NCFC 2010 - Game of the Show - Mega Man

The Nintendo Community Fan Convention

Mega Man - Game of the Show

The Mega Man category of fan games isn't very large this year, but there there are a few different promising entries. Mega Man: Day in the Limelight is an 8-bit title that allows you to play as robot masters from the original NES Mega Man title. Mega Man: Citrus Cult is an interesting game, also made in an 8-bit style, where you play as Mega Man in a battle against all-new robot masters made specifically for the game. A third title has been entered in the convention, Mega Man Rock, but the only information available are a couple of screenshots.

Although I am not a certifiable Mega Man fan, I was excited to try out these games, but, unfortunately was immediately disappointed by the fact that only one of the games had a playable demo. While it can be informative to look at sprites and listen to music, you can only really tell how good a game will be when you sit down and actually play it. Therefore, despite an interesting story, Mega Man: Citrus Cult will not be considered for the award of Best Mega Man Game.



Mega Man: Day in the Limelight doesn't only win the award by process of elimination. Rather, the game deserves the award because of its achievements in excellence. Day in the Limelight not only replicates the style of the original games, it creates a completely new and interesting experience. The typical protagonist has been replaced by the evil robots that we destroyed in the first Mega Man game, and the whole adventure is carried off without a hitch. The quality of workmanship shown by this game is remarkable, from the tight controls to the challenging level design, I can find no serious flaw. With this in mind, I have no doubts when I say that Mega Man: Day in the Limelight is the best Mega Man game at NCFC 2010.

Click here to download Mega Man: Day in the Limelight.

Be sure to check The Arcade of Awesome where we'll be bringing you more NCFC coverage every day this week leading up the final announcement of AoA's Game of the Show award! There are a lot of games being shown at NCFC this year, and you we'll tell you which ones are worth your time. More great show coverage awaits.

--Tom

Review - Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

Ah, Enslaved... It's a tragedy what you turned out to be... Throughout this year I thought, I hoped I'd like this game, it's come from a studio that's based nearby, and seemingly crashed into a rock with Heavenly Sword. Ninja-theory is back again, and...

It's okay. Enslaved is an odd game, that tries too hard, the graphics are intensely brilliant, with each characters emotions brimming out of their facial expressions like it was national eat all the ice-cream in the world day. The animation is amazing, the lip syncing is consistently, and extraordinarily on target, and you really get the impression this was something the actors were going all out on, like it was the next big epic film. Really, that's what it should have been, but however, after some research i came to see, that's what it was originally planned to be. Unfortunately, it was rejected, and what we're stuck with, is an extraordinarily good looking cg movie, with a game stapled on the side. It's like going to a cinema to see The Lord Of The Rings, and having someone pause the movie and make you play the corresponding level before moving on. Yes, the gameplay is awful, like a movie tie-in within the movie. What makes this so heart-breaking is that the narrative is so good.

To get you acquainted, the story is essentially a very unique re-telling of the Chinese tale: Journey to the west. The re-telling is based in an also very unique looking post apocalyptic world. You are Monkey (played by Andy Serkis of Lord Of the Rings fame) a very muscular loner. The guy has issues, and likes to avoid them. Unfortunately for Monkey, he's been caught by the robots which now litter the land. Although, this is quickly changed by Trip (played by Lindsey Shaw). Trip is a techno-whiz that's never really explored beyond her hometown. Her whole towns capture by the robots has forced her into a land she's never seen before, and using her tech escapes to freedom. Accidentally bringing monkey in tow. Once down on the ground from the giant airship the duo were being held captive in, Trip decides she needs Monkey if she is to make it home. So, she straps a device to Monkey's head that will kill him if she dies. In the games words "If i die. You die." So begins the thrilling and ultimately heart breaking tale of Enslaved.


The gameplay is broken down into two sections: platforming, and combat. Platforming is a relatively mundane re-tread of whatever platforming mechanics have been done before, with Monkey jumping and swinging from outcrops and pipes to reach his destination, and at odd times, having to pick up Trip and throw her across a gap, nothing you haven't seen before. What makes this part of the game incredibly annoying is the fact that whatever Monkey can jump on and off from is incredibly specific, it's very linear, and this makes it very annoying, as right from chapter 2 you are faced with turrets that will kill you in a matter of seconds. The correct procedure is to get Trip to distract them with her techno wrist whilst you run around and Flank them. The only problem is when the techno wrist runs out of juice and you're still visible, a lot of times when this happens I find there's no way to go, find I can't jump off a platform, or simply don't notice the only thing I can grab on to, and because of this, I'm killed. This is probably one of the most annoying parts of the game, and something that frustrated me so much i stopped playing on numerous occasions. In other words: Is not fun.

The combat is your basic 3rd person action game set-up, you have a standard attack, a heavy attack, a stun attack, a dodge, a block and a long ranged shooting mechanic. This is all good and well, apart from the dodge because Monkey takes so long to actually perform it that you'd have to be able to read the future for it to be an effective move. Combat in this game is very frustrating when combined with the camera, as the camera likes Monkey, perhaps too much as it's always zoomed right in on his back, and there's no camera control. So when enemies do swarm you, which they like to do by the way. You can't see hardly anything, and it doesn't matter how slow the enemies are to attack, telegraphing what they are going to do for ages before-hand, because the screen just becomes one big clusterfuck whilst your health goes down and you mash away hoping you get a lucky hit in, this part of the game is also: Not fun.

If Enslaved didn't have an incredible story it would be terrible, Terrible. The gameplay is a mess, i never found it fun, or challenging, just frustrating. The only thing that pulls the game out of the ashes is the vision itself, the amazing world displayed before you, seeded with incredible acting talent.

"If you don't mind trawling through a game for the sake of story, then this is definitely the game for you. In fact, i recommend this game to everyone, if only to experience it's narrative. However, be aware that gameplay is frustrating, and the camera is the worst I've seen in years."

Image credit: totalplaystation.com and scrawlfx.com respectively

Gameplay Vs Narrative

-What's the best focus of a video game?-

So we've had a good weekend. Fallout New Vegas and Vanquish have finally landed on shelves,
and I was lucky enough to pick them both up, and on playing Vanquish, I noticed something.

The plot, is not the main motivator in playing the game.

Now, this is an odd statement, I understand this, being that gaming is centralized around telling a story nowadays. But there's something about Vanquish that really brings a reality to light, single player campaigns are story centric these days, all sharing similar mechanics, which are used to display a story. You see, recently developers seem to be fighting to get a unique story in their game, rather than some unique mechanics. Back in the NES days your story could be shown in a single "cut-scene" of a monster taking a princess away from you. Then you'd be sent across the land fighting generic monsters like zombies and bats to get her back, but that was never a problem back then because you were playing a game.

Take Enslaved for example. It features mediocre platforming, and a set of incredibly frustrating battle mechanics. In fact, within the whole gameplay area, it contains nothing original. Your only motivation to play is to see what happens next, not because you're having fun with the new mechanic, but because you want to explore these two characters set before you. Now, call me crazy, but isn't that a bit off? Vanquish's story is simply "Russian terrorists have built a space city, and they're evil! Destroy them! Oh yeah, and you're in a robot suit!" from there on out, Vanquish includes action packed cut-scenes and some funny cliches, but never forms a plot that you'd want to follow, no, what you realize you're there for, is the gameplay. Throughout the game you're fighting the most generic of enemies these days: robots. However, this becomes a blast because of the set of mechanics you're given with which to do so. The game is astoundingly original for a game about a space marine, a concept that I think everyone believed was dead in the water. Which reminds me, Platinum games offered a similar experience in terms of originality with Bayonetta, a game that on surface looks like a re-tread of explored ground, but is in fact brimming with intelligent gameplay features, some would say the dodge mechanic is revolutionary within games right now.

There are extremes to this theory, like Heavy Rain, which is essentially a movie, and Noby Noby Boy, which is based solely around gameplay, and very unique gameplay at that. The former is bashed for not having any decent mechanics and not really being a game, whilst the latter is bashed for having no discernible objective. There are games like Fallout: New Vegas that balance game-play and narrative almost perfectly by having lots and lots of selections and mechanics for the player to take advantage of. The narrative is handled very well for a game by including many side quests and interesting locales which, to be discovered involve the gamer going off the beaten path and playing more. However, it's a very fragile balance, as previous entries from the developer have shown us. Fallout 3 had very impressive mechanics, but lacked a decent central narrative, same with Oblivion. It just poses a question. Would you rather there were games like Enslaved that focus mainly on narrative, or games like Vanqish that focus mainly on gameplay?

I know I'd rather go for gameplay, because that makes the title unique to the medium.

Image credit: www.Playstationlifestyle.net and www.gametestlab.com respectively

Civilization V - Demo Impressions

Civilization V - Demo Impressions
One more turn

I didn't know what I was getting into when I downloaded the demo version of Civilization V: I had heard many things about the Civilization series, but I had never played any of the games. I wasn't even sure whether or not I would enjoy playing it, although, looking back, that seems rather amazing. From my brief Rise of Nations phase to my love of tactical strategy RPGs, it almost seems like I was destined to enjoy Civilization. Many other gamers have felt the same way over the years , propelling the Civilization series to the pinnacle of the computer gaming pantheon. The demo gives a great feel for the game, and, unlike many other demos, does an effective job of convincing the consumer of the quality of the product.

As someone who hadn't played any turn-based strategy games of this sort, it took a little time to get used to the lack of abundance of units. In real-time strategy, you produce units fairly quickly and sending them out to die isn't much of a deal. In Civilization V, however, units will take a long time to come into being and once they're there, you won't want to take them lightly. Suicide missions are an enormous waste of time and energy, and I found my slash-and-burn RTS tactics being challenged at every turn. In this game, you'll want to shepherd units through as many conflicts as possible, and an experience-based leveling system that gives veteran units statistical bonuses helps to further incentive the process.

The game isn't a graphical wonder, per-se, but it's still very pretty. All of the units and environments are nicely detailed, and the cut scene shown while the game is starting up, looks fairly realistic. My one complaint with the graphics on the demo version, specifically, is that the other rulers have no animation on the negotiation screens. The full game does feature these animations, though, so this really only applies to the demo. The music in the game isn't anything special: it fits into the experience but doesn't do anything to make the game any better.

There are several goals to shoot for when playing Civilization V: you can try to take over the world with warfare or with your nation's sheer civic might. The demo with allow you to play the first one-hundred turns of a match, which is about a third of the length of a full match. You'll have the choice of three different nations to control: Egypt, Persia, and Greece. Each nation has exclusive units and statistical bonuses, but they all play in a similar way. The demo only includes one map, but the area consists of two separate land masses, and there are several different spawn points on each, so there's a bit of variety to be had in that department. All told, the demo provides enough content to warrant several play-throughs.

I highly recommend at least trying the demo. There's really no reason not to give it at least a go, and if the full game is as proportionately good as what I've seen of this demo, it's more than worth the asking price.

Download the Civilization V demo on Steam.
Download the Civilization V demo on Fileplanet.

Halo Reach: Second opinions.

Second opinions are articles stating other writer's opinions on a game that's already been reviewed. For the official Halo: Reach review, click here

So, the games been out about a month, Dan supplied us with a wonderful review, but i have beef. Yes, BEEF. Not the meat of a cow, but some metaphorical "beef". Yes, Halo Reach is a good game. It's pretty much at the pinnacle of the shooter genre, displaying a vast array of modes and options which make it infinitely playable, and a multiplayer component that will make you drool. In this article i'll mostly be talking campaign beef. Although I do have some more beef with a certain multiplayer map. The map in question? Sword base.


I just have a problem with this map, I'll tell you why... So, i play the "SWAT" game type which means little health, everybody uses a "battle rifle" and no grenades. It's my favorite, and in my opinion, fairest mode in the game. Now, i've been playing Reach for the past week online with no problems, I've had fellow writer Ocarina Of Lime playing alongside the whole time, all through the campaign and through tens and tens of multiplayer matches. Unfortunately, we managed to stumble across these two players we'll call... "The douches", there's a place in the map where a one way "air lift" brings you up into a small rectangular room which only has one exit on the far left upon ascension. Now, the lift fly's you right into the middle of the room, so if someone were hiding directly against the wall of which the air lift came through, you're an open target. This is where the problem lies. The douches sat either side of the air lift opening, not moving, picking off anyone who used the air lift. To make matters worse, they have a clear view of anyone passing by outside, and picked them off too. One of them had their aim on head height on the landing point of the air lift for an instant head-shot there, and the other had their aim focused head height on the door out, essentially, they were un-killable through lack of any grenades to flush them out of these positions. The thing that annoyed us about this was not the fact that they were winning because of this tactic, but because there was certainly no fun involved for those players, they weren't moving, and clearly weren't enjoying playing the game so much that they wanted to put any effort in, and once the games stopped being fun, why keep playing? So you can ruin the fun of other, newer players like me and Lime? I dunno, but it was certainly not something I wish to repeat, as it just sucks the fun out of the game, which is a reason I don't understand camping, but I'll leave that for another time.


The campaign... Eh, i liked the overall feeling of the campaign, and it certainly made me think about and explore the lore of Halo by the end, especially inspiring me to play through Halo: CE again, however, it was "meh". I mean, really "meh". Other Halo campaigns have stuff you remember, stories to tell, set pieces - like in Halo 2, when you're trying to take down the scarab, or in Halo 3, when you're escaping Halo in a warthog whilst the place is collapsing around you. These were moments i would want to play again and again, and Reach is really lacking in this area. The only "set piece" i can really remember was the space segment, but I found that lack-luster, and the end of the level melodramatic. The only moment I'd go back for would be the absolute last level after the credits, but that's essentially the same as a certain other mode. It needs more epic moments, it's lacking them, much like ODST, my least favorite in the series.

As for the narrative... It makes me shudder, i mean, it's cool what they did at the end, and the whole hopelessness of the situation is cool. But the whole story just seems to serve up as each member of the "noble" team sacrificing themselves in a "noble" way as if it's some ironic statement. I mean, one guy who stays behind for the better of his crew is enough for any film, comic, TV show or game, whatever. But... Three!? Come on! The voicework on anybody but the character you play as is also so bad that even if the deaths were sad they'd come off melodramatic. Probably my last gripe would be that nothing actually seems to happen until about mission 6, more than half-way through the game. Me and Lime played a level a day because they were so dull until that level, and then we blasted our way through to the end because we began to actually enjoy the game. Nothing can beat Halo 2 though, in my opinion, Halo campaign wise.

Overall, i agree that this game does get all it deserves, but it's surprisingly poor in some area's, like narrative and voice work. As always, multiplayer douches can, and will, piss you off. However, it's definitely worth the money, and if you still don't own Reach, go get your copy!

Image credit: www.venturebeat.com, www.wedonetwork.com and www.thegate.ca respectively

Freeware Friday: Gang Garrison 2

Ah Team Fortress 2. Valve's little sequel to the smash hit Team Fortress Classic. It has a distinct style to it, having cartooney graphics and interesting characters. With 9 distinct classes, it's easy to jump right in and play. But, in 2008, mrfredman and MedO created a 2D, 8bit demake of the game. This game, was Gang Garrison 2.



GRAPHICS
The graphics are just as stylized as TF2, but this time, they're 8bit and 2D. Characters are detailed as high as 8bit graphics allow, but it seems that certain objects are 16bit.

CONTROLS

Nothing special here, mouse aims, WAD controls, and left and right click fire.


GAMEPLAY

Pretty simple, 10 classes (One of them's hidden), each with different attributes. The only difference is that there's no alternate weapons. The Runner, which can run the fastest and double jump, the Rocket Man, who can use his rocket launcher to jump high, the Firebug, who has a flamethrower, the Inventor, who can build sentry guns autoguns, the Healer, who can heal his teammates and make them invincible, the Overweight, who has the most health and a minigun, the Rifleman, with his sniper rifle and scope ability, and the Infiltrator, who can turn invisible and backstab enemies. All these classes are supposed to counter each other. This makes gameplay frantic and quite fun actually.

FUN

If you like 2D, and you like Team Fortress 2, get this game. It's fun, and a good way to kill a few minutes. Regular TF2 is more fun though.

Click here to visit the Gang Garrison 2 website where you can download the game.


Image credit: GangGarrison.com

Eufloria - Review

Cross Pollination
A deceptively engaging strategy game goes to seed.

Eufloria is the sort of game that might be overlooked by a lot of gamers. It's a game about flowers, yes. It's an independent game, yes. It's also the sort of game that is labeled “casual” by the sorts of people who might take a look at a few screenshots and dismiss the game as too easy or too simple, but dismissing it would be the wrong thing to do. Eufloria is a surprisingly deep real-time strategy game, a space colonization adventure cleverly hiding behind the facade of flowers.

In Eufloria, you'll be using flower petals (known as seedlings) to take control of asteroids. Once in possession of a planetoid, you can use your little lemmings to create trees that will either create more seedlings or help to defend your planet. Different planets have different attribute levels that will lead to creating seedlings with differing levels of power, strength, and speed. The mechanics all work very well, but things can get strung out as your empire expands. Often, you'll be fighting on a front that's at least three or four planets away from your home. Selecting and directing your minions to where the fighting is fierce can be a bit of a pain, and there are times when your actions don't seem to matter because of the snail's pace that some of the units take to cross the battlefield.

The graphics have their own sense of style, which is not to say that similar styles haven't been tried before, but everything in the game is consistently good looking and I never experience slow-down or glitches. The HUD and interfaces are stripped down, but stylish in a simple way. The game's sound track includes over two hours of ambient music, and it does a of a good job of setting the mood without being obtrusive. The game's sound effects are minimal but effective in this context, and, of course, you can adjust the volume levels to your liking if you'd rather listen to some other music while retaining the sound effects and audio alerts.


The game sports a story mode with twenty-five focused, goal-oriented levels, and, while you may be moving faster than the learning curve on the first few levels, the difficulty ramps up as time goes on, with later levels requiring a bit of time to clear. The game also includes a battle mode with six different arenas where you can fight with several other flower colors, trying to take over a cluster of asteroids. While these battles might be lengthy, they aren't really that hard. I never really lost planets to invading forces, the whole game is just one inescapable march from the start to when the last enemy planet falls to your control. Eventually, you do unlock a harder mode, and you'll probably want to use that mode if you want to spend a bit more time with the game.

However, you might get a little tired of the game. Maybe it was just me, but after a few hours, the whole thing starts to become formulaic. The game tries to make up for this fact by randomizing the planet attributes and placement, but you might not even notice these changes. The fields will still look pretty similar and the way you play the game will hardly change at all. Maybe I'll come back to Eufloria in a few days and get excited about it again, but I feel like I may have already seen most of what the game has to offer.

Eufloria had my heart from the very beginning: from the interesting art style and cool music to the slick and relatively intuitive gameplay, the experience was a nice one. It wasn't long, though, before the game was wearing a little thin. It doesn't help that the game costs a hefty twenty dollars. When most of the crowd of indie games cost half as much or less, it's hard to justify purchasing the game. If you're considering getting a game like this, you might want to think twice: the game has a certain elegance, but it faces issues with replayability and longevity. You should probably want to give the demo a few hours before you make a purchase.

Governor of Poker 2 - Review

All-in on a bluff
One more way to lose your hard-earned cash.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Governor of Poker 2. Is it a simulation or a straight card game with some graphical flair? Is it a tycoon game or an RPG? Well, as is so often the case, the game is a mixture of quite a few things. In Governor of Poker 2, you'll take control of an upstart poker player fighting his way up through the ranks of Texas card sharks, all the while, you're goal will be to convince the Governor of the state that poker isn't a game of chance. The Gov is seriously thinking about banning the game, but if you can win enough matches, he might be satisfied with the conclusion that poker is less about the game on the table and more about the game in your head.

Governor of poker 2 will be forcing you to play that mental game, too. The only type of poker that you can play is Texas Hold 'em, a variant that, though wildly popular, is not the most engaging version of the game. There are so many variations on the game of poker, and you might think that someone who hopes to be labeled “Governor of Poker” would take the time to become proficient in several different varieties, but this isn't the case. The only decisions to be made in Texas Hold 'em are what to bet and when to fold, and this lack of actual game-related strategy is sorely absent in this downloadable title. The game tries to make up for it with a mood-betting system that tries to let you play with the emotions of the computer controlled characters, but this aspect of the game goes underutilized for a reason I'll talk about next.

Having played a more than a few friendly rounds of poker in my life, I have a pretty good idea of how often you can expect to get a good hand. Obviously, this number will fluctuate with the number of players taking part in the game, but, with three or four guys around the table, you can expect to get a three-of-a-kind or a straight every five or six hands. In Governor of Poker, however, you'll go for ten to twenty rounds with nothing better than a high-card or a pair, even when you're only up against one other player. I don't know if the game truly randomly generates the cards, but it often seems like you're cards are being picked by your opponent. The mood-betting system doesn't work because all you can do is make the other players angry. When they're angry, your foes will play more aggressively, and that's the last thing you want when you don't have the cards to back up your bluff.



The game isn't really a feast for the senses either. The graphics are alternately clunky and ugly, with questionable animation and a somewhat unnerving juxtaposition of the various visual elements. The audio is also lacking in a few ways: the background noise in the card-table sections is obviously on a very short loop and the narrator’s voice-over quickly becomes annoying. What you're really here for is the poker, so your best option is probably to turn off the volume and put on some good music. The graphics can eventually be ignored as long as you focus just on what's going on with the cards. The game can be played in a windowed mode to allow you to play a few hands while you're doing something else.

You know what else can be played in windowed mode? Flash games. While preparing to review this game, I had a hunch and googled up “Governor of Poker.” I wasn't remarkably surprised when I discovered that the first game in the series is a flash game. Playing the first game, it's hard to see where the designers changed anything in the transition to the second game. Sure, the graphics might be a little different and it might be slightly less polished than its newer counterpart, but you know what else it is? It's free. Why would I spend ten dollars on a game that can still be played for free from any computer at any time? Don't waste your money: if you need some Texas Hold 'em on your computer, turn to the free version of Governor Of Poker, not the paid version.

--Tom

It's a love/hate relationship... Enslaved: Odyssey to the west

Dear Enslaved.
Thank you ever so much for inviting me on that road-trip of yours this week. I do believe it was one of the best I've had in years, jostling between combat and climbing effortlessly is something i don't think many can achieve, in fact, i think it may be what draws me towards you. That and the subtle beauty of the way you make me see the post-apocalyptic Manhattan before my eyes. The lush greenery presents a sense of ambience over the events that may have befallen the unfortunate creatures caught in whatever event ceased normality. Indeed, i enjoy the sight-seeing the most. But what of the company? By Jove, that Monkey fellow and that Trip, they're a lovely pair! We had a rocky start, but we all came together soon enough. I'm aware that we're still traveling together, and i suspect romance is in the air between the two, oh yes... Indeed, that giant robot dog we saw forged a friendship i don't believe could be created in any other way. Those two may have their flaws, but don't we all as human beings? I suppose that Monkey is called what he is because he was very monotone before he met Trip. Luckily for us that's soon going to change i presume. Especially with all those "glitches" we've been seeing. The narrative we've shared so far has indubitably satisfied me greatly, and i look forward to what we shall see together next!

However.

Whenever i see one of those robots... Well, it just flips my flaps! I mean, the least you could do was have a camera that worked better than as if it were an epileptic patient mid-seizure during combat! Perhaps you could even make Monkey's evade move worth a damn by making the animation happen as soon as the bloody button is pressed! Then i wouldn't be hit every fucking fight because i hadn't seen a robot before the last shitty second and then had no time press the block button! Perhaps you could make the game seen a bit less fucking linear too! I mean, i can so jump down some places that "apparently" Monkey has some fucking issue's with! Christ, it comes to situations where i'm stuck in a room, running around like a fucking headless retard that's somehow still alive, blood pouring out in gallons, hoping, just hoping there's a fucking handhold monkey will jump onto somewhere! Not only does the camera usually deny this, but usually the objects so fucking small ant's are tripping on it, big ants to be fair. Which reminds me, Trips such a bitch! You tell her next time she say's "Go take em out! I'll be here where it's safe" I'm going to clobber her! Also tell her that if i ever hear "I'll perform a scan" again i think I'm going to have to nail her mouth shut! She's a purty lass, but she doesn't half rile me up! I haven't even mentioned how many times i've failed to live because the world looks samey throughout! FUCK THIS GAME! FUCK THI-

Let's just say it's a love/hate relationship.

-Serde - Full review of Enslaved coming soon.

Image credit: www.tothegame.com

The Other:M Rant - Round 1

I want to talk about a game that's been panned to shit, a recent game which i downright refuse to play. Metroid: Other M. The article will probably contain spoilers, but if I'm honest, you want to read them and realize whats happened here. Other:m is Metroid, but it isn't, it's a flop, but a success, it's shite, but also pretty decent. It's a rare case of a game that is going to sell solely on your opinion of it. We're not talking something like "Bullet Witch" here, and we're not talking Call of duty 6. This game is like a blank check, if you've been a fan for years, you may give it the benefit of the doubt and take as much as you can from the poor chump who dropped it. On the other hand, you may, like me, leave it there for someone else to pick up. Because it smells.

In my opinion, Other M is the single greatest tragedy in Nintendo's history, because... It can fuck off really. However, to form an actual argument. Samus has been in training for years, learning the in's and out's of chozo combat, and military combat i think was introduced in Other M, and then she went off and fought a whole planet of nasties, exterminated a whole race of nasties, then proceeded to blow the shit out of every other planet she saw with nasties on it. Until Other: M. You see, story is introduced, that means we need character development, right? Brilliant. So we have this gruff bounty hunter in a suit who's secretly hot, so we're talking something like Ripley from Alien here, the military woman. Oh, but wait, apparently all that has been forgotten, and we have replaced it ladies and gentlemen, with bullshit. Such as, Samus wants to grow her hair long, but! She's not allowed to because Adam said so! First of all, what a dick, second of all: does whoever wrote this story really think it's clever to show Samus' independence through the growth of her hair? "IT REPRESENTS HER FREEDOM FROM THE FEDERATION!" Brilliant, how deep and un-nerving, i look forward to more developments like- GASP! A woman crying and pissing herself because of a big dragon! Now, i have one statement about this. Would they have done this certain scene had Samus been a male character? NO! No they wouldn't have, do the writers have any concept of a character that develops through a series? Or for that matter, a woman? I mean, sure, i'd kinda accept it, if it were Samus' first time seeing the creature, but she's killed this thing what... 5 times? First time? No bullshit, she's in there with the missiles. The 6th time though? Son of a bitch, it's a dragon! What happened? Were Samus' lens's not quite in all those other times? Did she not realize what was going on!? And to make matters worse, she's saved by a token black guy! A TOKEN BLACK GUY. In Metroid!


Metroid: Other M has completely ruined the series in my opinion, a series from Nintendo that felt... Almost mature, an original series for it's span, something that was intriguing has been given a narrative that's so diluted, so childish that it just implodes upon itself, where's my in depth Samus Nintendo? Having daddy issue's and being saved by big burly men! Where's my mystery? Apparently out playing cluedo with a set of stereotypical twats! Where's the fun? Well, i've heard it is quite fun. But the worst thing, the absolute worst thing. Is that this narrative, is cannon, it exists within the Metroid universe. Remember that awesome Lil game Metroid Fusion? Remember how it had a cool, vague, and ever so slightly cheesy narrative about Samus discovering that the federation was breeding the very thing that was helping to destroy them, and the undertones it laid for the rest of the series? The political statement it made about the government being a bit evil just before it became the cool thing to do? It was clever. Now, explain to me the climax of this story. The big twist. Yes. The discovery of Metroids being grown by the feds. Brilliant, now, let's take a look at Other:M's big twist: The discovery... Of Metroids... Being grown by the feds... Hmm, dunno bout you but that sounds fairly similar. Very similar indeed. Oh wait, IT'S THE SAME THING! Did the guy who wrote this pop some pills just before the end and switch scripts? What happened? It makes the whole narrative of Fusion non-nonsensical, nothing in Fusion would happen if Other:M happened! The point of the game was to bridge the gap, not alienate the game even more from the franchise!

Saying this however, i definitely want me some more spunky short haired Samus. There WILL be more on this later! In round 2!

- Serde, will be back for round 2 in the future

Image credit: www.Ign,com and www.Gameplay.com respectively - Thanks for the images thar fella's!

Red, White, Blue, and Green?

Captain America: Red, White, Blue, and Green?
Can Captain America be successful in the modern world?

Watching the new Comic-Con footage for the upcoming Captain America game, you would be forgiven if you first think that the game is being developed by Rocksteady, the developer behind last year's Batman: Arkham Asylum. The similarities run deeper than the mere aesthetics of the games' dilapidated locales, extending to the “free-form” combat and the focus on acrobatics and cinematic presentation. Rocksteady is, however, hard at work on the sequel to Arkham Asylum, and the developer working on the title is a company called Next Level Games. Now, no one needs to be running around throwing out allegations of plagiarism, the guys over at Next Level Games are quick to admit that some of their design decisions were based on what had worked well in Batman, but can the things that worked for Batman translate to a Captain America game?

Perhaps the single greatest obstacle that Captain America has to overcome is his own nature. Cap is, in some ways, a relic of past propaganda, and the world has significantly changed since his debut. Batman is currently at the height of his popularity and the millions of copies that his game sold are partially a reflection of his current status at the top of DC Comics stable of superheroes. Batman reached acclaim by embracing the dark side of his nature, but Captain America by definition has little to draw from in that department. The character is based on nationalistic pride and, from what we've seen of the game so far, the game doesn't even try to tap into a dark mood. What the game reminds me of more than anything is the new Bioshock game. The only difference is that Bioshock is intentionally attempting to present its world as one of patriotic fanaticism, while Captain America seems to present that outdated view without the irony it necessitates.

To be fair, Arkham Asylum didn't plumb any new depths in storytelling either. The world of comics is particularly suited for story exhaustion: with new issues being published all the time, comic book writers have to struggle to come up with original ideas. At least Batman being trapped in Arkham is a plot that hasn't already been played out, Cap running around beating up Nazis who aren't actually called Nazis isn't very interesting. Captain America was introduced during the atrocities of the second world war and throughout the war, could be found beating the living daylights out of racial stereotypes. If the allies had a nickle for every Axis-of-Evil minion with a skull cracked by Cap's shield and fists, the war would have ended two years sooner.

It's hard to criticize a game that exists only as an alpha build, but I still question the feasibility of the game and, indeed, the film that that game plans to capitalize on. Perhaps it's not fair to compare the title to a game that is the best-reviewed superhero video-game of all time, but Captain America: Super Soldier will certainly have to do a lot to prove its worth. At this point, there's not a lot of information to go on, so all we can do is speculate, but the details will be revealed as we get closer to the July 2011 release date. What do you think about the future of Captain America? What do you think about the upcoming game? Let me know what you think in the comments section below.

--Tom

Image source: Marvel.com

The Polynomial: Space of the Music - Review

The Polynomial: Space of the Music for the PC
A lukewarm kaleidoscope of sound and color.

The Polynomial: Space of the Music is an intriguingly named game developed by an independent Russian game designer. Distributed through Steam, Polynomial is a mesmerizing spaceship shooter for PC and Mac. In an independent spirit, you can download a demo version of Polynomial that includes all of the features of the full game minus a few of the arenas. The arenas seem to be entirely cosmetic, however, so if you're interested in the game, the demo will probably give you a pretty good idea of what the game will be like.

That look may not be pretty, though. Don't get me wrong, the visuals look beautiful: the game is full of psychedelic explosions and cosmic scenery. The problem comes when all the lovely looking sparkles and flashy nebula are crawling by at five frames a second. The game has a painfully slow frame-rate, and even when I lowered the settings down to less than ten percent of the default, the game chugged at an unacceptably slow speed. It's not like I'm trying to run this on a ten-year-old computer either, if the game won't run on my fairly computer that exceeds both the necessary and recommended system requirements in every regard, I doubt that it will work very well for most other mid-range PCs.

(NOTE: After additional research into the framerate issues, I discovered that the problem lay in the fact that the game does not apparently fully support Intel GMA or HD graphics cards.  So, be forewarned that if you're trying to run Polynomial on a system with one of those models, you will not be able to play a functional game.)

When the game catches up to itself, the gameplay isn't anything to write home about either. Polynomial plays like any other in-cockpit perspective flight combat game. Granted, the market isn't that large, but the game doesn't offer any innovation of the format, sticking to an arcade style format. The collision detection for projectiles is a little off and it can be hard to target the stylistic enemies when the screen is full of particle effects and explosions, but these don't significantly detract from the experience. Fundamentally, the game is fun, but the gameplay does nothing to separate itself from other titles.



One area in which the game does stand out, however, is its excellent soundtrack. Unlike a lot of soundtracks that are only there because the game needs one, the music in Polynomial is one of the best parts of the game, and I believe would be strong enough to stand on its own. Taking cues from the colorful visuals, the music is electronic and trippy with suitable aspects of the avant-garde. The music does occasionally lag with the gameplay, but can manage to keep up to speed even when the game is moving at a snail's pace. The music has good variety too, meaning that you probably won't be quickly worn out on the songs. If you do get tired of the music, however, the game sounds great alongside a Flaming Lips record. What you may not enjoy is the annoying female announcer who will be constantly reminding you to switch to the hardest difficulty and of the simplest parts of the control scheme. Really, after thirty minutes, I haven't already forgotten how to turn the ship.

Polynomial is a very mixed bag, and your opinion of it is going to depend on what sort of computer you're using, what kind of technical issues you're willing to put up with, and what level of realism you prefer. Despite the issues that I experienced, I had a pretty good time with the game, and I'll probably pick it up again when I've got a little time to spare. There's something hypnotically wonderful about this game, and I probably want to enjoy this game more than I actually do. Still, you should certainly download the demo before you buy, but I would definitely recommend that you try it out if you like arcade-style games. It's hard to argue with free.

Click here to download the demo of The Polynomial: Space of the Music from Steam.

--Tom

Sonic 4 Episode 1 review (iOS)

Sonic, has been suffering lately. With a slew of bad titles coming out lately, it's no wonder fans are starting to doubt the ability of the blue blur. But then, Sonic 4 was announced, as a sequel to Sonic and Knuckles. People were skeptical, but now, I think the fastest thing alive has made a comeback.


GAMEPLAY

This is where recent Sonic games have failed, lackluster gameplay. Well, Sonic 4 isn't perfect, but it's damn near close. Like most iOS games, you have a digital joystick and one button. The button makes Sonic jump, and if facing an enemy, item, or spring, he'll use his homing attack from the 3D games. It's quick, easy, and responsive. Occasionally in the air, I've had Sonic stop in midleap and fall to his death, but that rarely happens and is usually no big deal. Of course, there's the regular lineup of badniks from the classic games, and items. No real new items or anything. My biggest issue with the gameplay is that all the levels are unlocked from the start, and that you have to manually select each stage, as apposed to it switching automatically.


Score 8.5/10

STORY

Nothing special, Eggman takes all the emeralds, captures woodland creatures, Sonic goes to stop him, yadda yadda yadda.

NA/10

GRAPHICS

The graphics are crisp and sharp, all the environments are beautifully rendered. Sonic can look a bit blocky sometimes though. But usually, they're beautiful.

9/10

FUN

If you love the classic Sonic games, then you're right at home. If you're not, you may still get a kick out of it.


SCORE 8.5/10

Image credit: www.Talkphone.com

It's what makes a game worth It's asking price.

So. I'm a fan. Yes, a FAN. A fan of a certain series that people shit on because of it's narrative, characters, and generally what it stands for. Yes, Naruto. This series is pretty much the forefront of the manga/anime surge that hit the west within the last 10 years, and I tell you what. I LOVE IT. But I digress back to the point I'm trying to make in this quaint lil article of mine. I recently read a review of the latest game to come from the Naruto series. Naruto Shippuden ultimate ninja Storm 2, or: Naruto [insert cool words here] 2. Oh dear. The review was positive, sure, it garnered a respectable 8 out of 10, which I'm glad to hear of course, but it was the reason it was marked down that caught my attention. A reason thats been widespread in reviews recently within the genre of fighting games...


The game was marked down for the fact that players had to UNLOCK CHARACTERS BY PLAYING THE GAME! I mean... Come on! What's the bad part of that? If the whole game were at my fingertips upon starting it up, I'd test each character out, pick one that looked cool and stick with them for the rest of my time with the game because I simply don't want to trawl through 40 or 50 characters to find one that suits me. The unlocking technique is far more fitting, as characters are slowly being introduced to me throughout my time with the game. So I can gradually look at what character does what and work them into my play-style if need be. This is a far better way to introduce the character roster to players, especially these days when many fighting series are reaching their 5th or 6th rendition and include umpteen bazillion characters with very little distinction between them, and let them all loose on you from the off. Take Tekken 6 for example. Sure, it has an impressive 40 odd character roster, but they all look the same, and most have some very similar attributes, I found myself gravitated to Kuma because he was a friggin bear in a sea of old men and 14 year old girls with DD's bounding around their chests. Had that game started with 8 characters and slowly introduced characters like... Well, more characters, perhaps I would have remembered some of them. I mean, not many people are going to remember past old favorites like Jin, Heihachi and Nina.

The point I'm trying to make here is that the process of unlocking characters is what makes a fighting game last, you're always adding to your roster, and with that, your skill-set. In fact, it's what makes a fighting game worth the money, there's more to play for to unlock everything, and i don't mean that image gallery bullshit. There isn't many people who strive to unlock that last picture in the concept art gallery, but say you'll give them a character that turns into a penguin and BY GOD they'll keep playing.

-Serde

Image credit: www.gamesradar.com,www.ps3chat.com respectively

A Bright Apocalypse

A Bright Apocalypse
The World In Transition

We're used to seeing the end of the world depicted in video games. The post-apocalyptic landscapes of games like Fallout, Borderlands, and Rage (among others) have been thoroughly traversed by millions of gamers, but seldom do we see alternatives to the windswept deserts of so many games. The recent release from Ninja-Theory, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, shows us another take on the classic “after the end” scenario.

The game follows two human characters who have been captured by the mechanized creations of mankind. These automatons are still acting on the orders given to them during a worldwide war that exterminated most of mankind over one-hundred-fifty years ago, and while rusting robots and crumbling cities may be familiar, what's striking about Enslaved is the brilliant color that saturates the game. Instead of dull and subdued cityscapes and slowly decaying buildings, the world of Enslaved is bursting with new life. In contrast to the desolation that we normally experience, Enslaved is a celebration of life.

That said, the life that is thriving isn't human. Perhaps that's why Enslaved is still unsettling: while not showing the end of all life, that's not really what humans are interested in. Humanity is intrinsically selfish, as are all species: we don't fundamentally care about the well-being of other animals except where it influences ourselves. The world of Enslaved may be thriving with life, but it's all life that has moved into the niche where we once lived. In a sense, we have been defeated in the fight for survival, humanity has not turned out to be a successful model for life. A world that has moved on is almost more affecting than an empty world: if we're the only ones unsuited for the world, there's no one else to blame.

There too are the mechanical creations of humanity that haunt the future that Enslaved portrays. Our civilization is not entirely forgotten, but it might have been better it it had. The only thing left for the world to remember us by is a legacy of war and destruction. The machines of our hate remain and continue to kill; threatening our future by continuing to follow the orders that we gave them. The game shines a light on the absurdity of war by taking it to the extreme. The petty hatred that we could once afford has backfired and now holds the possibility to cause our ultimate defeat.

In initial reviews for Enslaved have been positive, and sales numbers aren't in yet, but even if Enslaved isn't commercially successful, it may still have an influence on the way future video games portray the end of the world. Instead of fitting into the mold of other post-apocalyptic games, Ninja-Theory took a chance by making a colorful and visually interesting game. Whether or not they are rewarded for their experiment is yet to be determined, but it is already an important entry in the genre. Innovation is driven by experimentation, and a healthy genre will grow from creative inputs of different types. Don't be surprised if aesthetic and conceptual elements from Enslaved start showing up in the some of the grimmer games that are set after the end of the world.

--Tom

It's a love/hate relationship... Assassin's Creed 2

Ah, Assassin's Creed 2, how I love you. Ever since that pale fish woman broke me out of the futuristic Church at the start of the game you've kept that twinkle in your eye that keeps me on track as I drench myself in blood and allegedly spend more than 5000 florin's on whore's. Good old fashioned 15 century Italy eh.

Oh yes, you showed me how satisfying it could be to extinguish foe's mid fight by merely throwing small knives in their direction immediately before snatching an enemy's weapon and using it against him. You showed me how walking around a corner and seeing the road ahead full of guards, was not a thing of frustration, but a thing of joy. Ah, the options you presented to me, the weapons I could wield. To poison, punch or parry? To shoot, use a sword or sand? Or perhaps even throw my well earned coins to the ground so the starved masses could leap to the ground in anticipation of my next offering, like the mongrels that they are.

But wait. What's this? Ezio and I are happily jumping across roof's to our hearts content when I notice a viewpoint to our left. I stop pressing forward and turn it's direction, but apparently to no avail, as Ezio continue's onward, off the edge of the building, and into the sprawling street below with a thump. It was at this point that my eye's widened and I vocalized my feeling's on the matter: "What the FUCK Ezio!? You've done that like 50 odd times! I've STOPPED pressing the FUCKING button! Why is it you continue to run when i say stop!? Fuck you Ezio! FUCK, YOU!" It was after this I continued playing, only to experience the same situation mere minutes later.

You see, "Creed 2" it seems me and you have a problem here. I want you to do what I tell you to do, you however want to do... Whatever it is you want to do. I wish for Ezio to turn when I tell him to, not when you decide the animation you are presenting me with Ezio's model has finished, and he can then turn. No I must say, simply no. You see you have not simply cheated me out of quick travel with this, but also life. For I, on many occasions have fallen to my death because of this Bullshit. Oh yes. In fact, I do remember this quaint little tomb towards the beginning of the game where this scared little bitch of a guard ran his little arse off to tell his douche-bag friends about my breaking in. Of course the little fuck managed to scream his still little arse off to the aforementioned douches because of this perplexing need for you to finish your fucking animations.

Yes Assassin's creed 2, you make me run the wrong way, up the wrong wall or jump off an object of which i wanted to perch on. You little bitch you. It is as if you are built to make me fail, fall, die and then spit on my face, is it as if my very existence to you is somehow fucking puerile and you will me away so you can do whatever YOU want to do. So it leaves me at saying this: "FUCK YOU ASSASSIN'S CREED 2. FUCK. YOU!" Yes, it is the end for you and I! I hope you're happy!


...Then again, the fighting is bad arse. No, that "arse" is not a typo blogger you dick!

Let's just say it's a love/hate relationship.

- Serde

Image credit - www.pcgamehardware.com

Sonic Adventure review

Game: Sonic Adventure
Reviewed Platform: Xbox 360
Other Platforms: Playstation 3, Dreamcast

I just want to open with two words here: "Oh dear." These come from my mouth not only as a showing of my disappointment for a game that i paid 800 Microsoft points for, but for a game that's been firmly placed in my mind for 11 years as the pinnacle of Sega's gaming talent to be such a disappointment. This is one journey down nostalgia lane i won't be finishing.

Now, i know people won't listen to what i, or anyone else say about this game. Simply because i didn't either, i saw the game there on the marketplace and just bought it, no questions asked. I was going to LOVE it. Then i booted it up, and saw Sonic Adventure in all it's glory... All it's horrible smelly glory. I got a HDTV not a month ago to sample the best things in gaming life, like buying a fine wine you don't want to drink because it cost so much. So imagine my disdain when this game booted up in 4:3 resolution, that's near half of my TV showing me blue, and slightly darker blue lines. Brilliant.

The opening cutscene as always, doesn't fail to look epic, and i felt a warmth of nostalgia roll in, settling the 4:3 woe's. Saying that however, the graphics in the cutscene aren't sharp enough to sharpen a pencil. People look like dolls, and Sonic only looks cool because he's the good old "chubby" version. "But Serde! This is a Dreamcast re-release!" you might say. Yes, it is. But it isn't at the same time. They've taken the graphics from the "DX" re-release on Gamecube and PC, so it isn't exactly authentic, in fact, the whole game is the DX re-release, just with every added gameplay feature (save for the chao black market) being removed. But i haven't even got to the in game graphics yet. Jesus are they bad. Not making matters any better is that anti-aliasing seems to have taken a day off in Sonic land. Colours are almost segregated across characters features, making them look like a mess. Perhaps this is the HD doing this, but if it is, there shouldn't be a problem there. Things like this should have been ironed out before they released it. If they weren't going to work on it, why did it take 6 months to come out?!



The gameplay. Oooh, the gameplay. How i loved it back then, speeding around seemingly epic environments on an epic quest... There was this level back then in Sonic's "campaign" (yeah, the campaigns for each character are still there, all with their shitty extra components) where you're on eggman's... Egg carrier, it's called Sky Deck, and had the most frustrating platforming in the game. You'd be falling through walls, railings, off ledges... Mostly because of the camera, but a lot of the time it was just because the game glitched on your face. This time through, it felt like every level was this level. In Emerald coast i was shoved off loops into the sea, in windy valley i flew through the fence in the second section of the level to my death, to which Sonic still, wanting to be non-shall-ant casually says "no" to. Overall the game play is frustrating because of the camera and glitches. That or so tedious you want to switch off (big the cats fishing stages).

But you know what the worst thing was? The absolute worst thing was, that this could have been SO good. They could have re-enthused Sonic fans, maybe even get new ones. This was the last good 3d sonic game (bar adventure 2) before 3d Sonic became absolutely awful, with Sonic 06 trying to draw off Sonic Adventures narrative with a "fire" beast instead of a water beast. Creativity up the wah-zoo. All they needed to do to this re-release was give it a hd lick of paint, change the camera up a bit and get the platforming down to a t. A simple thing that wouldn't have taken too long. Unfortunately for Sonic fans, Sega just doesn't give a shit about him. Whats coming up? Sonic riders natal, Sonic colours and... Sonic 4? Maybe that will be good, i doubt it, but anyhow.

"This rendition of Sonic was good back in the day to our childish eyes. However, by today's standards it's a shambles, don't buy it unless you're the most dedicated Sonic fan."

image credits: ign.com and gamerevolution.com respectively

Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep

Kingdom Hearts, a great series with awesome gameplay and a pretty good story as well. All of these things are a MUST to make a great video game and Kingdom Hearts is indeed, a great game series

The newest game in the series is Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep for the Playstation Portable. The story takes place ten years before the start of the first Kingdom Hearts game. It follows the quests of three Keyblade masters named Terra, Aqua, and Ventus. As keyblade masters they are destined to defend the balance between Light and Dark, but this balanced is upset by a masked keyblade wielder who controls a new enemy based on his own negative emotions.(Kind of a rip off of Heartless, but heartless did not invade the worlds yet so we needed something to whack to death.) The story will unveil some new things on the characters we have grown to know and love, and also added some new ones to the list.

The gameplay is smooth and solid like the other games but added a feature that I personally love. Instead of waiting for that long MP bar to reload you are now able to use all your abilities with out having to choose one over the other in a sense. This new system is called Deck Commands. You start out with a limited amount, three on most difficulties, of slots to fill with abilities you find over the course of the game. When you use one of your abilities it has its own load time so you can still use your others with out having to worry about having enough MP for a different attack or spell. Everything but the characters basic attacks is used through deck commands. Items, Magic, and Special attacks. As you use the abilities and gain experience the abilities also level up.

The game also has other features for you to explore when taking a break from the main storyline. There is a game mode called the Mirage Pit which allows you to use the abilities you gained on the main quest in a tourtement type game where you fight rounds of enemies. You also can go online through the Mirage Pit and team up with your friends to fight as well as compete with each other to see who the is the better keyblade master. Another mini-game is called the Command Board. It is a board game style mini game where you can gain more abilities and items to use on the main quest.

The game did have some downsides. It had many frustrating boss battles, but they were more toward the end of the game. The worlds also get very repetitive because you visit the same worlds three times, once for each character. Those are really the only Con's I can think of really. It is one of my favorite games in the series, next to the first and second. I would have to give this a 9/10. It would definitly have a 10 if it had made each character visit different worlds to make the game a little less repetitive, but I digress. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the game as much as I did.

Mafia II Review

Game: Mafia 2
Reviewed Platfom: Xbox 360
Other Platforms: Playstation 3, PC

It's 1945, world war 2 is raging on seemingly infinitely, thousands of men are dying in dank pits and... What are you doing? Drinking fine wine, wearing the latest fashion and driving the best cars money can buy. For this is the life of the Mafia, as the game sets out to present through the protagonist Vito Scaletta, an Italian American who scrubs up nice and his best buddy Joe's, an Italian American who's a bit chubbier, optimism of the lifestyle. To them the mafia is money, cars, women and most importantly, power. This leads onto one of the best and most involving storylines i've partaken in within a game.

It is impossible not to at least reference grand theft auto within the review. The mechanics are essentially the same for most of the game. It's a third person game in the same vein, You run to cover before the enemies shoot you and pop out to get them whenever you can. The difficulty is definitely alot higher however, i found myself turning around corners to be killed in one shot. However, this is usually because i'm moving too fast, and will only occur later in the game when alot of enemies have magnums, and the enemies with shotguns throughout the game. This brings me to the checkpointing system, checkpoints in missions are a very important ingredient in a game where you have to traverse a large environment to get to and from the mission, Mafia 2's checkpoint spacing was very good throughout. There was one moment very late in the game where it seemed as though they had missed a checkpoint in the middle of a fight. You start on some docks, fighting your way up to a warehouse. This bit is hard within itself, but after this you enter a warehouse. This is where the bullshittery of the game is, the only defining, stand out, bull shit momment. You are trapped in an enclosed enviroment with about 10 guys with guns that'll kill you in 2-3 shots, and a man chucking molotov cocktails which have some sort of ultimate area affect damage because they drain your life so fast it isn't funny, and to make matters worse, you go back to the start of the docks if you die. The only way i could find to do this was to, as soon as i entered the warehouse, sprint to the other side, under the balcony the guy with molotovs on and camp the stairs. It felt cheap, but on hard difficulty anything else was suicide.

Not to say the gun segments aren't fun, the last little segment especially. In which you have to drive to the planetarium, it's raining and the building looks ominous from the car lot. The situation and setting were so epic i decided to change from my summer shirt to proper Mafia garb and buy a tommy gun to suit the situation. Because the story had become so involving i knew i'd regret it if i didn't dress for the occasion. However, this gun segment made me feel like Tony Montana in Scarface, walking down the hall with my machine gun, gunning fools down. I was powerful because i was angry at the people i was shooting, and it was fun as hell.


As anyone who has played GTA will know, the missions become monotonus, drive somewhere, shoot some fools, drive back, Piss. Get's boring fast though, and whilst GTA breaks this up with things like darts, arcade games and some side missions. Mafia does something i think GTA could learn from. Every mission you do advances the narrative, you have one mission at a time, and the variety is brilliant. At the start of the game you'll be having fist fights with people, a simplified mechanic, but one that keeps the combat intense. Hold a to dodge, b for a light hit, and y for a hard hit. Timing is everything, and when you learn to counter punch later, things become even tenser. There are also a few segments to break up the shooting where you have to sneak around metal gear style, usually with a no kill bonus. Typical Mafia tasks are also at hand like extorting money from people, which, whilst not at the height of entertainment, really helps to show how things are run. The variety of the game kept me playing through in one sitting. I couldn't say this for GTA IV, which i still have not finished, Mafia 2 is helped in this department as the campaign in around 8 hours long, which is fine, as this is NOT a free form, free roam game. It is an action adventure title in a GTA vein. This is the only xbox 360 game i have played through twice, and i think there is replayablility to be had from the game-play alone.

The collectibles. Yes, they're playboy magazines, no, it's not tasteful, but theres nobody complaining. In no other game can i try to open a door by pressing x and instead pick up a picture of a topless woman. There are 50 "playmates" to collect, along with 159 wanted posters. You also unlock more artwork by playing through on different difficulties. So if collecting things is your thing, or you want to see some topless 60's chicks, Mafia 2 has some more stuff for you to do!

The best aspect of the game is probably the setting. The game has...4 setting changes within it. One chapter you're in world war 2, another you're in snowy 1945 and halfway through the game you're in 1951, theres even another setting which is very unexpected. But one of the best settings in the game. The music and colours in these periods really represent the time. In 1945 everything is snowy, and theres a sort of depressive feeling overhanging the world. Whilst 1951 has you driving around listening to "rock and roll" with bright colours everywhere. You just need to play it to feel the vibe.

Overall, this game is not the greatest, however, the narrative is movie worthy. More specifically a great movie. The game is fun, and it actually includes things that gta could learn from, it's not as good as red dead redemption gameplay wise, whilst better in a narrative sense.

"If you have the money to spare for a game, get Mafia 2, it's got some of the best atmosphere out there, and an ending that'll stay with you for a while."

Image credit: 2nd image: Coventry-telegraph.co.uk

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
Cultural Acceptance of Video Games

There are pressures to tone down violence and other potentially offense content in video games. Many of these pressures stem from negative media attention and people like Jack Thompson who have made it their career to crusade against the free speech of game designers and developers. Those who fight for freedom of expression in this relatively young art form often speak of the day when video games will be seen as no different than television or movies, but is that really what the industry should be hoping for?

The gaming world was up in arms in 2007 when Rockstar Games' Manhunt 2 was edited to avoid the sales-ruining Adults Only rating from the ESRB. Self censorship is never a good thing, but, if the goal is to end up like TV and film, why should the video game industry care about a little thing like that? When master director Stanley Kubrick tried to release his film version of the Anthony Burgess novel A Clockwork Orange, he was forced to censor the film in order to avoid an “X” rating from the Motion Picture Association of America. When he tried to release the film in Britain, Kubrick was forced to withdraw the film from consideration, making it very difficult to watch the film in Britain for almost thirty years. Is this really the idyllic hope for the future of video games?

I may not be familiar with television censorship in the UK, but you can certainly find it alive and well in the States. The Federal Communications Commission has been authorized to levy a fine of up to $325,000 per offense for television stations that violate its standards of decency. This prohibitively large sum enforces yet more self censorship, this time in the world of television. What are video games supposed to learn from this form of media?

So then, what are video games going to model themselves after? The answer might be surprising: books. Anyone can go to a bookstore and purchase whatever sort of book they would like. Books require a similar time investment to that of a video game, and they are sold with a similar business model, but book publishers have never had a puritanical rating agency staring over their shoulder, forcing them to cut paragraphs and chapters out of their new release. Books may contain more sex and violence than games, and the effect may be greater due to the fact that books rely on the imagination much more than do video games.

In the end, video gaming is never going to be able to step out from under the thumb of oppressive, enforced limitations and de facto government censorship until it asserts itself as an art form. Freedom will not come in conforming to the system or in relenting to the media storm. Concerned parents need to realize that ratings are not a replacement for good parenting and that strict regulations are not only useless without proper parental involvement, restricting the free speech of game developers is a violation of fundamental artistic rights. The revolution may not be in film or television, it may not even be in books, but the lifting of oppression will happen. It's only a question of when.

--Tom

Picture Credit: www.amoeba.com

Dead Rising 2: Review

So here it is! The sequel you've all been waiting for! Yes, the game that warmed our hearts and-

This wasn't the sequel we've been waiting for? Hardly anyone even played the first one? Oh... Well in that case, brilliant, for Dead Rising 2 is pretty much more of the same!


Game: Dead Rising 2
Reviewed platform: Playstation 3
Other platforms: Xbox 360, PC

Dead rising 2. You had me at motorbikes with chainsaws off the sides. For anyone that doesn't know, Dead rising 2 is a 3rd person action adventure romp with zombies. There are also some very unique mechanics to the game such as the "Use anything!" aspect of the combat, and the time management style of the main campaign. You'll be using Guitars, Paddles, and all sorts of objects, vehicles and contraptions to take down your fallen brethren, and you know what the best part is? It's bloody fun, and bloody... Bloody!

You are motorcyclist Chuck Greene. Chuckie has recently fallen into hard times what with the zombie outbreak and all, and consequently, his daughter was bitten by her own mother. Of course, you'll know all this if you've played the bargain prequel/demo thing that is Dead Rising 2: Case zero at the minuscule 400mp price point, but I digress. Chuck has entered into the TV series "Terror is Reality" which features a "token black guy" host, along with hundreds of zombies, a selection of men on chainsaw enabled motorbikes, and oodles and oodles of blood. So to cut a long story short, you help Chuck win the show and get the prize money with which he can buy his daughter some "Zombrex", a drug that can stave off her impending zombie infection. Unfortunately for Chuck, the shops close early because of an unscheduled outbreak of the zombies who were on tour with the show, most likely a union issue. You manage to reach a "safe room" from which the story really begins. The story from then on, is undoubtedly cheesy, what with every woman Chuck stands near coming on to him, I guess women were just drawn to a man in green wellington boots, a red one piece set of pajamas's and a blood stained Blanka mask. However, the story is satisfying enough, and includes some nice twists and turns to keep you interested.

The gameplay. OH, the gameplay. Anyone whose played the first Dead Rising will feel instantly at home with Dead Rising 2, as it has pretty much the same premise: Kill zombies. However, both games have nice campaign missions that need to be completed within a certain time frame before the next one is activated, and consequently, you're on the clock. Now, you'd think this would be annoying, but it gives the game an incredible feeling of structure and time management. The second time through I found myself thinking "right, if I go here now there's a woman I can save, and then I can head over to the sword shop for some weapons before taking out that psycho in the toilet." Which brings me to the next gameplay element. Bosses, or Psychos as they are referred to in-game, are people who have not coped well since the outbreak, and instead of looking to help humanity escape this disaster, have tied up people and stored them in cupboards and such. This is where Chuck must step in and save the day, and this is also the weakest part of the gameplay... Bosses simply have too much health when you are just starting out. As you can level up, the playing field get's fairer later on, however, I advise taking extreme caution with Psychos early on in the game. That said, meeting all the psychos is a joy as they all have different and disturbing traits that make them who they are: psychos. You can also wander around the mall and try on all the clothing the shops have to offer. This includes women's clothes and vampire masks... And you thought zombies were scary!


Now. The Zombies. They are more of a hinderence than an actual enemy, sure, they hurt, but they most likely won't be the cause of your death unless you're incredibly low on health when you enter a crowd. As I mentioned before, zombies can be beaten, or shot to death using hundreds of different items within the game world, you can even combine a fair amount using pre-assigned combo's to make cool contraptions like "the blitzkreig" which is a motorised wheelchair armed with machine guns that you can drive around in. It's brilliant. I should also mention that in Dead Rising 1, saving survivors was a pain as all the zombies would seem to focus squarely on them, however in Dead Rising 2 all attention is on you, which makes saving survivors a whole lot smoother and less frustrating.

The graphics and sound are average, there's nothing too special here, what with there being zombified moans and lift music most of the time, and obscure heavy rock on the bosses. In the graphics department however, it is impressive just how many zombies are on screen at once.

Overall Dead Rising 2 is a fantastically fun game. It's not in it for the high brow graphics or the quality soundtrack, but it provides great gameplay in shovels. For those that already played the first one I'd say you should definitely pick this one up, as it'll remind you just why you loved the first one. Of course if you didn't like the first one... Don't pick the second one up. If you've never played a Dead Rising game before, this is still a good one to start with, however I'd recommend trying case zero first.

I don't want to give a score based review, so I'll just end with a statement.

"If you are a fan of zombies and the culture that surrounds them, buy it. If not, take the prequel for a spin!"

Image credits: Techshout.com and Technabob.com respectively