Lens of Truth

Head2Head: Bioshock Infinite Analysis

Shawn — Thu, 02 May 2013 17:29:25 +0000

Head2Head

“A Date Which Will Live in Infamy”?

System Breakdown	Xbox 360 Stats	PlayStation 3 Stats
Resolutions:	Up to 1080p	Up to 720p
# of Discs:	single	single
HD Install:	Optional	None
Metacritic:

Come join us as we “Shock” our way through Bioshock Infinite on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 to give you our verdict on which version out performs the other. Again, we’re sorry for the delay , but we are trying to close this gap between release dates and releasing our analysis. Hopefully, we’ll have this all ironed out soon but until then hang in there please. Lastly, make sure to check out all of our Heads Up and Analysis winners and losers, which can be found on our Head2Head Index page.

Performance: This time around the performance was not going to be as cut throat as expected. You can see in our analysis video and in our statistics table below, the frame rate on both versions, for the most part, maintain an average 30 FPS throughout. Note: By default both version had their “Lock Frame Rate” option set to “On”. However, the Xbox 360 version still suffered frame rate fluctuations more often than you would’ve expected with such an option enabled.

Furthermore, the Xbox 360 suffered most of its frame rate hiccups during hectic firefights or heavy usage of particles effects, such as flames or multiple explosions on the screen simultaneously. On the other hand, the PlayStation 3 version honored that option by locking its frame rate at 30 FPS throughout, but not without a hitch. In the same ares the Xbox 360 had frame rate issues, the PlayStation 3 version would have some distracting screen tearing. Although the Xbox 360 version wasn’t tear free, the screen tearing was limited to the upper portion of the screen, while the PlayStation 3 version had tearing from top to bottom. In the end this category ended in a wash, so pick your poison.

Xbox 360 Frame Analysis	PlayStation 3 Frame Analysis
Clip 1 info: Length of clip: 4539 frames Average FPS of clip: 29.84 Percent of torn frames: 0.58	Clip 1 info: Length of clip: 4539 frames Average FPS of clip: 29.81 Percent of torn frames: 4.29
Clip 2 info: Length of clip: 4351 frames Average FPS of clip: 29.16 Percent of torn frames: 0.98	Clip 2 info: Length of clip: 4351 frames Average FPS of clip: 29.18 Percent of torn frames: 0.69
Clip 3 info: Length of clip: 1270 frames Average FPS of clip: 28.89 Percent of torn frames: 0.34	Clip 3 info: Length of clip: 1270 frames Average FPS of clip: 28.77 Percent of torn frames: 3.54
Clip 4 info: Length of clip: 6396 frames Average FPS of clip: 29.84 Percent of torn frames: 0.17	Clip 4 info: Length of clip: 6396 frames Average FPS of clip: 29.76 Percent of torn frames: 0.45
Global percent of torn frames: 1.03 Global average FPS: 29.59	Global percent of torn frames: 4.10 Global average FPS: 29.54

Graphics: Graphically, both version looked ridiculously awesome throughout. Ones things for sure, this modified version of the Unreal Engine 3 pumped out some of the best volumetric High Dynamic Range (HDR) lighting effects to date. On a much lesser note, the Xbox 360 native resolution is set at 1152×720 along with (FXAA) for the anti-aliasing, and the PlayStation 3 version had a slightly lower native resolution of 1152×640 using the same anti-aliasing techniques of the Xbox 360. Regardless of the slight resolution differences, both version ran sub-HD. On a side note, FXAA stands for Fast Approximate Anti-Aliasing, and it’s an even more clever hack than MSAA, because it ignores polygons and line edges, and simply analyses the pixels on the screen. What that said lets move on to the graphically differences that we’ve noticed during our capture session.

One thing that caught our attention first were the differences in lighting and texture quality. While the HDR lighting effects looked phenomenal on both platforms, the consoles different architecture handled the rendering of lighting differently. For example, in some areas the Xbox 360 version would have lighting and shadowing on objects objects in the scene and in the same instance the PlayStation 3 version shadows were absent. This would occur more often in outdoor areas of the environment, and less in confined spaces like rooms or in structure/building.

Additionally, the texture differences between the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 were more constant than the lighting differences. As seen in our rollover images, the PlayStation 3 version had slightly more defined normal maps than its contender. Other than the texture differences, graphically there were no other major differences to compare. Overall, the Xbox 360 textures looked more blurry and less defined than the PlayStation 3 version when viewed side by side, handing over win for graphics to the PlayStation 3.

Loading: We now come to our final category; the load times. And fortunately, There is nothing to indulge on in this category. The PlayStation 3 version does not require a mandatory install nor did not having one hinder the load times. Below are the average load times we captured during our capture session.

PlayStation 3 Load Times	Xbox 360 Load Times
Sample 1: 15 Seconds	Sample 1: 14 Seconds
Sample 2: 16 Seconds	Sample 2: 17 Seconds
Sample 3: 18 Seconds	Sample 3: 17 Seconds
Sample 4: 18 Seconds	Sample 4: 9 Seconds
Sample 5: 8 Seconds	Sample 5: 9 Seconds
Sample Average: 15.0 Seconds	Sample Average: 13.2 Seconds

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More Roll Overs, Sliders, Conclusion, Video and Staff Choice on Page 2>>>

inFocus – MLB 13: The Show

DRMaddock — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:56:28 +0000

inFocus

Game Info
Publisher:	Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer:	SCE San Diego Simulation
Genre:	Sports Simulation
Release Date:	03/05/2013
Meta Score

Games exist to fuel fantasy. We want to fight huge dragons, topple a tyrannical regime, live a life of crime without consequence, or, sometimes, become a superstar at a sport. Striving to be excellent at a sport is part of the American psyche, something that drives kids from Little League to high school athletics with a single-minded purpose to become better and maybe, just maybe, have a shot at making that a reality.

As the (most likely) last installment designed solely for the PS3, MLB 13 The Show exhibits a calm and collected command of everything that has made it the best selling baseball game in years. And it delivers a fantasy that is one of the most endearing things we can hope for. Leaving the vast majority of a solid and stable engine unmolested, San Diego Studio has focused their attention this year on Road To The Show, and boy does it pay off. Since sports game hardly change from year to year, and elements of MLB 13 follow this trend (for good reason: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it) , this review will highlight the differences and how they impact play and differentiate this year’s installment from previous iterations.

Story: Stories and sports games don’t usually mix, but nowadays with the ubiquitous Create-A-Player mode (MLB’s being Road To The Show), sports games have had to up their ability to tell a compelling narrative in a way that was previously ignored for simple one-on-one games between friends.

MLB 13 The Show’s Road To The Show mode has seen the most improvement over the last couple of years as compared to the more standard fare like Franchise mode. In this year’s Road To The Show, major aesthetic changes have been taken to make the entire experience of driving your player from the minor leagues up to the majors as intimate as possible, putting you as close to being in an actual major leaguer’s boots as the game can get.

A new dynamic camera puts the focus on the ball, not on the player, meaning that while you’re fielding, your perspective will track an in-flight ball as it arcs across the sky or skitters along the field. This has done a number of things to how you might play an outfielder in RTTS. Previously, you ran your player to a large baseball symbol on the field whose size indicated how close the ball was to landing. Now, with the camera fixed up into the sky, an on-screen indicator tells you where to move to get in position. The overall gameplay is relatively unchanged, however the entire event of fielding a fly ball in left field is now an adventure that has the feeling of a lot more riding on it. Similarly, while running the base paths, the two shoulder buttons can focus your player on the ball out in the field, or on your third base coach so that you can make better base running choices while running on the paths. Again, this isn’t a drastic game play alteration, but changes the entire experience of playing at the professional level.

They’ve also removed the audio commentary over your actions while playing in RTTS, focusing instead on the on-field interactions. When running, you’ll hear your base coaches shouting instructions based on the situation, and when in the field your fellow defenders will shout out the best plays to make or if you’re nearing the wall while chasing down a deep fly ball. It does take away some of the drama from the moment when you crush a home run and listen to the announcers get just as excited as you do while you’re rounding the bases, but after major plays the camera will “swoosh” away from your player and give you a brief little flashback or highlight with some commentary. The problem with this system in its current form though is that the commentary will often get cut off when the simulation picks up again or when it’s time for your player to make another move.

In addition to the revamped audio presentation, the visual presentation has been changed to be more personal and make you feel like your player is really having an impact on the wider world of baseball. After every advancement period, a brief pre-game video will have the commentators discussing your current situation, how you’ve been performing and how your organization is treating you. If you’ve been passed over a few times for advancement and are still stuck at AAA, they’ll make comments on the building frustration. When you hit your first home run at any level, they’ll have a personalized little bit where they discuss how exciting a moment it is for you. These have no in-game effect other than boosting your own little ego, but that’s what you want out of creating a narrative for your hero-player, isn’t it? After all, this is the fantasy we’re paying for, to be the big star that rises up from nothing and is recognized for his greatness, and the new presentations do a solid job of delivering that kind of wish-fulfillment.

These changes feel mostly arbitrary but they the close camera and lack of play-by-play add to the illusion (and the fantasy) of being physically present on the field. The changes will take some getting used to for veteran RTTS players especially for those out there in the outfield, as the camera changes can be rather jarring the first couple of times, and there’s no proper RTTS fielding minigames or training to help newcomers to the arrangement. It’s just gonna take a few errors in the field to learn how to read the new layout properly and make plays.

Gameplay/Controls: The newest addition to playing MLB the show is Beginner Mode. Featuring a dynamic difficulty it starts newer players off with fastballs down the middle from all AI pitchers. Once you’ve started to get good contact with those, it’ll move the fastball around the strike zone. Eventually the player will work their way up to being decent enough to face any of the pitchers throughout the game, and for all its purpose, it does it rather well, however anybody who has a modicum of playing time in with an older copy of The Show will have no trouble lining up some good shots in this one.

That’s because they’ve opened up the timing window for batters, meaning that it’s easier to get solid and good contact on the ball than it has been on previous versions. This takes some of the stress out of hitting (especially while in the minors in RTTS when your Contact skills are still frustratingly low). It has also, in a surprise turn of events, opened up a lot of online play to be more enjoyable, partly due to the favorability of a wider timing window when paired up with some lag issues. Unlike previous years, you’ll be able to get good wood on the ball while battling it out over the internet, and should help the game move along a livelier pace than it has in the past.

They’ve also added a few new tweaks to how players field the ball. A “Button Accuracy” system takes a familiar concept such as the throwing meter (with pitching) and matches it to how hard you hit the button of the base you want to throw to. These factors help determine the type of throw, how on target it is, etc. And for added defensive challenge, they’ve introduced a manual catch button. Now, while fielding, you won’t just automatically glove the ball, you’ll have to hit a button to close the mitt around it, meaning that those sketchy little hoppers to short are going to be just as tricky to grab virtually as they are on the actual diamond. This feature does have a little bit of an issue when paired with RTTS outfielders as the angle of the camera into the sky makes it hard to judge distance and depth, but they’ve introduced a new ball halo and ball arc that is defaulted on to help judge the speed and position of an in flight baseball against an baby blue sky.

Of course, all these new features are exciting and expected, and add a new spice to the game if you’re a five season veteran or so, but one of the greatest things about The Show is its level of customization. You can mix and match play types and controls as you see fit to better suit your particular style. With every year that San Diego Studio has introduced a new control feature or setup, they’ve left in the older models, so to speak, so that players are never forced to match wits with whatever new element has been added. It means you can keep enjoying the new game modes and features while using familiar controls at all times, and it’s a rare case where a developer has clearly got the player’s best interests at heart and in such a transparent way.

Graphics/Presentation: The game is still as beautiful as always. Each stadium bristles with authenticity and color and the deep oranges of sunset for those primetime games and stark lights in the middle of the night when it’s the bottom of the twelfth. The animations are smooth and a with each year’s touch of variation, plays work themselves out in more and more natural rhythms. Presentation has been upgraded a touch too, giving a far more authentic broadcast feel than in previous iterations. The best way to experience this is to play the new Postseason mode where the epic confrontation of October baseball is brought to prime-time levels of intensity and focus. You won’t find a prettier baseball game (or even a better looking sports game in general) than with MLB 13 The Show.

Audio/Sound: Stadiums rock, wood cracks, and players shout out helpful instructions in the heat of a big play. The sounds of the Show have always been an integral, albeit overlooked, instrument in the feel of playing at the major league level. Matt Vasgersian and Eric Karros return in the audio booth for the play by play with newcomer Steve Lyons. Unfortunately, as with previous years, you’re going to find yourself hearing oft-repeated phrases over and over again as high-probability situations proliferate. This is lessened somewhat in RTTS (where it was almost criminal in previous years) by not including the audio commentary in the plays until they’re done or you’re witnessing a flashback. The ability to record your own cheers and jeers for custom created players is back as well, and with the new focus on intimacy in the RTTS mode, stadium sounds have been turned up, so those voices in the masses are even more prevalent in this year’s Show.

On the field sounds really play well in RTTS with fielders, umpires, coaches, and the stadium all factoring in relative to your player’s position, really sealing the deal of being on a professional baseball field, and even better, they offer pertinent information relevant to what’s going down. Umpires will announce the count in case you don’t feel like checking the graphic in the upper left corner. Coaches will tell you to make the turn to second or hold up at first, players will shot “Got it!” and “Back off!” if they’ve got the line on a fly ball and you’re coming on too strong.

Replay: Sports games have always had a pretty high replay value over the years, at least until the next iteration comes out, and this is no exception. Your best bet for diversified replay value is going to be while playing Road To The Show, as experiencing our national pastime can vary greatly when you’re going back and forth from playing the pitcher in that big game against the heavy-handed slugger, to fielding hot hit ground balls over at third, or chasing down would-be home runs in Center Field. The sounds, the strategies, and the new perspectives to look at your favorite ball parks through will keep you experimenting with positions long after your first career has gone to Cooperstown and the annals of history. The friendlier contact timing window and Beginner mode will also mean it’ll be easier to coax those friends of yours who were never into MLB to join in with less fuss and micro-management, and perhaps get you another buddy to play some of the co-op multiplayer with, online or otherwise.


MLB 13 The Show is the best baseball fantasy your money can buy. It improves on previous years by focusing on the fan favorite Road To The Show and giving it more than just a few adjustments. There’s a real passion for baseball in this game, and if you have even a sliver of it in yourself, you’re going to find yourself having a wonderful time going through everything from the thrill of taking your career all the way to the Majors, to leading that one storied franchise through a hectic Postseason. If you’ve ever had a big heart for our national pastime and the prestige and history that goes along with it, make sure you check out MLB 13 The Show.

Written By: R. Burke Kearney

Heads Up: Dead Island Riptide Screenshot Comparison and Analysis

Shawn — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 20:39:00 +0000

Head2Head

System Breakdown	Xbox 360 Stats	PlayStation 3 Stats
Resolutions:	Up to 1080p	Up to 720
# of Discs:	Single	Single
HD Install:	Optional	None
Metacritic:

Come join us as we “Play Dead” through Dead Island Riptide on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 to give you the “Heads Up” on which version out performs the other. Just remember, a Heads Up doesn’t have a winner or a loser – they’re designed to give our members a “Heads Up” on which version performs better on games that might have slipped through the cracks. In short, our members are the judge and jury on which version is the best. Heads Up winners and losers can be found on our Head2Head Index page. Check out the analysis below and enjoy.

We apologize for the long delay with terms to content, but we have a valid excuse. Remember, the entire staff here at LOT are gamers first then journalist. With that being said, we all have been busy playing Bioshock Infinite for the second time through, as well as getting our jolly asses ready for this years Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). That’s right, Lens of Truth will be right there with the big guns getting the latest news the industry has to offer this year, and updating you on the spot. Oh yea, there’s one last thing to mention. We didn’t forget about Bioshock Infinite analysis and its just about done, so check back shortly for the analysis!

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More Sliders, Roll Overs,Poll and Analysis Video on page 2 >>>

inFocus – Injustice: Gods Among Us

DRMaddock — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 19:02:53 +0000

inFocus

Game Info
Publisher:	WB Games
Developer:	Netherealm Studios
Genre:	Fighting
Release Date:	4/16/2013
Meta Score

Do you still remember that bad taste in your mouth around the year 2008? If you do and you’re afraid to utter the name Mortal Kombat VS DC Universe then you probably also felt a sharp pang of apprehension around the announcement of Injustice: Gods Among Us; a fighting game with the Mortal Kombat engine featuring DC heroes. Haven’t we played this game before?

Yes, and, more importantly, no. While most people will think of the 2008 flop when it comes to this new DC fighting game, they need to focus on the successful 2011 reboot of the Mortal Kombat franchise. That is where this new DC brawler learned its lessons, providing a surprisingly smooth and enjoyable experience. This game shares no connections with the MK universe, instead opting to give comic fans a full-fledged hero/villain beat-em-up.

Story: Superman’s gone nuts! The Joker has tricked Superman into thinking Lois Lane is Doomsday and by killing her (and their unborn child) he accidentally triggers a nuclear bomb, destroying Metropolis. Taking his revenge, he kills the Joker in front of Batman and enacts a totalitarian regime that bastardizes the Justice League into jack-booted thugs keeping the order at any cost, while Batman leads an insurgent operation to overthrow him. And all this before you get control. That escalated quickly. Luckily for us and our favorite DC Heroes, this is in an alternate reality, but events in the primary DC Universe are about to recreate the same moment as Joker is about to detonate a nuclear device in Metropolis. As every hero within super-speed distance is about to converge on Joker’s oddly malformed head, a dimensional rip tears them into this brave new world where they slowly piece together what happened, do battle with their evil counterparts, and team up with now former villains.

The biggest gimmick and most important detail of the entire plot is the Kryptonian nanotechnology pill that the newly arrived heroes and villains ingest. It gives them nigh-invulnerability, thus justifying why Catwoman can get punched into space by Superman, knocked through a steel building and fall 80 stories and still stand up and quip like nothing happened. For a fighting game, that’s the biggest hurdle, aesthetically balancing the matches so that you never feel like any one particular bout is two one-sided, though admittedly, that’s not going to change your impression when you do have Superman knock Catwoman into orbit or Deathstroke kicks a sword through Green Arrow’s chest before lighting him up with automatic weapons, but hey, this is superheroes we’re talking about so we’ll let it slide.

Much like Mortal Kombat’s entertaing romp through the Outworld and beyond, this game features various chapters centered on one playable character and their experiences during the events of the battles between the insurgency and the Earth One regime led by Evil Superman (not his actual title in the game but if it was would you have really noticed?) Not every character gets a chapter, so after you’ve worked through the story, which shouldn’t take you more than 4 hours even on a harder difficulty, make sure you go test out some of the other characters in Battle and Versus modes so you know the ups and downs of the cast.

There isn’t really anything to write home about as far as the plot itself goes, it’s corny at worst, but entertaining and humorous at best. Watching two Cyborgs try to out-hack each other is like to put a smile on your face and remind you why comics never have to take themselves too seriously. The game does force its way around trying to arrange for particular battles, but it makes up for it by being genuinely funny and entertaining at times, like when Green Lantern says “I’m about to kick my own ass,” before taking down his counterpart, who has taken the Yellow ring of fear and been dubbed Yellow Lantern. It’s a game that gives you just enough comic level melodrama, but never takes itself too seriously. If you don’t believe me, wait until Aquaman leads an amphibious assault of monstrous crustaceans while riding one with trident out like he’s crossing the Delaware. Have a fun time enjoying the spectacle and you’ll walk away entertained.

Gameplay/Controls: One of the reasons why the 2011 Mortal Kombat reboot was so successful in light of so many of its predecessors failing to take hold was that it made things simpler. Using the famous (if at least somewhat fictional) saying “If it’s broke, fix it, and if you’ve fixed it, don’t fix it again”, Netherrealm keeps combos and solid strategies and level design over gimmicks and watered-down battles.

Each level has a variety of interactive objects that vary in usefulness depending on what character you’re playing. The super-strength characters will throw cars and giant aquariums (there’s some kind of weird ironic metaphor going on in that Atlantean Throne Room, I’m sure of it), whereas the speedsters and more human characters might jump off them to gain a screen’s worth of distance from their competitor. This makes each level feel integral to the battle and depending on who you’re fighting and who you’re playing, your strategy can vary on the same level which adds a nice dynamic to what are usually afterthoughts in the background. As your superhuman tussle lands blows, you’ll also watch the environments degrade; glass cracking; buildings crumbling and collapsing; walls falling down, and sometimes this will yield even more interactive objects as locked off weapons, areas, and creatures suddenly are freed from captivity by the sheer force of your battle.

In order to capture the personality of so many varied heroes and villains and still maintain some semblance of balance, Netherrealm focuses on two new systems to differentiate so many fighters. First are the character powers. Each character has a particular power, be it gadgets or meta-human ability. For example, Superman’s power makes his attacks stronger for a short period of time by focusing energy from the sun while The Flash’s slows the response time of your opponent for a few moments so you can land some wicked fast hits and combos. Each character has one special trait that activating gives a particular kind of bonus or boost and then usually requires a recharge for a few seconds. Others, like Green Arrow, require particular combos to “reload” specialized arrows while the button for his character trait (aptly) fires said arrows.

The second system is the super-meters which build up as you use special abilities and/or get hit by your opponent. The meter has 4 independent sections that build up as you battle and while they can be used for a variety of actions, there are only two that are really worth noting. First is The Clash. If you’re getting wailed on by an opponent and have at least one full section of super-meter full, you can instigate a Clash where both fighters separate, spit a few one liners at each other (which are awesome) and then charge, letting both players wager a portion of their super-meter to see who comes out on top. The attacker in the Clash is granted a bonus to damage done based on how much more he wagered than the defender. If the Defender wins The Clash, he is granted health back at a percentage based on how much more he wagered than the attacker. It’s a fine system on paper, and in the game it looks awesome, with both characters charging, meeting in the middle and disappearing behind a widening arc of energy at their collision before reappearing in the dust and aftermath but in reality it often seems best to just not bet anything and save your supermeter for its other noteworthy ability.

The Super Move. Each character, upon filling his or her supermeter to full capacity can instigate a Super Move which is kind of like an in-game fatality, but without the fatal part. These are the most powerful hits in the game and they give epic views of your hero or villain just going to town on your opponent, be it Batman hitting someone with the Batmobile, or The Flash running around the world for a supersonic Haymaker. These do huge damage and can be game-winners if they connect at the late stages. They’re worth experiencing for each character, so get cracking on the Battle mode, and experience all these features in the way they were meant to be experienced: action.

Graphics/Presentation: Injustice upped the ante in the visual department, throwing more detail in the arenas, characters, animations, and special moves through some key tweaks to the KoreTech engine that Netherrealm has been using since Mortal Kombat. The extra touches in the environments look fantastic when they break and crumble behind you. The characters all have a handful of skin options (even more depending on your preorder status or place of purchase) that all look equally impressive so no matter your personal taste in superhero garb, you’ll find something to suit you here.

The damage to your fighters didn’t add anything special beyond what Mortal Kombat already showed us, but for aesthetic purposes, it’s cool to see these heroes and villains, usually so clean in games and comics gets torn up in their superhuman matches.

The Story Mode fails to deliver some of these details when they try to shoehorn scenes into the context of the plot that require set pieces larger than what a one-on-one brawler will give you. Beyond minor things like no character model damage in Story missions, there are a few massive army scenes that suffer low-resolution textures, blocky geometry, and subpar rendering. But these minor discrepancies are only present in the story mode. All the other modes have great graphics and detail.

Audio/Sound: Warner Bros. Interactive gave Netherrealm a big sandbox to play in and it only made sense that on top of all the other materials they made available to the studio, they’d provide the very best in voice talent. Kevin Conroy is the de facto Batman, while Susan Eisenberg, Adam Baldwin, Phil LaMarr, Grey DeLisle, Tara Strong, Alan Tudyk, and the incomparable Jennifer Hale; fill some of the virtual tights, among others. Hell, even Stephen Amell who plays the titular character in The CW’s Arrow lent his voice to the virtual Green Arrow for this game as a DLC comstume. With a cast like this, the quality of voice-acting isn’t even in question.

The high-quality sound work in this game makes for a full experience in every match, from punches that sound like thunderclaps, to the tinkle of cracking crystals in the Fortress of Solitude breaking under a character’s back as they’re knocked through a wall, everything has a distinct signature sound that makes every landed hit special and more immersing.

Replay: There’s a lot to do after beating the Story mode, STAR LABS missions, online multiplayer, and the Battles.

There are 120 STAR LABS Missions to tackle after completing Story Mode, offering hours of additional play on top of other modes. These are mini challenges that ask you to beat a particular opponent with varying circumstances and criteria for victory. It all seems well and good but you’re forced to use a specific character for a set of missions and they range anywhere from amusing to a downright pain in the ass. It’s only really worth going deep on for the unlockables as the entertainment values of these little missions wears thin with each repeated attempt at perfection.

There are Battles which are your classic ladder-based matches like you’d see in the original Mortal Kombat or any fighting game after the 1990s. Completing the Classic Battle’s 10 challengers (always ending in Evil Superman) yields a little slide-show based on your particular character and what kind of role they had in the main Story, so it’s definitely worth trucking through it with your favorite characters to see a variety of endings.

An Archives system rewards you for leveling up throughout the Story Mode (earning XP through fights, difficulty modifiers, how many combos used, etc.), by letting you unlock alternate costumes, concept art, and parts of the soundtrack, among others. This adds a wealth of replay ability as every battle you complete, regardless of mode, gives you more unlockables to find and mess with.

Finally, the reason we all play fighting games: beating up on strangers online. The multiplayer for Injustice has been smooth out of the gate, surprisingly so for some, and I haven’t experienced nearly any lag while going at it online with what appears to a be a veritable army of Aquamen. Beyond the obvious balance issues that are always present, the online games are fairly even matched, meaning I’ve had a far more enjoyable time logging in to a match than I’ve had in previous years with other fighting games where your options were to get your friends to play with you and hope they got good enough to challenge you, or go online and let some undefeated punk whoop you senseless and make you wonder why you bought a fighting game in the first place. Not so much the case here, and the game is all the better for it because you can experiment a little more with characters in online matches and not suffer the worse for it which gives the multiplayer component of this game tremendous legs.


Injustice: Gods Among Us is equal parts honorable to the comic book fan and equal parts finely tuned fighter. If you get your kicks (and punches) with combos and special moves, you won’t be disappointed, and if you’ve always wanted to settle the ages-old debates of Superman/Batman, or even just live your own fantasy of watching Aquaman get his just due by putting down Doomsday, then this game will deliver. There’s plenty to do and see and unlock in Injustice and you’ll love the game more with each little step you take into its hero-filled world. Now it’s in your hands.

Written By: R. Burke Kearney

Head2Head: Killzone: Shadow Fall vs Battlefield 4 Side by Side Comparison (Easter Egg Inside)

Shawn — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 15:57:41 +0000

Welcome back everyone and Happy Easter! Today the Easter Bunny has brought us a special gift, he wanted to see how the “best of the best” next generation FPS compare to one another when side by side. Although we don’t have the exact specifications running Battlefield 4 we can assume its top of the line hardware. So, with that being said, we want to hear from you in the comments section on how you think the PlayStation 4, graphics, HDR lighting and performance is compared to top end PC’s. Let us say this, its going to be very interesting “Rabbit” when the system finally hits this fall.. Let the “Battle” begin!

One last thing, we’ve also included an “***Ester Egg***” of the Unreal Engine 4: Tech Demo running on the PlayStation 4 side by side against the PC, hope you find it ! Make sure your logged in to view the post and Happy Easter Enjoy!

Tags: Battlefield 4, Head2Head, Killzone Shadow Fall, oddball, PC, PlayStation 4, sidebyside, Unreal Engine 4

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Head2Head: Unreal Engine 4: Tech Demo Side by Side Comparison (PS4 vs PC)

Shawn — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 15:39:21 +0000

Update: Now that Ester is winding down the Ester Egg has been exposed! Congrats you found the “Easter Egg”, as you can see we’ve created a side by side video of the unreal Engine 4:Tech Demo running on the PlayStation 4 side by side to the PC version. As you can see the PlayStation 4 holds its own and we’re getting very excited for the release of this system. Until then Enjoy the video. Happy Easter!!

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Tags: Head2Head, oddball, PlayStation 4, sidebyside, Unreal Engine 4