Reviews

2 Minute Review – Guitar Hero: Van Halen

December 11, 2009 by Jason O 3 Comments

A game that needs no introduction

Do: Play as the legendary band Van Halen

Type: Music Rhythm

Platforms: Playstation 2, Playstation 3, XBox 360 (Reviewed), Wii

Price: $59.99 PS3 and XBox 360, $49.99 PS2 and Wii

Meat: Not unlike Guitar Hero: Metallica, this is yet another band specific Guitar Hero release but with the ability to play all the instruments. Although after Guitar Hero: Aerosmith I said I would stay away from band specific games I am a huge Van Halen fan and I actually didn’t pay for this game. As part of ordering Guitar Hero 5 I received this free.

For anyone familiar with the Guitar Hero formula they should be instantly familiar with the game, though in many ways this game is a throwback and feels wrong after playing Guitar Hero 5. Despite some of the improvements made in Guitar Hero 5, which were carried over into Band Hero, Van Halen is clearly using a system more akin to the earlier Guitar Hero: World Tour. This just seems odd given its release date and the improvements made to Band Hero which was also released after Guitar Hero 5.

Also disconcerting is the total lack of reference to former band members Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony, or any songs that were sung by Sammy Hagar for that matter. C’mon guys! I know that David Lee Roth’s huge ego doesn’t like to acknowledge the band was actually successful while he was gone, but “Why Can’t This Be Love?” is a Van Halen classic! 5150 was a great album and it’s total exclusion is glaring to any Van Halen fan.

In fact, that seems to be the biggest problem with the game. It seems to be focused around the egos of Eddie Van Halen and David Lee Roth without any concern over fan expectations. It’s like every distasteful thing fans have put up with who loved their music but presented in videogame form.

Perks: Overall it’s a great selection of music that covers some of the classic Van Halen hits. Without a doubt the opening song should be and is “Panama” which will thrill most fans and is the perfect introduction to Van Halen’s musical style for those that didn’t grow up with their music.

For a band that has often focused on how great a guitarist Eddie Van Halen is, the other instruments are not ignored. There are challenging drum sections, vocals, and bass chords throughout different songs. The game is very guitar focused, but that should be expected given the source material.

Screams: At this point though I am tired of the idea that the other songs have anything to do with Van Halen. After Beatles: Rock Band I think its safe to say that either a band is strong enough to represent themselves based on their own music catalog or not.

Here’s another big problem with the game. Despite the fact that Guitar Hero and Rock Band have both moved away from doing cover versions and moved on to master tracks, some of Van Halen’s songs are covers themselves. “You Really Got Me” and “Pretty Woman”, both made famous by their original artists, are presented as Van Halen’s work. Considering the nature of these games, these seem like odd additions.

Overall, the game really was released too late. Some of the better known Van Halen songs should have been released sooner when Guitar Hero was only about guitar and bass and simply included with earlier releases. Part of the problem with Guitar Hero: Van Halen, is that they may not be strong enough to carry their own game. Maybe they are, but they would have to be willing to use the whole of their music catalog instead of pretending certain events didn’t happen.

Verdict: PASS – There is not enough of a game here to justify a purchase and I wouldn’t even bother renting. Many of the stronger non Van Halen songs are available as downloads in Rock Band already. This should not have been a full game.

Requiescat in pace: Assassin’s Creed II

December 9, 2009 by Nat 2 Comments

6a00e3982444028833012876115b64970c-800wi In some video games there comes a time where you know that you are going to be in it for the long haul. I remember relentlessly playing Wildstar and even though Killer Guides published a Wildstar class guide, it took me a little longer than expected to find a stopping point. No other game will be played until this one is done. No TV. No Internet. Nothing.

For me it was when the protagonist of Ubisoftâ€™s recent game, Assassinâ€™s Creed II, stumbled while climbing up a building near the beginning of the game. With literally no weapons and assassinâ€™s outfit, I knew that this was going to be somewhat of an evolution story. Ezio was a rookie. He didnâ€™t even know his fatherâ€™s lineage — what his father truly was in the family controlled city-states of Renaissance Italy.

In the previous game, you played as Altiar an ancestor to Ezio. However, you started that game as a complete assassin. It’s not so this time around. In what amounts to the first underpinnings of the Italian mafia (Ezio’s accent even reminds you of east coast mafia movies), you’re just nothing but a street-brawling, womanizing son of an upper-middle class family. Just what is it that daddy does?

He’s an assassin.

More importantly, he’s a protector of the “Truth” behind the Garden of Eden and its famed forbidden fruit.

Oh, from here on out I must warn you. This will not be a completely spoiler free review. I don’t give too much away like specifics, but there is a game progression.

Inconceivable…

Technically, you’re not playing the game as Ezio, but you are actually playing the game as Desmond who is in turn playing as Ezio. Confused? Baby, you’ve seen nothing yet. Desmond is also an ancestor of Altiar who lives in a very near future from our own. Apparently, a certain group of scientists (we’ll call them the evil Templars who suppress the truth and use it for their own gain) have discovered that the memories of all our ancestors reside in our DNA. They’ve created technology that lets someone “re-live” their ancestors past.

In the first game, these Templars have abducted Desmond (because by genetic makeup alone he is an enemy) to learn the truth behind some historical events that did not go their way. Namely, they are looking for pieces of a device that when separated are pretty powerful but combined well, it’s not pretty. They want to combine it.

This time around itâ€™s a day later for Desmond and heâ€™s on the run with another assassin descendant, Lucy. Conveniently, they have a portable animus with better features — literally called Animus 2.0 — and Desmond needs to jump back into another ancestorâ€™s memory. We return to Ezio. Thank goodness — for now.

Family Ties

Ezio is a bit of an uninspiring bumbler. The second oldest of four children, he pretty much lives off his family’s wealth and has almost no ambition in life except for wine, women, and song. this is where you begin.

And the beginning may take up to four hours. In what possibly may be be the longest interactive narrative and tutorial for a game ever made we get to learn along with Ezio how to climb buildings with ease, fist fight, and equip some armor. His motivation? In a surprising turn of events dear old dad and his two brothers are arrested for treason (think only one outcome), mommy goes into a state of shock, and sis decides grow brain and become the family accountant.

Only at the end of the memory sequence (think levels) when Ezio dons the traditional assassin blade do you realize that he now has a motive, mission, and will to live. We get to follow him over the course of twenty years discovering who he was along the way all the while stabbing people. Lots and lots of people.

For someone who may be well versed in the controls and playability of the first game the opening sequences of this title may be a bit of a bore. It’s saving grace is the wonderful opening narrative that sets the tone for Ezio and his surrounding environment. By the time Leonardo da Vinci fabricates your assassin blade for Ezio and then makes another one for him you know that you want to experience the full effect of being an Italian Assassin.

Big Time BFFs

Leonardo? In one of Ubisoft’s best moves, da Vinci becomes a confidant and gadget maker for Ezio. The scenes and missions with him are truly enjoyable. Towards the end of the game, you realize that Ezio would do anything for Leo. Renaissance bosom buddies. In other words, da Vinci would be Ezios wingman, but Ezio would not be his. They do mention that little known orienttion of the Italian genius, but it’s very minor.

Over the course of the next twenty-five hours (and twenty in-game years) Ezio assassinates, races, follows, climbs, and learns more about how Italian politics is really nothing compared to the conspiracy pulling their strings. Everyone wants a piece of the take even when they don’t truly understand what that “piece” is.

It’s a fixer-upper

Ezio cannot be an assassin all the time and that’s wonderfully handled in the family villa. You restore it to its former glory by collecting items (that have meaning and worth this time around) investing in the village surrounding the city, collecting art from the various cities, and investing in new weapons and armor.

Speaking of income, Ezio is also a little bit of a thief. He can steal from almost anyone, loot dead bodies, and take money from various treasure chests all over the place. This adds so much to the character. Altiar had a sense of honor and ideals where he only stole when necessary. For Ezio, it’s more than a necessity. it’s a way of life. As a side note, there are some in the game who can steal from you.

No one ever got away with stealing from me — and they never stole again.

Anything you can do…

There are some other things that Ezio can do that Altiar couldnâ€™t. He can blend with any crowd of two or more people not just monks. He can hire groups of people to do various tasks: thieves harass, mercenaries fight, and courtesans, well, you know, distract. Ezio can throw money on the ground as well to create a mini-riot of pheasants and guards — another excellent diversion tactic. In the areas of fighting, he can bare-knuckle almost any opponent and disarm them eventually using their own weapons against them.

There are a lot of weapons is this game, but really only two or three matter. The rest are good for one or two fights to see what they do and and then they’re off to the weapon’s room in the villa for display. The same goes for armor.

The amazing thing about the final armor and weapon is that they have this almost epic quality in their use. The task of solving six assassin tomb riddles to acquire the gear is one of the highlights of the game — but the last tomb is one of the worst frustrations. Timed events with clunky wall — running control is not a winner.

All roads lead to…

The end of the game has you facing the most powerful person in the known world at that time. It actually was a little bit of a shock (And also relied a little too much on Hollywood end-movie cliche.) However, by this time Ezio has discovered who and what he his. His mission is in full effect. Revenge and free will preservation are his motives–even if he fully doesn’t understand a lot of the history behind it.

We do get to see the history in its full glory. There’s one line delivered by a key character in the end that’s not directed to Ezio but to someone else that has a huge impact on the future of this da Vinci-code laden universe. I suppose that I should have seen it coming but it took me by surprise. “No. Way.” is what I think I uttered.

The only problem with the narrative is that we are left with Ezio in the dark. This may not really matter because all this time the story has been about Desmond. See, there’s this bleeding effect that the Animus has: the patient starts to learn the skills of their ancestors.

Any guess as to who the next assassin in the third game may be?

Next time on in search of…

On a final note, the historical detail behind the cities and their prominent features is amazing. Every painting you collect is real and includes a description of the piece and its artist. I don’t believe that the Renaissance is an area that’s been fully explored in a game setting before. Ubisoft are truly masters of putting you in the place of interesting underused time periods when it’s late fifteenth-century Italy or the time of the crusades. The cites in Assassin’s Creed II are alive with people not just walking around but drunk, playing games, celebrating Carnivale (amazing!), painting walls, carrying all sorts of textiles and produce, and trying to hawk a few florins from you with a song (hint: steal from them instead).

After every assassination, Ezio shows the life he has just taken some respect by uttering the phrase, Requiescat in pace. It essentially means rest in peace. The story may be over for Ezio at the end of Assassin’s Creed II (actually there will be some DLC that’ll fill in some gaps in the memory timeline), but it appears to be just beginning for Desmond.

In the beginning, God…?

I played this game on the PS3 to completion eventually earning my first Platinum Trophy for getting every trophy in the game.

2 Minute Review – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

December 4, 2009 by Jason O 4 Comments

More Modern Warfare!

Do: Continue the story of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Type: First Person Shooter

Platforms: XBox 360 (Reviewed), Playstation 3, Windows

Price: $59.99 all platforms

Travel to exotic locales, meet new people, and destroy all their stuff

Meat: Until Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare came out I was not a big fan of the COD series. I won’t go into specifics, I just didn’t particularly care for it. However, Infinity Ward won me over at last with COD4 and I played through many of the single-player missions multiple times and found the multi-player to be a welcome respite from Halo 3’s infuriating design decisions. However, one observation I had about COD4 was that it was essentially two games. An excellent single-player story that had all of its art assets and underlying engine reused for the multi-player portion. This is not a complaint, as I found myself perfectly happy with each “game”, though I would like the two to have crossed a little more.

Unfortunately, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 does little to alleviate this. If you’ve played COD4, you’ve played MW2. As a bonus commentary, if you’ve played COD4 you’ve also played Call of Duty: World At War, just with a different time period and weapons. Essentially you’ve got the single-player game with a strong story focus and almost frustratingly linear level design and a strong multi-player component that practically exists as its own game. As a bonus, there are the new “Special Operations” missions that use many of the single-player and multi-player maps for specific game types, all of which can be played co-op and some can not be played single-player at all.

From a technical standpoint the game is near perfect, which is not much of a compliment since COD4 was already polished to a mirror shine. There are some graphical improvements, especially in the weapon models, but the game will feel very familiar if you’ve played its predecessor.

Perks: Without a doubt this game is about as close to technical perfection as you can get in a contemporary first person shooter. I’m sure you could harp about even more photo-realistic graphics or greater audio fidelity, but in terms of how the game works it’s as good as it needs to be and that’s all I ask.

The single-player story is well designed, at least from a level perspective. They have greatly improved enemy encounters by removing the ridiculous infinite “spawn closets” that enemies used to appear from until you passed a checkpoint. Combat is frantic and remains an adrenaline fueled affair. I want desperately to enjoy the fight itself in a first person shooter, and the Modern Warfare series has yet to disappoint.

Some nice additions to the game are the new weapon attachments, like the heartbeat sensor and thermal site. Both add new tactics to the game and yet are not without their own limitations. The breaching mechanic, while simplistic, never seems to get old. When you breach a wall or door the game goes into a slow motion “bullet time” which allows you to act quickly to prevent the execution of hostages or counter-ambush enemies that were lying in wait. I think they did this just enough to keep it from getting old.

The Special Operations missions are a nice touch and add some replayability if you’re one of those people who don’t enjoy replaying their favorite single-player missions. The Special Operations range from holding off waves of enemies, vehicle chases, single-handedly wiping out enemy forces, and stealth missions. A nice co-op mission allows one player to be the AC-130 gunner while the other player coordinates on the ground.

Multi-player remains the same but with more options. At last you can use more than one weapon attachment and they’ve added additional perks and challenges to keep the on-line portion attractive to the compulsive obsessive. The underlying system remains the same so the learning curve is not steep even with new perks, attachments, and killstreaks. They have done a much better job of balancing the different options available to the players, removing the controversial juggernaut ability and limiting the use of matyrdom. In my own opinion I found the whining about these perks more annoying than their usage in COD4, but the changes have not adversely affected on-line play in the least.

Be polite. Be efficient. Have a plan to kill everyone you meet

Screams: Here’s where you need to hold onto your hats, kids, because I’m going to say some very bad things.

Despite my earlier comments about the “No Russian” mission, the rest of the story is a bust after that point. There is no emotional payoff and the rest of the story is more like an alternate history novel than a Tom Clancy knock-off. Despite the criticism of COD4 as a poor Clancy-esque novel, I liked it. The whole concept was plausible and barely utilized my suspension of disbelief. The new story makes some ridiculous leaps, is overly reliant on plot contriavances and macguffins, and some plot elements are relayed in the middle of firefights so you might miss them completely.

While I appreciated COD4’s careful balance between realism and playability, I always felt they kept it just realistic enough that I didn’t feel like I was in an 80’s action movie. Firing from the hip was inaccurate, I didn’t have a health bar, and everyone seemed to be using regionally appropriate weapons. All of that is out the window in MW2. Russians are using weapons that make little sense for them to have, Brazilian gang members are using primitive and oddly high tech weapons at the same time, and US forces come the closest to reality in a “future force warrior” sort of way but still possess an odd amalgation of weaponry. You now have weapons that can be dual-wielded, which might look cool throws any sense of “reality” right out the window.

Also, the game is ridiculously hard. As a compensation for the removal of infinite spawn closets, enemies just start out ridiculously numerous and volleys of bullets will shred you to pieces even on the easiest of difficulty levels. Some of the Special Operation missions seem to be intently focused on being played co-op despite the ability to play them single-player. None of this is insurmountable, but the game can be needlessly frustrating at times. Especially in light of how well balanced COD4 was regardless of skill-level.

A further problem is that none of this ties into the experience you earn in multi-player. Experience points used to unlock new perks, weapons, and equipment is all kept seperate. Want to play local split-screen? Fine, but those experience points only count towards split screen play. Special Operations also does not help you advance. Wait? What? One of the driving forces behind Call of Duty multi-player is the ability to rank up and earn new stuff. Why bother playing on-line if it doesn’t help me advance? You give players the option of doing special operation missions but their is no real payoff for doing them. All you get is…more special operations missions?

I could forgive this system in COD4, but after Rainbow Six Vegas 2 allowed you to earn experience both on and offline I don’t see the point of it. The problem is I want to unlock the different weapons and I want to use them all the time. Single-player or multi-player. I don’t want to be forced to interact with foul mouthed cretins to fully play your game, Infinity Ward. The way the game is designed they have nullified the whole point of doing special operations except for a tiny subset of people who don’t want to play with aforementioned foul mouthed cretins but will still venture to do on-line multi-player with friends who don’t mind getting nothing for their efforts other than bonding time with good buds.

As for the main multi-player portion itself, while the different weapons and abilities are more finely balanced I was worried that the additional killstreak options would further tilt the game towards the more experienced players. The biggest weakness of COD4’s multiplayer was its lack of good matchmaking by skill. This becomes an even bigger problem in MW2 since additional killstreak rewards just tip the scales further towards players who are doing well. This makes MW2 the least newbie friendly game released yet.

Furthermore, Infinity Ward has disabled party chat in some game modes in order to “encourage players on the same team to work together”. This was a huge mistake, as many players relied on party chat to avoid the large number of players who tended to use racial slurs or the idiots who would sing incessantly during a match. Instead I find myself unable to play those modes with friends and when I do play I have the microphone muted and the volume turned down. Well done, Infinity Ward, instead of encouraging teamwork you’ve turned a good portion of your player base into virtual hermits. I have noticed far fewer headsets plugged in during games then before. Previously, people without headsets were the minority, now they are the norm. Clearly something is going wrong.

Verdict: RENT – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is a well polished shooter and worth renting, if just to see the fate of the various characters from the previous game and to enjoy the combat and various “toys” available. If you’re not an existing Call of Duty fan then you will likely not feel any need to play the game beyond the single-player game and maybe a handful of Special Operation missions.

Flakwolf – Stop getting ripped off.

December 2, 2009 by Tony 5 Comments

A while back, I was contacted by the owner of Flakwolf, a new site looking to make a name for themselves in the online game trading business.

I know there are already a lot of trading sites out there (CAG has a pretty solid system) but I never took the plunge myself into any of these services. After having been low-balled (AGAIN) by Gamestop, trying to trade in some games, I decided to give Flakwolf a try.

It’s a fairly simple trading system, with a twist. Most trading sites have you list what games your looking for and what games you have to trade, and try to facilitate the transaction. Ultimately, most of these sites leave the final details to the users, which consists of sending a game through the mail, hoping your trader reciprocates and sends you yours. With Flakwolf, they give you the added option of limiting your trading options to someone close to you, so you can facilitate the trade locally, in-person. Some may be hesitant to meet a complete stranger to perform the trade, but anyone who’s done a local transaction from eBay or Craig’s list knows it’s actually not that big of a deal.

I decided to give it a try. The system is pretty straight forward. You list a game you want to offer. Each title is assigned a “Tier” based on how popular or in-demand the game is. You can list multiple titles. Eventually someone will be interested in a game you’ve listed and request it. You send the game along and the site credits you with the trade. You can then turn that credit around and request a game of the same Tier you traded for. Pretty easy, right?

My experience was very enjoyable. I listed my copy of Chronicles of Riddick, which rated out as a “Tier 2” game. Shortly thereafter, someone requested my game, so I exchanged emails with the requester for address info. I sent my copy of Riddick to him, and he acknowledged receipt of the game at the site. I was credited with one “Tier 2” credit, meaning I could request any available Tier 2 titles. I decided I wanted to give Call of Duty: Modern Warfare a try, so I requested an available copy. Unfortunately, a couple days passed and the guy who offered up MW never acknowledged the trade, so I was prompted (by the site) to pick another title. I decided on Pure and promptly got an email from the owner of Pure to arrange the trade. Since we weren’t local to each other, we agreed that he would ship the game to me and a few days later Pure showed up in my mailbox. Everyone lived (and gamed) happily ever after.

You can read more about Flakwolf at GameGirl.

I highly recommend it and suggest you give it a try. And let us know if you do, we’d love to hear how it worked out for you.

+800 Microsoft Points

October 14, 2009 by Will 5 Comments

Microsoft’s Summer of Arcade has come and gone. A couple of weeks ago I got a message from LIVE letting my know that 800 points had been credited to my account. This made me look back at the 5200 points I spent to get this rebate.

When I first saw the line up, I was unsure of most of the titles. Getting 800 points back was a nice incentive to take a chance on them. Now, having played all of them, I found that my expectations and my experiences with the games did not match up.

'Splosion Man

Pre-demo impression: What’s the name of the game? ‘Splosion Man? Pass.

Post-demo impression: Whoa, this game is kinda fun. The demo let me play through a few levels (six, I believe) and even gave me a sneak peek of the first boss; just enough for me to get a handle on the game. There is no tutorial at all, but I didn’t need one. All face buttons ‘splode. The left analog stick moves. Pretty simple, and I like it that way.

Post-purchase impression: The game starts of nice and easy. Every level slowly ramps up the difficultly, but at no point did I feel overwhelmed or frustrated. No matter how difficult the puzzle, I always think about how I can change my tactics to complete the puzzle.

Verdict: Satisfied. This is my favorite 2D platformer on the XBLA.

Marvel vs. Capcom 2

Pre-demo impression: I played Marvel vs. Capcom 2 when it was out on the Dreamcast. I’d play with my brothers, wife, her brother, and her future brother-in-law. We had a blast, so adding an online mode with Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix’s quarter match setup and excellent netcode? How could I go wrong?

Post-demo impression: The demo doesn’t do a good job of showing what the game can offer; you can only choose from six characters in offline mode. Oh well, since I liked the game years ago, I’m sure the full version will be fine.

Post-purchase impression: I don’t remember this game being completely unbalanced. In particular, multiple characters share similar moves (such as Captain America’s Charging Star and Jill Valentine’s Kinkyuu Kaihi B), but have completely effects in combos, allowing certain characters to be more “cheap” than others. Using the two characters I mentioned as an example, Jill can land multiple hits when your character is in the prone position, whereas Captain America can’t, despite the fact that both moves only differ in a cosmetic way. These differences lead players of Marvel vs Capcom 2 to build squads made up of the cheapest possible characters that can land as many unblockable hits in a row as possible. As I prefer to build thematic squads (such as my Boys in Blue and Brotherhood of Evil Mutants teams), playing against this type of gamer leads to me getting frustrated.

Verdict: Regret. Years of playing better-balanced, slower-paced fighting games like Street Figher IV, Soul Calibur IV, Dead or Alive 4, and Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix have made this game unplayable for me.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle: Turtles In Time Re-Shelled

Pre-demo impression: Just like with Marvel vs. Capcom 2, I played this game with friends and family on the SNES. It was such a simple game with memorable music and colorful graphics that looked like the cartoon. Now I’ll get this game again, with updated graphics and four-player LIVE play? Instant buy.

Post-demo impression: What happened? I already knew that the graphics were going to be different. Unlike many message board posters, I actually like the new graphics, since they look a lot like the most recent CG TMNT movie. However, I did not expect the light-hearted and sometimes goofy music to be replaced with totally uninspired music that could have been copied directly from a low-budget B-movie’s soundtrack.

Post-purchase impression: I just can’t get over the change in music. When I think back to the multiplayer beat ‘em up action games from my youth, like Streets of Rage and Final Fight, one of the things that sticks out is the music. This game’s dull tones seem to be trying to put me to sleep. Knowing what the music should sound like prevents me from getting into it. That aside, it works well as a four-player online game.

Verdict: Regret. My nostalgia for the SNES version of Turtles in Time negatively affected my ability to enjoy this new version.

Trials HD

Pre-demo impression: Some called this game an HD ExciteBike. I never played that game or its Nintendo 64 follow-up, so that comparison didn’t take hold on me.

Post-demo impression: This game is pretty fun! The tutorial is simple but effective. I breezed through the levels offered in the demo. I imagine the game will get harder, but I should enjoy it.

Post-purchase impression: This game is ridiculously hard. In no way did the demo prepare me for the extreme ramp up in difficulty. The Beginner and Easy tracks are pretty easy to get gold medals in. The Medium tracks are unbelievably hard. I don’t even want to see what the Hard and Extreme tracks are like. Want to see how hard this game is? The split wasn’t in my controller before buying Trials HD:

Verdict: Satisfied. Yes, it is ridiculously hard. If you have the patience to push your way through, or a lot of controllers to go through, you will enjoy it. When I first wrote my post-purchase impressions on this game, the Medium tracks were practically impossible. Now, I have gotten through them, finished most of the Hard tracks and am struggling with the Extreme ones. My controller has flown across the room a few more times, but I keep coming back for me.

Shadow Complex

Read our full review on Shadow Complex.

Pre-demo impression: This game is constantly referred to as a Metroidvania-style title. Those are mighty big words for me, as that designation doesn’t only describe how it plays, but it is a statement about its quality.

Post-demo impressions: I can see that Shadow Complex has a lot of potential. I enjoyed the opening sequence, where you get to see how powerful your character will become. It is an effective tease.

Post-purchase impressions: Shadow Complex was very difficult for the first few hours. Jason Flemming could not take many hits before dying, and I found the “aim at the background” mechanic to be flawed and aggravating to deal with. Given how difficult the beginning was to me, it became immensely gratifying to see Jason’s power grow. By the end of the game, I strolled into every room without bothering to take cover. I walked over every enemy, including those annoying black-suited agents that would hang from the ceiling. The ending sequence is one of the easier ones I’ve seen in a game, which was a bit anti-climactic.

Verdict: Satisfied. Shadow Complex became an obsession for me. I wouldn’t quit until I found all of the items. I intend on going back to get all the way to level 50.

I spent 1200 more points than I should have. The rebate made up for the cost of Turtles in Time Re-Shelled, but I’m still out for the cost of Marvel vs. Capcom 2. Even though I really enjoy the three Arcade titles that I had no previous experience with, buying into the Summer of Arcade was not a smart financial move.

2 Minute Review – Professor Layton & The Diabolical Box

October 1, 2009 by Brock Leave a Comment

The Professor and Luke are up to their wacky hijinks again!

Do: Unravel a mystery while solving close to 150 different logic puzzles.

Type: Puzzle/Adventure

Platform: Nintendo DS

Price: $29.99

Meat: As the sequel to last year’s puzzle/adventure game for the DS, Professor Layton & The Curious Village, Professor Layton & The Diabolical Box comes with some high expectations. You are tasked with guiding the titular Professor and his plucky assistant Luke through a rather substantial tale of murder, theft and intrigue as they attempt to find the Elysian Box, an artifact that kills any who dare open it. This is done by solving upwards of 130 different logic puzzles scattered throughout the tale. Some puzzles are random while some are integral to moving the story forward. Add to that a much larger variety of minigames and you are looking at a game that takes about 12 hours to playthrough with plenty of extra goodies to keep you coming back for more.

Perks: The art design and music are a slice of whimsy and exotic flair in a world of games filled with too much gritty darkness. While the subject matter in Professor Layton & The Diabolical Box can be quite grim, there is always a sense of innocence about the proceedings. The puzzles in Diabolical Box are integrated into their surroundings much better than they were in the first game, with at least a hint of context given for each offering. Animated cutscenes are sprinkled liberally through the game and are a delight to watch. There has also been an improvement in the localization of the text clues for the word puzzles over the first game, which is a huge plus.

Screams: For a stronger resolution to the core plot. The game spends a lot of time weaving together several plot threads but then seems to rush the ending. The finale is still satisfying but the twists do seem to come out of nowhere and are resolved far too quickly for my taste.

Verdict: Buy. This is the middle game in a trilogy but the story is very self-contained with most of the allusions to the events of the first Layton game summed up nicely.

Cheap Game of the Week – Guitar Hero: Aerosmith

October 1, 2009 by Jason O Leave a Comment

Overview: The title says it all, Guitar Hero + Aerosmith.

Pricing: This one has dropped pretty fast. $15 used seems to be the standard and new copies go for $20. The version with the guitar even dropped to $50 or less, which is ridiculously cheap if you don’t already have the controller.

Rip-Off Warning: Not much danger here. All the Guitar Hero games except for Metallica, Smash Hits, and 5 seem to be dropping in price steadily. Look around and you might see the occasional $25 or 30 price.

Platform: Playstation 2, Playstation 3, XBox 360 (Reviewed), Wii

Is it worth it? This might be my cheap game of the week, but I actually purchased this brand-spanking new with a guitar controller and everything for $100. The release was just a perfect storm of having recently discovered the music rhythm genre, needing a second 360 compatible controller, and actually being an Aerosmith fan. How’s that for a disclaimer?

Unfortunately, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith was the sophmore effort for Neversoft who released the incredibly well selling but widely criticized Guitar Hero III after Harmonix went off to make Rock Band. The primary criticisms of Guitar Hero III was imprecise note charts, high degree of difficulty, and the ridiculous “boss battles” that they introduced. Instead of the fun, casual, social gaming experience that previous Guitar Hero games had been, Neversoft had seemingly adopted their usual “2 HARDKOR 4 U” mentality of the Tony Hawk series.

While they claimed to have listened to criticisms, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith feels like one of those non-apologies that are quickly followed by a middle finger when your back is turned. The difficulty isn’t quite as bad, but still ramps up rather quickly about mid-game. They retained one boss battle and made it skippable. That just smacks of a stubborn refusal to learn their lesson while also acknowledging that maybe it wasn’t the best idea. As for the note charts, my favorite quote about GH: Aerosmith was “Neversoft continues to display complete ignorance for the mechanical workings of a guitar or even a human hand”.

Other issues is that the game is incredibly short and there are many other songs you have to play through before getting to each Aerosmith set. That’s too bad because if you’re an Aerosmith fan it’s a pretty good song list, but if you’re not a fan then there is no point to this game. Adding other bands that “inspired” or where “inspired by” Aerosmith is just a lame attempt to pull in people who aren’t familiar with their music.

Final Judgement: This is a PASS. If you’re an existing Aerosmith fan you may enjoy it, but otherwise it’s going to feel like a waste of time and money to most anyone else.

[2 Minute Review] The Beatles: Rock Band

September 17, 2009 by Nat 2 Comments

Do you want to know a secret?

We all live in a yellow submarine

DO: The Beatles meet Rock Band. Simple.

TYPE: While my plastic guitar gently weeps

PLATFORM: Xbox 360 (reviewed), PlayStation 3, and Wii

PRICE: $60

MEAT: If you’ve played Rock Band almost nothing has changed except the difficulty has been lowered a notch for almost all the songs. The technicality of the songs was much simpler then, but, of course, the songs are accessibe by almost anyone. It’s awesome to the see the evolution of their music as you play each venue they play or as you sit with them in the studio. The dreamscapes (what goes on in the background in the latter half of the game because the group didn’t tour) are so amazing that they can be distracting at first.

PERKS: style and presentation are top-notch; enough for hardcore Beatles fans; engaging and interesting enough for people familiar with the group; catchy tunes, interesting rewards; a music game that’s accessible for mom and dad; fun with a little help from your friends; 45 songs is just enough for one group; vocal harmonization; got my wife to play late into the evening three days straight

SCREAMS: to have Hey Jude and Let It Be; you’re not really playing a specific character; to have a little more depth; 45 songs is not enough for one game; $60 may be too much for some. The Beatles are the taxmen;

VERDICT: He buys her diamond rings you know. She said so. Im in love with her and I feel fine. I was not a Beatle fan, but the prospect of playing a Rock Band game where I knew at least ten of the songs intrigued me. After one week, I’ve become a fan. I guess the game worked. The title oozes style and substance. A non-fan may not see the substance, but I found the pictures, trivia, group dynamics, and all the history to be very interesting. I think what the game does very well is show how the group was innovative with almost everything they did up until the end. The evolution in their style of music, clothes, and even hair were indicative of the times. I was born in the late 70’s and I guess the biggest compliment I can give this game is that I understand the era in which they played a little better and it’s getting better all the time.

2 Minute Review: Shadow Complex

August 26, 2009 by Jason O 2 Comments

An old school throwback with all modern bells and whistles

DO: Indulge your sense of nostalgia over a game genre that’s time has largely past. Alternatively, if you’re not a gaming dinosaur, find out why everyone loved Metroid so much.

TYPE: Side-Scrolling Platformer

PLATFORM: XBox 360 (Reviewed)

PRICE: $15

MEAT: You play as Jason Fleming (sidenote: More protagonists should be named “Jason”. It’s an awesome name.) who appears to be an everyman in the same way Steven Seagal’s character in Under Siege was “just a cook”. In a very brief flashback we’re given that Jason’s mysterious background includes some kind of training because his father is some kind of super-spy and/or warrior badass and wanted his son to follow in his footsteps. Despite his attempt at a normal life he finds himself unwittingly drawn into a plot against the United States when he, and I’m not making this up, stumbles into the base of a homegrown terrorist organization thanks to an outing with his “girlfriend” that was supposed to be nothing more than some hiking and spelunking. I used “girlfriend” in quotes because despite the marketing materials for the game they also establish that Jason and Claire have been dating for all of two days. The lengths he goes through for a woman he met at a bar is nothing short of epic.

I wouldn’t usually bother with the back story, but in this case the story is very much part of the gameplay and it does a great job. For a side-scroller I don’t expect much since you’re artificially confined in your actions, yet the action onscreen and the story presentation flow together perfectly. Your character is upgraded gradually and as you unlock new abilities you can backtrack to previously visited locations to acquire upgrades that were inaccessible before. Despite all the backtracking, the ability to explore a section in a way that wasn’t previously possible keeps the game interesting even though you may have visited the same room multiple times.

Just a minor spoiler, but what you have is a guy who starts out with a flashlight and the ability to jump who gradually ends up with a suit of incredible power armor that gives him abilities beyond that of normal men.

PERKS: In my opinion these kinds of retro-retreads are unnecessary since technology has since advanced enough that we can move beyond the old “side scroller”. There is a reason the Metroid series went first person. The only reason why I’m reviewing this game is because I downloaded the demo just to see what all the fuss was about.

Then something miraculous happened.

The game was just ridiculously fun to play. Save points occur often enough that the game can be played in short bursts, if you can actually force yourself to turn it off, but are far enough apart that there is a real challenge. The controls, for the most part, are excellently done. One of my long-standing complaints with platformers, even those that fuse with side-scrolling shooters, is the lack of precision in controlling the character. Aiming your weapons is a bit of a challenge at first, but with practice becomes fairly simple. I never felt like I was struggling with the controls and that is incredibly important.

The actual “Shadow Complex” is vast with many varied environments, hazards, and enemies. The game has an excellent pace, keeping the player engaged and allowing them to flex some muscle on occasion while making sure they get fresh challenges. I really appreciate that as you acquire new abilities some of the early opponents that are quite difficult become easy to dispatch in a variety of satisfying ways. Naturally, the game keeps ramping up the “bosses” so it never gets too easy but the player is not exposed to a challenge too early either.

SCREAMS: The game is “2.5D”, so there are times when you have side hallways that enemies can approach but you can’t travel down. In theory you can aim and shoot them, but sometimes you have your gun pointed at enemies and other times it’s pointing straight up. In this case the controls try to interpret your intention and it doesn’t always work.

Your ability to “wall climb” is limited, which is ok except that sometimes the game doesn’t register your attempt to jump off one wall to another Jackie Chan style. Also, one of your abilities is a grappling hook which is tons of fun but has the same problem as the wall climb. It can be very frustrating to see your grappling line bounce ineffectually off of a wall or ceiling.

Perhaps a personal preference, the game has many areas that are inaccessible early on that you can later unlock by using upgrades the game gives you. The problem here is that the upgrades needed seem to come about midway through the game, but then come quite often. This is kind of frustrating though because you can see areas that have extras you could get to but have to continually ignore because you haven’t acquired missiles yet or can’t double jump.

A common complaint is that you can trigger the endgame by accident. The good news is that if this happens you can simply end and restart from your last continue. This way you can still get any upgrades you may have missed. You cannot trigger the endgame sequence without at least having the basic abilities to beat it, so the game at least gives players the possibility of winning, though the challenge may be greater than it has to be if they are not sufficiently prepared.

Screenshots will not do this game justice

VERDICT: Let me be clear here, this is my “2009 Game I Can’t Put Down” and I truly do feel this entire genre is well past it’s prime. This is a game I was determined to hate and love it anyway. You can’t rent it and I would recommend this as a BUY even if you could.

[20 Minute Review] inFAMOUS

August 4, 2009 by Nat 2 Comments

No, the title is not a typo. We’ve got a 20 minute review of inFAMOUS for you.

Brock and I both played through the game, one as good and the other as evil. Our initial goal was to have a special 4 Minute Review where we each took turns writing about the game. The more and more we discussed it, the more we began to realize that almost every aspect of the game flows into the narrative somehow.

We decided to get on Skype and make a rough recording and see what we came up with. So we present a 20+ minute conversation about inFAMOUS and we give our 2MRs at the end. Realize, that this is a rough cut. The only audio post-processing I did was leveling it.

Let us know your thoughts about the game after giving it a listen (which you can do online or download).

[audio:http://www.buttonmashing.com/audio/inFamous.mp3]

NOTE: RSS readers may have to come to the site to listen online.

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