2010.06.02
Rockstar Games sends players back to the lawless days of the old west with the recent release of Red Dead Redemption.
The open world of the desert is incredibly detailed.
Redemption allows players to enter the shoes of former outlaw John Martson on his quest to atone for his past sins. Marston is forced by the government to hunt down the members of his former gang, or face the consequences of never seeing his family again. Redemption plays much like previous Rockstar games, allowing players to explore an open world full of side quests to complete between the main story missions. The most significant of these are the “Stranger” missions, which involve Marston helping out random characters he runs across in his travels. The game also features various bounty hunter missions found on wanted posters hung up around the various towns. When hunting a bounty the player can choose to either kill or capture the bounty, the latter of which nets Marston more money.
The game also features a significant online portion, where players can run around the open world with friends and clear out gang hideouts, duel at high noon, or just attack each other. This mode has an extensive leveling system that unlocks new weapons and skins for multiplayer. Players can even create a posse with their friends and explore the world in a group together. This will most likely be expanded on with the free co-op expansion releasing soon.
One of the best parts of the game is the narrative itself. Marston is the typical quiet, lone cowboy when the player is first introduced to him. In fact, Marston does not talk at all during the opening cutscene. Through Marston the player is introduced to a wide variety of characters, including rancher Bonnie MacFarlane, traveling tonic salesman Nigel West Dickens, and Mexican revolutionary Abraham Reyes. All of which help Marston through his travels and his quest to hunt down his former brothers in arms. This all leads up to one of the best endings in game history.
Marston employs various weapons along his journey.
Overall, Red Dead Redemption is by far the best old west game every made. The open world aspect allows the player to explore the game’s world at his or her leisure and meet the various characters that make the world even more realistic. The addition of a multiplayer element adds an almost unlimited amount of play time to the game, especially when one jumps on with a group of friends. The narrative will keep the player coming back for more, and it all ends with some of the best two hours this reviewer has ever played. For anyone looking for a great action game to play, this is a great choice.
12 Comments | 
Reviews | Tagged: XBox 360, PlayStation 3, Red Dead Redemption, Rockstar | 
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Posted by Bup
2010.05.26
Many of our longtime readers and listeners already know that I am not a fan of World of Warcraft or MMOs in general. Lately a few of my friends have tried to get me into playing WoW, even going so far as to offer to just take my laptop and power level my character so I can play with them. Up until two nights ago my answer was also a strict “NO!” I had neither the time nor the patience to deal with level grinding during school, but that all ended with my last semester. As of two days ago, I am now a WoW player. Here I have chronicled my first day with the game.
8:00 P.M.: Created account. Chose server and made an Undead Rogue named “Naters.”
8:10 P.M.: Semi-watched some cutscene about the Undead or whatever. Did not really pay attention.
8:12 P.M.: Some dude at a tomb told me to go see some other dude in a church about a quest. Again, did not really pay attention.
8:14 P.M.: Dude in church told me to kill some things right outside of town that the town guards could easily take care of. Not really sure why I did this, because I did not read what this guy said. Too many words.
8: 17 P.M.: Finished first quest. Friend signs on with her new character and I stand around waiting for her to finish the same quest. Tried to buy new skills, but had no money to do so.
8:20 P.M.: Friend finished quest. Started level grinding with friend doing other quests around the first area.
9:00 P.M.-12:00 A.M.: Traveled to second town, finished countless quests, and leveled up to level ten.
12:01 A.M.: Fell asleep at computer.
So, there is my first day with World of Warcraft! To be completely honest, I actually had kind of a good time. But now my question to you, my dearest of doves, is what you think of MMOs in general. Which ones have you played, if any at all? Are they fun or are they dumb? Are they worth a player’s time and money, or are they just stupid and pointless? Let me know in the comments!
14 Comments | Editorials | Permalink
Posted by Bup
2010.05.19
HAL Laboratory and Nintendo release another great puzzle game for the Nintendo DS with the recent release of Picross 3D.
Each puzzle rewards the player with an animation, such as this dog running.
In Picross 3D, players are presented with a cube that is divided up into columns and rows of smaller cubes. Each of these columns or rows has a number on the end which represent the number of smaller cubes that need to be kept. The player then uses the information presented to knock out the unneeded cubes to form a picture. Doing so is very simple: the player uses the stylus pen to break the unneeded cubes or paint the ones that are necessary to keep for the picture. These puzzles start off simple, but become increasingly difficult later on in the game. When the player makes a mistake, he or she is given a strike. Getting a certain amount of strikes, usually five, ends the puzzle immediately and the player must restart the puzzle from the beginning.
The real challenge in the game is trying to get a perfect score in each of the puzzles, which involves the player completing the puzzle within the designated time limit and without making any mistakes. The player is awarded with up to three stars for each puzzle, the amount of which is dependent on how well the player does. These stars are then used to unlock more puzzles for each level of difficulty. Each picture rewarded from the successful completion of a puzzle includes both an animation of the picture and its addition to one of a number of “collections” the player can view from the menu. These collections simply just include a few pictures of the same theme, such as a few dogs or pieces of technology.
The numbers on each row and column help the player figure out which cubes to delete.
Picross 3D is by far one of the best games on the DS this reviewer has ever played. The game is incredibly addicting, to the point where this writer had to tear himself away from his DS to write this article. Should the player get bored of the pre-made puzzles, he or she can create and share custom made puzzles. This combined with the sheer amount of puzzles available to play, the box boasts over 365 included on the cartridge and each week a number of puzzles are released by Nintendo as a free download, make a game that will last for quite a long time. For any owner of a DS this is a perfect game to pick up.
5 Comments | Reviews | Tagged: HAL Laboratory, Nintendo, Nintendo DS, Picross, Picross 3D | Permalink
Posted by Bup
2010.05.12
As I have mainly been playing older games lately, as that is all my current budget can afford, I have noticed it is hard to get used to not having many features newer games come with. Here I have listed a few that I feel every game should include.
1. Auto-Save Checkpoints – This probably the most important thing a game can include. I can not tell you how many times I have played an older game and quit assuming the game saved at the last checkpoint, only to boot it up again later and find I have to start from the beginning of the game.
2. Pause-able/Skip-able Cutscenes – This is another important aspect of any game, especially RPGs. I think we have all encountered a time when a game has a plot heavy cutscene and just as it is getting good you get that phone call you have been waiting for or one of your parents comes into your room to talk to you (SHUT UP DURING MY CUTSCENES, MOM!).
3. Subtitles – It is amazing to know that even in recent games, subtitle options are not available. As good as voice acting is these days (mostly) sometimes we have a hard time hearing some of it. Just give us the ability to read what is being said! It is not that hard!
4. Home Button Pauses the Game – This is mainly an issue for PlayStation 3 or XBox 360 games. We all have those times when you get a message from a friend and you hit the home button to read it assuming the game will pause only to find this is not the case. Usually this is not a big deal, but I know there have been times where I can not get back to the game fast enough to avoid a critical enemy attack. Just have the home button pause the game! C’mon, developers!
5. Option to Install Game Data – The 360 lets you do this for any game, but only a select few on the PlayStation 3. Not only does this make load times faster (because we all have precious few time to play these days), but it also reduces the risk of your system over heating, as it does not constantly read from a disc.
So, my beautiful creatures of the night, I would like your thoughts on this subject. Anything that should have been added to the list? Anything that should have been deleted? Or just tell me how much you love me! You know what to do in the comments below!
12 Comments | Editorials | Tagged: XBox 360, PlayStation 3, Bioware | Permalink
Posted by Bup
2010.05.05
Rockstar Games tells a tale of revenge in the old west in the 2004 release Red Dead Revolver.
Red uses a variety of different weapons on his journey.
Revolver allows players to enter the shoes of Red Harlow, a bounty hunter on a quest for revenge after his parents were killed in front of him as a child. Along his journey Red teams up with various other characters, all of which the player gets the chance to play as after their initial introduction. These characters include the English duelist Jack Swift, rancher Annie Stoakes, Red’s Native American cousin Shadow Wolf, and U.S. soldier Buffalo Soldier. The game tells Red’s story through linear levels that mainly include third-person gun-focused combat with a couple stealth levels. The combat feels well done and polished, even by today’s standards. One of the most interesting aspects to the game are the dueling segments, which involves Red in a showdown against anywhere from one to three opponents. In these segments Red has a limited amount of time to aim his six shots and kill his attackers before they try the same on Red.
One of the only bad parts of the game are the dated graphics. As this game was picked up by Rockstar after Capcom shelved it semi-finished in 2002, it was never graphically on par with other releases of the same time. One other thing bringing the game down is the lack of online multiplayer, especially in the XBox version. This is made even more apparent with the fact that the split-screen multiplayer is incredibly fun, with over 30 playable characters and each having a unique special skill to help in combat.
Red will have to duel with many different characters.
Overall, Red Dead Revolver is one of the best old west games ever made. While the graphics do not look as good as other games of the time, the polished gameplay and fun split-screen multiplayer more than make up for its faults. For anyone looking for a great old west game to play, especially with the near release of the sequel Red Dead Redemption, this is a great choice.
1 Comment | Reviews | Tagged: PlayStation 2, Rockstar Games, Rockstar San Diego, XBox | Permalink
Posted by Bup
2010.04.28
Ubisoft concludes Sam Fisher’s tale of espionage and betrayal with its recent release of Splinter Cell: Conviction.
The Mark and Execute feature is incredibly useful when encountering groups of enemies.
The first thing the player will notice is how Conviction plays a bit different than previous titles in the series. While still focusing on sneaking around enemies instead of attacking them head-on, Conviction adds a couple gameplay elements that make combat more action packed. One of these is the “Last Known Position” system, which adds a “ghost” of Fisher in the last place an enemy saw him. This is useful as it allows the player to sneak up behind an enemy who is investigating the area with the “ghost.” Another useful addition to the game is the “Mark and Execute” feature, which is gained after Fisher performs a hand-to-hand take down of an enemy. This feature allows Fisher to mark some enemies and execute them quickly and quietly.
The best part about this game is how engaged the player will get in the story. The story has twists and turns up until the very final moments of the game and the player never knows which characters to trust. This reviewer found himself glued to his 360 during the final level of the game. Another great addition to the game are the interrogation scenes, which allow Fisher to question some of the shadier characters to get clues as to where to go next. The most interesting part of these areas is that there are always a few unique ways to coerce out the information, such as slamming someone’s head against a sink or kicking someone through a glass wall.
The only real bad part of the game is how short the single player story is, as some players could complete the story in only a few hours. However there is a separate co-op storyline that is a prequel to the single player story that may extend gameplay time for those who have a friend to play with. Another way Ubisoft is extending Conviction’s lifespan is the weekly release of free DLC, usually in the form of a new weapon or gadget for Fisher to use.
Either Fisher just slammed this guy's head against that mirror, or he's doing pushups to practice for Wii Fit.
Ultimately, Splinter Cell: Conviction is an excellent stealth-action game. The engaging storyline and the new gameplay elements will keep players glued to their seats and wanting more when the game ends. While this ending may come sooner than most players would like, the addition of free DLC and a completely separate co-op campaign may just satisfy the hunger for more. This game is a perfect choice for anyone looking for something new to play.
Leave a Comment » | Reviews | Tagged: Splinter Cell, Splinter Cell: Conviction, Ubisoft, XBox 360 | Permalink
Posted by Bup
2010.04.21
Capcom continues its Phoenix Wright courtroom drama with the recent release of Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth.
The addition of the third-person view helps with new ways to investigate crime scenes.
Investigations plays much like a point-and-click adventure game, with the player controller Edgeworth in a third-person view. The addition of the third-person view adds a new dynamic to the series, as players are actually shown when a character dramatically bursts into a room or kidnaps another character, instead of simply being told about the events in previous games. Much like the original games the player investigates crime scenes to find clues and evidence, and then uses what he or she finds to reveal holes in suspect’s testimonies. One new addition to the game is the “Logic” sequences, which Edgeworth uses to piece certain clues together on his every continuing quest to uncover the truth of each case.
One of the best additions is the amount of animation the characters have. This is especially apparent in the third-person view, as characters will run around a room or physically attack each other, adding to the drama of the game. Even returning characters seem to have their sprites updated for the new game, with added animations and more detail on animations from previous games. This is refreshing to see in an industry that rehashes elements so often.
The only bad part of the game is the lack of urgency to solve each case. In the previous games if the player fails in a trial, their client is found guilty of murder and is heavily implied to receive the death penalty. In Investigations, should the player fail the “truth” is lost forever and Edgeworth just writes about his failure in his journal. The suspected character still has a trial to attend that will determine his or her innocence or guilt.
Edgeworth's ability to use logic to piece together the truth adds a bit of critical thinking to the games.
Overall, Investigations is a great addition to the Phoenix Wright series. The addition of the third-person view adds much more to the already intense drama of the story, which is helped with the updated character animations. While the urgency of the previous titles isn’t as apparent here, the cases are still full of as many twists and turns one has come to expect from the series. For any fan of the Phoenix Wright series or any fan of point-and-click adventure titles, this is a great choice.
7 Comments | Reviews | Tagged: Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth, Capcom, Nintendo DS, Pheonix Wright | Permalink
Posted by Bup
2010.04.14
Splinter Cell: Conviction was released for the XBox 360 yesterday to glowing reviews (1Up and Game Informer both gave it the equivalent of a nine out of ten). However, the game’s release did not go over as smoothly as Ubisoft most likely would have enjoyed. A few days before the release, reports came out from Ubisoft that some of the USB keychains included with the limited edition of the game, which had some special in-game content preloaded on them, were broken. Ubisoft’s solution was to apologize and drop the price of the limited edition ten dollars and are attempting to release the special content to those customers at a later time. Now that’s all find and dandy, but an even bigger issue came up when the game was actually released. Some players were actually experiencing freezing during the second level and some other parts of the game. Ubisoft’s fix to this was to again apologize and release a patch to fix the issues.
What blows my mind about this is that the game has been slated for release since last year, yet Ubisoft still could not get a completely working copy of the game out on time. According to the reviewer at Kotaku, he experienced these freezing problems with his copy of the game, but could not be certain if this was just a problem with his review copy or it would be there in the retail versions as well. This means that Ubisoft had to have known about the issue before the release of the game, which may explain why a patch for the problem was created in such short time. It is understandable that Ubisoft released Conviction on the scheduled release date instead of pushing it back, as delaying it would have upset fans of the series even more than they already are.
So my questions to you, dearest of doves, are these: do you think Ubisoft should have pushed the release of the game back to fix the freezing issue? Did Ubisoft handle the various problems surrounding the game correctly? Would you have done anything different? Finally, should the reviews of the game been a bit more harsh because the review copies of the game experienced these issues as well? Tell me in the comments!
4 Comments | Editorials | Tagged: Splinter Cell, Splinter Cell: Conviction, XBox 360 | Permalink
Posted by Bup
2010.04.07
Today is Wednesday. The recent release of Yakuza 3 had many fans up in arms over the content Sega cut out of the game for the Western release. The cut content included hostess clubs, sections with Japanese trivia, two side-story missions, and a couple minigames. Now, I am a huge fan of the Yakuza series so when I heard that some of the content was cut I was a bit disappointed. However, that did not stop me from picking up the game when it released. To be completely honest I did not even notice any plot holes or loose ends during my forty plus hours of gameplay. Yes, that’s right: it still took me over forty hours to beat the game even with content being cut out, and I still did not even come close to finishing all the sidequests in the game. I did not even play any of the minigames, of which I saw at least ten.
So, my questions to you, my dear readers, should we really be concerned over the content that was cut? Forty hours of gameplay is a great amount for games these days. However, one could also argue why should the Western release have the content cut out in the first place? Only fans of the series, or of Japanese culture, are going to pick up this game, not a regular consumer browsing the walls at their local game store. Let me know your opinions on these points in the comments!
17 Comments | Editorials | Tagged: PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Sega, Yakuza, Yakuza 3 | Permalink
Posted by Bup
2010.03.24
THQ and 4H Games destroy the world in a nuclear explosion with the recent release of Metro 2033.
IGN called these graphics "PS1 era."
Metro allows the player to enter the shoes of Artyom, a young man living in the Moscow subway system, also known as the Metro system, after a nuclear war causes humankind to almost become extinct. After Artyom’s “city” is attacked he must travel the dangerous subway system and surface world to find help, all while fighting off fanatical Communist “Reds”, Nazis, and mutated creatures. The player fends off these creatures using various makeshift weapons, such as revolvers with scopes, silenced sub-machine guns, shotguns, and pneumatic weapons that the player must actually pump to do more damage. Upgrades to these weapons are purchased using pre-war “clean” ammo found scattered around the world, which can actually be used as ammo with increased damage as a last resort.
The most interesting part of this game is how little HUD is used throughout the game. There is no health bar, map, or even objectives displayed on screen. The only thing the player will see is the ammo count for the current weapon he or she is using. The map aspect to this is very interesting as the player must hit a certain button to bring up a compass showing the direction to the next objective. This leaves the player vulnerable to attack, which can come from any direction in the darkened subway system. Another interesting part of the game is the use of the gas mask and night vision goggles. As the air above the subway system is full of toxins, the player must put on Artyom’s gas mask to safely traverse the destroyed cities, which can hinder the player’s view depending on how damaged the mask is from attacks. Should the player get attacked enough with the mask on, it can actually crack open and leave the player vulnerable to the toxic air. The same goes for the night vision goggles, which will impair the player’s peripheral eyesight due to the casing around the lenses.
The only negative part is how little replay value the game has. As the game is strictly a linear experience, there is not really a reason to go back and replay the game other than in an attempt to gain more achievements on the 360. This is unfortunately added to even more with the fact that the game is not very long, average at best.
The device on Artyom's wrist monitors both how hidden in shadows the player is and how much time the gas mask's air filter has left.
Overall Metro 2033 is an excellent first person shooter. The story is very engaging and the unique game play aspects make it stand out from the crowd. While the game is a bit short and linear, it is still a lot of fun to play. For anyone looking for a good FPS on the 360 or PC, this is a great choice.
2 Comments | Reviews | Tagged: 4H Games, Metro 2033, PC, THQ, XBox 360 | Permalink
Posted by Bup
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