Renegade Ops - GR Review
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On start, if you just let Renegade Ops sit for a moment before pressing a button, a motion comic plays that spells out the plot of the game; a villain calling himself Inferno, who is definitely not Cobra Commander, has blown up a city and threatens to blow up more. Angered that the U.N. or N.A.T.O. (or whatever) capitulates, General Tough-As-Nails quits his commission to round up his own band of vigilante heroes to beat the crap out of the clandestine military organization that is definitely not Cobra.
It’s pretty much the perfect plot for Renegade Ops, a vehicular twin-stick shooter that feels a lot like playing with Hot Wheels cars armed with machine guns (Pew-pew-pew!). The top-down view also reminds me of Super Off Road with no track and lots of explosions (Ka-blowie!).
The first level has a fair tutorial section, introducing its mission primary and secondary objectives, marked with red and grey arrows. The arrows lead you from encounter to encounter, though they sometimes have pathfinding problems if you go under a bridge. Tarry too long with the secondary objectives, and a timer appears on the bottom of the screen. If the timer runs out, the game ends.
Your regular weapon is an upgradable machine gun, with a secondary weapon that varies from missiles, which take a chunk of enemy health, to a flamethrower that slowly takes away life after being hit, to a railgun that can be charged for extra damage. You can choose from four cars, each with its own special ability that recharges slowly over time. The real highlight is when you get to use a helicopter, firing down from above at your enemies on the ground; the first boss fight, where you fire down on an enemy submarine, reminded me of classic arcade cabinets like 1942. However, this happens rarely, with most of the action taking place on the ground.
Jumping in and playing Renegade Ops on normal difficulty, I was struck by how hard it was. I was quickly blown up, repeatedly, and Normal affords you only five lives. No continues, though you can restart any level you’ve reached. It gave me pause and made me think that maybe the default difficulty level of Casual was accurate. With infinite lives and reduced enemy health and damage, it was certainly easier. But me, play through a game on casual mode? Pfaugh! I would have to eat my gamer pride. I pressed on.
What I discovered on my second attempt at normal difficulty was Renegade Ops’ light RPG element. The more destruction you cause, especially linked together after destroying a large vehicle, the more experience points you gain. You can expend the points between levels on vehicular upgrades to your health, weaponry, and special weapon. The experience continues to add up even if you don’t finish the level; Renegade Ops expects you to grind until your vehicle matches the difficulty of the level.
This is fun, once you soup up your car enough to keep from being completely owned by the first level, but quickly reaches a point where your car is too powerful for the game to be challenging. Circle strafing around a tank to have it blow up seconds later is awesome in theory but, after the fifth one in a row, starts to lose its shine. A difficulty graph would look something like an exponential curve starting out at stupid-difficult and moving downward and plateauing into baby-soft ease. Hard difficulty level remains fairly challenging but still has the problem of being repetitive.
Multiplayer, either online or splitscreen, is where the gameplay really shines. In Co-op only, the repetitive nature of many of the tasks are cut down when you have multiple players blasting through a level. However, there were no games available online at present (on the PS3 version) unless I hosted one, and it was only possible for me to host a level I had already reached in the single-player version. Once the game started, it started to look like the whole game had been designed with multiplayer in mind.
Secondary objectives which had been impossible suddenly were much more reachable, and enemies that had taken a long time to defeat were much more manageable, with the general pace picking up much quicker. It was possible to have up to four players join, but I wasn’t ever able to find more than one at a time.
The local splitscreen mode at first felt a little cramped, which made me glad it was limited to just two players. Halfway through the first level, I switched it from a static to dynamic display. The dynamic display started with both cars on the same screen, then when they diverged, the screen split at that point in whatever direction they were moving, and the split moved based on where the cars were in relation to each other. Both I and my “I suck at driving games!” girlfriend thought the dynamic mode was awesome. It should be noted that my girlfriend had a lot of fun blowing things up as well (Pew-pew-ka-plow!).
Renegade Ops looks great and clearly had some money thrown at it. The motion comics are professionally rendered, if a little stiff, and the voice acting is professionally hammy, suggesting the A-Team and G.I. Joe. I couldn’t stop imagining every line by the villain Inferno being delivered by Cobra Commander. The throwaway plot has less depth than a children’s wading pool, but for a game that reminds me of playing with Micro Machines, it fulfills all the desires of my inner ten-year-old boy to kick ass.
The game itself has a lot of polish for a budget title, especially compared to other twin-stick shooters. There are a few problems with texture drop-in, with trees and or other elements popping in moments after everything else at the start of a level or during an in-game cut-scene. The 3D rendered world and vehicles looks great, and the explosions and special weapon effects make it clear that blowing stuff up is the priority. The most satisfying part of the game for me was watching the animations after I drove through a shack, tent, or flimsily built house, and watching it crumble afterward in my wake.
The nine levels on normal difficulty mode took about six hours, though that could be shorter if a player didn’t try to fulfill the secondary objectives. While there was no available extra content on the PS3 version, the game released on Steam on October 26th with Gordon Freeman’s buggy from Half-Life 2 as exclusive DLC. The game has little replay value, aside from trying to beat it on higher difficulty modes.
Renegade Ops is a fun, if repetitive, vehicular twin-stick shooter that looks great, has a satisfyingly dumb story, and lots of cool explosions. It’s a little weak solo, but you could do far worse than spend six hours with a buddy, gleefully blowing things up together.
Review based on PS3 version. Code provided by publisher.
GoldenEye 007: Reloaded - GR Review
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Once upon a time, there was a game for the Nintendo 64 that put all other movie-licensed games to shame. Rare and Nintendo teamed up and produced a console first-person shooter that made for endless deathmatches and slappers-only entertainment. Matches were competitive to the point that they quickly became silly opportunities to mow down your neighbors, your best friends, and even your brothers and sisters.
Those times are long gone. Goldeneye 007 will never be as good as it was way back when. Seriously, stop trying to bring it back. Electronic Arts tried once. You've probably dug up your Nintendo 64 and had a few matches before getting right back to Halo. This time, Activision has used the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis to raise Goldeneye's worm-filled corpse.... TWICE OVER.
Last year's Wii-exclusive Goldeneye 007 must have performed well-enough, but it would be a safe bet that the company always planned to port it over to the Xbox 360 and PS3, where online multiplayer and HD graphics could reign in another crowd of suckers.
James Bond is yet again caught up in a mystery and conspiracy involving Russians, space-faring nukes, stolen helicopters, and his old partner 006. HE'S THE BAD GUY EVERYONE. You've already seen this movie, played this game, played it again, and now here you are, as Bond, but not-Bond, fighting the same enemies and progressing through the same levels.
Daniel Craig steps into the shoes this time... again... F***. This is getting confusing. Let's quit beating around the bush and say what everyone is already thinking. This game is not what you want it to be. It's not worth your money if you played the original. It retains the smallest iota of Goldeneye 007 from the Nintendo 64 and replaces every other aspect of the game with corridor shooting and roller-coaster riding a la Call of Duty. It's even in Call of Duty's engine. This is lazy, lazy, lazy.
Stealth was always a key component in James Bond gaming, but here it's simply optional. Ignoring the opportunities the game gives you to silently take out armed thugs or all of the spare objectives in harder difficulties will ultimately filter out all the greatness that even suggests this game could live up to your memories as 007.
Remaking games is hard, and what little Activision has done to maintain the Goldeneye spirit is commendable. At least they didn't create a game that gave you an actual Goldeneye. Still, there are much better shooters on the market. It's time to hang up the cummerbund and bow tie and enjoy your martini with another game.
Review based on PS3 version. Copy provided by publisher.
Revolution report card - Not the Goldeneye you remember- Easier difficulties leave out many objectives+ Harder ones bring them back- Stealth play is totally optional+ Non-regenerating health in hardest difficulty+ MI6 Bonus Missions- Totally skippable multiplayer- Daniel Craig sucks, Pierce Brosnan IS James Bond (in Goldeneye)- Muddy texturesMore information about GoldenEye 007: Reloaded
Deus Ex: Human Revolution - The Missing Link - GR Review
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DLC should do several things in order to be successful. It should expand upon the original game. It should create a new experience, despite maintaining the feel of the original gameplay. It should fix some of the issues gamers had with the core campaign. Finally, it should be just as entertaining in a brand new playthrough as it is as a standalone experience.
The Missing Link suffers from the same problems the majority of Mass Effect 2 DLC had. Players who've completed their initial playthrough and aren't ready to start a brand new one won't get the full effect and as a standalone product this DLC falters in its emulation of the main campaign.
The DLC does allow you to respec Jensen midway through a playthrough, but if you launch the new pack from the main menu, this won't mean a thing since you start with no augmentations whatsoever. Clearly the worst way to enjoy your $15 DLC is playing it right away. Be patient: Play through the game again with the DLC installed. The experience will be better for it.
If you're impatient and just play the DLC by itself, The Missing Link will suffer for it. It does manage to fix the main game's abhorred boss fights by giving you a number of options to defeat the Belltower boss, including stealth and incapacitating him rather than killing him outright. The pack also introduces another thread to the Illuminati conspiracy plot and provides players with more combat, stealth, social, and hacking opportunities.
If you've just got to have more Deus Ex: Human Revolution, The Missing Link is more than worth its $15 asking price. If you really enjoyed this year's stealth-action RPG hybrid, you might want to wait for the desire to playthrough the game again or for the DLC to go on sale. Otherwise, The Missing Link could have stayed missing.
Review based on PS3 version. Code provided by the publisher.
Revolution report card + A Boss without Brute Force+ More hacking, more stealth, more combat- Only for those in need of more DXHR- Not compelling by itself+ Sufficient playtimeMore information about Deus Ex: Human Revolution - The Missing Link
Also known as: DXHR: The Missing Link
House of the Dead: OVERKILL - Extended Cut - GR Review
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I mean, it doesn't make that much sense, right? If you know that you're headed toward a mansion filled to the brim with the undead (and I don't wanna know how all of them got in there), who in their right mind would go back… except for maybe a dumb detective (with a particular love for the letters "m" and "f") and a dumber FBI agent with a letter for a name? Or that one chick with the giant bust and a score to settle?
Isaac Washington, Varla Gunns (yup, big chest equals corny name), and Agent G are just three of the characters involved in the "intricate" experience that is House of the Dead: Overkill, the on-rails shooter from a franchise that started in the arcade, was only ever suited for an arcade, and continued to get more-and-more depressing as it left the arcade. Sega and friends were shooting zombies before shooting zombies was "hip" and "cool" as the kids today know (really though, zombies have always been cool, even to me), though this time it's blatantly stated that it's not "zombies" you're shooting… they're mutants. Man-made virus and all that. Boogie woogie woogie. How are we allowing them to get away with calling this "House of the Dead" when you're not shooting the walking dead?
Anyway, have you ever played a light gun, on-rails shooter? Because if you have, you know exactly what to expect: point at the screen and pull the trigger. It's as easy as the best of arcade quarter-munchers. As mutants march towards the screen, it's up to you to shoot them. It's that simple, mainly because when drunks stagger into arcades, they have to know what to do with the funny-looking guns attached to the TVs.
With that transition to a home console comes plenty of more intricate playing options, like upgrades to a faster reload and larger clip and even buying brand-spankin'-new guns which all keep the action and violence fresh. On top of that, every environment is unique with its own set of bad guys. That's not to say that previous baddies aren't constantly showing back up for more punishment, but every space has a batch unique to their region. You'll see some awkward valley girls in the swamp, but they're surrounded by the creepy rednecks with bloody flannel as well.
Throughout the stages are extra items as well. Comic book pages, movie posters, even heads-on trophy platforms, which unlock 3D models of characters throughout the game, are littered across the landscape. Sometimes they're blatantly there, while a few take some sharp shooting (or an Uzi, whichever's easier for you) to capture. They're fun little extras, but similar to those in tons of other games. Still more swearing, but nothing special.
Three mini-games are options right from the get-go, and they're all fun. First is "Victim Support", the goal being to save the limping humans from the attacking hordes of attacking mutants. The further the survivors travel before being munched, the higher the score given. It's the trickiest of the games, and not the most fun since you have to worrying about someone else instead of willy-nilly pulling the trigger.
The second game "Stayin' Alive" is like the main game and involves shooting whatever moves, lumbers, crawls, or throws stuff. Given a time limit and your trusty weapon, you must rip down the fleshy walls until either time runs out or your health does. "Money Shot II", the third game, is the trick-shooting target game. There has to be a touch of everything from the main game, doesn't there?
Developers were striving for second playthroughs, so after playing through the main game, a wealth of new bits and pieces are unlocked. "Shoot the Sh*t" is available, where you must shoot the bad words before anybody gets to say them (which means a lot of bullets are necessary), along with an extended version of the main story called the Director's Cut. They add some replay, which is what a game like this needs, though once a section has been played through and mentally recorded, playing through again can be more of a chore than a privilege. Especially since this started out on the Wii, so on the PS3 the thing is butt-ugly. Realizing that can help with the little graphical glitches and tweaks, but going in blind, it's just awkward and bland, even with drastic changes in environments to help the story along.
But if you're just looking for a reminder of why this franchise just gulped quarters in arcades, this is about as good as it might ever get again on consoles. Plus, since this is obviously an "M"-rated title, it's a great way for classic players to feel like kids in an arcade… but grown up and filthy enough to get into a grindhouse flick and see some nasty stuff go down. Oh, and there's plenty of innuendo, swearing, blood-spewing, and a few of the sickest bosses I've seen yet to keep the creepy-crawlies around for a while yet. Now good shoot those dirty muthaf-
Title exclusive to PS3. Copy provided by the publisher.
Disney Universe - GR Review
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Well, it seems the Disney Imagineers have been at it again. This time, they've re-imagined some of Disney's top-grossing flicks into immersive worlds where tasks abound. Disney Universe is a sometimes frustrating adventure through familiar settings where the goal is to free characters and win lots of gold. Popular productions, such as Pirates of the Caribbean and Wall-E, are just two of the game's jump-off points. No matter the venue, I had a lot more fun with this than I thought I would, and I'm not even the target audience. That being said, I did my best to channel my inner 8-year-old while reviewing Disney Universe, keeping an eye out for pitfalls, of which there are a few, but they have easy workarounds. Given the right set up, Disney Universe will allow kids to get maximum joy out of playing in its kingdom.
From the outset, the guide in Disney Universe hints that it should be played with teammates. Heed these suggestions. The antagonizing bots that appear are both numerous and impossible to avoid. Once they show up, you can forget about accomplishing the current challenge until they are all dead. Just drop whatever you are doing and kill them all. It only takes one of those sneaky so-and-so's to get you, so be thorough; you have endless lives, but it's never fun to die. Killing all the bots is easier said than done, and would be ever so much easier in multiplayer mode. My 8-year-old self hasn't made many friends lately, so it was all up to her. She nearly gave up and declared the game stupid, but then the grown-up me took over and skimmed the manual.
If you give this game as a gift, you will want to do the same for yourself. Open up the manual and commit the special attacks to memory; they're simple—the most complex is a 3-button combo. Learning the Double-Jump Ground Slam Attack is essential. Although the game will pop up hints along the way, and how to perform the slam attack is one of those hints, it comes too late and in the middle of a melee brawl when you may not have time to read it. Perhaps this was a strategic decision on the game designer's part to make things more challenging and extend replay value, but it's also a big risk.
I've purchased more than a few perfectly enjoyable games that my real child dismissed after five minutes because the game was “too hard”. When a game is frustrating, kids tend not to want to play. It would be a shame to have Disney Universe relegated to the heap of untouchables, because it is really well-done, visually impressive, and fun (as long as you can kill the bots). Without the slam attack, you may as well save yourself the trip to the store and throw 50 bucks directly into the trash.
Another thing the gift-giver may want to consider, at least at first, is playing with the child. I know you probably want the game in order to get the rugrat out of your hair. The distraction capabilities of this game are very high, but only after you give your kid the tools to be successful. Once he has the controls down, he can pass on his knowledge to his peers, or if he's really good, he can defeat the bots on his own. Playing with a partner will really cut down on the frustration level early on. You might even find yourself enjoying the game. Remember when you had to sit through Aladdin (not the video game) and pretend to like it? The Imagineers pay you back with Disney Universe. This time you won't have to pretend.
If you've ever vacationed at one of the Disney parks, the next pitfall won't come as a surprise. Things are really expensive in Disney Universe. You start off in an “arrr”-duous setting: The Pirates of the Caribbean. There are so many things to accomplish that you may be inclined to simply go about doing what you are directed to do. This would be a mistake, because in order to advance you'll need gold. Lots of gold. Unlocking the next world will cost you 2000, so remember to break open every cask and crate you see along the way.
The last pitfall may be as unavoidable as it is inevitable: Disney Universe gets repetitive. Kind of like standing in line for the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland for the fifth time... somewhere among the fake hanging vines you'll wonder why. Sure, it's an exciting ride, and maybe you have a fast-pass, but why subject yourself to the torture of standing in line over and over? The answer is clear. It's all about presentation.
Imagineers make standing in line fun. In Disney Universe, they do the same. Even though every level has some form of a crank and a cannon you have to assemble and most have collecting tasks, the Imagineers make it new in each world. In the Lion King world, you collect bones; in the Pirates world, mermaid tears. The universe of Wall-E and Monsters Inc. invert the playing field while the Aladdin world speeds up the intensity. The things you have to collect or assemble meld nicely with the world you inhabit and the creativity will not go unnoticed. Even with all the flash, the repetition shows through the veil of presentation, especially to older players.
All of this is not to say Disney Universe is not a top-shelf pick. Creativity covers up many of the imperfections, the artwork in the backdrops is unrivaled in a kids game, and best of all, it's extremely entertaining. You don't have to be a kid to enjoy Disney Universe. Heed the pitfalls and choosing this game off your shelf will be an easy decision for any member of the family.
Review based on X360 version. Copy provided by publisher.
Revolution report card + Unlimited lives+ Inventive worlds+ Enjoyable for a range of ages- Impossible without special attacks- Tasks get repetitiveMore information about Disney Universe
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Impact - GR Review
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Hey, you! Do you dream of slaying the same faceless ninja over and over again? How about taking out a few hundred Naruto clones (which made me very, very happy to do) and finishing up by fighting Sakura, Naruto's pink-haired and loud little friend, or his best "friend" Sasuke? Is it your passion to push the same two buttons over and over again, only to be occasionally knocked down and have to press a third? Well, never fear, young whippersnapper!
There are days when I dislike being the guy who's always asking for portable games. Enough times I get something I didn't expect I'd enjoy, like Henry Hatsworth or Dream Trigger 3D, but just as often I'm the "lucky" one who gets games, like Invizimals and Dragon Ball Evolution. (To be honest, I requested DE because I was curious about how it compared to the movie. SPOILER: Also not good.)
So this time, I'm at least grateful it's not quite as disappointing as my previous sadnesses. Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate NInja Impact is a story with people surviving, characters dying, and drastic measures being taken to keep the world in order and peaceful… though if you're actually interested in the story, you already know what happens. These games tend to be like that.
Controlling Naruto and his companions is interesting as they all have a unique feel to their fighting style. Naruto is simple to pick up and pound buttons, while his master Jiriya is more the "I'm a slow, old man" pound-and-pray type with better range and power, but not great at stringing together beatdowns. Everyone will obviously find their favorites, but what's annoying is the lack of choice. Because of the story structure, Sakura has to be used at certain points, and Naruto has to be used in others. I understand that's necessary to progress through the story appropriately, but I would love the option to go back and play through previous stages with different characters… and that's not an option. Gunning for high scores on certain stages is thereby limited, which is a shame.
As far as the aesthetic goes, it's impressive how many characters will show up on-screen. The numbers did overwhelm me a few times in battle, but just seeing probably 25 or 30 different baddies all clustered around (and different types of baddies) made me pound the circle button ever faster. A few of the environments are bland standard fare, but a few spots were stand-out; having a gigantic enemy against a rural city backdrop showed some character.
All the characters are voiced throughout the game, though it's disappointing that there still isn't any animation. With a game based on a popular anime, why aren't there any clips? Or at least anything to indicate the story is going on beyond two stationary figures "standing" right next to each other having a conversation? Moreover, that conversation should be a backdrop to the fact that one of them is being killed, but no, they're involved in an oh-so-civil chat. Could you imagine what a "civil" conversation would be if Eve and Aya Brea sat for a cup or tea, or if Pyramid Head and anyone else were playing croquet? To be blunt, it's unnatural.
I've been harsh on Naruto games in the past, but they didn't deserve kindness. That was due to the ugly visuals, broken mechanics, and just a ton of pixilated ninja stars to the face of quality. This time, there doesn't seem to be too much wrong… just a lot of average. And that's okay. Many, many licensed games have been far less than okay. Anyone remember Xena: Warrior Princess on purpose? How about the love you felt for Superman 64?
There are other modes beyond the initial story mode, but they're really just more of the same. In addition to the main modes, there are "Extra Missions" and "Tag Missions" to blow time on. The "Tag Missions" are just that: missions where you have a partner and need to beat another team. That's all they are, just occasionally-random teams to beat the living hell out of with your random team. Unless you're sick of slaying hundreds of weak and faceless bastards, you can fight a small group of more powerful, recognizable characters.
Then there are the "Extra Missions", which is what you would expect—more missions in the same vein as the storyline. Fight a certain amount of ninja, reach certain points on the map, and solve for "x" in a set period of time. The "Tag Missions" can be played with a friend, but even without any friends (you poor lonely bastards), playing with a computer tag partner is a possibility. They're stupid, but they keep alive long enough.
Part of me wants to really praise Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Impact for not being what the Naruto fighting games have been, and part of me wants to just play Dynasty Warriors. If you're into the story, then I guess this is your best bet. It's button-mashy, but thankfully not as much so as previous titles have been. For everybody else, if you already have this game with a different skin, you're not missing much.
Copy provided by publisher.
Rocksmith - GR Review
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Finally! A music-based game where I don't have to cradle a hunk of plastic in my arms and press colorful buttons in order to accomplish through a console what countless drunkards can accomplish with a karaoke machine. Musical mimicry without the need for any actual talent.
Sure, you might be able to make it to expert mode in games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero, but when you set down that "controller", what have you really learned? Who has the best color recognition? I've been playing the acoustic guitar for about five years now and I wouldn't classify myself as a trailblazing minstrel, but I've mastered the guitar basics. Deep down, I have always been dreaming of more. You can only do so many Sister Hazel covers in your lifetime...
The electric guitar can be intimidating, but Rocksmith's approach simplifies the learning process and makes it more accessible to a wider range of players. The only catch is that having a basic knowledge of the guitar or some form of musical education is almost essential to beginning this game. Aside from technique videos that introduce you to strumming, holding a guitar, and playing notes, there is little else done to educate the player about music in general. So if you don't have a musical bone in your body, Rocksmith will be intimidating to strap on.
In Journey mode, essentially the career mode, you can choose to learn the songs in the order that Rocksmith thinks is best or you can go through the track list and learn them on your own. For more advanced players, jumping straight into whatever song you want shouldn't be a problem, but if you've never played an electric guitar before, it's best to begin with Journey Mode. When you begin, you'll start off with songs that have a more simplistic single-note melody base and build upon that. Once you achieve your target accuracy you'll be cleared to perform the songs and attempt to level up.
As you progress, you'll begin unlocking vids for different techniques, associated with the songs you are learning. These include sustains, string bending, palm mutes, and more. Every new technique is accompanied by an instructional video and a practice exercise, so you can work on each one individually. It's much easier than wading through poorly produced YouTube how-to videos.
Another mode that allows you to break a song down is the Riff Repeater Mode. This mode has two different categories, each geared towards helping you master the key melodies of any particular song. The first category is "leveler", where you are given five attempts to play a riff correctly in order to increase its difficulty in the song itself. That's the game's variable difficulty at play. If you're not trying to make the song more difficult, then the "free speed" option would be best, in which the song will pause if you miss a note/chord, allowing you time to correct your mistake. Practicing with these two modes before beginning a new song is extremely beneficial and recommended before jumping straight into rehearsal mode.
Rocksmith has a list of enjoyable educational mini-games as well that build specific guitar techniques. You can practice single-notes in Ducks, chords in Dawn of the Chordead, or play Big Swing Baseball and practice your string-bending skills. While these games are fun, there are many hang-ups that get in the way, though much of it has nothing to do with mini-games themselves.
The sensitivity of Rocksmith forces you to always play a note perfectly. If you're playing a single note and your finger isn't precisely where it should be, the note will not register in the game. Sometimes the game wants you to hold down a string on the fret and sometimes somewhere in between. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that I did not use the Epiphone guitar from the $200 bundle, but my own guitar along with the proprietary Rocksmith cable that turns any electric guitar (and even acoustic guitar, if you've got a plug and play kit) into a compatible peripheral. Any experienced guitarist knows that you can't be 100% on point all the time. Rocksmith demands perfection constantly and will settle for nothing less.
This call for consistent accuracy might be enough to deter beginning guitarists. It's hard enough getting used to the pain of building calluses so you can play for more than a few hours without your fingers bleeding. The Dynamic Difficulty setting is a cruel mistress. When you finally get a phrase down, the game will increase the difficulty in the middle of the song, throwing up new versions of riffs even if you haven't practiced them before. Fail to play the right note and you'll see incoming notes drop off the screen.
It's kind of like a virtual slap to the face. Some might see it and be motivated; most others will see it and just feel too defeated to try again. There's really no way to get around this. The difficulty setting in the game can only revert you back to beginner status at square-zero—there's no in between. Although the technique exercises and riff repeater modes are sufficient in helping to overcome difficult songs, the addition of a manual "slow down" function, like the one in the Break it Down mode in Dance Central, would have been enough to make rehearsing less daunting.
There is incredible value to buying this game even if you aren't interested in the educational perks. There is an entire Amp mode where you can customize up to three different foot pedals and create unique guitar tones and play freely or use them in any of the songs in game. I've never fooled around with tones or distortion before so having the ability to access a wide variety of amp features is a huge bonus. Basic guitar and amp combo deals usually only include an amp with one distortion. The only downside is that the controller is the foot pedal, so if you want switch tones mid-jam, you'll have to stop playing and press a button. The other great value of the game is that it helps tune your guitar every time you play and if you access the tuner through the main menu, you have the option of tuning to E standard or Drop D.
Many people might be turned off to Rocksmith due to its lack of party game appeal, but that's not what it's about. It's about making a difficult instrument easy and fun to learn, and it accomplishes that. For beginners Rocksmith may seem like a hellish gauntlet, but for more experienced players it will be slightly less harsh and possibly even too easy at times. Rocksmith has already begun to improve my skill level and make me more confident when executing different guitar techniques, so I'm all the evidence you need. The things I've been able to learn so far will definetly carry over to any songs I want to lean outside of the game. If you're really serious about wanting to learn how to play guitar, Rocksmith is more than worth it.
Review based on PS3 version. Copy provided by publisher.
Lord of the Rings: War in the North - GR Review
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It sucks when you work hard and don’t get your due. It’s true for stagehands on broadway shows, roadies with rock bands, or me that one time I singlehandedly saved Anthony from a ravenous group of hipsters brandishing their iPhones when he visited the Berkeley office last year (no mention on the front page whatsoever).
The point is, the people behind the scenes work hard and rarely get credit for it. In the case of The Lord of the Rings, five dudes and four pint-sized mini-dudes got hailed for saving the world, as if nothing else was going on besides their quest to melt a little ring. Those selfish bastards.
If you pay attention to the narrative in LotR, you may notice small mentions here and there of the war in the North, which was actually a significant crisis of its own. Enter Snowblind Studios, who have created The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, so that we may experience this side-story for ourselves. Can't leave epic content on the table like that.
Chronologically, War in the North occurs concurrently with the War of the Ring that we all know and love. The story kicks off in Bree with our three heroes—the ranger Eradan, the dwarf Farin, and the Elf Andriel—meeting with Aragorn at the Inn of the Prancing Pony shortly before the Hobbits arrive. Aragorn sends them to Fornost to distract the gathering army of orcs and goblins, so the Hobbits can make their way to Rivendell relatively unhindered.
That army is led by a huge creepy guy named Agandaur, who turns out to be Sauron’s right-hand man in the North, charged with conquering those lands while the big kahuna focuses on battle down south. The conflict with Agandaur leads the team through ruins, undead tombs, enchanted forests, snowy peaks, and fortified enemy strongholds. LotR nerds will be happy to run into several familiar places, such as Rivendell, where you can briefly chat with the Fellowship before they go off on their own quest.
The lore is one of the strong points of War in the North. Snowblind clearly did their homework, offering up plenty of Middle-Earth history through NPC conversations and sidequests. If you’re not into LotR, you’ll no doubt have trouble keeping up with the bombardment of names and stories that get thrown your way, but fans will be kept nice and happy with the attention to detail.
But unfortunately the same care that was taken with bringing the world of Middle-Earth to life hasn’t been applied to the characters. The protagonists are bland and have nothing really to distinguish them from any other human, elf, or dwarf. Don’t expect the friendly rivalry between Gimli and Legolas or the misguided ambitions of Boromir with these guys—they just work cohesively and never have interesting things like personalities or character flaws to get in the way of that.
The gameplay works by and large, offering a good 20 to 30-hour adventure that is well-paced and engaging enough to keep you playing. There isn’t anything especially innovative about it, but it’s all solid. Melee combat involves stringing together hits with light attacks until you get a triangle over an enemy’s head, which signals your chance for a critical strike. If you land it, you enter “hero mode”, which makes all your attacks stronger, staggers enemies, and gives you XP bonuses for combos.
Each character also has ranged attacks; Eradan and Farin use bows and crossbows while Andriel fires energy from her staff. As you level up, you’ll distribute points into the stats of your choosing and also get skill points which you can use in traditional talent tree format. In this way the characters are very customizable; one Eradan player could make him a master marksman while another could make him a stealthy dual-wielding melee specialist, and likewise Andriel could be built up as a powerful mage or as a stalwart healer for the group.
The only real problem with the combat is that there’s no lock-on system in place. If you get overwhelmed by a horde of orcs, you’re likely to lose your target as you get jostled around by all the bodies. This isn’t helped by the fact that enemy and ally alike have large collision detection boxes, causing them to often get in the way of your intended target right when you’re about to land that sweet critical hit. Without a lock-on system, there’s also the tendency to lose sight of... well, almost everything if you get backed up against a wall because the camera is too dumb to adjust itself.
Like any co-op game of this nature, War in the North is best played with friends. If you have to go solo, the AI is smart enough not to be a pain and equips itself with new gear, allocates its own stat points, and learns its own skills—but it’s just not as fun as getting three people together and screaming at each other over what to attack and who needs reviving.
I also noticed that single-player is significantly easier than co-op. The AI partners seem capable of absorbing immense amounts of punishment, whereas my times playing co-op with fellow journalists saw us all constantly dying around each other in the same areas of the game.
I hate mentioning bugs, as they can be patched, but I did encounter one severe glitch that ruined an entire playthrough. I went about three hours on my first save file before stopping. When I came back, the game would freeze every single time I tried to load it. I essentially lost all of that progress and had to replay the game from the start.
Whatever caused that problem is a mystery; it could have just been a freak occurrence, it could have been something related only to my review platform (PS3). But regardless of how and why it happened, a glitch as serious as that is a big no-no when you hand a game to a reviewer. It’s enough to dock points on what would otherwise be a solid 'B' game.
If that game-breaking incident isn’t enough to deter you, then War in the North is a good choice for some classic action-RPG fun. It isn’t amazing, but it’s a competent effort and certainly one of the better LotR games to come along. Isn’t it about time that the smaller characters, bland as they are, got their due?
Review based on PS3 platform. Copy provided by publisher.
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception - GR Review
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While Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3 duke it out on the FPS field, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception is here to provide another blockbuster-inspired adventure as an alternate flavor of fun in this season of "3s" that is upon us. Among Thieves was quite an act to follow, so it's no surprise that Drake's Deception may not blow your mind the way that one did, but this is more a testament to just how high a bar Naughty Dog has set in the interactive entertainment field. Nathan's third journey may be aiming to deceive you in a number of ways, but don't be fooled: This is yet another game-of-the-year contender.
Without spoiling the details, Drake's Deception is a layered title with many meanings, and the story definitely has a more serious spin than it has in the past. There are some notable moments that pass into something I would consider expected of a grade-A action film. The team's approach to motion-capture is clearly advantageous, as it lends scenes an extra dash of realism very few games manage to create. It admittedly follows a similar formula in narrative structure as Among Thieves did, but this fine—seeing as that formula worked out very well—especially since the settings are entirely different, and there's a much heavier emphasis on backstory and exploring the characters' motivations.
Unfortunately, the villains don't get as much depth as they could have, and while the curves and twists the tale takes are engaging, the way everything ends feels just a tad rushed in comparison to the second title's climactic scenes. But this is a criticism made only after comparing it to Among Thieves. The yarn that Uncharted 3 spins is wild, entertaining, leaves just enough mystery to let the player theorize, and leaves you wanting more in the best way.
Now, perhaps man-love between Nathan and Sully—and discussions revolving around the latter's nice ass— isn't exactly why you play this series. You enjoy it for the rush, the excitement, the scope of the locations... Drake's Deception definitely kicks things up a notch in this regard. The train scene in the last title was probably its greatest technical achievement, and there are multiple sequences like that here, including a pair of chase scenes that are two of the most entertaining I'd say I've ever played through. But it's not only "run and gun, scale walls, run into the camera away from danger" that goes on. The journey takes a few turns that slow the pace down a bit in smart ways. Pacing, after all, is optimal when there are highs and lows in well-placed interval—and this third installment probably provides the best in that regard.
There are still old, dilapidated buildings to explore, ancient mechanisms that don't seem physically possible to figure out, and a few puzzles that require a different approach than we've seen in past Uncharted titles. Uncharted 3 tries new concepts that the series hasn't done before in its environments, always using these new ideas to shake up the cover-based shooting gameplay. Sometimes this means making things more vertical; other times it means shifting terrains that make enemies—and cover itself—wobble around.
The melee combat has some more detail put into it as well. It's not much compared to combat-oriented games, but you can tell the team poured more effort into it, and context-sensitive attacks seal this fact. Seamlessly slapping an enemy with a fish from a vendor's market table or slamming him against a nearby wall can be hilarious and immersive. Enemy layouts and behaviors seem more challenging than they have been too, ensuring that veteran players will still be forced to approach the high-intensity fights with some thought. Fisticuffs, shootouts, parkour chases, high-speed tomfoolery, philosophical contemplation—all here, all engaging.
The level of visual detail is still striking, even after the way Among Thieves harnessed the Playstation 3's hardware. Drake's Deception is, like its predecessor, one of the best-looking games out there right now. Part of this has to do with the detail in its modeling and textures, the craftsmanship of the design (some of the structural touches are really something), and the sense of magnitude and scale the game manages to produce. Just like God of War 3 before it, the game occasionally pans out wide to show off the massive environments, flexing its graphical biceps. The character animation can't be understated. Nathan's model probably has more frames of animation than any other character I can think of, from his various climbing to the swagger in his step whether in full-on sprint or when weary and dehydrated.
When playing multiplayer or co-op, things lose a layer of polish, but in cut-scenes from the campaign, things look quite fantastic, combining live performance, genuine voice acting, and facial tweaks that sell the experience. Eyes, in particular, are difficult to capture properly without coming across as artificial, but this game pulls them off without difficulty. The voicing is some of the best in the biz, and though the actual sound effects themselves aren't specifically wow-worthy, the music hits all the right notes from what you'd expect of a Lawrence of Arabia-style flick. On a technical and artistic level, the end product of everything the game has to offer is a world that feels full to the brim with detail and variety, taking full advantage of that big HD screen and surround sound setup you have.
There are a few prices to be paid, however. Texture pop-in can be a problem on numerous occasions, especially in multiplayer, and because of how seamlessly Nathan can maneuver most objects, it can actually become a bit confusing as to what he can and cannot scale in certain environments. There's an “Oops, guess I can't climb that” animation that you will become quite accustomed to in areas where it's not quite as clear how to traverse the environment. When locked into melee combat and under fire, I found it difficult to evade and run and hide, since the face buttons perform different actions in this context than they do normally.
There's also a trade-off in that the game doesn't have as much humor as the last game did, since it focuses more on emotional impact. Really, though, these are all criticisms for the sake of nitpicking given the size and breadth of all the game's campaign manages to accomplish—which is a lot more than most games do. The better something is, the more noticeable its few flaws become, like fingerprint smudges on that shiny new device.
After the campaign is done (which took me, an Uncharted veteran, about 8 hours on Normal), there's still a lot to keep you busy. Co-op has its own separate story of sorts this time, taking the concept used in the second title, refining it and expanding it with some new ideas. It can even be played two-player in local split-screen, if you like (though I oddly couldn't use my actual account info that I use to play online). Likewise, split-screen can be used for LAN party modes and online for competitive multiplayer action.
While it will probably be debated for some while to come whether or not Among Thieves or Drake's Deception offers the better overall campaign experience, the multiplayer has been extremely improved. More modes, options, and goals abound. Character customization is more detailed, though still oddly a bit lacking for the main heroes themselves, something that may change via patches and DLC, as it has been altered quite a bit even since the beta this summer. Loadouts can be swapped mid-match, and there's a lot more options to be found, such as weapon modifications and the new medal kickbacks, which are special abilities that can be activated when enough in-game achievements are earned during the course of a match.
There are even some multiplayer environments that borrow ideas from epic scenes in the campaign to create competitive maps unlike anything you'll find in most shooters out there—not to mention the parkour-based gunplay that already differentiates it from a lot of other multiplayer experiences to be had. Even the few maps that have been brought back from the last game have been revamped with a few tweaks and big visual overhauls so they still feel fresh.
There's so much more to do in multiplayer on a metagame level, and it all contributes to expanding your characters' abilities, that even losing feels like progress. Missions award extra cash to buy upgrades, treasures unlock customized weapons and clothing, and your boosters (or perks) can be leveled up by performing actions that reinforce their advantages.
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception provides one of the most technically impressive adventures you can find, matched with a detailed and unique multiplayer, all while making it easy for a newcomer to pick up and enjoy. Drake's Deception is why most gamers play video games—experiences that keep us awed and engaged, and extra content to keep us coming back for more. It's definitely one of the most well-produced games you'll find available this year. It's hard to say whether it concretely surpasses its predecessor as an overall campaign, but with a much-improved multiplayer and more ambitious settings in its single-player, you'll be hard-pressed to find many games this generation that can match its scope and prowess.
Copy provided by the publisher.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - GR Review
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For earnest pleasure, I shall apply a deft hand to this reflection of my journeys through the Old Kingdom of Skyrim, the rustic homeland of the Nords and, lest the Divines jest in their everlasting guile, the root of humanity itself. I do this not to flaunt my powers of the written word nor to etch a lasting mark upon the world as mortalkind are wont to do when the Halls of the Dead beckons our name, but to reify the wistful restlessness stirring beneath this corner of the world with the ostensibly savage literacy of its people. Compared to the majesty of its mountains, the vastness of its plains, the half-remembered truths of its legends, I am merely a man clawing at the barefaced inspiration that envelops Skyrim with the elegance of the winds and the wisdom of the ancients.
Precariously after the accounts known throughout Tamriel as the Oblivion Crisis, Skyrim follows the thread of fate that pulls the Dovahkiin, or Dragonborn in the common tongue, to the town of Helgen along the outskirts of the land. Shackled for an unnamed crime and strewn through the muddy roads in a flimsy cart, the Dragonborn beholds the executions of two fellow prisoners before kneeling beneath the executioner's axe. Ulfric Stormcloak, with mouth bound by tightened cloth, faces the charge of assassinating the High King of Skyrim with the mere power of his voice. But as not to spoil the plot much further, let it simply be said that the Gods intervene, for this tale would otherwise be very short indeed.
Thus begins the perilous but valorous adventures of the Dovahkiin, whose race, gender, and appearance can be chosen freely, and the string of events whose significance shall spring forth in song and rumor by every bard throughout the kingdom until the coming of the end, as foretold by the Elder Scrolls themselves. Any telling of the story, however, no matter its length, dismisses in its judgment the mundane details for dramatic effect, the countless breaths between the lines left unmentioned. Yet Skyrim, and thus the Dovahkiin's journey through it, cannot be reduced to the space of mere paragraphs. Even this account is deficient despite my intentions.
For what shall be ignored? If we speak of the Dovahkiin's supernatural ability to absorb the souls of dragons and swiftly project the voice of the dragon tongue in magical Shouts, how can we discount the hero's numerous ventures into the catacombs strewn throughout Skyrim to learn each Shout's Word of Power? If we speak of the Dovahkiin's wealth, how can we discredit the hero's endless bandit killing, dungeon raiding, animal hunting, blacksmith forging, item enchanting, and flower picking for alchemic potions? Or the countless requests made by the haves and the have-nots? Or the thievery, left disregarded, in every city of Skyrim? Such is how exploration in this sun-choked land becomes the unspoken strength of the Dovahkiin.
But above all else is the sophistication of the combat and the refinement of the statistics, both undoubtedly influenced by the simplicity of Fable II. Oblivion's leveling system, most overly complex, has been abandoned for the clarity of health, stamina, and magicka—no more, no less. Levels are not earned strictly by earning trivial experience points but by upgrading any combination of skills a specific number of times, though if I may, a word of caution: Enemies will scale to the level of the hero, but not unfairly so, ensuring challenging combat and encouraging specific builds.
The Dovahkiin, blessed by the unerring fates, is also not bound by a level cap, lest every skill be mastered, which could be done in due time. Peering high at the heavens, the hero may glance at the sky and find each constellation a skill tree and each star a perk. It is an interface without peer, a vision to behold and the best of its kind. The universe becomes the very essence of the Dovahkiin's soul, a tapestry woven in the sea of infinite possibilities.
The flexibility of the combat comes from the ease with which the hero can wield two weapons, shields, or spells, whether that be a sword and shield, dual-wielded daggers, a two-handed greatsword, or dual-wielded spells. Well-timed blocks and strikes become deathblows and ripostes, while sneak-attacking enemies multiplies damage significantly. Switching between first-person and third-person provides further tactical precisoin by zooming in and out, and the favorites list allows for shortcuts to specific builds. However, console owners should not have been given only two build shortcuts and deserved a different shortcut system entirely.
All of this alone would have secured Skyrim as a momentous achievement, but then to combine it with majestic vistas, a fluid orchestral soundscape, a seamless time and weather system, the architectural detail of each major city, extensive literature, group factions, and dragons that can swoop down from anywhere without warning propels Skyrim into the hall of legends. Even with the occasional glitch and the linearity of most side quests, it cannot be denied.
One calamitous stain, however, prevents Skyrim from reaching perfection: a lack of companion control. Why the companion wheel from Fallout: New Vegas has been unceremoniously removed is bewildering. This fact rears its ugly head each time a mercenary steps over a trap, dashes toward the enemy with unnecessary zeal while the hero is attempting to avoid detection, and waddles into the path of perfectly aligned arrows. Worse, the absence of companion side quests or backstory turns these companions into pack mules and nothing more. The repetitive dialogue heard every time the hero passes an NPC does not improve matters either, particularly from the guards who speak the same lines regardless of the city.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a testament to the strength and importance of games that create living, breathing worlds, while affirming the value of long-term commitment over instant gratification. The absence of companion control, though a glaring flaw, ultimately does not spoil its purposeful, refined, and genre-defining design. Endlessly replayable and a phenomenal landmark in gaming, Skyrim deserves a place in every true gamer's collection.
Review based on X360 version. Copy provided by publisher.
Review of inFamous: Festival of Blood
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Reviewed on Oct. 28, 2011 A few valuable gameplay additions and thick Halloween atmosphere make Festival of Blood easy to bite on for its modest price. By Brad Shoemaker 
Plenty of new enemies to stick a stake in.Maybe it was too much time spent watching Charlie Brown holiday specials in my youth, but I find something fundamentally appealing about seasonally-themed games. With all its emphasis on monster archetypes and sinister atmosphere, Halloween is as ripe as any holiday for the game treatment, and around this time last year we got a double dose of creepy little downloadables with Costume Quest and the brilliant Red Dead Redemption add-on Undead Nightmare. This year it's Sucker Punch getting into the act, with a standalone Infamous game rife with vampires. Festival of Blood might be a little short on content, but there are things about it that are genuinely better than Infamous 2 itself, and for only $10, it's hard to argue with how much is included.
As all good what-if games ought to, Festival of Blood works within a framing story that doesn't take itself seriously. Your old pal Zeke is at a bar spinning a yarn to some comely lass, about that one time legendary electro-guy Cole MacGrath became a vampire for one night. That gives the game carte blanche to get as crazy as it wants with undead monsters overrunning the city during a booze-soaked nocturnal celebration known as Pyre Night, which dresses Infamous 2's New Marais up in some attractive seasonal decorations. The city also feels more alive than Infamous 2 did, with more and better ambient sounds, and street parades and revelers almost everywhere you look. The crux of the story here is Cole's transformation into a minion of the sly vampiress Bloody Mary. You've only got until dawn to kill Mary and break your enslavement, and the game does a great job of indicating the passage of time by reminding you at certain points during the story how many hours you have left, and subtly changing the world by lightening the sky to give the sense that time is in fact running out.
New Marais' seasonal makeover helps establish the mood.Festival of Blood is built on the Infamous 2 engine and assets, which is to say it feels almost exactly like Infamous 2 (which in turn felt a lot like the original Infamous). That means a lot of dodging and rolling in between hurling bolts of lightning and electric grenades and rockets at enemies. Since the game is still Infamous 2 at heart, it's worth noting that the same combat issues are here--mainly, it's easy to get ganged up on at inopportune times, or occasionally stick to a piece of the level design when you're trying to dodge. There's one meaningful new ability in here--the power to turn into a cloud of bats and soar right over all those buildings you had to climb up slowly in the previous game--that really changes the feel of how this game plays. It's incredibly fast to get around the city now, so fast that you might have a hard time going back to Infamous 2 after this. Festival of Blood reminds me of BioShock 2's masterful Minerva's Den in the way it accelerates the progression of your abilities over a compressed timespan; you start out with basic Infamous powers at the beginning and quickly advance to more powerful weaponry by completing combat challenges. The game works the vampiric theme into the gameplay pretty well, since you're fighting (and staking) other vampires almost constantly, and you get a "vampire vision" sort of mode that lets you reveal disguised vampires walking among the populace, as well as some nifty hidden collectibles.
It's those collectibles that add a little bit of meat to what is otherwise a pretty lean experience. You could burn through the story missions alone in a couple of hours here, especially since the flight ability makes it so quick and easy to get from place to place. But there are 100 items scattered around that increase the length of your flight time, as well as 10 invisible glyphs painted onto building walls that reveal some voiceovers from Mary about her past, stretching all the way back to Colonial America and even earlier. Those voiceovers do a surprisingly good job of fleshing her out as a character, and I found myself seeking them out not just to earn a trophy but because I wanted to hear everything she had to say. The glyphs are also fun to hunt for, since slipping into your vampire vision will show you ghostly arrows that point in the general direction of more arrows that will eventually lead you to a new tale. Hunting those down makes you feel a little sleuthy.
Some nice new still art helps tell the brief story.Infamous 2's user-generated mission tools make their way into Festival of Blood as well, though you need to finish the story before you can make your own stuff. There's a nice upgrade to the editor that lets you pose character models in specific positions and then take still images of them, then overlay comic book-style talky bubbles on the image to create a little narrative to go along with your mission. I long ago made the life choice not to create my own content with these sorts of tools, but I could see people creating some decent stories if they put some work in. You can play as many user-made levels as you want after the game ends, though I tend to think open worlds feel a little lifeless once you've completed the storyline that runs through them.
Anyway, the game is $10. In my mind, that throws any quibbles about how long it is right out the window, especially since it contains the visual fidelity and gameplay of a full retail title. Sucker Punch made a laudable decision taking Festival of Blood standalone, rather than casting it as an add-on that requires Infamous 2. As a result, you've got a three-gigabyte download to chew through, but that opens this game up to anyone who didn't bite (ha!) on the previous game. Whether you're curious about trying Infamous for the first time, you wanted more after finishing Infamous 2, or you're just looking for a quick experience in a well-constructed Halloween setting, Festival of Blood is worth a look.
Gears of War 3 Review for Xbox 360
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For a game as humungous as Gears of War 3, we are most definitely convinced that a review can by no means be able to map the entire experience which the title has on offer from the minute you grab hold of your controller to the moment you set it down. It’s a pity that the developers did not bundle it with something to keep our jaws in place, since they kept dropping all the time due to the magnificence that sips through every teeny-weeny bit for Gears 3 for Xbox 360. Last in the franchise’s current storyline, this game is a cinematic masterpiece that delivers so effortlessly, the smoothest most crunchiest gameplay ever.
Eighteen months after the Jacinto incident, the now leaderless (after Chairman Prescott’s desertion) COG is left with no option but to disband into several units and live on their own, thus placing Delta Squad onboard a freight named CNV Sovereign. A shocking reappearance of Prescott reveals that Marcus’ dad Adam Fenix has been very much alive ever since his assumed death during the battle of Battle of Ephyra. Now that we’ve got the complicated part over with, the main task which the Gears are faced with in this game is to track down Adam on a location named Azura where he’s holed up. That’s because he’s got the solution that will permanently eliminate the lambent threat from the whole of Sera. This makes for the incredible narrative of this title that takes gamers through everything from locust aircrafts, to emulsion filled sewers, to even underwater submarine fights.
‘Forget stealth, smoke em!’ These words by Marcus Fenix during one of the game’s sequences straightforwardly summarize the gameplay philosophy on which the Gears 3 has been built. It would be careless of us not to praise the title’s efficient battle mechanics that so easily drive it to near perfection. A variety of weapons make their way into Gears of War 3, the most exciting among them being the Retro Lancer which is said to have been introduced on ‘popular demand.’ The normal Lancer however, is at its devastating best, proving to be one of the most effective weapons amongst all others. These coupled with new enemies add up to offer some of the most goriest kills ever. Inducing the game’s online experience with new life, developers have added to Gears 3 the new Beast mode which for the first time puts players in the shoes of Locusts as they set out to kill humans. However unthinkable that might sound to true Gears fans, this mode is surely a spectacular addition to the game.
An easily accessible navigation system makes sure that you’re never left in the lurch when in a mission. While the Insane and Hardcore difficulty modes throw several challenging elements, there is still a Casual mode for all the newbies out there. Speaking from the cinematic point of view, this game kicks in some of the best cut scenes to have set foot on console games. They are so exhilarating that we’re sure no one would want to miss a bit. A special mention would go the sequence in which (spoiler alert) Dom dies. We hate to break it out to you like this, but now that you’ve read it, it’s true. This particular cut scene is sure to bring out the emotional side of any Gears fan. Talking about the enemies, there’s a considerable amount of variety to their appearance. But what really make this game tick are the strategic situations that the characters are faced with.
Gears of War 3 coughs up fascinating visuals thanks to Epic’s ever so reliable Unreal Engine technology. The environments on planet Sera manage to get the better of you and leave a lasting impact, whereas the character designs are so extravagant that they force you to have blind faith in the fact that all that is happening on the screen is actually true. We might have exaggerated that part a bit, but we hope that drives home the point we’re trying to make. Gears of War 3 takes place in many different environments and what’s noteworthy is the fact that each setting has its own feel and uniqueness. Be it the seven star hotel building in Azura or the ash people filled city of Char. Superb lighting is another aspect that gives the game’s graphics a boost. And of course, who can forget the much hyped stereoscopic 3D.
Final Word: With so many diverse options available, Gears of War 3 for Xbox 360 gives you a sturdy replay value that’ll make you fall in love with this game all over again each time you try out a different game mode. We are yet to see a title that offers this good a multiplayer experience, while never at any point lagging behind in the single player department. But legend has it that Gears of War 3 has been hit with quite a number of snags related to its online features (who can forget the malfunctioning during entering the Horde mode). We were unlucky enough to experience one such fault. Downloading an update for the title corrupted and erased all our campaign progress, thus forcing us to start all over again. We certainly hope Epic comes up with a solution for these minor issues which kill the fun once in a while. With this, we wrap up the review and go into mourning the end of one of the most brilliant game series’ ever.
Graphics: 9.5/10
Sounds: 8.5/10
Environments: 9/10
Gameplay: 10/10
Replay Value: 9.5/10
Overall (not an average): 9.5/10
Air Conflicts: Secret Wars - GR Review
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Here comes another World War II-influenced flight simulation. I know you’re excited! (Maybe...) From the runway to dog fights with the enemy, Air Conflicts: Secret Wars is sure to have you on the edge of your seat. That is, you'll either get up and change the video game or because you love this one so much and just can’t get enough. Okay, that might not be useful, so just start playing the story mode and you’ll have your answer soon enough.
Little details help keep the games interesting, though. The ability to control every aspect of your plane, including the landing gear, glues it all together. Planes twist and turn in the air, moving with graceful aerodynamics.
Of course, all of this is wrapped in the story mode. Ladies, get excited, the star of this title is a daring and heroic woman who doesn’t know the word “fail”. She’s a little like Amelia Earhart, if Earhart shot machine guns. Taking on dangerous missions that require crossing enemy territory, “DeeDee” is the savior of early World War II. Her assignments are vital in the fight to winning the war. As story mode kicks off, right from the jump, she is faced with the task of shipping whisky cargo over unfamiliar terrain. But there are anti-air guns on the ground and not to mention flyers in the air, so shoot them down of course!
Story mode is definitely the main attraction, but not to fear, online multiplayer has some solid challenges for you to tackle as well. Play with some buddies or shoot it out alone, but with the opposition being everywhere, figuring out how to work with a team is beneficial. Devising strategies also help enhance your dog fight experience. The best way to get a decent grasp of how a real plane feels in the air is to set the controls to simulation instead of arcade. Watch, in no time you’ll be barrel rolling and flipping all over the place, without stalling your engine.
I can see there was some thought put into how the dog fights are played out. Instead of just shooting directly at a plane, calculating angles and speeds, in order for bullet trajectory to land in the necessary spots, is a must. Chasing enemies can be tedious, though, if you don’t make the kill in the first pass, so double, triple, or even quadruple backing is required.
Air Conflicts is a type of game that should not only be fun to play, but have some good background story and information to honor its historical source. Wartime of course is a serious but very interesting matter. It’s always good to see developers put on their thinking caps and show they did their research on the subject. Unfortunately, there aren’t many historical details incorporated into the game. Airplane types are nicely modeled after popular planes from the World Wars. And some levels do depict destruction in cities well, but overall it’s bland.
After all of the dizzying, head-spinning tricks learned from playing Air Conflicts: Secret War, maybe you’ll actually want to take control over real flying machines. Just don’t get the idea on my Southwest flight next week. This isn’t the flight simulation people will write home about, but it gets a thumbs up for trying.
Review is based on X360 version. Copy supplled by publisher.
Forza Motorsport 4 - GR Review
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Never has a more apt marketing line described a game's overall purpose and direction. I don't think anyone could say it better (especially with the British accent). Forza Motorsport and Gran Turismo are, at their cores, sim racing games where a win can hang in the balance because your car's tuning is just as important as whether you can locate the gas pedal or not.
And like Gran Turismo 5, Forza Motorsport 4 puts you behind the wheel of a lunker long before you'll drive the supercars of your dreams. As enticing as that Lamborghini or Ferrari might be, it'll take a lot of hard work and a ton of race wins to get there. So, to sleep? Perchance to dream?
Still, you'll progress quickly and be given choices every step of the way. When you move up in automotive class, you can pick a new car or spend your hard-earned credits souping up your old ride. Turning that Golf into something that can really compete with the big boys is one thing; overlaying it with a sweet skin will make it the envy of the course.
Nevermind the fact that everything you could possibly want to drive is on Disc 1, Turn 10 and Microsoft Game Studios have seen fit to include even more dream-worthy rides on Disc 2. You'll have to install that data if you want to play with those cars, but if you're the target market, you'll undoubtedly pop that second disc in when you see what's on offer.
Or standing up... whichever. Kinect allows gamers to take a peek under the hood by moving around their TV and leaning forward or motioning with their hands to open doors. It's a neat gimmick, essentially turning your living room into a showroom, but it won't make up for the software drought Microsoft's little device has seen in the past few months.
Don't forget that nearly every vehicle is available to you to drive from the get-go in quick-race modes. If you're hankering to break up the early circuits with a high-end Audi or some car you've never even heard of before but it looks like the Batmobile, you're more than welcome to.
When it comes down to it, you've really got to ask yourself if Forza Motorsport 4 is for you. There's a ton of content and laypeople like myself will get sucked in when they realize that the enjoyable, speedy racing will unlock them tons of new cars. Still, if you've never dreamt, then what's the point of driving?
You could make the argument that Forza 4 does what Gran Turismo 5 did, but better, but that's fanboy talk and I'm not interested in it. You shouldn't be either. If you've got an autistic bent to your automotive hobby, you'll be picking up both games regardless of the grade. If you enjoy the racing genre and only own an Xbox 360, go pick this up now. If you're not into racing... I hate to break it to you, but Forza 4 won't change that.
So when will a racing game really let me drive a dream? Like the one where I steal the car from clowns and then they chase me up the Hot Wheels ramp? Better yet, let's leave that out of Forza 5.
Review copy supplied by publisher.
Aliens: Infestation - GR Review
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I have a confession to make. As someone who suffers from a condition known as "scary bladder", I have never watched an entire Aliens movie. I've seen bits and pieces, but I couldn't sit through a whole movie… horror movies just make me cringe, and the gorier they are, the further away I want to be. So, as a result, I was scared off by the prospect of aliens that not only have acid for blood, but have a tongue with teeth and incubate their young in the guts of people. That kind of thing, along with too much blood, makes me squirm.
Which brings me to Aliens: Infestation. It's about as close to a horror game as I can handle. And I'm glad I can, because the simple nostalgia that I've experienced has made me giddy as a schoolgirl. A blatant mash-up of Contra character and Metroid formula, the game has the goal of gathering the right hardware, collect the right keycards to unlock more and more of the environment, and blow the living hell out of those outer-space, impregnating bastards! Roaming around a massive ship and underground bio-lab/military base, players have to find certain people, baddies, and markers to move forward and destroy the aliens before they hit Mars and start doing some real damage.
The whole package has me squealing for SNES goodness; while the graphics are better and the animation is as fluid as I've seen the DS pull off, everything has that mid- to late-1980s vibe to it. From the pixilated character designs to the environments, something about the ambiance is so totally fitting—both for the source material and the genre—and can easily draw a player in. The sound only amplifies the effect, with familiar-sounding tones and musical style, which is bother inspiring and dramatic with a classical flair. It's like big orchestra music but with more green blood.
Actual play is straightforward, just as it would appear when you first fire it up. Each character moves left or right, up or down ladders and elevators, firing guns with one of four options unlocked and powered up throughout the game or blowing stuff up with a choice of grenade, explosive round (if the assault rifle is chosen), or C4. The touch-screen is only used to change your weapon or explosive of choice, but it's a bit of a pain to use; the stylus is almost mandatory to do anything that way, including using the map or, when necessary, blowtorching a door open. So playing with a finger to poke through for the map is irritating.
The "lives" system is reminiscent of the NES Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game: Lose one, and you're gonna have'ta find one. There are Marines scattered across the environments, waiting and "trying to find" their own squad (though never straying too far on their own), and each have their own backstory that's unlocked as they're found. When they're wearing their helmets, they're drawn exactly the same, but when it's off, it's surprising how much detail is put into each of them. There are 20 characters to find, and each has their own characteristics, posture, and dialogue. That's a lot of care for characters that are usually just an avatar with some backstory and a face picture. Since the game isn't too difficult, it's unlikely you'll get to see any extra dialogue, so while it's nice, it does feel like a bit of a waste.
The game isn't too long, just a few hours, and there's really no reason to pick it back up when it's finished; the only reason would be to find and unlock a Marine that wasn't found the first time through or the hand-stabby knife trick game unlocked about halfway though (which is the only real reason for the touch screen). It controls well enough, it has enough story and conversation to move things along, it hits the nostalgia button beautifully… what more could I ask for in a classically-inspired game?
Oh, yeah, replayability. And maybe some kind of co-op. But I don't know how they should've accomplished that, so this'll do.
Review based on DS copy, of course. Copy provided by publisher.
Revolution report card + Characters are fluid and gorgeous+ Environments are just as pretty+ Easy to pick up and play+/- Short, maybe 3-4 hours tops- Touch screen is, basically, useless- No reason to play through againMore information about Aliens: Infestation
