MEMBER PROFILE FOR Yellowlab
Total Reviews: 121
Average Overall Score Given: 7.45785 / 10
Total Forum Posts: 119
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Reviews
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Dead Rising
Ah….Capcom and Zombies. This combination goes together better than monkeys and diapers. Capcom has been refining this since the early days when they released the groundbreaking Resident Evil, and they knocked it out of the park with Resident Evil 4. Dead Rising won’t be mistaken for an attempt at Resident Evil 5, but the game is a worthy addition to their series of zombie related games.
Dead Rising starts with a simple concept. You are a freelance journalist dropped into the middle of a zombie-infested mall. Cover the story, get the scoop, solve the mysteries, and try to get out alive. Since you’re in a mall, you can grab just about anything to help you in your quest to dispatch massive amounts of the undead. You have 72 hours until the helicopter arrives to take you away…so it’s up to you to figure out how you want to spend that time.
Dead Rising just oozes with quality…the graphics are gorgeous, the sounds are fantastic (mall muzak, woo-hoo!), and the controls are excellent. Aiming firearms is done with a nice over-the-shoulder interface similar to RE4, although you’ll find yourself ignoring firearms to get a bit more up close and personal with the zombies. The amount of on-screen zombies is incredible…this game is truly amazing.
Killing the undead is a complete blast. The mall is stocked with so many items you can use…finding new ways to obliterate zombies never gets old! Baseball bat? Check. Knives, swords and axes? Check. Lawnmower?? Heck yes. You can spend hours running around finding new weapons…and you can grab just about ANYTHING: Cash registers, plants, televisions, benches, and guns, guns guns. After a long day of annihilating zombies has your health is going south, then grab some food, or mix something up in the blender. If you don’t like your clothing…then try on some new duds! If you want to run around wearing spandex, then find a sports shop! If you want to wear a tuxedo, then you can find that too! If you want to wear a dress, then you’re a sick, sick freak (but, you can do that, too).
Dead Rising uses an interesting leveling up system. As you complete tasks, quests, or just general mayhem, you gain points that you can use to increase your stats, skills, and moves. (Hand to hand combat becomes much more amusing as your level progresses). The great news is that your stats, outfits, and powers stay with you, even if you die and start a new game. This is a GREAT idea, since it doesn’t force you to start at square one on subsequent replays.
The story line in the game is fine, and keeps you going as you try to uncover the mystery. You also get plenty of requests to help out other hapless shoppers caught in the mess. Rescuing survivors nets you incredible points for leveling up, so you’ll want to lend a helping hand when you are able. Since you’re a journalist, you’ll also want to take lots and lots of pictures…and you get bonus points for taking dramatic pictures, action photos, and so on (you can even take dirty pictures, you sick perverts). When you complete the story line, it opens up a new “overtime mode”, which is basically just a one-day extension of the main story. If you make it through that, then you are rewarded with “infinity mode.”
Replayability is through the roof on this game. You simply can NOT do everything in one play through, which encourages repeat plays. Play again and try to save that helpless survivor that you ignored last time, or just try to defeat one more maniac psychopath.
Dead Rising does have its share of negatives. First off, the save system is atrocious. You get ONE save slot…that’s it, and frankly, it is inexcusable in this age of next-gen games. If you have a buddy that wants to start his own game, you’re out of luck (unless you have a spare memory card, I guess). Save spots are few and far between, and it is too easy to “save yourself into a corner”…where it is impossible for you to complete the storyline.
Bosses can be too difficult, and not in the: “Gee, that was challenging” way…more like the: “Gee, I just emptied my entire machine gun into his face, and his health is only down by ¼.” Because of the awful save situation, this can lead to a lot of frustrating replaying of sections. Some bosses can take 10-20 minutes just to GET to, and if you die, you’re all the way back, traveling the same path (instead of just jumping to a “checkpoint” where you get to start the boss fight again). Not to mention, if you manage to defeat some psycho boss, and stumble out with minimal health, only to get aced and have to start the whole thing over again. Inexcusable…at least auto-save after a major battle so I don’t have to replay it again!!!
The game promises ultimate freedom, but to be honest, you’re kind of handcuffed to the story line. If you miss a scoop, or don’t get to a spot on time, then it’s game over. Seriously…the game ENDS. The first time through the game, I felt like I had no time to explore…there were whole sections of the mall that I had to zip past as I was on a serious time crunch to complete the story quickly. There were people I wanted to try to save, but just couldn’t because I was a story-slave errand boy. This is really too bad…Dead Rising is a game just BEGS to be explored.
The second part of the game (“overtime mode”) is where you complete the game to get the “true ending.” Frankly, overtime mode just isn’t that much fun. Enemies become much more difficult, and tedious to dispatch. In overtime mode, there is even less time to explore, and is even more lacking in enjoyment. You do have to clear it in order to unlock “infinity mode”…which has to be AWESOME, right??
Wrong. Infinity mode is the most hideous piece of garbage I’ve ever seen, and one of the most disappointing features. First off, I was expecting a mode with infinite freedom to do whatever I wanted…like keep leveling up, learning new moves, find more hidden stuff, and so on. I mean…that’s what you’d assume would happen, right? Instead, you are greeted with an atomic wedgie.
First off, you can’t level up in infinity mode. Because you can’t level up, you can’t learn new moves or skills. Your health constantly drains (so you can’t just camp out somewhere…you’ll die), and you have to spend your entire time looking for food. Certain areas of the mall (like the grocery store) are CLOSED (so much for total exploration, eh?), and certain items are disabled (like blenders…so making cool new drinks is out). You can’t take pictures, and you can’t look at your watch. All of your kill stats erase. There aren’t any missions. To top it all off…you CAN’T SAVE. So…if you’re looking for a marathon game where you survive for 7 days, then you’d better clear some time from your schedule. As it is, infinity mode would have been decent if it was added on as some kind of “arcade mode”, and you were rewarded with what everyone wants…true, unlimited freedom to do what you want.
Dead Rising is a frustrating game to rate. This game could have been one of the greatest games of all time. You could replay it hundreds of times, and it just wouldn’t get old. Instead, the game has been crippled by the horrible save system, lousy boss battles, a tedious 2nd part of the storyline, and a lack of a true “free roam” mode.
Complaints aside, the game is still incredible, and is worthy of a purchase. It’s just unfortunate that Capcom missed so horribly in certain spots with a game that is so amazing in just about every area.
Overall Score: 9.2 / 10
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Table Tennis
Two thoughts went through my mind when I heard about Rockstar’s Table Tennis. First off, I was shocked they were making a Ping Pong game on the Xbox 360. The most powerful gaming console seemed like an odd choice for a game like this. Even more curious, this rather tame sounding game was being developed by Rockstar – the bad boys of the video game industry. But, the biggest surprise was what I found out after I played the game. It’s good… real good.
This game could not have come at a better time. After nearly 30 years of Pong/Tennis video games, I was thinking there wasn’t much left to do with the game type, and that it might be growing a little stale. Rockstar’s Table Tennis puts a whole new spin on it, and breathes some new life into the oldest video game genre.
The game works so well largely because of fast paced frantic action on a relatively small playing field. The physics behind the lightweight ping pong ball is another thing that makes it stand apart from your standard tennis game. The spin on the ball is a lot more exaggerated, and there are a wider variety of hits. The gameplay tweaks go a long way to creating a gaming experience that is just pure frantic fun.
While most games in this genre make you build up a character through monotonous training exercises, Rockstar gives you a cast of characters from around the globe that require no training. It’s a welcome change and adds to the pick up and play fun nature to the game. Much like a fighting game, the characters each have their strengths and weaknesses, and a unique style. Unfortunately, there is a downside here. The players are fairly uninspired stereotypical representations of whatever region they hail from. Worse yet, there is no player create mode, and with a very limited number of given characters this would have been a very useful feature.
While the characters may need a little work, the star of this show is the gameplay. The controls are tight, very satisfying, and easy to pick up after just a couple games. There are four basic shots mapped to each of the main buttons on the 360’s controller – top spin (A), back spin (Y), left spin (X), and right spin (B). Not only can you visually see the spin on the ball just by the trajectory, but the ball will also glow the color of which button was used to hit the ball. So, if you hit a right spin (B button) shot, the ball will have a slight red glow. If you can react quick enough and hit the same type of shot back at the player, you can make the spin even more effective. Aiming of a shot is done with the left thumbstick. The rumble feature of the controller is put to very good use by rumbling slightly to let you know your shot will be near the edge of the table. If you hold the direction too long it will start to rumble even harder, letting you know your shot may be off the table, unless you quickly change direction.
As you connect with solid, fully charged shots, a focus meter will fill up. The focus meter has three stages (red, yellow, and green), and can be rather confusing at first. In the first stage it is red, and upon filling it up it will automatically kick in to focus mode for a short time, in which your shots are much more effective. Upon depletion, the meter will turn to yellow, and eventually will build up to the green, which is the most powerful, longest lasting of the three. If both player’s meter fill up in the green, the surrounding area around the table will go dark and both players can hit some fast and wild shots back and forth.
While the gameplay is nearly flawless, if this game has one problem it is that it has very few frills. It has the standard tournament and exhibition modes. It also has a very nice Xbox Live component, complete with a Tennis Network in which you can watch others play. While all those are well done, that is pretty much it for the game. There are only a few unlockables, such as characters and clothing, but what is there is fairly boring. The unlockable costumes are essentially just a different colored T-Shirt of the one that was already unlocked. There is a lack of any customization (no player create, player edit, etc…). There are no mini games and no story mode. Some of this can be expected, as it is not a full priced title, but it was a little more stripped down than I had anticipated.
You won’t be buying this game because it shows off the power of your Xbox 360. While the visuals are serviceable, I couldn’t help but to think it was not a game that really needed a next generation platform. It probably would have been just as fun on the original Xbox.
The character models are light years ahead of anything we’ve seen before from Rockstar, but then again they’ve never been known for having spectacular character models. However, these were on par with what we’ve seen on the 360 in other games, and it gives hope to what we may see in Grand Theft Auto IV.
In the audio department everything is simple, but effective. The basic ping pong sounds are captured faithfully, and there are some added sound effects for when you are hitting focus powered shots. The sound changes nicely to fit the arena you are in – such as there being more of an echo in the barren warehouse venue. As for the voice work, there is not a lot of dialogue, but all of the characters speak in their native tongue, and the PA announcer is non-intrusive and fits in nicely. There is some subtle use of background music - such as it starting to play during a longer volley – but overall the music is very sparse and unnoticeable. You’ll likely be using the custom soundtrack feature with this title.
The bottom line is that while there are not a lot of extra bells and whistles to this title, Rockstar’s Table Tennis is a tremendously fun, fast paced game that’s tough to put down once you get started.
Overall Score: 9.0 / 10
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Rumble Roses XX
Having played the PS2 version of Rumble Roses, I expected the newly released Xbox 360 version, Rumble Roses XX, to be an over the top wrestling game. It was around the time that my character was tickling a defeated opponent on the beach with a giant hand on a stick that I realized the game exceeded my expectations in that regard. Quite simply, there is nothing subtle about RRXX.
RRXX is a wrestling game with a cast made up entirely of half naked females. There is all the stereotypical fantasy types – a nurse, a schoolteacher, a cowgirl, the teen pop star, a dominatrix, a devil woman, etc... Some may be put off, or offended by the over the top, in your face sexuality found in the game. However, this is a wrestling title, and when has anything in that area ever been subtle? If there ever was a place for a ridiculously cheesy game, it is in this genre. So for those of you that enjoy wrestling games, but are tired of watching sweaty guys grapple in the ring, of if you’re a gamer who is in touch with his inner 13 year old boy, then perk up your ears because Rumble Roses may be a game for you.
Rumble Roses XX is not simply a graphically updated version of the PS2 game. There are quite a few added gameplay types (such as tag matches and 3 way battles), an online component, several more costumes, collectables, a new photo mode, a create a wrestler mode (or edit an existing character), and more venues. While those were all great additions, Konami curiously took away the story mode. Sure, the story didn’t make a lot of sense – it was mainly about a girl who tries to rescue her brainwashed sister and ends up fighting her dead mother (who has been turned into a robot) – but the wacky story fit in perfectly with the rest of the game.
Without the story, your task in the single player mode is to simply unlock a massive number of characters and special items. Every character has a face (good) personality and a heel (bad) side. At the start of the game you are given one version of the character. If you successfully raise the popularity of each wrestler, you will unlock the opposite personality. I found it much easier complete this task with the face wrestlers, as all you are required to do is win the match without doing anything considered illegal (like using weapons). The heel wrestlers are a little trickier as you have to win the match and fight dirty in the process to get any popularity boost. So, with several characters and items to unlock you’re sure to get several hours out of the single player game, even though it is devoid of any story.
In between matches there are a few additional activities to distract you. New to this version is a create a wrestler mode. You can customize everything from the costume to the wrestler’s body proportions. After winning a few matches you can purchase/unlock the camera at the shop and take pictures of your wrestler (or any character) in suggestive poses. Those pictures can be uploaded onto Xbox Live, where you can download and view other player's pictures.
Another new feature is the Queens Match, in which the loser is humiliated by being tickled with a giant hand on a stick, made to jump rope, strike a sexy pose, clean herself like a kitten, etc… It’s an event that is both hilarious and creepy all at the same time.
Of course, all this glitz and over the top presentation means nothing if there isn’t some competent gameplay attached. RRXX has a decent wrestling engine at its core, but it is not without a few problems.
The main controls consist of a strike button and grab button which can be combined with the directional pad to vary the types of attacks. The type of grab also is dependent on where you are standing in relation to your opponent. At the top of the screen is a finishing move gauge - when you fill the meter up you can pull off a “killer move” or in special circumstances a “lethal move”. There is another gauge on screen called the “humiliation game”. Certain moves will cause the opponent to become humiliated – fill up the gauge and you can pull off a “humiliation move”. There is also a special “Double X Move” that can be pulled off with your tag team partner when both players have a full finishing move meter.
Back from the original title is the ability to damage specific body parts. Keep attacking your opponents head, or putting them in a head submission hold and you will weaken that body part until they can’t take any more and must tap out. You can also utilize weapons ranging from a guitar to a whip. Some characters - usually the heels - start with a weapon, but you can also find them hidden at locations in each arena.
The main problem with the gameplay is that the matches can become repetitive. While every wrestler is a little different, and has different moves, you’ll likely find a few moves that work for you and stick to those. Another problem is that there are times that you don’t feel in total control. Often you’ll attempt to pull of a specific grapple, only to do something completely different. This problem is caused by asking a single button to do every grab move, and the fact the type of grab depends on where you are standing in relation to your opponent as well as where you are in the ring (different grabs will occur near the ropes). However, despite the problems, it is an effective engine, and there are some fun finishing moves.
RRXX received a massive upgrade in visuals when compared to the PS2 version, but that by itself doesn’t say a lot. Ultimately they are very hit and miss. The character models are well done, and they are the bright spot of the visuals. I was slightly disappointed by the arenas and background visuals. The arenas are largely boring, and you won’t find yourself admiring the scenery. While the elimination of the story mode means you won’t be watching any cut-scenes, there are quite a few entrance movies (every girl has two) that are rendered with an in game engine. The entrance movies range from hilariously awful to really lame and boring and after watching them once or twice it’ll just be something to skip over to get to the match.
There isn’t much to brag about in the audio department. There is some really, really bad elevator type music to be found, as well as some extremely schlocky pop/rock. Most of the voice acting is fair, but the announcer is incredibily grating.
The bottom line is that Rumble Roses XX does exactly what it sets out to do, and for that I give it a passing grade. However, it’s definitely not a game for everyone, and it all comes down to whether an all girl wrestling game wrapped in a soft core porn package sounds appealing to you. It’s one of those rare games where you know exactly what you are getting before you play it. You simply need to trust your instinct on this one.
Overall Score: 7.4 / 10
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Fight Night Round 3
There were several moments while playing Fight Night Round 3 that I found my jaw hitting the floor in amazement. One of those moments was the first time I laid eyes upon the unbelievably realistic character models that are like nothing we’ve seen before from an in game character. After I got past being in awe of the graphical shine, I was equally amazed at the realistic gameplay and unique control utilized for the fighters.
The last thing to make my jaw drop was out of sheer amazement over how much product placement EA managed to fit into one game. During the game you can strap on your Dodge shoes, pull up your Under Armor shorts, slip into your EA boxing gloves, and fight in the Burger King match – complete with the creepy Burger King guy (from those TV commercials) as a corner man. This is the video game equivalent to one of those NASCAR cars… there is hardly a spot left in the game that doesn’t have an advertisement plastered on it. I half expected to see the ring girl turn around and have a McDonalds logo tattooed on her backside. While this last jaw dropping moment wasn’t a good thing, I’m happy to say it doesn’t distract much from the other more important aforementioned good points.
One thing the Fight Night series has always strived for – and succeeded at – is creating a sense of realism. This is not a button mashing arcade fighter. You won’t get far in the career mode – or against a halfway skilled opponent – by standing in the middle of the ring and mindlessly wailing away. Adding to the realism, the game is loaded with real boxers from Muhammad Ali to Roy Jones Jr. that all look so realistic you’d swear you were watching an actual fight. The game also has a realistic presentation. You won’t find any health bars cluttering up the screen. Instead, you have to use other clues – such as the well crafted camera that gets unsteady along with the boxer – to gauge when your opponent is about to go down.
FNR3 has all the play modes that you’d expect. At the center it has a career mode, in which you can build up a real life boxer (like Ali) and take him to the championship, or you can create your own boxer. The create a boxer feature is incredibly detailed and your options in crafting the face and head is nearly limitless. I found creating the boxer was nearly as fun as the action in the ring, and spent way too much time fiddling around with making representations of boxers that were not included in the game – like Mike Tyson. Besides the career mode, you can also take your boxer online through Xbox Live, or play 2 player games on the same Xbox 360.
Over the past few years, sports games have been taking full advantage of the right analog stick – from utilizing it for a golf swing to pulling off wicked crossovers in basketball. FNR3 carries it to a whole new level with “total punch control”. With TPC, you can throw every punch in the game – with a specific hand – utilizing only the right thumbstick. It takes a few fights to really grasp it, but it is very satisfying once you get the hang of it. For those that prefer to use button presses, there is a controller option that allows you to use most of the punches with those, but if you want to master every punch, you have to use the thumbstick.
One touchy gameplay element in boxing is making the haymaker punch well balanced. In FNR3, EA did an excellent job of doing just that. It takes a little longer to pull off, and is thrown a little slower (because of the wind up). The haymaker must be used strategically as a counter punch or when a boxer leaves himself wide open. So, you will not be able to simply throw wild haymakers throughout a match without paying dearly. Landing a well placed haymaker is very satisfying and can change a match dramatically.
While I have no real complaints about FNR3 in the ring, there are a couple miscues outside the ring. One of them is the training. As you progress in career mode, you must train your boxer to hone his skills. Unfortunately, you only have a very limited number of training options (only three). The training is done through ridiculously simplistic mini-games like weightlifting (to increase your power stats), a combo dummy exercise (to increase your speed stats), and the heavy bag (for your stamina and chin related ratings). These three give you very limited options for sculpting your fighter as you desire. Other boxing games from years past, such as Rocky Legends, gave many more options, mini-games, and was implemented much better. The whole training aspect felt like an afterthought that was never fully finished, but placed in the game anyhow. Another minor misstep is the highlights between the rounds, which seemed more like really boring lowlights. Also, the ring girls between the rounds quickly become repetitive as there are only 3 that repeat over and over and over again.
If you’ve played the demo – which was released weeks before the title hit the shelves – you know just how gorgeous the character models are. I found myself marveling at the quality of the skin textures, and let’s just say it’s not often I stare and marvel at the skin texture of another man’s body. The slow motion knockout replays are also a thing of beauty. Watching the ripple effects on the face, or the splatter of blood and spit as the glove connects, is mesmerizing. Video game violence has never been this pretty before.
While none of the other visuals in the game will impress you quite as much as the character models of the boxers, they do look nice. The environments – such as the crowd and venues - are well crafted. There is a variety of locations to keep things fresh – from a desolate boxing ring in a gritty gym to a fully packed Madison Square Gardens.
In the audio department, FNR3 wins by a split decision. The sound effects – like the booming punches – are fantastic. The commentary is serviceable, but very repetitive. You’ll hear the same phrases repeated several times each fight.
Overall, despite a few low blows - like the massive quantities of in game ads - FNR3 is a fantastic boxing game and really shines as a next generation gaming experience.
Overall Score: 9.0 / 10
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Ridge Racer 6
Ridge Racer 6 reminds me of a really old car with a fresh coat of paint and a squirt or two of some “new car smell” air freshener for the interior. Strip away that new glossy shine and RR6 is a game that could have been made in the mid-1990’s. It comes complete with wacky physics, confined courses (with no shortcuts or alternate routes), and unfaltering AI opponents. At its heart, it’s virtually the same Ridge Racer we’ve many times before on other systems. This is both the downfall and charm of RR6. The simplistic gameplay makes it quick and easy to pick up and play. It’s sure to please those that love the previous games in the series, but others will soon find themselves wishing there was a little more under the hood.
With a slew of unlicensed cars, unrealistic physics, fictional race locations, and no damage modeling for the vehicles, Ridge Racer 6 definitely falls into the category of “arcade” racer. It’s very reminiscent of Burnout 3, except the spectacular crashes and blazing sense of speed have been removed and replaced with a focus on drifting and the use of turbo. There is no corner too severe that you can’t take at 200+ mph by simply letting off the gas and drifting your vehicle around it. In the event you do strike the wall, you’ll simply bounce off it unrealistically and repeatedly, much like a basketball being dribbled against the hardwood floor.
While much of the game feels a little dated, there are some fresh additions. Most notably Namco has included Xbox Live support for head to head play and a few downloadable items. There is also an amazing number of unlockable extras to be earned through both the single player and online areas. There are over 100 vehicles to be discovered as well as a video, the classic Pac-Man game, a few secret messages, and several additional races. The extras are spread out in frequent intervals throughout the single player experience, which help to keep you coming back for more.
RR6 is all about the use of drifting and turbo. By taking drifts at high speeds, you can fill your turbo meter, which is separated into 3 tanks. The faster you’re going when you drift, the quicker the tanks will fill up. You can use each turbo as they come, or you can fill up all 3 tanks which will enable you to use 2 or 3 turbo boosts at once for some serious speed. Time your use of turbo just right, and you can recharge the meter at an alarmingly fast rate by using the extra speed burst to take some really fast drifts. It takes a bit to get used to the system, but utilizing the turbo and drifting to attempt to pull off a perfect race can become quite addictive.
Ridge Racer’s single player campaign is done through a system called the “World Explorer”. It’s a unique race tree with branching pathways that allow you to unlock extras along the way. The basic route is comprised of 111 races, most of which are straight forward and fairly easy. As you complete those, other routes appear such as the advanced route and special routes. These extra routes can be extremely challenging and highly frustrating. During the basic route, I was very pleased to see the absence of "rubber band AI" that can be found in some racers. Unfortunately, the rubber band AI rears its ugly head in the special and advanced routes, making them even more maddening. Since the cooler cars and the ending movie are earned through these harder routes, it can be quite a painful experience to nab those achievements.
While there are a ton of cars available, many of them look way too similar. Each time you unlock a vehicle you get to see a cut-scene as your car is revealed with much fanfare. However, it’s slightly disappointing when most of the cars look almost the same, or are just simple paint swaps of models you've already unlocked. There are a few truly unique cars to unlock near the end, such as a Pac-Man mini car driven by Pac-Man himself, but they come way too late in the game.
The courses also run into a problem with lack of diversity. While there are 15 different courses, many look too similar and you’ll often confuse tracks with each other. You can race each track forward and reverse, but there simply aren’t enough courses or diversity to keep the game fresh through 15+ hours and 150+ races in the single player campaign.
RR6 is a decent straight forward Xbox Live experience. The races are quick and easy to pick up and play. However, I experienced terrible lag initially until I learned that you have to shut off your media sharing with your PC for it to run smoothly. If you take that extra step to disable that feature, the game runs smoothly and is a solid XBL experience.
In the visual department, RR6 looks very crisp and clean and runs smoothly while whizzing by the various locales. However, the game lacks any extra pizzazz. The textures are flat and boring, there are only two camera angles to choose from while racing (a bumper cam and the standard behind the vehicle look), and reflective surfaces lack that something extra that you find in most of the Xbox 360 games. It looks like one of those games that you’ll put in your Xbox 360 in a few years down the road just to see how far the system has evolved from the ugliest games (RR6) to the newest and best thing (Halo 3, perhaps).
As for the audio, you won’t be doing cartwheels over anything here. The engine noises all sound way too similar from car to car. The race announcer is extremely annoying and way too hyper – your first order of business will likely be turning this voice off. The backing music is your standard techno fare.
The bottom line is that while Ridge Racer 6 is not a bad game, it is difficult to recommend it when the Xbox 360 lineup already has two top notch racers – Project Gotham 3 and Need for Speed: Most Wanted - both of which are a cut above this Namco offering.
Overall Score: 6.6 / 10
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Perfect Dark Zero
Between Halo and Half-Life 2, the Xbox library was crammed full of tremendous first person shooters. With the debut of the Xbox 360, many fans of the genre were hedging their bets on Perfect Dark Zero - Rare’s sequel to their acclaimed game from the Nintendo 64 - to keep the tradition alive. I’m happy to report that Perfect Dark Zero hits the ground running and continues the tradition of top notch FPS on the Xbox platform.
Perfect Dark Zero has everything you could ever ask for in a top notch First Person Shooter – a terrific set of weapons, great controls, a massive assortment of multiplayer options, varied environments, and some gorgeous graphics that easily top any console FPS to date.
While there are plenty of good points about PDZ, there are a few missteps that keep it from achieving perfection. One of the more frustrating flaws is that there are not enough checkpoints in the single player campaign, and in the event you meet an untimely death you often have to play over a large chunk of the level. I also didn’t find the story to be very gripping and at times I found myself tuning out the plot details out of a lack of interest. It’s not horrible, it just isn’t in any danger of winning a Pulitzer Prize.
The single player campaign has you jetting off to wildly varying locales throughout the 14 missions - from the South American jungle to China and everywhere in between. It’s a slightly slower paced FPS, and there is an emphasis on stealth on most missions. However, on the easy and normal difficulty levels you can generally still go in guns a blazin’ without much of a problem. There are a few vehicles, such as a jet pack and hovercraft, thrown into the mix, which are a joy, but the real star of this show is the weaponry. There is a wide selection of guns thrown your way throughout the campaign, and all feel extremely well done. Most weapons have a nifty secondary function - such as adding a silencer, jamming radar, or shooting out grenades. At the end of each mission you are giving a score which, if hooked up to Xbox Live, you can compare with the top players. Also the strategies change a lot between the difficulty settings, which just adds to the already high amount of replay value.
The single player game is a solid experience, but PDZ really hits a homerun in the multiplayer park. If you like co-op, not only can you play on the same Xbox 360, but you can also team up over Xbox Live. Some levels feature branching pathways in which the co-op players are put on separate paths that intersect at certain spots – enabling you to help out your teammate. It really adds a dimension the strategy and fun, and will give you good reason to play the level twice to experience both paths. I started out with the intent of playing the co-op for a level or two to get the feel of it, but ended up playing it for many more hours than I had anticipated – it’s just that much fun.
You’ll also find your standard assortment of Xbox Live options, such as your standard deathmatches and capture the flag adventures. You can have up to 32 people in a match, and if you’re short of a few players of whatever number you desire, you have the option of filling out the roster with AI bots. If you haven’t jumped on the XBL bandwagon, you can also play Deathmatches all by yourself against an entire team of bots.
On top of all that, there is a very unique “Dark Ops” multiplayer mode in which there are no specific set weapons, and you have to “purchase” your weapons prior to the match using credits earned by your performance in these matches. The better the weapon, the more it will cost you. It’s a unique experience as you must be conscious of your budget and plan ahead.
The game controls like most FPS to grace the Xbox over the past 4 years, except for one feature – there is no jumping. While I am sure there are those that could argue for days about the pros and cons of this, I will simply say that I found that after playing through a few missions and deathmatches that I did not miss the ability to jump and rarely thought about it. Joanna Dark can easily navigate over small ledges and stairs simply by pushing toward the obstacle, and it did not present any problems throughout the game.
Since this is a new console generation, and we’re dealing with a much more powerful platform, I expected PDZ to look prettier than anything we saw in the last generation of consoles. I was not disappointed as PDZ looks simply gorgeous, especially when playing the game on a HDTV. The lighting effects and textures on the surfaces are terrific. Another positive is the environments, which were very detailed and changed drastically throughout the single player campaign. On the negative side, I did not notice much of an improvement in the character models over the last generation of games. Also, if you’ve been playing the latest FPS on a high end PC, you likely won’t notice that much of a difference between that experience and this one.
In the sound department, the gunfire and explosions are top notch. The music is decent and blends in nicely, although I found myself frequently using the Xbox 360 feature of being able to play your own music during any game. The voice acting is a mixed bag. I found a few of the actors (especially Chandra) to be slightly annoying, but on the whole it was passable.
The bottom line is that PDZ is a top notch FPS and rivals anything we saw in the last generation in terms of gameplay, multiplayer options, and replay value. As the icing on the cake, it’s wrapped in an awfully pretty package. It will likely be a game that will still be played heavily over Xbox Live for several months to come (or until we see Halo 3).
Overall Score: 9.4 / 10
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Blitz: The League
Who says you need an NFL license to make a good football game? While Electronic Arts was dumping truckloads of money at the NFL headquarters for the sole rights to their license, Midway developed Blitz: The League, a game that throws that license to the ground and then stomps all over it. Blitz is packed full of things you would never find in an NFL approved game, such as off color language, drug use, gambling, violence, and scantily clad women.
At the center of Blitz: The League is a story mode in which you attempt to take a lowly team to the championship. Your team is highly customizable from the team name, coaching staff, uniform design, cheerleaders, and player’s names and appearances. To whip these sad sacks into shape, you are given full control of their training throughout the campaign. The task of training each of your players, buying extra equipment for them, or purchasing training upgrades can be very daunting initially. More than likely you will end up wishing you had spent your money differently by the time you figure it all out. It can be a very fun aspect of the game once you get the hang of it, and your early mistakes will give you a good reason to play the campaign mode a second time through to perfect your strategy.
A unique aspect of Blitz is that you’re not stuck with the normal training tactics. You can also put your players on the “juice” - a variety of illegal and legal performance enhancers. Most of these substances will increase a player’s strength, stamina, or speed to varying degrees, but it comes with some negatives. Many of the illegal ones will also decrease the player’s awareness, make him more injury prone, or you can risk getting a dirty test result leading to fines.
Midway did an excellent job at creating an original league from scratch. The league is based on a 3 division system, with the worst teams in Division 3 (where you start out), the average ones in Division 2, and the cream of the crop in Division 1. Your goal is to work your way up to the division 1 championship in a single year - something no other team has done before.
Each team you face has a star player, and many of these stars suspiciously resemble those from the NFL. Tito Maas, a star WR for the Arizona Outlaws, seems to be a combination of Terrell “TO” Owens and Randy Moss (TO Moss?). Quarterback, Mike Mexico, resembles Michael Vick, whose nickname is Ron Mexico. At any rate, by the end of the campaign the league and a few of the players will nearly feel as real to you as the NFL and its players. Going into the game I was skeptical that Midway would be able to pull of a league that would make you not care about the NFL, but they certainly succeeded in this area.
On the field, the game plays very similar to traditional Blitz games. It is a very fast paced game of 8 on 8 football. New to the game is a "clash meter" that can be used to pull off some crazy moves on both offense and defense. Use it on offense to go into "bullet time" - slow down the defense and blow right past them. On defense you can utilize it to pull off some extreme hits. In addition to the clash meter, if you pull off enough big moves, your meter turns into an "unleash meter" which is slightly bigger and badder than the clash meter. It can make you invulnerable on offense, or enable you to pull off some wicked hits on defense that are likely to cause a fumble or injury.
Speaking of injuries, they are hands down one of the coolest aspects of the game, and nothing is more satisfying than crippling the opposition's star player. Landing a nasty hit that causes an injury will cause the game to go into slow motion and zoom in on an interior view of the player showing you the injury. Watching spines shatter, muscles snap, or teeth go flying is more fun than it probably should be. Unfortunately, it's not as fun when it is one of your teammates, but luckily you can choose to juice him up to get him back on the field in just a few plays. A fractured leg is nothing a shot of juice can’t fix!
One thing missing from the traditional Blitz game is the ability to smack down your opponent at the end of the play. Older versions allowed you a few seconds to hit or throw around your opponent. While you can no longer do that after every play, they did introduce brawling. If you hit your opponent with too many dirty hits it will start a brawl mode in which you have 10 seconds to land as many dirty hits on your opponent, while they try to do the same to you. The winner of the brawl is given clash icons to help build his meter into the Unleash mode.
Unfortunately, the game is lacking in some areas. First off, there are essentially no statistics to speak of – completely inexcusable for a sports game in this day and age. The only stats to be found are a handful of league leaders in each of the major stat categories, such as yards passing, rushing, receiving, and defense. It is a puzzling omission as it could not have been difficult to include detailed stats for your players. Another irritating thing is that you are not allowed to make any roster moves of any kind. You can not substitute players, trade them, or move them to different positions. This is partly because there are a few scripted on the field incidents during the story mode that would not be possible if that person was on the bench. However, it does not explain why no roster moves are allowed during Quick play games.
Another problem is the lack of depth. Once you finish the campaign mode that is pretty much it for the game. There is no franchise option - you can not start a second season with your team. Your only option is to play quick play games, or play through the campaign mode again.
Visually speaking, Blitz looks very good. The original stadiums are imaginative, unique, and very well done. The motion capture elements – especially the hits, are some of the best in any football game to date. The player models are solid, but aside from the differences in hair styles and skin color they all look relatively the same in the face. Some of the cut-scenes look fairly dated, and it was one of the rare games where I actually thought the in game graphics look better than the FMV on the whole. However, the bottom line is that the game looks very clean and crisp and the graphics are solid.
For the most part the sound is also decent. The voice acting includes ex-NFL player Lawrence Taylor who provides the voice for the NY Nightmare linebacker, Quentin Sands. The music is a blend of hip hop and rap, which matches the feel of the game. A few of the sound clips played during the game can get old after 30+ games, and it would have been nice if Midway utilized the custom soundtrack feature. However, the only real downer in the sound department is the announcing. The old Blitz games used a fun, over the top announcer to deliver the play by play, and it worked very well. Unfortunately they’ve replaced him with easily the most snooze inducing announcer I’ve ever heard on a sports game. It is an odd choice for a game that is anything but snooze inducing.
The good news is that none of the flaws detract from the fun of the game - it just makes you think how much further this series can grow. Where it truly succeeds is in showing that you do not need an NFL license to make a football game that is an entertaining experience. Blitz: the League is a game that would rate high in the fun factor column, but just misses the mark in the depth column. It’s a fun diversion from the standard fare, but you likely won’t be throwing away your copy of Madden 06 or ESPN 2K5 any time soon.
Overall Score: 8.8 / 10
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Serious Sam II
If you like First Person Shooter games with a lot of gritty realism, whip smart Artificial Intelligence, and complex storylines, then steer clear of the Serious Sam series - very, very far away. Serious Sam is a FPS that revels in its simplicity and over the top gameplay.
The gameplay largely consists of putting you in an enclosed areas and sending waves and waves of enemies toward you to mow down. There are no complex tactics involved, and most enemies simply make a direct beeline toward your position. You rarely stop moving, and almost never remove your finger from the trigger button. It is a throwback FPS…like the old-school DOOM games, where hordes of enemies relentlessly attack, and similar in feel to classic arcade games like Robotron. This game has lots of mindless action, and plenty to keep your twitch reflexes sharp.
The lead character, Sam, is a likeable hero - despite the fact that he is a muscle bound, egotistical, testosterone filled, wise-cracking fellow. He reminds me of a cross between Bruce Campbell (Army of Darkness) and Arnold Schwarzenegger. In this, his 2nd adventure on the Xbox, Sam is sent to 5 different parts of the universe to collect 5 pieces of a medallion that can be used to defeat his arch nemesis, Mental. Of course, who cares about plot? You’re just here to blow stuff up real good.
Quite simply, Serious Sam II is a weird game. There are not many games that you can say you battle zombie accountants using a parrot strapped with a bomb as a weapon in a village populated with what appears to be Smurfs. As a matter of fact, I’m going to go out on a limb and say this is the only game that does that.
The controls are like any other FPS that has been released in the last few years on the Xbox. If you’ve ever played Halo, you’ll jump right in to SSII without a problem. There are a couple small odd quirks to SSII. First off, there is no reloading. If you have 200 shotgun shells, you can continually fire without reloading until you’re out of shells. Secondly, you can throw grenades when you are dual wielding weapons (two weapons are automatically dual wielded – the pistols and uzis). The grenade flies out without your hands ever leaving either weapon. I would really like to know how Sam is throwing those… on second thought, maybe I don’t want to know.
By now you’re probably thinking this all sounds really good, right? A game with a quirky sense of humor, non-stop wacky action, and no in depth story to slow you down does sound pretty appealing on paper. However, before you run out and purchase SSII, I should warn you that there is a downside to all of this – the mind numbing repetition. Sure, it’s fun for a couple hours, but after 10 hours of mindless shooting at hordes of brainless enemies it can all get pretty old. It might be the only game where you actually wish things would slow down for a few moments just for a change of pace.
There are a few things injected in the single player campaign to attempt to break up the monotony, such as the ability to use a few vehicles, or gun turrets. There are also several more cut-scenes, when compared to the first Serious Sam. While those are welcome breaks from the routine, in the end it does not do much to improve the overall feeling of repetition.
On the positive side, there are plenty of game modes in case you get bored. You can play online through Xbox Live. So if you tire of the mindless enemies in the single player campaign, you can hook up against human opponents that display a wide variety of intelligence, or lack thereof. There is a co-op mode, but unfortunately it is only available through the system link feature. There is no split screen co-op on a single Xbox, and none available through Xbox Live.
SSII is also slightly disappointing in the visual category. It looks no better than the first Serious Sam – which was released in the early days of the Xbox. Being that this was released nearly 3 years later – in the twilight years of the Xbox - I expected to see noticeable improvement between the games. Unfortunately, that was not that case. Most surfaces look very flat and uninspiring. There were times where I felt like I was in a world crafted by Nintendo - a Mario-esque type world - colorful yet flat looking surfaces.
The music mostly consists of generic melodies that play up tempo when there are enemies around, or on those rare occasions where there isn’t anything in the vicinity to shoot at, it plays much more softly. Since enemies spawn from every conceivable direction, it is handy to have the music as a cue when something is nearby.
Sam’s voice is one of my personal favorites in any video games. It’s very distinct, humorous, and is a booming bass filled tone. My one beef is with the grunt Sam makes when he jumps. If you move Sam close to a small ledge or stair step he makes the grunt noise automatically. Get in a tight space near a step or ledge and you can hear Sam grunt repeatedly. It can get very annoying. The rest of the voice work is serviceable, but unmemorable. The same goes for all the gunfire, explosions, sound effects, etc… very unremarkable one way or the other.
The bottom line is that if you can overlook the mind numbing repetition and you’re looking for a FPS with non-stop brainless action and a quirky sense of humor, than SSII is for you.
Overall Score: 7.0 / 10
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Tecmo Classic Arcade
A few of you may be surprised to learn that roughly 20 years before Tecmo was developing drop dead gorgeous games like Ninja Gaiden and their Dead or Alive series, they were in the arcade business making relatively average looking 2D style games. What is possibly more shocking is that none of these early Tecmo games featured scantily clad women with large chests playing beach volleyball. As disappointing as that may be to a few of you, let's move on and examine Tecmo Classic Arcade.
Tecmo was never known as a behemoth in the arcade industry. However, they managed to dig through their archives and slap together this compilation of 11 games that hit the arcades from 1981 to 1991. Those who didn't live in an arcade in the 1980's may only recognize a few of these games from their much better known NES versions - such as Tecmo Bowl, Rygar and Solomon's Key. What we're left with is a collection that is largely filled with lesser known games, and unfortunately, the bulk of these are not hidden gems.
I noticed a few really big disappointments before I even put the disc into the Xbox. First off, the price tag of $30 seems out of whack with other arcade compilations such as Midway Treasures and Namco Museum. Making matter worse, some of Tecmo's biggest and best arcade games such as Ninja Gaiden and Silk Worm are nowhere to be found. These omissions seem inexcusable, especially considering the higher price tag and the fact that Tecmo wasn't overflowing with arcade hits to begin with.
On the positive side, most of the better known games still hold their charm. Despite being nearly 20 years old, Tecmo Bowl remains a surprisingly fun football game and a fine trip down memory lane. While the single player game can get old after a few minutes (it's a tad on the easy side), the multiplayer - up to 4 players can join in - is as fun as it ever was. Other games that hold up well are Rygar (a challenging side scrolling action adventure game), Bomb Jack (a simple collect the bombs while avoiding the enemies game), and Solomon's Key (a fun and challenging puzzle solving game).
I found myself having trouble caring about the rest of the collection. Pleiads is a knockoff of Space Invaders and Galaga, but not as good as either. The same goes for Strato Fighter which plays very similar to Defender, but just is not in the same league. Tecmo Cup is a soccer game that simply did not hold up well with time. Pinball Action is a rather mundane pinball game that features changing playfields, but feels terribly outdated and offers very little entertainment value. Swimmer is a game in which you try to guide a guy swimming through a river while dodging obstacles and collecting fruit. I say "try" because the controls are frustrating and feel unresponsive. Senjyo is a very early 3D shooter. It is impressive considering it was made in 1983, but as with most of the games on this set it just won't spark any real interest from the casual player.
I was hoping to find some nifty extra features to redeem this package, but sadly I was also left disappointed in that regard. There are no unlockable games or extras to be found - nor are there any videos or documentaries. The only extra you will find is a gallery featuring a handful of old posters and original manuals from these games.
Technically speaking, these games are faithful recreations of their arcade counterpart. All the visuals and sounds appear to have made the trip to the Xbox intact. Many of the sound effects can get pretty annoying, such as a few of the high pitched tones you will hear in Pleiads, but that is to be expected when you are dealing with 25 year old games.
The bottom line is that I could only recommend this collection to the diehard fan that is already familiar with most of these games. Those looking for a Tecmo Bowl, Rygar, or Solomon's Key fix should simply dust off your old Nintendo and save the $30. Now that I think about it, you could probably buy an old NES and all those great Tecmo games for under 30 bucks, and you would still have enough left over to buy the Ninja Gaiden cartridge and complete the true ultimate Tecmo collection.
Lastly, I must say that this collection highlights just how far Tecmo has come in the last 20 years. I largely played these arcade games while taking breaks from Tecmo's newly released Ninja Gaiden Black. The contrast between the two was simply amazing. From makers of average 80's arcade fare to one of the best and technically advanced adventure games to date, Tecmo has come a long way indeed.
Overall Score: 5.0 / 10
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Burnout Revenge
You know a game is good when it makes all the other games in its genre seem rather boring in comparison. Burnout 3 did just that. By the time I peeled the Xbox controller from my sweaty palms and moved onto other racing games, I noticed they all seemed to move too slowly and felt rather mundane. Burnout 3’s success was largely due to its innovative ability to seamlessly blend an action game with an arcade racer. The result was an incredibly fun, fast, and furious style of gameplay with plenty of carnage to assault your eyes and ears.
Almost a year to the day Burnout 3 was released, EA presents us with the sequel, Burnout Revenge. There are a handful of changes and additions, but none of them have an Earth shattering effect on the gameplay. It was nice to see that they did not fix what was broken, but at the same time the game feels like a new car without that new car smell.
The tweaks to the game are a mixed bag between good and bad. Hands down the best change is to the racing courses. Not only are the environments better from a visual perspective, but they are also much more entertaining to race through. Gone are the tight enclosed racetracks found in the previous Burnout titles. These courses are loaded with alternate paths, insane jumps, and hazardous obstacles that are handy for ramming your opponent into. For the Burnout enthusiast, this change alone should make the game worth the price of admission.
Another change is “traffic checking”, which allows you to ram most of the same direction traffic (with the exception of larger vehicles). The checked vehicles are sent flying like a pinball hopped up on caffeine and sugar. They can be used to take out opponents and other traffic. I was somewhat torn on this addition. On one hand, it simply looks cool, is entertaining, and it cranks the carnage meter up to 11. On the other hand it takes away a little of the strategy and makes the game slightly more simple. You essentially no longer have to worry about hitting traffic in your lane - a big no-no in previous Burnout games.
The Burnout games have never been about realistic physics, but the fact that plowing into 10 cars in your lane does nothing to affect your speed, might be slightly overdoing it. In the end, I think the fun factor wins out and makes this a welcome addition. As singer Sheryl Crow once wisely pointed out – “if it makes you happy, it can’t be that bad”. I’ll go with Mrs. Lance Armstrong on this one.
I was also torn over the changes to the crash mode. This was one of the slickest features in Burnout 3. It was simple, fun, and accessible for gamers of all skill and ages. Some of the changes made to the crash mode in Burnout Revenge left me largely scratching my head. For example, they added what amounts to a laugh track. Crash and you’ll hear a very fake sounding audience applauding and screaming with delight… it’s bizarre and seems out of place.
Another oddity is that to start your vehicle in crash mode, you have to kick a field goal. That’s right, I said a field goal. EA essentially took their field goal meter from the Madden games and placed it in Burnout Revenge. You have to time button presses as the meter goes up and then back down. Do it wrong and your engine could blow up or stall causing you to have to restart. It’s baffling to me as to why they thought this would be a fun addition when just pressing on the gas pedal seems like a much better idea.
Another mind boggling change is there are no longer replays in crash mode. Half the fun of making all the carnage is to be able to watch it again and again and again. This time around you are out of luck.
However, it’s not all bad. The crash mode does have its improvements. The locations (ripped directly from the race courses) are much better and more creative. The jumps are more spectacular, and some nifty wind effects have been added. The multipliers, bonuses, and heartbreakers are gone. In its place there is simply a target vehicle that you can shoot for (after the initial wreck). Having the multiplier icons removed really opens up your options and strategy as you are no longer simply aiming for icons. Overall the crash mode is still fun, but I ultimately preferred the one found in Burnout 3.
The system by which you can earn medals (gold, silver, or bronze) for races has been slightly tweaked. This time around it’s not enough to simply win the race - you also have to drive recklessly enough to earn that final star. Win while driving like Grandma (boring, with little destruction) and watch your rating go from gold to silver. This was a nice little change that added some extra challenge while encouraging more destruction.
Crash breakers (blowing your vehicle up to cause destruction) have now graduated from just being in the crash mode to being utilized in races. It can be used to blow up opponents that attempt to pass your disabled vehicle. It works nicely to combat the rubber-band A.I. – which has the opponents right on your behind regardless of how good you are driving. It will stop those little buggers from passing you by if you make one mistake. Crashing right before the finish line in Burnout 3 and losing your first place position was incredibly frustrating. Now you can simply blow up those right behind you and still have a crack at finishing in the top spot. I deem this to be a welcome addition, even if it does make it slightly easier.
While I am on the subject of rubber band A.I., I would like to add that the Burnout series in the only racing games that this type of A.I. feels appropriate. It keeps your opponent close, which increases the element of action. Racing all by your lonesome (way ahead or behind) would be so disappointing in this game when you have so much destruction at your fingertips.
Besides the changes above, the core of the game remains largely intact – which is a good thing. You still race through career mode with a variety of race types (preview lap, eliminator, straight up races, tournaments, and traffic checking – which takes the place of “road rage” from B3). The basic gameplay feels the same. If you played B3, you should be able to jump right in on Burnout Revenge with out needing time to adjust.
Visually speaking, Burnout Revenge is by no means the prettiest racer out there and it will not give games like Forza Motorsport and Project Gotham 2 a run for their money. However, it does one thing better than any other racing game on the planet – it creates an amazing sense of speed. The environments whiz by at an amazing pace, and the effects when hitting the turbo really do their job at conveying the sense of speed. While you won’t often stop to marvel at the environment, you really won’t have time to care.
All of the vehicles are unlicensed, but many of them closely resemble those found in the real world. There is a large variety of every type… from the smallest compact cars to the massive trucks. As a cross promotion by EA, you can get a special Madden truck if you have a Madden 06 save on your console.
The game features a decent soundtrack filled with acts such as the Chemical Brothers, Junkie XL, and Billy Talent. It is no Grand Theft Auto (they’re mostly lesser known songs from those bands), but it does the trick if you like that musical genre. As an added bonus, the game features custom soundtracks, so you can rip your favorite Perry Como and Frank Sinatra CDs to your hard drive and listen to your own tunes.
Ultimately Burnout Revenge is the same fun game that we discovered in Burnout 3. If you are a fan of the series and can ignore the fact that this isn’t a major evolutionary step, you will likely be satisfied with this new addition to the Burnout family. The casual fan that already has Burnout 3 would be best advised to rent it first for a test spin.
Overall Score: 8.6 / 10
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Outlaw Tennis
Welcome to Pong with a heaping dose of attitude. Outlaw Tennis is a game that turns the typical country club on its head and then stomps all over it. The game is filled with a cast of characters that you likely wouldn’t find at Wimbeldon… the stripper, the hardened criminal, the hard drinking English woman, the steroid enhanced Russian, and so on...
If you’ve played an Outlaw game (Outlaw Golf 1 & 2, Outlaw Volleyball) you know what it is all about. A tennis game mixed with plenty of crude humor, scantily clad women, and celebration movies that would likely spurn Hillary Clinton to invoke some new legislation.
Outlaw Tennis features 16 character – 7 new and 9 returning from previous games. Summer, El Suave, Harley, Killer Miller, Shawnee, Donna Maroni, Lizzy, Natasha, and Ice Trey all return. The 9 new characters are an eclectic mix of various ethnic stereotypes. You are sure to find a few characters that amuse you, as well as a few that annoy.
Surprisingly, the Outlaw series has always had terrific game mechanics at its core. Outlaw Golf was not a disposable parody that was all about the crude humor. The gameplay was as good, or better than the hardcore versions - such as Tiger Woods and Links. The same thing could be said about Outlaw Volleyball. Unfortunately, Outlaw Tennis does not quite live up to the series’ great reputation in that regard, and it does not give the elite games in the genre - Top Spin and Virtua Tennis – a run for their money.
The mechanics feel slightly sloppy and a little loose. You’ll occasionally find yourself heading a different direction than you wanted to go, or watching the ball hit your character in the leg while you swing the racket a good 3 feet away from the ball.
After playing the game a few hours, I got more used to the mechanics and hyperactive speed, but it never reached the quality of the other games in the genre. It’s far from bad in this regard, but just slightly disappointing when compared to the quality you’ve come to expect in the Outlaw series.
On the positive side, the game has a massive amount of gametypes that keep things very fresh. You can play several match modes in addition to playing the standard rules - baseball, football, ping pong, pinball, hot potato, casino, and time bomb are all added into the mix.
The game has a ton of unlockable extras – including bonus movies, characters, courts, drill events, tour events, and several sets of clothing and accessories for each character. Every win will give you a handful of new stuff to check out.
As with Outlaw Vollyeball, you can pick a fight with your opponent. Unfortunately the system has been changed to simple button mashing. The person who mashes the buttons the fastest wins the fight (and 30 seconds of “hyper-mode”). The Outlaw series has never been good at the fight mechanics, but this is a curious step backwards
The visuals look almost identical to those seen in Outlaw Volleyball. At a casual glance it is difficult to tell the games apart… the courts and character models look nearly the same. The courts are boring this time around as all the typical places make an appearance – the snow covered icy court, the hot desert court, the gym, hell (which was already done in Outlaw Volleyball), etc… The subject matter should have lent itself to more creative environments.
As with the other Outlaw games, the voice acting is top notch. The commentary is decent, and is presented by the Daily Show’s Stephen Colbert. It does get repetitive (as is the case with most sports games), but is funny at times.
There is a wide variety of in-game music from mostly B-level bands – not terrible, but not anything you’ll be rushing to your local store to buy. The game also features custom soundtracks, so you can rip your favorite Bette Midler and Neil Diamond tunes to your Xbox and jam away.
Ultimately, Outlaw Tennis is a fun game with enough variety to keep things fresh, but with tightened up game mechanics this could have been the ultimate tennis experience. It’s a great buy for the Outlaw fan, but the casual player that already has Outlaw Volleyball may want to pass on this one.
Overall Score: 7.6 / 10
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Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack
After Halo 2 was released in November of 2004, some gamers slaved away on Xbox Live getting their Halo 2 ranking up to an obscene number only to have it all wiped away when Bungie reset all the stats in May of this year. If you were one of these people left frustrated, sad, and alone, I’m happy to announce that Bungie has released the Halo 2: Multiplayer Map Pack that features 9 new multiplayer maps, a variety of game play improvements, and a handful of special videos. The expansion pack should brighten your day and give you cause to get back in the saddle and recapture that spectacular ranking.
The 9 maps are a diverse group, and there is something for everyone. Each map has a unique environment… from the small swamp area called Backwash to the large sunny island called Relic you’ll likely find something to enjoy. Here’s a rundown of the maps:
Backwash is a smaller map that is set in a swamp with a light fog. The fog makes for some wickedly cool lighting effects, and limits your visibility. It is a terrific map for slayer battles, or small team based objective games. By default there is invisibility pick up on the map, as well as a sword. The invisibility coupled with the fog makes for ample opportunities to sneak up on your unsuspecting opponent. Backwash is sure to please fans of smaller maps, and was one of my favorites.
Terminal is a medium to large sized map that is in an urban environment set in the middle of a train track – complete with moving train. There is also a multi-level parking garage nearby to gain strategic positioning on your opponent. There are several vehicles on the map, such as the Wraith, Ghost, and Warthog. It’s a decent map for team-based objective games, and is one of the more visually engaging maps. My one complaint is that it’s fairly cluttered and tight in the middle, making it difficult to utilize the many vehicles littered around the map effectively.
Sanctuary is a medium sized map with a base on each end and a structure in the middle. It is set in the Delta Temple area (as seen in the single player campaign) and has a Mayan ruins feeling to it. There are no vehicles, but a great variety of weapons, from the energy sword to the sniper rifle. It’s an all purpose map that is good for just about any game type and party size.
Gemini is a smaller map set in the covenant world of High Charity. It is somewhat similar to Midship, a map originally included with Halo 2. It is mostly indoor, but has some outdoor areas as well. Bungie based this map off of Duality, which first appeared in their game, Marathon. It has a tree set on one end of the map, and a statue of a Covenant prophet on the other. This map works excellent for slayer matches with 2-4 players as there are not many places to hide. Most of the weapons found on the map are suited for close combat… like the energy sword, shotgun, and brute shot.
Relic is one of the biggest maps in the pack. It is set on a sunny island setting – I half expected to find Tecmo’s DOA girls playing beach volleyball somewhere on the island. There is a large base in the middle of the island surrounded by several rocks – which are great to hide behind. This map’s is primarily for large team based games, and it works very well for that. There are plenty of routes from one base to the other, leading to a variety of strategies each team can use. It has a great open feel to it, and fans of larger maps should enjoy Relic.
Warlock is a map many of you may have already played as it has been available as a free download on XBL for about a month now. It is the smallest map available, and is a remade version of Wizard from Halo 1. It serves its purpose – decent for 2-4 player type games – but, I largely found Wizard to be one of the more lackluster maps included in this new set as there just isn’t much going on, and the environment is bland.
Turf is a map in an urban setting, and is designed for medium to large sized battles. There are lots of streets, alleyways, and building tops to explore. There are two bases and a few vehicles. Like Terminal, this is a visually engaging map that is fun to explore. Turf has a lot of tight corridors and pathways, which makes the vehicles useless, except for driving directly from base to base. It is a great map for Territory battles and most team-based objectives.
Containment is a large snow covered map with 2 bases, one on each end (this is the other map that was offered for free last month through XBL). Like Relic, it is another big level. However, Containment is a substantially more complex at it has 2 large bases and caves along each side of the map. It’s not very hard to get turned around or lose your opponent. Almost all of the vehicles make an appearance… the tank, Banshee, ghost, and Warthog. Containment was a little too large and complex for my taste, but fans of 16 player CTF and slayer matches should enjoy the challenge.
Elongation is a retooled map from Halo 1 called the Longest. Unlike the lackluster retooling of Wizard, Elongation’s improvements make the map better and more fun. The most notable change is two conveyer belts running along each corridor with large crates on it. This makes for interesting places to hide, and makes it easier to get to the upper level as you can simply jump on any moving crate to get to the top. With no energy sword, rocket launcher, or sniper rifle, this map is terrific for ‘old school’ deathmatches. For added fun, pop back in Halo 1 and check out the Longest just to see how much substantial improvement was made to the visuals between Halo 1 and 2. The improvements to texturing and lighting effects are simply amazing in comparison.
The improvements to the gameplay are mostly subtle, but very welcome. The melee attack has been improved, and you can now knock your opponent out with a single strike. Other improvements include an increase in the grenade blast radius and slight tweaking to a few of the weapons. Cheating was also addressed and various glitches that were being exploited by dirty players were fixed.
Perhaps my favorite improvement is the “Double Team” game type, in which you and a friend can take on another team of 2 gamers at various things like slayer, CTF, and oddball. It’s a unique game style that plays much different than the larger team based games, and adds a whole new dimension.
Included in the expansion pack are a few new videos, one of which is a brand new cut scene that fits into the Halo 2 single player story. Graphically speaking, it is much prettier than the scenes found in the single player campaign as it is not rendered completely from the in game engine. The video does not involve any of the main characters from the campaign, and details the events of a few marines that crash land to Earth that the Master Chief later runs into. It’s interesting, but does not add much to the game or story. Another video is a straightforward behind the scenes documentary that shows off the new maps by talking to each of the 9 Bungie teams that created them. There are a few other video extras, such as a very interesting E3 video for Halo 1 in 2000, which shows a lot of things Bungie had planned, but cut in the final version… such as herds of strange creatures roaming the Halo surface, an energy sword (which made it into Halo 2), and some truly horrid voice acting (Master Chief has a high nasally voice).
Overall I liked the expansion maps much more than the original set that came with Halo 2. Bungie did a tremendous job of creating 9 maps that represent diverse environments and game types. There is something for everyone in these maps. These maps, along with the interesting videos, and improved game play make this expansion pack well worth the price tag that sits under $20, and will give you reason to keep playing Halo 2 for at least a few more months.
Overall Score: 10.0 / 10
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Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Lock up the children and hide the politicians, it’s time to review the latest installment of the controversial Grand Theft Auto series, GTA: San Andreas. After arriving on the PS2 last year, Rockstar has retooled the game, and presents us with an Xbox version that touts better graphics and a few new features not found on its PS2 counterpart.
In San Andreas, you play as Carl Johnson, who upon learning of the death of his mother returns home to Los Santos (a city clearly modeled after Los Angeles). Carl reacquaints himself with his local gang and finds that it’s not what it used to be. As Carl you try to restore your gangs reputation while battling crooked cops and rival gang members. The story has some good twists and turns, but I was not crazy about the departure from the previous GTA’s. While the previous versions have a very “out there” plot that involved stereotypical characters that are not common in the real world, San Andreas deals with inner city characters and gang violence. It is a stark contrast to the previous GTA games, which had a detached sense of reality. Gang violence just doesn’t seem as funny or as fun as playing as a Scarface inspired Tony Montana type fantasy character, as we did in Vice City.
Several new features have been introduced in GTA:SA, most all of which are big improvements. There are several new vehicles, especially aircraft – such as the jet plane, stunt plane, jet pack, and a parachute. Your character can now swim...no more falling into 5 feet of water just to watch your character flop around helplessly and die. Rockstar also introduced several new RPG elements. Carl has to eat and can work out to define his body. The more you work out, the more buff your character looks. If you eat a lot of greasy, fattening foods, Carl will get fat. I initially thought this would be just like playing the Sims, and while I like the Sims, it didn’t seem to have a place in a Grand Theft Auto game. However, I found it was not a pain at all, and I never felt as though I was “babysitting” the character. Eating restores your health, and you will naturally stop to have a bite to eat just to do just that. Also, saving your game automatically feeds Carl, so if you save often, you really don’t have to eat at all. There are other ways to customize the look of your character, such as several clothing shops and barbers to style your hair in most any fashion you can imagine.
Another new element is your character can now attract girlfriends. There are several possible girlfriends located throughout San Andreas, and you can take them out for dates. Once you have successfully wooed the ladies, you’ll have access to their special car, get a new unique outfit, and some give you special abilities – like being able to get out of jail or hospital without losing all of your weapons.
The most notable change is the environment itself. Vice City is frequently referred to as a “giant sandbox” that gives the player a large area to explore and do what they like. For GTA:SA, Rockstar has turned the sandbox into a virtual desert. While Vice City focused on one city, GTA:SA has 3 large metropolitan areas - Los Santos (i.e., Los Angeles), San Fierro (i.e., San Francisco), and Las Venturas (i.e., Las Vegas). These cities are surrounded by vast countryside, several small towns, wooded areas, a desert, farm land, and more. This stands in stark contrast to the smaller areas given to us in GTA 3 and Vice City…but does size really matter? Is it possible to have too much of a good thing?
As with the previous versions, the other areas will unlock as you complete missions, but it is still very daunting when you start out with such a large map. The pure size is where some of my biggest gripes with GTA:SA come from. There are more than a few missions in which you are forced to drive from one town to another – not a small task. If you fail the mission, you’re forced to complete another trip just to attempt the mission again. These long bouts of driving can become frustrating and boring at times. Another problem is with the map system. While the small navigation map worked for smaller cities like Vice City and Liberty City, the multi-tiered roadway system is much more complicated in San Andreas. The map system is highly inadequate, and you’ll frequently find yourself getting lost and frustrated trying to find your way around.
On the positive side, the huge size keeps things fresh, and you’ll have countless hours of fun simply exploring new territory and finding new things to do. The bottom line is that the increased size is fantastic, but there desperately needs to be better mission design and a map system to go along with this massive playground.
The missions are laid out identically to the previous versions. You have core missions that you must complete to further the main storyline, and also several side missions that you can complete at your own leisure. As with the previous titles, the missions range from easy to very frustrating without much consistency. A few missions become so maddening that you’ll likely break an Xbox controller or two (or take your frustration out on a few pedestrians) before completing them. However, with the open-ended gameplay there is always something else to do while you take a break from those missions.
The Xbox version adds a new feature in the form of replays. You can now replay the last 20 seconds of gameplay at any time. While you have complete control of the camera angle, you can not pause, fast forward, rewind, or save these replays. Furthermore, there is no sound played while viewing. It’s a great idea that feels half finished.
Graphically speaking, GTA:SA will not be confused for a Tecmo or Ubisoft game anytime soon. In other words, your jaw won’t be hitting the floor looking at expansive beautiful environments and brilliantly designed character models. However, it looks much better than its PS2 counterpart. The draw distance has been increased – a major downer in the PS2 version. There is still some “pop up” graphics, but it does not affect the gameplay as it did in the PS2 version. The graphics are also much more crisp and detailed in comparison.
On the plus side, each area is very unique. The sweeping changes in the environments as you travel across the map keep things interesting and detract from the otherwise bland graphics.
I can not think of a game series that does a better job in the sound department. The voice talent is tremendous. Rockstar once again utilizes A-list Hollywood talent, such as Samuel L Jackson and James Woods. There are hours upon hours of funny dialogue to be found on the radio stations and from the pedestrians. As you switch locations, the dialect of the pedestrians will change, such as the Hillbilly sounding townsfolk of the smaller hick villages to the effeminate males found in San Fierro.
Rockstar is famous for its soundtracks. While the selection of 90’s music in SA is not as good as the 80’s fare found in Vice City, it is still very stellar and enjoyable to listen to. The custom soundtrack option is utilized as it was in Vice City and GTA3. However, they changed the control scheme for the worse, and it takes a while to get the hang of switching between songs and soundtracks, and even then it does not feel natural.
The Grand Theft Auto series has been often imitated, but never duplicated. Once again, Rockstar delivers a game that will raise the bar in this genre and give the competitors something else to shoot for (and likely fall short of). GTA:SA is a fun game, and in this case, bigger is indeed better.
Overall Score: 9.6 / 10
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Doom 3
It was not the grandfather of all first person shooters, but when the first Doom was released by Id in 1993 it pushed the envelope of this brand spankin’ new genre. It was fast paced, dripping with mood, had wide open environments, and a variety of groovy weapons. Its style was imitated for years to come. It’s been over 10 years since gamers have been treated to a new Doom game, and in that time the face of FPS has changed dramatically. Going into Doom 3 I couldn’t help but wonder if it would be able to compete with the new breed of FPS, or if it would be able to be the ‘envelope pusher’ it once was.
Another big question was just how well it would look in comparison to the PC version that was released last year. Clearly Xbox gamers would be receiving a ‘dumbed down’ version. Receiving watered down ports is a new experience for the Xbox, a distinction usually reserved for the PS2.
On the good side, I found Doom 3 to be a very worthy competitor in comparison to other games in its genre. I was also pleased to find out that the Xbox version survived the port from the PC very well. The graphics took a very slight hit, but the difference is not very noticeable. On the bad side, Doom 3 does nothing to push the boundaries of the genre, and in some respects – such as repetitive level design and standard weaponry - it feels very dated.
I won’t bore you with a lot of plot details, mostly because there aren't many details to bore you with. It is a very simplistic story in which you play a generic marine with no name sent to Mars City to investigate the disappearance of a worker there. The game starts off slowly and you will find yourself reading communications or listening to audio files on your PDA for the first hour of the game. The fun kicks in once you start encountering enemies in tight dark places. The action is brutal and there is plenty of blood and gore to please even the most sadistic FPS fanatic.
The available weapons are pretty standard FPS fare, such as the pistol, machine gun, rocket launcher, and grenades. One unique element comes by way of the flashlight that you have at your disposal. You cannot hold both your gun and flashlight at the same time. Considering that most of the game takes place in poorly lit corridors and rooms, this creates a considerable dilemma for the gamer. You’ll find yourself constantly switching between the two. This really helps to create an uneasy mood as you feel relatively uneasy with either one in your hand. However, the constant switching gets tiresome, and it is unrealistic as most anybody with any skill and coordination would be able to hold both items at the same time.
For the multiplayer enthusiasts, there is plenty to keep you entertained, if you have Xbox Live, such as standard deathmatches and a co-op mode. Unfortunately, co-op mode is not available without Xbox Live or a system link connection, which I found to be very odd. Also, for those that purchase the collector’s edition you will find both Doom 1 and Doom 2 included as well as a few other goodies.
Everything about Doom 3 revolves around immersing the gamer in a creepy atmosphere. Fortunately the visuals are sharp and crisp, and do a great job at creating the mood. There is no shortage of texturing, lighting effects, and bump mapping. Doom 3 pushes the Xbox hardware to the maximum, and it is unquestionably one of the prettier games to grace the console. I did note some framerate issues when there is a lot of action on the screen, but it does not effect the gameplay and does not happen enough to be a problem.
One knock I have regarding the visuals is the lack of varied environments. Essentially you will see the same metal corridors and rooms with only slight variations throughout the entire game. After about 8 hours of seeing the same environment it can get very tiring. This is one issue that I felt made the game feel dated. Tight corridors and repeating environments for the entire game seems like a thing of the past, and should not be something that we see from a top notch FPS in this day and age.
Doom 3 really shines in the audio department. Id did a terrific job of using the audio effectively for creating a creepy mood. The music, grunts from zombies, and the marine chatter over your radio are all used very well to paint a scary picture as you walk along the dark tight corridors. Sounds effects such as weapon fire and explosions are serviceable and do the trick.
After playing through Doom 3, I can’t help but think of it as a supermodel. As with most supermodels, Doom 3 is all about the look and mood - just don’t look under the surface as you will find a few flaws. It may not push any new boundaries, but the bottom line is that Doom 3 is a very solid game, and still deserves its status as an elite series in its genre.
Overall Score: 9.2 / 10
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TimeSplitters: Future Perfect
TimeSplitters: Present Good.
It’s time to move on to the future. You can’t keep living in the past. After almost 5 months it’s finally time to pry your hands from your Xbox controller, take Halo 2 out, and give another first person shooter a spin. You could wait a few more weeks for Doom 3, but you’d be missing out on a solid game in TimeSplitters: Future Perfect.
Future Perfect is the third installment of Free Radical Design’s TimeSplitter series. The story mode picks up where TimeSplitters 2 left off, with you leaping through various time periods to save the world. In this chapter you are seeking out an evil madman who is using time travel to achieve his plan of world domination. The plot is nothing original, but the concept of time travel makes for a good video game. The environments change wildly from one time period to the next. You’ll find yourself jumping from the 1920’s to the 2240’s and everywhere in between.
During each level you are thrown together with a sidekick that is a stereotypical character from that era. For example, while in 1969 you are teamed up with Harry Tipper, a swinging 1960’s hippie with long sideburns and an Austin Powers like attitude. On the good side, they frequently aid you with fighting the enemy, and also inject some humor into the game. Your sidekick can not die, except for a few dreaded “escort missions” in which you have to protect them. Unfortunately, they don’t always behave intelligently, and at times it reminded me of playing a co-op game with a really dumb friend.
The story mode is short – it takes about 7 hours to complete - but it is a small part of the game. There are several play modes including a challenge mode, arcade mode, map maker, and multiplayer through Xbox Live. TS:FP makes good use of Xbox Live with a lot to do besides just the multiplayer aspect. You can also share your user created maps, compare your high scores in the challenge mode, and download replays of others to see how the best do it.
You don’t need Xbox Live to have a good time with TS:FP. You can do just about everything offline that you can online. If you’re all alone, but want to experience a multiplayer deathmatch, simply set up one in the arcade mode with computer controlled opponents. Other than not having a 12 year old trash talking to you, you’ll hardly notice the difference from the Xbox Live experience.
The controls are set up almost identical to Halo’s, making for an intuitive, easy to pick up and play game for veterans of that series. The aiming system has been substantially improved over the last installment, and is much smoother this time around. You’ll also find a good variety of weapons throughout the game, including some futuristic weaponry, such as time altering grenades.
TS:FP is not perfect, and it’s not ready to join the elite group of first person shooters that include Halo, Doom, and Half-Life. Your path through the levels are very confined, and you do not have a lot of freedom or wide open spaces. You are given a few opportunities to hop into vehicles, such as a jeep and tank, but the vehicles leave a lot to be desired when compared to other games that do the same. There was a tad too much puzzle solving and key collecting for my taste. Other than the time travel element, TS:FP simply doesn’t bring much new to the table to set itself apart from other games in the same genre.
Graphically speaking, TimeSplitters: Future Perfect is slightly behind the rest of the field. It has graphics that are crisp, and the varied environments keep things fresh, but there is simply nothing in the visuals that will impress you. There is virtually no texturing and most surfaces are flat in their appearance. There is also not much in the way of lighting effects. Quite simply, the graphics will not deter you from having a good time, but will not enhance the gaming experience.
The sound is largely unnoticeable, which is not necessarily a bad thing. The voice acting is solid. The sound effects – such as gunfire and explosions – are nothing of note one way or the other. I was about halfway through the game before I even realized there was background music playing...now that is good background music! Essentially the sound does exactly what it’s supposed to, and you rarely even think of that aspect of the game.
The bottom line is that TimeSplitters: Future Perfect is not in the class of elite first person shooters, but would easily be at the forefront of the second tier. The TimeSplitters series continues to make improvements with each new game in the series. The present installment is good, and with continued improvement the future may indeed be perfect.
Overall Score: 8.4 / 10
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Major League Baseball 2K5
Sega’s ESPN Major League Baseball series is back. Well, kind of... Apparently a lot has changed in the off-season. Sega is out of the picture as they sold their stake in the series to last season’s co-publisher, Take-Two Interactive. This is also the last year the series can use the ESPN brand name as it was snagged up by Take-Two’s nemesis, Electronic Arts. The ESPN name has been removed from the title, and is clearly being phased out. The series even has a new creator, as the game has been ripped from last year’s developer, Blue Shift, and handed to Kush Studios, which develop the NHL 2k games.
If trying to keep track of those changes isn’t enough to make your head spin, Kush Studios took it a step further and redesigned the entire game from the ground up. As the instruction manual touts, “Not enhanced, not adjusted, not tweaked, and not updated. MLB 2K5 is ALL NEW…”. Despite the changes, Take-Two still managed to deliver a high quality, very competitive sports title at a bargain price of under $20.
The most apparent changes to the gameplay is the new pitching and hitting interface. Luckily both work very well, as a baseball game can sink or swim here. Batting is a simple 2 button scheme, in which you can choose a low risk/low power contact swing, or you can try to reach the seats with a riskier power swing. The left analog stick is used to aim toward the ball as it comes over the plate which increases your chance of contact. The system is very simplistic, but it works very well. Every so often you will be served up a “fat pitch” over the plate causing the game to go into a slow motion mode called the “slam zone”. A power meter appears and you have to rapidly tap the “A” button to increase the meter, and then swing the bat to slam the ball out of the park. While this can be fun, it seemed out of place in this otherwise realistic baseball sim, and it was more like something you would see in the gimmicky baseball titles, such as MLB Slugfest. After several games I turned this feature off as it became more of a distraction.
The batting interface is good, but they really hit a grand slam with the pitching system. You pick your pitch and the desired location over the plate, which sets a target at that location. You then have to line up a series of two moving crosshairs into that target. It’s a good feeling to nail the pitch, but miss it and you may serve up an easy pitch down the middle for your opponent (or give him a “slam zone” opportunity). Pressure is also a factor. The controller will rumble like a heartbeat in high pressure situations (or if you bring in a relief pitcher without adequately warming him up) making it slightly harder to get everything to line up. Quite simply, the pitching system just feels right. The only downside is that after you get the hang of it, it becomes very easy to strikeout the computer controlled players, and it’s not unusual for the weakest pitchers to strike out 10+ batters a game.
A completely new and unique baserunning system is introduced, which also works very well. You can control individual baserunner by pressing the button assigned to them. Using the shoulder buttons you can tell the runner (or runners) to advance or retreat to a base. You can even play as the baserunner, from their perspective. You can switch between all of the baserunners and the batter with ease using the right analog stick. The baserunning is almost a game in itself, and it is very fun to play from this perspective. If there is one knock on this system it is that it can get confusing trying to control several baserunners when you need them to do different things, and you’ll likely make a lot of mistakes in the beginning.
All the game modes you expect to find in a sports game are here, including franchise, a GM mode, Xbox Live play, and even a home run derby. Each mode is deep and should satisfy baseball enthusiasts. There is also 3 Skyboxes (similar to “the Crib” in the NFL 2k series) where you can spend tokens you earn during gameplay to unlock mini-games, old teams, new stadiums, and cheats.
The overall visual presentation is fantastic. It looks just like you are watching a game on ESPN. There are also a lot of nice little touches that add realism – shots of the fans filing into the stadium, a slick strikeout replay that edits all three strikes together in one short clip, unique camera angles, and realistic stat and graphic overlays. The stadiums are all recreated to near perfection, and you can practically smell the grass, or the lack of, when playing in a dome on Astroturf.
The player models are the only thing that is a slight disappointment. While they aren’t horrible, they won’t leave you in awe. Some players just don’t look quite like themselves.
ESPN commentators Joe Morgan and Jon Miller deliver the play by play, which adds to the authenticity of the presentation. They have very soothing, laid back voices that suit baseball very well. The commentary is deeper than your average sports game, but as with the rest of them it can become repetitive after some time. There are a few phrases that are repeated more than others, and I noted a couple of bugs that did get slightly annoying. For example, I created a rookie player, and nearly every time he came to bat throughout his rookie season, Jon Miller would note that he had “no home runs last year”.
As with the 2K football series, the custom soundtrack feature is put to good use. You can assign music to a particular batter, pitcher, or specific events that occur during gameplay (such as a solo home run). It’s a fun feature that adds to the presentation, and it’s easy to get stuck for a few hours editing and assigning music to players and events.
Suggestions: Considering how many changes were made since last year’s version, it’s amazing the game is this solid. As with anything that undergoes a major renovation, there are a few bugs, but luckily none that will have any major effect to the enjoyment of this game. My hat is off to Kush Games which has hit a home run in their first trip to the plate.
Overall Score: 9.6 / 10
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Street Fighter Anniversary Collection
Do you stay awake at night wondering who would win in a fight between Ken from Street Fighter: World Warrior and Blanka from Super Street Fighter II Turbo? If so, your prayers have been answered with Capcom’s Street Fighter Anniversary Collection, a compilation of six different versions of the "old school" 2D fighter that allows you to cross over characters from the various games to compete against each other.
Believe it or not, it’s been nearly 15 years since Capcom released Street Fighter II. If you are one of those gamers that played SFII on the Super Nintendo or fed quarters into the arcade machines, this trip down memory lane will be a virtual treat.
The game features five versions of the Street Fighter II series (World Warrior, Champion Edition, Hyper Fighting, Super Street Fighter II, and Super SFII Turbo) and Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, originally released in 1999 to arcades.
While a straight up port of these games would have been great by itself, Capcom also added a few bonuses. The best addition is that both Street Fighter II and III are Xbox Live enabled allowing you to show off your skills (or lack of) in a head to head match any time of day. Capcom also included a few special features, such as the entire Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie and a video gallery of all of the SFII opening movies.
One of the better features is the ability to cross over the characters from the five Street Fighter II versions to compete against each other. For the Street Fighter II fanatic, you will have hours of fun creating matchups like the one described above.
Street Fighter III is an overlooked gem that holds up surprisingly well today. It’s still fun, fluid, and looks pretty good for a six year old game. Gamers who like the Street Fighter II series, but never played Street Fighter III should definitely check it out. The animation is very detailed, and the gameplay is extremely tight, which is to be expected from a Capcom 2D brawler. Most of your favorite "classic" SFII characters are missing, with only Ken, Ryu, Chun-Li, and Akuma returning on this sequel, but the new characters keep the game fresh and new. The addition of this arcade-perfect port is a very nice bonus.
The game plays beautifully on Xbox Live for both Street Fighter II:AC and III. Gameplay was smooth with no lag, and is arguably the most fluid online fighter to date. The only downside is that there is no penalty for dropping matches, resulting in a few dishonest gamers who drop a game as opposed to taking the loss.
While everything plays as it should, it should be noted that the Xbox controller is downright awful for this game. The default settings use the black and white buttons for the hardest punches and kicks, which is awkward. You can remap most of the buttons, but for some bizarre reason, you do not have the option to remap the shoulder buttons. It would have been helpful to map all three punches, and all three kicks to the shoulder buttons…since attempting to pull off the highest level of super moves is difficult with the default setup. The Xbox controller is downright painful to use for extended periods of time. Even though I had spent hundreds of hours on the SNES and arcade versions, I had never experienced the hand cramping pain that was induced by the awkward Xbox D-pad…particularly with the "charge" characters, like Guile, Vega, Dee-Jay, Blanka, etc. (Heck, even the 3DO controller was less painful). Oh yeah... good luck if you like Zangief or T. Hawk, too as pulling off 360 degree motions with any consistency is very difficult! If you are serious about this game, invest in an arcade-style joystick.
Street Fighter The Anniversary Collection was clearly made with multiplayer in mind. You should have countless hours of fun in head to head mode or on Xbox Live. If you’re looking for a terrific single player game, you will not find it here. One problem in the single player mode is the difficulty level, which is not consistent with previous versions. Beginners will struggle to make it past the first 3 or 4 fighters even on the easiest setting. Another problem is that the Super Street Fighter II Turbo single player mode is the only SFII version available to play. So, if you select SFII:WW Dhalsim, you’ll have to battle the much better SSFIIT opponents, making it extremely hard to clear on any difficulty setting. It is confusing as to why Capcom would not include each individual single player game in its standalone state. I would have even been satisfied with a random single-player matchup, where you have a chance to go against Bison from SFII: Turbo, or maybe Sagat from SFII: Championship Edition on your way to the top. To have every matchup against a SSFII:Turbo opponent in the single player game makes this a glorified version of the 3DO port.
Visually, Street Fighter Anniversary Collection is recreated faithfully. The old graphics are here in their original splendor. So, if you’re looking for jaw droppingly beautiful animations and environments you would be better off with the Dead or Alive Ultimate game. However, the visuals do exactly what you’d expect them to. It is worth noting that the bonus movie of Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie is not DVD quality…and, they took out most of Chun-Li’s shower scene. Sorry, fanboys! Other than that, this game delivers what you’d expect…arcade perfect graphics.
I experienced several problems with the sound when playing the Street Fighter II versions. Frequently the background music would get stuck on a note, or completely disappear for long periods of time. Street Fighter III ran smoothly, and I did not experience the same problem with that portion.
When the sound was functioning properly, it was a perfect recreation of each theme. The music, sound effects, and character voices are all here in their original form. As with the visuals, the sound is not state of the art, but does exactly what you would expect.
Suggestions: While this is a terrific game for fans of the series, I feel that there is one glaring omission: where is the original Street Fighter game? The rare game that started the series off, and hasn’t been ported to any major console (if my memory serves correctly, it was only on the Turbo-Graphix, and under a different name), would have been a great addition to this collection. As i | |
