In my Hands: Prototype [Xbox 360]. Impressions to follow, as always.
Archives for June 2009
Empire: Total War Half-Off
I picked up Empire: Total War from Steam for $24.95. Did you? I figured with a Metascore of 90 it must be good. Beware. It’s a 15GB download.
New Look, New Faces
So if you’ve visited the site in the last 16 hours or so, you probably noticed a new look here at buttonmashing.com. Nat has been working hard on a new theme for the new look. Big Huge Thanks™ to Nat for putting this together, I think things have come together nicely.
Content-wise, things won’t change dramatically around here, but navigation on the actual site will. Now, there will only be two posts on the main page, the most recent post and a “Featured Post,” where we can highlight a post that we think deserves a little more attention or warrants more discussion. This post will change periodically. Recent posts will still be available in the sidebar to the right. Below the Featured Post will be a collection of Asides which are short, Twitter-like posts that don’t really qualify as a “post” but are still things we think are worth a look. Everything will still be available via the feed.
We’re still working on some items, including reorganizing the categories and the links to other sections of the site. This shouldn’t take too long.
If you’re reading the site via a feed reader (which I assume most of you are) things will continue uninterrupted, but we invite you to come down and take a look.
Along with the new look, we’re also welcoming two new contributors to the site. Will and Jason O will be joining the crew to add to the buttonmashing conglomerate. Both have been frequent commenters here at the site and both have done a bit blogging elsewhere. I’ll let them introduce themselves when they get a chance, but we should be hearing from them shortly.
So welcome Will and Jason and welcome all to Buttonmashing 2.0.
[2 Minute Review] The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena
Does hope really begin in the dark?
DO: You are Riddick, a man with a very high opinion of himself. For some reason, however, he keeps getting caught. He likes the shadows and is willing to stab the occasional obstacle in the head.
TYPE: Stealth/Shooter hybrid
PLATFORM: Xbox 360 (reviewed here), PS3 and PC
PRICE: $60
MEAT: There are essentially two games here. First, there’s a remake of the popular Xbox One game, Escape from Butcher Bay, where you control Riddick as he tries to break out of prison. Having broken out of prison, he finds himself a prisoner of sorts on the Dark Athena, a mammoth space ship. The second game chronicles your attempt to escape once again.
Escape from Butcher Bay concentrates on more of the stealth aspects of the game while Dark Athena is shooter heavy. Butcher Bay has some almost-RPG elements as you can complete missions for fellow prisoners (which basically boils down to punching people in the face) as you try to figure out a way to escape. The hand-to-hand combat is quite satisfying. The sneaking around has its issues and the shooting isn’t perfect. But for the most part, when it’s sticking to one or the other, it’s a heck of a game.
Both games have their problems, I’m not going to gloss over them. As I said, stealth isn’t perfect. If I’m hidden, let me stay hidden. If I’m caught, but can get away, let me have the freedom to move around without being spotted from across the room. The PITCH BLACK room. There are swear-off-gaming-forever moments of frustration. There are also exhilarating did-I-just-do-that? moments that make you forget the aforementioned downers.
It’s a balancing act, but in the end I enjoyed Riddick.
PERKS: Stealth kills are crunchy and will bring a smile to your face, whether you’re beating someone down with the “Peacemaker” or your stabbing them in the head with a screwdriver, it never gets old.
SCREAMS: That it would make up its mind! Either be a shooter or a stealth game, but don’t force me to do a shooter set-piece when all I want to do is hide until the badmen go away. The shooting is well done and fun. So is the stealth. But the whole is not greater than the sum of the parts. Stick to one thing and do it well.
VERDICT: Buy. I struggled with this one. After some of the frustrating moments, I would have said “Rent”. I would have said that it’s not worth the effort. Even after beating the final enemy, I wasn’t convinced. But looking back, taken all together, there is a really fun game here. It’s not a strong, 100% Buy recommendation, but I still feel confident that most buttonmashers will enjoy it.
Good games, dirt cheap
Well, fifty bucks isn’t exactly cheap, but shortly after I wrote about wanting to pick up Red Faction Guerilla, I noticed the 360 version(you’ll have to select 360 instead of PS3) is currently on sale at Amazon.com. X-Men Origins: Wolverine(again, select Xbox 360 once you get to Amazon) can also been picked up on the cheap (combined with the coupon code XMENWLV5 brings it to $33.49 (via Gamerdeals.net)). I’ve heard Wolverine isn’t a sixty-dollar game, but maybe under forty is worth it?
I don’t know how long these prices will last. Just keeping you informed of deals we think are worth your time.
(Note: all Amazon.com links have our affiliate code embedded in them. If you purchase something through our link, we get a little commission. It’s appreciated.)
Yes!
Feeling out of it
I was Blockbuster today, perusing the gaming section and thinking to myself, “Self, you are really out of it. Look at all these games you aren’t playing! Get with the program, man.” While I’ve never been able to keep up with all the latest games, I have fancied myself as someone who is “with it” and in the “in crowd” in terms of new games. Sure, I’ve been playing a little Sacred 2: Fallen Angel and a lot of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, but outside of those two, I have hardly played anything new. So there I am at Blockbuster, all the games I want to be playing are staring back at me, beckoning my rental dollars. Games like Bionic Commando, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Tiger Woods 10, Terminator: Salvation and of course, Resident Evil 5. It’s almost blasphemous that I haven’t played RE5, as RE4 is one of my favorite games of all time, and my RE4 translation guide is still one of the highest trafficked pages on the site.
I need to play some of these games.
To make matters worse, more and more games have been popping up, garnering good reviews and generating a lot of buzz. Those games would include UFC 2009 Undisputed, Red Faction Guerilla, Ghostbusters, and Punch Out. And those are just 360 and Wii games. Nevermind the PS3, PSP or DS. Good grief.
So I hope to rectify my recent absence of gaming. I picked up Resident Evil 5 while I was there at Blockbuster and have high hopes (notwithstanding Brock’s recent tweet). Too bad Xbox Live will be down today, I really want to try co-op RE5. Then it’ll be some UFC Undisputed and Red Faction. Oh, and I’ll finish up Riddick, as well. And I’ll have fun, dangit!
How do you keep up? Or do you even try?
Rocket Riot Is, Well, A Riot
Coming out tomorrow on XBLA for 800 MS points. (That’s $10 for us people who know the value of a dollar).
This hybrid mix of 2D and 3D looks to be fun. Oh, pirates and ninjas and zombies!
I’ll definitely be giving the demo a try. Anyone else heard of this?
Buttonmashing is going to kindergarten!
That’s right, today button mashing dot com has reached the age of a small child. Five years ago today I launched the site.
We’ve got some new stuff coming, including a new look and some new contributors. I’m closing my eyes, making a wish, and blowing out the candles!
June Releases
(You thought the E3 post was late!)
What better way to wrap up E3 week with a list of games you can play right now (or really soon)?
Week of June 1st
Red Faction Guerilla
FUEL
Week of June 8th
Prototype
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10
Virtua Tennis 2009
Week of June 15th
Ghostbusters: The Video Game
Black College Football Xperience
Week of June 22nd
Fight Night: Round 4
Overlord 2
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires
Week of June 29th
Heist
BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger Limited Edition
Borderlands
Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood
Week of June 8th
EA SPORTS Grand Slam Tennis
Virtua Tennis 2009
Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10
Week of June 15th
Guitar Hero Smash Hits
Ghostbusters: The Video Game
Week of June 22nd
Overlord: Dark Legend
The Conduit
Resident Evil Archives: Resident Evil
Week of June 29th
Roogoo
Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince
Week of June 8th
Miami Law
Lego Battles
The Legendary Starfy
Black Sigil: Blade of the Exiled
Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings
Puzzle City
Week of June 15th
Ghostbusters: The Video Game
Flower, Sun and Rain
Emergency Room: Real Life Rescues
Week of June 22nd
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor
Overlord: Minions
Week of June 29th
7 Wonders 2
Mega Man Star Force 3 Black Ace
Mega Man Star Force 3 Red Joker
C.O.R.E.
Week of June 15th
Prototype
Defense Grid
Ghostbusters: The Video Game
Hummer
Week of June 22nd
FUEL
Spore Galactic Adventures
Overlord 2
Week of June 29th
Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince
Borderlands
Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
Week of June 8th
Virtua Tennis 2009
Prototype
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10
Week of June 15th
Guitar Hero Smash Hits
Ghostbusters: The Video Game
Week of June 22nd
Overlord 2
Fight Night: Round 4
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires
Week of June 29th
BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger Limited Edition
Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood
Borderlands
Week of June 8th
Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings
Class of Heroes
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10
Week of June 15th
PDC Championship Darts 2008
Week of June 22nd
Pangya: Fantasy Golf
Monster Hunter Freedom Unite
Week of June 29th
Mytran Wars
Steambot Chronicles: Battle Tournament
Not a bad month, considering all the good gaming that’s already out this year.
What are you picking up?
E3 link dump
Yay for super late E3 wrap-up posts! E3 2009 happened and there was quite a bit to be excited about. Nat covered a few of the things, but here is some of what caught my eye:
It’s not secret that I am a HUGE fan of both New Super Mario Brothers on the DS and Super Mario Galaxy on the Wii, so it’s no surprise that I’m excited to see a new New Super Mario Bros. on the Wii (game play video) and of course Super Mario Galaxy 2 (game play video). The return of Yoshi will make my kids happy (they love Super Mario World on my old SNES) and the multiplayer for NSMB looks like a blast.
On the 360 front, the new last.fm integration is intriguing. While I’m a big fan of Twitter (and Facebook to a lesser extent), I’m not sure if I’m excited about the integration there. Time will tell. Game-wise, I’m a Forza Fan, so Forza Motor Sports 3 (game play video) is probably a day-one purchase for me. Because I’m also a Halo-whore, Halo: ODST will also be picked up at some point. Nat highlighted the Crackdown 2 trailer. No need to say anything more about that. I’m ready for some new Splinter Cell. It’s been too long. I’m still not sold on Natal.
As far as PC gaming goes, I’m reluctant to commit to anything other than fearing how terribly addicted I could become to playing Star Wars: The Old Republic (hands-on). That is looking extremely polished and pretty much full of pure awesomeness.
And wrapping everything up is my surprise hit of the show, Scribblenauts on the DS. This game is going to be a blast. It’s got keyboard cat, people!