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Preview of Mass Effect 2 ( in-game experience )

2011-03-20T23:59:00.000-07:00

It's perfectly natural for gamers to be wary of jumping into the Mass Effect series with the second game, but BioWare has delivered a compelling package that does its best to quell any uncertainty with skipping the first title. It's worth noting that the original Mass Effect is a different game in many respects from Mass Effect 2, so in terms of gameplay, you're getting the better experience right off the bat. And while Mass Effect 2 is certainly a story-driven affair related directly to the original title, you'll have access to an in-game comic book feature that explains the story of the first game and lets you make choices that will affect your playthrough of the sequel. Combine that with the fact that Mass Effect 2 on PS3 has a slew of DLC extras and even an upgraded game engine, and you'll be struck by the obvious: Mass Effect 2 on the PlayStation 3 is the best, most complete version of the game available. Sorry, Xbox 360 version. You were good. But this is better.

Mass Effect 2 is the product of artfully mixing certain genres. On one hand, it's a third-person shooter. On the other hand, it's an RPG with sandbox, open-world sensibilities. BioWare has brilliantly blended together these genres and influences to craft an experience that's not only much better than the admittedly-fantastic original Mass Effect, but also better than virtually all of the like-minded games on the market today. It provides a more streamlined experience than the original, with more focus on character development and action and less on some of the minutiae that bogged down the series' first outing.

The Mass Effect series introduces gamers to an alternate form of our galaxy where humanity has found alien life. Using a special device orbiting Pluto called a Mass Relay, humanity jettisons to the far edges of the galaxy only to run into a bunch of other species that have known about each other for some time. No one really trusts the humans (the new kids on the block) and our species is left struggling both for galactic trust and identity in the face of a brand-new existential threat. That's where you come in.

Mass Effect 2 begins under dire circumstances. You'll immediately witness the abrupt and violent death of the main character named Commander Shepard, only to find him or her resurrected by a rich, xenophobic human-first group called Cerberus. There's a reason Cerberus used its unlimited resources to revive Shepard, however, and it has to do with stopping the threat posed by the Collectors, a nebulous species that targets human space colonies. As this threat grows, so too does Cerberus' resolve to stop them, and they'll use Shepard and his or her team of assembled bad-asses to get things done.

Ultimate Gran Turismo 5

2010-11-24T23:52:00.000-08:00

The Gran Turismo series has always prided itself on realism. Each of the hundreds of cars in these games is painstakingly modeled after the real thing. Tracks are carefully recreated from real-world locations. Every aspect of Gran Turismo is designed to simulate the experience of racing, and that sense of realism has only increased now that the series has made the jump to the PlayStation 3.

In this roundup, we take a look at some of the racing wheels options on the market and how they can improve your racing performance.

The PS3 accepts most USB-based racing wheels, so gamers have no shortage of options on that front. However, for those who want a wheel designed specifically with the PS3 in mind and don't want to spend any more than necessary, MGEAR's 3 in 1 Pro Racing Wheel is an option. The wheel features force feedback and analog buttons. Despite the budget price, it does also include a set of pedals and a shifter, hence the name.

The greatest advantage here is price. $69.99 is a reasonably low price point already, but a quick search online should yield deals far lower than the MSRP. Amazon has a listing for a pair of two 3 in 1 wheels for less than $45. But as with most things in life, you get what you pay for here. The 3 in 1 Racing Wheel doesn't offer anywhere near the build quality or responsiveness of more expensive models, and should really only be considered by those on a tight budget.

Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom out NOW!!!

2010-11-23T18:26:00.000-08:00

A year from now, when the majority of Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom's action/puzzle/platformer gameplay is out of my mind, there is one thing I will still remember: the atrocious voice work for the loveable monster protagonist. Brought to life with speech resembling Barney the purple dinosaur (if he had skipped English class), the bear-monkey-dryad hybrid Majin seems like a dopey excuse for a hero. That goofy persona is part of his charm, and although he can barely walk (seriously, he trips and falls every five minutes) that doesn't negate the fact that he serves as the guardian to a kingdom of humans.

Told through beautiful 2D cutscenes, the story of this game begins after Majin failed to fulfill his duties as a protector. A hundred years ago, Darkness infected the kingdom's leaders and plagued the countryside, causing the death and destruction of almost everything. In the present, you'll play as a young male thief with a Dr. Doolittle-like ability to talk with the animals, and you meet the gentle beast in a sad state of affairs -- tied up and starved in a castle. The nameless thief rescues Majin and the pair teams up to take down four Dark Generals and the king in hopes of putting a stop to all the chaos.

You can't catch a ride on Majin's back, but you do get to control everything he does. Issuing commands is easy, and he'll follow, attack, eat to replenish his health, wait or crouch for you. He's essentially a well-trained dog. After he regains some of his skills, you can also tell him to use them on enemies or the specific parts of the environment to access other areas. For the most part Majin is obedient -- that is when he's not getting distracted by pesky enemies. You'll go from "aww"ing at Majin's clumsiness to cursing him for ignoring your commands and fighting enemies instead.

With the giant stripped of all his former powers, you'll fight to locate massive berries to recharge his strength, stamina and abilities of fire, wind, lightning and purification. Traversing the world together, you'll have to fight off several different types of darkness-infected creatures to survive. Killing enemies releases gems to level up the thief as well as strengthen the bond between the two heroes. Battling side-by-side is encouraged, and doing so will net you more gems and initiate some cool finishing moves that vary depending on your friendship level.

Attacking is a simple ordeal as there's really only one button for a regular hacking and slashing and then two buttons you press in tandem to unleash a more powerful lunge. Also, if you're able to sneak up on an enemy you can take them out in one devastating blow. Until you level up the nimble boy, you'll likely have trouble fending off the darkness, and as your health goes down, you'll be covered in dark matter until you die. An untimely demise doesn't mean the end of the road, though. If your furry pal is still standing nearby, he has a short time limit to revive you. It's this limited way of healing -- Majin standing still and sucking all the darkness off you -- that makes battles irritating. Majin focuses more on fighting than helping you, so you can get stuck in some tricky situations.

There's never a dull moment on the battlefield and you'll constantly be fighting for your life. The game does an excellent job of introducing new enemy types that behave differently, including archers and weird bat-like things that get in your face. Since most of them can't see very well it's usually possible to run away to safety should you get in a lot of trouble, but you'll still be stuck with low health until Majin comes around.

Engaging in battles is only part of the action, however. Each area incorporates some light puzzle elements, like reaching a switch to open a door or to acquire berries for Majin. Unlike the enemies, there's not a whole lot of variety, and you'll pull a lot of switches over the course of the game. Most of the puzzles aren't terribly difficult to figure out, but there was one small section that stumped me for a while toward the end. The OCD collecters will love the fact that the map lists how many hidden items are in each section, so you'll continue to hunt for those remaining treasure chests and berries.

Every boss battle or Dark General can't be defeated by brute force and are more puzzle-based instead. I did find that they got easier as the game progressed instead of harder. These should have been some of the harder things to decipher; after all there are only five major battles, so it is disappointing that it's more challenging to get Majin to properly perform his powers than figure out how to beat a boss.

Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Hands-On

2008-11-05T03:43:00.000-08:00

Everyone's favorite ninja-in-training is coming to the PlayStation 3 this October in Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm, and we checked out Namco Bandai's booth at E3 2008 to get our hands on this flashy fighting game. The whole Naruto roster is on hand to take place in the action, so fans will be able to create any matchup they please. With its impressively sharp visuals and accessible control system, this is looking to be one of the strongest Naruto titles yet.

Jumping into the head-to-head fighting mode, we chose Sasuke as our primary fighter, but the selecting didn't end there. We then had to choose two teammates to back us up throughout the fight. These allies won't jump in when you are defeated; rather, you can summon them intermittently to jump in, land a flurry of blows on your opponent, and then jump out again. We chose Chouji and Sakura, autoselected our computer opponents, and then headed to a riverside arena for our showdown.

We were initially struck by the ample size of the battle area. It spanned a sandy bank and a grassy knoll beyond and was bordered by forests and the river. We ran around with the left analog stick for a while to get our bearings, and though we wandered hither and yon, we always refocused on our opponent whenever we inclined the stick toward him. The size of the area was evocative of many of the fights from the anime series, which often take place across a broad swath of land. Soon enough our opponent, Naruto himself, got tired of our antics and began a fevered assault.

At first we jumped and dodged out of the way, but then we struck back with attacks of our own. Jump and attack are each mapped to one face button, as is the shuriken throw. We soon felt the need to kick things up a notch, so we hit the chakra button to charge up our strikes. Single shurikens grew larger and multiplied, and our fists and feet began to pack more of a punch. Holding the chakra button down for longer made our attacks even stronger, and soon we were dealing some pretty hefty damage. Naruto countered with his shadow clone technique, which left us pretty low on health. We desperately called in our reinforcements to lend us a hand, and their attacks were quite effective, though we then had to wait a while before using them again and were soon defeated.

Despite getting our headband handed to us, we enjoyed the smooth controls and vibrant visual effects, especially during chakra and jutsu attacks. The open arenas allowed the battle to flow naturally through space, and the flashy reinforcement strikes were definitely handy in a pinch. Naruto is on track for an impressive PlayStation 3 debut, and we'll be sure to keep you updated in the coming months.

Sonic Unleashed Hands-On

2008-11-05T03:35:00.000-08:00

Sega's spiky mascot didn't exactly impress with his last outing--the eponymously titled Sonic The Hedgehog--but early indicators for the upcoming Sonic Unleashed look to be significantly more positive. Now just weeks away from release, we managed to grab some hands-on time with the Xbox 360 version of the new game, which included wrangling with some of the bosses Sonic will be going head-to-head against.

For the uninitiated, Sonic Unleashed isn't going to be purely about speed. Unleashed will feature two distinct gameplay styles--daytime levels will be your classic Sonic speed runs, while nighttime levels will be more akin to a beat-'em-up brawler (with Sonic transforming into a creature called a werehog). We're not completely sure how this relates to the game's story, but we do know that the evil Eggman is back and has somehow got hold of the Chaos Emeralds. Eggman uses the emeralds to fire up a superweapon, which splits the Earth into many different pieces, and it’s up to Sonic to get the planet back together.

We played through three different daytime levels during our hands-on session--a section set in Greece, which was the subject of our previous previews (now called Apotos in the game), the European city-inspired Spagonia, and the China-themed Chun-nan. Apotos is all sunshine and Mediterranean housing, while Spagonia features cobbled streets and plenty of tables on sidewalk restaurants to run through. Chun-nan, on the other hand, starts off with Sonic running along the top of what looks like the Great Wall of China before heading down into a low valley flanked by high mountain walls. If we're a little light on the descriptive phrases for these levels, it’s because Sonic moves through these areas so quickly that most of it becomes a blur--which is nothing but good news for Sonic fans. That trademark Sonic sense of unbelievable speed is well and truly back in Unleashed, with some cool motion blur effects adding to the feeling of inertia. Best still, the frame rate drops we saw in earlier builds look to be gone, with the new Hedgehog Engine holding steady during our game session.

And in even more good news for fans of the series, playing through these three daytime levels reminded us most of Sonic's 2D 16-bit days, where speed had to be balanced out with fast reflexes and knowledge of the best paths to take through levels. In the early Apotos level, getting and maintaining top speed was quite easy. But that task grew more difficult in Spagonia and Chun-nan, where quick runs could be stymied by a mistimed jump, environmental dangers, such as spikes or moving platforms, and not reacting quickly enough to oncoming obstacles. Sonic has several moves at his disposal to keep the speed up, including quick sidesteps to the left or right (done by using your controller's shoulder buttons) to rapidly move out of the way. The hedgehog also has a homing roll attack, which he can use to kill opponents without breaking stride. Finally, Sonic has his own version of NOS in Unleashed--pressing B will give him a temporary speed boost, with this ability being recharged by collecting more gold rings in a level. You'll also have to now deal with quick-time button press events (which are seemingly all the rage in games today). You successfully input the right button combination when these events pop up, and Sonic will take a different route that may yield more coins or fewer enemies. If you fail, you'll have to take the less optimum path.

Things are markedly different when Sonic turns into a werehog during the night levels, with all the speed of daytime replaced by a God of War-lite action brawler where Sonic uses his fists to take on opponents. The night Apotos level is the first you'll come across in Unleashed and serves as training where you'll be exposed to the werehog's various attacks. The Y and X buttons can be used to string together various combo attacks; A is for jump, while B is to grab enemies. You can also perform special finishing moves on certain opponents--pressing the B button whilst close to a wounded enemy will trigger yet another quick-time button press event, which when successfully inputted, will result in the werehog doing a flashy final hit on his hapless foe. The Apotos night level was mainly populated by lumbering and easily disposed of foes, which looked a little like evil versions of the Disney character Stitch. But by the time we got to the night Chun-nan level, much harder foes (including a fiery floating wizard that was more than reminiscent of Orko from He-Man) were on hand to give Sonic a decent challenge.

To close off our game play session, we decided to take on some of the bosses Sonic can expect to tangle with when Unleashed releases later this month. Firstly, we took on the end boss of the night time Apotos level, a large shadowy figure armed with a large club that could send large shockwaves along the ground. Battling this creature turned out to be pretty easy (once we got rid of the dozens of minions surrounding our lone werehog, that is). Much more challenging was the daytime level boss we tackled, a wasplike ship called Egg Beetle piloted by Eggman himself. This boss battle takes place on what looks like a treetop highway in the African-themed Mazuri level and sees Sonic having to chase after the Egg Beetle whilst simultaneously avoiding his various attacks. The Egg Beetle liked to fly in front of our perky little hedgehog, firing out large spiked balls and fireballs directly in his path. You'll have to use Sonic's boost ability in order to catch up to the Beetle and quickly perform a homing attack to do damage. Eventually, the boss shifts his attack pattern, with the screen moving to a 2D view where Sonic has to avoid missiles being fired at him from above. This boss battle was definitely tense, testing out our skills and reaction time (just as a good Sonic game should).

Based on what we've seen so far, Sonic Unleashed looks like it'll contain plenty of what made Sonic great in the first place, at least as far as the daytime levels are concerned. We'll have to wait until we get the full game in our hands, however, before we make a call on just how well the slower, brawling nighttime levels fit into the entire package. Sonic Unleashed is due out on the 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, and Wii at the end of November. Check back soon for our full review.

FIFA Soccer 09

2008-10-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy 12 months for EA Sports and football games. FIFA 08 was a genuine revolution for the series, with a more realistic pace and improved AI adding some much-needed depth to the gameplay. UEFA Euro 2008 came six months later, further refining this groundwork while expanding the features list with more unique game modes. With FIFA 09--the third EA Sports football game in a bit more than a year--the developers have honed the core gameplay even further and added even more features, game modes, and online elements to the mix. It amounts to an incredibly deep and varied package, and despite a few niggling bugs and performance issues, FIFA 09 is the pinnacle of the series so far.

Given the six-month period of time between Euro 2008 and FIFA 09, it's no surprise that the two games play similarly. However, the pace has quickened slightly, passes need to be directed with even greater accuracy, and the referees seem even more eager to dish out cards. The most noticeable improvement is in the physical quality of the players. Attackers point to where they want the ball, defenders direct offside violations to the linesmen, and everyone has lost that plastic look from FIFA 08 that was so off-putting. Although you can still spot individual animation routines during replays, the players now feel as if they're interacting with one another and the ball. As a result, player weight and speed are now a vital part of overall tactics, and combining runs with perfectly timed passes has become the only way to succeed.

With opponent AI that absolutely will not stop until it gets the ball from you, FIFA 09 is now firmly rooted in simulation territory. Experienced players can still use the left-trigger-enabled trick system to run around players, but unless you're passing the ball around effectively, you have little hope of keeping possession. The result is a game that's heavy on midfield battles--even the commentators remark on how often possession moves between teams. The AI is particularly good even on the easier settings, not only moving in to take the ball off you, but springing offside traps and adapting their tactics throughout each match. This punishing difficulty forces you to up your game, and you soon start to develop a rhythm and accuracy that can cut through defenses to score some spectacular goals. Only the odd AI mistake from your own team conspires against you, with goalkeepers running to punch a ball that's flying well wide of the goal or the computer selecting the wrong defender for you when the other team is on a break.

Adding to the deep and rewarding gameplay is a wealth of new and existing game modes. The new cover feature is Be a Pro: Seasons, which expands last year's BAP mode to cover a full four seasons. In Be a Pro, you control a single real-world player or a custom character instead of an entire team and then craft the career of that player for both club and country over four years. You still have to focus on winning games, but each match carries additional criteria, such as making a certain number of passes, tackles, or goals, which add to your overall experience points. If you're a fan of a certain player, it's great to step into his boots, but Be a Pro is most addictive when you spend time customising your own footballer and putting your name on the back of a shirt. With tactical changes and substitutions happening automatically, the emphasis is on your being the player, and your ultimate aim across the four-year career is to stay in the A-squad and earn the captaincy of your national team. If you get bored of playing as just one player or want to mix things up a bit, then you can opt to control the entire team, and friends can jump in and out as other players if you want support. Be a Pro is worth checking out if you want to see the game in a different light, but even in attacking positions, you'll spend a lot of time waiting for some action.

Be a Pro really comes into its own when played online. Up to 20 people can join in a single game, and the same passing/tackling/position/goal reward system means you're encouraged to play as part of a team. Be a Pro online is technically well implemented too, with a diplomatic lobby system that lets people jump in and select the position they want to play; the first people to ready up are awarded the captaincy and thus can control the tactics and options for the entire team. The lag is less of a problem on the PS3 than it is on the Xbox 360, but it's still prone to some slowdown on occasion. The number of shouting voices can sometimes make it difficult to communicate, but on the whole it's well implemented and is a huge amount of fun to play.

New online features aren't limited to 10-vs-10 in FIFA 09. The game also incorporates the Adidas Live Season--similar to a feature in this year's NBA Live--whereby real-world stats updates are sent to your console on a weekly basis. The game comes bundled with an access code for one free English, German, Spanish, French, Mexican, or Italian premier league, whereas additional leagues can be purchased either individually or as a set. The stats updates change the ratings of players in the game, so if someone is doing well in real life, he'll become better in the game. However, it also works the other way round, and injuries lower the stats considerably for the period of time that the player's not playing in real life. It's an expensive feature if you want updates to all of the leagues, and it expires in May 2009, but if you're a fan, it definitely adds a bit of drama to your FIFA season.

The final major addition to the game is the new custom-tactics feature, which lets you get in-depth with the behaviour of individual teams. You can adjust 11 different factors for each team, including positioning and aggressiveness, and then map your tactics to the D pad to activate during a game. What's more, you can upload these tactics to your online FIFA 09 Locker, which lets other people download and rate what you've come up with. There are 28 slots in total, and you can download other users' data and save it to your storage device. That said, the standard configurations that EA has programmed already mirror the playing style of most major teams; Arsenal have a characteristically offensive style, whereas Manchester United tend to push up from the midfield.

Although FIFA 09 offers a lot of new features, the game is still full of existing content from previous games. There are lots of offline game types, such as the Manager mode, which concerns you with transfers and training, and the Lounge mode, which lets you and your friends mess around to create scenarios and challenges. Then there are the online modes, which are comprehensive to say the least. The Interactive League lets you represent your favourite club online against supporters of other teams, with overall rankings tracking each team's progress around the world. There's also a new FIFA 09 Clubs mode where you create your own team and try to recruit your friends to play alongside you. In addition to the standard ranked and unranked games, you can join lobbies to chat with other people before taking games at your leisure, or you can create custom leagues for up to 31 other players to play against. The only sore point is the slowdown that permeates some games, especially since quitting out of a particularly laggy match results in your conceding it.

EA Sports rarely disappoints when it comes to presentation, and FIFA 09 reflects the usual attention to detail. The soundtrack is as large as it is varied, with 42 songs from well-known artists, such as Black Kids, CSS, and Damien Marley. There's also an option to stream podcasts from EA, TalkSport, and ESPN, among others, directly to your console. The commentary is once again provided by Andy Gray and Martin Tyler, who provide great camaraderie with comments such as "That's a great example of what you used to do as a player." Although they occasionally repeat themselves or say the wrong line, there are lots of team- and player-specific sound bites that are delivered in an enthusiastic and authoritative manner. The ESPN news integration is also back, delivering live ticker feeds on your favourite teams and leagues, and even other sports, such as F1 and NBA. Then there's the link to EA Sports Football World, which lets you send videos and photos from the game to share with friends online. Uploading videos is a long process because they're converted to Flash in-game, and www.eafootballworld.com is confusing to navigate and link to your EA and Xbox profiles. However, the number of features here means that you keep discovering new things the more you play and delve into the menus.

With FIFA 09, EA Sports has created the deepest, most realistic and feature-packed football game yet. The gameplay hasn't changed a lot since UEFA Euro 2008, but the tweaks and refinements have produced an incredibly rewarding game. There's an almost bewildering number of modes to play through, and the amount of online functionality means that the game should have a good deal of longevity. There's still room for improvement, considering the high amount of lag in certain online matches and some AI blunders in single-player, but if you're a football fan looking for something to last you the entire season, you can't go wrong with FIFA 09.

NBA 2009

2008-10-13T07:53:00.000-07:00

NBA 2K6 was great, NBA 2K7 was great, NBA 2K8 was great, and--you guessed it--NBA 2K9 is great as well. Key additions such as more frequent roster updates and the ability to play five-on-five online are relatively minor and will probably appeal mainly to hardcore hoopsters, but thanks to time-tested gameplay and a mind-boggling number of play modes, NBA 2K9 is rock solid yet again.

Let's start with what's new...or kind of new. Living rosters are frequent updates you can download throughout the season to make sure your rosters are up to date. All decisions on rosters and ratings are made by a single person known as the 2K Insider. At the time of this review only one roster update had been released, and it consisted solely of roster moves. But if things go as planned, roster moves are just one way living rosters will affect the game. If a player is on a hot streak, for instance, the Insider will bump up his ratings accordingly until he cools off; if a rookie turns out to be a ridiculous dunker, the living rosters will be updated to reflect his prowess. Nobody's ever going to say that up-to-date rosters aren't a good thing, but as far as being touted as the game's biggest feature, living rosters are underwhelming.

This year's gameplay remains top-notch. It's uncanny how closely the video game mirrors the real NBA at times. Players will fight through screens, dive for loose balls, come flying out of nowhere to tip in a rebound, and show emotion after a big play. Provided you're not moving around too much, your teammates will move around and do a decent job of making themselves open. However, if you're dribbling quickly around the court, your players tend to stand and watch. If your teammates aren’t running the floor properly, you can call out a specific play with just a few button presses. You'll want to call plays to get your teammates involved, because it's tough to score on your own and the defense adapts quickly to cheesy tactics such as going to the rim and passing in midair. In fact, the AI is quite adept at recognizing patterns and shutting them down. You might not notice this when playing lousy teams such as the Heat or the Thunder, but it's very apparent when you're playing a team like the Celtics.

Casual players may have difficulty figuring out how the gameplay has changed since last year. There are, in fact, a number of improvements, though their effect on gameplay is generally modest. Fewer shots are taken from behind the backboard, and you're less likely to step out of bounds, too. Missed layups, while still a bit of an issue, occur significantly less often than before. It would be nice if taller players exercised more authority down low and dunked rather than putting up two-foot bank shots, but at least they don't miss too many gimme shots this year. Lock-on D was overpowered in 2K8--Shaq could guard Chris Paul with ease--and that's not the case in 2K9. Locking on to a defender and then sticking to him with the right analog stick is effective without being cheap.

While improved, 2K9's gameplay still could have been better. The controls are overly complicated and the manual doesn't provide enough guidance. It's better than last year's, but when the instruction manual refers you to a more detailed online manual (which is currently only available for the Xbox 360), it's safe to say the controls have gotten a bit too complex. Passes often don't go to the highlighted player, so using icon passing is a must if you want to reduce turnovers. Manually snagging rebounds is inconsistent as well, even if you've clearly established position. Free throws--a problem for years now--are still too difficult to make thanks to the different timing of each player's unique shooting animation. The AI is generally quite good on defense, but it's a different story on offense, especially at the end of the game. CPU-controlled teams that are losing will often stand around and dribble precious time away at the end of the game, but when they're winning they'll sometimes take quick shots rather than running the clock out. Your teammates typically do a solid job without your interference, but it can be frustrating when they fail to rotate on defense or when you call a pick-and-roll only to have them pick and forget to roll.

Once again, there are a boatload of game modes. And once again, the menus are poorly designed (though they are new). Association mode, where you take the reins of an NBA franchise, is back and has seen a few improvements, especially with trades and contracts. No longer are you given a visual indication of whether or not a team or player is pleased with your offer before you make it; you're only told whether or not it's a valid offer with regard to the salary cap. The "Larry Bird" rule as well as three-team trades have also been implemented--though it's incredibly difficult to pull off a three-team deal. Blacktop mode is back and mostly unchanged, although the dunk contest is a bit easier--and, therefore, better--this time around. You can still create your own highlight reels with the game's intuitive video editor and share them online, which is a pretty cool feature. The biggest addition to the already robust online play is the ability to play five-on-five with as few as one person per console. There's no player progression, but it's a step in the right direction--or at least it would be if not for the crippling lag and camera angles that made it difficult to follow the action that plagued each and every game. Two curious omissions may upset series veterans: There's no baseline 2K cam option online, and online lobbies have been eliminated. However, given the leagues, the ability to share rosters, and the tons of other options, you couldn't ask for much more from NBA 2K9's online capabilities.

Signature player shots and outstanding animation are series staples, but it's the little things 2K9 does that make its presentation better than ever. The arenas look amazing thanks to raucous crowds, packed sidelines, mascots, coaches, and ball boys. On their own these things may seem insignificant, but as a whole they do a great job of replicating the atmosphere of a real NBA game. In fact, from the default gameplay camera view, there aren't a whole lot of faults to notice--it looks like you're watching a live game. Only during replays and free throws do the few visual flaws--a choppy frame rate and player models that are starting to look a bit dated--become apparent. Neither of these affects the gameplay, but the inconsistent frame rate does make it difficult to enjoy the otherwise impressive replays when the announcers (accurately) break down the game between quarters. Two things that do affect gameplay, however, are the Gatorade logos at the beginning of the half and the play-calling menus. Both obscure a large portion of the screen, often making it impossible to see the ball handler. This is inexcusable.

2K9 sounds as good as ever. The crowds are loud, the PA announcer is solid, and like in a real NBA game there's plenty of music in the background. Kevin Harlan returns, and he's joined by two new personalities: Cheryl Miller, who reports from the sidelines, and Clark Kellogg, who helps call the action. Their play-by-play and commentary is generally spot-on, though they tend to repeat themselves, sometimes on the same possession.

It's disappointing that there aren't more noteworthy additions to this year's game. Living rosters and five-on-five play are nice, but their appeal is limited. That said, there's very little not to like about NBA 2K9. Player animations are outstanding, Association mode is deep, online options are plentiful, and the gameplay is terrific. If you're a baller, this is the game for you.

TGS 2008: Final Fantasy XIII

2008-10-13T07:48:00.000-07:00

It's rather heartbreaking that Square Enix doesn't let the press photograph or videotape the events that unfold in its darkened Mega Theater on the TGS show floor. We'd prefer to show you the delights that unfurl rather than describe them to you, but in lieu of such eye candy, all we can do is type up some words and hope they do the CGI scenery some justice. One of the many trailers that we saw today was for the hotly anticipated Final Fantasy XIII, the upcoming role-playing game in the beloved series. We didn't come away knowing much more than before, but we wanted to give you a glimpse into our collective mind's eye.

The teaser begins from above. We watch a multicolored bird travel along its flight path, while below, the landscape whizzes by. The scene looks almost prehistoric in nature, which is further enhanced by a bit of jungle atmosphere and the sight of a number of lizard-like creatures slowly meandering forward. And looking on, we see a character previously seen in Final Fantasy XIII trailers, a girl with red hair tied in pigtails. She gazes into the valley as the creatures lumber on.

The montage continues with other equally thrilling sights. Airships, a series staple, cross the sky. However, the ship we close in on is one of the most gargantuan ones that we've yet seen in a Final Fantasy game. It is highly detailed, its metallic design covered with gears and moving parts, and the mechanical monstrosity fills the entire screen as it flies ahead. We then move to a quieter moment in which a beautiful blue humanoid rises from the sea, strumming a harp. The soundtrack slows while we see the harp strings glisten and the various hues of blue and aquamarine shimmer on the screen.

And then another image, this time a familiar one: Bahamut, or a creature very similar, rising in his fiery glory, in possibly the most dramatic presentation yet for the mythical dragon. Again, we cut to another scene, this time featuring an enormous blue machine made of crystal. This tells us we're in the Cocoon, the city at the heart of Final Fantasy XIII, and the crystal is the sentient entity that protects the city from harm. In the trailer, the crystal is under attack by scorpion-esque walkers shooting what look like wired anchors toward it as if to tear it down. And then we cut to a flurry of acrobatic moves involving Lightning, the game's beautiful, ruddy-haired female star. We also see a motorcycle zoom past on a pathway of ice.

The next shots close in on a legion of troops as they emerge from a castle-like structure, led by a shrouded woman who appears to be their young commander, or even a queen. However, this queen was obviously not content to rule with her bourgeois wiles; she was a capable young woman, and her face was both youthful and intelligent. The teaser ended with a shot of the pigtailed girl lounging with a blond man in a cap and sporting a goatee--the same man we've glimpsed in prior trailers.

The trailer ended with a pronouncement that Final Fantasy XIII will be on store shelves in 2009 on the PlayStation 3. Xbox 360 owners needn't worry about their exclusion in this regard; that version of the game isn't being released in Japan, but is still on track for its American release. We have our fingers crossed that the next time we see Final Fantasy XIII, we see the game in action, but until then, we'll have to settle for short looks at pretty scenes. GameSpot will bring you more information on all of the iterations of Final Fantasy XIII as it becomes available.

GC 2008: Silent Hill: Homecoming Hands-On

2008-10-04T01:50:00.000-07:00

Even in the hustle and bustle of a busy convention centre, there's something unsettling about playing Silent Hill. From the creepy intro to the grainy look of the game overall, we had an enjoyably scary time playing it on the Xbox 360 at this year's Leipzig Games Convention.

The demo itself was similar to the one that we played at this year's E3, but we were able play a different level of the game in Germany. It started with us viewing through the eyes of the protagonist, who was strapped down to a medical stretcher that was being led through a hospital. As we looked around, we could see people being operated on (or tortured, as is probably more accurate) by the crazed creatures who had taken over the establishment. Shortly after, we were left in an operating room while a strange creature waited outside. Thankfully, we were able to tap the X button to escape from the shackles, allowing us more freedom to explore the world.

It's clear that Silent Hill has taken a few tips from Resident Evil in updating the franchise. The main character moves more quickly and freely than in previous games, and though it can still be difficult to move quickly enough when engaging an enemy, the controls feel much more nimble than before. The combat also feels more frenetic, and we were able to finish off some of the nurses by grabbing their heads and stabbing them in the neck. Needless to say, gushers of blood sprayed all over the place, some of it even hitting the camera.

In terms of puzzles, the game seems to be in more familiar Silent Hill territory. We encountered a door with an electronic lock, but in the adjacent room we found a clue: half of an X-ray sheet that had a number scrawled across it. With a little help from our Konami representative, we were able to find the other half of the sheet and put together the code. Shortly after, we entered the hospital toilets (and what Silent Hill game would be complete without toilets?), where we saw the game slip into the "alternate universe" state, which should be familiar to fans of the series. The walls stripped away to reveal a much grimier hospital than before.

This Silent Hill takes the series' traditional art style and filters it through the Xbox 360 to create an arresting new look. The flashlight looks particularly realistic, especially in casting shadows, and a lot of the medical equipment lying around would shake if we bumped into it. The characters and environments are detailed, but the intentionally grimy look makes the game feel as if it has been captured on old, decaying film. It won't be to everyone's taste, but it certainly adds to the atmosphere of the game.

We're encouraged by what we saw of the new Silent Hill, and we'll hopefully get to see more of it on the show floor in the coming days. The game launches on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 later in the year.

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Wipeout HD

2008-09-21T23:26:00.000-07:00

Often in MMORPGs, in-game characters reflect the personality of their players. After playing as an Undead Rogue for a total of 14 days and 9 hours, I’ve found that sometimes the reverse is also true. Because of what some might call a “WoW addiction,” my life outside of gaming has taken on many roguish aspects, much to my pleasure and benefit. So today let me teach you the arts of stealth, trickery, and deception, and how they can help you to get what you want in the real world.

Set it on Stun
One of the dirtiest moves in a Rogue’s arsenal is the stun. Stuns are good for a variety of uses in the outside world. For instance, a quick cheap-shot or sap to your local game store clerk provides an excellent opportunity for an expensive game to become free. And as a Rogue I don’t like to pay for anything, just on principle.

Also, if someone is bullying you, give ‘em a taste of the ol’ kidney shot, just to show them who’s the boss. Perhaps while they’re stunned you could pants them for good measure, too. Another good strategy that I like to employ is the use of my stunning good looks and roguish charm. While this isn’t as easy to do in-game as an Undead Rogue, it certainly works on the ladies in real life.

Keepin' it on the Sly
But when it comes to stuns, where would we be without stealth? Oh stealth, the twinkle in the rogue’s eye, the reason for everyone’s jealous cries of “nerf!” Seriously, stealth is great. For instance, thanks to stealth, I don’t even have to pay for movies anymore. Not that I ever did in the first place, but that’s a whole different story.

Stealth is the best because you can go anywhere and do anything you want without anybody else being able to see you. Now I don’t expect you to be crazy or star in a bad movie like Kevin Bacon in Hollow Man, but I still suggest you use it to your benefit. Just imagine what would’ve happened in Porky’s if those kids had been stealthy Rogues. Oh yeah, you know what I am talking about. In a more socially acceptable use, if there’s someone you don’t like, you could always put a tack on their chair without them ever noticing. Actually, I like the Porky’s idea better.

Gettin' Sticky Fingers
Did I mention that as a Rogue, I don’t like to pay for anything? Well it’s still true, but sometimes a Rogue must spend some money on things like repairs, food, and women. This is where pick-pocketing comes in handy. The best part is that alongside sweet, sweet gold, I often end up stealing other knickknacks like intricate baubles, and flasks of demon rum. While I don’t have much use for intricate baubles, elderly relatives seem to love them. Heck, some of them also enjoy the flasks of demon rum as well, but I usually like to keep those for myself.

So I hope that you’ve learned a few ways that you can use your in-game Rogue skills to do what you want in real life. Perhaps soon you will be as rich and surrounded by as many beautiful women as I am. Unless you’re a Warlock or something, in which case I have no advice for you.

Like its predecessors, Wipeout HD has an incredibly steep difficulty curve. It's relatively easy to win medals on the first go during the first four tiers, but even seasoned players will struggle to do this from the fifth tier onward. Recognising this, Sony has implemented a new pilot assist mode for the first time in a Wipeout game. When it's turned on from the menu, pilot assist automatically steers you away from the edges of the track and generally makes crashing much less of a problem. In fact, it's so effective that you only really need to use your airbrakes for the sharpest corners. While this produces some erratic moves at the faster speeds, it's a welcome feature that certainly helps until you reach the peak of your ability.

Wipeout HD has both a two-player split-screen mode and eight-player online support. The split-screen mode runs at a noticeably lower frame rate than the single-player mode, and it suffers from some dramatic slowdown when a lot of ships are onscreen. The online mode fares much better in terms of performance, with a well-laid-out lobby system and smooth online racing. Real opponents create much more frantic races, and you get far more action online than you do playing against the AI; you'll find your ship taking much more of a pounding online than off, but when your ship explodes you return to the track a few moments later. The main problem with the multiplayer mode is that it's incredibly limited, with only single races or twelve-race competitions to play. Other than that, the online mode held up well from a technical level, and it also offers voice support.

There are a number of PlayStation 3-specific features in Wipeout HD, including a motion-based control system. You move the controller to control pitch and steering, or just pitch alone. Wipeout's floaty ships might seem like a perfect candidate for motion-sensitive controls, but it's unlikely that you'll find tilting the Sixaxis controller preferable to using the standard analog stick. It certainly helps land jumps a little more elegantly, but it just doesn't offer the accuracy of movement offered by the standard control scheme. Wipeout HD also has trophy support which gives you an incentive to try out moves such as barrel rolls, and there are unlockables such as the heads-up display from PlayStation classic Wipeout 2097 (known as Wipeout XL in the US). You also get new skins for the ships you use the most, but the feature in Wipeout Pulse where you can design your own decals online hasn't made it to the PS3. The photo mode has been expanded in Wipeout HD, though, allowing you to capture stills from replays and add effects such as exposure and depth of field while saving them in full HD resolution to the PS3 XMB. And while the in-game soundtrack is great for fans of electronica, you can also import your own playlists--created through the XMB from music files you've uploaded to your PS3--and play them sequentially or randomly in-game to introduce a little more variation.

Wipeout has always been about "style as substance", and that tradition follows through to the PlayStation 3 version. From the strikingly clean environments to the imaginative logos and branding, everything about the game exudes effortless cool. Much has been made about the game's 1080p, 60-frames-per-second visuals, with Sony even citing it as one of the reasons for the game's prolonged development time. Thankfully it was well worth the effort, as the finished game has strikingly artistic visuals that are gorgeous to see in motion. This isn't a game that features accurate physics, track deformation, or even weather effects, so all of the console's horsepower is focused on producing super-crisp visuals that move at a blistering speed.

Music is just as important to Wipeout as the visuals, though, and the soundtrack doesn't disappoint. The mix of techno, dub step, and drum and bass fits the game well--but that said, Wipeout HD features exactly the same tunes as Wipeout Pulse. Likewise, all of the tracks and vehicles in Wipeout HD have appeared in the PSP versions of the series. Even though the HD remix offers an incredible amount of extra detail to appreciate, the twists and turns will be incredibly familiar to long-term fans of the series. And although there are zone variations of each track, these were also in the previous games, meaning the lack of anything new to play is definitely Wipeout HD's biggest weakness.

Wipeout HD is a compilation of PSP games running in high definition, and while it looks considerably better for the visual upgrade, there's little new for fans of the series to sink their teeth into. The online mode also looks a little feature-light next to other racers, but it's technically competent and adds more longevity to the already deep single-player experience. The result is essentially an oxymoron--a game that's obviously meant for fans, but one that paradoxically gives them nothing they don't already have. If you're a fan of the series but missed the PSP games then HD is a must-buy, but Wipeout stalwarts could rightfully look at this director's cut as a bit of a cash-in.

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Guitar Hero World Tour Hands-on

2008-09-13T00:07:00.000-07:00

In case you missed it, Activision recently let the cat out of the proverbial bag by confirming the entirety of Guitar Hero World Tour's 86-song tracklist. We had the chance to play through a good chunk of these songs earlier this week when Activision held a Guitar Hero press event in Santa Monica, with every song in the game available for Quick Play fun. In addition, we were treated to a demo of the Music Studio mode by members of the Neversoft team, and a run-through of the basics of the Wii-exclusive Mii Freestyle mode from the folks at Vicarious Visions.

Ozzy Osbourne shows up in World Tour to sing "Crazy Train" and "Mr. Crowley."

The recently unveiled tracklist is a behemoth that spans an eclectic mix of music. At one end of the list are laid-back tunes such as Willie Nelson's "On the Road Again" and The Allman Brothers' "Ramblin' Man," whereas situated at the other end of the spectrum are more frantic, aggressive numbers such as "One-Armed Scissor" by At The Drive-In and the borderline schizophrenic "B.Y.O.B." by System of a Down. And to make sure you're not overwhelmed by pure rock and roll, wildcards have been thrown into the mix as well, including Michael Jackson's "Beat It," the Beastie Boys' "No Sleep Till Brooklyn," and Los Lobos' "La Bamba."

Another item of note about the soundtrack is the number of repeats. Whereas Rock Band had only one song per artist in the original game (before adding to an artist's stable of tunes with downloadable content later on), Guitar Hero has isolated a few artists for special attention right out of the gate. Jimi Hendrix, Ozzy Osbourne, and Tool all feature more than one song in the game--two each for Jimi and Ozzy, and three in the case of Tool.

Many have been clamoring for a "No Fail" mode in Guitar Hero World Tour, and though the game won't offer one per se, there are a few alternatives that we picked up on during an evening spent watching a large number of people getting acquainted with the game's new setup. For one, there's the beginner difficulty level that sits even lower than easy. This one is monumentally difficult to fail out of, and though it makes playing the actual instruments a touch on the boring side, it gives you the ability to embellish your singing quite a bit without suffering a substantial penalty. Another option to approximate No Fail is the ability to change your instrument's difficulty in the pause menu without exiting back out to the song-selection process. Just hit start, raise or lower the challenge level, and the song will start over.

World Tour's Music Studio mode stands as one of the most interesting weapons being wielded in the escalating battle between multi-instrument rhythm games. Whereas Rock Band 2 has a massive catalogue of DLC songs going into its release, World Tour adds the ability to create your own music and expand the game's tracklist with a virtually infinite number of player-created songs. In the past, we've seen this feature demonstrated numerous times by members of Neversoft, but this was our first time getting the chance to run through it on our own. What we didn't realize before is the tiered level of accessibility to the Studio. Prior indications led us to believe that the Studio was more for the hardcore crowd, but after spending some time with it, we can see that's not necessarily the case.

A look at the GH Tunes hub, where you can download songs created by other players.

Much of that has to do with the way the Music Studio is broken down. It's divided into three primary areas: GH Tunes, GH Studio, and GH Mix. Thanks to GH Tunes, casual players don't even need to hit the record button to reap the benefits of the Music Studio. Through this content-sharing service, players can download songs made by other people for free. To help the cream rise to the top, the best music will be promoted in a number of ways. On the main GH Tunes hub, there are categories such as "all-time best," "hot this week," "rising star," and "top artist" to help you find the best material most easily. And to help tip the balance in favor of talented artists, the number of upload slots given to you will gradually increase as your work gains popularity. By default, users can upload five songs, but the best artists can upload an album-length 15 tracks.

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Mercenaries 2

2008-09-05T05:18:00.000-07:00

Imagine a game with a huge, open world filled with dozens of unique vehicles and attacks that let you cause destruction whenever and wherever you choose. Now, toss in game-crippling bugs, brain-dead AI, unsatisfying gunplay, a lousy story, and repetitive missions. That's Mercenaries 2: World in Flames. Mindlessly causing chaos can be enjoyable in short bursts, and online co-op play spices things up a bit, but beyond those all-too infrequent bits of fun, Mercenaries 2 is a dud.

You play as one of three mercenaries--all of whom have very similar storylines. The game follows your absurd quest for vengeance on a man who hired you to do a job and didn't pay. Mercs 2's story is bad (as is the voice acting), but it's ultimately inconsequential and all of the cutscenes can safely be skipped. The first few missions are designed to get you accustomed to the game's third-person-shooting action. In the span of 30 minutes you'll shoot several different weapons, use grenades and C4, and drive cars, boats, and jeeps as you secure what will eventually become your home base. After that, the first few contracts you take on are fun, but that's mostly because the gameplay mechanics are new and the thrill of destruction is still fresh.

It's after the first hour or so that you'll start to notice something's amiss. For a game that's all about guns, actually firing one isn't terribly satisfying. Weapons feel weak, it's difficult to hit moving targets, and the damage they cause is inconsistent. In fact, it's easier to hijack a tank or grapple onto a flying helicopter than it is to destroy one. Heavier weapons such as rocket-propelled grenades are great and can destroy almost anything they hit, but the amount of ammunition (which, for some reason, you have to hit a button to pick up) is so limited that you won't be able to use them often. Plus, it's tedious to have to go in a shop, purchase a weapon, go outside, call for the weapon, and then wait to pick it up. Why can't you just walk into a store and buy a gun?

The game's version of Venezuela is enormous, but while technically impressive, its size is mostly a detriment. There's not a whole lot to do, so you'll be tempted to make your own fun by blowing up buildings and cars and terrorizing towns in a tank. While this might be enticing (and fun for a few hours), it's a bad idea if you're trying to actually make it to the end of the game. Not only are you penalized for harming civilians, but one stray bullet can anger an entire faction. Factions are your main source of income and can be essential to mission progress, but when a faction is angry with you they'll quit offering you work and shoot you on sight. The large world also means that unless you're in a position to use the instant transport option, it takes forever to get from one place to the next. Roads wind aimlessly around the terrain; the GPS often gives bad directions; random friendly soldiers will blow up your cars; and helicopters are frequently shot out of the sky by missiles that rarely miss. To make matters worse, when you're killed after hitting a checkpoint you typically have to go back to your home base or the outpost where you got the mission and then travel all the way back to your target.

You'll eventually acquire the services of a mechanic, a helicopter pilot, and a jet pilot. The helicopter pilot is useful; he'll drop off supplies and transport you where you need to go as well as pick up the money and fuel needed for airstrikes. The jet pilot, who is a stereotypical drunk Russian, drops bombs whenever you call in an airstrike. It's too bad that airstrikes are of limited value, because you often can't get close enough or avoid being shot long enough to line up the target. There always seems to be something you're supposed to protect or something stopping you from transmitting--it's just easier to go in and shoot everyone. The mechanic is just plain worthless. She's supposed to use junk that you find hidden in boxes throughout the world, but unless you actively search for them, you're not likely to find many, and she won't provide anything more than the car she had when you teamed up with her.

Mercenaries 2 purports to give you all sorts of freedom when it comes to how you exact your revenge, but in reality, your choices are few. Yes, there are different factions and groups spread out across the map, but typically only one of them has a contract that will help advance the storyline, and you can get nearly to the end of the game before having to pick one side over another. Most of the contracts require you to take over an outpost for a faction, and when the game does give you the chance to do something else it's limited to annoying escort missions or out-of-place racing challenges. Each faction has a set of high value targets (HVT). You can earn cash by capturing or killing and then photographing these targets. This is interesting the first few times, but the money you make for bagging someone isn't worth the hassle. Factions get mad when you take out their people, and friendly soldiers will often kill the guy you're trying to extract alive. Capturing outposts is extremely repetitive. While the size and shape of the bases may vary slightly, the way you attack them is the same: Kill everyone inside and call in a landing crew. This can be mildly amusing for a short time, but the fun quickly grinds to a halt as the game's bevy of bugs and problems make themselves apparent. Enemy AI is horrific. If you're injured you can just run behind a building to regenerate--soldiers won't make much of an effort to find you. They won't even go to great lengths to shoot you if you're right next to them, often standing there oblivious to your shooting them. When you have to destroy a specific piece of equipment or vehicle, sometimes the easiest thing to do is stand next to or get inside of it and let the bad guys blow up the very thing they're supposed to be protecting.

The problems just keep on coming. Helicopters will vanish with you in them; turrets will float in midair; people you're supposed to rescue will drown themselves or run face-first into the helicopter rather than get in; and allies will shoot at you for no reason. Combat falls flat because shooting guys takes longer and is more difficult than simply running up to them and killing them with one punch; helicopters will often drop off support troops on rooftops, where they'll either get stuck or plunge to their deaths. Enemy soldiers respawn in gun towers even after you've taken over an outpost; they can shoot through walls and often appear out of thin air, too. Civilians will run right in front of you when you drive, costing you 5 grand each time you hit them; your helicopter pilot will sometimes fail to show up, or will drop your cargo where you can't get to it. You might even be unlucky enough to have the game crash during a load screen; or to be told that you're dead when you clearly have health left, forcing you to restart. You might even lose progress due to a save game failing. The list of bugs and problems really is staggering.

Really, the only fun to be had with Mercenaries 2 is in playing cooperatively with a friend online. You can chat back and forth during long helicopter flights, revive the other person when they're killed by an unseen foe, and put your heads together to creatively tackle obstacles. But even co-op has caveats. If either person gets killed, he or she has to be revived before the timer runs out or else the game will end--a problem when the other person is far away or in the middle of a long hijacking animation. Your buddies can also cause you a lot of grief if they anger factions or kill civilians, leaving you with a big mess to clean up. There are even more bugs than usual when playing online, which is no small feat given the problems evident during the single-player campaign. And lastly, co-op play makes the game (which, cheap deaths aside, is pretty easy) even easier.

Mercenaries 2's visuals are inconsistent. The Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of the game are mostly similar, but the PS3 has some ugly aliasing problems. The vehicles look good, and there are a lot of them. Some areas are very attractive, and the varied terrain (cliffs, rivers, rolling hills) enhances the gameplay and will change the way you attack a target. The game's bread and butter--its explosions--are generally disappointing. Some of them look fantastic, but it's jarring how one animation transitions to the next when something blows up. There aren't many different buildings to destroy, either, so you end up seeing the same thing explosions and over again. While you can typically see far off in the distance, what you see isn't very detailed. This isn't a huge problem when you're standing still or on the ground, but when you're in a moving helicopter, the draw-in is obvious to the point of distraction. Clipping, hideously blurry backgrounds in cutscenes, repetitive buildings, enemies that all look alike (right down to the same terrible animation when they get shot), and a drab color palette round out the package.

Mercenaries 2 is filled with bugs and glitches that are unacceptable in a retail release. Even if it were possible to overlook the broken elements, you're still left with abysmal AI, repetitive mission structure, unsatisfying weapons, and a huge world without much to do. Mindless, random destruction provides some thrills, but there are so many better open-world action games out there (including the original Mercenaries for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox) that there's no reason to spend your time and money on this clearly unfinished game.

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PAX 2008: Rag Doll Kung FU : Fists of Plastic First Hands-on

2008-09-01T02:03:00.001-07:00

If you missed Rag Doll Kung Fu on the PC the first time around, now's your chance to check it out on the PlayStation 3. From the creator of LittleBigPlanet, Mark Healey originally developed Rag Doll Kung Fu independently in his spare time while he was an artist at Lionhead Studios. At the Penny Arcade Expo 2008, we got a chance to play with Rag Doll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic and were surprised and amused at just how wobbly--and deadly--a fighting rag doll can be.

Only two modes were available to play: Capture the Fish and King of the Hill. You begin by selecting your character from the cast of colorful dolls. There's your stereotypical old kung fu master with a wide and toothless grin, or you can choose to fight as the man with the afro and well-manicured mustache. Other characters were available as well, and are so detailed that we could even see if their toenails were painted. Capture the Fish has you grabbing a slippery, floppy fish from a platform and bringing it to the other side of the stage to dump it in a large bowl. Your goal is to bring back the most fish. We only had a chance to play with two players, but up to four people can battle it out to get the prized fish. Weapons will appear, and you can pick them up and slap the other players around to steal their fish--or you can just do it to be annoying.

In King of the Hill mode, you're trying to get to the top-most platform and stay there while your score accumulates. The other players are trying to knock you off by any means possible. Jars are strewn about the level, and you can always chuck one at the head of your opponent. We can picture this mode getting a little hectic when four players are involved.

What stands out about Rag Doll Kung Fu is the physics and how each character moves. The overly exaggerated ragdoll physics makes the movement feel smooth, but when you're watching, you'll see dolls flailing about. Grabbing weapons and using them also makes your character show off his or her cool kung fu moves, and even though the modes that we played in didn't require fancy martial arts, we felt the need to bust out with the nunchaku just because we could.

Other modes that we saw in the main menu but didn't get to play with included Deathmatch, Assassin, and Treasure Hunt; we can only guess what these modes will entail. Check back soon for more kung fu coverage, as Rag Doll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic will be available on the PlayStation Network this winter.

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Final Fantasy Versus XIII

2008-08-08T20:32:00.000-07:00

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Trailer

Grand Theft Auto IV

2008-08-07T22:02:00.000-07:00

Stepping off a boat in the shoes of illegal immigrant Niko Bellic as he arrives in Liberty City at the start of Grand Theft Auto IV, you can tell immediately that Rockstar North's latest offering is something quite special. Yes, this is another GTA game in which you'll likely spend the bulk of your time stealing cars and gunning down cops and criminals, but it's also much more than that. GTAIV is a game with a compelling and nonlinear storyline, a game with a great protagonist who you can't help but like, and a game that boasts a plethora of online multiplayer features in addition to its lengthy story mode. It's not without some flaws, but GTAIV is undoubtedly the best Grand Theft Auto yet.

One of the many things that set GTAIV apart from its predecessors is Liberty City, which is more convincing as a living, breathing urban environment than anything that you've seen in a game before, and bears little resemblance to its namesake in 2001's GTAIII. Liberty's diverse population believably attempts to go about its daily business, seemingly unaware that several criminal factions are at war in the city. Niko has no such luck. He's compelled to start working for one of the factions shortly after arriving, when he learns that his cousin Roman has some potentially fatal gambling debts. Niko's military experience makes him a useful freelancer for employers in the business of killing each other, and though his reluctance to carry out their orders is often apparent, he does whatever is asked of him in the hope that completing missions for other people will ultimately give him the means to complete his own.

Actually, Niko doesn't have to do everything that is asked of him. On several occasions as you play through his story, you'll be presented with decisions that afford you the option of doing what you think is right rather than blindly following instructions. You don't necessarily have to kill a target if he or she promises to disappear, but you have to weigh the risk of your employer finding out against the possibility that the person whose life you spare might prove useful later in the game, or even have work for you in the form of bonus missions. To say anything more specific on this subject would be to risk spoiling one of GTAIV's most interesting new features, but suffice it to say that every decision you make has consequences, and you'll likely want to play through the game at least twice to see how the alternatives unfold.

Grand Theft Auto IV's story mode can be beaten in less than 30 hours, and there are so many optional activities and side missions to take part in along the way that you can comfortably double that number if you're in no hurry. The majority of the story missions task you with making deliveries and/or killing people, and play out in much the same way as those in previous games. With that said, most of the missions are a lot easier this time around, partly because Niko is a more agile and efficient killer than any of his predecessors, and partly because the LCPD seemingly has better things to do than hunt down an illegal immigrant who's gunning down undesirables all over the city. Some of the more imaginative missions sprinkled throughout the story include a kidnapping, a bank heist, and a job interview. The cinematic cutscenes associated with story missions are superbly presented and are the sequences in which the game's characters really shine. Without exception, the characters you encounter benefit from great animation, great voice work, and superbly expressive faces. They're not always so impressive when they join you on a mission and refuse to do what they're supposed to (for example, not following you on an escort mission, or failing to negotiate a doorway). Nevertheless, these problems are few and far between, and they're made less painful by the new "replay mission" option that you're presented with whenever you fail.

When you're not running missions for criminals, taking part in street races, stealing cars to order, or randomly causing trouble, you'll find that there are plenty of opportunities to unwind in Liberty City. Some of these optional activities offer tangible rewards that can prove useful in missions later on, whereas others are just a fun way to kill time and take in more of GTAIV's superb humor. For example, you can watch television, listen to numerous different radio stations, check out some genuinely funny shows (including some big-name acts) at cabaret and comedy clubs, and use a computer to surf the in-game Internet.

GTAIV's Internet is filled with spoofs of all the kinds of Web sites that you'd only ever look at accidentally or when you know there's no danger of getting caught. Some of them can be found only by clicking on links in spam e-mails, whereas others are advertised prominently on the search page. There's plenty of amusing stuff to find if you spend some time in one of the "TW@" Internet cafes, but the most interesting site by far is an online dating agency through which you can meet women who, if they like your profile, will agree to go on dates with you. Dating and socializing with friends is something you can spend as much or as little of your time doing as you like, and though the people you meet can occasionally be demanding to the point that they become irritating, keeping them happy invariably benefits you in some way.

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Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 (coming soon)

2008-08-07T21:54:00.000-07:00

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Metal Gear Solid 4

2008-08-07T07:38:00.000-07:00

Fully realized, lengthy story sequences will come as no surprise to anyone who has played a Metal Gear game. You'll spend a good half of MGS4 watching cinematics, but it would be a grave misinterpretation to assume that great gameplay takes a backseat to the story. Rather, these two elements are tightly intertwined, and this tapestry is held together by an important technical thread: Cutscenes that are rendered fully in real time within the game engine. It's impressive enough that these scenes look as good as any prerendered cinematic you've ever watched. It's even more amazing when those same scenes transition without pause into gameplay, and the same hulking mech you watched lumber about in the cinematic is looming above you. The subtle animations, the lush environments, and the rich textures are the same in and out of story sequences, and the effect is so seamless it may take your breath away. You can skip past the scenes if you prefer, but doing so would soften the experience. The story sequences carry more weight because of the intense gameplay that precedes them--and the gameplay feels more compelling because the story gives you powerful reasons to care about your mission. The high point of this fusion occurs in an exciting and memorable split-screen sequence that simply must be experienced.

Talking about what, exactly, is going on in the plot in the midst of MGS4's grand sweeping gestures is to risk spoiling each little surprise as it emerges. Snake, suffering from the rapid onset of aging, now must cope with stiff joints in addition to the looming specter of Liquid Ocelot's newest plans. This is Snake's final hurrah; yet as the story reaches one height after another, the juxtaposition of huge set piece battles and formidable bosses with Snake's deteriorating body creates tension and gravity even beyond the series' usual pretensions. Some new plot strands emerge while others get tied up, and old friends (and enemies) refuse to be forgotten. You'll also bear witness to a few reunions--some bloody, some teary, and some legitimately shocking. Parts of it are overblown, to be sure. The musical score gets heavy-handed and the voice acting and writing are frequently dogmatic, so while there are plenty of subtle moments, subtlety isn't really MGS4's strong suit. But it doesn't need to be. After all, the fate of the world hangs in the balance, and judging from a few silly attempts at humor that don't work, developer Kojima Productions was wise to err on the side of melodrama.

The gameplay proper is familiar to fans, but it's been cleaned up and expanded, holding as many twists and surprises as the story. For starters, both gunplay and close-quarters combat are more satisfying. Regarding melee, the controls have been streamlined, making it less cumbersome to grab an enemy soldier or perform a stealthy blade kill. Shooting mechanics are even more improved, so much so that shooting your way out of a pickle is just as enjoyable as sneaking around it. There are a huge number of weapons to play with; so many that you'll probably finish the campaign without using many of them. Yet, quality wasn't sacrificed for quantity: Every weapon feels just right, from your handy operator sidearm (best when upgraded with a silencer) and standard issue assault rifles to a powerful railgun. The standard over-the-shoulder view is fine for the most part, but you can gaze down the sights from a first-person perspective. Both views can be further improved with various enhancements, such as laser sights and scopes.

Not that you don't have all the tools for completely avoiding your enemies if you choose that route. Snake's got the basics covered: crawling, hugging walls, peeking around corners, and hanging from ledges, for example. Cover mechanics are tighter than ever, so you can crouch and take potshots from behind cover with ease. There are also a number of important gadgets that will make your life easier in this regard. The most obvious of these is your OctoCamo suit, which takes on the texture of your surroundings when you're prone or pressed against cover. Not only does this make it simpler to avoid watchful eyes, but it's also a cool visual effect. Eventually, you'll be able to camouflage Snake's head, and a few of the available camo options are bound to stir some fans' nostalgia. The Solid Eye is your other major tool, as it expands your compass into a sonic-sensitive radar and allows you to use night vision and a tactical first-person view. These are helpful gadgets indeed, even during boss fights, like a stirring encounter in a blinding blizzard.

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