Gamers Galore Reviews and More!

2011-12-31T13:04:00.001-08:00

Preparing for a new Elder Scrolls game is like preparing to die. One must ensure they get all their worldly affairs in order, speak with the people who mean everything to them, and have a final meal. After all, once that disc goes in, the user may as well have departed from our mortal world.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a game that will murder you, for the time it steals from your life could rightfully be considered criminal. It is a game that will literally never end while simultaneously bringing you closer to your own end.
This is all before the dragons show up.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 [reviewed], PC)
Developer: Bethesda Softworks
Publisher: Bethesda Game Studios
Released: November 11, 2011
MSRP: $59.99
The mountains of Skyrim are beautiful to behold, truly breathtaking in scale and bursting at the seams with things to see and do. Not all is well in the shadow of the snow-capped rocks, however. It has been two centuries since the Oblivion Crisis changed Tamriel forever, but the resulting peace couldn't last for eternity. Cyrodiil's expansive Empire has laid claim to Skyrim and abolished the traditional customs of its people, the Nords. An inauspicious threat of civil war hangs over the people as rebellious Stormcloaks plot to drive Imperial forces from the region and gain popular favor amongst the local Nordic Jarls. Though common folk strive to keep to themselves, events have taken their toll on every citizen.
Inevitably, it is the player's destiny to become deeply embroiled in these events, as well as many more. Yet again, The Elder Scrolls casts its adventurers into the role of a mysterious prisoner, this time due for the chopping block. However, a stay of execution is granted by the sudden appearance of apocalyptic dragons -- once thought to be creatures of mere legend. The first of these scaly monstrosities is but one of an army, as the mythical creatures reawaken all over Skyrim, and the player -- soon to realize his destiny as a dragon-slaying Dovahkiin (Dragonborn) -- must confront the beasts and save the world.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim can take a handful of hours to beat. That is, if you consider wrapping up the official story quest as "beating" an Elder Scrolls game. Nobody should, however, for the main plot is but a mere morsel of what Skyrim has to offer, to the point where it isn't even the most sprawling and epic quest on the menu. To focus only on the main narrative would be to ignore the deliciously macabre Dark Brotherhood resurrection, the various twisted meetings with capricious Daedric Princes, or the vengeful tale of The Companions and their grim secret.

Bethesda's games have always felt like online encyclopedia browsing, where one opens a page, finds more interesting ones within, and ends up with twenty unread articles open before long. In Skyrim, this approach is taken to extremes, with opportunities for adventure found in every city, cave, farm and forest hideout. Thanks to the "Radiant" storytelling system, these adventures can be procedurally generated as well. While there are fully scripted quests boasting their own characters and narrative threads, there is an infinite amount of miscellaneous objectives that can appear at any point. These range from simple tasks (such as collecting a bounty note in a tavern and slaying the target) to more intricate missions (like pulling off a successful burglary for the Thieves Guild). The game is also smart enough to place objective locations in unexplored areas of the gargantuan map, improvising in order to encourage further exploration.
At the time of writing, I have put over fifty hours into the game, and my journal menu still lists more thanforty unfinished jobs. These are just the tasks I've found, and I doubt I've scratched the surface as I am willing to bet there are many finely layered quests that I still have not stumbled across.
Of course, all this content would be meaningless if the game itself were no fun, but Skyrim is perhaps the most encouraging, rewarding and downright indulging Western role-playing game I have ever played. That sounds hyperbolic, and perhaps it is, but it's something I truly feel in my bones. With Skyrim, Bethesda has taken everything successful from previous Elder Scrolls games and mixed it with the best elements of recent Fallout installments, all while leaving behind the chaff. The result is a game as deep and flexible asOblivion but as accessible and intuitive as Fallout 3. More importantly, it's better than both.

Before our budding hero can embark on his or her quest, one must first work out if it's a he or a she. The in-depth character creator from Oblivion is back, offering a wealth of options to spawn warriors as handsome or ugly as desired. Every race has been given a significant visual overhaul, with Orcs looking tougher, Elves gaining harsher features, and humans receiving far more believable, subtle faces. Tamriel's exotic races -- the Khajiit and Argonians -- have benefited the most from Skyrim's fresh visuals, earning richly detailed animalistic features that cause them to look less like vaguely re-skinned humans. Each race possesses a predetermined aptitude for certain talents alongside unique special abilities (Argonians once again breathe underwater while Imperials can access the calming "Voice of the Emperor" power), but every race will be able to make use of whatever skills the player ends up choosing.
Skyrim gives starting players all the tools they need to test every type of hero they could potentially become. Armed with rudimentary stealth, weaponry and alchemy skills, as well as a few weak spells, one's fresh-faced avatar serves as a fertile testing ground that can be specialized in many directions to suit the needs of every individual. As with previous Elder Scrolls games, there is no traditional experience system. Instead, skills gain levels with repeated use, and contribute toward a rank meter that determines the player's overall level. This creates a natural progression in which characters evolve based entirely on how one wants to enjoy the game. If a player tends to sneak around a lot, the character will become increasingly stealthy. If the player likes to swing two-handed axes around, the character becomes more proficient at wielding heavy melee equipment. The only stats you'll have to worry about are Health, Magicka and Stamina, one of which can be upgraded with each successful level gain.
Every time a level is earned, a skill point is also awarded. Skill points are invested into various perks arranged on individual skill trees. There are trees for each school of magic, as well as light armor, heavy armor, sneaking, lock-picking, alchemy and other familiar Elder Scrolls abilities. As players become more experienced in various skills, new paths on the tree will unlock, allowing points to be sunk into ever more useful abilities. For example, the Speechcraft skill tree has perks that make it easier to intimidate people in conversations, or cause items to be sold at cheaper prices in stores. Heavy Armor has perks that grant additional defense bonuses if the character is wearing a matching set of armor pieces, while spell perks can reduce Magicka costs or even dual-cast incantations to make them stronger. Although these perks aren't quite as obvious and game-changing as those found in Fallout, they are nonetheless crucial in creating a powerful Dovahkiin.

The natural way in which characters are built ensures a huge variety of potential warriors. My own character is a battlemage who specializes in Conjuration and Destruction magic, backing up his spellcasting with a measure of sword-wielding experience. Sword in one hand, magic spell readied in the other, I'm able to summon a daemon from the Oblivion plane and send it to charge ahead while I throw fireballs and soften up the target. Once the enemy is weak enough, I can charge in and finish it off with the sword -- which can often be accompanied by a brutal execution animation. What's great about my character is how I was able to incrementally tweak it to maximize strengths and limit weaknesses. For example, my hero was a bit of a glass cannon at first: able to dish out punishment but prone to getting slaughtered if enemies could close in. I therefore spent some time focusing on Heavy Armor, using just enough skill points to give me a defensive edge. Now I have a character that feels like a battle tank. He's slow and and has very poor stamina (you can't have everything), but he will soak up plenty of damage while devastating all but the hardiest of foes.
This is just one potential build of many. I could have had a lightning-quick scout, or a character with Illusion magic that renders him invisible and causes enemies to furiously attack one another. The possibilities aren't endless, but they may as well be. Furthermore, dedicated players who reach the pinnacle of their talents will enjoy power equal to a demigod. By the time the character is sufficiently leveled, there's no reason not to feel on top of the world and downright almighty. That isn't to say the game becomes a complete cakewalk -- tougher enemies will rise to the challenge -- but players aren't punished for leveling up, as often felt like the case in Oblivion.
Another change from Oblivion is the in-game menu. The menu screen features crossroad-style navigation that points to skill trees, available magic, items and the map. Simply moving in the right direction fluidly opens up the corresponding menu, allowing for easy and swift access. Unlike the clutter seen in previousElder Scrolls interfaces, these screens are clear and clean, sacrificing pompous stylishness for pure functionality. The item menu is particularly cool, with each item fully viewable in 3D within the screen -- you can even zoom in and rotate anything in the inventory, which comes in handy for a few quests.

Combat is dramatically improved. Magic spells are similar to the Plasmids found in BioShock, equipped to one of the Dovahkiin's hands and readied for use whenever weapons are drawn. Players can choose to have a sword in one hand with a spell in the other, or even have two spells at once. Some spells issue a constant spray of damage, while others are projectile-based; some have instant effects, and others take a moment to charge up. As with everything in Skyrim, flexibility is the essence of the experience, and players can tailor their combat to suit any preference. A large number of "Favorites" can also be mapped to a special menu that's brought up at the touch of a button, allowing heroes to change weapons and spells and use potions on the fly.
For those not magically inclined, there's a huge variety of weapons with which to dispense death. One-handed and two-handed melee weapons are joined by bows and staves to create a healthy and versatile arsenal. Although combat retains the unwieldy hack-n'-slash flavor of prior games, things are slightly more refined, with blocking and counter-attacking given a greater focus. Fights feel so much more involved than they did in previous Elder Scrolls games, especially since every blow feels like it connects with a mighty impact. Those looking for intricate and graceful melee will be disappointed, but those who want brutal, manic, in-your-face engagements have come to the right game.
What else is there to say? What about the crafting, smithing and enchanting? You can make your own weapons with materials found around the world, becoming an alchemist and create new potions, or imbue weapons with powerful sorcery. These systems are simple, yet require practice and dedication from those players looking to make their own gear. Even then, they don't have to if they don't want to, and can rely on shops when they get new stock. It's all up to you.
As a Dragonborn, the hero will gain access to Thu'ums, or Shouts. These shouts are spoken in the language of dragons, and their words invoke powerful effects. As players discover Thu'ums written on walls around Skyrim, they absorb their power and gain new skills. These range from simple Shouts that blast out fire or ice to more unique skills, such as surging forward at super speed or summoning a lightning storm. Once learned, a Shout needs to be unlocked with a Dragon Soul, but to win a Dragon Soul, one needs to fight a dragon.

Dragons are not merely scripted boss battles that have been set to occur at a few predetermined points. In Skyrim, these living legends can come at any time and launch an attack upon any location. These randomly generated creatures will start appearing in the world once a certain point in the main story has been reached, and their regular appearances dominate everything. The best time to meet a dragon is undoubtedly in a city, as guards will leave their posts to join in the fight and turn what is already a huge encounter into something truly epic.
The winged lizards swoop across the sky, raining down fire or frost on everything in their wake. They'll land on buildings, smash into the ground and provide truly memorable battles every time they show up. As a choral rendition of the Elder Scrolls theme strikes up and players struggle valiantly to bring their reptilian foe to the ground, only a heart of stone could fail to be roused. Once the dragon finally draws its last breath and begins to burn away, leaving behind only its huge skeleton, most players would be hard-pressed to not just stand there silently for a few moments, taking in everything that just happened. The surrounding NPCs will be doing the same thing, too, making these reflectively calm moments almost as engaging as the fights themselves.
Skyrim can do epic, that's a given. It is, however, the little things that make The Elder Scrolls V what it is. The game is stuffed to its brim with tiny flourishes that seem so insignificant yet make the world of difference between a game that feels like a game, and a game that feels like it's alive. Swimming in a river to catch some fish, dropping an unwanted item on the floor and having an NPC "helpfully" return it to you, gaining a trusty follower who comments on your actions and surrounding locations -- these are the things that really place Skyrim a cut above the rest. Long after gamers have stopped recounting grand scrimmages against tribes of giants, talk will persist of that time an elf tried to sell a player some drugs outside of town, or the bandits that attempted to scare the hero away rather than blindly attack. To talk of such tiny details in a game where storm clouds can be summoned at will sounds silly, but without these minor touches, the overall ambitious scale would mean much less.

Providing the backbone for all this content is a brand-new iteration of the Gamebryo Engine, dubbed Creation. The difference this makes is huge, permeating every facet of the experience from graphics to glitches. Skyrim's huge open world looks inspiring: cities and caves appear to be unique, while character models are detailed and finally resemble human beings -- or their Orc/Elf/Khajiit/Argonian equivalent.
The game's lavish sound design seals the deal and adds that final breath of life to the production. Voice acting is fairly varied as far as Bethesda games go, though certain ones are reused a lot. Still, the acting is commendable and the affected Scandinavian accents used by many of the local Nords is quite endearing. The music is absolutely sublime -- quiet and atmospheric when it needs to be, but stirringly evocative at just the right moment.
As far as bugs go, some are bound to exist in a world so large, but I am yet to find anything game-breaking. The only persisting issue is with NPC allies, who can sometimes get lost and fail to return to their default locations. Some will get stuck attempting to perform an action, and if the player doesn't notice they're missing, they could be lost forever in the sprawling world. Other potential allies will still recognize the player as having someone with them, meaning lost comrades won't be replaced until a quest calls for a specific follower, automatically dismissing the lost one (though he/she will still remain lost). I've also had the game freeze once or twice, but one can never be sure if that's a fault of the game or the console trying to run it. Compared to previous games, however, bugs are essentially negligible, and while I'm sure the coming months will find plenty of problems, I can notice nothing so far that ruins what is an absolutely captivating experience.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is every single reason to love a Western role-playing game, condensed into a single comprehensive experience with nothing lost in the conversion process. It is a game that will drown those who step into its absorbing, overwhelmingly detailed world, a game that will bury you and refuse to let go. Yet your submergence will be agreeable, your burial ecstatic, and the hands placed around your throat welcomed like those of a lover's. To play Skyrim is to enter into a relationship, one that provides feelings of empowerment, yet demands total submission.
Submit you will, for The Elder Scrolls V is the new zenith of role-playing games and it commands you to look up.

Final Verdict:
10

Flawless Victory: A 10/10 is close to perfect as you will get in this *genre*. Pure, untarnished videogame ecstasy.

2011-12-31T13:03:00.001-08:00

Saints Row 2 is one of my favorite games of this generation. Taking the silly violence of "Grand Theft Auto III trilogy" and ramping it up to near-farcical degrees, Volition created a game that was like nothing else out there, despite resembling every other sandbox game on the surface.
One of its most compelling aspects was the playable role of an irredeemable villain whose sociopathic treatment of others made for a truly vile character. A real scumbag, yet one that we couldn't help rooting for due to the sheer magnificence of his or her bloodthirsty antics. It was a game about being evil, and not in the pussyfooted way that other games present playable villainy. It was pure, malevolent, all-encompassing turpitude, and it was spitefully good fun.
Saints Row: The Third aims to top the outrageous behavior of the last game, and it certainly manages that in several ways. In a few others, however, it seems to have taken a drastic step back.

Saints Row: The Third (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 [reviewed], PC)
Developer: Volition, Inc.
Publisher: THQ
Released: November 15, 2011
MSRP: $59.99
Saints Row: The Third is a game about extremes. It starts with a bank robbery gone wrong, its opening mission concluding with a one-man war against an entire SWAT team while swinging from a hijacked bank vault winched several hundred feet in the air. Soon after, players meet the sinister Syndicate crime ring and fight their way through a crashing airplane before blasting away criminals in the free-falling wreckage. All this happens before the player nabs a parachute and lands in the new city of Steelport. This slice of glorious stupidity is but an opening gambit to a game with one objective -- to constantly outdo itself.
From giant dildo baseball bats to choking fart grenades, Volition has dedicated itself to creating a game that shamelessly treads a line between videogame and cartoon. Sometimes bordering on sci-fi as much as it does on gang-culture parody, Saints Row: The Third is a farce that never allows itself to be serious and boasts an attitude that must be applauded. The game can be genuinely hilarious at times, if only due to the increasingly absurd situations that The Saints find themselves in -- situations delivered with such confidence (and amazingly well-placed backing music) that players will find themselves accepting the most ridiculous nonsense as perfectly reasonable.
Speaking of ridiculous, the character creation has mutated into a thing of pure madness. Players can craft all sorts of physical freaks, with oversized body parts, strange colored skin, and a variety of inane hairstyles. As usual, crossdressing and transgenderism is happily allowed, and creations can even be shared online via Saints Row's new online community hub. Uploaded characters can be downloaded and utilized by any user, adding an intriguing social element to the experience.
Gameplay-wise, very little has changed outside of the variety of new and preposterous weaponry. As always, players embark on a range of missions in an open world, taking out gangsters, stealing things, and orchestrating mighty explosions. The mission structure has been streamlined, however, with stages now activated via a cellphone rather than manually opened on the map. Furthermore, players no longer need to replay "Activity" side-missions in order to open up the campaign. Story quests will be available as older ones are completed, with Activities now existing solely as a means to earn more cash and respect.

The "respect" meter that used to act as a barrier to story missions has transformed into a full-fledged experience system. As players rank up their respect, they will gain the opportunity to buy new upgrades for their character, gang, and vehicles. Such upgrades include increased health, more NPC allies, and more hourly income earned from purchased properties. It's nice to see the respect system get a more engrossing overhaul, one that no longer annoys players by forcing them to indulge in mini-games.
However, the streamlining of the gameplay exposes one of The Third's biggest weakness: there's really not a lot there -- far less than the game tries to make one believe. With missions now easily accessible by phone and Activities no longer mandatory, the main campaign can be cleared in a matter of hours, and there's really not a lot else going on in Steelport to draw attention away from the story. While there are optional missions such as assassinations and vehicle thefts (also activated on the cellphone), they tend to grow rather repetitive and uninteresting. Same goes for the Activities, which are mostly taken from previous games and thus feel a little tame by the standards the game itself attempts to set.
In fairness, there are some delightful new distractions. Tiger escort is an obvious standout, as players need to drive carefully around town while a wild tiger sits in the passenger seat. Driving too recklessly causes the animal to become angry and attack, which is extra challenging thanks to the unwieldy feline's own clawing behavior. A new variant of Trailblazing is also tossed in, in which players ride Tron-inspired motorbikes across a virtual track, avoiding firewalls and collecting data dumps. These new Activities are fun, but not quite as inspired as previous ones, and quickly get old along with everything else.
Furthermore -- and I hate to say this -- Saints Row: The Third really isn't as over-the-top and exciting as the last game was. Not at heart, anyway. While fart jars and fighter jets have forged a game that aestheticallyappears crazier, the game's overall attitude, narrative and atmosphere is practically neutered compared toSaints Row's last outing. The Boss of the Saints is no longer a psychotic villain, having been softened up and turned into a lame antihero who fights against characters far more despicable than he is. The rival gangs lack much in the way of defining personality, and once you get over the initial brief shock of seeing a man holding a giant purple penis, one realizes just how shallow and insincere the outrageousness actually is. Without the attitude to back it up, The Third's attempts at ludicrousness come off as cynical and forced, a far cry from the effortless inanity of the previous chapter.

One of the best elements of Saints Row was watching the rival gangs slowly disintegrate thanks to the player's vicious machinations, but that doesn't happen in The Third. In fact, rival gangs barely factor into the game. Characters set up to be major villains are removed from the equation almost as quickly as they arrive, interesting factions such as the cyberpunk Deckers are dealt with in a handful of missions before quietly slinking off, and the urban warfare aspect is soon replaced by a borderline generic plot in which the Saints fight a boring military stereotype known as STAG. While players can perform wrestling moves on NPCs and summon air strikes, the environment in which all this madness takes place is mundane and bereft of the hyperactive atmosphere that The Third frantically attempts to manufacture.
The fun is damaged further by a range of increasingly irritating new enemies. Oversized Brute opponents constantly harass players with unstoppable charges and frequently intrude into otherwise intense combat situations, as do their flamethrower-wielding counterparts. Then there are the zombies that appear later in the game and constantly cause boring quick-time events to spawn over and over again -- when they're not simply swarming the player and impeding any sort of movement. These new enemies all look impressive, but they never positively reinforce the gameplay; they serve only to get in the way.
It doesn't help that the game is incredibly disjointed, with a narrative that seems rushed and missions that barely have any rhyme or reason. One particular sequence in which the player is supposedly sold at a sex auction doesn't feature the sex auction at all. The mission starts with a character telling us what is going to happen, then immediately cuts to the player character naked and drowsy on some sort of drug. There's no explanation as to how the situation got this way. Apparently the mere concept was supposed to be entertaining enough.

So desperate is The Third to get to its explosive setpieces that it forgot to pace itself, and that leads to a game that shoots its load before players are even warmed up. Mission objectives aren't too varied and get infuriating once the STAG stereotypes appear with their irritating laser jets and tanks. Even worse is the fact that the majority of missions require players to keep various NPCs alive while contending with some of the worst AI seen this generation. Having to escort a character that doesn't know how to walk around a fallen bit of debris is an incredibly common scenario, and one that gets no more pleasurable with repeated occurrences.
Competitive multiplayer has been axed in favor of focusing purely on co-op. Co-op has its own specific content although it's really just more of the same with players able to wreak dual havoc in Steelport on a drop-in/drop-out basis. There's also a standalone "Whored Mode" in which up to four players survive against waves of scantily clad women and other enemies. Each round has its own set of rules and restrictions, and while the mode is a decent distraction for a few minutes, it gets very old very quickly.
Make no mistake: when it wants to be, Saints Row: The Third is incredible. Parachuting into a penthouse party and committing a mass slaughter while Kanye West's "Power" provides the backing track is one of the most empowering experiences I've had in a videogame. An inspiring wrestling boss battle -- complete with ten-count corner punches and affected pain selling -- is priceless. Unlocking new weapons and playing around with them is a great laugh until one gets tired of them. There's a lot of merit to The Third, and its potential to inspire giggles is huge. Still, it strikes me as a game that doesn't quite "get" what made Saints Row 2 so enjoyable, choosing to ramp up the extremity in the wrong areas and thus ignore those elements that truly needed attention.
Even worse, I fear the brevity of the campaign is a direct result of content being withheld so that the publisher can sell it digitally after the fact. THQ has made no secret that a year of DLC is in the works, and with three mission packages already in the works, it's rather galling to think that the base product spits players out so swiftly. It just seems suspicious that the game is this depthless when compared to its previous installment, yet so much more DLC is at the ready.

As a huge fan of the last game, I want to shout this sequel's merits from the rooftops, but while the experience is often amusing and littered with some remarkable moments, I cannot help but feel a little let down by the final product. It's still a good game at its core, but it's not a patch on its predecessor, as it seems to have forgotten about Saints Row 2's achievements in its blinkered pursuit of extremity. It took me over two weeks to beat Saints Row 2, and I still wanted to stay in Stilwater. I concluded Saints Row: The Third in less than two days and feel no compulsion to return to Steelport anytime soon.
So it is that a game that aimed to be the most outrageous chapter of the series has ended up, if anything, as the least remarkable.

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Final Verdict:
7.0

Very Good: 7s are well-above average games that definitely have an enthusiastic audience within their *genre*. Some might lack replay value, could be too short, or has are some hard-to-ignore faults. Nevertheless, the experience is still very fun.

2011-12-31T13:02:00.000-08:00

While I prefer racing sims, sometimes it's nice to not have to worry about technical details like race formation, proper lines and vehicle specifications. Sometimes you just want to go fast. EA's Need for Speed has always served as the other side of racing for me -- that fast and fun escape. And by now, 18 games in, they should know exactly how to make racing fun.

Their latest, Need for Speed: The Run, is definitely fun. In The Run the entire country is the racetrack, and any vehicle you come across is your race car. Nothing matters but getting to New York. You're free to drive on the sidewalk, run through barriers and crash into on-coming traffic. Starting positions? License tests?Pssssh.

Need for Speed The Run (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 [reviewed])
Developer: Black Box
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Released: November 15, 2011 (PS3, 360)
MSRP: $59.99

In Need for Speed: The Run you play as Jack Rourke (played by actor Sean Faris), a guy in a really bad financial place. His debts have piled up so high that the Mob is out to get him. He finds a potential solution to his problem with a cross-country race from San Francisco to New York. A first-place finish will give him more than enough money to get the mob off his back. All he has to do is make it across America, speeding all 3,000 miles to beat about 200 of the best drivers ever assembled. Easy, right?

Early on, a pretty redhead, a sort of handler and navigator named Sam Harper (played by lovely Mad Menstar Christina Hendricks), tells Jack that the purse for first place is 25 million. She aims to take most of that cash in exchange for facilitating and putting up the cars, but the left over money will easily save Jack's ass.

In the beginning, hopping in a BMW M3 GTS, the money was my prime motivation. That quickly changed as the racing got underway, though. From the get-go, racing from Nob Hill to Las Vegas, dodging cops and hopping barriers, Need for Speed: The Run was already a blast. The game kicks off with an explosive start, with flaming explosions, wrecked cars and near-misses with speeding trains. Between these cinematic elements and the first races' tight turns, close passes and near collisions, I was hooked.

While it's always pedal to the medal in The Run, you're presented with a variety of race types to keep things interesting as you speed your way across the country. Many segments require gaining a certain number of positions to proceed. For example, early in the run, on Alamont Pass road, California, going to Interstate 580, I was required to pass 10 cars before reaching a goal line to move onto the next area. Other segments have you racing time instead of opponents; you'll work to beat the clock to make up for lost race time after certain cinematic elements.

The Battle Race segment type has you racing the clock while working to overtake other drivers. These bits are like a series of individual opponent battles, and they're a hell of a lot of fun. The game keeps the tension on with countdown timers that appear as you encounter racers. You'll have to be in the lead position when the timer ends on these encounters, so you'll have to use every trick in the book to move past these aggressive drivers and stay ahead. The first race of this type takes place on windy, ice-covered mountains where you'll have to work through three opponents in a row. It was intense, but really fun.

Finally, Rival Races take place when you meet a more advanced racer on the run. This is a straight head-to-head race to the finish, where rivals will do everything possible to have you run off the road. Some challengers would pull evil tricks, like quickly steering to the side to have me run directly to on-coming traffic. All of these sections were tough, but they paid off as winning let me add my rival's car to my garage.

Of course, as in other series games, all of these race types are peppered with traffic cop chases. The real fun hits in these action-movie-turned-videogame sections as rival racers are pushing you into sharp turns on high mountain highways while super-aggressive police cars are on your tail. The pressure is always on, so there's never a dull moment in The Run.

For all race types you'll earn experience (XP) to gain levels and earn new and better racing abilities. For example, a new level might give you the ability to refill your nitro by passing cars. Eventually you'll open up the ability to draft, make jumps and high higher speeds to earn more XP. When faster times and more tricks earn you more experience, you'll find yourself balancing the race, the cops and the push to the next level. All of this together makes the standard sim racer seem a bit boring!

The Autolog networking system of the past NFS games system returns with The Run, and it's fully integrated into the single-player experience to even more racing elements to the mix. As I was playing, completing stages, Autolog was giving me the finish times of my friends, comparing their results to mine. Segments where I thought I had an untouchable score showed that someone else on my friends list finished 6 seconds faster before, making the stage restart option a bit more attractive. After each race Autolog tells you where you stand among your friends while also tracking your total Run time. This system's constant feedback lets you and your friends challenge each other in any way that you'd like, jumping right into competition with the given data.

The varied roads of USA make for a fine setting for this cross-country race. I got a real sense of being out on the America road system in The Run, and that was a nice break from the standard city setting of other arcade racers. Weaving in and out of cars on the interstate at 160 MPH is always something I wished I could do. Locations like the Yosemite approach, going through a natural park, or hitting Death Valley leading into Las Vegas, added a some adventure to the cross-country race. I drove through dust storms in the desert, snow in Colorado, saw nature at Zion National Park in Utah, and through Las Vegas Boulevard at dusk. The varied settings are almost as thrilling as the race itself.

It's not just flat, pretty scenery backdrops, like you'd see in the latest sim racers. Black Box has packed in plenty of surprises in each of the locations across America. They're fun surprises; over-the-top surprises. I won't ruin any of the fun, but know there are lots of amazing set pieces to thrill you. I still remember all of the holy shit moments. It all leads up to one hell of a grand finale.

The Frostbite 2 engine makes its debut in this racer, and it gives Need for Speed The Run some really nice visuals overall. All of the cars look great, though they might just miss the polish of the latest sim racers on the market. To be fair, though, there's a lot less going on in a sim racer, and The Run is packed with visual elements. The locales are all fantastic, with enough detail to me have me pointing at the screen saying, "Hey, I've been there before." The close-up shots of characters' faces in cinematics are impressive, though the movement of their mouths and eyes are a bit stiff. There's some strange reflections and lower resolution textures in places in some cutscenes, but overall the look is nice, and at times very pretty.

While they looked great, the content of cutscenes were a mixed bag. The important story segments are mostly good, but the shorter flavor bits sometimes missed the mark. One particular scene was probably supposed to be sexy, as it featured leggy virtual versions of Sports Illustrated models Irina Shayk and Chrissy Teigen slowly coming out of a car, and then later bending over it, but it ended up being funny instead. The main character was supposed to be making a face of pleasure or enjoyments, but stiff movements made him look perverted and strange. The whole thing ended up being unintentionally funny.

Need for Speed The Run adds quick time elements to the cinematics, with timed button presses required to work through action elements. For the first time in the franchise you'll get out of the car and run on foot. Expect to mash buttons to do things like dodge cops and snarling pit bulls in short story scenes. The QTEs seem to be unnecessary at first, especially with the game's opening scenes, but they get better as the game progresses, and end up being pretty fun. There's not a lot of them, though, so don't expect to be bogged down with endless QTE prompts. There's just enough here to mix things up, and they're entertaining enough that you won't mind them.

The race feels a bit unfair at times when you're up against the course, 200 pro rivals and what seems like every police car in America. While I enjoyed The Run, sometimes the super fast opponents, super sharp turns and super aggressive police would grate on my nerves and patience. At some points I felt that there was too much focus on turning and dodging while navigating weather hazards. Mix these with cheap and frequent police road blocks and tricky local traffic and you have a good recipe for rage quitting. One mid-game segment had me retrying over a dozen times to complete it. Thankfully the game's difficulty can be adjusted at any time. Easy mode permits more retries for these tougher sections.

My only other major complaint centers around in-race cinematics. In several instances the game's camera is suddenly forced from the drive view to a first-person camera that pans without warning to highlight the action. It felt like someone taking your head in their hands and forcing you to look out the passenger side window. These instances were always highly disorienting and sometimes confusing, as they would often interrupt the race.

If you want to take a break from The Run and just race you can jump into the Challenge Series mode. This mode is all about testing your driving skill and hitting medal times, with the goal of setting the fastest times to compare with your friends via Autolog. This fight for position has you taking challenges pulled from The Run, like beating the clock or taking on a rival. As you complete these challenges and post times, more are unlocked in themed sets. One had me fighting through traffic on San Francisco's Bay Bridge to beat a time. They're all bite-sized races for quick fun, and are a good way to increase driver level and unlock bonuses and other items.

Need for Speed The Run's multiplayer features themed playlists have you going up against online opponents in set challenges that will give top finishers points and rewards. Online permits pairing up with other players to form playgroups to access challenges that will have them working together. You'll be able to jump in at any time and join any game, and the experience system ties in with the other game modes, letting you take experience back to the single-player game and increase your abilities.

A lot of my driving fantasies were realized in this game. I found myself grinning the whole time, gripping the hell out of the controller, leaning into turns with my body, gritting my teeth as I mashed on the nitro button to boost past rivals. If you've ever found yourself daydreaming about whipping past slow cars on the highway, passing on the sidewalk, or bashing police cars off the road, you're going to love this game. Need for Speed: The Run still has its roots firmly founded in series traditions, but its new look and focus on story make it one of the best of the franchise. Get in and have fun.

Final Verdict:
8.5

Great: 8.5s are very impressive efforts in their *genre* with a few noticeable problems holding them back. Won't astound the most discerning players, but is worth everyone's time and cash.

2011-12-31T13:01:00.000-08:00

Last year, James Bond returned to videogames in both GoldenEye 007 for the Wii and Blood Stone for the PS3 and 360. In a change from the standard outcome when a franchise hits multiple platforms, the Wii game was the one that was more polished and more fun to play. Even more surprising is the fact thatGoldenEye 007 was a perfectly satisfactory follow-up to its namesake and by far one of the best FPS experiences on the Wii.
Of course, even before GoldenEye 007 came out, people were crying foul that it was a Wii exclusive, mostly because people like to cry fowl whenever they get the chance. All those fowl criers can stop now that the game has come to both the PS3 and the 360 in glorious hi-def with a new engine, extra content, and a more robust online component.
Is it worth picking up if you've played the Wii version? Or if you didn't, is it worth picking up in a holiday market crowded with other shooters?

GoldenEye 007: Reloaded (PlayStation 3 [reviewed], Xbox 360)
Developer: Eurocom
Publisher: Activision
Released: November 1, 2011
MSRP: $59.99
This review is going to feel a little bit like a DLC review; in all honesty, the single-player aspect of this game is exactly the same except for the graphical improvements and new hidden medallions to collect. The new stuff, the MI6 challenge mode and multiplayer content, could easily be considered robust DLC if they were delivered digitally post release. That explained, if you really want to read a full review on the single-player, just head on over to my original Wii because most of what is in there still stands. This is the exact same game reworked for more powerful systems.
There are, obviously, some changes in the single-player experience. This isn't just a straight port with "upgraded" graphics that don't actually look any better, but the same game based on a much more powerful game engine. While I thought the game looked perfectly fine on the Wii, and I'm no graphics whore, I must say that playing through the exact same only much prettier levels is not something I'm going to complain about. The new engine and more powerful platforms not only make the graphics more "hi-defier," but also make the levels feel more alive. Details like rain, water effects, and improved lighting just make levels pop in ways they couldn't on the Wii. In fact, the night club section I raved about in the Wii's review looks absolutely fantastic thanks to the fact that the engine can handle more things on screen at once. So when the entire scene slows down and the debris starts flying like in a John Woo action scene, it looks really, really good.
Compared to the Wii, that is. Graphically, the game is no slump, but it isn't stand-out either. As I said, this isn't a Wii game polished up, but that doesn't mean it's one of the best looking games out now. The graphics are definitely middle of the road overall, and while they look fine, you won't be blown away by anything. This is especially apparent in the textures, which don't seem to have gotten as much love as the lighting and other aspects.

Now, on to the new part. The major addition to the game is the MI6 Ops mode, which is basically a bunch of challenges for the player to try to complete in the fastest time they can. There are three types of challenges (and an extra one that unlocks): stealth, defense, and elimination. All of them take place in slightly varied sections of single-player levels or in multiplayer levels. The modes are all pretty much exactly what they sound like. "Stealth" involves getting through levels without alerting any guards. "Defense" tasks the player with downloading information from three computer terminals while waves of enemies attack; each terminal takes three minutes to download from while enemies flood in at set time intervals during. Finally, "elimination" has the player attempting to kill every bad guy in the level as quickly as possible. By completing challenges fast enough or on high enough difficulties, you're awarded with a higher score which gets you more stars which in turn unlock more challenge levels.
It's pretty standard stuff as far as challenge modes go, but what sets it apart from most others is in how adjustable the challenges are. Instead of simply having easy, medium, and hard settings, difficulty is set by a plethora of variables the player can adjust before jumping into the challenge. You can pretty much adjust everything from enemy damage to rag doll physics. Bump up the enemies strength and you'll get more points as you start the level off. Remove your radar capabilities and your score will go up. Increase your own life and your starting score will go down. Implement paintball mode and... well, nothing happens, but it's way more fun. Thus, to get the best score, you have to balance out challenge and time. Make it too hard and you won't be able to complete it in any decent amount of time, too easy and you won't start off with a high enough score.
In theory, it's a great idea, but from my play, it seemed like completion time outweighed challenge points by too much. Thus, beating the game on a really difficult collection of settings wasn't as good as speeding through it on an easier setting. There's no way of really knowing this ahead of time since it's unclear how the time scores work; believe me, it's incredibly annoying to redo a level over and over on a difficult settings just to have it not pay off in as many stars as you thought it would. I suppose the online leaderboards help to assuage this annoyance since you're competing against others, but I'd rather have a better idea of what I'm going to score ahead of time.

MI6 Ops isn't the only new stuff in the game. Multiplayer has not only gotten a graphical overhaul, but also four new maps and a plethora of new game modes have been added. Some we've seen before, like Elimination where players progress through a pre-set series of guns each time they take someone out, but with a Bond twist since slappers melee is the final weapon. Others are a bit fresher, like Data Miner, where one player has to download data while he fights off all the others, and every kill he makes increases his download speed. I have to say the online multiplayer is quite fun, and thanks to the fact that more of the random multiplayer options are present in this version, it feels a whole lot more old-school GoldenEye when you're online.
Of course, all of the random fun settings (paintball, golden gun, etc.) are back in multiplayer in this version, but Eurocom has also included some other random stuff, like a mode where Jaws' metal teeth can deflect bullets or Dr. No's metal arms prevent him from taking damage from shots to the arm. The game also features more Bond villains to choose from, including Tee Hee, Max Zorin, Auric Goldfinger, Dr. Kananga, and Hugo Drax (exclusive to the PS3). All these definitely make the game a bit more fun, but again, they can't be considered much more than DLC to an already complete game.
I should note that the PS3 version has full Move support (in fact, there's a special edition that comes with that big gun thing and all the Move accouterments) and, well, it works. I played most of the game with a standard controller since I don't own a Move and had to borrow one. Just like the Wii, though, the Move controls function and are fun to play with. So yeah, Move works.

The question then becomes (if you haven't already played the game on the Wii) why would you pick this up over the plethora of other FPS out there that are admittedly better in almost every aspect. Do me a favor and walk over to your game collection to check the back of all your FPSes for how many players can play at once on one console. I'll put good money that the majority of your FPSes don't allow you and three other friends to sit around in the same room and shoot each other. Four-player split screen just doesn't show up on the PS3 and 360 anymore, but it's here in GoldenEye 007: Reloaded; just like the Wii version, it's plain fun to play with your friends in the room. Yes, the same flaws exist in the rest of the game, but with the ability to split your screen into four equal parts and shoot your friends in the same room being such a rarity on both systems these days, I would argue that Reloaded sets itself apart from the pack in a major way by actually having what should be a standard feature.
With Reloaded, you're basically getting GoldenEye 007 plus a bit more. This leaves me in a bit of a quandary when scoring the game. Technically, it should get a higher score than its Wii counterpart since its graphics are better, it has more content, and its online is more robust. However, I can't say that any of this actually makes the game any better, it just makes for more of it. More of an 8.5 is still an 8.5.
What it comes down to is that, if you own this on the Wii, I can't really see that big a reason to pick up this version. If you don't own it, however, this will be a great acquisition to actually get some split screen action on your hi-def console while also getting a really solid game at the same time. I understand it's the holiday season and there are a plethora of other games to pick up, but if you come across GoldenEye 007: Reloaded a little down the road when the influx of games has passed, and if the price has dropped a bit, you (and your friends who can finally play videogames with you when they come over) won't regret it one bit.

Final Verdict:
8.5

Great: 8.5s are very impressive efforts in their *genre* with a few noticeable problems holding them back. Won't astound the most discerning players, but is worth everyone's time and cash.

I am Back! And So Is DICE with Battlefield 3 DLC

2011-12-31T12:57:00.000-08:00

You may not be aware of it but EA just took a 2.7 GB dump on your hard drive. Within the latest patch forBattlefield 3 lies its first expansion Back to Karkand (B2K, brah!) Far less ambitious than the Vietnam expansions of the series’ past, B2K is an effort at mixing some old maps (all taken from Battlefield 2) with some new tech and ideas.
Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand (PC [reviewed], PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)
Developer: DICE
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Released: December 6, 2011
MSRP: $14.99 / 1200 Microsoft Points
Rig: Intel i5-2500k @3.30 GHz, 8GB of RAM, GeForce GTX 560 GPU (SLI)

Assuming you didn't receive the pack for free with your Battlefield 3 Limited Edition purchase, B2K requires an investment on your part. So, you probably want to know if it’s worth it. Well, that depends on a couple things.

I love Battlefield. I loved Battlefield 3. In fact, it’s my fourth favorite game of the year. Yet, I haven’t loaded the game up in a month because things are crazy between school and new releases. From this perspective, B2K offers a welcome reason to jump back into the game. Wake Island and Strike at Karkand are two of the best maps in the series and you won’t be let down with these reimaginings.

Wake Island remains the perfect Battlefield map. The island’s slopes and hills provide vantage points for snipers, areas for ground troops to sneak, and space for tanks to roam. Every match on the map can be tackled in a new way, unlike some of the disappointing corridor crawls that came with Battlefield 3. For all the talk EA made about improved destruction in BF3, it felt like a major step back from Bad Company 2’s destructible multiplayer maps. The maps in the B2K expansion address this issue and give players lots of trees to tear down and bunkers to explode.

Strike at Karkand is a much better close quarters map than most of what Battlefield 3 had to offer, so it’s nice to revisit it in this engine. It’s a much more versatile map that gives players lots of vertical advantages along with hiding areas. Do you take to a rooftop and fire down on a capture point or do you sneak through the alleyways and flank? The map is further improved with detailed buildings. However, I came across a pretty nasty glitch that some players were exploiting. I guess that’s par for the course, isn’t it?

Gulf of Omen feels like a weaker Wake Island. Likewise, Sharqi Peninsula feels like a weaker Strike at Karkand. Both maps are good and keep a balance between large and small scale battles in the expansion, but I’d prefer to see some Bad Company 2 favorites in their place -- perhaps, EA just doesn’t want us to realize how similar these two games really are.

Visually-speaking, B2K is about what you expect. It strips the old maps of their color -- remember when games didn’t look like dogshit? -- and fills them full of tress, buildings, and skyscrapers. Some of these buildings are stunning in their structure and height. As a result, these maps feel a bit smaller than they were in Battlefield 2.

Part of this has to do with the fact that they have so much more detail -- no longer are you looking across a long plain of nothing. Another factor is that draw distance is much improved, these days. Remember the nasty fog most players had to experience in order to run BF2? I give EA the benefit of the doubt that the maps are close to the size of their originals. Even if they aren’t, they feel well tuned for Battlefield 3’s pacing.

Along with four new maps, B2K offers a new multiplayer mode, three new vehicles, and ten new weapons. Well, new to BF3 at least; like the maps, most of this content is taken and updated from BF2.

Conquest Assault is a pretty basic modification of Conquest. The only difference is that one team starts with all the captures points and the other starts with a home base and extra tickets. It certainly makes the beginning of a match more exciting/stressful, but it’s all the same by the match’s end. This mode is only playable on Wake Island and Strike at Karkand.

The vehicles are also slight variations of ones you’ve already controlled in BF3. You get one new tank, jet, and buggy. I didn’t even notice they were new additions until somebody told me, which should tell you everything. It’s a nice addition, nevertheless. The same is true of the weapons that you have to unlock by completing assignments (for example, reviving ten comrades). The glorious PP-19 returns which makes me happy.

There is nothing about B2K that screams must buy. As a whole, this pack fails to give me nostalgia forBF2 which seems like its main purpose. BF3 looks and plays too different to do that, unfortunately. However, Wake Island and Strike at Karkand are fantastic maps for both veterans and newbies. If you want an excuse to jump back into BF3 or you want to play Wake Island again, you should pick up this expansion. You’ll have fun and you’ll give that 2.7 GB of data a purpose to exist on your hard drive.

Final Verdict:
7.0

Test Drive "Not So" Unlimited 2

2011-04-30T12:39:00.000-07:00

I'm extremely happy that the racing genre seems to be picking up again. In 2010 we had some spectacular titles like Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, and Gran Turismo 5 so I couldn't wait to see what was in store for 2011. Well that time is now and Atari must have wanted to keep the good times rolling by releasing Test Drive Unlimited 2. Right? Well if that was their plan they failed miserably.

Test Drive Unlimited 2 (Xbox 360 [Reviewed], PlayStation 3, PC)
Developer: Eden Games
Publisher: Atari
Released: February 8th, 2011
MSRP: $49.99 / $39.99(PC)

You start off as a bellhop that gets his first big shot at becoming a racing superstar. With a little start up cash you pick up your first POS series sports car, roll up to your pad, (aka trailer) and begin working your way to a life of luxury. Faster cars, mansions, and fame are up for grabs if you're just willing to put the time into grinding through the same 5 races over and over with the occasional escort mission thrown in for good measure. With the money you earn by doing this you can buy clubs, clothes, cosmetic surgery and more, but make sure you focus on a pad with a big garage. A bigger garage equals more cars equals more races that you'll be able to compete in.

Though the game gives you this large world to explore, filled with locations that vary from paved areas going as far as the eye can see, to gravely mud pits found in the off-road areas, it's all built upon a product that isn't ready for the retail market.

Before I tear this game apart, let's start with a few positive points. Yep, they did one or two things right like the "frim" system. Frim keeps you entertained by giving you points for dodging cars, driving fast, and pulling off smooth turns. Every time that you manage to hit a new rank with the frim you have a chance to cash in, or continue for the chance at doubling your money. It only ends when you hit something, but it's a fun way to keep you engaged while on long stretches of road and I found that I would always keep a close eye on my cash when doing it.

The second positive note is the vehicles. There's plenty of customizations available including paint, rims, stickers, one or two mechanical upgrades, and who doesn't love pimping out their ride. The vehicles look spectacular. They're probably the prettiest thing in the game, which is a compliment to the car designers, and an insult to anyone that lives in Hawaii.

Then you go outside where you see that the environments already look drab, but add immense amounts of texture popping into the mix and you'll quickly find yourself wishing you were playing one of the greats from 2010 that I had mentioned earlier. Environments aren't the only bad part of the game as characters look stiff, unbelievable, and come completely packaged with some of the worst excuses for voice acting that I've ever heard.

Then there's the fact that what should be the game's biggest strength is broken. Test Drive Unlimited 2can best be described as an MMO racer without all the typical fun elements found in an MMO. You know, like being able to play with other people. You're supposed to be in an open world where you can race anyone at anytime. Instead the only multiplayer you're able to experience is the following notification. "TheTest Drive Unlimited 2 server is not available at this time. Please try again later." This game is jacked up.

Not once was I able to join a quick match because the game either didn't work or was unable to find another player. I did host a race that consisted of myself and one other player though. Beforehand we made gestures at each other using the games built-in emotes, and then I raced the only other player I could find. I was promptly left in the dust. At least until the very end of the race when his Dodge viper spun out and I was able to win with my Camaro ... only to watch the Viper be catapulted into the stratosphere. I'm not exaggerating, nor am I being facetious, that actually happened. I won a race and then watched a 10 cylinder, 3,000 lb Dodge Viper fly up, into the sky, and disappear.

Speaking of actual racing (which you'll do from time to time) this portion of the game is mostly intact. I would put it into the Gran Turismo category meaning it's more realistic, something that I personally don't prefer. Thankfully they didn't make it so rigid that any mistake will punish you. You can mess up here and there and still come out ahead. The countdown before each race drove me nuts at first though. If you redline your RPMs it's one of those games that just kill your car instead of letting you burn out until you let off of the gas. This is one aspect isn't forgiving like other racers, actually if you're just a little bit into the red (at least with your beginner car) the game kills the engine. Once I started getting better vehicles this problem seemed to disappear, or I had just adjusted by that point, but it's very confusing as a new player.

There's over 90 vehicles to collect in the game, and a max level cap of 60 that you can reach by playing the campaign, racing other players in multiplayer, and by finding new locations in the games humongous world. It's just a shame that the campaign consists of annoying voice actors that are almost unbearable to listen to, multiplayer is near non-existent, and finding a new location involves driving for extended periods of time through dull, boring terrain.

Test Drive Unlimited 2 isn't a horrible game. It's just surrounded by a bug filled world, glitchy gameplay, and a core mechanic that doesn't function. Maybe with a patch the glaring faults will be corrected, but in this state I would not recommend it for racing fans.

Score: 4.0 -- Below Average (4s have some high points, but they soon give way to glaring faults. Not the worst games, but are difficult to recommend.)

Homefront "meh"

2011-04-30T12:37:00.000-07:00

t’s a mere 16 years into our future. The nuclear-armed Greater Korean Republic has crumbled the infrastructure of the United States with a catastrophic EMP strike. The Koreans have brought the war to our doorstep, imprisoning our people and tearing down our once-great country.

This nightmarish “what if?” scenario is Kaos Studios’ version of a “plausible near-future world,” as depicted in Homefront. Buy into this vision of our country’s potential fate, and you’re looking at the setup for a gripping and emotional tale.

Unfortunately, a fascinating premise can only get you so far, and the pieces of Homefront’s puzzle don’t look quite so promising when they’re pushed into place.

Homefront (Xbox 360 [reviewed], PlayStation 3, PC)
Developer: Kaos Studios
Publisher: THQ
Released: March 15, 2011
MSRP: $59.99 (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3) / $49.99 (PC)

If you’re not a fan of first-person shooters, you’d probably say that the genre hasn’t come very far over the past five years. From an outsider’s perspective, that point of view seems valid: many of the games look alike, seemingly having you doing the same things with bigger guns and flashier visuals. The truth is, developers have made great strides in these experiences, from storytelling to subtle tweaks in core mechanics.

Kaos Studios, it seems, has slept on all of this: Homefront feels like a game yanked from a time capsule, one buried around the time when people were trading in their tank-like Xbox consoles for the sleeker, more powerful Xbox 360.

Visually, the game can’t stand toe-to-toe with today’s most popular triple-A shooters, although it tries to make up for that with a chilling ambiance. Battling through American suburbs and city streets can be a tense, hair-raising experience. Plumes of smoke rise from homes and business torn apart by war, and iconic US symbols such as American flags and recognizable commercial logos lie burnt and tattered. But it’s hard to turn a blind eye to the game’s dated visuals, including muddy textures and a color palette that’s so overwhelmed by shades of greens and browns that enemies and the environment are sometimes indistinguishable from one another. Characters’ faces look dull and lifeless, whether they’re shouting orders or making vain attempts to connect with the player through dialogue.

As far as its shooting mechanics go, Homefront plays it safe through and through. It manages to skate by on adequacy while introducing nothing new for players to be truly excited about. If you’re looking for a game where you follow an NPC around for six missions, taking down enemies like you’re running through a shooting gallery, then Homefront is right up your alley. I don’t mean to imply that that’s necessarily bad, either, if it’s what you want. The game holds up well enough as an average shooter, so it certainly has that going for it. To Homefront’s credit, and without giving anything away, the campaign’s finale is easily a collection of the game’s most impressive moments. But given that you can breeze through the story in under five hours, it’s certainly a case of “too little, too late.”

Numerous other problems mar the experience. Take, for instance, the scripting of the resistance team you’re fighting alongside. Do you enjoy standing in front of a door, doing absolutely nothing in complete silence for upwards of 30 seconds, while you wait for your squad to open it? How about getting stuck on an invisible wall as you try to crawl underneath a fence, only to realize you need to stand up and move aside so your partners can go first? This kind of sloppy design feels less like something you’d see in a triple-A game from a major publisher such as THQ, and more like something you’d expect from a budget Playstation 2 title. It’s not only frustrating for the player (“Open the %#@&ing door already, guy!”); it completely breaks any sense that the world you’re fighting for is real.

Technical issues aren’t the only thing holding back the campaign, either. There’s been a lot of talk about how Apocalypse Now and Red Dawn co-writer John Milius worked on the script. That sounds impressive on paper, but in execution, you’d be hard-pressed to tell that a veteran author was involved at all.

To the game’s credit, there’s promise out of the gate. In the first moments of the game, you’ll see helpless Americans beaten by merciless Korean soldiers, and a mother and father ruthlessly executed in front of their sobbing adolescent child. The foundation of the narrative holds promise, and the idea that no punches are being pulled indicates Homefront could be a somber and even emotional action title. But the moment you get a gun in your hand, it all falls apart.

While the idea of being the catalyst for what will turn the tide of war is compelling, your character and those around him manage to be wooden throwaways. You’re barely given a single reason to care about the game’s protagonist, and your NPC sidekicks are aggravatingly trite when they’re not getting in your way. If you’re expecting Homefront to be bursting with thoughtful dialogue and challenging narrative situations, prepare to be disappointed. The gruff, foul-mouthed Connor, whom you’ll be forced to follow around in every mission, is the worst offender. Sample dialogue: “Get the fuck down!”; “Get to cover!”; “Now that’s what I call Korean barbecue!”; and my personal favorite, “Enemies in the Hooters!”

For all of the campaign’s missteps and missed opportunities, there is a silver lining for Homefront: its multiplayer. Perhaps I jumped the gun when I suggested that Kaos was napping while the FPS genre evolved; it was simply eyeing its multiplayer competition.

At its heart is its “Battle Points” system, an in-game currency that rewards players for kills, and completing various objectives and challenges. Using points, you can purchase vehicles, upgrade items, and do more to give you an edge. (Getting your hands on the game’s assault drones -- battery-powered, remote-controlled RC cars and helicopters of doom, is a particular highlight.) Points are doled out in such a way that you’re not simply pushed to kill, kill, kill. Instead, strategic thinking is rewarded, as is helping your teammates or guarding territory. It’s not a completely new idea, but it’s well-implemented in Homefront, enough so that it’s certainly worth mentioning.

Not to be outdone by Call of Duty, Kaos has also implemented the now-expected leveling up and perks system. With over 70 ranks and close to 20 (if not more that I didn’t see) abilities, there’s a lot of content to both be explored and unlocked.

Game modes consist of the usual Team Deathmatch modes, along with “Ground Control,” which plays out similarly to the “Frontlines” multiplayer mode in Kaos’ previous shooter of the same name, with teams capturing and holding points on a map. While there are a meager seven maps that ship on the game disc, they’re all massive and well-designed around game objectives. Fans of heavy artillery will also be pleased to find an abundance of weaponry at your disposal; an American’s right to bear arms is rarely as sated as it is in Homefront, that’s for sure.

In many ways, Homefront’s multiplayer modes feel like an evolution of what Kaos offered with Frontlines. For fans of the 2008 shooter, this is exactly the game you’re looking for. It manages to stay fresh and varied with its wide variety of abilities and upgrades, and vast battlefields. Still, it's not quite as polished or full-featured as any of the recent Call of Duty games, which may be its downfall. Homefront’s multiplayer will ultimately only be as strong as the community that supports it; a few hundred Black Ops and Battlefieldgame invites will be hard to ignore.

There are some games that feel like their multiplayer experience was tacked on, a simple matter of getting on the disc and the back of the box to sell “a few” extra copies. With Homefront, it feels like the opposite is true: we’ve wound up with a solid multiplayer experience, matched with a sloppy and under-developed campaign.

If you’re looking for the total package, Homefront doesn’t even come close. Gamers wanting a fulfilling story-driven single-player campaign should take the next bus to Playing Half-Life 2 Again Town. But fans of competitive multiplayer should at least give Kaos’ latest a look, even if it’s unlikely to replace their shooter of choice.

Score: 5 -- Mediocre (5s are an exercise in apathy, neither Solid nor Liquid. Not exactly bad, but not very good either. Just a bit "meh," really.)

Nintendo 3DS!

2011-04-30T12:35:00.000-07:00

When Nintendo of America's President and COO, Reggie Fils-Aime, says that the company's latest handheld, the Nintendo 3DS, is in a "category of one," he's not kidding.

When it ships on March 27, Nintendo's handheld will be the only gaming device on the market that provides glasses-free 3D. Along with upgraded hardware and software that builds on the strengths of its previous blockbuster handhelds, Nintendo is confident that it has a "game changer" on its hands.

We have it in our hands: I've personally been playing with a North American Nintendo 3DS, along with a handful of launch titles, for about a week now. Dale North picked up his 3DS back in February when the system launched in Japan.

Settle in -- we're about to tell you what we think, and we've got a lot to say.

Getting to know the 3DS for the first time

Nick says... "My first impression of the system is that it's too small. This is coming off of using the monstrous DSi XL, of course. Size aside, I'd say this is Nintendo's best handheld yet. I think Dale's mentioned it before, but it feels less like a toy than previous Nintendo handhelds; it's easily the company's most sophisticated piece of portable hardware to date.

"The form factor is not entirely dissimilar to the Nintendo DS, so you know what to expect here. The big upgrade, at least on the controls front, is the circle pad. This mini-analog stick runs circles around the nub Sony decided to tack onto its Playstation Portable. With your hands gripping the 3DS, your thumb sits in the perfect place to reach the circle pad for a full range of movement. The rubber material gives you a nice, firm grip when playing.

"I've heard some talk about 'loose hinges,' but I feel like we hear that every time Nintendo releases a dual-screen portable. While it may be an issue for some, I haven't had any hinge issues with my handheld."

Dale says... "The 3DS is a fine piece of hardware, though I found myself wanting a less floppy top half. I suppose there's a lot of weight there with the larger screen, cameras and electronics, though. The rest is solid. I called it 'impressive' in my unboxing, and I stick to that.

"Unlike Nick, I feel that it's plenty big enough. Users of previous DS or DSi systems will feel right at home. The new buttons are a welcome addition -- especially the new analog pad. I can't wait to finally get to use this thing in a platformer or adventure game. I love the plus D-pad and buttons, as they're very responsive."

Now in mind-boggling, glasses-free 3D!

Nick says... "While Nintendo seems to want to sell the handheld on its revolutionary glasses-free 3D capabilities alone (it's in the name!), that shouldn't be what pushes you to reach for your wallet.

"The 3D effect is, in fact, quite stunning in person. The effect is less 'things popping out as you' and more of a sense of added depth. It's almost as if you were looking into a diorama, with little people moving around and living inside a box.

"How you view the 3D is going to vary based on a number of factors, including your own eyesight (if you're wearing glasses or contacts, your distance from the screen, the game in question, and more). Fortunately, Nintendo has put an easily accessible 3D slider on the top screen, allowing you to adjust the strength of the effect on the fly. The simple fact that it's so easy to adjust is not only brilliant, but completely necessary, given how nearly every game seems to utilize 3D differently.

"Not all 3D games on the 3DS are created equal, it seems. For me, a few games were virtually unplayable -- completely blurry, some giving me a double vision effect -- when the 3D slider was cranked up to the max. Others handled it quite nicely. I noticed that this was different depending on whether or not I was wearing my glasses, my contact lenses, or nothing at all. (I'm nearsighted, so I can generally play handhelds without assistance.) Personally, I found that moving the slider up just a touch was the sweet spot -- it gave me a nice sense of depth without becoming too overwhelming or distracting.

"Of course, the question remains: is the 3D really necessary? Of the launch games I played, there wasn't one for which I felt the 3D effect truly added anything to the gameplay experience. With the exception ofPilotwings Resort (an argument could be made for that extra sense of depth making landing aircraft easier), I didn't find I needed the 3D to play any of the games. In fact, after a while, I ended up turning the 3D off entirely. It's not that I was getting headaches (a common concern, but nothing that I experienced) or even that I found it distracting. It's that after a while, I hardly notice it's on; instead, I'm more focused on the activity of playing the game itself."

Dale says... "The 3D effect is really cool, especially in some of the Augmented Reality minigames that Nintendo has included in the system. It also looks great in proper 3DS games, but not great enough for me to leave it switched on. I'm going on a month of 3DS ownership now, and I have barely used the 3D. I 'check' to see how a new game looks in 3D, and then I shut it off. It's not that I don't like it or don't feel that it looks neat, but I just find that I'd rather play the game without it. Again, it doesn't really get in the way, but I do usually feel like it's something not needed for most of the games I've played."

Battery life... or lack thereof

Nick says... "It's been no secret that the 3DS' battery life isn't quite on par with what gamers normally expect from a Nintendo handheld. The company itself says you'll get between three and five hours, depending on your usage of various functionality, like the 3D or the system's Wi-Fi.

"During my usage, I didn't have any battery issues, placing the 3DS in the charging cradle every chance I got. Of course, only using the handheld around my house has that advantage -- I can constantly charge the device, between and even during usage. Traveling with it will be a different story; most flights I take exceed the battery life of the handheld, which means I probably can't expect my 3DS to be my main form of in-flight entertainment.

"Ben Kuchera from Ars Technica actually put the battery through its paces and confirmed what we already knew: it basically kind of sucks. Still, how much this is going to impact you depends on what kind of handheld gamer you are. If you use it on short commutes or just around the house, you should be okay. While that will probably be fine for most gamers (and it has been for my own use), battery performance is clearly the 3DS' biggest problem."

Dale says... "I've been everywhere with my 3DS. Day-long trips, overseas flights, road trips -- this little system has some major miles on it already. I can safely say that the standby battery life is awesome. It's really fantastic, even with Wi-Fi on. It's the gaming life that's not as great. You only get a few hours out of your 3DS battery on the go at max brightness, and with the sound, 3D and Wi-Fi on.

"I don't feel like this will be a problem in most gamers' day-to-day life, though. The handy cradle makes your portable gaming life really easy."

Rock the charge cradle of love

Nick says... "I have to admit, I couldn't initially figure out why Nintendo bothered to include a charging cradle with the handheld. The 3DS actually uses the same power adapter as the DSi, with a similar port on its top side as well. But with the dock, you simply plug the adapter into the dock, and gently place your 3DS into the little plastic shell to begin charging.

"What I appreciate so much about the dock is its convenience in practice. I simply set up the cradle on my desk, and every chance I get, I plop the 3DS down like it's a habit. Given the battery situation, I think this was a smart move on Nintendo's part -- it really encourages you to keep the handheld juiced up, because doing so is as simple as putting it down."

Dale says... "I joked that I was going to give away my cradle in my unboxing, but I've come to love and rely on the included dock. It's just so handy!"

Shooting you in the face with my Augmented Reality games

Dale says... "Face Raiders aside (not a great game), the Augmented Reality stuff is really going to knock people's socks off. I've shown off my 3DS to many people now. While most were mildly impressed with the new display and the glasses-free 3D, almost all were really excited by the Augmented Reality cards and applications.

"The ability to overlay graphics on a real-time camera display is nothing new, but it's certainly more fun with Nintendo's touch. Seeing your favorite Nintendo characters in your real-life environment is a trip, and it really gets the imagination going for future 3DS titles. Adding 3D to the AR was a nice touch. I think younger gamers are going to flip out when they see this stuff in person."

Face!: The Mii Maker

Nick says... "I'm not a huge fan of Miis; the novelty wore off for me only a few days after I got my Wii at launch. Still, it's nice to see Nintendo trying to tie its products together with the little buggers, and they've done a pretty nice job of bringing them to the 3DS.

"Of particular note is the ability to take a picture of yourself using the 3DS camera, and having the system auto-generate a Mii for you. The results vary wildly from person to person -- I don't think my Mii (picture in this article) looks anything like me -- but it's nice for those who aren't artistically inclined. As with the Wii, the parts that are included for your Mii are varied, and with some skills and a good eye, you can make some pretty wild-looking characters."

Dale says... "I could get all camera-nerd on you and talk about lens distortion, or I could nitpick and talk about how basic the facial detection is, but that would be silly. The Mii Maker is a lot of fun, regardless of the end result. I can't believe how many people thought I was serious about my Mii complaints in the demonstration video we ran. Yes, it's not even close, but I'm sure Nintendo wasn't going for close. They were going for fun, and they succeeded."

Is that a 3DS in your pocket or are you just happy to see my StreetPass data?

Dale says... "Where has this been all along? Most of the fun I've been having with the 3DS relates to its StreetPass functionality. Being able to walk on the street and 'pick up' data from other 3DS users sounds impossible, but it works beautifully, not to mention effortlessly. Later, when you open your 3DS, you'll find that you can enjoy the Mii Plaza games, see new Miis and find even deeper interactions in many 3DS game titles.

"With your 3DS on, or in standby with Wi-Fi switched on, the system will do all the work. The 3DS will notify you of new interactions when they happen. Game-specific ones are the best. In Super Street Fighter IV 3D, you will be able to use your personal Street Fighter trading figure collection in battle, going up against the people you've passed on the street. You pick your line-up of five characters and watch them go head-to-head. In nintendogs + cats, you'll be gifted free items to use in your game, as well as pictures of other people's pets. It's like an extra social game for every game you own. They're not deep experiences, but they're definitely fun.

"This stuff is so fun that I've found myself going Mii-gathering in the real world. It's to the point now where I'll walk slowly in front of someone just to be sure that I get their Mii exchange. Some just look up and grin, like they know exactly what I'm doing."

Nick says... "I don't have quite as much to say about this functionality as Dale, so forgive me if I'm not quite as excited. While Dale spent the better part of the last month living in Tokyo with his 3DS, I've been less fortunate. In fact, seeing as how the system hasn't been available in stores this past week, there was little to no chance that I would pass someone on the street, in my car, or at the supermarket who also had a 3DS in their pocket. (Believe me, I tried.)

"Even so, I'm still not entirely sold on how successful this will be for many gamers who own a 3DS. If you live in a large commuter area like New York City, for instance, I suspect you'll probably pick up some decent StreetPass stuff. If you're in school (college or otherwise), there's a good chance you can expect a decent volume of data, too.

"But for working adults who drive to and from work, it seems the cards are stacked against you when it comes to gathering StreetPass data. For me, outside of bringing the handheld to gamer-centric events (PAX, E3, and more), I'm not sure I'll see much -- if any! -- StreetPass data on a day-to-day basis. I'd love to be proven wrong, though, because I love the concept."

Mii Plaza, You Plaza

Dale says... "I'm really enjoying the Mii Plaza on the 3DS, even though it's not quite what I expected it to be. I guessed it would be a place where I could see the Miis of all of my friends walking around. Instead, it's a visual collection of the Miis of all the real-world people I've encountered via StreetPass. It's also a sort of hub for playing the two included social games, Find Mii and Puzzle Swap.

"Find Mii is a game that sees your Mii trapped in a dungeon. The Miis of people you encounter are enlisted to spring you out in a classic turn-based role-playing game. You'll use these Miis as playable characters in your party, commanding them to attack or use magic spells to defeat sub-bosses in each of the dungeons leading up to the one in which you're being held captive. It's really basic, but it's fun knowing that everyone else is using your Mii at the same time.

"Puzzle Swap is exactly as it sounds. There are several 15-piece picture puzzles to reveal, and the only way to get pieces is to encounter others via StreetPass. The people you encounter offer up any of the pieces they've already acquired, and you do the same for them. In other words, the more people you meet, the more puzzles you'll complete. When completed, these puzzles form a 3D figure that you can view and manipulate in 3D space. I became so addicted to this game that I'd constantly check my 3DS indicator light to see if I had another opportunity to earn another piece.

"If you're a lonely person but still want to play the Mii Plaza games, you'll need to take a walk. The 3DS has a pedometer built in. After taking so many steps, you'll earn a Game Coin. These game coins can be spent on the Mii Plaza games, which will give you combatants in Find Mii, or puzzle pieces in Puzzle Swap. Note that there's a daily limit of ten coins, so you'll really have to work to build up your count. Finding friends is much easier."

Nick says... "Given my tale of StreetPass woe, you can imagine I didn't have much fun withPuzzle Swap or Find Mii. I was able to get a nice chunk of coins by taking my 3DS to the gym and running with it, but that can only get me so far. In order to get the most of these games, StreetPass data is essential.

"Oddly, your Mii Plaza will only be populated by those you've 'met' through StreetPass. Connecting with buddies via the 3DS' friends list functionality allows you to see their Miis, but those Miis won't show up in your Plaza. Nintendo really wants you to leave the house, and really wants you to go hang out in places where people own and carry their 3DS systems, I guess."

Sound Off, or "If You've Always Wanted to Sound Like a Parakeet"

Nick says... "The built-in sound manipulation program from the DSi returns here. As far as I can tell, it's mostly identical software, which isn't exactly great news. You can record short sound clips and then modify them in various ways, like adding effects or changing the tempo and pitch. On its own, this stuff is pointless outside of being a diversion; this is about as basic as audio tools can get. Sure, it's fun to record your voice and then alter it in silly ways, but this novelty only lasts for a few minutes.

"The good news is that the 3DS supports MP3 files, something the DSi did not. What this means is that in theory, you can use your 3DS as a portable music player. Problem is, the file sorting and playback is so miserably basic that I can't imagine using it as a dedicated music player. The program does have some cool 3DS-specific StreetPass functionality -- trading song info of strangers and such -- which is nifty in its own right. But considering the low cost of competent portable media players and the fact that most cell phones can play MP3 audio, this is a feature I'll never touch."

Take a picture; it'll last longer

Nick says... "The 3DS features both front- and forward-facing cameras, just like the DSi. You can use both cameras to snap photos, which are saved directly to the console's inserted SD card in JPEG format. On the 3DS screen, these images appear passable, but viewed on a PC monitor (or anywhere else, for that matter), the quality is unpleasantly poor.

"Taking advantage of the glasses-free 3D capabilities, you can also take 3D photos with the camera. Depending on how you set up your shot -- with reasonable distance between objects to take advantage of depth -- 3D photos can look kind of 'neat.' But 'neat' is about as much credit as I can give them, and when you consider the low resolution of the images, this isn't really taking photography to the next level. I took a bunch just to test out the functionality, but I doubt I'll ever be using it to document my life.

"Also missing is the Facebook integration found on the DSi, and Nintendo offers no other way to share images with others -- even folks you've added to your 3DS friends list -- from the handheld itself. While there's a chance this functionality could come to the 3DS in a future system update, it seems like a strange thing to omit from the jump."

Dale says... "Indeed, there's nothing nice about the 3DS' photo quality, and that's a real shame. It's also surprising, as the image quality on the screen -- before the photo has been taken -- is really nice. I didn't even know it would be so bad until I stopped my initial photo-taking frenzy to check out the images.

"I'm hoping Nintendo also brings back Facebook functionality, or at least some kind of friend sharing ability, as these photos are near-useless when they just sit on your SD card."

Hey, wanna swap Friend Codes?

Nick says... "Along with Miis, a friends list also comes to Nintendo's handheld. Those irritating Friend Codes are still here, unfortunately, but you have to navigate fewer menus to input them than on the Wii.

"Once a friend is added, you can see things like their Mii, the game they're currently playing, and a short 'status' message. That's about it, really. There's no way to send a message to your friends. There's no way to see their progress on games, or which games they have in their library. The list does come in handy for games that support online multiplayer, like Super Street Fighter IV 3D, as you can easily find and connect with friends in private rooms.

"It's nice that Nintendo is offering a friends list, but the included functionality does feel a bit shallow, at least when you compare it to other offerings on consoles and mobile operating systems."

Dale says... "We've been in the Stone Age so long with Nintendo systems' online functionality that I was probably too excited to see the status of my friends online on my 3DS for the first time. I feel like we're finally getting somewhere by even being able to see that!

"I don't know Nintendo's plan, but I feel like they're going to beef up the Friends functions as time goes on for the 3DS. It's still early, and there's always firmware updates."

Nintendo Handhelds: Extreme Home Makeover Edition
Nick says... "Everything about the front-end software for the 3DS is a step up from the DSi. Essentially, it's the Wii home screen, but better. From it being cleaner and better organized, to some of the software suspension functionality, everything that came before it feels like a beta in comparison."

Dale says... "Yes, the 3DS menu is very Wii-like, but only in the best ways. The Home button is great. Being able to peek in at your main menu is really cool. You can see Wi-Fi status, on-going connections, Game Coin count, step count and more at a glance, at any time. It's clear that Nintendo has been listening to gamers."

About those games...

Nick says... "Few platforms knock it out of the gate at launch with their games, but the 3DS' initial offerings seem particularly weak. And while your mileage may vary depending on your interests, I don't think there are any 'must-have' games that are hitting shelves alongside the platform, at least based on the batch I've played.

"That's not to say there aren't 'good' games; Pilotwings Resort and Steel Diver are two decent first-party offerings, and Capcom kicked it out of park with Super Street Fighter IV 3D. But it's hard to recommend running out and buying a 3DS based on any of this starting line-up; there really isn't a 'killer app' available just yet.

"The games that are available do show the potential of the handheld, though. From a visual standpoint (even ignoring the 3D capabilities), titles look stellar on the 3DS screen; it's an immediately obvious step above the DS. The analog circle pad also adds quite a bit to the potential of experiences, which is particularly obvious in the third-person action of LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars."

Dale says... "I love Nintendo and own everything they make, but I've never been happy with a system launch line-up. nintendogs + cats is still my most played game, if that tells you anything. As Nick said, there's no must-have for the system. Yet.

"That said, all the games look great. Even the half-assed ones, like Ridge Racer 3D, still look nice, and far better than any DS game before them. Super Street Fighter IV 3D looks fantastic. I'm sure there's even more in store for us. I'm really looking forward to E3's 3DS showings."

The bottom line

Both Dale and I agree that the 3DS is an amazing device, despite a few concerns and gripes. Nintendo has made great strides in both the quality of the hardware as well as the usability of the built-in software. While the glasses-free 3D technology is impressive and on the cutting edge, neither of us are entirely sold on the notion that it's going to change how we play games.

As with any platform, it comes down to the available software. While there isn't that 'OMG must have' title on shelves just yet, there's little doubt that some are coming. Just the tease of a brand-new Mario game at GDC earlier this year had us foaming at the mouth.

If you're a gamer who enjoys playing a broad range of titles, you'll eventually want to own a 3DS. The question of 'Do you wait?' is something only you can answer for yourself. At $249.99, it's Nintendo's most expensive portable to date, which might make it a hard sell. With no 'must-have' software available right now, the only thing you'll really be missing is collecting valuable StreetPass data. But if you do pull the trigger at launch, we're both pretty confident it's not something you're going to regret in the long run.

Shift 2 Unleashed!

2011-04-30T12:32:00.000-07:00

I love racing games enough that I'll enjoy just about any title you stick in front of my face. That said, those games that put forth a good representation of realistic professional racing are usually my preference. Arcade-y racers are always fun, but my heart guides me to ones where I have to think about the weight of a car as I brake, or where a track's racing lines mean more than the car's racing stripes. When the game's sense of realism is just enough to make me fully immersed, I'm in racing heaven. Take that realism overboard, though, and you've got a racer that's less approachable.

EA's Need for Speed: Shift 2 Unleashed is great in that it speaks to all types of racing game fans. There's a cool flashiness and high level of approachability that will appeal to casual racing fans, but there's also deep racing physics that lean more toward the sim side of things than any other game in the franchise. It's a satisfying, exciting mix that had me squeezing the controller so tight that it now squeaks. EA, you owe me a new PS3 controller.

Read on for our review of Shift 2 Unleashed.

Shift 2 Unleashed (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 [reviewed], PC)
Developer: Slightly Mad Studios
Publisher: EA
Released: March 29, 2011
MSRP: $59.99

I realize that coming out early with the word 'sim' in a review could easily scare off casual racing gamers, which seem to prefer the simpler, arcade-like gameplay of Criterion's Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit over technical things like lap times, racing lines and suspension tweaks. Don't run off just yet -- I think those people will still enjoy Shift 2 Unleashed, as Slightly Mad Studios' approach is a bit different. The game's career mode starts out with shameless raw speed, making no attempts to ease you into things like other sim racers would. You'll immediately get into a Nissan GT-R and take to the track. In your very first time on the road the world flies by, you graze a wall, spin out and barely make it across the finish line. This sets the pace for Shift 2, which I applaud for being a steady challenge from beginning to end. No apologies are made, and that's what makes this game a lot of fun.

From that first run with the GT-R, the game will compute what kind of racing settings and assists you'll need for the rest of the game. You're free to change these, but I found that what the game gathered from my first run was pretty spot on. From there you're free to buy your own starter car and jump into any of the available events in Career Mode. You'll work your way up car classes and event types, slowly unlocking alternate race types. You'll eventually end up in many of the 100-plus cars, racing in beautifully rendered real-world tracks like Suzuka and Bathurst. You'll also cruise through Tokyo, Shanghai, London and more. You'll race to unlock events and other race types, like drifting. Each race will earn you money and experience points (XP). You'll be able to buy more cars, upgrade, tweak and tune to your heart's content.

The feel of Shift 2 is exciting. It's easy to tell that a lot of work went into the feel of the game. Everything is so stylistic and in-your-face that it makes the sim-y guys look a bit tame and boring in comparison. Everything is big and flashy -- the menus, cars, cut scenes, tracks and even the sounds. Cars howl, bark and growl on the track, making you feel like you're being tailed by a rabid pit bull. The sun hits you in your eyes right as you see a massive hairpin turn in the distance. You find yourself squinting and arching your neck to the side, like that would really help. You ease into the turn knowing that the guy on your tail could clip you at any time. You find that you're squeezing the controller so tight that your hands are white.

But, for as exciting Shift 2 is, there are a few issues that sometimes killed the buzz. Some of the presentation and menu function items are a bit rough around the edges. Loading times sometimes bogged down the responsiveness of menu screens. Other times, I found that there was no audible or visual confirmation for button presses and menu-item selections. There were too many instances where I wondered what the game was doing. Crashes and collisions were another issue for me. While fantastic and flashy, too much time is taken from the race for the sake of this flashiness. It feels like forever before you recover and get back on the road. Unfortunately, with the AI's tendency to want to clip you during the last lap of a critical race, these big, flashy, slow wrecks are quite annoying. On the same note, while the AI is mostly great with its aggressiveness, sometimes it's really cheap.

Shift 2 Unleashed looks outstanding. You're not getting the super-detailed car models or insane frame rates of the Gran Turismo or the Forza series, but they're still clean and attractive, and you'll find that they look less like something out of a car brochure and more like something you want to get into and go fast in. The tracks and environments are quite nice -- other racer makers could learn a thing or two from Slightly Mad on how to make attractive, inviting stages. The lighting and environmental effects are delicious. Sun flares, reflections and shadows show how much polish was put into the presentation. I thought the headlight work during night driving was particularly good. Seeing the headlights of a car behind me light up the road before me really put on the pressure during races. Oh, and car damage isn't just a bullet point on the box. In this game it's real, and it looks awesome, especially when car pieces go flying every which way.

There's little in the way of learning curve for Shift 2; most gamers will be able start racing immediately. If you're out to race and have fun for a couple of tracks, you likely won't find any major issues. If you're a sim racing fan and like to nitpick, I'm sure you'll find issue with the steering. The steering makes a lot more sense than it did in the first Shift game, which was really hard to bear during critical turns. They've cleaned it up a bit for this title, but I still found that turning into sharper curves still does not feel right. To me it feels like the weight of the car is not correctly figured into the steering, and too often that had me flying off the track when I felt my approach into a turn was good. Similarly, cars feel so light when letting off the throttle that I kept thinking of Nintendo's F-Zero space racer.

There's a bit of neat online functionality in Shift 2 for braggers. The game's Autolog function takes your scores and times and takes them online to leaderboads that can be tracked. You can reference friends' track times and even rub yours in their faces. You can recommend races and compare times, and the game makes it really easy to do so with cues after each race and automatic connectivity. Sadly, online races aren't very appealing. Most of my experiences were so laggy and glitchy that they were hard to enjoy. More than once I found myself driving through an opponent's car.

Shift 2 Unleashed is rare in that it gives you real cars in real locales, but also provides an intensity and excitement that other sim games can't offer. While the steering isn't as polished as it could be, you won't be thinking about that in the tense, white-knuckle, high-speed races that this game offers. Let loose for once: Shift 2 Unleashed is a hell of lot of fun.

8.5 -- Great (8s are impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding them back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash.)

Yes I am Back! And so Is Portal!

2011-04-30T12:30:00.000-07:00

08:57 - Default review scheduled to finish in 71:23:18
08:58 - Activating emergency distributed computing grid...
09:00 - GLaDOS@home starting...
09:01 - Recruiting cpus to force faster review publication...21:26 - Calculations complete for Portal 2. Recalculating a new launch projection...21:29 - Boot sequence complete21:29 - Commence reviewing

Portal 2 (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PC [reviewed])
Developer: Valve
Publisher: Valve / Electronic Arts
Released: April 19, 2011
MSRP: $59.99 (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360) / $49.99 (PC)

The success of Portal has been a staggering achievement, to say the least. Starting life as a free independent game by a group of technology students, it became an underdog release in Valve's The Orange Box, yet grew to become one of the most critically-acclaimed, quoted, and beloved games of the generation.

Portal 2 is the culmination of Portal's success, proof that its original concept and meme-spawning jocosity can stand on its own two feet. It helps that the game just so happens to be one of the most fantastic experiences ever presented as a piece of software.

Aperture Science is in ruins following the events of Portal, but protagonist Chell is still trapped within its confines. That is, until she is discovered by Wheatley, a neurotic personality core responsible for the welfare of Aperture's human test subjects. He takes it upon himself to help Chell escape, but not before the demented GLaDOS reawakens and decides to exact revenge. You know ... after you murdered her?

If the writing in Portal was great, then the dialog and characterization in Portal 2 is unparalleled. Not only isPortal 2 perhaps the funniest game on the market, it's also home to some of the best character development I've ever seen in interactive entertainment. The way in which both Wheatley and GLaDOS grow during the course of the game is sublime, and the gradually unraveled history of Aperture Science makes for a compelling sub-story that's perfectly presented.

Whereas Portal was much more of a straight puzzle game, the structure of Portal 2 makes it feel more like an adventure game wearing the clothes of a puzzler. It's littered with truly epic moments and thrilling chase sequences, enhanced by a deft use of incidental music that evokes some of Half-Life 2's most exciting moments. In many ways, Portal 2 is to Portal what Half-Life 2 was to Half-Life. Everything's bigger, there's so much more going on, and by the time you reach its majestic conclusion (and Portal 2 does endmajestically), you'd have to be a sociopath to not feel completely satisfied.

When it comes to gameplay, Portal 2 isn't so far removed from the original game, but it does add a lot more features. Yet again, the central focus is on solving puzzles using a gun that shoots two linked portals. Many of the challenges don't feel quite so unique this time around -- thanks in part to the fact that the central gimmick is no longer new -- but this is made up for by the various ways in which puzzles take place outside of test chambers and during the aforementioned chase scenes, which certainly makes them more lively, if not quite so innovative.

That is not to say that Portal 2 is without its own fresh ideas. The biggest addition to the game is the use of various paint-like gels that play around with the physics of the game. The blue repulsion gel turns any surface into a glorified trampoline, with players able to jump to new heights, or cross large distances by bouncing off walls. The orange propulsion gel speeds up players who run along it, allowing them to build up significant momentum. Finally, there's the white conversion gel, which turns any surface it touches into something that can host a portal.

There are some incredibly clever ideas using these gels, and bouncing or sliding around the levels can be quite amusing. Still, I can't say I enjoyed the predominantly gel-based puzzles as much as the more "traditional" ones. Gel puzzles aren't bad by any stretch of the imagination, but once the levels focusing primarily on them were completed, I was glad to get back to more standard levels. The gels work far better in stages where they complement a puzzle, rather than act as the central theme of one.

The more straightforward tests give you some extra toys to play with, too. Thermal discouragement cubes bend laser beams, allowing for some very complex puzzles. Aerial faith plates act like catapults, forcing the player across huge distances. Gravity beams trap objects and players and transport them slowly through the air, which leads to some of the most inventive puzzles in the game. My favorite new gimmick is the hard light bridge, however. These can cross gaps and act as shields, and there are some really clever ways in which they're implemented.

My only gripe is the they're never used quite enough for my liking. The light bridge puzzles feel particularly brief, despite how brilliant they are. Perhaps their restricted use stops them from feeling as tired as the gel puzzles, but I still would have liked to see what more could be done with them.

The main campaign takes between six and eight hours to beat, and from beginning to end, it's a thoroughly endearing experience that burrows inside one's head and refuses to leave. Beyond the witty dialog and the ingenious puzzles, Portal 2 is simply an engrossing overall experience. It presents a world that's beyond fascinating, a world that offers just enough information to make you feel compelled and curious, but never enough that you feel you've seen it all.

Aperture Science is, itself, an evolving character that you grow to love for its quirkiness and humor, yet despise for its sordid history and miserable end. So too, do we learn to adore GLaDOS in spite of reeling in horror over what she really is and the things she's done. As for Wheatley ... well, you have to just adoreWheatley.

The single-player experience would have been enough for me, but the addition of co-op presents a series of levels perhaps more brilliant than anything that's been done before. Not only does it feature its own surprisingly dark narrative and two ridiculously charming new protagonists in Atlas and P-Body, the way in which four portals and two players have been integrated into the existing gameplay truly demonstrates the creative brilliance of the series.

Co-op comes with some provisos -- you're going to want to find a player with a headset, preferably an actual friend as opposed to a random stranger. The best experience is found with two players who have not yet played any of the puzzles, as co-op's biggest strength lies in the mutual discovery of a solution. There's something infinitely more rewarding about solving a Portal puzzle when you've done it with somebody else. That moment when the answer hits you or your partner and you excitedly work together to make theory into practice leads to some of the most awesome moments in gaming.

Valve has done a great job of making sure players can always communicate their feelings in the game. There's an in-game countdown timer, allowing Atlas and P-Body to synchronize their actions, and a pointer so players can clearly mark where in a level they'd like their friend to place a portal. In addition, the two robots can perform various adorable gestures, such as waving, hugging, and dancing. Not only is it cute to watch the little robots interact, the unimpressed commentary from GLaDOS makes it doubly rewarding.

Portal 2 still uses Source, so some players may be displeased by somewhat dated graphics. Personally, I've always felt Source games still hold up thanks to an elegant simplicity that the visuals often bring. No, it's not as advanced as many modern games, but it still looks good enough to not be considered ugly. I find that the art direction -- with the juxtaposition of Aperture's clean, sterile look and the dilapidated, chaotic outside world that surrounds it -- makes up for the simpler aesthetic style.

It's also worth noting that there are quite a few loading screens in the game. They never last too long and they're easily ignored, but their frequency helps to break some of the immersion of the game, which is a shame.

It would be wrong to not mention the outstanding vocal performances put forth. Ellen McClain returns as GLaDOS and outdoes herself as a constant provider of dry, deadpan sarcasm. Stephen Merchant, a long-underrated actor, almost threatens to upstage McClain and effortlessly turns Wheatley into an affable, hilarious character who you can't help but like. It's rare to find one great actor in a videogame, let alone two, but the double act of McClain and Merchant is unrivaled by any other piece of entertainment software.

Except maybe by J.K. Simmons as Cave Johnson ... in Portal 2.

Portal 2 is, without a doubt, one of the best games ever made. It's a game that not only seamlessly blends puzzle and adventure elements together, but makes a name for itself as a true "comedy" game, where witty dialog and laugh-out-loud concepts have been given an equal billing with the gameplay itself. It's funny, it's challenging, it's inventive, and it boasts memorable moments that will stick in your mind and make your hair stand on end every time you think about them.

Gaming simply does not get much better.

Score: 10 -- Flawless Victory (10s are as close to perfect as you will get in a genre or on a platform. Pure, untarnished videogame ecstasy.)

Killzone 3!

2011-02-03T12:03:00.001-08:00

Halo and Call of Duty are often held up as the twin peaks of online first-person-shooters. Meanwhile Killzone is regularly overlooked or outright disregarded, and that's a remarkable shame, since Guerrilla's efforts with Killzone 2 led to perhaps one of the most vivid and powerful shooters on the market.
Guerrilla has returned with Killzone 3, and another shot at competing with the top dogs. Halo and Call of Duty may remain at the peak, but in this humble reviewer's opinion, they need to start carving a sizable hole in the top of that mountain.

Killzone 3 (PlayStation 3)
Developer: Guerrilla Games
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Released: February 22, 2011
MSRP: $59.99
Killzone 3 picks up six months after Killzone 2. Scolar Visari is dead, murdered by that idiot Rico, and the Helghan fleet is beating the tar out of the ISA. The Helghast, however, are not in complete control, as two rival leaders -- Admiral Orlock and Chairman Stahl -- bicker for control of the military in front of an ineffectual, leaderless government.
Although the plot is typically light, the characterization and style of exposition have increased tenfold since Killzone 2. We get our first look at the Helghast senate -- a bitter group of twisted old men who resemble The Dark Crystal's Skeksis in many ways -- and the utterly brilliant Jorhan Stahl, who has quickly become one of my favorite characters of all time thanks in no small part to the wonderful performance put forth by Malcolm McDowell.
The ISA, as always, are notably less likable than the "villains" of the piece, but they are at least more bearable this time. Even Rico -- the franchise's perpetual "Scrappy Doo" -- has been grounded somewhat and manages to avoid grating on the nerves quite so much. Our main protagonist, Tomas 'Sev' Sevchenko, still lacks personality but has been given more to say and do, and is easier to sympathize with than last time. Although there's still no reason to not root for the Helghast, Killzone 3's story is an enjoyable roller coaster ride that's worth getting into just for the enthralling rivalry between Stahl and Orlock.

The gameplay hasn't changed much since 2008, but it didn't really need to. Killzone 3 is perhaps the most intense shooter on the market, with an emphasis on stressful firefights that piled on the pressure without apology. From beginning to end, the player is literally harassed by an aggressive, brutal Helghast assault. Even during the game's one and only stealth mission, the adrenaline is kept at dangerously high levels, with a pure, distilled, utterly dedicated focus on action, action, action.
There are moments when the game seems more cheap than challenging, with Helghast soldiers hidden around corners and clairvoyantly prepared to cut you up as soon as you appear in view, or infuriating vehicle sections in which you have no ability to avoid damage or take cover. This "ambush" approach to game difficulty was prevalent in Killzone 2 and, while it has eased up a little in this game, there are still moments where you'll randomly fall down dead and you won't even know why or where the bullets were coming from.
For the most part, however, Killzone 3 rewards your perseverance with a gritty, heavy, consistently chaotic campaign, full of varied locations, high octane setpieces, and some of the biggest, toughest boss challenges you'll find in a first-person-shooter.
The game feels a lot faster than Killzone 2, with Guerrilla tightening up the controls to make them more responsive, and adding features like a cover-sliding ability in order to make for a more fluid and versatile experience. While much of the input lag from the last game has been removed, this has not been done at the expense of the franchise's signature "weighty" feel. Sevchenko will sprint faster and aim quicker, but he'll still feel like he has a presence in the game world, and isn't just some floating, disembodied specter with a gun. Killzone 3 is still one of the only games around with a true sense of heft and realism, simply presented in a faster, more receptive way.

The cover-based meat of the game is peppered with a surprising amount of variety, as Guerrilla takes you on a tour of Helghan. From snowy mountains to deep jungles, the environments of Killzone 3 constantly change, and bring a huge amount of color to the experience. Anybody who complained that the Killzone 2 was just a mess of brown and grey ought to be satisfied by the predominantly green and red palette that Guerrilla has provided in this fresh installment. The jungle level alone should put paid to the belief that Killzone only comes in drab flavors.
Accompanying the level variety is a tasty collection of new toys to play with. Chief among them would be the Jetpack, which is an incredible amount of fun to use. Armed with its own machine gun and changing the animation and visuals to make one feel like they're incased in a death-dealing machine, the jetpack is pure satisfaction to use. Leaping around a map dispensing bullets like candy is a simple joy, and one that has been captured perfectly in Killzone 3. Of course, leaping high in the air makes you an exposed target, so boosting and regularly hiding from enemy fire is crucial. My only complaint about the Jetpack is that you just don't get to use it enough.
There are one or two new weapons, but I won't spoil the surprise (it's worth waiting for). Most of the arsenal consists of returning weaponry, but most of them have been tweaked for efficiency, most notably with the addition of sights to guns that had previously lacked them.

The single-player campaign has its issues, most notable with the cheap "ambush" moments and some random mid-level loading that occasionally threatens the immersion of the experience, but on the whole, Killzone 3 provides a superior offering than 2008. A better story, richer characters, quicker gameplay, more variety and fun gadgets conspire to create a rewarding experience that's worth playing through more than once, just for fun. I've already beaten the game twice on two different difficulty levels prior to this review, and I intend to attempt the brutally punishing Elite in the near future as well.
If you find the game is too tough to handle, you could always bring a friend with you. For the first time in the series, Killzone 3 brings split-screen co-op to the table. Co-op players simply step into the shoes of a secondary character and accompany the host around, shooting at whatever he's shooting. It's not exactly the most involved and details co-op experience, but it's a nice little extra.
The star of the show, however, is the competitive multiplayer. Killzone 2's online mode was one of the best I've ever experienced, but I had a few problems with its balance and depth. These problems have all been fixed, leading to what I confidently believe is one of the most refined, polished and perfected online multiplayer games in the business.

The core of the gameplay remains the same. There are three modes, a straight team deathmatch known as Warzone, a random mixture of game types known as Guerrilla Warfare, and Operations, a game in which one team attacks and another defends, attempting to secure objectives with cutscenes detailing the player's exploits.
Operations is a rather fun and engrossing mode, even if it is balanced in favor of the defenders, and Warzone is the kind of chaos you'd expect. Guerrilla Warfare, however, is still the best of the bunch, with constantly changing objectives that range from assassinations to capture-the-flag to bomb planting and more. The balanced mix of game types makes for a game that always feels unique and varied, and never gets dull.
This is helped by the range of maps, that not only bring aesthetic differences, but all carry their own themes. On one map, for example, players can pilot walking mechs or jetpacks. On another, you can grab a special dial that allows you to call in airstrikes on enemy positions. Each map feels like its own special entity, and brings with it its own set of perils and advantages.
The most compelling feature of Killzone 3 is the new way in which character classes are handled. Most of the careers from Killzone 2 appear, although the Assault class has been retired and players can no longer create their own characters from basic Infantry. Each career has been improved with new abilities, skills and weapons, and surprisingly, each one feels incredibly effective. The sense of balance in this game is astounding, as is the way in which different types of shooter fans are catered for. Even the more selfless classes, like the Tactician and Medic, are capable of racking up huge amounts of XP if they utilize their skills efficiently, and the most combat-oriented careers, such as Engineer or Marksman, have the perfect set of abilities to help them decimate the opposition.

New to the franchise is the use of Skill Points. Rather than unlock everything on a set, linear path, XP is now used to collect points that can be spent on any class at any time. When you level up, you're given a new Skill Point which you can use on unlocking weaponry or skills for your chosen career. You can also unlock anything you like, although certain abilities and weapons require previous ones to have been unlocked. You can also sink your points into multiple classes, or just focus on one to maximize their efficiency more quickly. In addition, you also unlock universal skills automatically as you progress, such as extra health or proximity mines, for a little extra customization.
It's not the deepest character personalization in the world, but it doesn't intend to be. It simply gives you the freedom to jump into your favorite career and enjoy yourself instantaneously, rather than plug away with characters you may not necessarily like. The extra freedom with weapons (classes now have several to choose from) allows you to find as personal a combat style as you need. There's enough freedom for you to play any character comfortably, and enough restriction to keep each one unique. It's a damn near perfect balance.
Both single-player and multiplayer boast functionality with the PlayStation Move controller, and personally, this interface is not for me. While aiming is more precise and it's easier to take out opponents in cover, everything else, from movement to weapon changing, feels more cumbersome and awkward using the rather inefficiently designed Move buttons. It also requires numerous fiddling with the aim sensitivity, as the aiming controls behave differently depending on whether you're in a vehicle or on foot. While I imagine some players will enjoy the extra precision of the Move and ignore everything else, I feel that most will prefer to stick with the original, convenient, better, method of input.
A Killzone title needs lavish production values, and Killzone 3 pushes the envelope in this department. Despite the strange lip sync issues, where mouth movements can sometimes be distractingly off-balance, the majority of the animation is simply amazing. Cutscenes have been motion-captured to an impeccable degree, and the in-game combat, with its destructible environments and new "brutal melee" attacks, only serve to make the game a complete visual treat. It never stops being amusing to push your thumbs into a Helghast's eye-goggles and seeing/hearing the glass crack on impact.

As far as sound goes, I have already praised Malcolm McDowell, but the rest of the cast holds up its end of the bargain as well. There's also an inspiring musical score on hand, and the typically meaty sound effects we've come to expect. I am still disappointed that the multiplayer's audio still feels somewhat sterile, as I'd like to hear more than grunts and groans coming from the characters, but it's a small complaint.
Killzone 3 is as close to perfect as online shooters get, and I do not say that lightly. The single-player could still use a little bit of work, but its faults pale in comparison to the amount of entertainment that the multiplayer provides, not to mention that the story mode itself really provides some greatness when it needs to. I don't think the PlayStation 3 has ever had quite such a rounded, satisfactory package as this, with this level of polish, refinement and pure, simple, unpretentious action.
Killzone 3 is the shooter to beat.
Score: 10 -- Flawless Victory (10s are as close to perfect as you will get in a genre or on a platform. Pure, untarnished videogame ecstasy.)

Dead Space 2!

2011-01-25T14:01:00.000-08:00

If one thing can be said of Visceral Games, it's that the studio is true to its name. Visceral is a word that can adequately describe any of the team's violent, blood-drenched titles, and nowhere is this more true than with the game that turned EA Redwood Shores into Visceral in the first place, Dead Space.
2008's horrific, panic-inducing, limb-shredding action-horror title wasn't just visceral, however. It was atmospheric, engrossing and polished. In short, not only would a sequel have to match the scares, it would have to match the quality. Not an easy thing to do in the least, especially if you then try to top what came before.
Yet by jove, they did it.

Dead Space 2 (Xbox 360 [reviewed], PlayStation 3, PC)
Developer: Visceral Games
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Released: January 25, 2011
MSRP: $59.99
Considered insane and incarcerated in a city-like space station known as The Sprawl, Dead Space protagonist Isaac Clarke is still haunted by visions of his dead ladyfriend Nicole, while unsympathetic doctors prod and poke at his brain. Of course, if that were all that happened, it'd be a pretty dull game, so along come the Necromorphs to carve people up and give Isaac something to do. Better than getting molested by an amorous psychiatrist ... or is it?
Dead Space 2's narrative is richer and more integral to the experience this time around, helped in no small part by the fact that Isaac is no longer a silent protagonist. This sudden introduction of vocal chords could easily have been the ruination of Dead Space 2's narrative, but the change has been made gracefully and tastefully, with a character who still keeps his words minimal but becomes much more sympathetic. The final few chapters of Dead Space 2 in particular forge Isaac into a sympathetic character, one who deserves pity and respect in equal measure.
The plot, which I shan't detail for obvious reasons, is driven forth by some superb voice acting from all corners, along with an expertly crafted script. It's hard to find naturalistic dialog in a videogame, but Dead Space 2 manages it. The only downside is that, for some reason, the voices are buried deep in the overall sound mix, with music and sound effects disproportionately loud.

This is especially frustrating during important exposition scenes featuring Nicole, where distorted voice effects and loud atmospheric sounds combine to make certain characters borderline unintelligible. The sound quality, especially the ambient noise, is superb, but you'll have to really mess with your audio settings if you don't want to miss plot details.
When you're not straining your ears to pick up the chat, however, Dead Space 2's quality is utterly astounding. Aside from the occasional physics glitch (the bane of all ragdoll-flavored games), Visceral's latest effort is one that smacks of perfectionism on the part of the studio. No mistakes were made with this game, and it's clear that it has been crafted with genuine love and respect, which is an increasingly valuable trait in videogames these days.
The core gameplay remains the same, and you'll know exactly what to do if you played the first game. Isaac makes his way through The Sprawl, utilizing his handy Plasma Cutter to slice the limbs off hordes of Necromorphs. Business as usual.
Visceral didn't buy a new car with Dead Space 2, but it did soup up the motor. The cheap scares are cheaper and scarier, the Necromorphs hit harder, move faster, and come in a variety of increasingly disturbing designs. Chief among the twisted monstrosities are the mutated children, who run screaming at Isaac in huge groups and are easily among the most unsettling monsters in videogame history. Few games let you shoot the mutated corpses of slaughtered infants, and that's an accolade Visceral can be proud of.

Dead Space 2, like its predecessor, is less about psychological, creeping terror and more about cheap scares. While some will find this detrimental, I can't help but relish the increasingly absurd ways in which Visceral attempts to make you jump. The game is relentless in this respect, as Necromorphs lunge at you from every corner, things burst and shatter all around you, and windows crack open, threatening to suck you out into the vacuum of space if you can't shoot the emergency shutter down in time. And it's all such mindless fun that you barely question the architectural sanity of putting glass windows in a space station.
For all its attempts to craft a creepy story and unnerving atmosphere, Dead Space 2 is at its best when it casts subtlety to the wind and throws wave after wave of Eldritch nasties at you, sowing panic at every given opportunity. The ability to induce this panic is the game's biggest strength -- a frantic environment where you feel outmatched and manage to survive by the skin of your teeth. Sometimes it can get frustrating -- it's not fun to have three monsters in a row leap at you while you have no chance to defend yourself -- but at the end of every fight, you'll feel that special kind of stress, that good kind of stress where your heart's racing and you feel like you just pulled off a superhuman feat of survivalism.
Visceral spent a lot of time making weapons more effective, dealing extra damage, and having more customization options. There are also a few new items, like a long-range rifle and a mine launcher. However, these new weapons still aren't as effective as the standby Plasma Cutter, with perhaps a Pulse Rifle on the side for quick crowd clearance. It's both a strength and a weakness that the starting weapon is still the most powerful in the game. The limb-shredding precision of the Plasma Cutter is wonderful, but you're left with a choice -- play without variety, or sacrifice your ability to fight efficiently in order to play with a flamethrower (as well as force more varied ammo drops, which leads to less ammo per weapon). Whichever way you play, your game will be dented just a tiny little bit.

I'm also somewhat disappointed that The Sprawl isn't ... well ... sprawling. While the environments are varied and you'll be going to all sorts of unique locations, The Sprawl may as well be the Ishimura with some neon signs. Most of the game still takes place in tight corridors, and you never get a sense that you're in a giant space city. The game's opening chapters hint at all sorts of glorious chaos as the Necromorphs tear The Sprawl's citizens apart, but it's over pretty quickly, and the majority of the game just feels like another deserted, desolate spaceship.
That said, the game will throw some variety into the mix at regular intervals. An early chapter set on a speeding train makes for a total thrill ride, especially with its ludicrously intense ending. There's also a chapter set in an elementary school, and you can probably guess how harrowing that is. The new anti-gravity areas are also pretty fantastic, especially with Isaac now able to freely float around the space rather than simply stick to walls. Some latter chapters take Isaac out into Space, and these rare, open moments manage to create the illusion of a far bigger world.
The single-player campaign clocks in at around eight hours, and like its predecessor, it feels right for the game to end when it ends. The story, though still light on narrative details, is beautifully interwoven and helps make Isaac into a truly endearing protagonist. His actions in the last two hours really flesh him out, and helps to create a more subtle, more human hero than we're used to in videogames. There are few single-player experiences so perfectly paced as Dead Space 2's, and for that alone, the game is worth a purchase.

It's a good thing that the single-player is still the game's biggest draw, because the multiplayer is, to be fair, nowhere near as good. It's not exactly bad, but it's rather unsatisfying and delivers nothing of the pacing and tension that the main game brings. The teams are split into humans and Necromorphs, and while one would imagine that playing a Necromorph would be fun, it's actually quite disappointing. Their attacks feel disconnected from the game, with wild hack n' slash swings that never feel like they're hitting anything and projectile attacks that are visually vague, giving no clue as to whether they struck their mark. It's also just rather dull to spend five minutes spawning, running up to somebody, and smashing the trigger blindly in the hopes that you'll kill something.
When playing as a human, the tightness of the story mode is there, but the atmosphere is all gone. Now the Necromorphs run around in circles, as online gamers are wont to do, and the unbridled chaos feels far less satisfying than the controlled madness of the tightly scripted single-player.
There is a bit of fun to be had, especially once you start ranking up and can customize your character a bit more with uniform colors and loadouts, but there's nothing in Dead Space 2's multiplayer that wasn't already done -- and done better -- in last year's Singularity, which also featured a "humans vs. monsters" mode and did so with far more depth and in a tighter fashion.

That said, Dead Space 2's somewhat tepid multiplayer does not drag the game down in any way, shape or form. The single-player campaign is so superb that even if the multiplayer was bad, it wouldn't have taken anything away from the experience. The game already justifies its $60 asking price before it goes online, and if you happen to dig the multiplayer as well, that's just icing on the cake. It feels like a bonus mode more than anything else, and the fact that it's at least "okay" is more than enough.
Dead Space 2 is a ludicrously intense, graphically gorgeous, thoroughly atmospheric game that takes everything the first title did and ramps up the absurdity to dangerous levels. It's cheesy to say that "if you liked the first game, you'll love the sequel," but in this case, I think that's a very fair assessment. Dead Space 2 is Dead Space with the tuning at its finest and the scares at their most delicious.
Action horror has reached a new peak with Dead Space 2.
Score: 9.5 -- Superb (9s are a hallmark of excellence. There may be flaws, but they are negligible and won't cause massive damage to what is a supreme title.)

SteelSeries Spectrum 5XB

2011-01-12T08:53:00.000-08:00

It is no lie that when this generation of consoles launched, the first-party audio equipment was sh*t. If it didn't break quicker than your Xbox 360 could red ring, then the audio quality was poor and it was made for people with oddly-shaped heads. Recently the audio peripheral market has caught fire and console gamers have more audio options than ever. Ranging from the super cheap to the "need to re-mortgage" variety, it's a market I am becoming obsessed with.

The great audio debate once again kicked off at the Destructoid Europe HQ when the latest piece of audio equipment from SteelSeries arrived on our doorstep. SteelSeries, originally an European-based company that markets itself as a manufacturer of pro-gaming equipment, already has an large catalogue of PC equipment. Now they have finally presented their first Xbox gaming headsets, the Spectrum 5XB and Spectrum 4XB.

This hands-on will be looking at the Spectrum 5XB running through the following set up: an Original Xbox 360 20GB and LG Flatron HDTV.

The Look and feel:

A Dtoider once told me "... you never know when a LAN-party will turn into a photoshoot.", a quote that highlights that it is okay to want your headset to look good, and that style and substance obviously need a balance. The 5XB comes in classic black with lime green detailing and smooth rounded cups in a high shine finish. The headset itself is of a simple design which I personally find to be one of my least favourite from SteelSeries. The Spectrum range makes me feel more like the Prince from Katamari than anything else.

However I feel while wearing them, one thing I can't argue is comfort. The headset remains light at only 590g and the padded cushions around the ears are so comfortable and keep the sound in amazingly well. Which is great considering that I love my volume up past what any otologist would ever recommend. It also helps keep the noise from the rest of the world out, My flatmate could be bleeding to death in my living room while screaming for help and I wouldn't have a clue. Awesome.

SteelSeries really keeps durability in mind when designing this headset. The cable is braided and Kim Rom, the company's CMO, always seems to take great delight in tugging at the cord as hard as possible in any interview to prove his point. The headset also breaks down into three separate pieces for traveling and can take a large amount of torsion to the main headband without it feeling weakened. Finally the microphone is easily retractable which is great if you want to use your headset without the mic floating in the corner of your eye or if like me you have the ability to "misplace" those detachable ones far to easily.

The set up:

I hate clutter. Previous headsets have seen my computer desk become a spaghetti junction by the time I plug in the millions of wires and gadgets that are required to make headset work, but SteelSeries have kept wires to a minimum with the 5XB. Now as Kim Rom has previously mentioned, they would love to make a wireless headset but sadly this is something that is still out of their hands and technology still doesn't allow for the same high quality of sound and reliability obtained through wired systems. Below are the before and after shots of my desk without the spectrum plugged in on top and with them plugged in on the bottom. It isn't perfect and there are still wires on my desk and stretching across to my bed when I play. But when compared to other headsets, it's a great improvement. The RCA jacks remain in the back of my TV at all times, the USB remains plugged into my 360 and when ready to use I simply plug the audiomixer into my controller and then connect the headset to the audiomixer and everything is good to go, surprisingly little fuss.

The Sound:

So before we get into how they sound, let's talk about how they work; the Spectrum 5XB uses the SteelSeries Audiomixer, a small device that is connected to the TV and powered by the USB port from your Xbox 360, which plugs into the base of your controller. The small audiomixer, which is light and doesn't throw the pad balance off, gives the players access to game volume, mic volume and a mute button. The volume controls are ergonomically placed where you don't end up knocking them with your hands while playing. The mute button even comes with a green/red LED light to avoid those embarrassing moment when you have ended up screaming into a muted mic unbeknownst to yourself.

Underneath the audiomixer is a small on/off switch to what SteelSeries call Livemix, which is rather clever indeed. When you switch it on, Livemix will automatically balance voice chat versus game noise. And no, it doesn't just increase the volume of voice chat to the point of giving you a burst eardrum. So no more loud explosions from the opposing team's rocket launcher interrupting you while you try to command your team to victory.

Now here is the really important bit, sound quality. I have to give it to the 5XB: the sound is beautiful. The spectrum gives off a deep and rich sound that feels heavy on bass, something I personally like in my audio equipment, that avoids distortion even with the volume up to maximum. Despite the sound being heavy on bass, more delicate noises are not lost. Considering that SteelSeries design for pro-gamers, where hearing every footstep counts, I would expect no less. Playing through games like Enslaved I can hear every fire crackle and the gentle hum of every orb. In Gears of War, I can hear the empty bullet cases hitting the floor and instruments playing in the background music that I didn't even know where playing. I was however really disappointed to find that my iPhone did cause interference with my headset while playing, sadly relegating my iPhone to another part of my room.

The microphone gets a good response from the players in my team speak with the majority finding my voice to come across as clear and crisp with nearly no distortion. When I get myself into some Horde mode in Gears of War 2, Livemix works brilliantly as I desperately relay instructions to my team mates to help us prepare from the incoming flank attack of Maulers and Boomers. It was easy to adjust the levels without fuss and without having to get up and walk over to my desk to use a different type of audiomixer provided by other headsets to get a better balance, everything is exactly where I needed it to be. I got used to flipping the switch to access Livemix on the underside relativity quickly. However, if you leave Livemix on expect to find sound levels changing constantly, it is best to only turn it on when you have something really important to say.

Summary:

Over all, I have to admit I am really impressed with the new SteelSeries Spectrum 5XB, the sound is deep and rich and the microphone works well. The Audiomixer is a brilliant design that keeps the pad balanced and is ergonomic to use, the Livemix being a fantastic bonus. The design is as "no fuss" as possible, and it makes the headset easy to plug in and easy to use to help avoid confusion with wires running everywhere. However this design is sadly not for me, but it isn't like I plan on wearing them out; even though they do play audio files brilliantly as well. Above all is price, $90 is never cheap and parting with that kind of cash is never fun, but many people who have tried other console headsets will realise you are getting a fantastic bargain. Go cheaper and you will lose quality, yet even more expensive headsets will fail to provide your gaming experience with what the 5XB can. To top it all off the headset is light, comfortable and designed to take some pretty heavy rage throws.

The SteelSeries Spectrum 5XB can definitely be recommended to anyone who is looking to have the fullest experience possible from their Xbox360 and you don't have to be a professional gamer to enjoy the amazing build quality, sound, and technology that SteelSeries has brought to the table.

Specifications and price:

SteelSeries Spectrum 5XB:

Headphones Freq. response: 16 – 28.000 Hz

Impedance: 40 Ohm SPL@1kHz, 1Vrms: 110 dB
Cable: 1 + 2 = 3 m / 9.8 ft.
Jack: 3.5 mm

Microphone Freq. response: 75 – 16.000 Hz
Pick up pattern: Uni-directional
Sensitivity: -38 dB
Impedance: 2K Ohm

€89.99/$89.99

NOX Specialist Audio Headset

2011-01-10T14:19:00.000-08:00

I once managed to get a set of Panasonic RP-HTX7 headphones (cream colored, natch) run over by a car. I don't need to discuss the Wile E. Coyote-esque set-up, but it has become my new litmus test for audio hardware. If it still works after getting run over by my brother's Oldsmobile, you've got quality.

I doubt I could run the NOX Specialist over with a car and still use it, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

If you're not in the market for a gaming headset, feel free to move on. I understand that we're all busy dudes and that you'd rather look at a batch of screenshots than read a review for a product you're not interested in. I'm a man of the people, after all.

But, on the off chance that you got here by Googling "NOX Audio Specialist review," I welcome you, wayward time-traveler.

Specialist Audio Headset with Negotiator Universal Gaming Adapter
NOX Audio
Now available
MSRP: $79.99 (headset); $69.99 (adapter); $99.99 (bundled)

The Specialist, by NOX Audio, is, as I may have mentioned, marketed as a gaming headset. That's probably a bit deceptive, though -- the Specialist is a perfectly functional set of all-purpose headphones that happens to have a retractable (and flexible!) boom-mic attached. Even if they didn't sound as good as they do, extending and retracting the mic over and over is probably worth the $79.99 price of entry.

Well, no, it's not, but the retractable mic is cool.

And not to harp on the mic-dongle, but I do appreciate the mechanism: the speaker casing on the left cap houses a tiny little crank attached to the mic; the right side houses a volume dial. It's a small touch, but the Specialist is remarkably compact for a catch-all headset -- I hate having a volume mixer hanging off the power cord. Another triumph of simplicity: the Specialist can be easily folded and contorted to fit into a hard clamshell case. It's portable and self-contained, and I already know I'll be leaving my bulkier Panasonics at home when I do my traveling this holiday season.

All-in-one Skyping, too, is a breeze, thanks to the myriad splitters NOX includes with the Specialist.

Unfortunately, this simplicity doesn't extend to actually using the Specialist for gaming -- you'll need a special adapter for your Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 controller, access to your console's optical port, a spare USB port, three salamander eggs, and one of Steve Balmer's hairs, plucked at midnight. To get started, I consulted NOX' own FAQ and this video, and exchanged a dozen-odd e-mails with a PR rep. A set of instructions would've been nice.

Once you get your panoply of wires in the right place -- and, Christ, don't forget to change your audio settings! -- the Specialist actually works really well. The Negotiator is a proprietary attachment that balances in-game audio with chat which, coupled with the Specialist*, allows for a very specific audio quality. The unintuitive set-up aside, the Specialist works best when used as a gaming headset -- the mic is flexible enough to keep out of your face while still picking up your voice; the Negotiator makes it easy to simply turn off in-game chat if things get too trolly, and the Specialist is comfortable enough to use during your marathon sessions.

Be aware, though, that the Negotiator isn't included with all the headsets -- you can buy the attachment separately or buy them both bundled.

My online Pepsi challenge between the Specialist and the standard issue Microsoft headset produced mixed results, however -- some couldn't tell the difference while others found marked differences in audio quality. That's not to say the mic is entirely crummy -- in my experience, it holds up pretty well on Skype, for example -- but it seems the weakest part of the offering. For what it's worth, the Specialist won't be replacing the Blue Snowball I use for podcasting, despite the former's aforementioned ease of use.

And that is perhaps the larger theme of my experience with the Specialist: It's a fine piece of hardware, but it won't change any of my audio preferences. The headphones have a warm, rich sound, and do a good job keeping noise out and audio in, but they struggle with the lower register. This is mitigated somewhat by the Specialist's specificity and the strength with which it carries out its tasks.

The NOX Specialist has several things going for it -- simple design, portability, comfort, and attention to detail, especially in terms of online gaming -- and they'll be invaluable when I'm away from home, but these fragile little road-warriors aren't convincing enough to oust the big boys of audio. However, if you're still rocking those iPod earbuds from middle school and are looking for a headset that does music, podcasting, and gaming in one neat package, the Specialist isn't hard to recommend.

Specifications for the Specialist headset:

Drivers: Dual 26mm Mylar
Frequency Response: 20 Hz to 20 kHz
Noise Reduction: 6 dB @ 1 kHz
Sensitivity: 104 dBSPL @ 1 kHz
THD: <0.5% @ 1 kHz; <2% from 40 Hz to 20 kHz
Input impedance: 32-ohms
Microphone: 4mm Omnidirectional
Weight: 0.30 lbs

Specifications for the Negotiator adapter:

Frequency Response: 20 to 20 KHz
THD: < 0.5%
SNR: 95 dB
USB 2.0 Compliant
FCC/CE Certified

*Jason Statham and Bruce Willis are actually working on a buddy-cop movie called Negotiator and Specialist.

[Full disclosure: NOX Audio provided me with a Specialist+Negotiator bundle for review.]

Little Big Planet 2!!!!

2011-01-10T14:15:00.000-08:00

Media Molecule once said that LittleBigPlanet would never get a sequel, that it was something the studio wouldn't ever want to do. Whatever changed between then and now, LittleBigPlanet got the second installment that the more cynical among us always thought was inevitable.
The trouble with a sequel to a game like LittleBigPlanet is that it's difficult to imagine what more you could do. LittleBigPlanet was more than a game; it was a breathtaking toolset of new ideas and fresh content. Following that up with enough content to justify a sequel was always going to be tough.
Your mileage may vary as to whether or not you feel Media Molecule got away with it.

LittleBigPlanet 2 (PlayStation 3)
Developer: Media Molecule
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
To be released: January 18, 2011
MSRP: $59.99
LittleBigPlanet 2 is almost exactly LittleBigPlanet, but more so. Rather than make any drastic overhauls, Media Molecule has opted instead for giving us the same experience with many more toys in the box. New materials, new items, new gameplay features -- there's a lot of stuff to play with, and how much you enjoy it all depends on how much you enjoyed the original.
This is LittleBigPlanet 2's biggest strength, but also its biggest flaw -- LittleBigPlanet 2 is an expansion on an idea, but it is not an improvement. The sequel still boasts the same issues as the original title, chief among them a rather weak platforming element. LittleBigPlanet was, to be fair, a great way of making sub-standard games. The loose physics and the fact that, by its very nature, levels are cobbled together as opposed to fully developed and polished, meant that even the best LittleBigPlanet level was rather poor compared to the average "real" videogame level.
Part of the problem (the cobbled-together feel) can't be fixed and can be considered part of the charm. Other elements, chiefly the game's horribly sloppy physics, really needed fixing but have been left almost intact. As brilliant as LittleBigPlanet 2 is as a concept -- and the concept remains brilliant -- the gameplay in the end is still lacking.

Another major issue with LittleBigPlanet 2 is that, in spite of all its new gadgetry, a lot of the original charm has worn off. The sense of discovery and magic that the original game had isn't there in the sequel, mostly because we've seen it before. The first game got away with its loose physics and simple gameplay because it was so new exciting. LBP2 fails to recapture the wonder, and this loss of magic exposes the flaws much more readily.
This is not to say, however, that LittleBigPlanet 2 is a bad game. It is, in fact, a rather good one when you take the entire experience into account. If you loved the first title, you'll no doubt really enjoy the new toys on offer. Being able to play with genres outside of platforming, such as scrolling shoot-'em-ups and simple arcade games, goes some way toward making up for the lack of freshness in other areas. The ability to add cutscenes and join multiple levels to create the illusion of a full game helps to turn your own creations into varied experiences rather than one-shot playgrounds, and in the hands of skilled crafters, these tools will be put to some amazing uses in the future.
The in-game toys are also rather fabulous. New environment additions such as the Bounce Pad pave the way for ingenious level design, while new vehicular robots -- including a bunny with huge jumping abilities and a dog that can move large blocks with its bark -- are a lot of fun to play with when the physics aren't making them difficult to control. LBP2 manages to impress with the sheer volume of additions. It would be easy to throw in one or two vehicles and call it a day, but the game's story mode will walk you through all the new playthings, and it keeps on delivering from start to finish.

The real stars of the show are the power-ups. I don't want to spoil them all, but they include a grapple gun, which allows you to create your own ropes and swing from various materials, and the "Creatinator,"a firearm that shoots out whatever the level designer wants it to. There are a lot more than that on offer, and each one brings something new to the table.
In addition to all that, LBP2 also provides Sackbots, the LittleBigPlanet equivalent to real NPCs. Creators can customize the Sackbots' behavior to make them act in certain ways. They can run away from or follow players, they can fight enemies, they will avoid dangerous materials, and they can be used to help solve puzzles. As is the LBP way, Sackbots are user-friendly and simple, which means you'll never get them performing complex operations, but they will add a lot of extra character to any level.
The "Create" mode remains as unchanged as the Play mode. New elements involve the ability to add or remove gravity (low gravity sounds more fun than it is, since it renders Sackboys nigh-uncontrollable) and the ability to customize your own music. The general simplicity of level creation has not been altered, and it's still both easy and fun to start making your own games. The true potential of the level creator won't really be tapped until skilled designers start tooling with them, but for a layman like me, it's still incredible to be able to make almost anything you like, and relatively quickly, too.

While everything remains largely the same, there are a few tweaks to help make things smoother. Tutorials are in-depth and listed in an easy-to-navigate viewing field. Connecting various environmental elements like switches and bolts is now faster and requires less fiddling around, and you can even record your own voiceovers for in-game dialog. There is nothing in the Create mode that could be considered revolutionary, but the alterations that have been made are certainly to the budding creator's benefit.
It's easier to publish and browse through the game's community portal, with a much more convenient list of levels that makes finding stuff easier to find. At the time of writing, LittleBigPlanet 2 can't connect to the community levels, but hopefully that's a pre-release issue and everything will run at launch. There's no excuse for story mode levels not loading, however. The in-built levels have random load times, and I even had a moment where a level refused to load at all.
This loading issue was a major problem for me in the first game, and while some of it is again tied to the nature of the beast, the fact I was having problems even with the built-in story levels is quite worrying, especially since the game has a mandatory HDD installation.

As expected, the game's presentation is as terrific as ever. The graphics are beyond gorgeous, and with each Sackboy more customizable than ever, there's a huge amount of charm on offer. The game even attempts a real narrative this time around, with a story mode that actually means something. It's a welcome addition, even if the story is banal and the dialogue is painfully unfunny. The music is better than ever, though, and the story mode alone offers up some great memorable moments where the visuals and sound come together perfectly -- certainly an inspiration for potential creators, and a high bar for them to meet.
While the box says that LittleBigPlanet 2 is PlayStation Move-compatible, that's a little bit disingenuous on the part of the packaging, at least at launch. The game has a ten-level demo which PlayStation Plus subscribers will have already enjoyed, Sackboy's Prehistoric Moves. Irritatingly, you have to install this demo separately, and it has to be accessed from a special "Extras" tab in the PS3's XMB rather than the game itself. Quite why it's so inconvenient is anybody's guess, but for what it's worth, the demo levels are a cool co-op experience in which one player manipulates special motion-controlled environments to help the other player's Sackboy get to the end. It certainly shows potential for future, patched-in Move support, but don't expect any waggle antics at launch.

Whether or not you enjoy LittleBigPlanet 2 depends heavily on whether or not you were still playing the first game months after it launched. If the magic wore off after a few weeks, then LBP2 is definitely not for you, as it does nothing to rekindle the fire. If you never got tired of the experience, then LittleBigPlanet 2 will help extend and enhance it, rather than overhaul or even improve anything all that much.
The flaws of the first game are preserved and plain to see, and now that the freshness of the previous title is lacking, the problems are that much more glaring. For all its new gimmicks and flashing lights, LittleBigPlanet 2 can still be best described as a great way to make substandard games. It's fun and it's cute and it's something PS3 fans should check out, but it's relying on a concept that was brilliant two years ago, and just isn't enough anymore to catapult the game into true greatness.
You're good, LittleBigPlanet 2. But you're not quite as brilliant as you want to be.
Score: 7.5 -- Good (7s are solid games that definitely have an audience. Might lack replay value, could be too short or there are some hard-to-ignore faults, but the experience is fun.)

ASTRO Gaming MixAmp 5.8!

2010-12-28T10:51:00.000-08:00

It's no secret that a quality surround sound setup is practically mandatory for gaming nowadays. Anyone who wants to gain the competitive edge in games like Call of Duty or Halo or become fully immersed in the environments of games like Dead Space and BioShock absolutely require it.

Sadly, many of us may not have the space or even the cash to put together a proper home theatre setup. With the rise in popularity of console gaming seen during this generation, high-end accessories are no longer exclusive to the PC gaming crowd. Among these are dozens of gaming headsets and accessories promising to deliver exceptional audio quality and comfort.

ASTRO MixAmp™ 5.8
Developer: ASTRO Gaming
Released: Now Available
Price: $99.95 (Introductory), $129.95 Regular

ASTRO Gaming has been around for awhile now, gaining popularity within the MLG for their original A40 headset. The A40's were esigned to cater specifically to the professional and hardcore gaming crowds and managed to create an enormous following. They followed up shortly after with the A30's, building upon their success by creating an all-purpose headset, suitable for everything from music to movies. When combined with their original MixAmp audio processor, delivering 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound, it was practically a gamer's wet dream.

Almost... except for one little snag. Being tethered to your PC is one thing, especially when you are used to chatting on Ventrilo all the time. With the shift to wireless controllers in this current console generation, no one wants to be tethered to their TV anymore. Other manufacturers began releasing their own wireless headsets, utilizing various technologies. Unfortunately, ASTRO had no such solution until now... behold the new wireless MixAmp 5.8. How well does the new MixAmp work and is it worth the price tag? Let's take a look

Upon receiving my MixAmp, the first thing I noticed was the quality of the packaging. You won't run into the standard sort of retail accessory packaging that you might be used to. ASTRO really spared no expense on the design and construction of the box. As silly as that might sound it really goes a long way to demonstrate the care and workmanship that goes into their products. The package opens up and folds out into three separate compartments. The accessories are neatly organized into each section of the box, mine included the necessary AC cable for the transmitter, 3x AAA batteries for the receiver, optical cable, Xbox Live chat cable, USB to mini USB, and a Y-Adapter allowing for the use of a 3rd party headset with separate microphone and audio jacks. The PS3 chat cable and rechargeable battery pack must be purchased separately.

Now, I've always been skeptical of wireless audio and with good reason too. Most wireless audio devices are sub par at best and can't hope to match the sheer fidelity of wired audio devices. At worst, it can be prone to interference. Annoying popping, clicking, and hissing that can turn an otherwise pleasant session of Viva Piñata into a major headache. Most wireless headsets broadcast on the already cramped 2.4 GHz spectrum, typically the same frequency as your router, wireless phone, or a myriad of other devices. If you've ever had a problem connecting a device to your wireless router, imagine how your headset feels trying to receive all that marvelous audio.

ASTRO has managed to circumvent this issue by pulling out all the stops and using the 5.8GHz signal instead (hence the name). The setup works by transmitting the audio from a base (TX), connected with an optical (TOSlink) cable to your desired console or PC. The transmitter handles the audio processing (now capable of outputting up to 7.1 sound) and sends it to the receiver (RX) connected to your headset. Although the MixAmp now works with any headset (or earbuds) of your choice, the only drawback would have to be the fact that they still need to be wired to the RX. This may be a minor inconvenience to some, especially because you still need to be wired to your controller or PS3 in order to use voice chat. Fortunately, the RX is quite portable and can be easily attached to your hip with the included belt clip. Feel free to wander, go grab that bag of Cheetos or Mountain Dew between rounds. Try not to be too surprised by the fact that the audio is still crystal clear on the opposite side of the house, the range on the TX is incredible.

If you haven't used any sort of surround sound setup for gaming before, simulated or otherwise, the difference it can make is nothing short of amazing. As I mentioned above, games like Call Of Duty or Dead Space really show off how important high-quality sound can be. Everyone loves having "HD" graphics, but without proper sound, you are really only getting half of the experience. The ability to hear and react to everything, ranging from the lightest foot steps to bullets whizzing by your head, can make a tremendous impact on your gameplay.

I can't count the number of times that I've been able to react to the distance and direction of foot steps in Call of Duty, allowing me to utilize those precious few seconds to prevent my enemy from getting the drop on me. The sheer immersion that the sound provides has caused me to physically turn and look away from the screen at times because I thought I actually heard something next to me. I cannot possibly overstate the difference by switching from TV audio to surround sound headphones.

Having previously used the wired MixAmp, I can honestly say that the audio quality between the two is pretty damn close. When compared to the popular Turtle Beach X41 headset, I can definitely say that the audio quality or at least the lack of signal degradation from wireless interference is much better. Others have claimed that a slight hissing can be heard in the absence of sound or at higher volumes, but I haven't noticed any such issues. Anyone using the MixAmp 5.8 at an appropriate (ie. not ear-splitting) volume shouldn't notice any sort of background noise or static.

So, is it worth the price tag? I would say that it depends on your gaming habits. If you are a casual gamer with a relatively small gaming budget, the MixAmp 5.8 might be a bit steep for you (especially if you need a headset to go with it). On the other hand, if you are a fairly serious gamer and you are looking to have the best competitive advantage or gameplay experience, I would seriously consider checking out this MixAmp. If you don't already have a decent headset, considering pairing it up with one of ASTRO's headsets for the best experience.

If you got to the second paragraph and already said to yourself TL;DR, here are the pros and cons of the MixAmp 5.8

PROS

Superior wireless sound quality.
Plays well with other headsets.
Works with multiple hardware setups.
Excellent range.
Easy setup.

CONS

Still have to deal with cables on headset end.
Chat cables make it worse. (Microsoft proprietary wireless sort of leaves no other option.)
No PS3 chat cable included.
Eats batteries, 10-12 hour lifespan. (Get the rechargeable pack.)

Overall, if you are in the market for an excellent gaming audio solution, the wireless MixAmp is definitely a very worthy purchase. You can check out the MixAmp 5.8 over at the official ASTRO Gaming site!

All you OpTic Fanboys watch this!

2010-12-25T19:45:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKn5DJuhQ6Q

Post your opinions upon the clan!

Hope you had a great Christmas

Black Ops DLC Coming Soon! Eeeeek.

2010-12-24T13:58:00.000-08:00

Treyarch's Dan Bunting was a guest on the latest episode of the Major Nelson podcast and he went on to reveal the first downloadable content package for Call Of Duty: Black Ops. "First Strike," as the new content is called, is a timed exclusive for the Xbox 360 and will be out on February 1 for 1200 MS Points/$15.

The pack will contain four new multiplayer maps and one new zombie map. The maps Discovery and Kowloon are based on areas from the single-player campaign, Berlin Wall is a map set at the famous Checkpoint Charlie in Germany and the best of the new maps is Stadium, set in a hockey rink/athletic complex. Yes, really.

The new zombie map is called Ascension and no info was really given on this map. Expect more news including screenshots in the coming weeks.

February seems like a good time to keep fans engaged in the shooter, especially with Homefront and Bulletstorm releasing in the same period.

As promised. Fallout New Vegas Dead Money DLC! (Reviewed by a friend (different layout) )

2010-12-24T13:24:00.000-08:00

First-person shooters have it easy. When it comes to DLC, a couple of new multiplayer maps every few months is enough to satisfy the fanbase. The poor old role-playing game, on the other hand, has a far tougher challenge when it comes to expansions.

RPG add-ons need to serve the twin masters of mechanics and narrative, adding new gameplay features and fresh storylines while balancing on the high wire between offering what players already expect and the need to give each new chapter its own distinct flavour.

Fallout 3 managed some great DLC during its run, but also crapped out a few half-hearted clunkers along the way. As the first in what promises to be a similar salvo for New Vegas, Dead Money sets a satisfying standard for whatever follows, while still leaving room for improvement.

The plot kicks off when you pick up a mysterious signal coming from an abandoned Brotherhood of Steel bunker. Investigate and you find yourself dragged off to the fabled Sierra Madre casino, a ring-a-ding resort that never got to enjoy its gala opening thanks to the small matter of nuclear war breaking out. Now shrouded in a cloud of toxic red fog, it's become a post-apocalyptic legend, attracting rumours of lost treasures and eerie hauntings along the way.

The Ghost People are more usually knocked unconscious than killed. Cut their heads off!

Getting into the casino and uncovering its mysteries is your task, given to you by the authoritarian Father Elijah. Complicating matters are the Ghost People, those trapped by the poisonous cloud and slowly driven mad, worshipping the resort's holographic entertainers. Resilient and armed with grisly new weapons – such as boxing gloves made from bear traps – they're not here to make your job any easier.
As if that's not enough, Elijah has fitted you with an explosive collar to ensure total compliance. Oh, and you've been stripped of all your weapons, armour and loot. No problem, right?

Dead Money then unfolds in three distinct acts. In the first, you're assembling a team by tracking down three fellow prisoners and getting them to co-operate with Elijah's plan.
They're a fun bunch, as well. There's a Super Mutant with a split personality, who alternates between the savage Dog and the erudite God according to verbal triggers. Dean Domino is a suave ghoul who was once the casino's biggest star. And finally there's Christine, a mysterious mute woman whose back-story is perhaps the most interesting.

You're all joined by more than a common goal: if one collar detonates, they all detonate, so working together isn't really a matter of choice. The rest of the story involves getting into the Sierra Madre and what happens inside. Which I won't spoil. Suffice to say, there are twists and revelations aplenty.

Dead Money is stingy with armour and guns, but is packed with great new melee gear.

It's a hefty chunk of gameplay, easily clocking in at eight hours or more, depending on how you play. There are countless nooks and crannies around the casino and its abandoned villa resort, plus a load of new ambient challenges based around killing or collecting various enemies, items and loot stashes. If you rush through, you could probably polish it off in a few hours, but if that's the case why the hell are you playing Fallout? Call of Duty is over there.

So how does Dead Money deliver on the twin requirements of mechanics and narrative? In terms of new gameplay concepts, it's surprisingly generous.
The Sierra Madre is essentially a self-contained pocket universe with its own internal economy. Rather than bottle caps, you'll be using casino chips, and instead of using vendors and traders, you'll be cashing them in at automated vending machines. Designed for use by casino customers, these can cough up food items, but more substantial goodies like stimpacks can be made available once you find the emergency staff audio logs that activate these features. The vending machines will also let you trade items in, making those cartons of cigarettes and casual clothing valuable commodities.

Your bomb collar also tweaks the gameplay in an interesting, though not always enjoyable, manner. Bodged together from pre-war components, it's vulnerable to signal interference. Anything from a domestic radio to the casino's own speaker system can set it off, causing an incessant beeping whenever you get in range and culminating in a rapid cranial eruption should you linger too long. Normal radios can be turned off or destroyed, unshielded speakers can be shot from afar, but there are also invulnerable speakers that can only be deactivated using a terminal, or cannot be switched off at all.

Also providing environmental menace is the toxic red cloud, which eats away at your health with ferocious speed should you venture into it. If you're playing in Hardcore Mode, even the seemingly clear atmosphere itself becomes hazardous, reducing your health slowly whenever you're outside.

The cloud also adds some fun new recipes to your crafting options. Find or collect some cloud residue and it'll brew up some seriously nasty poisons or a useful stat-buffing cocktail, depending on how you mix it.
And, finally, there are some interesting new enemies in the shape of the casino's holographic security system. These glowing drones are limited in reach by their emitter range, but are otherwise indestructible and come armed with deadly laser weapons. Navigating your way past them, either through cunning or by changing their programming, is one of the stiffest stealth challenges the game has to offer.

Because you always wondered what Dean Martin would look like with no skin.

All these elements are used to herd you along, but they can become annoying – particularly when their use combines with the maze-like streets of the villa exterior. Having less than ten seconds to locate and destroy a radio before your head explodes is exciting the first few times, but by the end it's become a chore and one that reduces one of Fallout's greatest pleasures – exploration – to a frustrating save-and-reload routine. That Dead Money's finale finds you racing through a veritable gauntlet of broken walkways while being constantly stymied by holograms, radios and the poisonous red mist makes what should have been a thrilling climax more irritating than it needed to be.

Story-wise, it's a substantial affair. Each chunk of missions feels like a fairly epic undertaking in its own right, and the game pairs you up with each character in turn, giving you the illusion of a four-man team without breaking the game's one-partner rule.

There's a fairly enormous amount of back-story to be devoured, covering the history of your play pals as well as the murky past of the Sierra Madre itself. The broad strokes are covered in dialogue scenes, but there's a lot more to be unearthed through shrewd conversation choices and hacked terminals.
To begin with, the mystery is enticing, but unless you're incredibly thorough in your info-hunting and absorb every detail of the many text logs, there's a good chance the climax to the tale will only make a vague sort of sense. Certainly, I thought I'd been paying attention but there were still a few major plot points that I didn't quite understand by the time I was dropped back in the Mojave.

You can have lots of fun, flipping Dog/God between his different personalities.

While Dead Money justifies its 800 Microsoft Point price tag in terms of quantity, the quality isn't quite there. The plot and gameplay both sag in the second act, as you perform some obvious filler quests to entice your comrades to do as they're told. Tromping around poisonous streets looking for switches to throw or lost fuse boxes is the worst kind of RPG busywork, and the structure makes little attempt to dress it up as anything more important.

Things pick up considerably once you're inside the Sierra Madre, where the script does a good job of dolloping out revelations and gameplay twists that fly in the face of your Ocean's Radioactive 11 expectations. But that final stretch with its infuriating collar-popping tricks and against-the-clock stealth knocks the wind from the story's sails right when it needs to be in full flow.

These are, admittedly, nitpicks that will really only annoy those who hope for perfection every single time – and they certainly shouldn't deter New Vegas fans from making a start on their first DLC adventure.

Score: 7/10

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam! Good Morning Vietnam!

2010-12-24T13:13:00.000-08:00

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam is one of those rare products where if it simply works as promised -- or gets even marginally close -- it's a crowd pleaser.
DICE ran into some temporary technical issues with online multiplayer in Battlefield 1943 and Bad Company 2 right around each game's launch, causing me to be more than a little nervous for the just-released multiplayer-only Vietnam expansion, but that's thankfully not the case here (for the most part).
And, guess what? The crowds seem to be mighty pleased with this one.
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam (Xbox LIVE [reviewed], PlayStation Network, PC)
Developer: DICE
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Released: December 18 for PC / December 21 for consoles
MSRP: $14.99
It's surprising to me that Vietnam was released as an expansion rather than a standalone product. Because really, all of the parts are there: new maps, weapons, vehicles, voice-overs, and even a 49-song soundtrack are what you'll find.
But no, this content gets its own little menu directly inside of Bad Company 2, complete with "Fortunate Son" by CCR. Perhaps the decision has to do with all of your multiplayer statistics and progression, which are shared between the core game and this expansion. If you had all of the class gear unlocked in BC2, you'll have the '60s-era counterparts in Vietnam, too, minus whatever items wouldn't make sense for the period.
I'm glad DICE went this way, and I'm also glad that all four modes -- Rush, Conquest, Squad Rush, and Squad Deathmatch -- are playable on all four (soon to be five) multiplayer maps. Each platform will get the final map once its players build up a collective 69 million team actions (spotting, reviving, etc.).
I've heard reports that some people are having their unlocks and rank reset, which isn't entirely surprising considering prior Battlefield launches. I haven't personally run into anything that dramatic, but some of my statistics for medals and things of that nature don't appear to be updating accurately.

The modes themselves are virtually identical to what BC2 fans are used to, which is definitely not a negative. You stand by a flag to capture it, or you arm radio communication rigs with explosives; y'all know the drill by now. These rule sets define what Battlefield is, so why change 'em?
The maps, on the other hand, are a departure from the norm. At the moment, Hill 137 is my favorite. It's got grimy tunnels and trenches, but best of all, one side of the map is a blackened, flame-covered forest -- or, what used to be a forest. It's an iconic look, much like the gorgeous terraces of Vantage Point.
All of the maps are breathtaking, and for me, easily the best part of Vietnam. I'm struggling to remember which one it was, but one of the maps had this massive, intricate waterfall system off in the distance. Hopefully everyone will take a quick break from the action to check out the views from time to time. They're worth an occasional in-game death, no question.
The one negative I do want to point out is that some of the steep terrain is deceptive. You'll see a pile of rocks or ledge that you should, in theory, be able to scale, but instead you're left temporarily stuck on or around it. That's just one example, and based on my playtime, I'm far from the only person to fall for this trickery. However, none of this is to say the level design itself is bad; it's quite good, actually.

The other noteworthy addition for me was the flamethrower, which is unbelievably satisfying to wield. Much like the rest of DICE's great audio work, the hiss it lets out is top notch. Plus, you can totally destroy parts of the environment with it, and that's always a plus.
And finally, there's the presentation. Before and after each battle, an overview is given in the style of a news report as if the virtual conflict you are fighting is, in fact, really happening right this moment. It's a nice touch, and it really makes the difference; DICE didn't just release some new maps and weapon skins and call it a day here.
As far as the in-game experience is concerned, vehicles and loudspeakers will play the sort of rockin' tunes you'd expect. From inside of the former, you can manually switch between songs. So, naturally, Vietnam players can expect to hear a lot of "Ride of the Valkyries" and the aforementioned "Fortunate Son" as they rush in, guns blazing. Nothing wrong with that.

Basically, if you are an active Battlefield player, or are looking for an excuse to rejoin the ranks, getting Vietnam is a no-brainer. The expansion feels fresh, both in terms of the locales and how the older weaponry has pushed combat to be more in-your-face.
The same level of care and attention to detail you would find in one of DICE's retail offerings has been put into all aspects of Vietnam. It's not uncommon to see studios put their "B" team on downloadable content, but it sure doesn't feel as if that was the case here.
I suppose it would've been nice to see some more experimentation in terms of modes or mechanics, although the quality of what's included is high enough that you can hardly complain too much. I suspect DICE will support Vietnam through balancing, updates, and possibly even more maps.
No matter what does or doesn't happen, though, there's no reason not to dive into this expansion immediately.
Score: 9 -- Superb (9s are a hallmark of excellence. There may be flaws, but they are negligible and won't cause massive damage to what is a supreme title.)

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Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit!

2010-12-24T13:00:00.000-08:00

With 2008’s Burnout Paradise, Criterion Games solidified its spot as the king of fast-paced, arcade-style racing. So when Electronic Arts decided it was ready to take the Need for Speed series back to its early roots -- with its high-speed, open-road chases -- it was smart to tap the Guildford, England-based developer for Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit.

The result is one of the best Need for Speed games to date, without question. It’s a high-velocity, eyebrow-searing racer that sets new standards with an innovative design that closes the gap between single-player and multiplayer experiences like no other game before it.

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)
Developer: Criterion Games
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Release date: November 16, 2010
Price: $59.99 (PS3/360) / $49.99 (PC)

Let’s get it out of the way right now -- Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit feels and plays like a Burnout title in almost everything but its name. Hot Pursuit tries to straddle a thin line between realistic car handling and accessible arcade racing, and while it definitely nails it, it’s unquestionably closer to the latter. It’s basically car porn, with slick and exotic rides, and the handling and feel you’d expect from high-end vehicles. It’s never so demanding that folks who aren’t interested in hitting that perfect line will feel left out, but is instead a game that encourages you to revel in maximum velocity at all times.

Hot Pursuit’s “Career” mode puts you on both sides of the law, alternating between speed-junkie illegal racer and police officer. As either, your goals are essentially the same -- drive as fast as possible. The difference here is that as a racer, you’ve got the fuzz on your tail; as an officer, you are the tail. With no real narrative to speak of outside of “put the pedal to the metal and don’t stop,” the career is completely open, allowing you to choose events from various parts of the map, spread across the fictitious Seacrest County. It’s a bit odd at first, not being able to choose your allegiance; you alternate between breaking and enforcing the law, which earns XP and ranks up both careers separately but congruently. But choosing one over the other would mean you’d miss out on the pleasures of stepping into each role, which are equally exhilarating in their own right.

Events on either side of the law are broken up into a few basic categories, like straightforward race events, timed events (such as a “Time Trial,” or the police version, “Rapid Response”), and so forth. “Hot Pursuit” races are the highlight, a typical race with the wrinkle being that cops are looking to shut it down by any means necessary. As a racer, these events are nerve-racking, with police cars aggressively trying to take you out as you speed towards the finish line against other racers. As the police, these events feel a lot like Burnout’s “Road Rage,” only you’re attempting to take out a finite number of racers before they reach their goal.

Spicing things up a bit, both racers and police have their own sets of equipment, which adds an interesting Mario Kart-like layer of offense and defense to each event. As a cop, you’ll have access to police department backup, such as roadblocks and helicopter support to slow down fleeing racers. As a law-breaking bad guy behind the wheel, you’ll be able to jam police communications, basically a defense against anything they have in their arsenal. Both sides can use targeted EMPs or throw down spike strips to slow down vehicles and get a pesky pursuer off your tail. Each event doles out equipment differently, and they’re all available in limited amounts (with “cool down” times for follow-up use), striking a nice balance on both sides. Outside of Hot Pursuit’s balls-to-the-wall action racing, these tools add an exciting layer to the gameplay that set it apart from events in the Burnout series and other racers.

Hot Pursuit also seems like a tighter experience that Criterion’s last title. While Burnout Paradise threw players into an open city where they’d find events sprinkled about, Hot Pursuit compartmentalizes Seacrest County into bite-sized events. The map itself is massive and varied, and can be fully explored in the game’s “Freedrive” mode, but there’s something quite comforting about hopping into these pre-packaged events and targeting medals and other goals. Given how big Seacrest County actually is (it’s hard to get a sense of this unless you explore it in “Freedrive”), it should go without saying that the races vary in look and feel, with dozens of off-the-path shortcuts and hidden routes to explore. Getting to know each track and each event comes with time, and there’s nothing quite as a rewarding as mastering a route and shaving seconds off your best time, or finding the best ways as a police officer to blindside a racer.

So Hot Pursuit has all of its core elements in place, with its fast cars, dynamic events, and breathtaking speeds. But where Criterion really takes things to the next level is the game’s social aspects, which truly bring Hot Pursuit to life like no other racer. The key is the game’s “Autolog,” a consistent experience that has you competing with your friends 24/7, constantly keeping you up to date with their game progress, their most recent records, goals obtained, and more. It’s an absolutely seamless setup that easily lets you compare event results in an elegant and streamlined way.

Other games have hinted at it, but none quiet have nailed it like Criterion has with Hot Pursuit. There’s almost never a time when you have to navigate through a series of menus to see where you stand against your friends; it’s just there, and you can’t miss it -- it’s as important a part of the game as the cars you drive. “Autolog Suggests” takes it even further, utilizing your entire friends list to tailor challenges and suggest events to you. Completed everything in the career mode? Maybe a friend has, too, and he or she has done it better -- Autolog will tell you, and kick your ass into gear, egging you on to take on the next challenge. You can even post messages on the in-game “walls” of your friends, taunting them or sending out challenges.

It’s a system that relies heavily on how many friends you have that are also playing Hot Pursuit, and your mileage on what you get out of this will vary accordingly. Autolog can even suggest friends, if you’re normally the loner type. But even playing the game on a smaller scale (that is to say, not against my personal friends, instead in a limited review capacity), it’s obvious that Autolog can incite some serious competition. I found myself pushing my records higher and higher, replaying events that I normally wouldn’t have if Hot Pursuit didn’t offer such a sophisticated competitive environment.

This kind of “always-on” competition doesn’t get in the way of the game’s live multiplayer matches, which let you compete against friends (or strangers) in online events composed of the same modes you’d find offline. The rush of the offline races and chases translates gloriously to an online environment; with so many variations available for each event, it seems like it could never get old. Want to race with one cop chasing the seven remaining players? How about one player getting chased by seven cops? You can imagine things get pretty intense, and no matter who comes out on top, it’s always an incredibly satisfying experience.

Unfortunately, Hot Pursuit doesn’t appear to offer any split-screen race capabilities, which is a bit of a downer. It’s obvious that Criterion spent most of their time focusing on online connectivity and networking, but offline “cops versus robbers”-style split-screen chases would have been a welcome addition.

Criterion hasn’t rebooted the Need for Speed series, instead taking classic key elements and injecting them with new life for the current generation. It delivers a near-perfect competitive experience, in a way that few games -- racing or otherwise -- can. Hot Pursuit is not only a defining moment for the series, but for arcade-style racing, period.

Score: 9.5 -- Superb (9s are a hallmark of excellence. There may be flaws, but they are negligible and won't cause massive damage to what is a supreme title.)

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Want To Play Online With Me?

2010-12-23T06:01:00.000-08:00

I have both the Sony Playstation 3 and Microsoft XBOX 360 online feel free to send me a friend request on either platform.

My online usernames are:
XBOX 360: ShAp x Windy and ShAp x Andy
Playstation 3: m0wUnlimited

I do not believe I have room on the ShAp x Windy account but feel free to add my ShAp x Andy account which is near enough empty and has my Gamertag as a friend. I will mainly be playing COD: BO on my XBOX and Fallout New Vegas as I plan on writing a review on that with it's future DLC.

On Playstation all you will ever see me play is GT5 as that is my favourite game ever! However I may purchase Uncharted 3, Little Big Planet 2 and any other upcoming exclusives that are coming out in the near future.

Lots of Love, Aston

Assassin's Creed: The Brotherhood!!

2010-12-23T05:52:00.000-08:00

Let’s deal with the elephant in the room right now: Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood isn’t a quick cash-in on last year’s massively successful and (mostly) critically-acclaimed sequel. It’s not a full-blown sequel, either; this isn’t Assassin’s Creed 3. Instead, it acts more as an epilogue to the story told in Assassin’s Creed II.

What Brotherhood is, however, is a deep and rich game experience that builds on the strengths of its predecessor. And here’s the kicker, and allow me to completely blow your mind: Brotherhood is, in almost all ways, a better game.

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360) [Note: Both versions were played for this review.]
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher: Ubisoft
Released: November 16, 2010
MSRP: $59.99

As far as the core mechanics are concerned, Brotherhood sticks to the formula of the previous titles, with the player once again taking on the role of Assassin’s Creed II’s lead, Ezio Auditore. It’s all about the open-world exploration of the game’s breathtaking translation of 15th-century Rome, scaling the city’s massive structures with smooth and fast parkour-style movements. In Brotherhood, silent assassinations are still encouraged, but with an enhanced fighting system, direct confrontation is more viable than ever.

There’s a new kick, for instance, that can be used aggressively to break a tough enemy’s defense. Other additions to combat include a hidden pistol and some satisfying chained assassinations. The latter sees Ezio dispatching enemy after enemy in quick and brutal succession, making the player feel like an indomitable badass. Even with a heavy focus on direct combat, Brotherhood doesn’t play like Bayonetta or God of War. Instead, it’s a rhythmic experience, with surprising variations in animations that always lead to a satisfying conclusion.

Brotherhood gets its namesake from another new element found in the game, the ability to recruit novice assassins from among the citizens of Rome. Once they’re brought into the fold, a meta-game opens up that will have you sending them on tasks all across Europe, either alone or in groups. As missions are successfully accomplished, the assassins earn experience points and can then be leveled up, allowing them to attend to even more difficult engagements. This is all a text-based affair, simple in its execution, but it’s easy to get wrapped up in building your brotherhood and watching it grow.

While it’s certainly a nice diversion to build up a fellowship of clandestine murderers, the real satisfaction comes from calling on them in the game world to perform assassinations or help you in battle. With a simple button press, you can summon your brothers (and sisters) to assassinate targets right before your eyes. As empowering as it is to quietly sneak up on a guard and take him out, sight unseen, there’s something even more fulfilling about watching your minions descend (seemingly from nowhere) upon a target at your command, doing your dirty work for you. In one instance, I sent a few after a group of three guards -- two assassins jumped down from a rooftop to pummel two guards while another leaped out of a mound of hay to briskly sever the jugular of the third. Assassins can also be killed in battle, and since they can be leveled up, customized visually, and even have names, losing one can sometimes be an emotional affair. I still am mourning the death of my very first protégé, Nico...

While most of the open-world portion of the game will have you confined to the city of Rome, don’t sweat the fact that it’s only a single area. The capital city is massive and has multiple districts, each with its own feel and vibe. There’s plenty to do and see -- even outside the game’s “sequence” missions, which move the narrative forward -- certainly more than in either Assassin’s Creed or its sequel, which makes the quick follow-up that is Brotherhood even more impressive.

Detailing all of the side-quests and optional missions would take forever, but suffice it to say they’re even more diverse and creative than those found in previous games, some even having their own instanced areas and scenarios that simply must be sought out and seen. Playing the game for review was extraordinarily difficult, and with only a finite number of hours to make it to the game’s conclusion, I was constantly distracted and drawn to every single side activity. Whether it’s the incredible Leonardo da Vinci sequences, where you work to destroy war machines and blueprints, or an underground hand-to-hand fight club, the activities are staggering in their diversity and breadth.

As in Brotherhood’s predecessors, you’re not limited to exploring 15th-century Rome: a few game sections take place outside of the memories relived within the genetic-memory-exploring Animus. It’s in these sequences that you’ll once more play as Desmond, interacting with other members of the modern-day assassin’s order such as Lucy, voiced again by Veronica Mars actress Kristin Bell.

The difference is that in Brotherhood, except for a few forced segments, you can hop in and out of the Animus at any time by pressing Start and then exiting the simulation. While it’s nice to have that freedom this time around, I did find that it worked against the favor of the story. Exploring outside the Animus can yield some secrets, but the interaction with the other characters seemed mostly inconsequential. While the modern sequences in previous games had weight -- they moved along the story in a crucial way, and you looked forward to the each one -- that’s just not the case here, and it’s a little disappointing.

That brings me to what’s arguably the weakest part of Brotherhood, steeped in an otherwise outstanding game -- its story. Taken by itself, it’s not terrible, but this is probably not the narrative follow-up that fans wanted trailing the mystifying finale of Assassin’s Creed II. Revisiting the tale of Ezio works fine as an epilogue to that game, and the tale of the assassin brotherhood working to reclaim Rome from the demented Borgia family is adequately compelling. Still, the overall narrative doesn’t really hold as much gravity as previous titles. There’s certainly not very much explained or even revealed about the overarching assassin/Templar chronicle, outside of the game’s final hours. Fans should also brace themselves for the game’s conclusion, which makes Assassin’s Creed II’s head-scratching finish seem like a neatly-wrapped sitcom finale in comparison.

Given the quality and scope of Brotherhood’s single-player experience, it’s already a must-buy. But I’ve yet to even touch on the game’s most radical addition to the series: online multiplayer.

The multiplayer mode is broken up into four gametypes -- "Wanted" (a free-for-all mode), an advanced version of "Wanted," "Alliance" (two-player team cooperative play), and another team-based mode, "Man Hunt." What each mode boils down to is hunt and simultaneously be hunted, with the game assigning targets simply by providing players with an image of said mark.

Ten character skins are available from the get-go, each with its own set of animations, but functionally identical in every other way. The game then populates the title’s eight maps (with four more unlockable as the community reaches certain milestones) with the skins chosen by the players. So what you get is a city filled with many citizens going about their business, some of whom look like your potential victim. As you can imagine, the difficulty of finding your target is exacerbated by this fact. Worse yet is that finding and killing a computer-controlled citizen leads to a loss of points.

It’s these details that make Brotherhood’s multiplayer a psychological game like nothing else really seen on consoles. You’re given a compass of sorts that will direct you to the general area of where your prey is, but the game never really holds your hand and identifies it for you. The key is recognizing certain behaviors that are unique to human players. You’ll never see a computer-controlled citizen scale a building, nor will one just take off running. See someone making jerky movements in a crowd? That could be your victim.

On the flip side, knowing you’re also being hunted is a persistent source of stress, and you’ll be adapting your behavior accordingly to “blend in” with crowds and outwit your pursuer. If you’re spotted, however, be prepared to flee -- it’s not uncommon for fast-paced chases to break out, with two players (or sometimes more) pursuing each other through alleys and across the rooftops of structures.

While all of the character skins are on an even level to start, players can also advance through 50 levels of progression as they earn experience points by winning matches and meeting certain conditions. At fixed levels, abilities and passive perks are awarded, which can drastically change the way you play and apply tactics. Each of the game’s 12 abilities -- like the ability to morph your character skin into another to deceive potential assassins, or being able to throw down firecrackers to cause chaos or weed out prey -- can be leveled up as well.

According to Ubisoft, there’s 40 hours of play here before the “average” gamer reaches their maximum potential level. While there was certainly not enough time for me to work through all 50 levels myself, I did spend time playing on both ends of the spectrum -- once on a private account Ubisoft had leveled up to 50 for me, and another on retail servers starting from scratch. Having abilities at your disposal certainly seems to give you a slight advantage, too. Hopping on a retail game server a day before launch, my level-one player already had to contend with opponents who had reached level 20. Having a player toss a smoke bomb in my face to get me off their tail was a bit frustrating, considering it was a tool I was numerous levels away from having in my arsenal. It wasn’t so overwhelming that I wanted to rage-quit, but it’ll be interesting to see how it shakes out once players worldwide start digging in.

As a deviation from the hours of single-player content, the multiplayer is successful in offering a unique and fun set of experiences that aren’t really like anything else out there. No, there isn’t a threat of it replacing Call of Duty: Black Ops as the go-to online game this winter, but Brotherhood’s multiplayer mode provides a fresh, fun take on competitive multiplayer that rewards a player’s perception as much as his or her twitch-based gaming skills.

It’s a bit disappointing, however, that you’re so limited in terms of the number of players -- you must have a minimum of six for all modes, and the most you’ll have in one game is eight. It’s entirely possible that any more or any fewer players would completely break the dynamic, but in a world where double-digits is the norm, eight may seem like a meager amount to some.

For those folks who didn’t enjoy Ubisoft’s previous sequel, Brotherhood has nothing to offer -- outside of its incomparable multiplayer, perhaps -- that will change their minds. This isn’t a game that repairs “problems” or departs radically from a formula. It is, however, a game that improves on just about every facet, and dumps a ton of content on the player to boot.

It seemed to be an impossible task for Ubisoft to turn around a year after the release of Assassin’s Creed II and deliver such a polished follow-up to a game that many critics were calling one of 2009’s best titles. Yet, against all odds, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood exists in 2010, and it not only lives up to the hype, but it manages to completely outclass its predecessor. Brotherhood is a game that Assassin’s Creed fans simply cannot afford to miss, and one of best games this year.

Score: 9.5 -- Superb (9s are a hallmark of excellence. There may be flaws, but they are negligible and won't cause massive damage to what is a supreme title.)

Lots of Love, Aston

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Gran Tursimo 5!!

2010-12-22T17:29:00.000-08:00

It didn't even register at first. I put my review copy of Gran Turismo 5 into my PS3 and started it up, watched a lovely cutscene and then began playing. No fanfare. No parade. No banners hanging from the ceiling. Here I was, in a slow car and on some standard track, going in a circle, rounding corners at a snail's pace. It didn't really register that I was actually playing the finished version of Gran Turismo 5, after all this time.

It really didn't hit me until a bit later that I was playing six years' worth of work from Polyphony Digital. I was playing something that is attempting to be the end-all racing simulator. I was playing the game that PS3 owners have been talking about since the system's release.

Hundreds of virtual miles and a few sleepless nights later, I still haven't had my fill of Gran Turismo 5. Although this is something racing fans have been waiting on for so long, slipping back into Gran Turismo was completely natural. It just happened, and it just felt right. Nothing had to be explained. No hand-holding was required. I just jumped in like the last six years never even happened.

Gran Turismo 5 (PlayStation 3)
Developer: Polyphony Digital
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
Released: November 24, 2010
MSRP: $59.99

Only after finally stopping to write a review after countless hours of play did I realize how massive Gran Turismo 5 is. The numbers that Sony and Polyphony Digital have been throwing at us (1,000+ cars, 70 track variations, several modes) don't even begin to cover how vast the game is. The game's GT (career) Mode has so many menus and sub-menus that it took me a full workday to completely go through them all, and that's not even counting a separate arcade mode, a track maker, a video collection and much more. It's every bit of the racing world all in one place, on one disc. The word "comprehensive" doesn't even feel big enough.

While GT5's size may sound daunting, it's all presented in a way that begs you to explore it. The GT Mode also does a nice job of slowly guiding you through its various parts as you progress. You'll start out with a small bit of money (credits) to buy an inexpensive car, and you'll take it to the track in some low-level, non-restricted races. Much like in the previous Gran Turismo games, in the A-Spec mode, you'll race and then use your earnings to purchase newer, faster cars. In B-Spec mode, you'll create and guide an AI racer through events by giving them in-race commands. With these new cars and your increased experience level, you'll take on more varied events and work your way up the ranks in both A-Spec and B-Spec, from a beginner all the way up to an expert.

The game's leveling system restricts the kind of cars you can own and the kind of races you can take part in. No worries, though; your level increases quickly with only a few races, and it works out that the cars that gradually become more affordable as you progress are just the ones you'll need for the higher-level races. Also, as you reach certain level milestones, one or more of the GT Mode's "Special" race types will become available. The first you'll have access to is kart racing, which is a blast. Later on, you'll race on Top Gear's test track, learn NASCAR basics with voiced tutorials from Jeff Gordon, and even slide through snow and gravel in rally races. It's all paced quite nicely, with new options opening up just as your skill level permits.

Before you can do any of that, you have to have a car. Thankfully, Gran Turismo 5 doesn't really hold back on what it offers players in car types. Of course, you'll unlock more vehicles as you progress, but you'll be able to browse the manufacturers' virtual show floors right off the bat. You'll find yourself building up a garage of cars in no time at all with your winnings, and you'll nab even more as gifts by winning races with top honors. As before, cars can be tuned and upgraded, or sold off to fund your next purchase. But this time, there are two different classes of vehicles: standard and premium.

Standard cars are the cars you might have seen in previous Gran Turismo games. They look great on the track, but it turns out that they actually have a lower level of detail than the premium vehicles. Premium cars are new to GT5, and they come with very highly detailed models that support damage modeling. They also have fully modeled interiors, so you'll get a cockpit view as one of the view options in races. In your garage, the two types are separated, though you'll be able to use qualifying cars from either class in races. Again, both types look fantastic, but the premium cars do look a bit better, and I've come to love the cockpit view.

When you're finally on the track, Gran Turismo 5 feels so familiar that it's surprising at first. We waited this long for something that feels just like an old game? Fans of the series will be able to pick up a controller and know exactly what to expect when driving. For me, there was absolutely no learning curve as far as control and feel is concerned -- this game controls exactly like Gran Turismo 4. That isn't a bad thing, mind you. There was absolutely nothing wrong with GT4's control. If you think back, it was the physics engine that needed a few touch-ups.

The new physics engine in GT5 is everything I had hoped it would be. While the buttons and sticks that you're moving with your fingers haven't changed, their feel and response have improved greatly. Turning and braking feel incredibly natural. You get a real sense of how slamming on the brakes throws the car's weight forward. Handling actually feels like car handling, and not some once-removed, through-a-game-controller attempt. In one rally race, I remember braking too late on a snowy track. I slid into a snowbank, turned sharply, and then came back down off the bank. The car seemed to plop back down onto the the road so realistically that it gave me flashbacks of driving in winter. Somehow this game manages to feel both accurate and exciting at the same time.

Opponent AI feels like it has greatly improved since the last game. It appears that a lot of care went into realism this time around. I got the sense that I was in races with drivers of different types for the first time in the series. Some seemed aggressive and others careful. All seemed to put on the heat in the last leg of the last lap. This made for some tense finishes that felt closer to what you might experience in a race with real opponents. There were many times where I was fully immersed in competition and had to remind myself that I wasn't actually in a live race.

One of the most noted additions to GT5 is damage modeling. It's too bad that this feature isn't really notable in the full scheme of things. Cars can show wear, and premium vehicles can actually show damage from collisions, but it turns out that neither are as dramatic (or realistic) as you'd expect. You'd actually have to go out of your way to impose damage in a race, and then you'd have to follow up and actually check for it afterwards. But to go this far, you'd likely be getting away from racing. And while damage can affect car performance, those racing to win aren't likely to receive enough damage to see this effect. The addition of damage modeling doesn't really seem to serve the game in any way. Instead, it feels like a bullet point for the back of the box.

On the other hand, the new weather, lighting and particle effect additions are welcome and greatly appreciated. Some of Gran Turismo 5's biggest "wow" moments come from these new visual tweaks. Watching snow blow onto and over my windshield was so lovely that it was almost distracting. The way a nighttime fog soaks up headlights looked impossibly realistic. Streetlights shine on a glossy, wet road, and later, raindrops streak by as you hit 200 mph. In the desert, dust kicks up in a rally race. High beams catch the dust, with the tops of the surrounding trees barely lit by the setting sun. The work Polyphony Digital put into the small details goes a long way toward making you feel like you're really driving in these locales. Realism can sometimes be sterile, but these accents on top of already realistic locales and cars makes Gran Turismo 5 one of the most visually pleasing games ever released.

Polyphony Digital added some new racing types to their Special mode, with one of the most surprising being kart racing. Kart racing is a lot of fun in GT5, and serves as a bit of an escape from the standard car racing action. Those expecting something like Mario Kart will be disappointed, as the game's realism carries over here. There's actually a bit of a learning curve to the karts; steering and braking are quite a bit different from standard cars. While the controls and view are the same, the feel is completely different. For example, braking into a sharp turn is going to cause you to spin out easily. Once you get the hang of the differences in acceleration and braking, the sense of speed is incredible, and kart racing turns out to be very rewarding.

In an attempt to cover as many types of racing as possible, NASCAR racing was also added to the special modes. Unlike the kart and rally modes, which feel like separate sub-game types, NASCAR is more of a lesson on a racing style. This mode is narrated by famed NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon, who appears in virtual form to show you the ropes. Gordon narrates for a bit, and then you get to practice the basics of NASCAR racing, like drafting and passing. These lessons take place on NASCAR tracks such as the Daytona 500.

Other special events include the Top Gear test track, where you'll cruise the famous television show's track; the AMG Driving Academy, where you'll tackle the insane Nurburgring course; and the Rally segment, where you'll plow through gravel, snow and rain with the guidance of a navigator. There's also a Touring mode that you'll see the world in. Each of these events provides a nice change of pace from the GT Mode's standard racing, and many of them feel like a game within a game.

Online racing makes its series debut with GT5. There's a good bit of community features to be explored within the online mode beyond the 16-player races it provides. Creating or joining online rooms is easy, as is jumping into a race. Rooms feature full chat, and you can do this while watching as a spectator. Feel free to jump into a room's track at any time to do time trials; the game will let you know when there's a race starting. When the race does begin, you'll automatically be whisked away to the starting line from your time trials. While the selection of online opponents was limited in pre-release sessions, every match I was in worked beautifully. Polyphony Digital has put together a really polished, attractive online experience, and it comes complete with mail, messaging, and even your own lounge. There's plenty of room for online play to flourish once the game gets in the hands of racing fans.

Outside the main GT Mode, there are three other main game functions. Arcade Mode lets you pick a track and a car and go at it without all of the leveling and experience hassles. You can try out the drifting trials or any of the other courses or cars you have yet to acquire in GT Mode. There's also split-screen two-player support in Arcade Mode.

Gran Turismo TV is a sort of portal for video content. It offers clips about cars, tracks and even content from the Top Gear television show. There's a shopping cart in the menu, so I assume that paid content will be available at some time in this mode.

Finally, there's a Course Maker mode that lets you build a track to your liking. It isn't as complex as you'd imagine from the name, mind you. You start off by picking a base locale from a number of images. From there you'll decide how many segments your track will have. Menus let you control track options, like how complex these segments will be, or what time of day it will be. It only takes a couple of minutes to generate a new course, which can be saved and used for a test drive at any time. You can then share your track or save it to play in Arcade Mode.

A slightly less useful photo mode lets you photograph your cars on tracks from replays and save the images to share or even use as your XMB wallpaper. Photo buffs will enjoy the option to use full manual camera settings to control aperture and shutter speed to get the best shot. The Photo Travel mode takes you and your car to real-world locales, where you're free to position your vehicle and camera to get the best shot. The nighttime Kyoto location was particularly lovely, and I got some nice shots, though I didn't see much of a point in taking pictures of my virtual car. It did make for a nice wallpaper, however.

Gran Turismo 5 is very customizable. You can opt to install game data (about 8 GB, 30 minutes) to cut back on load times. All of the controls can be remapped to your liking as well. I dove into the hundreds of (great!) music tracks to make a custom collection of tunes that I liked to race to, only to finish and find that you can also use playlists from your PS3's hard drive to listen to your own music while driving. Everything from the sound balance to the screen size can be tweaked.

While GT5 worked perfectly fine with the DualShock3 controller, playing with the Logitech Driving Force GT racing wheel is an absolute thrill. Now that I've tried it, I don't think I can go back. It did take a couple of races to get a feel for it, but when I finally got it down, my driving and my course times improved greatly. The level of control you have over your turns is so much greater with the wheel, and that's not to mention how much better and more realistic acceleration and braking feel it provides. The force feedback in the wheel brings the realism over the top. Gran Turismo 5 feels like it was made for this wheel, and the game offers full support for it and many of the other racing wheels out there. I can't recommend the Driving Force GT wheel enough. It really takes GT5 to an even higher level.

With Gran Turismo 5, I found myself doing something I've never done with a racing game before: driving simply for the joy of it. Just as with a great car, Gran Turismo 5 feels so great that it begs to be driven. You can't put it down. I found myself cruising the 8.5 miles of Circuit de la Sarthe this week just to enjoy the drive. When you get in the zone and really get in tune with the controls, this game really does let you tap into the pleasures of driving and racing. I'd like to imagine that Polyphony Digital has spent all this time fine-tuning this game for this very feeling.

Even beyond the 1,000 cars, dozens of track variations, countless modes, gorgeous visuals and mountains of options, Gran Turismo 5 has something more that speaks to the world's car lovers and racing fans. The level of care taken by the people at Polyphony Digital shines in every aspect of this title, and this makes for a racing game that truly has no parallel. Gran Turismo 5 is a massive love letter to those that love cars. This is their dream videogame.

Score: 10 -- Flawless Victory (10s are as close to perfect as you will get in a genre or on a platform. Pure, untarnished videogame ecstasy.)

Lots of Love Aston :D