Take Another Look: Dead Space

EA seems to be expanding their horizons by making themselves not just a Sports Sim company. Dead Space could be one developed game that shows that they mean business.

Take away the fact that this game is kind of a knock off of Bioshock. It's not a first person shooter and it takes place in space but the ideas of making your character grow, level up suits, weapons, etc... was made beautifully in Bioshock. Dead Space also made them wonderful as well.

If we look away from that and focus at the creative wonder of no 'nic-nacs' around the screen, using players back as a health meter and making yourself feel like a sci-fi movie, that is where they exile greatly.

From there, the story of this game might draw you closer and closer as it doesn't become a survival test for Isaac (the character you play in the game) but more for you.

The close quarters, flickering lights, noises, and even music will make your arm hair stand up with anticipation. This makes you take in the surrounding environment not to see how beautifully developed it was, but to make sure nothing surprises you on your way to completing the chapter.

There are back stories with audio and video files that you pick up and gander at while you kill or search around for items. These tapes of auido and visual data will help you uncover the mistery of this ship Ishimura and maybe lead you to Isaac's wife (the beginning of the gives the real reason why Isaac and the crew aboard his ship were going to this infected nest).

I advise you to take another look at this game if youplayed it and didn't enjoy it. I advise those who haven't played it to take a shot at this game. You might be surprised the second time around.

Best of 2008 - Categorical List Part One

The Out of Body Experience Award (Best Third-Person Shooter)

The Club
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Gears of War 2
Saints Row 2
Mercenaries 2: World in Flames

Third person shooters...hell, shooters in general, had an imposing year this year, but finding games that are "high-quality," maybe a more difficult. Mercenaries 2: World in Flames takes what made the last game great and gave you more of it. Same can be said with Saints Row 2. However, they brought back the old problems from the previous games so what makes them great is also what limits them. Gears of War 2 can be said the same thing, however the addition of the Horde Mode adds a better cooperative multiplayer aspect, along with the campaign itself. The Club was one of the more overlooked shooters. Even though it looks like the rest of the shooters, The Club is unique in that the game plays more like a time-based arcade game than any of the other competition. Then again, if you want unique, look at the final game Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Improving upon a game that many loved is one thin g, but completely redoing it and making it the pinnacle of PS3 games was a high watermark that Kojima Productions managed to do.

The Retina Attachment Award (Best First Person Shooter)

Call of Duty: World at War
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2
Left 4 Dead
Resistance 2
Battlefield: Bad Company

This category seems to come in flavors: There's the WWII vintage flavor with a dash of startling violence and brutality (Call of Duty: World at War), another with standard tactical trappings mixed with MMORPG leveling (Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2), a game with buckets of blood with some cooperative play (Left 4 Dead), a game with three different modes and some great alt-fire weapons (Resistance 2) and an arcadey game with tons of explosions and humor (Battlefield: Bad Company). What tastes the best? Well, that's a tough one...

The Golden Clutch (Best Racing)

Motorstorm: Pacific Rift
Wipeout HD
GRID
Burnout Paradise
Pure

The racing category could very well be one of the more competitive categories this year. If you crave pure speed, Wipeout HD will more than suffice your hunger. With crisp, clean visuals and an excellent techno soundtrack (filled with tracks from both PSP games), WHD satisfies Wipeout fans and makes it more accessible to new players (especially with the $20 price tag). Next, there's Pure. Those who watch Pure may accuse this game of being like every single ATV game out there, but the beautiful graphics, sharp control and excellent course design makes this game one of the more fun games you could come across. Same can be said for Motorstorm: Pacific Rift. It can be called a more polished Motorstorm, but the beautiful graphics and fun courses makes this game even more fun. Want a challenge? GRID may be up your alley. Great controls, graphics and courses, with a great rewind feature that helps make the game more accessible. Finally, there's Burnout Paradise. Racing is great and intense, while the added content and the incredibly fun open world aspect improves on the Burnout franchise.

The Juiced Bar (Best Sports Game)

FIFA Soccer 09
Madden NFL 09
NHL 09
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09
Top Spin 3

Since the next gen consoles have been out, Sports fans have had to look for other types of games to get a quality sports game fix. This year, the heavyweights have finally come out of the woodwork to make quality games. None has been more scrutinized than the Madden series, but Madden NFL 09 finally delievered on the promises made since the tech demo from 2006. It took a completely reworked engine, interface and gameplay, but Top Spin 3 also has joined the big boys of sports gaming with a fresh take on competitive tennis. Consistently, Tiger Woods' series has always had a certain amount of quality to it, but Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 adds the same sheen with more features, a more robust create a character mode and even better graphics and an updated GamerNet database. The critical darling from last year, the NHL series, wows again in NHL 09, with one of the best Be A Pro modes in any sports game this year. Finally, Pro Evo soccer has always been a champs game when it came to soccer, but FIFA Soccer 09 has dethroned the king this year, thanks to excellent graphics, control and numerous options on the pitch.

The Platinum Mokujin (Best Fighting Game)

Soulcalibur IV
Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Bleach: Dark Souls
Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix

There were some solid titles for fighting game fans, so let's check out the top picks. Anime fans had reason to brawl with Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit and Bleach: Dark Souls. While both had some shortcomings (Burst Limit was short, while Bleach's single player takes a lot of getting used to on a DS), both gave quality fighting game action with their own unique twists. Then, there's Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix. A completely reworked, rebalanced version of the final Street Fighter II game, HD Remix takes the old classic and reworks it with excellent animation and a gentler learning curve. After that is the perennial Nintendo favorite Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Not much has changed in the actually fighting mechanics, but the sheer Nintendo fanboyism, followed by the numerous things you can unlock and experience, makes Super Smash Bros. Brawl one of the more developed and fleshed out fighters. And finally, there's this year's 800lb gorilla of fighting games Soul Calibur IV. The first HD Soul Calibur has some of the best looking stages and a robust create a character mode.

The Jumpman (Best Platform)

LittleBigPlanet
N+
Mega Man 9
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts
Bionic Commando: Rearmed

Platforming games haven't been this strong in years, so deciding the five that should be on the list was the toughest its ever been. Let's start small with N+, the simpliest of the bunch. Don't let the sterile and colorless graphics fool you: it hides one of the most challenging and rewarding platforms on any system, portable or Xbox 360. Also on multiple systems, Mega Man 9. The return to form for one of the most iconic gaming characters, the ninth iteration of the series brings the character back to its roots, with old-school graphics and punshing gameplay. Speaking of retro, there's the remake Bionic Commando: Rearmed for PSN and XBLA. Again, punshing difficulty but a top notch graphical presentation and charming old-school feel will let old time gamers enjoy this lavish remake. Speaking of charm, there's Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts. The hilarious and inventive platformer allows more customization through vehicles to take on the numerous challenges the game throws at you. All the while, the game gives you a very sarcastic, satirical look in the nature of platformers themselves. Finally, there's the highly anticipated LittleBigPlanet. A tight, imaginative side-scrolling platformer is one thing, but to add the amount of customization that this game does is simply phenomenal in of itself. Of any of the games, LittleBigPlanet has the most longevity of any game on this list.

The Eureka! Award (Best Puzzle)

Braid
Boom Blox
Portal: Still Alive
World of Goo
Professor Layton and the Curious Village

Puzzle games seem to have had the biggest break-out year this year, from the standard types of puzzle games (Tetris Party) to the more obscure. This year, one of the first puzzle games that took notice was Professor Layton and the Curious Village. Featuring a watercolor art style with great puzzles, Layton uses the DS' strengths in new and different ways. Next, there's the Wii multiplayer extravaganza Boom Blox. More like a cross between Jenga and other game types, this charming game allows you to do all sorts of gane types. Next, there is last year's giant hit Portal in the XBLA expansion Portal: Still Alive. Those who missed the original game on The Orange Box would do well to download the game, while fans who have already completed that game are treated to 14 new puzzles to solve. World of Goo, WiiWare's charming puzzler, has you constructing towers and bridges to reach the goal with your little balls of goo. Finally, there's the enchanting critical darling of this year Braid. Braid has you manipulating time and platforming to areas in order to reach the numerous puzzle pieces and areas in the game.

Tune into our next podcast for the rest of our nominees. Future podcasts will announce the winners, along with the Top Ten Games of the Year

Dynamic Reviews - December 1st, 2008

Sonic Unleashed - Well, let's get right down to it, shall we? Sonic Unleashed is kind of stuck between the incredibly awful Shadow the Hedgehog and the abysmal Sonic the Hedgehog (X360/PS3). Meaning: There are actually a few bright spots, but like my grandpappy used to say, "No matter how much you polish a turd...it's a turd nonetheless."

Sonic Unleashed was said to be, according to SEGA, the return of the Sonic you know and love; back to his 2D roots. Unfortunately, as stated previously in a dynamic review, the game barely scratches the surface on that promise.

In fact, the game is predominately done with the "Werehog" sections, which play off as a mix of God of War and Furby. The problem is two things: 1) The camera is very bad when it comes to platforming and 2) As pertaining to the Wii version, using waggle on both the Nunchuk and Wii-mote to attack and the buttons and stick to parry and dodge, combat becomes an arduous task of shaking and convulsing to the point of near epilpetic fit.

Now, if the "Werehog" sections were a minor part of the game, this would be a minor wrinkle in an otherwise decent game. Sadly, it's 80% of the game and it feels like the game uses these sections to pad the rest of the game in time restraints. The good parts of the game, which is the 2 1/2-D old school Sonic style levels, which consists of maybe 5% of the game itself. The last 15% ends up being the 3D, behind the back stages, a la Sonic and the Secret Rings.

Add to the awful amount of cut-scenes and text boxes for incredibly generic characters in the game and you have a 10 - 12 hour game that brings more pain and embarassment than your friends finding out you play as a character called Cream the Rabbit. Current: 33%

Hasbro Family Game Night - Would you believe...nay, WANT TO BELIEVE...that I was excited for this game to be released? Call me crazy, but the fact of playing Boogle, Yathzee, Connect Four and other Hasbro board games had me interested in seeing how it turned out. And you know what, it all turned out just fine.

Games play exactly as you expect them to play, and the added variants of each game (example: Connect Four has "Advanced" and "Power-up!" mode) make the game more fun to play with others or by yourself.

There really isn't much more else to say about this title except that if you want to save money on purchasing these games and you have a Wii, you might be interested in picking up this game. Revolving: 72%

Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix - Finally, there's the impossibly long titled (and awaited) fighting game for the XBLA SSF2THDR...hey, I'm not spelling it out all the time. This game deserves a lot of praise by recreating the balance and precision of the last Street Fighter II title.

However, it's not perfect. I have yet to even get into an online match because of the glitchy matchmaking system. A severe disappointment, since this is what people were looking forward to when it came to this game.

Next, some characters and stages actually look worse with the update. Fei Long looks incredibly bland, as does his stage, and Guile looks absolutely ugly in this current state right now.

Only time will tell if the balance is out of whack and who will be a top character (Fei Long and Balrog are my favs thus far), but for right now, I can't whole heartedly recommend the download, even though the updated (read: easier to perform) moves and some excellent stages give reason to keep playing. Revolving: 64%

That's it for this past weekend...next is Far Cry 2

Revolving Reviews -- Saturday, November 22, 2008

I went on a renting spree, so here are the games I'm playing and my thoughts and revolving opinions so far:

Sonic Unleashed (Wii) - OK, someone tell me what happened to "this will bring the classic Sonic gameplay from the Genesis that everyone loved." You know, how this game is going to be only in 2D and will just be that classic gameplay? If any of you find it, let me know.

What is there is something more akin to The Secret Rings, only you have direct control of Sonic through the Nunchuk. This becomes a problem when Sonic goes...well, fast. The control is too constrictive, making Sonic really fast but incredibly hard to control.

When it hits the 2D areas, the controls are better because you're only jumping and moving right. However, for some reason, when you do a long jump in the game it triggers a Quick Time Event during the jump, which seems to have no bearing on anything in the game.

Then, there is the Werehog levels. Not only are the controls horrible and completely go against what makes Sonic...well, Sonic...it aims to frustrate further with terrible level design and a completely unresponsive waggle and shaking to attack or attach to ledges with your stretchy arms.

And finally, there's the unskippable story cut scenes featuring "Chip", the flying ferret that looks and sounds like a cross between Truman Capote and Daxter in the Jak series. These scenes, which last around a minute - 3 minutes long, are excruciatingly bad with terrible dialogue and completely hokey storylines.

You also have to talk to random people on a map for whatever reason it may be, which also completely feels like a waste of time.

There is a reason why Sonic has gone completely downhill in the past few generations and it's because of games like this. Sega, PLEASE just make a brand new 2D Sonic. No story, no werehog, just running to the right and jumping.

And you might as well make it downloadable because no one in their right mind will buy this game on a disc again.: (Revolving) 34%

Left 4 Dead (X360) - Never have I played a game that had this good of A.I., not just by your enemies but also your teammates. I've played mostly single player thus far and I have to say that this game has some intense and frightening moments.

And this isn't just a situation everyone goes through. Thanks to the A.I. Director, every time you play a level, it's markedly different every time you load it up. So, when you die in an area and say to yourself "Hey, remember where the shotgun was", don't bother it won't be there. The level will be different.

With that, however, this game is quite short for a single player game and is made to be for multiplayer. So, as of right now, just playing single player, it's a solid 80%. I will try co-op and competitive though, so hold your breath for the update.: (Revolving) 80%

Need For Speed Undercover (X360) - Will someone please tell EA to just can the whole FMV thing? Unless you're doing it for tongue-in-cheek hilarity (Red Alert 3), it really has no business in any game...let alone a racing one.

With that out of the way, I'm enjoying Undercover more than I had anticipated. Still in the beginning races, but the Highway Battles are a lot of fun to play. Giving it a decent rating for now, but check in again to see how it goes after the beginning areas.: (Revolving) 75%

Next one will have Tomb Raider: Underworld and Luminous Arc 2.

Thoughts of the last few weeks

Some quick thoughts of the past few weeks/last month in gaming:

- I can't say that the quality in games have dwindled...but it hasn't improved either. Maybe I'm just looking at things in a different light when it comes to actual "criticism", but I seem to be less interested in the main details of the game (i.e., graphics, sound, control) and more interested in how the game feels overall.

Say, for example, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. I can concede that the game itself is basically the newer MK's with a slightly sillier tone and with a very gimmicky crossover aspect. But you know what, I'm having more fun playing this game on the PS3 than I have had playing Soul Calibur IV. Yes, Soul Calibur IV has the better engine, as well as the better graphics and (in some aspects) a much tighter control scheme, but I've been playing MKvsDC for the past few days now and, more and more, I'm enjoying the fighting mechanics and the absolute craziness that it provides. The game is tons more interactive with its environment and it actually faithfully represents each character in the game, which is highly surprising.

With that and Bleach: Dark Souls creeping up my fighting game time, I think Soul Calibur IV has more competition for Best Fighting Game than I initially thought. Gonna be an interesting race.

- Wow, did Gears of War 2 die on me quick! Me and the Flembot (Ruff3dgz) beat GoW2 last weekend...and I haven't touched it since then. Nor do I think I will for a while, unless someone wants to play Horde mode. Why is that?

Well, in honesty, as stated on the 12th episode on our podcast, I wasn't a fan of the competitive multiplayer. And after playing Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, it's more than easy to see why: There's no incentive to do so. There's no bragging rights, no feeling of "I'm better than you," no "Hey, mine is bigger than yours!" feeling I get from the game.

That's not the only reason either: The maps for online multiplayer aren't that great. Just like the first one, too many choke-points to get mowed down, most deaths feel too cheap and the levels just aren't that interesting. For me, too many matches end in specific areas that make the game feel too predictable in multiplayer.

I still stand on the single-player/co-op opinion however: Co-op is excellent in campaign mode. The areas in the game give the feeling of freedom, while keeping the level design compact and tense. The situations that happen in this game only flourish in co-op. And Horde mode is by far the best mode in this game. This is also helped by some outstanding A.I. that keeps situations tense and exciting.

Thus far, I still stand by my score: 85% - 90%, probably just an 86%.

- Which actually brings me to another point: Reviews. I think the concept of Final Reviews are horridly misleading. When me and Bryan started this podcast, we made sure not to call out opinions of games "Reviews" because they are in no way final (because, in honesty, we're still going through the game to give one). But, if you think about it long and hard, does a 9.5 from 2 years ago really stay a 9.5? Honestly, I don't think so.

Take for example a game that was released in 2005 that recieved amazing reviews: Call of Duty 2. Now, play this game. You would not say it's a 9.5 or a 9 today, would you? Absolutely not: Maybe an 8 or a 7.5. But some unwitting person is going to look at a review from that far ago and go "Hey, why would I get Game X that is $60 and came out this year, when this game got a 9.5 3 years ago?!" and not realize that the review is outdated.

I think Final Review scores shouldn't be used in the first 3 months of a games release. I think it should have a revolving score. For example: Fable II came out in the 3rd week of October. Upon playing the game, a player gave it a 9.0 for the experience. However, a week later, Fallout 3 comes out. He starts playing that and seeing the improvements the game has and gave that a 9.0. He then goes back to Fable II a month later, recalling the thoughts he has from the initial playthrough:

Does this game hold up?
How does it stack to the other RPG's that have been released?
Do I see myself playing this game in another 3 months?

If you say yes to the 3rd question, the review continues to revolve until the person decides there's nothing really more to say about the game. Then, you do the "post-op review," which is the score you'll give the game until something else is released that could challenge the game for that score (if it recieves a high one).

This not only helps games that have a long shelf-life, but also games that have been given an initial bad review is given a second lease in life because a reviewer was either distracted by another game or otherwise.

This is actually how I do game "reviews" and such; Hopefully we can implement that in future shows or blogs. Or maybe I'll just do it on this blog.

- So, in the spirit of things, here are my revolving mini-reviews of a few games:

Call of Duty: World at War: The game feels like CoD4, acts like CoD4...even tastes like it at times. But the lack of cool weapons and the fact that artillery strikes and dogs come up as more annoying than exciting and tactical really dampens the multiplayer. I haven't touched single player, but with so much coming out right now I don't see myself getting to it until the next year. So, this score is indicitive only of the multiplayer: 70% (Revolving)

Fallout 3: Initially, I gave the game an 80% - 85%. I liked the game for its humor, art design and its sprawling landscape to travel in the game. The story didn't grab me at all during that time, however, and I felt the combat was on the frustrating side. For example: What I like to call "Cross-Eyed Aiming". I got annoyed by the fact that I'd line my shots perfectly, but for some reason they would still miss my opponent. On top of that, I felt V.A.T.S. was too easy to exploit, leading to me being frustrated by combat in all of its entirety (except, which shocked me, melee combat).

So...for my second run-down of revolving reviews, I have to state something: I am actually growing on the combat. Sure, it took me 12 hours of gameplay, being at Level 6 AND bumping my stats up high enough in Big Guns and Small Guns, but I'm starting to enjoy combat and the actual helpfulness of V.A.T.S. Also, the surprisingly visceral combat is satisfying when you're on your last limb and you use a combat shotgun to blow your opponents head clean off.

But with that, comes more frustration: The map is not detailed enough for my liking, so I get lost getting to certain areas in the game. The perks thus far doesn't do anything for me at all either: they almost seem...negligable, which is completely unlike the other Fallouts which makes your experience much different depending on your perks.

The only thing that hasn't changed is my feeling of the story: Still kinda stinks in my opinion. But, for the time being, my revolving score stays at 80% - 85%: 83% (Revolving)

Mirror's Edge: I'm about 40% finished with Mirror's Edge...and it's freaking frustrating as all hell. Not the game itself, however: The setting is somewhat soothing and unnerving at the same time, which gives a strange sense of dread and zen that few games seem to insue (or at least try to). The platforming is spot-on and the running segments are really exciting.

Emphasis on RUNNING segments. Combat really stinks in this game, which makes me feel like it should have been taken out entirely. Combat, in honesty, doesn't work in this game at all.

From what I can see, Mirror's Edge is a concept that can actually have some ground. This may be one of those pillar games that may either improve on the second part or get someone with a very novel idea to really hit a homer on the game. However, as it stands, it's a great concept in need of a great game: 77% (revolving)

Resistance 2: So, I have to be honest: I'm never going to go into the single player aspect of this game. I'm sorry, it's far too boring and rudimentary for me to slog through...especially since there are games that are far more deserving of my time.

What I will say is that the co-op is nothing short of brilliant. After a few rounds of co-op, I was instantly hooked on its action-RPG like trappings. I strongly...and I mean STRONGLY..suggest that any and every first person shooter with co-op adopt this type of gameplay immediately for now on. Can you imagine if Gears of War 2 had a similar dungeon-hack, level up aspect to it?

On top of that, competitive multiplayer also shines with an excellent experience system and some of the most intense firefights you can come across. Simplicity definitely helps in multiplayer for this game...I just wish it wasn't so simple in single-player: 81% (Revolving)

And Finally...

Animal Crossing: City Folk: It's Animal Crossing. On Wii.

And after 2 days of playing the game, that's really all I can come up with. It's still great...in fact I prefer Animal Crossing on a console than I did on the DS (after 1 month, I was done with Wild World). I can see myself playing this for more than that amount.

So...yeah, it's Animal Crossing. And odds are, if you know you like it, you already bought it and enjoying it.

By the way: Name: Wiz, Town: Forked, Code: 1676-7189-7595

And I got some pears, so if you want what I have, be sure to bring some of your fruit so we can do trade: 70% (Revolving, First Look)

And with that...back to work.