Author - Judgeman

Madden NFL 12 – Review (Xbox 360)

2011/09/12
Judgeman
News, Reviews

With the opening games of the NFL season starting this weekend, we felt that the best way to celebrate it is with our review of the annual EA Sports release, Madden NFL 12.  The beginning of the NFL season is a special time for any fan of the sport.  Your hopes are way up for your team, praising the moves that they made during the off season, and expecting nothing less then to see your team hoist the Lombardi Trophy in February.  However, about mid-season, you start to realize that your quarterback can’t string together two passes in a row for gain, your running back is older then your father, and your defense can’t stop a girl scout troop from running into the end zone.  Madden NFL 12 replicates this feeling perfectly, start off with all the promises and hope, but soon turns into a mediocre outing for a franchise that has seen one to many falls.

Story and Gameplay:

There is only one goal in Madden NFL 12, and that is to simply win; win the next game, win your division and win the Super Bowl.  So I want to focus on the many different game modes that you can play in Madden NFL 12, instead on any type of writing or story line, which is simply not there.  In Madden NFL 12, you have your simple custom Quick Match games, which are played between teams of your choosing, Superstar mode with follows a created player through his career, Franchise Mode which puts you in charge of every aspect of a team, and Madden Ultimate Team which combines playing the football game with sport card collecting.

The Superstar Mode is pretty much unchanged from years past.  You create your player and outfit him with a wide variety of equipment choices, choose his stats, then wait to get drafted.  I created my rookie quarterback and waited with baited breath for draft day to come around.  This is where Madden NFL 12 first earned my ire, because it drafted me to the Detroit Lions.  Really, Madden? Really?  Well, I’m big enough to move past it, so I started my camp and the season.  The Superstar Mode focuses solely on your time on the field.  You skip game play until your superstar is able to play, then focus on his game time.  Overall, I really enjoyed this game mode.  It was quick and I only had to focus on my superstar, which was hard considering how porous my offensive line was.  Seriously guys, block someone.

Franchise Mode had the most new things added to it for Madden NFL 12.  You are pretty much in control of everything, and I mean everything, in the franchise.  You start off in preseason, inviting your rookies to training camp to see if they can earn a spot.  The cool thing here, is that you don’t get to see your rookies’ stats until after preseason, so you don’t really know if you have a diamond in the rough on your bench, or someone who is destined for the waiver wire.  As preseason continues, you are forced to make cut decisions to trim your roster down and get ready for the start of the season.  You also have to keep an eye out for free agents that may be able to help you right away and make decisions on those aging free agent contracts that are coming up.  This mode is deep, I mean really deep.  Put some time aside for this one, because it will take a while to really enjoy.

Madden Ultimate Team is a cross between the normal Madden game and sports card collecting.  You are given a pack of cards that are randomly selected from a list of positions to fill your starting roster and given a team.  You then play either other players using the same style of roster, or the cpu in games to earn coins.  With this coins, you can buy more packs to help upgrade your team or buy free agents outright through the new trading system.  While I thought it was a cool idea, I had a hard time getting into this mode.  It just seemed that the people who were willing to buy upper rated packs with Microsoft Points were going to have an advantage right away, versus us underpaid writers who were trying to earn coins by actually winning the game.

Besides the changes to the game modes noted above, game play is pretty much the same as it was last year.  The controls felt tight and easy to use, in fact they seem much more stream lined then the last Madden NFL game that I played.  I liked being able to hold B and point to the defensive player that I wanted to control, instead of cycling through every one on my roster that was on the field.  Controlling players felt natural, I felt like I could move my quarterback out of the way of a charging lineman and make a nice pass down field.  I still have a hard time seeing if my passes are complete if I try for anything more then a 10 yard pass, I usually have to wait for my quarterbacks reaction to see if the pass was even caught.  Playing defense is what frustrated me the most, I could never seem to get my hands on anyone who had the ball.  Now, admittedly, I am much more of a hockey fan then a football fan, but I know enough to see a run coming right up the middle, I just could never seem to actually tackle anyone.

Aesthetics:

Graphics seems to be where EA Tiburon really made some progress.  The presentation of Madden NFL 12 is greatly improved, the camera angles and stadiums really come alive.  Oh, and Soldier Field is finally rendered in all it’s glory, that is enough for me to sing Madden NFL 12 some praises.  The player animations look much smoother, though the player faces still seem to be lacking life.  I also really loved the lighting effects in Madden NFL 12, the shadows really made the players pop out on the field and bring another level of depth to the visuals.

The audio is good, not great.  Like any sports game, the announcing is where I have the most issues.  It is tough making a sports game where the announcers don’t just sound like they are reading off of a cue card and its even tougher to have enough lines so the player doesn’t get many repeated lines.  Unfortunately, Madden NFL 12 hasn’t figured out how to beat these negatives.  Other then that, the sounds from the field are really well done.  With my surround sound, it sounded just like a real football game.

Final Thoughts:

Madden NFL 12 delivers a very solid game play experience that I feel is the most complete football game to this date.  Madden NFL 12 has a wide variety of game modes to keep anyone busy, from the casual foot ball fan to the die hard fanatic.  Madden NFL 12 is also great to look at, with a presentation that is very well done and player animations that really look like you are watching a real football game.  Online play was flawless and without lag, at least for me.  Where Madden NFL 12 suffers depends on whether or not you own Madden NFL 11.  I just feel that Madden NFL 12 just isn’t a big enough leap forward to justify buying if you own Madden NFL 11.  Now, if its been a few years between Madden games for you, like it was me, then Madden NFL 12 is a great buy.  If you bought Madden NFL 11 and have to have Madden NFL 12, you will enjoy the slight upgrade, but don’t expect much more.

Screenshots

Hector: Badge of Carnage Episode 2 – A Review (PC)

2011/09/08
Judgeman
News, Reviews

Telltale Games brings us the next installment in the Badge of Carnage series with Senseless Acts of Justice.  Featuring the same classless humor that the first episode presented, Senseless Acts of Justice is more of the same, just a little longer.  Hector is back in his fight against the faceless gunman that terrorized Clappers Wreake.  If you enjoyed episode 1, then you’ll love episode 2.  If you didn’t get Badge of Carnage episode 1, then go read my review of it.  Don’t worry, I’ll wait until you get back.

Story:

Ok, now that your back, Senseless Acts of Justice picks right up where Badge of Carnage episode 1 left off.  Hector has completed all of the demands that the terrorist had set him off to do, and has entered the building to finally confront the gunman.  Held at gunpoint and holding his last slice of pizza, Hector now has to figure out a way to survive his confrontation with the gunman and finally bring the villain to justice.

The story style in episode 2 is exactly the same as it was in episode 1.  You will run in to the same crass humor and jokes that made the first episode funny.  Hector is played perfectly in this episode.  Always quick with the perfect insult and not above making lude comments, the writing for Hector makes him an absolute great time to control.  In contrast, controling Lambert is such a riot, but for completely different reasons.  Lambert is such a push over when it comes to interacting with the other characters, that you can’t help but laughing at the situations he gets himself into.

Episode 2 is longer then episode 1, which is a good thing.  Episode 1 just didn’t feel like it was worth the price of admission, at least in length terms.  Episode 2 fixes that by filling it with more story this time around.

Gameplay:

The gameplay for Badge of Carnage Episode 2 is pure point and click adventure style.  You move the arrow around the environment looking for clues and items to solve the current predicament that you find yourself in.  Most puzzles in episode 2 are fairly straight forward and easy enough to solve, but you will run into a few that will stop you dead.  Senseless Acts of Justice offers a hint system that will help point you towards the right solution.

In this episode, like I mentioned above, you play as Lambert for part of the episode.  This was an interesting change of events, making you pick up items as Lambert that Hector needs to solve the problem that he is facing, and vice versa.  You have to look around one character’s environment for clues that will aid the other character.

Aesthetics:

Badge of Carnage Episode 2 is rendered in the same style as episode 1 was.  I love the cartoon look to the game and feel that the visuals of Senseless Acts of Justice fit with the overall feel.  Watching cartoon vomit spew out of a woman’s mouth in this way makes it way more funny and, to be honest, stomachable then if the game was rendered with life-like graphics.

The sound, on the other hand, dosen’t fair as well.  The voice acting is generally well done, with Hector being the best of the bunch.  The downside is that the actual audio seems to be a lower quality.  In some cases, the audio just didn’t sound like it was recorded that well.

Final Thoughts:

Badge of Carnage Episode 2 is a great follow up to a pretty good game.  Episode 2 has more of what I liked in episode 1 and is a bit longer then its predecessor.  The cartoony aesthetics of Clappers Wreake and its inhabitants makes the crass jokes and events that much more easy to stomach, though the audio at times will grate on your ears.  The game play is solid point and click adventure mechanics that haven’t changed in the last twenty years, but the puzzles are hard enough to give you a challenge but easy enough to keep the pace of the game rolling along.  If you haven’t picked up episode 1 yet, then you need to start there, but for those of you that have played through episode 1 and liked it, then Senseless Acts of Justice is a must buy.

Screenshots

Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition Review (Xbox 360)

2011/09/05
Judgeman
News, Reviews

Capcom and Iron Galaxy Studios have brought the classic 2D fighter, Street Fighter III: Third Strike, to the Xbox 360.  With a grand total of 20 playable characters, Street Fighter III: Third Strike is considered to be the deepest fighting game of all time by many hardcore fans.  Never reaching the same popularity that Street Fighter II did with the mainstream crowds, Street Fighter III: Third Strike continues to make appearances in competitions around the world, such as Evo, due to its diverse gameplay.  Let’s take a deeper look at what makes this game worth your time.

Gameplay

If you have followed my reviews before, you’ll notice that I have completely skipped the story line section for Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition.  That’s because it is a fighting game in the truest sense of the word.  Sure, there are individual story lines involved, which you will see as you finish the game with each character. But, the draw to Street Fighter III: Third Strike is its fighting mechanics, not its deep story line.  So, I have skipped the story section so I can get right into the goodies, the gameplay.

Street Fighter III: Third Strike is easily the most technical and deepest version of the Street Fighter collection, and that includes the current Super Street Fighter IV.  It took exact timing and practice to master the move list of Street Fighter III: Third Strike, especially the new parry system that was introduced to this version.  The parry system was a high risk-high reward way to defend  yourself and then set up a nasty combo to hit your opponent with.  In order to parry, you had to tap forward or down depending on the direction of the enemy’s attack.  Even super moves were capable of being parried, but your timing had to be perfect.

The roster consists of 20 playable characters from the beginning, but only Chun Li, Ryu and Ken are recognizable from Street Fighter II.  We are introduced to future Street Fighter IV staples, Makoto, Ibuki and Dudley in this version, but the lack of recognizable characters at that time could have contributed to the lack of attention that was given to Street Fighter III: Third Strike in the arcades.  With 20 characters, you have a vast array of different types of fighting styles to choose from, from the standard Ryu fighting set, to the bizarre fighting styles of Necro and Twelve.

This edition of Street Fighter III: Third Strike brings the gameplay of the original game right to the Xbox 360.  With this dedication to bring you the original gameplay, comes with the balancing issue that the arcade edition had.  Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition has it’s tiers of characters, and many of the top tier characters, such as Chun Li, are just extremely unbalanced and deadly in the right hands.

Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition has a lot of different additions to offer players.  There is a very robust training option, including parry training, that will help get new players up to speed.  There is also a combo trainer for each of the characters to try and learn some critical combos before playing other players.  Unfortunately, learning these combos can be difficult due to the fact that the combo trainer does not show you the timing of each combo, nor is it easy to even see the button sequence necessary to pull of the combo.  But really, this edition is all about the online play, which is flawless for the most part when you can find an opponent.  I would wait in que for several minutes looking for a ranked match online.  Once I finally found one, the match was smooth and fluid, without lag.

Aesthetics:

Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition is a direct port of the original game that first saw action twelve years ago.  The graphics for this edition were not redone in high definition at all.  The characters are bright and larger then life and the backgrounds are well done, but it does show it’s age in comparison to other games such as Street Fighter IV and the new Mortal Kombat.  Even though the graphics are twelve years old, the overall aesthetics of Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition looks great.  But I have been a fan of the original, so I may be seeing this through rose tinted glasses.  I understand the graphics aren’t up to date, but the aesthetics of the game are still pleasing to the eye.

The sounds of the game, again, are right from the original arcade version – even down to the music.  I always had an issue with the rap song and the announcer that they had for Third Strike, mostly just because I found it annoying, but maybe I’m becoming more tolerable in my old age because I didn’t find it as annoying this time around.  Still, the music does sound like the late 1990’s, so I guess it fits.

Overall:

Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition is a perfect port of the original arcade game directly to your Xbox 360.  For anyone that is looking for the deepest fighting game ever made, this is it.  With a system of super moves, parries, juggle combos, and ex-moves, Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online Edition has all the right moves for any hardcore fighting game fanatic.  The downside to this is that many casual fighting enthusiasts maybe scared off by the complexity of the controls and gameplay of Street Fighter III: Third Strike.  The game is as good looking as it was in 1999, just don’t compare it to Super Street Fighter IV visually and you’ll be fine.  Online matches, if you can find one, are very fluid and lag free for the most part.  Just be patient in finding opponents at this time.  This is a must purchase for any fan of the series of Street Fighter games – especially for gamers looking for a challenging game to master.

Screenshots

Cars 2 – A Review (Xbox 360)

2011/08/04
Judgeman
News, Reviews

We as video game fans and critics have gotten used to playing bad video games that only come out to promote another product, like a movie.  With the release of Cars 2 in movie theaters by Pixar, I very well knew that the video game release was as inevitable as the sun rising in the morning.  I opened my package that contain the Cars 2 video game with trepidation, groaning loudly at the thought of spending hours being tortured by yet another bad movie related video game.  Within the first hour of game play, I realized that my groan was way too premature and that Cars 2 was not your typical movie tie-in video game.  Avalanche Software did a very good job in bringing a solid racing game with the Mario Kart feel to the Xbox 360, that just also happens to tie in nicely with the movie.

Story:

The story of Cars 2 the video game story line is based on the movie’s story line, but only in very broad terms.  The tutorial levels are set at the secret agents headquarters, where Finn McMissile and Holly Shitwell train you in the maneuvers.  You then set out into the racing world to face Professor Z through a series of races and events.  Like most racing games, the story is all about you winning the event, and unlocking more events and cars to race as.

Racing games, like fighting games, have a tendency to be lighter in the story department.  This is not Dragon Age; you do not have hours upon hours to develop characters and relationships during game play.  I am ok with the story being light here, because it’s just not needed.  You know that you are racing against Professor Z and his minions during the events, and there are little cut scenes that give you this throughout the game itself, but winning the event is really your main priority.  You are also not forced to play as one of the main characters of the movie.  You can play as Mater or Lightning if you so choose, but you can also play the game just as well as any of the other minor back up characters.  This is one of those cases were the light storyline helps to give the races context, but also stays out of the way so the player can have fun.

Gameplay:

Cars 2 borrows heavily from the game play that made Mario Kart very popular, but also incorporates other mechanics to make it feel different from the monster that is Mario Kart.  You race around in the event, using boost to help you speed up and collecting weapons that you can use on your opponents to help slow them down.  Gaining boost in Cars 2 can be done through many different ways:  you can drift through the corners, collect energy batteries, jump over obstacles doing tricks, or do some stunt driving on the ground.  I thought it was a fun mechanic to allow the cars to drive on two wheels to get through tight spots, or to completely turn your car around and drive backwards.  This last mechanic is fun to do in multiplayer, as you get to fire your missiles at the poor slob in second place.

Cars 2 also has a large array of events that one can play through.  You have your standard battle races, where you fight with the other cars and the first one across the line wins, but you also have event types like Devastator and Hunter that helps break up the monotony of just racing all the time.  Hunter game types pit you against wave after wave of Professor Z’s lemons, where you hunt them down as destroy as many as you can.  The Devastator game mode, though, was my favorite.  You collect the Devastator weapon and have to race it into your enemies’ base to set it off.  This event sets up some nice local competitive game play between teams.

Bottom line here is that Cars 2 is just plain fun to play.  The events are varied enough to give you want you want, the mechanics and controls feel just right, and the multiplayer is just a blast to play.  This game really surprised me on how much fun it was to play.

Aesthetics:

 Pixar has always given us beautiful worlds to enjoy, filled with interesting characters and gorgeous environments.  Avalanche Software was successfully able to take this well designed aesthetic and bring it into the Cars 2 video game.  The world that you race through is just plain neat to look at.  From the dark urban sprawl of Tokyo at night, to the beautifully rendered streets of London, Cars 2 makes each track not only fun to race in, but enjoyable to stare at.

The cars themselves also come across in the video game very well.  Each car looks just like it’s movie counterpart and is completed in the same design originally put down by Pixar.  The only negative I have with the cars is their voice-overs.  You will quickly get bored of the same two or three lines that each car repeats throughout the events.  The characters’ voices are done well enough, but repeat way too much for my liking.  I ended up switching out my cars after every fourth race, just so I didn’t have to listen to the same lines over and over again.

Overall, Cars 2 brings the well-designed world of the movie into the video game.  The tracks are beautiful, the cars are well designed and neat to look at, but the voice-overs repeat way too much for me.

Final Thoughts:

 Cars 2 by Avalanche Software is a fun game to play and is very nice to look at.  It brings the game play of Mario Kart to the Xbox 360 while adding some nice game mechanics that makes Cars 2 unique.  The multiplayer games are a blast to play and you have enough events to choose from to get a nice rotation going without getting bored.  The game play itself is very solid, with nice controls and tracks that contain different routes you can take to the finish line.  Cars 2 looks just like the movies, with the beautifully designed characters and world, but the voice-overs could be better and are way to repetitive.

Cars 2 is a great way to get that Mario Kart feel without owing a Wii.  If you are in the market for a solid racer that adds weapon combat, then Cars 2 is a very solid choice.

Soundgarden 6 Pack to Hit Rock Band to Celebrate the 2011 Tour

2011/07/17
Judgeman
News

Harmonix today announced a new Soundgarden six pack of tracks that will be released on July 19th for Rock Band through the Rock Band 3 Music Store.  This new six pack will hit for all three consoles, the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Wii.

The track pack will feature songs from across Soundgarden’s entire collection.  “Outshined” and “Rusty Cage” kick off the pack, both hailing from the band’s 1991 record Badmotorfinger. From Superunknown, the band’s influential 1994 classic, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, Rock Band fans will be able to rock out to “Fell on Black Days” and “The Day I Tried to Live”. Rounding out the pack are two standout tracks from the band’s 1996 record Down on the Upside, “Blow Up the Outside World” and “Burden in My Hand”.

As always, songs available as downloadable content for Rock Band 3 feature five-button guitar and bass parts, drums, Pro Drums, and keys, Pro Keys and harmonies, where applicable. Some songs also feature Pro Guitar and Pro Bass upgrades available for an additional $0.99 upgrade download.  Additionally, a Pro Guitar upgrade for the previously released Soundgarden single “Pretty Noose” also arrives to the Rock Band store this week!

Available on Xbox 360, Wii and PlayStation®3 system (July 19th, 2011):

  • Soundgarden – “Blow Up the Outside World”

  • Soundgarden – “Burden in My Hand”X

  • Soundgarden – “Fell on Black Days”

  • Soundgarden – “Outshined”X

  • Soundgarden – “Rusty Cage”

  • Soundgarden – “The Day I Tried to Live”X


Pro Guitar Additions for Legacy Songs:

  • Soundgarden – “Pretty Noose”

Puzzle Agent 2 – A Review (PC)

2011/07/11
Judgeman
News, Reviews

Telltale Games brings us the sequel to Puzzle Agent, the aptly named Puzzle Agent 2.  Taking up where Puzzle Agent left off, Puzzle Agent 2 brings us a greater variety of puzzles to solve while trying to find out about the rash of disappearances in Scoggins, Minnesota.  Having never played the first Puzzle Agent, I was interested in Puzzle Agent 2.  Having been reviewing a lot of point and click adventure/puzzle games lately, I felt that my puzzle skills were at the top of their game and was ready for the challenge.

Story:

Puzzle Agent 2 picks up where the original Puzzle Agent left off.  You play as Agent Tethers, FBI agent in the Bureau’s Puzzle Department.  Agent Tethers was not pleased on how the Scoggins case closed in Puzzle Agent.  Tethers was able to reopen the eraser factory, but was unable to find out where the missing people of Scoggins were or who was behind their kidnappings.  In Puzzle Agent 2, Tethers uses his own vacation time to go back to Scoggins to complete his investigation and to find the missing people of the town.

The town of Scoggins, Minnesota is full of interesting and, let’s be blunt, mostly crazy characters.  It is clear from the beginning that the inhabitants of Scoggins doesn’t want Agent Tethers poking around their town again.  It is also clear that the townsfolk have issues, serious issues.  From conspiracy theorists that believe the government is crossbreeding Sasquatch with humans, to the mysterious Brotherhood of Scoggins that believes in the Hidden People, forest gnomes that live in the area, Agent Tethers is forced to wade through their insanity to get to the bottom of this mystery.

The story works well to pick up where, I assume, Puzzle Agent left off.  I never did play the first one, so walking into this game, I needed to know what the first one was about, and Puzzle Agent 2 does a good job of getting you up to spend through dialogue.  You are able to talk to the inhabitants of Scoggins to catch yourself up with the story so that new players are caught up without having to play Puzzle Agent, and the older players are reintroduced to the world of Agent Tethers.  The story is interesting and well written, and has that Telltale Games flavor to it.  Without getting into the details and spoiling the story’s ending, the story starts off straight enough for a investigation game, but takes many twists and turns and ends in insanity, literally.

Gameplay:

Puzzle Agent 2 is, at heart, a point-and-click puzzle game.  However, unlike many of Telltale Games releases in the last year, you have absolutely no control over Agent Tethers within a scene.  The game is set up with no movement controls at all.  You enter a scene, then use your mouse to click on items or areas of the scene, and a radar-like circle expands from the spot you clicked.  If there is anything of interest within this circle, you will see it and then are able to click on the item.  You can open up dialogue boxes with characters, find puzzles, exit the scene, or collect gum pieces from around Scoggins.  The controls are very simple, but work brilliantly.  It is kind of hard to mess up the controls to a point and click puzzle game, so don’t expect too much here in that department.

Puzzle Agent 2 is all about the puzzles!  The inhabitants of Scoggins are obsessed with puzzles and Agent Tethers is a crack puzzle solver.  During the game, Agent Tethers will be faced with a puzzle that he must solve in order for the story to continue.  These puzzles will either block his entry into a building he needs to go, or appear in dialogue boxes so that he can gain some hidden knowledge about the case.  The puzzles have a nice variety to them, with only a few types repeating throughout the story.  Most of the puzzles are fairly easy to comprehend and solve on the first get go, but some require much more thought and the game gives you a handy clue system.  You can pick up gum pieces throughout Scoggins and these gum pieces give you access to clues during the puzzles that you need to solve.  You are allowed up to 3 clues during a puzzle, though your overall score will be lower depending on the amount of clues you use or the amount of times you tried to solve the puzzle.  Some of these clues are very helpful, some are infuriatingly not helpful, so it all depends on your level of puzzle solving skills.  Mine are mediocre on a good day, but were sufficient enough to solve most of the puzzles in Puzzle Agent 2 without problem.

Puzzle Agent 2 does not bring anything new or exciting to the genre, but it does it well enough and keeps you interested.  The puzzles are varied enough for you to not get bored with repeats.  The clue system works well enough, but does expect that you have some previous knowledge, like knowing Pi up to 10 places.  Really, Pi to 10 places, all I could remember was 3.14, curse you Telltale Games for showing me my math deficiencies!

Aesthetics:

Puzzle Agent 2 is completed in almost a cartoon-like visualization.  Think South Park, with a bad frame rate and bold black lines.  The characters move like there are frames missing in between motions, so it almost gives you a flip book feel.  The art direction is that of a Sunday newspaper comic, the characters are stylized with bold, black outlines.  It’s a neat look that works for the game, though it took  a while to get used to the intentional frame rate issues with the characters movements. 

The voice acting is where Puzzle Agent 2 really shines in the aesthetics department.  The voice overs are truly fantastic, making each character you meet interesting and alive.  The actors seem to have a good time doing this game and really put some effort into the dialogue delivery and accents.  Since the game is located in Minnesota, we get a variety of accents that you would find there, really making the game feel just right.

The graphics aren’t top notch, but the story and voice acting easily are brilliant enough for the game to pull the player into the world of Agent Tethers and makes it interesting so the player wants to continue to play.

Final Thoughts:

Puzzle Agent 2 is a very solid point and click puzzle game.  Though you really have no control over the movements of Agent Tethers, the game plays quite well and gives you enough of a variety of puzzles that you will not grow bored.  Sure, the hint system can be frustrating at times and some of the puzzles are down right brutal, but Puzzle Agent 2 is a good time.  Telltale Games does another fantastic job in hiring voice actors that truly care about delivering a great performance, and these actors are given great characters to bring to life.  Puzzle Agent 2 does come up on the short side in length, but for a $10 game, it is worth the price of admission

Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition – A Review (Xbox 360)

2011/07/07
Judgeman
News, Reviews

Capcom hass updated their Street Fighter franchise once again with Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition.  This update will be released as both a stand alone in store game and as a current download via Xbox Live Marketplace for 1200 Microsoft Points.  What this update brings to the table is another 4 characters, bringing the grand total to 39 playable characters in game.  This update also brings us a new Elite Replay Channel and various balancing tweaks to game play.  But is it all worth it?  Let’s take a look at what this update brings and I’ll let you know.

The New Challengers:

Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition gives us four more challengers to the already impressive roster.  In this update we get Evil Ryu, Oni, Yun and Yang.  Both Evil Ryu and Oni are very flashy and well animated characters, though feel a little reused.  Evil Ryu plays like a combination of Ryu and Akuma, though Evil Ryu is missing the air fireball.  He looks impressive, with the dark swirls of energy around him, but in the end feels like something we already had.  Oni, on the other hand, feels a little less played out.  Oni is a combination of Akuma and Gouken, but also has his own moves list.  Oni is, like Evil Ryu, very visually impressive and feels like a powerhouse.  The other two additions, Yun and Yang, however are the ones to watch out for.  Both Yun and Yang made their debut in Street Fighter III and are both very offensively orientated.

Watching how this game played in Japan, Yun and Yang are going to be a force to be reckoned with.  They are fast, able to cancel and even dodge under fireballs, and seem to have a very large hit box when it comes to their normal attacks and combos.  Both fighters can also set up massive juggles by using their EX palm strikes near the edges of the stage.  For hardcore Super Street Fighter IV fans, this update with these characters is a must for you to own.  For others out there that are not excited about having two more Ryu and Akuma clones, then you are getting short changed with just two new fighters in Yun and Yang.

Elite Replay Channel:

This addition to Super Street Fighter IV is interesting, but completely unnecessary for me.  This addition allows you to watch replays of some of the top players across Xbox Live.  It also allows you to follow certain fighters as they play games around the world.  This is really only useful for those of you that can’t seem to find the top Street Fighter players on Youtube, or just want to have the replays from your favorite player brought straight to you as you log into the game through Live.  This was interesting to look at, and there was an achievement for following a player in the Elite Replay Channel, but other then that not all that impressive.

Tweaks and Balances:

The Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition update also brought along a ton of tweaks and balances that has helped bring the game to a much higher level of competition.  These tweaks and balances are numerous and lengthy, too lengthy to post here, but are valuable if you are a very competitive Street Fighter IV player.  Just some random types of tweaks and balances here so that you can get an idea of what I’m talking about.

  • Ryu’s Air Hurricane Kicks are no longer as effective for escaping bad situations. If it’s done in the air before hitting the peak of the jump, it’ll become floaty and go nowhere.
    Balrog’s Dirty Bull Ultra 2 is now a double half-circle back motion instead of a 720.
  • Fei Long’s Hard Kick Chicken Wing no longer has any invincibility.
  • Dan’s Standing Medium Kick is slower and he gets more height off of his air taunt.
  • Makoto’s EX Dash Punch (Hayate) breaks armor now.

For the casual player, these balances and tweaks mean nothing, but for the hard core out there, some of these are vital and really make the Super Street Fighter IV experience that much better.

Final Thoughts:

Well, that is what you get with the Arcade Edition update for Super Street Fighter IV, but is it worth it?  If you are a hard core Super Street Fighter IV player, you already have this update and don’t need me to convince you otherwise.  If you haven’t yet bought Super Street Fighter IV, then buying the Arcade Edition when it hits stores will update you with the best fighting game on the market.  Other then that, it is a great update, but ultimately unnecessary for many players out there.  You get two flashy characters (Evil Ryu and Oni) with two subtle, offensive powerhouses (Yun and Yang), an unnecessary Elite Replay Channel, and a set of tweaks and balances that will only be noticed by the most hardcore of us.  In the end, whether this update is necessary to you completely depends on where you are in the Super Street Fighter IV camp and whether or not you have to have the extra four challengers.  For me, it was a good update that made the Super Street Fighter IV experience that much more complete.

 

Screenshots

Storm: Frontline Nation – A Review (PC)

2011/06/27
Judgeman
News, Reviews

Colossai Studios and SimBin Studios have released a brand new turn based strategy game into the wild, named Storm: Frontline Nations.  Storm: Frontline Nations is based in today’s Europe and North Africa political world.  Let’s get this out in the open first; I have never been a good strategy player, whether it is turn based or real time.  I love the plotting and the moving of massive armies, but I can never get the handle of gathering all the resources needed while watching my borders.  While Storm: Frontline Nations makes resource gathering a breeze, there is so much going on a player can feel overwhelmed.  So, I’ll try to break this game down for you and give you the perspective of a total noob when it comes to these types of games.

Story

Storm: Frontline Nations story is dependent on the nation you select at the beginning, but the end result is the same, complete and total domination in Europe and North Africa.  The game utilizes only these areas for it’s campaign setting, and focuses solely on the nations that can be found here, with the exception of the United States.  The U.S. begins their campaign in Egypt trying to put down a revolution and keeping our man in power.  Yes, either the guys at Colossai Studios have been paying attention to recent world events, or they have one hell of a crystal ball that they used during development.  I, of course, tried to play the campaign as the Americans, but struggled even getting into Egypt to start the campaign, so I switched over to the Russians in order to start off with much more resources and see how the game worked.

After each turn you take, the rest of the world takes their turns.  It can be just as interesting to see what happens to the other countries while you are waiting for your turn then it is when you are actually playing.  For instance, during my campaign, the Germans decided to repeat history and invade France, with the same results.  I had to get a spy to Paris, Germany in order to plot my attack on the German forces.  Once again, Germany proved that they could take France, but not hold it.

At the end of the day, each campaign’s story line will change, depending on your moves and the moves of the other players.  This game tells a story more like a persistant world RPG, where the moves of the player and the results of those moves determine the actions of the other countries, and you are left to tell the story by the events that unfold.

Gameplay

Gameplay is precisely what you would think it would be like – very typical for a turn-based strategy game.  In the campaign, you begin by selected one of a few starting nations.  For this review, I selected Russia because they seemed like the easiest choice for me to get a feel for the game.  You are given a certain amount of starting troops, which you can select where to place them before the game begins.  You are also given a couple of starting mission objectives to give you a direction to start your world conquest.  Russia’s campaign starts off in a very “cloak and dagger” sort of way.  All of your early missions focus on moving your Spetsnaz and spy units around Europe to gather intel or to sabotage your enemies’ supply lines.

Movement across the map is done using your unit’s move value.  The issue I had here was that it was quite easy for me to move my Spetsnaz units across Europe.  It was quicker for me to move them by land then it was by air or by sea.  Sure, I know that the Spetsnaz are world-class special ops teams, but it just seemed like I could run them all over Europe without any type of impediment, that is until I actually tried to use them to sabotage something, then they would die instantly.

My Achilles heel in these types of games has always been resource gathering.  Storm: Frontline Nations pretty much handles that on its own.  Each territory you control has a Euro amount that is automatically given to you.  That way you start each turn with a set of Euros dependent on the amount of territory you posses.  This resource allows you to purchase new types of infantry units, tanks, air support or sea support.  It also allows you to conduct research, from different types of power supplies to chemical warfare.  Part of the Russian campaign is for you to get a spy into London and research locations for a strategic Anthrax attack.

Overall, if you have played any type of turn based strategy game, like The Battle of Wesnoth or anything by SSI Games, then you will easily understand the basis for Storm: Frontline Nations.  For those of you that struggle at understanding all the intricacies of these types of games, don’t panic. Colossai Games has made sure that there is a tutorial system in place for you to read about the different systems in the game.  Well, I would say panic a little, because the tutorial system is massive and intricate.  This game has depth that many of us casual, turn-based strategy gamers will never quite fully understand.

Aesthetics

The aesthetics of Storm: Frontline Mission are nothing special.  The graphics are very static and are used mostly to tell armies apart from one another.  I had an especially hard time finding political boundaries and the locations of my mission objectives at first.  Once I realized where each country once and then started to determine regions within each country, it became easier for my to find my objectives.  For those of you that have failed geography in the past be prepared to play this game with a detailed map of Europe.

In fact, the whole game feels like an electronic version of Risk.  The graphics and sound here are just used as a tool to deliver the game to the player, not as a way to immerse the player into the game.  There is no immersion or depth here in the aesthetics department, so Storm: Frontline Nations feels like a board game that you play on your pc.

Final Thoughts

What Storm: Frontline Nations boils down to is whether or not you like turn based strategy games that focuses on current European issues.  If you love the idea of replaying the battle of Gettysburg, or seeing if you can conquer Europe during World War II, then Storm: Frontline Nations is the game for you.  If the idea of resource management and European intrigue makes your stomach crawl, then I would strongly suggest skipping Storm: Frontline Nations.

Screenshots

Hamilton’s Great Adventure – A Review (PC)

2011/06/14
Judgeman
News, Reviews

Fatshark follows up their release of Lead and Gold with a new puzzle game named Hamilton’s Great Adventure.  Hamilton’s Great Adventure tells the tale of Ernest Hamilton, a overweight Indiana Jones look-a-like, as he scours ancient civilizations for treasure while avoiding Lovecraft Cthulu rejects.  While the aesthetics and puzzles were very interesting, the story and use of other peoples’s character ideas just made the game itself fall flat.  Let’s get into the details of Hamilton’s Great Adventure.

Story:

Hamilton’s Great Adventure is told through a series of flashbacks as Ernest Hamilton tells his granddaughter about his past exploits.  These exploits take place in many exotic and ancient civilizations, such as Incan ruins, the Himalayans, Egypt and even Atlantis.  Besides the played out search for treasure and glory, there isn’t anything else going on here.

The story of Hamilton’s Great Adventure just left me uninterested.  I started off by watching each and every cut scene, but found myself skipping them later in the game.  I just felt like I’ve played this game before from the story point of view, and other games have told this story better.   You are following a clone of Indiana Jones as he just collects treasure, there’s your story.  I feel that if you are going to at least take somebody’s ideas and make a game out of them, at least make it humorous.  Magika is a great example of this, the developers took many names and ideas from other properties, but put their own unique humor to tie it all together.  Hamilton’s Great Adventure is missing that major key.  It just feels like the developers tried to find as many properties that would draw people’s attention to their game.

Gameplay:

Here is where Hamiloton’s Great Adventure at least gets interesting.  Each level is designed for you to get from point A to point B, while collecting as much of the treasure as possible.  If you just focus on getting the key and leaving the level, you will receive a bronze rating.  However, if you take the time to find every piece of treasure on the map, you can raise your ranking by the time you hit the exit.

You have a companion with you in the form of a bird named Sasha.  Sasha helps you out by grabbing items and hitting switches that are just out of your reach.  Sasha was an interesting idea, but really did not pan out that well for me.  I will talk about why a little later in my review.

As you move through the levels, the difficulty will increase.  You will run into different types of platforms, like streams or scaffolds, that will change how you move through the level.  The game also throws some evil minions at you that you will need to avoid.  These minions are based off of Lovecraft’s Cthullu mythos, so you will see Cthullu himself along with some Deep Ones.

In the end, the puzzles were nicely done, but the game itself did not run as well as I would have liked on my PC.  Sure, my PC is not a top end machine, but come on, it should have been able to run Hamilton’s Great Adventure better then this! Hamilton moved like a dead, bloated elephant through the maze of puzzles, and Sasha would completely ignore many of the commands that I tried to give her.  The leve designs were done quite well, but the actual game play and how the game ran left a lot to be desired.

Aesthetics:

The game is interesting to look at.  Yes, many of the items and characters are ripped off from other ideas and stories, but the game itself uses color and design to make the levels interesting by themselves.  Hamilton’s Great Adventure is done using a cartoon aesthetic, which fits in perfectly with the overall design of the game.  The levels are bright and well done.  The character design, however, is strictly taken from other people.  Hamilton himself really does just look like a fat Indiana Jones, sporting a mustache instead of a hat.

I wasn’t pleased at all with the sound design of the game either.  The voice overs are nothing more then just grunts and groans, even during the cut scenes.  Sure, doing voices as mumbles and grunts can work, again I’ll reference Magika, but here the grunts and mumbles are completely done without any type of humor or aesthetic choice.  It just feels like a cheap way out for Fatshark.  Other then that, the other sounds in the game are passable for a budget title.

Final Thoughts:

Hamilton’s Great Adventure is, overall, a passable puzzle game for $10.  The puzzles are interesting and pleasing to look at, but the story and sound aesthetic really left a lot to be desired.  If Fatshark would have used their own ideas instead of taking ideas from Indiana Jones or Lovecraft,  Hamilton’s Great Adventure could have stood on it’s own.  Instead, you are constantly comparing certain aspects to the original sources that Fatshark borrowed from.  If you are looking for a budget puzzle game that is not from Pop Cap, Hamilton’s Great Adventure is worth some time, but other than that I would just say skip it.

 

Namco Bandai Celebrates 30 Years of Galaga

2011/06/08
Judgeman
E3, News

Namco Bandai announced today their plans to celebrate Galaga’s 30th anniversary with a year of new releases.  Released in North America in 1981, Galaga found it’s way into many arcade goers hearts and was personally responsible for many of my spent quarters over the years.  Namco Bandai have releases planned to hit Microsoft’s Xbox 360, Sony’s Playstation 3, Nintendo’s 3DS, iOS devices from Apple, and other phones.

The 30th Anniversary of Galaga lineup from Namco Bandai will look like this:

Galaga® Legions DX (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3) – Get ready for the anticipated follow-up title from the team behind PAC-MAN® Championship Edition DX.  The Namco Generations team will make you rethink everything you know about Galaga with Galaga Legions DX.  Fast-paced gameplay along with fantastic new features, modes, and graphics await those ready to embark on the most destructive and chaotic space war ever encountered.

PAC-MAN® & Galaga® DIMENSIONS (Nintendo 3DS) – Featuring Galaga 3D IMPACT, experience the invading Galaga alien armada like never before. Players will use the gyro sensor in the Nintendo 3DS system to take the role of a space ship pilot.  Maneuver the Nintendo 3DS system in real-time to blast away the Galaga threat. PAC-MAN & Galaga DIMENSIONS also features PAC-MAN Tilt, a brand new side-scrolling PAC-MAN adventure.  Players use the 3DS system’s motion sensor to tilt PAC-MAN’s world and use the surrounding environment to help him escape puzzles and defeat enemies.

Galaga® 30th Collection (iOS) – The Galaga 30th Collection universal app will act as a hub for the Galaga universe across all iOS devices.   iPhone®, iPod® touch and iPad® owners will be able to experience the celebrated Galaga franchise at the tips of their fingers.  Galaga 30th Collection will be available June 9 for free bundled with a copy of Galaxian®.  Future in-app purchases will be available through the year.

Galaga® Special Edition (Java/BREW/Blackberry) – Galaga shoots its way to feature phones this year with a remixed version of the classic space shooter.