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“Prototype 2″ Game Review

May 10, 2012 in Games, Playstation 3 RealViews, Xbox 360 RealViews

Back in 2009, both the Sucker Punch and Radical Entertainment released sandbox superhero games. Sucker Punch released inFAMOUS exclusively for the PS3 and Radical Entertainment released Prototype. In my personal opinion, inFAMOUS was vastly superior. Fast-forward two or so years later and both titles now have sequels. inFAMOUS 2 was a huge improvement over the first title, so does Prototype 2 accomplish the same thing?

First off, the graphics have seen a noticeable bump, as the cut-scenes are incredible. Unfortunately, the in-game graphics fall short. The cut-scenes are rendered in grayscale except for the colors red and blue. Red being for the good guys and Alex Mercer, and blue being for the bad guys, Genteck and Blackwatch. This really makes the colors pop and always lets you know who we are rooting for. The in-game graphics, as stated previously, are nothing special. It’s not that they’re bad, they’re just middle-of-the-road, creating an inconsistent presentation.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

As a once great man stated, “Special effects without a story is a pretty boring thing.” Fortunately, the story is very good. The story follows James Heller as he attempts to avenge his wife and daughter, both presumably killed by Alex Mercer. Heller moves his way up the ranks, consuming higher-ups such as Genteck and Blackwater, the creators of the virus, to find Mercer. Heller is definitely an anti-hero considering how many people he is willing to kill to obtain his goal, but he does show his humanity at times, making him a likable character. The story progression stops from time to time and only really advances in moments of transition to the next area.

What’s a the point of a good story if the core of a game — the gameplay — is broken? The gameplay itself is the same if not worse than its predecessor. Down from the original eight powers, there are now only five — only one is new. Even some of the more fun powers from the first game are stripped out. There are far less strategies available to the player, making it feel more like a button-masher. One of my favorite things in the first game was to use the shield power to manipulate the rag doll physics and alas, that shit’s been canned. There’s also a huge lack of enemy variation and with 3 or 4 attacks for each enemy, their patterns becomes easily memorized. I found that by the third act, I was never attacked. But enough of Prototype 2 vs Prototype, the question you want to know is if Prototype 2 matches up to inFAMOUS 2. The answer is, again, no. inFAMOUS 2 was incredible because I really felt that by the end of the game, Cole had really changed and evolved in not only as being a character, but as a super-powered badass that I loved controlling. By the end of Prototype 2, my character felt the exact same and I had never changed my strategy throughout the game — weak.

Report Card

Story: 88
Graphics: 84
Audio: 64
Gameplay: 64
Lasting Appeal: 30

Overall
60

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“Twisted Metal” Game Review

April 24, 2012 in Games, Playstation 3 RealViews

As I looked at upcoming games this year I noticed many reboots. For example: Max Payne 3, Far Cry 3, and Hitman Absolution. All of the games mentioned I was at least able to recognize. Growing up as a Nintendo 64 kid, I never touched Twisted Metal. So when I finally got my hands on Twisted Metal this year, I ended up having a blast.

First, let me mention that the story is sub-par at best. There are three main characters you play as throughout the story: Sweet Tooth, Mr. Grimm, and Dollface. Only one of these three characters had any kind of depth. Each character plays through Calypso’s challenge to have one wish granted. Sweet Tooth is a psychotic killer whose only goal is to kill the one victim that got away. Mr. Grimm is also a killer but his goal is to change history so that his father never died. Dollface, again, is a psychotic killer/super model before she dawned a mask that never comes off. Her goal is to remove the mask and become the most popular super model in the world. Out of all three protagonists, Mr. Grimm is the only one who doesn’t come off as insane and villainous (sound familiar God of War fans?) and to remain spoiler-free, I’m going to say the endings are extremely obvious and end in the same manner.

As far as graphics go, they are also par to sub par. The cut scenes  use real actors in front of a green screen. These scenes can be cool but I prefer CGI for video games. In-game graphics look like they’re from PS2 days and considering how powerful the PS3 is, there is no reason for the gameplay graphics to look this bad.

So if the story is bad and the graphics are worse, what exactly is good? From the first match I played, I absolutely loved the gameplay. The simple objective of the game is to destroy all of the other opponents. Matches quickly become fast-paced and intense as you try desperately to sniff that little bit of health out of your prey while ten other vehicles pounce on you at once. My one gripe with the gameplay are the controls. The controls feel like they are meant for the original PlayStation. After a while I got used to the controls but they still annoyed me. The fact that I couldn’t change the control scheme in the option menu is inexcusable. As far as variety goes, I found constantly changing my strategy against different opponents and using different vehicles fun. There is also a huge variety of vehicles to choose from with their own play style and specials. Vehicles like Kamikaze tend to move in and out quickly to avoid damage, while people like Sweet Tooth tend to follow their prey and escape when health runs low. From what I heard of the soundtrack, it was mostly metal. While I am not a fan of metal, it really fit for intensity. Unfortunately, I could barely hear it most times over the car engines and gun fires. The story took me about five hours, with a lot of lasting appeal going after gold medals for each event. Overall, I had a blast playing it, especially with friends.

Report Card

Story: 56
Graphics: 45
Audio: 77
Gameplay: 90

Overall
75

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“Mass Effect 3″ Game Review

March 9, 2012 in Games, Playstation 3 RealViews, Xbox 360 RealViews

2007 saw the Mass Effect franchise enter the gaming stratosphere, grabbing the attention of many-a gamers with its epic-scale space story, melding of third-person shooter gameplay and RPG elements, and the gripping dialogue-based moral choices. Four years later, the revered franchise is here to close out its impossibly massive yet comprehensible tale. I’m not going to lead you on — Mass Effect 3 is easily the frontrunner for this year’s game of the year award and it’s hard to imagine another title topping the absolutely enthralling and unforgettable experience that this saga-closer is. Bioware, you guys have made the best trilogy of this generation and with this closing chapter, you’ve made a strong case for the best game of this generation.

Mass Effect 3 follows Shepard as he leads the galaxy in a final stand against the Reapers — against the extinction of all species. The opening’s ending’s somber tone never lets up throughout the game, escalating and down-spiraling into darker places, seeing Shepard in many-a desperate and impossibly dire situations. The tone and atmosphere is as bleak as a story can fucking get, matching each triumph with a dark and gruesome event that makes you wonder if it’s even worth it. The collateral damage is absolutely astronomical here and you truly, truly get the sense of how menacing the Reapers are. They’re an omnipresent force that are making quick work of species and the story never fails to surprise you with the meaningful deaths and surprising dark ends that some species encounter. Bioware can’t be praised enough for the undeniably intense, backs-against-the-fucking-wall  story they so painstakingly made. Unfortunately, none of the multiple endings really provide absolute closure, but rather a kind of copout, opting to end ambiguously.

Another stellar, stellar, stellar aspect of this title is the fact that the adventure leading up to the end is an ultimate summation of all your choices ever made since the first title, tying pretty much every loose end. Mass Effect 3, of course, hosts a plethora of new decisions to make, especially the I-have-to-pause-this-game-and-sleep-on-it endgame decision. While it’s exceptionally engrossing to make these new choices, it’s equally satisfying to see your prior choices in ME 1/2 pay off or chew you a new asshole. The story is so personable since it’s so heavily dependent on your prior choices. For example, if you let Wrex die in the first game, then expect a significantly different mission in Mass Effect 3 than you would get had he survived — hell, you might not even get to see Tuchanka (the home planet of Wrex and the Krogans)! I can’t think of any game that feels more like a true trilogy and with such masterful writing and damn near perfect voice-acting, Mass Effect’s intricacies far surpass Star Wars and Star Trek for space sci-fi crown. It’s hard to not just splurge about the depressing twists or amazing cameos, but trust me — no sci-fi tale surpasses what’s told here (although there have been way better endings — so close to being spotless).

The gameplay is largely the same as the first two titles — namely, a squad-based third-person cover shooter. Mass Effect 3 is a perfect marriage of the RPG elements from the first title, such as customizable weapons and firearms stats, and the second game’s improved shooting mechanics, creating a well-polished backbone for the experience. Importing an ME 2 character pays great dividends, as you start off at level 30, making your way to the much-appreciated level cap increase of 60. It seems like Bioware was keeping close eye on the forum boards and ME 2 reviews because almost every major complaint is addressed. Gone are door bypassing/hacking minigames, useless powers that don’t do enough damage or recharge quick enough, black-and-white dialogue options, and my personal favorite, no more goddamn mineral scanning. They brought back a lot of the RPG elements from the first game and leveling up your character is an addiction, given the streamlined UI and cool choices to make with almost each level-up. Teammate AI is greatly improved as I found my mates murdering the opposition at times when I’m in cover reloading. Speaking of opposition, thanks to Reaper indoctrinations, enemy variety is great and just when you start to tire of one enemy, you’re off to fight another type.

Of course, what’s the point of having excellent gameplay without great missions or compelling reasons for combat? The missions are easily the most varied of the three games, each being distinct and full of badass or depressing moments that will have you chest-thumping or nose-sniffling. Side missions are pretty much rendered to planet scanning now as sending a probe in the area gets the job done. Surfing he galaxy map is largely unchanged. The only significant change here is that you’ll see the Reapers occupying solar systems and you’ll encounter them a lot if you’re scanning planets for war assets. This subtly adds to the overwhelming foreshadowing of a truly defining conflict on the loom. More subtle changes include the ability to remove your beneficial helmet during cutscenes or even have the game make decisions for you (but you’d be robbing yourself of the core experience).

While Mass Effect 3 makes a strong case for the game of this generation, it’s sure as hell not without its flaws. First and foremost, what the actual fuck is up with the importing bug? A quick research on the problem shows I’m not the only one who couldn’t carry over their Shepard’s facial appearance seamlessly, which is a hugely disappointing and irritating flaw on Bioware’s part, especially given how hard they harped on the “this is your character throughout three games” character creation on the first title. This was the only real major problem (well, there’s also the ambiguous endings…) because when stepping back and re-thinking about the whole experience, everything else is basically a nitpick. There a few graphical and audio glitches that won’t ruin the game but it can affect your immersion every now and then. Things like guns being fired in a cutscene but not making any sound is an example of this. These next gripes might just be me, but I found some key objects in cutscenes to look odd, such as the Reapers when they first land on Earth. I also found my team, while still satisfactory and coming with a few surprises, to be lacking. That being said, the game’s presentation excels on all levels.

The graphics, excluding some bland textures and spotty human models, are still breath-taking. The textures on each alien race is astounding and when a Krogan and Turian are talking to each other over an alliance, it’s hard not being suckered into thinking it’s a movie. Animation is virtually identical to the prior games, meaning to say human facial animations are still on the stiff side, but anything alien is incredibly believable. Camera angles during conversations are much more varied now, so that’s a great plus. I also appreciate the fact that they’ve incorporated some iconic ME 1 songs in the game at all the right moments, reminding you that you’ve been in Shepard’s shoes for years now.

Mass Effect 3 is the rare breed of game that showcases what can only be done in this medium and how fucking badass and gripping this medium can be when near-flawlessly executed. Virtually every component is a masterstroke — a child of Bioware’s blood, sweat, tears, and pure passion for amazing and thrilling story-telling. I can’t remember the last title where I felt like I was truly up against the odds and forced to slowly warm up to the thought — begrudgingly, mind you — that I could lose everything I’ve fought for to this point. Mas Effect 3 creates such extreme, almost overbearing at times, despair and tough decision-making in spades. It’s unrivaled in its ability to be so demandingly compelling. It makes want to stand up, thump you chest and give out a battle cry when you forge alliances — many of them unimaginable — in such epic ways. The nit kicks your ass back down on the couch by reminding you that the Reapers are not fucking around and will kill the people you love. Mass Effect 3 is a brilliant piece of work and as damned good a sendoff for Shepard as he/she can get. Bioware, you’ve truly outdone yourselves and the competition.

REPORT CARD

Story: 100
Graphics: 96
Audio: 100
Gameplay: 92
Lasting Appeal: 85

Overall
100

 

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The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Review

December 19, 2011 in Games

When the opening scene gave me a glimpse of what Skyward Sword was about, I was nothing but excited. Amidst the frustration and chaos of finals week, we all need a little guilty pleasure to distract us from our real responsibilities. I’ve come to realize my top priority this week isn’t passing my math final or talking to my bank about overdue fees; how could I focus on these trivial tasks when Princess Zelda is out there waiting to be rescued?

Like any other Zelda game, she has mysteriously vanished and no one has any idea where she’s gone or how to save her. I half-expected the typical three-type temple, allies, and enemies with the same weakness and attacks, yet Nintendo has defied my expectations and reached a new peak in creativity in this installment. The characters are all original with different lessons to teach and skills to share with our protagonist. Most characters were created with such unique looks that often I couldn’t distinguish enemy from ally. More than once, I attempted to slay my resources of information and then tried to pet cuddly looking heart-suckers.Most interesting is the fact that you don’t have a fairy hovering over your head, but rather an eerie, half-naked he-she hiding in your sword. Its advice is initially helpful, but he/she’s advice quickly gets old.

If you’ve ever played a Zelda game before in your life, you know Ganondorf, in some form or another, is your enemy — not this time. The main antagonist of this installment of the series is one of a kind, to say the least. I’m not even quite sure what he wants with Zelda because of his…well, obvious advances onto Link during every encounter. Warning: His tongue will make you very uncomfortable.

Diamond earrings are the latest menacing fashion.

 

Now, Nintendo isn’t particularly known for their graphics or realism, but the visuals here do manage to draw you into the whole atmosphere of the game, which I personally love. The fluid controls and sound effects are in synch with every tilt of the Wii remote are just intense!  You have the ability to soar through the skies, changing direction through the remote, giving it a “steering wheel” effect (which is a little iffy at times). Flying can become extremely obnoxious and frustrating, but that’s a given seeing as its a Wii title. Fortunately, for those new to the Wii altogether, they give a standard/pro remote option which affects sensitivity to improve gameplay and effects overall.

What I really enjoyed about the game was the implementation of the Wii Motion Plus. More often than not, Wii games do a terrible job of using the censor and remote to create an effective way to actually get you to get up and slay kittens. More specifically, if an enemy defends left, you strike from the right;  if it defends it’s head, you stab it’s stomach; if you need to roll something into a hole, you stand up and roll that mother-sucker like a bowling ball! This makes the game extremely interactive and almost tiresome if you play for extended periods of time. However, the plot prevents you from becoming disinterested, so prepare for soreness succeeding hours of gameplay!

As the game unravels, you accumulate a wide variety of tools,  gadgets and potions to aid you in your quest; so many that your pockets can’t hold all the game has to offer. Unlike the previous games, there’s actually a storage for your various items you gather along the way and you’ll need to switch out for new or more appropriate tools. Potions come in new colors, abilities and upgrades, so these little bottles are precious!  Many of your weapons are upgradable, giving you even more versatility while playing. In order to upgrade, you collect several different elements that you find after slaying monsters, so don’t get lazy and run past them! Another feature Nintendo has conveniently added is the underrated ability to run. Link can now run his little hearts out! Well, until his stamina gauge runs out. Unfortunately, every rigorous action; scaling walls, running, leaping, climbing vines; takes from his stamina until you recover with mystery stamina fruits.

If you need a break from chasing the Princess, there are more than enough small tasks to occupy your time with. The nice townspeople seem to be perpetually useless at solving their own problems, giving you plenty to do in your off-hero time. The characters are memorable and very witty and unlike previous Zelda games, you often get to choose dialogue to piss people off with! From deliveries, to mini-games, and even bug-catching, there a tasks up the butt that will keep you occupied for hours! If you ever need assistance, your sword spirit will give you your objective, advice, or even gossip from the area you’re in that may lead you to hidden treasures, which there are plenty of. Since there are two worlds, Sky and Surface, you have tasks and characters needing your help in each. Skyward Sword is nothing short of addicting, to say the least, and I’m proud to say Nintendo has outdone themselves, crafting an adventure so fun and as exhilarating as Ocarina of Time.

REPORT CARD

Story: 95

Graphics: 85

Audio: 90

Gameplay: 100

Lasting Appeal: 100

OVERALL

97

 

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“Bloodrayne: Betrayal ” Game Review

December 13, 2011 in Games, Playstation 3 RealViews, Xbox 360 RealViews

 

 

For those who don’t already know who BloodRayne is, Rayne is a vampire who kills other vampires — that’s the best way to describe it. This game, a vibrant and excellent side-scroller, is developed by Reverb. I remember playing Bloodrayne games when I was a kid and I definitely remember the movie that came out, but is this game a good comeback for the series?

Bloodrayne Betrayals starts out with you crashing down out of the sky in a jet-packed coffin — pretty crazy. You must travel to a castle filled with all sorts of vampires, bats, mosquitos and UV rays on some levels, but don’t worry, you can kick those babies to the ground and break them. To regain health in the games you either pass a checkpoint or suck someone’s blood, which is pretty cool and especially nifty when you suck blood from a mosquito.

Of course you get a gun and blow peoples heads off or cut them off with your blade weapons. The fun thing about the game is using the environment to kill enemies; it’s very satisfying! The downfall to the game is that there isn’t much character design put into it and the story isn’t really there. It sticks to a traditional side-scrolling story, so it’s serviceable if you like old fashion side-scrolling games, but it’s not good by any other means. The game likes to make you think it’s difficult at the beginning when it really isn’t until later on. The Achievements, however, are undoubtedly difficult.

The colors in the games that they use are really amazing for an xbox live arcade game. I like the art design they used, it’s different then most xbox live arcade games out there today. The music is dark and creepy which is good for a horror action game. The sound effects were alright but at times they come out and shine.

This game isn’t made for just any side scroller lover. It is difficult but it’s supposed to be challenging.  This game has a different style of art and graphics then most arcade games out which helps it stick out. If you are a fan of Bloodrayne or just love some vampire action the you should look into this!

REPORT CARD

Story: 40

Graphics: 80

Audio: 60

Gameplay: 70

Lasting Appeal: 80

OVERALL

70

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“Resistance 3″ Game Review

September 7, 2011 in Games, Playstation 3 RealViews

Respectable studio Insomniac Games (Spyro, Ratchet &Clank) usually churns out a game every year, taking turns with releasing Ratchet one year, and Resistance the other — last year saw no Resistance, though. Turns out Insomniac Games took the surprisingly negative fan backlash to heart and took an extra year to develop it, so the obvious question is…did it pay off?

Thank Mount Olympus and Chimeran Terraformers because that extra year does show. While it didn’t exactly ascend the title into the frontrunners of FPS’s, it definitely made it a unique and showed that its one of Sony’s more better franchises. You’re drenched in atmosphere right from the get-go as Resistance 3 let’s you know that ninety percent of the human population is gone (due to Chimeran slaughters, duh) and holy shit is the narrative of somber tone or what? There’s no stereotypical military bravado here; just a man (Joseph Capelli, of Nathan Hale-murdering fame) who wants to save his wife and son and is actually doing so begrudgingly. Insomniac did a fantastic job of creating an oppressive and defeated tone to the story because, no matter how forward-moving the campaign is, you always feel like each fight is almost pointless because the odds are so unfavorable — think The Road meets a FPS and you’ll understand.

Unfortunately, the story never really realizes its potential (besides a completely surprising and dark twist in the third act) and is always on the cusp of being a masterpiece and just settles for being “great for an FPS”. Oh, and the ending? If it were a person, two words: fuck you. The ending is probably one of the worst, out-of-nowhere and completely lazy endings this generation. Okay, probably not the worst, but easily one of the most disappointing and shockingly abrupt ones out there. At least the rest of the campaign’s pacing is seamless and addictive due to variety.

And to think, in the Resistance universe, this could have been that girl that gave you hea–

While the story is somewhat lacking, what isn’t is the graphics and presentation. As previously noted, things are pretty dour and it’s awesome. The new graphics engine has made this game quite the looker and a significant upgrade from the ugly predecessor that was Resistance 2. Character models look good but animate stiffly, which is a shame because that really could have sold bleak story further (at least the voice-acting is good). The environments bleed wariness and are constantly varied, further feeding that “just one more checkpoint” addiction. Speaking of addiction, the gameplay is the true spotlight whore here. The aiming is on par with the silky smoothness of Call of Duty and the arsenal creativity is easily some of the most fun I’ve had with a shooter this generation. A small black hole that sucks in hordes of bad guys, twirling them mid-air until their livers and intestines become wall posters? Dude, come on.

Resistance 3 is a valiant effort and a fantastic means to bring the franchise back on track. The multiplayer is as solid as can be, complete with the CoD-standards that we’ve all come to know. However, I feel like the multiplayer is lacking something but it could just be me being very wary of the state of competitive multiplayer today. Whatever the issue, this isn’t a title that’s going to prevent you from picking up the legions of multiplayer games coming this holiday season. The story is unique in the genre with its depressing subtleties and whatnot (but seriously, I hate ending), the graphics gorgeous, and the gameplay polished to a military shine. If you’re looking for a new shooter, you can’t go wrong with Resistance 3.

REPORT CARD

Story: 87

Graphics: 96

Audio: 92

Gameplay: 98

Lasting Appeal: 87

OVERALL

88

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“Dante’s Inferno” Game Review

August 9, 2011 in Games, Playstation 3 RealViews, Xbox 360 RealViews

God of War III is, by a good seven miles, the king of the action genre this generation. Dante’s Inferno is, by a good seven miles, the best God of War III rip-off so far…but I mean that in the worst way possible.

The thing about Dante’s Inferno is that it has a lot of things going for it: a great source in the famous poem of the same name, Hell as a backdrop, Death’s scythe, and even an upgradeable combat system. Unfortunately, every single one of these ideas are under-cooked (excluding the combat system, which peaks at only being “solid”). The story of Dante trying to save his girlfriend from Lucifer quickly sputters out after the promising and impressive opening CG cutscene. After this, however, is nothing short of sloppy story-telling.

The pacing is completely wild and all over the place. It’s almost a given that the writers and developers didn’t run things by each other because there’s times where the game just ignores the story and not a single significant advancement in the story is made. Then, out of nowhere, we’re supposed to care that Dante kills his brother-in-law? Don’t worry, that’s not a spoiler because you don’t even know he has one until you kill him. It’s a mess of a plot and completely flushes any potential there was down the shitter. Also, the transitions between in-game graphics, CG, and even 2d-animated cutscenes can be jarring and makes the presentation seem even more sloppy and incomprehensible. At least the soundtrack is appropriately oppressive and the art direction gives us the best representation of Hell video games have ever seen.

However, art direction, in order to be fully realized sometimes, need a good graphics engine backing it up — this game doesn’t have one. While it’s not atrocious by any means (it’s actually solid most of the time), it’s just not impressive at all. Textures are bland, the water or goops of shit look horrible, and the character models look decidedly last-gen. I guess not every game can look as picture-perfect as God of War III, but still. At least most of the nine circles of Hell can be imaginative with some enemy designs and attacks standing out. It can be a treat to see how diverse Hell can be, that is, before it gets too repetitive and starts to run out of ideas at around the half-way point.

They’re cute…in a murderous, Hell-sentenced, eternally damned kind of way

Sticking to the theme of repetitiveness, the gameplay is easily summed up by three words: the square button (or the “X” button, if you’re on the 360). Ninety percent (at the fucking least) of your time is spent mashing that one damn button. In combat, you rapidly smash that button. In opening doors, you’re smashing on that fucking button. In opening treasure chests, you’re mashing on that damn, fucking button. In getting flippin’ health, for Christ’s sake, you’re smashing on that fucking button. It’s absolutely mind-numbing how many times you have to press that button at an arthritis-inducing rate. The combat system also have these power-up perks you can equip called relics. One of the relics you unlock in the game is, I kid you not, you don’t have to button-mash to get health or mana. Even developer Visceral Games knew just how much time you’d spend on button-mashing. Sure, there’s some variations for combat such as these attacks known as Holy attacks, but that just means you’ll mash on another button. Then there’s magic, but it runs out so fast that it’s almost a non-factor in combat.

I mentioned earlier that the combat was an upgradeable kind and it does make combat interesting for a little bit. Power-ups are divided into two categories: Unholy and Holy. One is more scythe-focused and the other more reliant on the cross-based weapon, respectively. Every now and then you’d run into enemies (and even lost souls) that you can choose to punish or absolve, deciding which of the two divisions your experience will be allocated. It’s a shame that the combat is too button-mash-ey. Yes, I know even God of War III had its times of repetitiveness, but this is just ludicrous. Unless you’re doing a research paper for a first-person account of joint wear-and-tear on your fingers, please stay clear of this game. I don’t care how holy you are, you’re not going to find anything to forgive here.

REPORT CARD

Story: 42

Graphics: 75

Audio: 88

Gameplay: 62

Lasting Appeal: 10

OVERALL

50


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“Halo: Reach” Game Review

August 5, 2011 in Games, Xbox 360 RealViews

Developing Halo: Reach must have been nothing short of daunting. Expectations and anticipation were absurdly high, especially considering that this was Bungie’s swan-song to the franchise that put them on the map and let them dominate the FPS console market for years. Halo: Reach is their chance to put it all out on the line – to fire every bullet of every clip they’ve got. Bungie has a legacy to uphold, so do they cement their legacy, or have they weakened their foundations with their last entry?

Seeing as Halo 3 was the conclusion to Master Chief’s storyline (well, so we thought until this year’s E3 where they announced three more games for the big guy), Reach is a prequel that takes place before Master Chief was ever in the picture. You play as Noble Six, a member of an elite Spartan team known as, well, Noble Team. What started out as a simple communication cut-off investigation quickly escalated into a desperate attempt to save Reach. See, the unique thing about the story is that we all know Master Chief is the last standing Spartan in the original Halo trilogy, meaning to say Noble Team are doomed form the damn get-go. This provides a great potential for some serious tear-jerking knowing no matter how hard Noble Six and Co. fight, it will end in the fall of Reach.

Unfortunately, Bungie aren’t the best story-tellers in the business and it’s evident here as they completely let this potential slip through their fingers. There’s no nice way of saying it, so I’m just going to say it – they failed on an emotional level. Every death – instead of being an emotional event – is more like a soulless shocker, devoid of any depth. The only death you actually feel something for is at the end. By the time the credits roll, I felt let down in a big way. Is this really all Bungie could do or their swan song? Sadly, they went out with a whimper rather than a bang. At least there were some cool little elbow-nudge moments for Halo fans throughout, especially towards the end.

One thing you can rely on Bungie to do is to excel and lead the industry in multiplayer and gameplay. The controls are classic Halo which will never be a bad thing. It’s still as silky-smooth and addictive as ever. Reach comes with the expected multiplayer variants of objective and deathmatch-based as well as ODST’s Firefight mode, which provides another layer in the un-friggin’-believable diverse and lasting multiplayer. There’s an absurd amount of content to mess around with here. The matchmaking is without complaints, but sometimes it can take a little bit of a while to find a match, but it’s nothing to complain about when you remind yourself just how much damn game there is to play. The maps are expertly designed, the respawns without problems, and each weapon finely balanced. There’s a reason Halo is the poster boy for Major League Gaming.

Of course, there have been some changes here and they can be considered pretty drastic.There’s now a class system in place that comes with a different perk for each. Do you choose a jetpack or the ability to sprint? It all comes down to your play style (I personally prefer sprinting) when picking a class. The bigger change for Halo devotees, however, is the firing rate of the BR. It’s now a one-shot (think of the G3/FAL from Call of Duty series) gun, meaning to say it doesn’t shoot in bursts of three anymore. This change caused quite the uproar, but it seems like people have come to terms with it.

The graphics, while still crisp for the most part, are starting to show its age. For Halo to be rocking the Rated-M tag on its cover, it sure doesn’t feel like an M-rated game. Blood’s purple and the enemies you face cartoony. I’m never intimidated by the Covenant and I’ve never been a fan of their design. Sure, they’re different from other shooters in their aesthetics, but that doesn’t mean their good. I just wish Bungie would put a little more work into their graphics engine, but like they always say, graphics don’t make a great game.

Halo: Reach is the complete package. It could potentially last you all the way until the next console cycle. The fun-but-disappointing campaign (it’s exponentially way more fun in co-op) is worth a play through but it’s all about the multiplayer here – it’s always about the multiplayer with Halo. However, if you’re not a Halo fan (or even a fan of multiplayer), this title will do nothing to change that.

REPORT CARD

Story: 74

Graphics: 83

Audio: 89

Gameplay: 97

Lasting Appeal: 98

OVERALL

84


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“Portal 2″ Game Review

August 3, 2011 in Games, Playstation 3 RealViews, Xbox 360 RealViews

I was one of those guys who actually detested the announcement of a second Portal game. I just didn’t understand what else you could do with the unique premise to keep it fresh and feeling new. It even served as a reminder just how sequel-driven the videogame business is (not that I have a problem with sequels), but that’s an entirely different article. So does Portal 2 bend my doubts over a counter, and have its way with them?

For those that don’t like to read too much, the short answer is a resounding “Oh, Heavens yes!”. Right off the bat, we’re introduced to the infinitely charming and affable Wheatley, a robotic ball, essentially. Valve does a clever nod to their silent protagonist ways in the intro sequence and it’s within this very sequence do we see a much more visually impressive Portal than the first one. Now, before I go on about the graphics let me just finish summarizing the thoroughly entertaining plot. The incredibly sharp writing guides us in a journey through Aperture Science and that is the main gist of it. I really don’ want ot say more because I would kill myself if I spoiled and ruined the experience for anyone else. Just know that the humor is spot-on (something very rare in the games industry) and frequent, especially that Cave Johnson character – you’re going to love him. Enough can’t be said about the witty and absolutely smart (and smartass) writing that comes to Portal 2. It is an absolute delight and damn treat to just hear characters like Wheatley and Cave Johnson just say some of the most inane things heard in any medium.

Okay, now we can get back to the graphics you dirty graphics whore, you. It’s crazy to think that Valve is still using the Source engine as a basis for their games. Obviously they’re constantly updating it because this game looks crisp. It’s no longer as sterile and monotonous as te first one, as the game actually breaks away from the signature test chamber look for long periods of time. Now, that’s not to say it’s completely devoid of the grays and whites of the prior title – it’s still very much dominated by those two colors.


The gameplay is still all about the portal gun, but this time, Valve has thrown in some very interesting layers to the mix. Now, when I first saw videos of the new elements, I felt like it might have been too daunting and it seemed like it would be overwhelming. Turns out Valve knows what the hell they’re doing. You have different forms of gel that, upon contact, can make you jump higher, move faster, or make a non-portal-able wall a portal-able surface. Then you have bouncing pads that launch you in one direction, lasers, laser cubes, and light-based walkways. It sounds like a lot, especially considering how mind-bending dealing with only portals already were, but Valve expertly introduces each element and never do you feel like a puzzle is impossible. That’s not to say there’s no challenge either because there were a couple of instance where my temptation to Google solutions almost came over me. Don’t worry, I didn’t cheat – I swear on GLadOS’s grave.

Also new to Portal gameplay is a cooperative component. Holy crap, is it a blast to go through puzzles that demand cooperation with a partner you can just yell at for being a dumbass by not getting what you’re trying to tell them to do (read: my little brother). Then you have GLaDOS constantly telling you that both players are doing excellent…except one of them is just performing a lot better. She’s a smartass like that and it’s fun to see her shenanigans get under your (or your partners) skin. Doubt seems to be the running theme for me before actually playing Portal 2, but I was most definitely questioning how in the hell co-cop would work. Well, let me make it blunt for you: it fucking works.

Portal 2 is easily a front-runner for many coveted game-of-the-year awards, as it should be. With thoroughly enjoyable writing, delightful voice acting by names such as Stephen Merchant (if you know Ricky Gervais, you know Stephen Merchant) and J.K. Simmons, and addictive puzzle-based gameplay, Portal 2 is easily the must-own title of 2011. If you don’t enjoy this game in any fashion at all, then you’re probably one of those Call of Duty bros (no offense).

REPORT CARD

Story: 96

Graphics: 90

Audio: 98

Gameplay: 100

Lasting Appeal: 88

OVERALL

99


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“L.A. Noire” Game Review

August 1, 2011 in Games, Playstation 3 RealViews, Xbox 360 RealViews

Every now and then there creeps along a major release that really forces me to use cliche diction in my review. I hate it. Words such as “revolutionary”, “innovative”, and “breath-taking” just might very well pop up in this review. Look, I’m truly sorry you have to suffer through it, but damn it, this game really is all those things!

Rockstar sure is making a hell of a name for themselves in the story-telling department. L.A. Noire, while I know isn’t entirely developed by them (the majority of the credit goes to Team Bondi), only bolsters Rockstar’s incredibly impressive line-up. Using new – goddamnit, here comes a cringe-worthy word – revolutionary  motion-capture technology, Team Bondi blazes a new path in facial animation. Holy. Shit. Look, the gameplay revolves around a hell of a lot of interrogations and that means a whole lot of staring into faces. The fact that every interrogation kept me interested speaks volumes about the facial animations. It’s almost eerie seeing how natural the flow of every facial movement is captured. The actors hired here really do get to show off their performance, not just their voice. It is an absolute treat to watch. While we’re on graphics, might as well bring up the world these great character models inhabit. Team Bondi does a bang-up job in recreating a 1940′s-1950′s Los Angeles. It’s some really impressive stuff and it makes Grand Theft Auto IV look ancient and borderline last-gen. While they’re not the best the biz has to offer, it’s a damn respectable poly count the game pushes.

Detective Phelps, our straight-as-Dwayne-Johnson protagonist, is an up-and-coming star in the police force. There’s no real running story line other than flashbacks to Cole Phelps former life in the Marines. The stories are pretty much segmented by whichever department Cole s working for. For instance, when you’re in homicide, the story focuses solely on trying to capture an illusive serial killer while arson investigates who’s behind a series of house fires. After a while, the story loses steam as cases seem to blur together due to repetitiveness. Sure, searching for evidence and investigating is a hoot, but it looses it’s initial addictiveness after the 90th time you have to do it. It’s on rare occasions that some sort of action setpiece happens to break the monotony, but none of them spring to mind as being particularly memorable. There’s nothing wrong with the shooting or driving; it’s all mechanically sound. It’s just that they fail to match the quality of the interrogations.

Speaking of the interrogation system, man, what a strange relationship I have with it. I absolutely love her, but she has moments of being dull and mundane, but when she’s on top of her game, there’s nothing quite like her! My only real gripe is, really, how much I suck at it. The way it works is that you bring up a point to the suspect or ask him/her a question. Said suspect then says his piece, then, judging by his face (bro, those animations – bro!), you have to determine if he a) lied, b) telling the truth, or c) doubt him. If you call him out on a lie, you better bring some evidence to prove your claim. If you say he’s being truthful, he’ll elaborate on his former point. Now, if you don’t have evidence and you know that piece of shit is lying, then you have to doubt him. Now, it sounds easy to some degree, but man, the system has some serious logical gaps. Sometimes a suspect will say something that feels completely irrelevant from whatever I called him on. It can get annoying – really annoying. At least the writing is sharp.

Now it’s time where I pick apart at this great title. First things first – fuck the twist. Sure, it comes out of nowhere and, given the proper treatment and care, I could have easily have fallen in love with the twist. It’s just there are so many aspects of the twist that are disappointingly under-developed that it robs it of its potential impact. Plus, it’s totally incongruent with the character involved. Also, the Vietnam flashbacks get annoying after while, but at least there’s finally some sort of a payoff to them. The game also could have done with a couple of less cases. It seriously got to a point where the game was draggin on and repeating the motions way too much for its own good.

Besides the aforementioned drawbacks, L.A. Noire is very much worth owning. I don’t regret spending sixty bones on it. The ground-breaking facial animations, the gripping interrogations (that honestly revealed how shitty of a detective I’d be), and then there’s the crazy facial anima–did I mention that already? Oh, well. If you’re the type to tune out dialogue and skip cutscenes, then you can forget about this title. If you’re into a well-presented, mature story and appreciate sharp writing, then go to the nearest ATM. Now.

REPORT CARD

Story: 81

Graphics: 96

Audio: 99

Gameplay: 89

Lasting Appeal: 70

OVERALL

89

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