmas gift registry and sweepstakes program called Sony Santa.

That program gathered users' names, addresses and ages. The names and partial addresses of some 2,500 of those sweepstakes contestants were posted on a website.

Sony said on Thursday that it learned of the error on May 5. The site has been taken down and Sony is working to remove any residual links to the list, a spokesman said.

Bumgarner also found an access point to a server running an identity management system that he said controls access to logins and passwords for employees throughout Sony Pictures Entertainment. He located that system by conducting a Google search using the terms "site:.Sony.com identity."

Most companies attempt to hide these servers from the prying eyes of potential hackers because these systems are linked to sensitive employee account data, he said.

In a file on Sony's website that alerts search-engine crawlers to which sections of the site that Sony wants a search engine to avoid cataloging, the company provided a link to an internal password-protected software application.

Bumgarner said the domain on Sony Corporation of America's network where the application was located was carefully hidden from view, so a web crawler or casual surfer would not have located it. But putting the URL in the file effectively served as a red flag to potential hackers who might see it as a potential weak spot in Sony's armor, Bumgarner said.

So yeah, that was poor design on Sony's part. Hard to believe they let that stand for so long. Maybe now that they have someone in charge of security employed amateur mistakes like this won't happen anymore.

As of now, only a few states have regained access to PSN. The rest to follow over the next few hours; other regions will go through the same process once the whole US is connected to PSN again. You can see which states have regained access here.

Now all that's left for Sony to do is get the PlayStation Store back up (that's coming later for undisclosed reasons) and to announce what this "Welcome Back" package will offer -- easily the most urgent matter on people's minds second to PSN itself.

Portal Review

2011-05-09T16:47:00.000-07:00

They say the cake is a lie; I argue otherwise.

I'm gonna go ahead and make a harebrained statement: The cake referenced in the popular Internet meme, and line from Portal, "the cake is a lie," isn't actually a lie; rather, that cake is Portal itself. My basis? Like cake, Portal is a treat -- a very special treat. One that doesn't last long on account of our tendencies to quickly devour it (or in Portal's case, quickly play through it). While it lasts, though, it's exquisite. Portal's like that, but better (in some ways).

Portal is a game about solving mind-bending puzzles from the first-person perspective (a first-person puzzler, if you will). You're cast as Chell -- a test subject in an enrichment program held by a group known as Aperture Science, who's been experimenting with portal technology. As Chell, your goal to move through 19 test chambers that each present numerous puzzles of varying difficulty using the power of portals with the hope of retrieving your promised prize: a delicious, moist chocolate cake. A more than worthwhile reward, wouldn't you agree?

The real reward, however, comes from solving puzzles. On a fundamental level, Portal's puzzles are basic. Each test chamber presents a simple objective: open the door to the next chamber. How you do this, a lot of the time, involves transporting storage cubes onto a big red button that opens the door using portals or by using portals to direct a small ball of energy toward a receiver of some sort that powers up certain devices or opens doors. Simple enough, right? Right. However, it's the underlying logic within these puzzles that make them challenging and, subsequently, rewarding.

That logic is commonly referred to as "thinking in portals," though never within the game itself. Portals are mind-bending business. Wrapping your head around all the game's concepts is, at first, a little perplexing since your essentially dealing with a whole new dimension of movement. Disorientation is common while getting the hang of it all. Walking into a portal placed on the floor to end up coming out onto a raised platform through a portal on a wall right next to said platform, for instance, is incredibly disorienting the first few times you do it -- it's also really, really cool. Even cooler is using two strategically placed portals to build momentum so that you may propel yourself across long gaps or over tall barriers. Building momentum through portals is also a key component of the "thinking with portals" concept -- additionally, it's what helps make Portal successful at handling platforming from a first-person perspective, which in an achievement in and of itself.

Though this has no real effect on gameplay, the fact that you can create
an endless mirror effect is awesome. Doubly so when you do it to create an
endless pit of sorts

Once you've gotten the hang of "thinking in portals," everything clicks almost instantly. (I say "almost" because there's still some challenge involved in discerning the solution.) It's then when the rewarding nature of solving puzzles truly shines, for you see, Portal, unlike most games, has the singular ability of making you, the player, feel like some sort of super genius.

That feeling of intellect comes from the way the puzzles are designed. Something about them instills a great sense of gratification upon their completion, even on the simplest of puzzles. Because your constantly getting a better grasp on how portals work in Portal, you feel more and more intellectual as you learn through solving sometimes mind-bending puzzles. It's essentially an extreme amplification of the usual sort of satisfaction you'd get from solving any mundane videogame puzzle. Only here it's better because you feel like you're learning some new high form of science all the while. I wish I could provide some examples to support and illustrate those points, but doing so would only spoil some of the fun to be had in Portal.

With only 19 test chambers total, though, all of which can be beaten in only a few hours, you'll wish there were more. Bonus advanced chambers and challenges provide some extra entertainment by changing the lay of the rooms (in the case of the former) and by placing restrictions on you, such as the number of steps that can be taken or portals used (in the case of the latter). They're fun, but they don't quite satisfy the same way the puzzles in the campaign do. Finishing them all is sure to keep you preoccupied for quite some time, though.

This is one of the early test chambers. See if you can figure out how to solve it.

On top of all the excellent puzzle solving, Portal houses an interesting narrative. Though the initial set-up doesn't imply such, its surprisingly deep. While moving through Aperture Science and its white, sterile aesthetic, your accompanied by the omnipresent voice of a computer AI named GLaDOS. She's the only other presence in the game aside from yourself (Aperture Science is, interestingly enough, deserted). As your only companion, though, she's an excellent and delightfully witty one. All the while during your attempts at solving puzzles, GLaDOS makes many comments on both the test rooms themselves or you and your performance using good number of sarcastic comments, which is quite incredible, actually. GLaDOS speaks in monotone, yet she is able to convey all sorts of nuances though her deadpan delivery. She's a very well voiced character. Her attempts to belittle your achievements, however, come off more as humorous rather than antagonistic. In fact, her dialog consists mostly of humor, or at least pepper it in somewhere. Heck, you probably won't even hear the whole breadth of dialog from her on your first run through Portal, which is good incentive to re-play it. That she delivers so much comedic dialog makes her very likable.

The narrative itself, though, is effective because of its adept use of the ole "show, don't tell" story technique. Aperture Science is very much a mystery. It's a constant enigma whose mysteries are never fully answered -- though you can certainly make some inferences. The deeper you move into the complex, the more is hinted at, and the more your thirst to learn increases. Again, I wish I could provide some examples, but the unknown is a huge part of the narrative's mystique.

That's the thing about Portal: its something that needs to be experienced for yourself knowing little to nothing about it going in, because reading too much into it -- a review or two is really all you need -- could potentially ruin it. Not completely, of course -- just enough for some of the magic of the experience to be lessened by a sizable margin. Portal is still sure to entertain, however, regardless of your level of knowledge concerning the game prior to playing it. It's just that good.

Burnout Crash sounds amazing

2011-05-06T13:44:00.000-07:00


So just add some UFOs and lobster monsters (presumably giant ones), and you'll basically have an accurate depiction of Burnout Crash.

So after the Austrailian Classification Board unveiled, and subsequently detailed some of what Burnout Crash is about (it's a crash mode focused installment), the Entertainment Sofware Ratings Board (these ratings board guys sure are revealing a lot about this game) went ahead and posting one of their famous summaries for the game. And if the summary is any indication, this game sounds amazing.

This is an action game in which players earn points for creating traffic pileups. From a top-down perspective, players initiate crashes by driving 'cartoony' vehicles (e.g., cars, trucks, vans, buses) into busy intersections; multiple crashes trigger score multipliers and rack up large 'bills' of property damage. Each level is accompanied by crashing sounds, small explosions, and vocal encouragement (e.g., 'Cool,' 'Maximum Carnage!'). In some levels, players are instructed to crash into police cars (e.g., 'Crash them before they bust you!'); in other sequences, oversized airplanes, tornados, lobster monsters, and UFOs slide across the screen, destroying any vehicles in their path.

So a top-down crash mode focused Burnout game with all manner of maddness (lobster monsters, anyone?): sounds like a recipe for success! Hope some screens or video footage gets released soon. Would love to see how all this looks in action.

Source: Giant Bomb

Crazy: Guy remakes Crash Bandicoot with the Crysis engine

2011-05-04T19:33:00.000-07:00

In today's utterly ridiculous news (or rather, old-news-that-I-just-heard-about-today-for-the-first-time), a man who goes by the name "Lenox" -- his Internet handle, which he prefers to be called by -- has remade a level from Crash Bandicoot using the game engine from Crysis. And it looks as ridiculous as it sounds. Take a look:

Incredible work, I must say, though still totally absurd. Why did Lenox do this? Because he could, basically. This write-up on the matter by Giant Bomb's Patrick Klepek has all sorts of info on it, and is highly recommended reading if you're interested in hearing more about this insanely absurd project. It's good stuff.

Source: Giant Bomb

Little late, Nintendo: Wii Vitality Sensor still coming, says Iwata

2011-05-03T19:14:00.000-07:00

I guess you could say its still got a pulse,
am I right? Eh? Eh?

Anyone remember the Wii Vitality Sensor? You know, that thing you clamp onto your index finger so that it can gauge your pulse? Yeah, I barely do, too. Details on the device have been mostly nill since its debut at Nintendo's E3 2009 press conference. The only details we've gotten since then were from a patent that uncovered a bit of how the Viality Sensor will be used in games back in October of last year. Given the dearth of info, you'd think the thing was quietly canceled or something.

Not so, surprisingly enough.

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata stated today, as part of a Q&A with investors, that the peripheral hasn't been canceled and is still on track for release... eventually. What's the hold up? The individuality of human biology and the difficulties it provides.

As the quote Joystiq pulled puts it: "This is a totally new type of entertainment," Iwata said, "and there are large individual differences in the biological information of humans. For example, if it was acceptable that only 80% of the users thought the result was natural, then we could propose this to consumers right now. However, we are aiming for a level of quality in which 99% percent of consumers feel comfortable, and that is why this project is taking time to complete." He also added that he "cannot clearly say when we will be ready to put this on the market." So a release window is still up in the air.

It's also unclear whether or not the Vitality Sensor will still be Wii peripheral or not. With a new console on the horizon, I'd think that it would at the very least be compatible with the new platform. But then, it might be something that Nintendo will hold back purposely to try giving the Wii some extra life, much like how the PlayStation Move and Kinect were made with the intent of expanding their respective platforms' lifespans. Who knows. Here's hoping this year's E3 will shed some light on this matter.

Source: Joystiq

Cave Story Review

2011-04-26T10:23:00.000-07:00

Exploratory-focused gameplay, an intriguing tale, and a host of new features make Cave Story a tale well worth playing.

Cave Story is a classic example of what's considered to be an indie game these days. It's got retroesque visuals and music; its gameplay is a throwback to hits from gaming's past like Metroid and Castlevania; and it's got one of those rags to riches stories that everyone loves oh-so-much attached to it. (In this case, the game's developer, Daisuke Amaya, who made Cave Story single-handedly, had gone from a nobody to somewhat-celebrity after his game went viral and eventually landed a publishing deal with Nintendo to bring the game to their platforms.) Standard stuff, really.

None of that is what makes Cave Story special, though. It's indie status is inconsequential to its quality; a mere arbitrary label. Cave Story's strength comes from its exploratory focused gameplay, rather, and the enigmatic story supporting it. A simple foundation, yes -- but an effective one nonetheless.

From the outset, it's clear that Cave Story was heavily inspired by Metroid and Castlevania. The game takes place on a two-dimensional plane, much like its inspirations, and presents you with a series of spacious levels to explore at your leisure. You'll move through the game's many cavernous levels many times throughout Cave Story's... story, making backtracking something of a commonality. Normally that would be seen as a problem -- no one likes having to constantly revisit the same few areas, after all. In Cave Story's case, as in many other games of its type (that is, the lovingly coined "Metroidvania" style of gameplay), however, that's actually a positive.

Cave Story is a game who's focus lies in exploration. Moving about Cave Story's vast caverns to see what secrets they harbor is the primary source of entertainment. Searching every nook and every cranny for secrets -- whether they be hidden paths, health upgrades, weapons, etc. -- is always engaging and extremely gratifying when presented with some actual findings. Expeditions themselves are hardly difficult on account of how little is actually well hidden (most of the secrets are placed in plain sight in some just-out-of-reach area rather than hidden along some obscured pathway), but the act of searching is still engaging. That new items and pathways open up in previously explored areas as you progress only strengthens the value expeditions and provides a near constant incentive to revisit old haunts.

And fight through the same hordes of enemies again and again.

The mystique surrounding the game's setting -- a floating island in the sky -- helps as well. Cave Story's tale is a mysterious one. You begin in a dark, nondescript alcove with no memory of how you got there. Stranded, you decide to start exploring your surroundings and eventually come across a small village populated by anthropomorphic rabbits known as mimiga. You soon discover that something is afoot on this strange land, however; particularly that a man referred to only as "The Doctor" (no relation to that time traveling doctor, I assure you) has been kidnapping mimigas for some dastardly plot. After a little investigation, you quickly find yourself embroiled in the conflict and are charged with putting a stop to the Doctor's plans before calamity strikes.

Cave Story's narrative is an interesting one. Not because it's got a great cast of characters (though there are a few standouts, such as the ever happy-go-lucky villain Balrog) or because it's some emotionally trying epic -- it's because it never truly reveals the whole picture. Though many plot points are answered throughout, such as who your character is and why he's on this mysterious floating island in the first place, there always remains some unanswered matters that are left up for interpretation. Exploring the island's caves are made all the more interesting when you happen to discover something more about the island itself or the world below, whether it be concrete details or a simple allusion to something more, fleshing out the minute but intriguing world of Cave Story.

Whilst exploring, you frequently encounter monsters that attempt to impede your progress. They're not too big of a impediment, of course, especially when taken on one-on-one. If anything, they're more of a light annoyance, most of the time. Reason being because they often like to attack in large groups, which become more and more difficult to manage as they become larger and larger as the game goes on. Challenge therefore comes from their sheer numbers and kamikaze attack tendencies. Given that a good number of the enemies you face are airborne, that strategy of theirs can be quite the nuisance. In fact, if you try to avoid them, it's very likely that they'll all pursue you tenaciously. Dispatching them isn't too much trouble, though -- it only takes a few shots to take the majority of foes down, less so as your weapons level up. (They can be leveled up three times maximum, each level extending the weapon's range and attack prowess.)

Combat truly shines in a few choice instances where your faced with a nearly endless cavalcade of foes streaming in from all over. Swarms of enemies flying in from all sides while you try to fight them off -- sometimes while dealing with a boss simultaneously -- make for some of the more exhilarating moments in Cave Story; expertly weaving through the attacks from the boss and their lackeys especially so. Typically combat doesn't reach some levels of excitement, though. Enemies are usually thrown forth in manageable numbers and in areas where you're given plenty of space to move about in, allowing you to dodge enemy attacks (or enemies entirely, even) with ease.

Though things tend to get a little close when dealing with bosses.

This WiiWare release of Cave Story contains a few new modes. Apart from the regular old story mode, there's Curly's Story, which sees you placed the role of another character (one who actually speaks); Boss Rush mode, which sees you trying to defeat all of the game's bosses in the fastest time possible; and a Time Trial mode for one of the game's harder areas, The Sanctuary (otherwise known as "Hell," as a sign in the entryway states). All of the modes, with the exception of Curly's Story, become unlocked after you've beaten the game proper. The time trial modes are decent distractions, and provide a good bit of the game's replay value. The most singular of the new modes is Curly's Story, if only because playing through the game with a character who can actually speak is quite interesting. The new protagonist doesn't add any new insights or alter the gameplay at all, unfortunately, but it's a swell addition for those who have played through Cave Story before on PC.

On the technical side, Cave Story has gotten a bit of a face-lift for the Wii. The game's artwork has all seen a minute but noticeable upgrade that adds an extra layer of detail. The new art assets also allow the game to show up better on HDTVs, I find. If you like, though, you're given the option to switch back to the original art assets, which still looks swell on the big screen. You can also do the same for the music, which has also seen an upgrade for this release. Strangely, though, the newer compositions are much quieter than their older counterparts. Turning the game's music volume up to the max didn't help remedy that either. I had to adjust the TV's volume instead, which amplified the other sound effects to the point where they almost drowned out the music if not adjusted in-game.

Those unfortunate technical follies aside, Cave Story is a quality title. It's exploration focused gameplay is entertaining and its story thought-provoking. Justifying its $12 (or 1200 Wii points in Nintendo currency) price tag may seem hard to justify when the freeware version is still out there, but the new modes available prove to be enticing enough to warrant its asking price. Cave Story is a tale well worth experiencing.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Nintendo to unveil new console at E3, according to GameInformer; controller to house HD screen

2011-04-14T19:34:00.000-07:00

And so the cavalcade of pre-E3 news begins!

The 'Net is abuzz today after GameInformer claimed to have gotten confirmation from a number of trusted sources (all of whom remained anonymous) told them that Nintendo is set to reveal their next console at E3 this year. Details are still sparse, but will purportedly be considerably more powerful than the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, according to IGN and Kotaku whom also cite sources, in addition to being able to display games in HD. Pretty much what we all expected, right?

Here's the kicker: it's controller will have a high definition screen built into it. For what purpose, no one knows. CVG, who broke the news on the controller, didn't get any info on that or whether it would have something like a touch screen function or not. The idea, however, is certainly... unusual. Hardly practical, either.

The system, sources say, will be released in late 2012 and will be revealed officially later this month followed by information blow-out at E3. When contacted by GameSpot for comment on the matter, they predictably responded with the ole "we don not comment on rumors or speculation" drivel.

With this being the first real piece pre-E3 news (you see, Sony? This is how it's done; not some superfluous announcement of when and where you press briefing is taking place), I think it's safe to say we're in for a quite a show this year. It's always exciting to hear about a new console coming, especially in cases like this where info is slowly leaked out. Keeps you on your toes!

What I'm most interested in hearing about with this new system is what that screen on the new controller will be for. I think it's safe to assume that motion control is definitely going to be included; that's what put Nintendo in its current success-filed position. The only use I can come up with is using it to display a map or using it to access and navigate menus (assuming it's a touch screen). Neither of those seem like revolutionary additions, though, which is what many of the press' quoted sources are pegging it as. Should be interesting to hear what it's all about.

Sources: GameInformer, IGN, Kotaku, CVG, GameSpot

Burnout Crash details arise; Crash mode focused suspicions confirmed

2011-04-13T18:42:00.000-07:00

I imagine incidents like this are a common sight
in Crash City. Heck, that's probably how it got its name

So last week a new Burnout game named Burnout Crash was revealed via the Australian Classification board. No details were mentioned apart from the fact that the game was being developed for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Speculation is that the game is going to be a downloadable crash mode focused title.

And that speculation, as it turns out was spot on. Joystiq today, via the Australian Classification board, spotted a brief description of what, exactly, Burnout Crash is. According to the Classification board entry, Burnout Crash is "an action arcade style game set in the fictional world of Crash City." (So long, Paradise city!) The goal of game, the entry reads, is to "cause as much damage as possible to traffic and buildings by crashing a car into them." So now environmental destruction is being thrown into the mix, it seems.

With that in mind, it being a downloadable game rather than a retail release would certainly make sense. Crash mode always a small side-component for the Burnout series, albeit a hugely popular one. A downloadable release would better suit the more puzzle-oriented gameplay of that mode. Easier to develop, too, I'd imagine.

EA still hasn't officially confirmed its existence and hasn't yet responded to any press outlet's requests for comment, either. Current belief is that the announcement will take place at E3. Whatever the case, though, a crash mode focused Burnout definitely sounds awesome. It's been quite some time since the mode had any real strong presence in the series (its last real appearance being in Burnout Revenge back in '05). About time it made its grand return, and what better way than a game solely dedicated to it?

Sources: GameSpot, Joystiq

E3 news already? Really? Isn't it a bit soon for that?

2011-04-12T23:16:00.000-07:00

One of today's news headlines on GameSpot (and about a thousand other sites, I'm sure) was the following:

Sony's E3 press briefing slated for June 6

Is it just me, or is it really weird to be talking E3 matters already? I thought that didn't start until mid-May at the earliest. It makes sense that they would have the press conferences scheduled by now, sure, but announcing that hardly seems newsworthy at this moment. Not like anyone's going to remember that announcement as we get closer to the event proper. What are they hoping to accomplish with this? To jump start wild speculation? Start building up hype that won't mean much for another month or two? Whatever the case, this whole notice ust seems unnecessary right now. It'd be better off being made closer to the actual event (like a week or two before it stats, maybe) when it'd have more relevance.

On that note, though, I can't believe it's almost time for E3! Only a couple months away now (feels like it should be longer off, though). Hard to believe it's almost that time of the year already. Feels just like yesterday that the year began. Crazy how time flies, eh?

Okamiden Review

2011-04-08T09:06:00.000-07:00

A worthy successor to a revered classic.

If I were to summarize Okamiden in one word, it would be familiar. The reason being because it's heavy with references to and reuses locations from Okami, its predecessor. The entire game-world and its inhabitants are all instantly recognizable (assuming you've played the first game), and its gameplay unaltered. Okamiden therefore creates a very cozy atmosphere for fans in this sequel; one that doesn't alienate newcomers, at that.

With a shift to a new platform and a new protagonist, Okamiden seeks to deliver a sequel that lives up to its revered namesake while making it inviting to newcomers. In this pursuit Okamiden succeeds. The gameplay, the visuals, the music -- everything makes the jump to the DS perfectly. An enchanting story accompanied by endearing characters complete the package nicely. Though it hits a few stumbles along the way, such as a lack of variety in puzzles, Okamiden proves itself as a sequel worthy of its revered namesake.

Okamiden picks up precisely nine months after its predecessor. Nippon (read: Japan) is currently enjoying the peace brought on to it by the efforts of the Sun Goddess Amaterasu, star of the last game. At the start of Okamiden, that peace is suddenly disrupted by the appearance of a new foe on the block who wishes to purge Nippon into an age of darkness and anarchy. Like last time, the land becomes engulfed in what are referred to as "cursed zones": vast stretches of dark energy that transform the land into a series of desolate, unpopulated wastelands. In addition, demons have once again starting roaming the land, causing unrest and worry amongst Nippon's inhabitants. So, basically: the world is in a complete mess. Again.

Though it seems like another case for Amaterasu to handle, she's mysteriously taken a background role this time around. In her place is her son Chibiterasu; a young wolf imbued with the same powers as his mother, albeit in a less grandiose fashion. His godly powers come in the form of an ability known as the Celestial Brush, which allows him to alter, manipulate, or restore pieces of the environment, among other uses. It's activated by pressing either the L or R shoulder button, at which point the game pauses as the action is moved to the bottom screen so that you can work your magic. The stylus works especially well for this feature and feels incredibly natural. Drawing up symbols, such as a circle in the sky to bring out the sun, or a straight line to cut rocks, foes, and more, is a swift, effortless task. It's a touch too sensitive to your brush strokes, thus causing some irritation when accuracy is called for. Errors in initiating brush strokes are hardly prevalent, thankfully.

One curious modification to the Celestial Brush is the addition of a time limit on usage and the removal of regenerative ink pots (what gauges how much brush strokes you can use; each skill taking half a pot). Every time you bring up the brush, you're given 30 seconds (15 if your in battle) to paint your desired symbol and go. The game explains this as a simple limitation of Chibiterasu's inexperience with the Brush, though it feels somewhat contrived. Although the presence of the timer or the lack of regenerative ink doesn't make any real impact, the latter can be fixed if you choose to play on the game's easy mode titled "greenhorn mode" at the start of the game.


As I'm sure you can imagine, regenerating Ink Pots makes that timer even less of a worry.

Because he's still a cub, he isn't exactly ready to take on the world, let alone the task of purging the evils plaguing the land, on his own. Therefore, he needs some help -- namely someone who can accompany him. This is where partners come into play. Along his travels, Chibiterasu meets up with a number of people -- mostly kids -- who, in exchange for helping them, accompany Chibiterasu on his journey, if only for a short while. The aid these partners lend is small, usually sticking to actions like stepping on switches to open conjure new paths and opening otherwise inaccessible treasure boxes. They're a crux element of the puzzle solving, as well -- perhaps too much of a crux element, seeing as nearly all the puzzles involve cooperation with your partner. This wouldn't be a problem, usually, except that the majority of those puzzles are basic "send you partner to press this switch to open doors or summon bridges," which, while serviceable, get tiresome quickly. The Celestial Brush doesn't often come into play during puzzles, either, unfortunately. Or rather, it doesn't see much use apart from using it to guide your partner around.

With dungeons relying on such puzzles so heavily, their design suffers greatly. Exploring their winding, ornate passageways is interesting enough, sure, but without any healthy variety in puzzles they lose much of their luster. That's not to say they're bad, of course -- they're decent, lengthy excursions -- just not particularly well built, puzzle wise. Combat encounters are therefore one of the stronger aspects of dungeon crawling.

Though combat is as simplistic as can be -- running up and mashing away on the Y button will win just about any battle -- there's a certain hook in its simplicity. Foes hardly put up much of a fight, requiring little strategy be employed to vanquish them. The fun isn't in them being formidable foes, though: it's in discerning the fastest methods of dispatch. At the end of each battle, your performance is graded in three different factors: time spent, damage sustained, and partner help. The better the grade, the greater the cash rewards are. In order to defeat foes swiftly, you need to make swell use of your divine instrument's (that is, your weapon) attacks, your brush techniques, and your partner. Simple enough on the surface, yes, but not always so in practice. Enemies have a tendency of attacking from off-screen (the view of battle provided isn't very large, you see), and Chibiterasu's movement speed for his dodge move is hardly optimal. Receiving damage is almost imminent. Your partners' contributions to battle are also minimal, only dealing small bits of damage when their attacks hit, making it difficult to achieve a perfect performance. The immediate solution would be to get more powerful weaponry, but obtaining it, incidentally, also requires performing well enough in battle to produce what are known as "monster leftovers."

Okamiden provides three forms of weaponry: a reflector, which is a mirror that you can lash at foes with; a rosary, a string of beads that acts as a whip; and a glaive, a large sword whose attacks can be charged for extra efficiency. You only get one of each type, with the means of strengthening them being taking them to a blacksmith to upgrade. The means of payment for such upgrades are the aforementioned leftovers. Upon defeating an enemy in battle, there's a small window of opportunity where, if you execute the correct brush technique (say, conjuring up a gust of wind), will yield remnants of some sort of the demons you've felled. Bones, hides, livers -- all of them are obtained by performing what's known as floral finishers on foes. Opportunities for performing such finishers are always heralded by a death cry from your adversary as they collapse onto the ground, giving you enough time to draw up the necessary technique. Figuring out which technique to use on which foe is an exercise in trial-and-error, since foes seldom make it clear which technique needs to be used on them to draw out trinkets. It invigorates combat nicely, however, keeping it engaging throughout.

What your partners contribute most with their presence is in the story department. Your many companions are all likable well-developed characters who meld with the existing cast nicely. They're own stories prove entertaining and enlightening as they flesh out their back-stories through strong character development. Your first companion, for instance, a young swordsman named Kuni, begins as a timid sort who tries to make himself appear as some valiant hero like his father. Over time, he overcomes his timid nature and matures into a strong individual as he finds himself thrust into a number of dangerous situations while accompanying Chibiterasu. It's well-told, heartwarming stuff. Scenes tend to lean on the verbose side due to the slow speed at which text advances and the sheer volume of words participants have to exchange. Exposition sometimes feels like it drags on as a result. Lighthearted dialogue and humor keep it from being a bore to read, however.

Haven't you heard? Red markings are the new in thing!

Chibiterasu's journey takes him all across Nippon. Many of the locales you visit are taken straight from Okamiden's predecessor, which makes navigation a snap if you've been previously acquainted with them. Some slight alterations give them a feeling of freshness, but the lay of the land remains largely unchanged (except in a few cases where areas were downsized considerably). Old haunts like the small, tranquil, cherry blossom-laden settlement of Kamiki Village and its quirky community still manage to delight, while new additions like the constantly evolving Yakushi Village (which you help populate, actually) entertain with their new groups of inhabitants to commune with. Everything's been significantly downsized to better accommodate the lesser graphical capabilities of the DS, which cuts down on the element of exploration and discovery previously present. They still retain their beauty, though.

As has always been the case with this series, the art style remains one of the game's key hooks. The entire game is rendered in a style reminiscent of a Japanese water-color painting. The effect gives everyone and everything a very cartoon-ish look; buildings and characters have thick black outlines around them; characters are given exaggerated designs; and on top of all that the animations are amazingly fluid. It's a beautiful aesthetic that's well represented on the DS.

In terms of actual gameplay, Okamiden is very Zelda-like. Exploration and talking up the towns folk makeup a good portion of the action, with the rest of the game taking on some light puzzle solving, combating demons, and undergoing side-quests. Exploration is easily one of the high points for the many discoveries lying in wait around Nippon. Rewards are usually healing items or small trinkets that can be sold for cash. The fun comes not in retrieving your rewards, however, but in discovering them. Not because it's difficult, mind you, but because revealing new paths is constantly gratifying and encourages further excavations. Towns folk also provide some enjoyable banter and occasional tidbits of insight into the story, making it worthwhile to chat with them.

Side-quests also present some entertainment. Though lacking in variety (the majority are fetch-quests, unfortunately), side-quests in Okamiden serve as a decent distraction. Taking on retrieval requests is what you do side-quest wise, primarily. Most of them involve vanquishing monsters, while others simply ask you to search treasure boxes in the vicinity for the requested belongings. They don't hold much staying power, though. By the fifth time you've found someone's lost belongings, you'll be longing for something other to do than searching around for items and people to populate the aforesaid village under-construction (the only on-going side-quest in the game). They certainly aren't poor by any standard; just not varied enough.

Aurally speaking, Okamiden places plenty of importance on achieving an authentic-ness in its setting, with myriad tracks of music composed using traditional Japanese instruments. A good number of them are either lifted directly from its predecessor or are simply slightly tweaked variations, but they all sound just as good on the DS as they did in its predecessor.

Ultimately, Okamiden is a swell title, both as a sequel and on its own merits. It treads on very familiar territory, which will undoubtedly provide warm feelings of comfort for those well acquainted with its predecessor, but doesn't rely heavily enough on it to alienate newcomers. The beauty of art style is still enchanting as ever, and it's story is engrossing and its characters endearing. Okamiden likely won't be fondly reminisced about like its predecessor, if only because it doesn't have that same initial impact as its predecessor did, but it's efforts will still at least be recognized for its excellence.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

de Blob 2 Review

2011-03-24T07:54:00.000-07:00

Though not a huge leap forward from its predecessor, de Blob 2 more than manages to entertain with its familiar premise.

It's typical for games with a novel idea to see that novelty wear off come time for a sequel. After all, what was once a fresh, original idea is now simply another case of iteration: an increasingly dirty concept in the eyes of the public. At cursory glance, de Blob 2 might looks to be another victim of that cycle, with its same basic concept being employed with little to no changes or innovations -- such is not the case, here, however. Not because it redefines the game, mind you -- it's still the same paint splattering good time as before -- but because it doesn't redefine it. Let me explain.

The first de Blob, released back in 2008, was a colorful, lighthearted platformer that saw players restoring a monochromatic metropolis back to its rightful color-filled state. De Blob 2 doesn't make any changes to this foundation -- apart from the inclusion of two-dimensional-style levels and the ability to upgrade Blob, that is. The story is also remarkably similar, with the villain of the previous game, Comrade Black, making a return to once again try and force his will of a monochromatic future upon the populace through almost the same methods (imprisoning citizens and putting them to work as slaves, polluting the area with ink, etc). Yet, despite its strong familiarity, no part of the game's design feels worn out. I wouldn't say it feels particularly fresh, either, of course -- just that it's still really fun and pleasant to play.

As Blob, your objective to paint the entirety of your surroundings to liberate it from the oppressive force of the evil I.N.K.T. Corporation. How you do so is simple: just make contact with whatever it is you wish to paint and it'll instantly color itself in, freeing citizens and bringing life and color back to the streets as a result. Pretty nifty, eh? Just make sure to keep yourself stocked. Blob can only carry so much paint, you see (about 100 points maximum to start), and each structure or item he paints and foe he smashes costs varying amounts of paint points. If the amount of paint points he has reaches zero, Blob loses his ability to paint. A quick dip into a color pool or smashing a Paintbot will replenish his stock and allow you to keep on coloring, and frequently drawing upon those paint sources (of which there are many) will render that threat mostly moot. The only real threat, then, is ink. Coming into contact with it covers Blob in the stuff and causes it to start to eating away at him until there's nothing left; that is, if he isn't quick enough to douse himself in some water first.

Once you get those basics down and start splattering your way through town like a pro, de Blob 2 really takes off. Rolling around painting everything in sight may not sound very thrilling, but it's actually quite entertaining. There's a light and simple pleasure in seeing the dull, monochromatic landscapes of Prisma City (the game's setting) turn back into its vibrant, bustling self. Everything starts off in a deep state of despair: streets are deserted, skies are endlessly cloudy, and everything's gray for as far as the eye can see. As you get down to work, all that slowly begins to change. Once deserted streets become flooded by citizens, celebrating the return of color as the clouds part and the sun begins shining again; greenery begins sprouting forth all over, covering both streets and architecture in varying plant-life; and music triumphantly begins to kick into full gear, declaring victory over each newly colored block. It's highly gratifying to see the results of your work and the affects they have on the environment. It's also just real pleasant to look at. Crisp visuals complement the bright, toon-ish aesthetic nicely, giving hues a much stronger definition and generally making for some great sights.

Doesn't look like much now, but by the time Blob is done, the place will be bustling with activity.

You aren't given much time to admire the city's natural beauty, sadly, as an obtrusive timer ensures that you never get to stay put for long, quickly pushing you along to the next sector in need of liberating where the process starts all over again. It's an understandable inclusion -- gotta add some form of challenge somewhere, after all. But because de Blob 2 offers no mode to roam about and paint without worry of the timer like its predecessor, its presence becomes far more vexing. The timer does of course vanish, eventually: just as you finish up the final story-critical mission, in fact. But at that point, you've already painted so much of the area that its absence doesn't mean much. It's a real shame.

To add some structure to all the mindless painting, de Blob 2 adopts a mission-based structure to accompany the semi-open-world design of the levels. In usual sandbox fashion, missions are designated by markers placed throughout the area and are activated simply by rolling up to them. Painting certain buildings a certain color (or colors, in some cases), dispatching groups of inkies, or entering landmarks for a bit of two-dimensional platforming makeup the types of tasks presented by missions. The types of tasks are nicely cycled through, ensuring that it never feels like you're doing the exact same thing again and again, mission-wise, and are generally entertaining. Missions are always brief, usually taking, at most, a couple minutes to complete, allowing you to quickly jump between taking on missions and just roaming about painting with ease.

Though missions are short, the levels themselves are long. A typical excursion takes upwards of an hour-and-a-half to finish, particularly if you go for completing all the bonus missions and finding all the collectibles contained within each level. Thankfully, the game saves at various checkpoints throughout the levels, so you can easily stop and resume later if necessary.

If you're one to hunt for 100% completion, that feature will come especially handy, as searching for collectibles is time consuming due to their well-hidden nature. Finding where they're located falls entirely to you, as your compass -- a small ring that encircles Blob that directs you toward nearby paint sources and objectives and missions that's brought up by pressing the triangle-button -- doesn't ever pick up on any of these items. The kinds of collectibles you can find range from cards that unlock art galleries, light-bulbs that can be traded in for upgrades (such as the maximum amount of paint points Blob can carry), and styles, which add a bit of flair in the form of patterns onto each item you paint. Other than feeding into one's completion-ist tendencies, the collectibles offer up extra points, which you receive by painting and completing missions, that factor in the letter grade you receive at the end of the level. Your grade doesn't really effect anything, of course -- it's mostly for self-gratification, really -- though it does add a modicum of replay incentive.

One of the side-scrolling sections in action.

De Blob 2 also contains both competitive and cooperative multiplayer modes. The former sees two players racing to see who can complete the most objectives and thus attain a higher score. The levels you and your opponent compete on are all inspired by levels from the campaign and even base objectives off those found in the campaign levels. Cooperative play sees a second player taking on a supportive role as Blob's robot partner Pinky in a Mario Galaxy-esque style of co-op. On syncing up a second controller, a reticle appears on-screen. This is for the second player's use only, and can be used in a number of small but wholly useful ways. For instance, being able to collect paint to fire onto Blob in case of emergencies where he's in need of some paint. Pinky can also collect any of the aforementioned collectibles as well as paint small items like trees or citizens, thus making the quest for 100% completion that much easier. It isn't the most engaging form of co-op, though, simply because aiming and shooting isn't nearly as fun as Blob's activities are. The competitive, on the other hand, proves to be a fun distraction, but hardly a choice candidate for regular multiplayer bouts.

Not a much of a host of changes or additions, sure. But then, de Blob 2 never needed any. Its base concept of rejuvenation is still as strong and fun as it was back in 2008, which is frankly all it needs. The HD coat of paint makes for a prettier visual feast, and additions like upgrades add a touch of depth to the game, but it's the brilliant core mechanics and inspirational themes of triumph over oppression that really make de Blob 2 shine. And for that, de Blob 2 is a success.

Author's Note: This game also has 3D and PlayStation Move compatibility. I did not mention these in the review, however, because I was unable to test them due to lacking the necessary hardware to do so. Apologies for the exclusion.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Space Invaders Infinity Gene Review

2011-03-23T18:43:00.000-07:00

Space Invaders evolves from its methodical roots into full-fledged bullet-hell chaos in this spectacular space shooter.

Upon starting Space Invaders Infinity Gene's campaign, one is met with the following quote from Charles Darwin:

"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change."

Strong words. Words that say a lot about the state of Space Invaders over the past few years and its efforts to stay relevant. It's many evolutions have, for the most part, always remained small and inconsequential to the core gameplay. Space Invaders Infinity Gene, however, the latest in the popular space shooter series, sees one of the more drastic yet all the while small shifts in the series yet: the move to bullet-hell territory. A definite change from the usual systematic approach of alien dispatch. By disposing its previously methodical nature, Infinity Gene creates a more thrilling experience where quick reflexes triumph over strategy, unlike its predecessors. Along with this, Infinity Gene brings with it a megaton of content to blast through, which lends it not only a strong lasting value but the title of one of the better incarnations of the series in a long time, as well.

The theme of Space Invaders Infinity Gene is evolution. In this case, the evolutionary process of moving from a methodical column-shooter into pure bullet-hell chaos. It begins with an arcade-perfect port of the original Space Invaders that, unfortunately, lasts for all of five seconds before it whisks you away to the game proper. Once passed, you're moved to a construct similar to that of 2008's Space Invaders Extreme in that you're faced with the same columns of invaders but with foes of varying sizes mixed in. The entirety of the first level, which is split into six smaller stages (as are the rest of the levels), sticks to that basic approach. The only evolutions that occur at first are the unlocking of additional types of ships and the amount of lives you start off with. (Unlocks occur every time the Evolution Gauge is filled at the end of each level, which is done by scoring well as points feed gauge's progress.) It's not until the second level that the first real significant evolution is made: full freedom of movement.

Once you get there, things start to change drastically. No more are you just eliminating columns of foes one at a time; instead, you're fighting off nearly endless waves of invaders that enter the ring from every side and angle imaginable, typically at blistering speeds. Everything moves fast -- so much so, in fact, that you often don't get any time to react to the sudden entrance of foes. By the time you notice their presence, you'll have likely already been destroyed. Its frustrating at first due to how cheap of a tactic that appears to be, but it's key aspect of the experience. A bit of trial-and-error may annoy at first, but once you begin anticipating your enemies movements and spawn points and begin using that info to your advantage to rack up points en masse, the brilliance of the game's design starts to set in. Weaving through legions of foes and bullets with ease is an art in and of itself. The skill necessary to pull off flawless runs of levels is demanding, but hugely satisfying once you ascertain the correct means of doing so. This isn't anything new for the genre, sure (a bit ironic for a game centered around evolution), but it still works wonders, which is more than enough for this style of game.

And besides, what other kind of shooter produces set-pieces like this on a near constant basis?

As you move onward, the game makes a few minor aesthetic upgrades as it increases the intensity of the action. Static, plain background images appear throughout the stages of the first two levels that then change into slightly more dynamic images throughout the three remaining levels. Small elements like walls and pillars populate the play-field and endanger your well-being while effects like color and pulsating patterns appear in the background to give it more flash. A great accompaniment for the stylish wireframe aesthetic used to render you, your foes, and environmental elements, which gives the game a very appealing minimalistic visual style. Amongst all this, the intensity of the action increases as well, with more and more types of enemies surfacing as time goes on until it all eventually reaches a crescendo of madness that throws a myriad of foes at you, both stationary and mobile, while moving through a structure armed to the teeth with weaponry. By that point, the game transforms into a fully three-dimensional shooter, complete with changes in camera perspective.

A major departure from the standard isometric view that the game uses almost exclusively up until then, the change repositions the view behind the ship itself to give you a better view of what's directly ahead and generally disorient you. Adjusting yourself to moving about in a three-dimensional space here is far from easy; discerning where it is you can move in the foreground, sure -- your ship is practically pressed against the TV screen when in the foreground -- but in the background? Not so much. Distance is the primary obstacle; judging how far enemies are from your vessel is challenging due to you not having as clear a picture as you do with the isometric view. Moving behind foes off in the distance is especially challenging since they obscure your view your ship. It presents an interesting and welcome challenge. It's also the biggest evolution here. Unfortunately, segments where the 3D side comes into play are sorely underused and only appear during a couple of levels. All that's left then is seeing enemies and environmental elements rendered in 3D. That's all fine and dandy, but it's not quite as significant or noteworthy.

Apart from the mechanics, your weaponry is also affected by evolution. You begin with a standard double-barrel cannon as your weapon: A serviceable means of alien dispatch during the first set of stages, but a quickly defunct method as the intensity of the action grows. To better combat the onslaught of invaders, newer weaponry regularly becomes available, presenting you with myriad options of firepower. From a ship that fires an expanding wave of energy to one that instantly locks-on to foes both in front and behind you and pummels them with lasers to one accompanied by attack drones for added firepower, Infinity Gene has options aplenty. Each ship has its own style of play, which not only encourages experimentation to find the right ship for you, but also provides a nice bevy of ways to challenge yourself on previously conquered levels.

Such as trying to take down all those invaders with the aforementioned double-barrel cannon.
It ain't easy, let me tell ya.

There is one especially disruptive presence in the bunch, though: the "Field" weapon. What this one does is expand a large circle around yourself that decimates anything that enters it. Whether your foes be big or small, the weapon makes ultra-fast work of your adversaries without you so much as lifting a finger. In fact, once its fully powered up (power-ups are earned by destroying UFOs that stream across the top-half of the screen), you get by just about anything just by sitting in the center of the screen, as it covers the entire screen almost once fully upgraded. Using this weapon robs the game of its intense nature and makes it a mere cakewalk -- a major detriment to the gameplay. Granted, you don't have to use it, but given its enticing powers, it's hard not to use it. It's therefore a detriment and would have been better left unincorporated.

In terms of content, Infinity Gene is vast, containing 140 plus levels in all. A lot of content to preoccupy yourself with, certainly, especially with the added competitive aspect of leaderboards -- and that's not even counting the game's music mode. One of the more singular features of Infinity Gene, music mode allows you to create new levels using tracks of music stored on your console's hard drive, thus providing a near limitless amount of content. That's quite a steal given the game's $10 asking price.

For a bullet-hell shooter on the cheap, Space Invaders Infinity Gene is easily a bargain. Its new take on the series formula is welcome and gives a nice refreshing change from the methodical gameplay of its predecessors. And with so much content available it's certain to keep you preoccupied for many months to come. For only $10, this game is an absolute steal for bullet-hell fans and Space Invaders enthusiasts alike.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Some thoughts on Crysis 2's multiplayer

2011-03-19T18:15:00.000-07:00

A small peak at one of the maps, right there.
This is one, Skyline, was actually in the demo.

Didn't get a whole lotta time to explore its features since the demo was unexpectedly pulled due to "connectivity issues" (which was also present in the Xbox 360 demos, curiously), but I figured I might as well not let those few hours I spent playing it go to waste. That, and I felt up for a bit of light ranting (apologies if the article sounds a bit... disjointed as a result). So there's that.

So yeah, Crysis 2. If I had to sum up my time with it, I'd say it's simply okay. Far from the best multiplayer gameplay I've seen, but still decent enough for it to be marginally enjoyable.

The demo contained two different modes: a standard team deathmatch mode and a King of the Hill variant called Crash Site, which sees you capturing and holding certain positions on the map to earn points. (I didn't actually get any time in on the latter mode, just for the record. Everything I know about it was gained from watching my brother play it.) The two maps available -- a small rooftop-based one called Skyline, and a larger one set on pier ravaged by destruction called... Pier something or other (I really should have taken some notes) -- both played fine and looked nice, visually. The smaller one was definitely the superior of the two, however, if only because it better accommodated the player-count (I think it was a maximum of 12?) and wasn't as much of a sniper's nest as the larger one was, which was good because then I wasn't getting smoked every five seconds on account of some hidden adversary.

Classes are here, too, and are what you'd expect. You've got your assault class, your scout, sniper, and gunner, which is just another way of designating who wields the big guns. I didn't notice any real differences between classes apart from their weapon and kill-streak bonus loadouts, and become pretty much redundant as soon as you hit rank 5 and can start creating your own custom loadout. Honestly, I have to wonder why they even bothered to include those in the first place if they were just going to become useless early on. I mean really, guys, come on. If you're going to include classes in your multiplayer game then give them some actual roles, why don't ya. Killzone and Battlefield (two other shooters whose demos I played -- and enjoyed) were able to do that, so what's stopping you from doing the same?

As far as gameplay goes, it's pretty standard-fare. People have said it's very Call of Duty-like, which I can't really confirm or deny due to me never having played a Call of Duty game before. Either way, though it feels competent at least, it doesn't feel very Crysis-y (or rather, what I would assume a Crysis would feel like).


Well, except for this. The slide move is, as far as I know, exclusive to Crysis currently. So there's that.

So you know those crazy suit abilities you have -- you know, things like cloaking and extra armor? They're here, but they don't make any real impact. They feel shoehorned in rather than naturally integrated. The armor ability doesn't cut down damage significantly, which basically means you cut your movement speed down for nothing; and the stealth ability, while helpful to lessen your chances of being gunned down from a distance while crossing large clearings, doesn't hold much practical use due to (a) your adversaries constantly being on the move, thus making sneaking up on them for a stealth-kill pointless, and (b) because the second you fire your gun, the energy meeter, which handles both your suit abilities and your dash, instantly depletes to zero. Deactivating it makes sense, granted -- no point in trying to remain invisible if your going for the head-on approach, after all; that would be cheating -- but to punish you for that just feels detrimental to its usefulness.

(I should mention, though, that I wasn't able to level up those powers any. So for all I know those powers could actually become really useful later on. But then, at the same time, that basically puts newer players at a disadvantage as veteran players slowly become more and more unstoppable, which sucks. But that's a rant for another time.)

Kill-streaks, as mentioned earlier, are here too. I really don't like 'em, though. Locking up what are helpful skills (for instance a radar that shows enemy locations on your mini-map) until you accumulate a certain number of kills in a row doesn't seem like smart design to me, especially when those skills could be tied to classes and used at any time instead. I understand that Call of Duty first popularized the concept, but frankly, I don't think it works in a class-based setting like this.

Everything else -- that is, the most basic aspects -- felt fine, though, for what it's worth. Doesn't really mean much now, of course: I've pretty much written off the multiplayer. I'm still curious about the single-player portion, since that's always been the part of Crysis that's always been praised up and down, but... yeah. I'm not getting my hopes too high just in case it turns out to be poor or something.

Insomniac enters Web and mobile game development

2011-03-13T13:06:00.000-07:00

The logo for their new division.

Bit of an interesting weekend development, here (actual worthwhile news on the weekend? Madness, I say!). Insomniac, developers of the Ratchet and Clank and Resistance franchises, announced on their site's blog that they are entering the social game development ring with the opening of a new division named Insomniac Click.

Comprised almost entirely of a newly hired staff, the division seeks to bring the types of experiences on a console (i.e. "core" games) to mobile devices and web platforms, like Facebook. A sect of gaming that chief creative officer Brain Hastings feels is sorely lacking in the social games space. To illustrate his point, he offered his own definition of what games are -- a set of tools with a problem to solve -- along with a few examples, such as Tetris, Pac-Man, and Doom, to collaborate his philosophy.

"Many social games out there are more activities than games," Hastings said, following the examples, "that is, a set of tools but no problem. For instance, you plant crops and then harvest them to make more money so you can plant more crops. Your tools are: pick a crop, plant it somewhere, harvest a ripened crop. But what problem are you solving? There really isn’t one. You can’t succeed and you can’t fail and that’s part of the fun. But at the same time, without having a problem to solve, it’s less of an actual game than Tic-Tac-Toe."

Some strong points, there. The company's hope is to deliver more traditional game experiences to social game platforms, as evident by the division's "Contract With the Audience" upon which he ended upon. (You can read it over on the Insomniac Blog.)

I'm not particularly interested in the social games realm, but I really like that Insomniac's trying to push for more traditional game experiences in that area. With more and more developers jumping on-board the social games bandwagon -- Ubisoft, EA, THQ, to name a few -- it's about time we see someone really try and push for more complete experiences. It'll be interesting to see what they conjure up and how it works out for them.

Source: GameSpot

Sony opens up Move development platform on PS3

2011-03-03T23:59:00.000-08:00

Amazing how a simple light on a stick can
be capable of so much, eh?

Whenever a new motion controller comes out, the homebrew community is always quick to produce some sort of new and crazy applications for it. The PlayStation Move's homebrew scene hasn't been as documented as others have been, though. Sony seems to have at least realized the potential of the technology, however, as today they announced that they are bringing out a program that will allow users to create their own applications using the Move controller on their PlayStation 3.

Sony's site for the program, titled "Move.me," describes it thusly:

Move.me isn’t a game. It's a software server application for the PS3 system that uses the PlayStation Move motion controller as an input device. We want to see what innovative applications programmers can create using the PS Move controller, the PS3 system, the PlayStation Eye camera, and a PC.
...
Move.me is designed for academic researchers, university instructors, college students, programming hobbyists, and HCI developers.

No real relevance to the gaming scene, certainly, but that they're encouraging people to experiment with the device is interesting to say the least. Granted, they've allowed the system itself to be used for non-conventional means (that Folding@Home app, for example, which helps research cures for diseases like Cancer), so that they'd allow their tech to be used by researchers and such isn't that surprising. Still, with the recent battle against hackers their currently underway in, you'd think that Sony would stop handing out any sort of access into the console scott-free. Whatever, then.

Wonder what this program will produce, though. Hopefully us public members will be privy to the results.

Move.me invites everyone to develop for PlayStation Move [Joystiq]

Some thoughts on Castle Crashers

2011-02-19T09:37:00.000-08:00

As you can probably tell, things get all
kinds of crazy real fast in multiplayer.

I always knew why the beat-'em-up genre fell out of vogue alongside arcades, but playing Castle Crashers really made it clear why this isn't such a popular genre anymore. It's a good game, sure; I had a fun time with it. But between a shallow, repetitive combat system, mindless foes who always either charge you only to stop just long enough for you to lay the beat-down on or sit back and fling endless projectiles your way (which is especially vexing), and no real narrative to drive you forward, I can't help but be just as annoyed and bored by the game as I am entertained by it.

I understand that Castle Crashers was meant as a throwback to beat-'em-ups of yore, and I respect that. Clearly the guys at The Behemoth are fans of that genre. It's just that I, like many others, think that the genre is archaic by today's standards. It works well enough, sure, and was fun for what it was; it just doesn't hold up for long.

During the first couple hours, mindlessly cutting down leagues of foes was good fun. Though I only had light and heavy attacks and some magic at my disposal, it appeared to have enough options for some decent variety. Mixing physical and magical attacks together to string combos together to see what means of quick dispatching foes I could come up with as I unlocked more and more preset combos kept me driven to level up some more (oh, yes, there's a leveling system here -- forgot to mention that) to see what other methods of dispatch I could find. Play it in co-op and gets better (though, regrettably, I didn't play much co-op).

By the fifth or so hour, however, that hook began to lose me. The further I got, the more combat became formulaic. Enemy types stuck to only two basic builds -- a small, diminutive character much like your own in terms of size, and a large, hulking foe who likes to throw you about like a ball -- who I had quickly worked out how defeat while sustaining little damage. A lot of them also had a tendency to just sit back and take the beating rather than put up a strong fight. At that point, it became a case of repetition. Occasional boss fights did freshen things up a tad, if only because they were a touch different from the usual leagues of foes, though even they didn't remedy the constant settling of dullness that had started seeping in. I think that came about as a result of suddenly needing to do a bit of leveling to get past a certain stage (grinding ain't fun here either, folks). Wouldn't be the first time a grinding session has almost turned me off a game.

It was around that time that I started playing it in short bursts. That made Castle Crashers fun again, but my thoughts had already been set, always in the back of my mind no matter how thrilling the game became. Maybe this should of been a simple 3-4 hour adventure instead. A quick bout of beat-'em-up action would be much easier to enjoy that way, I'd think. Otherwise they should have tried and added something to make the game more interesting throughout.

Probably the most egregious thing about this is that they're selling it for $15. That's quite a price for a game of this sort. For that price, I'd think it's fair to expect something more than just another old-school beat-'em-up with some gorgeous flash art (not that I was, mind you; I mostly knew what I was getting into beforehand).

Still, for all my complaints, it is a fine game. Not a bad introduction to the olden days of beat-'em-ups, I'd say, but the not the best, either. Don't think I'll be playing another one of these games again, though.

Super Stardust HD Review

2011-02-12T10:53:00.000-08:00

Frustration may reign supreme in Super Stardust HD, but that doesn't stop it from being a thrilling shooter experience.

Utter madness: that's what Super Stardust HD is all about. Whether or not you consider that a good thing or not is largely dependent on your feelings toward shooters of the bullet-hell variety. Though even if you're one of the many crazies who adore those kinds of masochistic punishment, I'm more than willing to bet that you haven't experienced something as brutal and infuriating as Super Stardust HD -- at least in the dual-joystick shooter sector. The sheer intensity of the action here is as exhilarating as it is maddening, and though you'll frequently feel compelled to quit, its fast and furious action is almost hypnotic in how it manages to constantly call you back for more no matter how much abuse is inflicted upon you. It's there where Stardust HD's brilliance lies.

Let's just get this out of the way right now: Super Stardust HD is brutal. In fact, at the risk of sounding hyperbolic, I daresay it's one of the most masochistic dual-joystick shooters ever created. Not because its relentless with its flinging of enemies, mind you (though it doesn't hold back in that regard), but because the game so often obfuscates the action that you can barely keep up with what's going on around you. If you've ever played a shooter of this type before, you'll understand how horrifying of a concept that is.

The source of obfuscation here lies in the game's primary foe: meteors. You see, Super Stardust HD takes place on the atmospheres of small planets and charges you with protecting them from the onslaught of space debris. Your only means of combating them is by shooting them, thereby causing them to crumble in a sort of Asteroids fashion, making the play-field all the more treacherous in the process. Navigational troubles alone aren't what make it hard, however. If that were the case the game wouldn't be so gosh darn hard. No, instead, it's the bright particle effects that accompany the crumbling of meteors that make it hard due to their tendency to clutter the screen with a dazzling display explosions. When there's only a few meteors to contend with that's not such a problem; they barely manage to distract. It's when the play-field is littered with rocks that it becomes troublesome, as explosions begin popping up all over, each vying for your attention as you try and stay focused on forging a path forward. As you can imagine, keeping focus is difficult to say the least given the strong temptations to divert your eyes toward the showers of particles. but not at all impossible.

You'd think fighting off ice cubes with a string of fire would be effective,
but not so much.

Amongst all the chaos, Stardust HD expects some measure of strategy be employed in the form of weapon usage. There are three weapons available, all of which are self-explanatory: the rock crusher, the gold melter, and the ice cutter. Each one is meant for usage solely against the rock type listed in their title. You need not adhere to their intended purpose, of course, and use the rock crusher against blocks of ice, but doing so would only result in a faster death due to the increased time it takes to destroy rocks. Swapping weapons is, in the grand scheme of things, one of the easier facets on account of multiple rock types seldom being mixed. But as things get more and more frantic -- enemies spawning in all over frequently, rocks falling in every few seconds and massive numbers, and nary a bomb, shield, or life pick-up in sight to provide any sort of breathing room -- the last thing you want is to be swapping weapons, especially when enemies start adopting the weapon specialization, too. Throw in some power-ups and points tokens into the mix and you've got yourself some intense, frenetic action.

Keeping up with all that, crazy as it sounds, is exhausting. I often felt like I just ran a marathon after some particularly intense rounds full of close encounters. Keeping your cool in the midst of dodging rocks, foes, and bullets isn't easy, as the action overwhelms quickly and doesn't ease up, which in turn makes you incredibly prone to slip-ups. The screen-clearing comfort of bombs alleviate some of the intensity, but not long enough to lend much solace. It's extremely exhilarating when all goes well and your able to survive the onslaught, and even more satisfying when your efforts put you above your friends on the leaderboards. It's in those instances that the game truly soars.

The problem, however, is that the action is a little too chaotic for its own good. If it was simply left at throwing numerous hazards your way, the game would have been plenty fine as is. But that it adds a bunch of bright visual distractions is simply fiendish. That's certainly helpful toward achieving the level of challenge expected from these shooters (that is, "hellish"), but it's an excessive effort here. Visual distractions coupled with sheer numbers and old-fashioned challenge is far too much, resulting in success feeling more up to luck than skill on account of all the variables.

Just try and find the spaceship in this picture: I dare you.

The other problem lies in the amount of content. Super Stardust HD offers five levels to play on in both Arcade and Planet modes -- the former progressing through the five levels in succession while the latter sticks to only a single level. Each mode and stage has its own set of leaderboards, which lends a good replayability incentive in the form of competition. Cooperative play also provides a good bit of fun, though the restrictive view of the action (players have to remain in close proximity of each other for the camera to move about the field) hinders the fun. On the surface, that sounds like a reasonable sum of content given the $10 price tag -- and it is. It just would have been nice to have an extra mode or two tossed in for some added variety and lasting appeal. A couple downloadable add-ons that are available may remedy that. but it doesn't change how limited the standard package is.

Don't get me wrong -- Super Stardust HD is still a fantastic game in its own right. Though heavy on the intensity, the action is exhilarating and exciting, not to mention tons of fun once you get the basics down. Leaderboards give it a strong lasting value for those with a competitive side, and overall the game is a bargain at only $10. It tends to frustrate as often as it does entertain, though, making it geared toward those with a high tolerance level for challenge. If a bit of punishment is your idea of good time, however, Super Stardust HD is a more than serviceable choice.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Professor Layton and the Unwound Future Review

2011-02-10T09:39:00.000-08:00

Layton's latest continues to deliver with an enchanting tale and more stupendously designed puzzles than ever.

Time travel: one of the most tired tropes in entertainment media, and also the latest subject for the dapper professor/detective Professor Layton and his young apprentice. "Tired" isn't an adjective I'd use to describe the professor's foray into the matter, however. Rather, the series' endearing cast and engrossing narratives and puzzles make Professor Layton and the Unwound Future another swell, puzzling adventure.

Our story begins when Layton and his apprentice, Luke, receive a mysterious letter that claims to have come from the future, with Luke's future self being credited as the sender, that requests their assistance urgently. Naturally the two are skeptical -- the concept of time travel is simply preposterous -- but decide it best to look into the matter. What they discover is worrying to say the least: it appears that 10 years in the future, London is in complete disarray. A local crime syndicate now reigns over the city, carefully watching its citizens through numerous men in black positioned about. Even worse, their leader has some sinister plans in store involving a time machine of his own. Fearing the possible consequences, the duo, along with the help of future Luke, sets out to put a stop to all this madness and prevent their bleak future from becoming realized.

Unlike the previous entry, the Diabolical Box, which took place over a variety of locales, Unwound Future sticks primarily to a single environment -- London, of both present and future. There isn't a whole lot of swapping of time-lines going on here, though, as the majority of the adventure takes place in the future London -- and that's because it has much more to explore and uncover. The differences between time-lines are incredibly stark. While the present is bright, cheery and and full of color and vibrancy, the future is drab and bleak, with an atmosphere of fear lingering about. It's an excellent contrast that really illustrates how drastically the city's changed in 10 years. The return of characters from previous entries, such as Inspector Chemley and his partner Barton, also provide a nice sense of familiarity to the mix.

Puzzles like this are one of the few to make actual use of the touch screen.
They're also some of the easiest puzzles in the game.

Moving about the streets of London is similar to that of an old-school adventure game. You're presented with a static picture of the surroundings that may be lightly interacted with by tapping on the touch screen to reveal hidden puzzles, hint coins, or various observations by Layton and company. Movement is initiated by selecting the shoe icon in the bottom-right corner of the touch screen, which brings up arrows on-screen that show where you may head off to. You can also tap on any doors in the vicinity to enter buildings. The illustrations used are all exquisitely designed with surprising attention to detail packed in despite being on such small screens. In fact, the presentation as a whole is quite excellent. Though I don't have any solid numbers to back the following claim up, I believe Unwound Future has far more animated cut scenes and voiced dialog than the previous titles (or is at least on par with Diabolical Box), bringing some extra life to the characters.

Supporting the story is a multitude of excellently designed and often devious puzzles. Almost every inhabitant of London has a puzzle for Layton and co. to solve. Most of them have no sort of actual relevance to the story -- except for those that appear along the main story branch, such as unlocking a door via a puzzle lock of sorts -- presenting scenarios that are entirely separate from the story. The puzzles are brilliantly designed and plenty challenging presenting a nice balance of logic, math, and block sliding puzzles. A good number of them pride themselves on deviousness, too, by inserting "traps" into the puzzle's set-up and rules. That clever nature makes up a sizable portion of why the puzzles great. Frustration can easily set in because of their devious tactics, but really all it does is make solving them that much more gratifying. Besides, if you really are clueless as to a puzzle's solution, there's always the helpful but oh-so-vague hints to fall back on. These do cost hint coins, however -- more of which can be found by tapping various items in the environment -- so as to keep you from becoming too reliant upon them. With the new presence of "Super Hints," which provide very strong clues that may or may not practically give away the answer, it can be hard to resist temptation. It's a nice option to have, though.

Apart from the usual sort, there are also some side activities that are equally puzzling. On display this time are mini-games that task you with laying down directional pads to lead a toy car round a track to collect items lain about and reach the finish; a delivery service that sees you stringing up ropes to allow a parrot to deliver items to a recipient at a rather difficult to reach location; and a series of storybooks whose characters must be replaced through placing them at certain points of the story. They're fun diversions and provide a nice change from the usual brain-teasers.

Future Luke doing his best Phoenix Wright pose.

Unwound Future, like previous installments, is absolutely packed with content. Containing over 150 puzzles with plenty extra available via download over Nintendo Wi-Fi, Professor Layton can easily satisfy for many, many hours. Combine that with an excellent story that alone can last around 12-15 hours, and you've got yourself plenty of entertainment to last you a long while.

The only problem with Unwound Future would be its lack of evolution. Aside from a couple minute additions (the memo function from the second game and the aforementioned Super Hint), the entire structure and such all remains identical to that of the original. While there's certainly a case to be made for not fixing something that ain't broke, at least some sort of innovation (maybe greater, more clever use of the touch screen?) would have been a pleasant surprise. Still, lamentable of an omission as that is, it's hardly something to hold against the game too harshly; it's still plenty entertaining. And it's for that reason that Professor Layton and the Unwound Future is another quality entry in the series that's sure to delight fans of the professor and/or brain-teasers in general.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Shatter Review

2011-02-04T16:05:00.000-08:00

A number of small innovations and delectably addictive gameplay make Shatter a (brick) smashing good time.

Shatter is, at a glance, just another Arkanoid clone with excellent production values. But to say that would be like saying Geometry Wars is just another Robotron clone with those same values. The point is, that's selling the game short. What Shatter really is is a brilliant new take on the Arkanoid formula. A strong competitive component, cool new gameplay mechanics, and great production values are what make up this gorgeous brick-shattering good time, and they all come together in a truly singular fashion.

Shatter's a mostly standard "break all the blocks on screen by knocking a ball around to earn points and advance" type affair. There's 10 levels worth of brick-shattering to play-through. The gameplay doesn't switch things up much apart from changing the shape of the arena between a rectangle, square, and circle, but it's serviceable enough to keep things interesting. Power-ups, such as the Unstoppaball that allows the ball to pass through bricks with ease, provide some small but interesting changes in tactics and help give the game a slight element of unpredictability.

Shatter's key difference, however, lies in its suck and blow functions -- and I mean that in the most literal way possible. The paddle you control is equipped with fans that can be used to manipulate the ball's trajectory, adding a new layer of skill into the mix, and makes a world of difference in the long run. Before control of the ball was sort of chance based -- you'd have to position the paddle just right and hope that it does what you want it to until you got the desired results. No longer is that the case. Now you can use those manipulative abilities to direct the exactly where you want it to go, thus eliminating much of the frustrations of Arkanoid games past, like when the ball gets stuck volleying the ball back and forth. It's a helpful skill.

Additionally, all the sucking and blowing is beneficial toward managing the ensuing chaos that eventually erupts. That chaos being when physics take over and start throwing blocks everywhere once they're supports are demolished. Yellow blocks and green hexagons are the ones affected by gravity, primarily, though there are others that surface from time to time. Gravitational effects are one of the more interesting additions. Flinging the ball around with your manipulative powers adds a deeper level of skillful play, certainly, but it's also a contributing factor in the challenge department due to the tendency of your abilities to pull blocks toward you, knocking the paddle out of the arena in the process if your not lucky. It's not a big penalty, of course, since it quickly re-enters the field no worse for wear. Not a problem, right? And it is -- provided your quick enough to save the ball, since in the second or two it take for the paddle to return, the ball could very well have left the field, putting you one step closer to defeat in the process. The paddle's shield can prevent the knock-back of blocks, however, which makes that threat mostly moot if you can quickly bring it up in time. (It's surprisingly hard to do that whilst trying to keep an eye on the ball[s] and such.)

Hey! It's a game of Pong (sort of)!

As usual for this brand of game, balls represent the number of "lives" you have. Loose 'em all and, well -- I think it goes without saying what will happen. Shatter's a little different in how it handles this, however. See, unlike other similar titles, you can toss in some extra balls into the mix whenever you please at the small cost of possibly loosing an extra life. Risky, yes, but well worth it. Having additional balls in play, though harder to manage, proves quite useful in situations where the sheer number of blocks hurdling toward you is too much for a single ball to handle or where you need to destroy a single hard to reach block. Doing so also allows you to destroy clusters of blocks more easily, which always nets a higher number of points as you smash bricks in quick succession. Combine that with a high multiplier -- which is built up by sucking up the fragments left behind by shattered bricks -- and it becomes a constantly employed tactic.

Fragment collection also builds up the Shard Storm bar, which, once filled, unleashes a torrent of lasers that destroy everything in their path and rack up tons of points. Useful for when a cluster of blocks are hurdling toward you and against end-level bosses -- the latter especially because the attack power of the ball isn't nearly as effective as the Shard Storm. Bosses are the basic type of fare for this style of game and work well. They're all quite large, usually taking up a good half of the arena. Battling them is simple enough since they're weak point is always obvious. It's getting some of them to reveal those points that make them hard, as the means of doing so take some skillful maneuvering of the ball. One boss, for example, has parts of it plugged into power outlets of some sort at the top of the screen that have to be knocked loose before you can begin your assault against the boss proper. Though difficult they may be, they're quite enjoyable to battle and are a nice addition.

There are three modes of play in Shatter, each with their own set of leaderboards. The modes are: Story Mode, the main game mode; Boss Rush Mode, which pits you against each of the end-level bosses from Story Mode and tasks you with beating them in the fastest time possible; and Bonus Mode, which offers a more minimalistic approach that sees you bouncing three balls around three different arena types (rectangle, square, and circle) to earn points. That last mode is also in story mode as an extra end-level challenge. They're all fun modes to play in, each offering quite the challenge.

The Shard Storm in action. Nothing can stand before it!

As stated earlier, the game is filled with leaderboards, adding a healthy dose of competitive spirit. It's not the mere presence of leaderboards that make 'em great, though: it's how their integrated. Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 was hailed for its clever usage of scores from your friends by displaying the current high score it in the upper right corner of the screen. Shatter has a similar implementation by displaying that same info around the bottom right corner of the screen. The score displayed is the current target to beat for the mode your playing in, with it switching to the next target once the previous mark has been surpassed. It's a great motivator and really fuels the competition for leaderboard superiority. If you happen to not have any friends, however, that position is then occupied by your own high score. That it doesn't instead take the next highest score from the global leaderboards is a bit of a disappointment, though.

For a simple downloadable title, Shatter has some impressive production values. Though it's bright, metallic-heavy, futuristic aesthetic is a great sight to behold, it's the music that really shines here. Shatter uses a series synth-style compositions to make up its soundtrack, each of them being spectacular and fit the aesthetic approach nicely. The track for the game's second level, Aurora, for example, presents a low, calm and relaxed sort of tune to accompany the electric blue, sparkling background and its abstract structure perfectly. It's a well presented game through and through that provides a nice style to accompany the excellent gameplay.

I've always been a strong believer in small innovations often being the strongest improvements to any given formula, and Shatter is an excellent example of that. By giving more control over the ball's trajectory and including a great leaderboard integration, Shatter positions itself easily as one of the best takes on the Arkanoid formula available. And at $8, it's one of the cheapest, too.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Graphic critiques in reviews: A necessity or a superfluosity?

2011-02-03T17:56:00.000-08:00

In Giant Bomb's review for Dead Space 2, editor Brad Shoemaker made a passing comment about describing visuals in reviews. Specifically, he said he dislikes doing so because "it's 2011. That's what we produce videos for." A harmless comment given their focus on video content, sure, but it does raise an interesting question:

With all these videos and screenshots within easy reach nowadays, is it really necessary to spend time describing videogame graphics in reviews anymore?

Honestly, I don't think so. Video and image embeds have become a standard inclusion for professional works (and a good number of amateur works, too); so much so that no one really puts any real effort into describing a game's visuals anymore (of course, they never really did to begin with). Readers can, and will, already have a clear picture of the visual side of things long before the review hits thanks to the enormous amount of media circulating around the 'net. Heck, most of it is posted onto the game press' sites, only furthering the circulation rate. By that point, what good do graphic critiques do aside from satisfying that need fulfill some arbitrary criteria for the article to be considered a review?

Not a whole lot, especially given the tendency to use vague sentences over illustrative ones. Grayson Davis of Beeps and Boops demonstrated it best in his piece where he took excerpts from Banjo-Kazooie reviews and applied them to Uncharted 2. The results of that particular experiment were enlightening to say the least: the comparisons were indistinguishable. Nothing in the construction of the excerpts made any sort of allusion to what game they were referring to, making them easily cut-and-pasted into any other review with nary a loss. Not very encouraging. It's almost as if they using the mass amount of media available as an excuse to remain vague in their works. Rather accusatory, I know, but that's about the most probable instance I can think of.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words,
and yet we can barely string together a good sentence or two for them.

That's also why I think graphical critiques should go: because the majority of attempts made are mediocre at best. If we can't rely on the press to effectively illustrate a game's visuals, then they might as well quit trying and start relying solely on the myriad video and screenshots they have. At least then we'd be getting a clearer picture. Plus we'd be saved the horror of reading more dull, abstract writing!

Many of us amateurs aren't much better, granted (I've used my fair share of abstractions in regards to visual depictions as well -- feel free to lambaste me however you see fit). But then, we aren't professionals, and therefore aren't expected to uphold a certain standard. The press don't have that luxury, however, and that many of them simply skim over that aspect is, frankly, despicable. Do they really care so little for quality writing?

Now, obviously screens and video aren't entirely indicative of how the game will look on our TVs or monitors -- screens are typically doctored to make the game look better than it actually is, and videos sometimes look worse because, well, it's online video: there's only so much a flash video player can do (though the advent of HD video has certainly helped subvert that). But even so, that doesn't stop anyone from gaining at least a basic understanding of the game's visual quality. If it did, we'd all probably stop being so rabid about them and wait to get the actual product in our hands.

I see only two options: 1) improve the means by which graphics are evaluated (that is, start putting some effort into being more descriptive and illustrative), or 2) just remove that section altogether because obviously it's beyond the ability of most writers in the industry. I'd recommend 2 if only because taking criticism isn't something many in the profession can do, but hope that 1 would be pursued instead (that's what I'll be doing). I suppose that's asking a bit much, but hey, a guy can dream, right?

Risk: Factions Review

2011-02-03T15:31:00.000-08:00

A surprisingly fine adaptation of a classic board game.

Board games, like movie tie-ins, are just one of those things that often doesn't work in videogames. Risk: Factions, however, the latest adaptation of the classic board game from Electronic Arts, is one of the few exceptions. The reason for that being because it's one of the few to actually make the board game experience entertaining on the console front by removing they're usual arduous nature. It doesn't evolve the game by leaps and bounds of course, but what little iterations it makes go a long way.

If by some chance you've never heard of Risk, the rules are thus: You, along with up to four other players, battle for world dominance as players take turns attacking and capturing territories, as well as drafting new troops and moving them about the playing field. The goal is to take control of the entire map. Getting there is achieved through combat, the outcome of which is dictated by dice rolls. Each side gets up to three dice in play, one for each solider engaged in battle, with the highest rolls being declared victorious. Simple enough, right?

Though it's a strong foundation, it isn't terribly involving or fast moving for videogame standards. The original board game, for example, would often take a number of hours to finish a single game due to each side being unrelenting with its offense. Given that a good amount of that time is spent waiting for others to take their turns, it quickly wears you down. Sometimes to the point of ending a match early. It's for that reason that Risk has never before made a successful jump to consoles before.

To combat this, Factions has seen a few additions to the long-standing formula to make that basis a little more interesting -- most notable of which are the objectives. Expanding on the base concept of "world conquest," objectives offer smaller, simpler tasks that, when completed, reward you with chevrons that grant various helpful abilities, as well as put you closer toward victory (completing any three objectives wins the game instantly). Requisites for completion of objectives are simple, sticking to small achievements such as controlling a certain continent, capturing a certain number of territories in a single turn, and controlling certain landmarks -- many of which grant further abilities if captured. This doesn't increase the pace of the game (that's entirely dependant on who's playing), but it considerably shortens the time it takes to finish any given match.

The battle animates that play out at the bottom are always fun to watch.

Getting back to the chevrons, though: the best way to describe them would be as Risk's equivalent to perks in a Call of Duty or other such game. The difference here being that they only last for as long as the match is prolonged instead of being permanent fixtures. Abilities granted from chevrons are, with a couple exceptions, small and hardly affect tide of war. That qualification mostly applies to things like additional troop maneuvers, which, while certainly beneficial, are hardly the most... enticing reward of the bunch. Gaining an extra two troops every draft phase, being able to construct airports, and getting an extra attack or defense die (or both, even) are the ones that carry more sway. Because of that, they're also the ones that take priority, often causing players to scramble about as they race for those chevrons. Once collected, that particular chevron cannot be obtained by anyone else. Additionally, the aforementioned landmarks grant perks of their own that are tons more devastating than anything else. The Temple, for instance, allows the owner to convert enemy territories into their own, allowing for a quick and easy means of wiping out the opposition. With something like that under your command, along with a few good chevrons, you become a practically unstoppable force on the battlefield.

All these elements, though minute in the grand scheme of things, culminate to make Risk feel more in-line with your average turn-based strategy game. With the presence of objectives, now, no longer is the game a simple linear matter of "mow down the opposition and become a maniacal overlord," but a more open-ended one where there are plenty of tactical options available. Not only does this mean that you have plenty of ways to recover from a bad situation, but it also adds a touch of depth to the overall gameplay. It's an intelligent way to adapt a board game into a videogame.

To add a semblance of context behind all this military action, Factions also has a campaign mode complete with a light but entertaining story. The gist of the situation is that one of the factions -- the humans -- while undergoing training exercises one day end up accidentally sending off an explosive toward foreign territory and refuse to apologize for the mishap. And thus begins an increasingly more complex conflict that embroils everything from cats and robots to zombies and yetis. (Each of those races make up the different factions, by the way.) Story manifests itself only in brief but superbly animated cut scenes that play before each of the five skirmishes available in the campaign. Because there's so little there, though, it feels more like a training mode of sorts than an actual full-blown single-player mode. Introducing you to the new elements and such here is its only concern.

A lot of the newer maps are small like this one. They're all evenly difficult to conquer, though.

You have to turn to the multiplayer side for some real fun. Risk: Factions offers up both online and offline multiplayer along with a ton of maps on which to battle. Options aren't exceptionally varied, only offering a choice between the Factions version of Risk or the original in terms of rule-sets. Though the online function is nice, the offline is generally the better and more reliable option. This isn't because the online is broken or anything, mind you -- it works quite well, actually -- it's because the game just doesn't lend itself well to that environment. Due to the nature of Risk, you can easily pick up on when you've basically lost and there's nothing that can be done to change it, leaving little reason to stick around for the remainder of the match. Finding a full group of users who would stay for the entirety of the game was nigh impossible during my attempts. That the players often take their sweet ol' time taking their turns doesn't help keep 'em around either. Therefore, unless you've got friends who you will stick it out to the end to play with online, your better off sticking to the offline side. It's a shame, too, because the online portion is where most of the game's longevity lies. That it's players aren't willing see games through to the end, and that it isn't the most highly populated game at the moment, is a massive disappointment.

Presentation wise, Factions is rather bland. The map is rendered in 3D, technically, but it's flat appearance and general lack of interesting elements and simplistic design hardly provide a pleasing aesthetic. Spry battle animations are the only real high point visually. Every battle is accompanied by a number of soldiers at the bottom of the screen that savagely murder each other (okay, maybe not savagely -- its very tame, actually) with each dice roll. The commanders of each faction appear in the upper corners of the screen during combative sequences as well, eliciting minor facial reactions to the performance of their respective troops. Animations aren't very diverse, offering up only a handful of attack animations per faction, but they're always an enjoyable accompaniment to the otherwise dullness of battle. Occasional glitching arises every now and then that makes a particular unit look like a miss-mash of assorted art assets, but nothing that disrupts functionality.

Factions is by no means the "definitive" version of Risk. As far as digital board games go, though, it's certainly one of the better ones. If you have $10 bucks just lying around and have an insatiable craving for some Risk or just want some board game fun without the board game, Risk: Factions fills that need nicely.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Super Stardust HD is brutal

2011-02-03T10:21:00.000-08:00

Like, seriously. I haven't played anything this hard since BIT.TRIP BEAT back in '09. And that's saying something!

So I started playing this a couple days ago. I had some prior experience with it through the demo last year (hard to believe how quickly time flies), though it was a lot easier back then from what I recall. Those five minute games must have simply ended before the mayhem set in, 'cause the full game is pure madness!

If you haven't heard of Super Stardust HD, let me educate you: It's basically a Robotron/Geometry Wars clone exclusive to the PlayStation 3. The game sets you as a lone spaceship charged with, what I assume, is protecting a planet from an oncoming onslaught of meteors, UFOs, and all sorts of other nasties. Standard fare, really. Well, except for how surprisingly punishing it is. Not because it's naturally hard, mind you, but because it's simply sheer chaos.

Every game begins easy enough: a couple meteors make contact with the grid the planet below with them splitting apart into smaller hazards as they get shot, much like Asteroids, making the field slowly more dangerous. During the first phase (there's five total per level) it's easy enough to manage. Come the second phase onward, however, when enemies start flooding in and the meteors start coming down more often and in higher numbers, things get all kinds of crazy and nigh impossible to manage. This is mostly on account of the myriad particle effects produced by destroy meteors and enemies that could your view. And in a game like this, visibility is of the utmost importance, so any sort disruption can easily spell disaster.

By this point, I'm usually exclaiming something like: "AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"
I'm sure you can guess why.

And in this game, it always spells disaster.

Frustrating? Yeah, definitely. Does that stop me? Heck no! It only encourages me to keep going, actually. Why? Because, like any good bullet-hell shooter (which is what this is as far as I'm concerned), failure makes you better. Now, typically, this is because you begin to memorize enemy placement and learn the most efficent ways of vanquishing them. And while there some level of memorization here, victory is mostly obtained through perseverance, and maybe just a smidge of luck. Not the most scientific way, sure, but it keeps a nice element of unpredictability in play, which is more than can be said for most bullet-hell games.

That's what I like most about these games: they're unpredictable, yet clearly methodical logic that dictates the flow of enemies. For usual shoot-'em-ups that stuff is mostly set in stone; for stuff like this, though it probably still is, it never once feels that way. That's impressive.

So, yeah. Super Stardust HD. It's awesome. Brutal, yes, but awesome. Look for a review sometime after I finally conquer this game (and finish up that Shatter review, too).

News!

2011-01-31T19:50:00.000-08:00

Pac-Man Championship Edition DX minimizes itself for PSP
As a devout fan of Pac-Man CE DX, this news pleases me. Pac-Man nirvana on the go? Sign me up! I only hope that the smaller screen doesn't hinder the visual effects.

Splinter Cell and Prince of Persia "Classic" collections hit stores March 22
Okay, so the release of the former's been known for a couple months now, so that's not really news (it was announced to be available on both disc and download, though). The big item here is that Ubisoft finally decided to release the Prince of Persia collection on disc State-side. Before it was only offered that way over in Europe, with the US getting it via PSN only. Not a big deal, obviously, but it is nice to have an alternative to downloading them over the sluggish PSN service.

Still wondering about whether they'll be porting the PlayStation 2 versions of Splinter Cell or if they'll be smart and adapt the Xbox versions for that release. The game was optimized for that platform, after all, so it'd be smart to sell the populace the best representations of that series, no?

Cloud storage coming for PSN Plus users, says Kotaku
Not a very reliable source, I know. The concept is certainly intriguing, though. Don't see much practical application for that feature -- saving hard drive space doesn't seem like a strong enough incentive to restrict game save access if your not online -- but it's definitely something worth experimenting with. I'm hoping Sony comes out and confirms or denies its existence soon, as the word of some "insider" isn't always the most credible source.

PSP game conversion for NPG is "work-in-progress"
Back when the new PSP was announced, my biggest criticism was that it lacked any sort of UMD drive, meaning that you have no way of playing the vast number of older PSP titles. Backward compatibility may not be the most widely used feature of consoles, sure, but when only a small portion of your console's library is available digitally, it presents quite a problem for those who'd still like to play a game of Lumines on their new PSP. It was that divide that did the PSP Go in.

Seems Sony is at least aware of the problem, though. Sony's said that they're working with publishers to make their UMD releases available digitally, and has been doing so since the PSP Go's release, but it's been a slow-going process. They're also thinking of releasing those titles on flash memory card units -- a smarter and probably faster means of getting those games playable on the NPG. Here's hoping all goes well on that front.

This guy's my hero

2011-01-25T20:29:00.000-08:00

Not sure where this came from or what prompted its creation, but someone thought it a good idea to critique IGN's Dead Space 2 review, and it was glorious. As it turns out, that review ain't so good. Take a look at the image yourself and cringe at the blatant display of incompetence contained within. (I'd embed it here, but it's far too large for that, so... yeah.)

Personally, I've been contemplating doing something similar with their work (and any others I come across) for a while now. Never have because my fear toward appearing to be a massive jerk, but, man, is it tempting. Guess that's just what happens when your a stickler for such things like I am.