This game was a great game that was cut up and undermined by minor shortcuts and oversights by the developer. It is very obvious that 90% of the developers attention went into the gameplay for the fight itself. This is not a complaint in the least, the ground game is fluid and any fan of the sport that has any actual MMA knowledge or training should easily pick apart most of the kick/punch happy gamers across the net. The career mode is really the biggest downfall in the game, the ability to create a custom fighter that can later own the online divisions is nice, but the long drawn out menus throughout the course of the game becomes slightly monotonous. Also a more intelligent political side of the career mode should have come easy and with no problems amongst the company of next-gen games. Taking short notice fights is a good way to boost stats but why is Dana White asking you to give up a contender fight for a player you’ve already beat 4 times. It makes absolutely no sense and eventually just seems like the title really doesn't matter in the game it's ALL about upgrading your character. One of the greatest draws to UFC is the grudge matches, so why doesn't the game ever talk about or even acknowledge your fighting history, you can't even find a stat page that tells how long of a win streak you are on, and unless you yourself remember your rivals, you won't have any.
All of these minor bits can be overlooked when you get into the game, and the accurate simulation of the sport kicks in with probing hits, power attacks, and an extremely fluid ground game. It's a great feel and I have finished a few of my fights online so far with my heart pounding not sure how it was going to end. Since this was practically the first true UFC game, my expectations were very low and I'm not sure how much I was pulling for THQ as a fight fan, but the game definitely past my expectations, and with easy modified tweaks I'm sure this will become quite the fighting series. I give it 8 out 10
Friday, May 22, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
Leisure Suit Larry Box Office Bust
There are some people that owe Larry and all of his fans an apology. I admit that the Larry games have never been all that strong, game wise, but it was a cult hit for the guilty pleasure of something adult other than just blood and violence. The previous Larry games were like buying a Playboy magazine. You said it was for the articles, but you wanted to see the naked women.
Now, Larry has been bought by a new gaming company that actually believed that people read Playboy for the articles and they took all nudity out of Larry's game. It has been revamped away from a guilty pleasure game to a really weak platformer with a camera that hates you and pointless missions.
I was pretty let down by this game. Larry's games used to give a welcome relief from me playing hardcore shooter games and was something my inner 12 year old could giggle at. Now it is just another poorly made (and I tell you this game was like they weren't even trying) platformer. It plays like Codemasters just had a couple of interns throw something together over the weekend.
Trust me. I played it to be loyal to Larry, but Larry is gone and this game just pees on his grave. I give it a 2 out of 10
Now, Larry has been bought by a new gaming company that actually believed that people read Playboy for the articles and they took all nudity out of Larry's game. It has been revamped away from a guilty pleasure game to a really weak platformer with a camera that hates you and pointless missions.
I was pretty let down by this game. Larry's games used to give a welcome relief from me playing hardcore shooter games and was something my inner 12 year old could giggle at. Now it is just another poorly made (and I tell you this game was like they weren't even trying) platformer. It plays like Codemasters just had a couple of interns throw something together over the weekend.
Trust me. I played it to be loyal to Larry, but Larry is gone and this game just pees on his grave. I give it a 2 out of 10
Wanted Weapons Of Fate
Ok first this is a game that's been out for a bit. I had a request for this review. This is one of the shortest story modes I've ever played (the story mode clocks in at around four hours), but I have to say, it was a blast for about 90% of that short times. I wasn't a fan of the segments where you use a stationary gun, but the bulk of this 3rd person cover shooter is a blast.
I'm a sucker for a polished play mechanic, and being able to curve bullets, just like main character Wesley Gibson did in the movie is just a blast. It's especially satisfying when you follow the bullet's trajectory in slow motion until it reaches its target. To be honest, I used it even when I really didn't have to, although the the melee combat works perfectly well, too.
If you were a fan of the movie, you'll appreciate that the game builds on its fiction, giving you a chance to play as Wesley's father (who is great). It's really nice to see someone follow the lead of the recently re-released Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butch Bay and tell new stories with movie licenses. The writing fits the nasty tone of the movie and comics well. Speaking of which, comics fans will enjoy the JG Jones art that's among the game's many unlockables.
Speaking of those, if you're the kind of person who has to unlock everything, there's a little replay value for the short game. There are a lot of characters to unlock, but they basically amount to skins; the gameplay basically stays the same. I also wasn't a fan of the game modes you can open up, that require you to dispatch a set number of enemies with headshots or melee kills to advance in a level. You also get some achievements for using different characters on the unlockable hard difficulty (why do so many games make hard mode unlockable now?), if you're in to that.
That said, I enjoyed the game enough to replay it a few times because curving bullets never gets old. That alone makes it a must play in my book, especially if you can play it at your leisure. I give it 9 out of 10
I'm a sucker for a polished play mechanic, and being able to curve bullets, just like main character Wesley Gibson did in the movie is just a blast. It's especially satisfying when you follow the bullet's trajectory in slow motion until it reaches its target. To be honest, I used it even when I really didn't have to, although the the melee combat works perfectly well, too.
If you were a fan of the movie, you'll appreciate that the game builds on its fiction, giving you a chance to play as Wesley's father (who is great). It's really nice to see someone follow the lead of the recently re-released Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butch Bay and tell new stories with movie licenses. The writing fits the nasty tone of the movie and comics well. Speaking of which, comics fans will enjoy the JG Jones art that's among the game's many unlockables.
Speaking of those, if you're the kind of person who has to unlock everything, there's a little replay value for the short game. There are a lot of characters to unlock, but they basically amount to skins; the gameplay basically stays the same. I also wasn't a fan of the game modes you can open up, that require you to dispatch a set number of enemies with headshots or melee kills to advance in a level. You also get some achievements for using different characters on the unlockable hard difficulty (why do so many games make hard mode unlockable now?), if you're in to that.
That said, I enjoyed the game enough to replay it a few times because curving bullets never gets old. That alone makes it a must play in my book, especially if you can play it at your leisure. I give it 9 out of 10
Xmen Origins Wolverine
Well The game its self is great it has all the things you want in a game. bloody, violent, and brutally. The are even achievements and trophies for certain number of dismemberments, there are quick-kills designed specifically to take off heads, and there are finishers that just plain look painful. This is a savage beast who is barely in control, and it shows all the way through. Covering his pre-hero days, it allows for a bit more leeway in his brutality without taking anything away from the character. As you fight the basic soldiers and more advanced enemies, you learn “combat reflexes” that make Wolverine more effective against that type of unit, so as they get more difficult, you get stronger against them to balance it out.
Aside from claw fodder, there are of course boss battles, but there are also several mini-bosses. These are much stronger and larger enemies that Wolverine has to take on, usually by dodging and lunging onto their backs. These fights get a little formulaic at times, but overall they’re satisfying enough, especially the first couple of times for each enemy type. It also breaks up the hack and slash of the basic enemies. The boss battles are where this game really shines. The major battles from the movie are recreated here, but there are also some major ones you won’t see on the big screen.
THIS GAME IS A PERFECT 10
Aside from claw fodder, there are of course boss battles, but there are also several mini-bosses. These are much stronger and larger enemies that Wolverine has to take on, usually by dodging and lunging onto their backs. These fights get a little formulaic at times, but overall they’re satisfying enough, especially the first couple of times for each enemy type. It also breaks up the hack and slash of the basic enemies. The boss battles are where this game really shines. The major battles from the movie are recreated here, but there are also some major ones you won’t see on the big screen.
THIS GAME IS A PERFECT 10
Velvet Assasin
As a fan of the stealth genre, specifically Splinter Cell, I rented this game with an open mind. I thought "This can't be as bad as they say it is." Spy in World War II sounds like a good game right? Well this game unfortunately does not measure up to the god of stealth games.
Although I did not expect it to beat Splinter Cell I expected it to try to at least be a fairly good game. I began the first level, performed the familiar "watch patrol movement for enemies, and attack when they are alone" that all stealth games offer. Then the bad things about this horrendous game began to show themselves. The only good thing I can note in this game is the audio quality. So now that we have that out of the way, on too the bad things...
This game's stealth system is clunky at best, and for a game where you play as a spy in WWII I expected much more from this game, sometimes enemies see you when the stealth indicator says you are hidden, for some odd reason you can only stab people from directly behind them...UNLESS you take some Morphine conveniently placed in the levels where everything becomes foggy and you run around in your negligee, now magically able to stab enemies from all angles. Random placement of obstacles was also an odd issue, there would be glass round the ground in a small hallway where there was no glass anywhere near that area. One of the most annoying things I found is that you have to sit and listen to really long conversations sometimes just to move on...for example in the second level you don a gas mask and enter a room filled with poison gas, before you can do anything you have to sit and listen to a 5 min conversation where one German constantly accuses the other of stealing his chocolate. I give it 4 Out of 10
Although I did not expect it to beat Splinter Cell I expected it to try to at least be a fairly good game. I began the first level, performed the familiar "watch patrol movement for enemies, and attack when they are alone" that all stealth games offer. Then the bad things about this horrendous game began to show themselves. The only good thing I can note in this game is the audio quality. So now that we have that out of the way, on too the bad things...
This game's stealth system is clunky at best, and for a game where you play as a spy in WWII I expected much more from this game, sometimes enemies see you when the stealth indicator says you are hidden, for some odd reason you can only stab people from directly behind them...UNLESS you take some Morphine conveniently placed in the levels where everything becomes foggy and you run around in your negligee, now magically able to stab enemies from all angles. Random placement of obstacles was also an odd issue, there would be glass round the ground in a small hallway where there was no glass anywhere near that area. One of the most annoying things I found is that you have to sit and listen to really long conversations sometimes just to move on...for example in the second level you don a gas mask and enter a room filled with poison gas, before you can do anything you have to sit and listen to a 5 min conversation where one German constantly accuses the other of stealing his chocolate. I give it 4 Out of 10
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Mortal Kombat VS DC Universe
If you like Mortal Kombat games in general you will probably like this one. It has a pretty good story mode but has one bad part to the story mode. You cant do fatalities during the story mode. Its understandable because the characters talk to each other during cut scenes after the fight, but they should have implemented a way to do them. It still has the basic arcade mode and online matches where you can perform them so that should be fine.
Now lets talk about the fatalities. They are not that great in terms of quality. There are really none in this game that was very memorable. Dont expect awesome match endings with this one.
All of the women in the game are rocking Double D's so I was constantly shaking my mead in disarray about that. I mean they are frikkin HUGE! I dont know if that is a good part of the game or a bad one, I just thought it was worth mentioning.
It is definitely worth a rental if you like the MK series, just dont expect a game that will blow you away. I give it 8 out of 10
Now lets talk about the fatalities. They are not that great in terms of quality. There are really none in this game that was very memorable. Dont expect awesome match endings with this one.
All of the women in the game are rocking Double D's so I was constantly shaking my mead in disarray about that. I mean they are frikkin HUGE! I dont know if that is a good part of the game or a bad one, I just thought it was worth mentioning.
It is definitely worth a rental if you like the MK series, just dont expect a game that will blow you away. I give it 8 out of 10
Halo Wars
So the Single Player Campaign was quite easy and short. I was pinning my hopes on the multiplayer and figured that this is where Halo Wars would shine. It didn't. The multiplayer came down to 3 ways of winning. Rushing with warthogs, hit and run attacks with firehawks, or an early covenant rush.
That limits you to three types of strategies, with the warthog rush always the winner if done properly, even against a covenant rush. The game is very simply and it was amazing how many people online could not understand the basic rts strategies. One race/leader clearly stands out among the rest and I found myself getting bored using the same winning strategy game after game (warthog rush).
Pros-
1. Easy to pick up
2. Amazing RTS graphics
3. The halo feel in general
Cons-
1. Easy to pick up. On my second online game I found there was little or no room for improvement.
2. 40 population cap (I hate low pop caps)
3. Must build on special locations(usually 2 per person) Not good if you like to mass build and spread out.
4. One clear winning strategy
5. Lack of civilization balance
On a good note- The game is fun for a while and if you are playing with a decent friend, then you can have a really good time. Rent it for a couple of weeks. I give it a 7 out of 10
That limits you to three types of strategies, with the warthog rush always the winner if done properly, even against a covenant rush. The game is very simply and it was amazing how many people online could not understand the basic rts strategies. One race/leader clearly stands out among the rest and I found myself getting bored using the same winning strategy game after game (warthog rush).
Pros-
1. Easy to pick up
2. Amazing RTS graphics
3. The halo feel in general
Cons-
1. Easy to pick up. On my second online game I found there was little or no room for improvement.
2. 40 population cap (I hate low pop caps)
3. Must build on special locations(usually 2 per person) Not good if you like to mass build and spread out.
4. One clear winning strategy
5. Lack of civilization balance
On a good note- The game is fun for a while and if you are playing with a decent friend, then you can have a really good time. Rent it for a couple of weeks. I give it a 7 out of 10
Godfather 2
First I'm going to give you every spoiler.
There is nothing in common to the movie.
Nothing.
This game has so little to do with the movie that at times I felt I wasn't even playing the godfather. If it wasn't for the Corleone family name or the fact it kept reminding you "Your a Don now, your in control." I would have zoned it out and completely felt like I was playing a somewhat decent gangster game.
But I couldn't. I couldn't displace the movie and the game. It was horrible. The whole time I kept going,"Why can't I jump this!? WHY IS HE JUST STANDING THERE!? WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON!?"
If your into Grand Theft Auto 4 or Saints Row, or heck even into Just Cause. Sandbox game this is not.
There are 3 major city areas, 2 of which actually really matter, and the third is so minor that you play maybe 2 hours worth of game time in it before heading out.
The game takes nothing from the movies besides name and character. The story is completely removed, in fact it makes no sense.
The controls are horrible. Okay, no that's a lie. The controls are simple, its the characters available actions that are horrible.
Your character can't jump. Instead he can hop over low walls. But not all, only some, so if there is a wall you imagine you can run up and jump over to proceed through a level chances are your wrong.
If there is an area where it looks like you should be able to walk through easily, or crouch and proceed through (For example, a large pipe) Your character cannot go through that way.
If you want to take cover behind a low wall, he can't, instead he can take cover on the wall that is of no use to you on your defense.
The design is flawed but at times it gleams hope. Like the multiplayer transcending into single player where you can level up your characters is clever and interesting, all be it worthless if you go through the single player mode entirely only to go to multiplayer next.
Overall this game could have used some better input and more time in testing. I give it a 4 out of 10
There is nothing in common to the movie.
Nothing.
This game has so little to do with the movie that at times I felt I wasn't even playing the godfather. If it wasn't for the Corleone family name or the fact it kept reminding you "Your a Don now, your in control." I would have zoned it out and completely felt like I was playing a somewhat decent gangster game.
But I couldn't. I couldn't displace the movie and the game. It was horrible. The whole time I kept going,"Why can't I jump this!? WHY IS HE JUST STANDING THERE!? WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON!?"
If your into Grand Theft Auto 4 or Saints Row, or heck even into Just Cause. Sandbox game this is not.
There are 3 major city areas, 2 of which actually really matter, and the third is so minor that you play maybe 2 hours worth of game time in it before heading out.
The game takes nothing from the movies besides name and character. The story is completely removed, in fact it makes no sense.
The controls are horrible. Okay, no that's a lie. The controls are simple, its the characters available actions that are horrible.
Your character can't jump. Instead he can hop over low walls. But not all, only some, so if there is a wall you imagine you can run up and jump over to proceed through a level chances are your wrong.
If there is an area where it looks like you should be able to walk through easily, or crouch and proceed through (For example, a large pipe) Your character cannot go through that way.
If you want to take cover behind a low wall, he can't, instead he can take cover on the wall that is of no use to you on your defense.
The design is flawed but at times it gleams hope. Like the multiplayer transcending into single player where you can level up your characters is clever and interesting, all be it worthless if you go through the single player mode entirely only to go to multiplayer next.
Overall this game could have used some better input and more time in testing. I give it a 4 out of 10
Guitar Hero Metallica
Guitar Hero: Metallica is definitely one of the best of the series. It's got a great setlist, the graphics are phenomenal, these guys put a lot of effort into making this game. In my opinion, it's a little better than Guitar Hero: World Tour, but that's not saying much.
This is mostly for people who have played Guitar Hero before. Beginners will have a hard time picking this game up, especially for drums which is way harder than Guitar Hero: World Tour. The game does bring challenge to the table, most notably, the Metallica songs. Metallica is known for James' verses and chorus, Kirk's sick solos, Lars' drum work, and Cliff's bass tunes, though he doesn't appear in the game (Robert Trujillo is the current bassist) but he is mentioned in the Metallifacts. "Frantic" is the only Metallica song that does NOT have a solo in the game (I don't like the song at all. They should have put "...And Justice for All" instead.)
The Career mode is the same as every Guitar Hero game. Unlike Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, which was focused on their history, this game is focused more on Metallica's fans. It starts with the guys walking in slow-mo up to the stage and you play 2 songs. You are inspired by them and want to start your own band, which is later called Metallica Jr. That's all I'll say about the story, or as much as a Guitar Hero story will get(ba-dum tish). When you beat a song, you can go back and go to the Metallifacts which lets you look at the visuals without the highway and gives you little facts about the song, and this is for every song, not just the Metallica songs.
Bottom line, if you are a metal head, like me, looking for a challenge, or you are interested in a band you haven't heard much of or any of the other bands featured, you will enjoy the heck out of it. I highly recommend this game.
I give it a 10 out of 10.
This is mostly for people who have played Guitar Hero before. Beginners will have a hard time picking this game up, especially for drums which is way harder than Guitar Hero: World Tour. The game does bring challenge to the table, most notably, the Metallica songs. Metallica is known for James' verses and chorus, Kirk's sick solos, Lars' drum work, and Cliff's bass tunes, though he doesn't appear in the game (Robert Trujillo is the current bassist) but he is mentioned in the Metallifacts. "Frantic" is the only Metallica song that does NOT have a solo in the game (I don't like the song at all. They should have put "...And Justice for All" instead.)
The Career mode is the same as every Guitar Hero game. Unlike Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, which was focused on their history, this game is focused more on Metallica's fans. It starts with the guys walking in slow-mo up to the stage and you play 2 songs. You are inspired by them and want to start your own band, which is later called Metallica Jr. That's all I'll say about the story, or as much as a Guitar Hero story will get(ba-dum tish). When you beat a song, you can go back and go to the Metallifacts which lets you look at the visuals without the highway and gives you little facts about the song, and this is for every song, not just the Metallica songs.
Bottom line, if you are a metal head, like me, looking for a challenge, or you are interested in a band you haven't heard much of or any of the other bands featured, you will enjoy the heck out of it. I highly recommend this game.
I give it a 10 out of 10.
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