Category: Written


Project Natal: The Future is Here?

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June 6, 2010

Originally Published: April 27, 2010, on TalkXbox.com

Every day I come into work and I cross off another day on my Marvel Superheroes calendar (this month is The Thing from the Fantastic Four). Like most people, there are always dates I need to remember that are circled and with notes on them: weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, etc., etc. When I came in today though and looked at my calendar, I couldn’t help but look ahead to the middle of June.

Anyone with his or her finger on the pulse of the video game industry has already probably concluded that I’ve got E3 on my mind. And I figured that as our collective countdown clocks approach the 50-day mark for the most celebrated video game event in the USA, if not the world, that I take a look at just what is riding on this one for our beloved Xbox 360.

Last year we were blown away with controller-less gameplay and an A.I. named Milo (which I still think will cause Arnold Schwarzenegger to come back from the future to protect someone from it) when Microsoft revealed Project NATAL. We were then pleasantly surprised to find out that it would be an accessory for the current generation console and not pave the way for a next-gen console.

The biggest shocker came though when we heard the release date. Many of us (myself included) were predicting something like a 2012 release date since we figured that we were still a couple of years away technology-wise from what we saw at E3. I mean face scanning and voice recognition on a home console? But Microsoft released shortly later that NATAL would be on store shelves in time for the 2010 holiday season and our jaws hit the floor.

But now we are only eight months away from the holiday season when this revolutionary accessory is supposed to drop and we are still in the dark as to what it can do, what games to expect, how much it will set us back, and how effective it will be in living up to the promises it made at last E3. Sure, Microsoft has been promoting that Alleyway/Brickbreaker style game that everyone saw at E3 to the press as they’ve been holding small events around the country to show off NATAL to those of us who couldn’t make it last year to Los Angeles. But aside from that, there hasn’t been much in the way of demos or information leaked about something that is supposed to revolutionize our industry.

That’s why, I believe, this E3 will make or break NATAL. The industry does not deal with broken promises well (at least in the short term) and if NATAL cannot provide what it showed us at last year’s E3, with a comprehensive library of compatible games and seamlessly interactive features, you could see the ground Xbox 360 has made on the Nintendo Wii in terms of sales in recent months slip and possibly fall back even further behind than what it was. We could be looking at a new Power Glove, Super Scope, or bevy of other failed gaming accessories just due to a lack of software, never mind if the technology is not up to expectations.

Is this the extent of Natal’s ability? We’ll find out this summer.

There is hope though. Peter Molyneux (who I still think would make a great James Bond villain) has been toting NATAL since Day 1 and there are signs that Fable III could be NATAL compatible. There has also been a leak of a white water rafting game that seamlessly follows your movements as you head down the Colorado River. This looks like it would be a great aerobic workout and tons of fun for the family unit. Don’t rock the boat!

There is also much speculation. Gears of War 3’s trailer should at least be on display at E3. If Epic was one of the highly touted 3rd party developers who got one of these secret development kits mentioned last year and can throw in with NATAL, then all may be well in Xbox land. If massive titles that are predicted to come out well after the release of NATAL are not compatible with it though, then the accessory’s sales could be crippled before they even get started.

It could be a big step in gaming. Wireless controls blew people’s minds and motion control turned gaming on its head. Throw those out the window altogether, and the next thing you know we’ll have virtual reality helmets and teleportation devices in our homes (yeah, I’m really invoking my creative license on this one). Honestly though, we could be on the precipice of something really big in gaming and I hope that Microsoft knows from previous mistakes that it would be easier to have something revolutionary be delayed, but have all the kinks worked out and backing from a full compliment of third party developers, than to just rush something out onto the market in order to be the first. Either way, I know I can’t wait for E3.

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Wavering Conviction

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Originally Published: April 16, 2010, on PlayerAffinity.com, ESPNNewYork.com, and Examiner.com

Sam Fisher is back in Splinter Cell: Conviction and not only have the rules of the espionage game changed, but so has the game that players have come to know and love.

SPOILER ALERT: If you have not played the previous Splinter Cell games, be warned that there may be references to previous events of the Splinter Cell series.

Splinter Cell: Conviction opens up with Sam Fisher sipping a drink in Malta, a small island nation in the Mediterranean, as he tries to piece back together his life after the death of his daughter in a drunk driving accident three years earlier. Having left Third Echelon after his last mission pushed him past a point he didn’t think he could return from, where he killed one of his best friends in Irving Lambert, Sam appears completely lost. That is until an angel watching over him appears to deliver him from the brink.

Well, not quite an angel. More like his old handler Anna “Grim” Grimsdottir watching him via a low orbiting satellite. Grim contacts Sam and explains that his daughter’s death wasn’t an accident and that the people who set that up and used his grief to take him out of the espionage game are now targeting the US’s first female president.

Driven by rage and a quest for vengeance, Sam Fisher has never been more dangerous as he only works for himself now. Saving the president will only be a bonus for nothing will get in the way of the revenge Sam will try to enact on to the people who took his daughter away from him.

A nice twist on the classic Splinter Cell plot, where Sam always has to save the world from terrorists, this new game fleshes out the character of our favorite agent with flashback levels and constant plot surprises that I will not spoil here.

The first thing you will notice is that this is easily one of the best looking games out there right now. From blood splattering accurately on walls from headshots to the detail of the characters’ faces, Splinter Cell: Conviction is a gorgeous game. It’s a shame that half of it is spent, literally, in the dark.

A new color-changing system implemented in the scenery informs you of when you are hidden from enemy sight. When hidden, the world is black and white. When you’re in the open, the world is full of vibrant colors. Although a nice idea to help the player try to progress through the levels and around patrols, it takes away from the visuals and makes it difficult to make out cover most of the time. I would have preferred if they had simply left this system out and left it to the player to figure out if they were in the open. Usually the gunfire is a dead giveaway.

The audio for the game though is spectacular. Michael Ironside reprises his role as Sam Fisher and heads up a strong voice over cast that all end up giving great performances. The music helps set the tone of the gameplay and knows exactly when to amp things up and tone things down. Topped off with spot-on SFX and Splinter Cell: Conviction is something that other game developers should listen to when focusing on the audio of their games.

The biggest change from previous Splinter Cell installments though comes from the gameplay. Although there is still a very strong emphasis on stealth, with Sam not being weighed down by his Splinter Cell suit he moves much quicker than he has in previous games.

Along with this emphasis on speed, there is a new “mark and execute” system where Sam can earn some one shot assassination style kills whenever he takes out an enemy in hand-to-hand combat, throws him from a window, or drops on him old-school Splinter Cell style from an overhead pipe.

Once marks are earned, if Sam can see his foe, either from line of sight, underneath the door with his snake camera, or through walls with his new sonar goggles (more on that in a sec) he can mark up to four guys at once depending on what gun he is using (shotguns usually only give you two marks, while Sam’s favorite Five-Seven pistol can get the aforementioned four marks) and when he is in range, the marks turn red. Then with one press of the Y button, Sam turns his would be attackers into instant doormats as some awesome bullet-time sequences play out as Sam executes his marks with one shot each. This mode is a great, quick way to help even the odds in a heavily populated room or to clear one out before the terrorists even know what hit them.

Another nice addition is the new “interrogation” system. Although you’re really just mashing the B button, watching Sam smash the faces of targets of interest against urinals, TV screens, and with the butt of his gun is a beautiful new technique to advance the story. Next time, Ubisoft just might want to make these full-blown button prompt sequences though to add some difficulty to this.

Unfortunately, one minor complaint about the gameplay is the new “sonar goggles”. No longer being a part of Third Echelon has forced Sam to forfeit his signature night vision goggles and about half way through the story mode, Sam acquires these cheap knockoffs instead.

The sonar goggles work just like regular sonar, sending out bleeps in Sam’s general vicinity that can map out the area around him. It’s a good way to see enemies through walls, but it takes away from so much of the terrain that it feels like you’re playing some ancient shooter like the original Wolfenstein or the first Doom (classics for what they were, not something I need to play right now).

Speaking of enemies, the A.I. is hit or miss. I played through the single player campaign mode on the hardest difficult and still only sometimes do the enemies act brilliantly as they try to outflank Sam or create distractions for you. Just as often, instead of just reacting, they exclaim, “We’ve got to try to spread out!” Thank you for telling me your plan of attack so that I can react accordingly and pick you off one by one. Or when taking on opposing Splinter Cells who also have sonar, but act like regular thugs when trying to traverse through smoke screens.

The worst part about the gameplay though is how short the single player and co-op campaigns are. It only took me eight to nine hours to beat all 11 single player missions and another two or three to go through the four co-op prequel missions. Fifteen missions in ten hours is too short to drop a full $60 on.

The replay value suffers as well with the versus modes of old having been scrapped in favor of more co-op vs. CPU matches in new game modes like “Hunter” and “Last Stand” where you get to play as either an American Third Echelon agent or Russian Voron (Russian equivalent of Third Echelon) agent. In these modes you’re pit against the CPU terrorists and complete sweeps of locations from the campaign modes or defend certain locations. Although fun, taking away the more traditional vs. modes from previous installments of the series was disappointing.

Overall, Splinter Cell: Conviction is a nice experiment with the series with new gameplay elements and with an open-ending for a sixth console release if they so chose, but I would hope that Ubisoft got their artistic juices out with this one and will go back to focusing on having Sam Fisher do what he does best and not worrying about playing around with color schemes and fancy gadgets.

Ratings are based on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best.

Graphics: 8.0: If it wasn’t for the crazy changing color and sonar schemes that you’re constantly having to deal with, this would be a perfect score because when the screen is actually in full color, it looks fantastic in terms of blood splatter effects and the details of many facial features, some of the hardest things to digitize.

Audio: 10.0: A tremendous voice cast led by Michael Ironside helps to paint the emotion conveyed throughout this latest chapter in the Splinter Cell series. Add in the usual fantastic orchestrations and perfect SFX and I can’t give the audio anything less than a perfect score.

Plot/Plot Development: 8.0: An original and inventive way to mix up the usual story of Sam trying to save the world from terrorists, but I felt it also took the game away from its roots enough to put off the series’ diehards.

Gameplay: 7.0: It was nice to see Ubisoft trying to mix things up to try to keep things from getting stale, but when you mess with too much, you lose what made the series great to begin with. I love the “mark and execute” system, but the color-changing scheme to represent when you’re in the dark or not was more of a nuisance than a help and the “interrogation” system was pretty, but offered no challenge. When you add in that the entire single player and co-op campaigns are only worth about ten hours total and you have an average score at best.

Replay Value: 5.0: Unless you’re an achievement hog, you’ll only need to play the story mode once to get everything you need from it. And the lack of a traditional vs. mode in the multiplayer I think takes a lot away from the replay value of this game and puts it in mediocre company in terms of bringing players back for more.

Overall (not an average): 7.0: It was nice to see Ubisoft try a few new things with this latest Splinter Cell, but not all of them worked. Couple that with a lack of replay value and overall length to the campaigns and I would recommend Splinter Cell: Conviction as a nice rental over a rainy weekend, but not as a full-blown $60 purchase.

Splinter Cell: Conviction is available now for the Xbox 360.

-Ray Carsillo

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Buy Me Some Peanuts and Crackerjacks

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Originally Published: April 15, 2010, on ESPNNewYork.com

In honor of the Yankees’ home opener this week, I felt it would be fitting to take a look at the premiere baseball series out there. Of course, I am talking about the PS3 exclusive, MLB: The Show, and it’s latest edition, MLB 10: The Show.

It would have been easy for Sony to sit back, update some rosters, get a new cover athlete, and ship out the best baseball game that is available for purchase on any system, but they had a different idea in mind. Listening to some of their critics and fashioning a few new ideas of their own, there are two new key modes that have been added to the MLB 10: The Show.

The first new addition is something fans have been clamoring about since the first inception of The Show and that is a Home Run Derby mode. Set up in your standard three rounds with a limited number of outs, the Home Run Derby has been a staple of America’s pastime for decades and was a favorite feature of many fans of what are considered some of the best baseball games of all-time. The addition of this alone raises the level of The Show to an entirely new stratosphere.

But, Sony wasn’t done. Included with Home Run Derby and their standby “Franchise” and “Road to the Show” modes where you can take control of your favorite MLB club or create an individual and try to have him rise through the AA, AAA, and MLB ranks, they have added the new “Catcher mode”. Not only can you select the pitch and location now, but deal with the frustration of having your diva number one starter shake you off three or four times. Or maybe that’s just me. I said throw the heat!

Whatever mode you decide to play, it is easily the most realistic baseball experience you can expect on a console. The A.I. adapts and changes to the moves you make on even the easiest of difficulties and challenges you at every turn. Although frustrating at times, it shows how far baseball games have come and that there are no glitches in the A.I. where a low and outside fastball will always be swung and missed on or every seventh pitch will be a meatball that you can belt out of the park is a huge accomplishment.

Not to say the game is without glitches. Already Sony has had to release two patches for The Show and the game still freezes at some of the most inopportune times. Aside from this though, the game is relatively flawless.

The game doesn’t just wow you with gameplay though. The graphics are tremendous and take full advantage of the power of the PS3. Add in great play-by-play from Matt Vasgersian and color by Dave “Soup” Campbell and Rex Hudler and the peripherals are near top of the line. I could’ve used a larger music playlist on the menus considering how much time I spend tweaking my franchise (I’m a virtual George Steinbrenner, very much a hands-on owner).

With all these game modes and the high quality of play, if you’re a baseball fan, you’ll have plenty to keep you coming back for more here. Throw in a revamped online multiplayer and matching system and this is probably the pinnacle of baseball games. My only other knock on this game is that Joe Mauer is the cover boy. Come on Sony! The Twins?! The Yanks are the defending champs!

Ratings are based on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best.

Graphics: 9.5: A few stray polygons here and there are noticeable and shock you out of your simulation revelry, but not enough to keep this from being a top-notch gaming experience.

Audio: 9.0: From the crack of the bat to the roar of the crowd, the SFX are perfect. Vasgerian, Campbell, and Hudler all sound great and don’t repeat themselves as often as you see in most other sports simulations. The only knock is that I could have used a lot more music on my menus as I tweak the defending World Champs as they move on their way to back-to-back titles!

Plot/Plot Development: N/A: It’s a sports simulation.

Gameplay: 9.0: A couple of glitches keep this from being a perfect score, but Sony is usually right on top of their patches, and with two already being released, I’m sure the few times the game tends to freeze will be fixed in no time at all.

Replay Value: 10.0: A must have for baseball fans. The revamped online matching is a huge bonus, but when you throw in the new Catcher and Home Run Derby modes to compliment the Road to the Show and Franchise modes and you could live in an internet bubble and still have enough to keep you busy for a long time.

Overall (not an average): 9.0: A few more loose ends than previous versions, MLB: The Show is still the premiere baseball franchise out there right now and this new iteration is still top of the line. With all the new features for MLB 10: The Show, it is no surprise that a couple of new glitches have come up. Yankee Stadium wasn’t built in a day after all.

MLB 10: The Show is available now for the PS3 with slightly less awesome versions out for the PSP and PS2 as well.

-Ray Carsillo

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Brothers to the End – Gears of War 3 expected to drop April 8, 2011

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Originally Published: April 15, 2010, on Examiner.com and Lundberg.me

Well, if you haven’t heard by now, you must be living under a rock. This past Monday, Cliff Bleszinski, one of the main men behind Xbox 360’s epic Gears of War series, went on to Late Night w/ Jimmy Fallon. Jimmy is a well known game aficionado and has had several game developers and personalites on before so it was no surprise to see such a big name on the show. And Cliff came bearing gifts. Specifically the trailer for Gears of War 3.

The trailer, titled “Ashes to Ashes” (and yes, I remember this being a chapter in Gears 2 as well), shows several new gears, soon accompanied by Cole and Marcus, running through humans turned to ashes (side effects of a previous weapon, a new weapon, or a telltale sign of things to come?) before being surrounded by lambent and locust forces alike.

All I can say is…YES!!!!! As a diehard Gears fan, this is a moment that many of us have been patiently anticipating for quite some time. And the trailer tells us much more than meets the eye. Firstly, the lambent are back and are quite the force to be reckoned with as some new tentacle creatures look to be wreaking havoc on locust and human alike. Secondly, something many female gamers have been clamoring for, female gears look to be a part of this, assumedly final, installment of the Gears series (hey, if Halo can do prequels, why not Gears?).

There is a lot more to speculate though about this chapter in the Gears canon. Will it be NATAL compatible? Can we play with other characters besides Marcus? What can we expect in terms of the multiplayer? How will Marcus’s father play into things? It may be a year to wait, but in the end, I’m sure it’ll be worth it. By the way, my birthday happens to be April 8th, so if anyone wonders what I’ll be wanting next year, take a guess.

If you haven’t seen the trailer yet, then head to http://gearsofwar.xbox.com and check it out, or you can check out Cliff’s appearance with Jimmy over at http://latenightwithjimmyfallon.com and see the entire segment (look for Monday, April 12th’s episode, which will be available until April 28th).

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Just Chaos!

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June 5, 2010

Originally Published: March 25, 2010, on Examiner.com and 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com)

When you think of Square Enix, you think of elaborate, time-consuming RPGs and fantastic worlds where magic and wizardry are more commonplace than traffic at the Holland Tunnel. So when it came down that Square Enix was pairing with Eidos and Avalanche Studios to bring us a sequel to a game that had a lukewarm reception, befuddled to optimistically curious was the range of thoughts for many gamers.

Just Cause 2 sees the return of CIA special agent Rico Rodriguez, our protagonist from the first game, as he is again tasked with overthrowing a tropical island’s government that is somewhat hostile towards our good ol’ U.S. of A. On top of this, Rico must also track down his missing mentor and best friend, Tom Sheldon, whom the desk jockeys in Washington think has gone rouge after he fell off their radar for several weeks. In order to accomplish his mission, Rico is tasked with going around and blowing up as much government owned and operated equipment as possible in order to lure out both Tom and the dictator of the island nation of Panau, “Baby” Panay.

So, even with the addition of Square Enix and an 18-month delay from when this game was supposed to be originally released (leading to speculation if it would ever hit store shelves), the plot was clearly not a priority to be changed and improved upon. The game still plays like a long version of a bad Miami Vice episode with stereotypical characters ripped right from that era. From Rico, who is every hero of the 80s rolled into one with an Antonio Banderas accent, to Tom who represents every higher up in the government as a redneck in a Hawaiian t-shirt who hates commies. If the game was trying to be a farce, then they should have made the rest of the gameplay try to be less serious as a whole.

The third person shooter gameplay was more of a joke than the plot though. Although the addition of the grappling hook mechanics allowing you to tether to almost anything in the environment was nice and made getting around on foot easier, it felt like I was playing Bionic Commando all over again, but with a lot more glitches. And this game is chock full of glitches, especially with the vehicles. There were several times when my poor flying skills were going to result in my plane crashing into a building, but instead I either flew straight through the building or hit it and was sent straight down into the ground where the plane would get stuck. It would not explode or fall flat on its backside; it would get stuck, balancing on its nose, with me trapped in the vertical cockpit against the side of the building.

On the positive: the sandbox world you play in is beyond massive with several hundred full villages, cities, and military bases with their own nuances to them. Possibly the scope of the world you play in took away from other aspects of the game and caused so many other glitches to find their way into the system. From mountains and jungles to the desert and ocean, the island of Panau is beautiful, diverse, and fully explorable after beating your obligatory tutorial mission.

Another disadvantage of having such a large world is rendering it. The graphics for the game suffer somewhat due to the sheer scope of the landscape you play in. Although the characters and people look up to par, the landscape, especially in the distance, is muddied and bland, considerably so in the jungles.

The voice acting is over the top on purpose so it can be forgiven a little, but it’s still rather unpleasant to listen to and the music becomes repetitive quickly. The best music actually comes in the end credits, and not just because you’ve beaten the story mode, but also because it is the first time you hear a couple of different instrumentals besides the main theme.

The strongest point about this game aside from the scope is probably the replay value. With thousands, not hundreds, of items to collect and countless cities and villages to liberate by destroying government property, you can probably get 50-60 hours out of this game if you are driven to get 100%. Otherwise, you’ll still see yourself playing this for probably 20-25 hours to get through the story mode causing a minimum amount of chaos to advance the story. Add in four difficulty levels, with the hardest actually being somewhat difficult, and you’ll probably get your money’s worth, even if you get frustrated with the countless glitches and over the top acting.

Much like the first Just Cause, this game has so much potential, but glitches and a real lack of plot and character development keep Just Cause 2 from being a top tier game. If you’re only interested in the story mode, you’ll only need to rent this as I’m sure you’ll get your over-the-top explosion and cheesy voice acting quota in with just a few hours of gameplay, but if you are an achievement/trophy hog then you’ll probably be frustrated in having to buy this in order to collect every item and finish every challenge.

Ratings are based on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best.

Graphics: 7.0: The main characters, NPCs, and vehicles all are rendered very nicely, but when dealing with a sandbox like that seen in Just Cause 2, the environment always suffers. Taking that into consideration, the graphics get a passing, but not superb, score.

Audio: 7.0: Assuming that the voice acting and accents were purposely embellished for the sake of humor, we can give the audio a passing score. Some musical variety would have been appreciated, but the SFX at least were decent.

Plot/Plot Development: 4.0: Run around and blow up things that have the Panauian flag on them. That’s the basic premise. Add in some insane twists at the end that remind you of an atrocious 80s B-movie or an awful Miami Vice episode and I can’t give the plot a passing score.

Gameplay: 5.0: Glitches galore really hurt the gaming experience. Add in a complete rip off of Bionic Commando with the grappling hook and even my passion for random destruction can’t save this one.

Replay Value: 9.0: I don’t know how they could have fit a multiplayer into this game, but it is the only thing that keeps the replay value from being perfect. With thousands of items, challenges, and things to blow up, completion freaks out there will definitely get their money’s worth.

Overall (not an average): 6.5: Even with the cheesiness this game oozes, and the glitches at every turn, I love blowing things up. If this game actually tried to take itself seriously, left out the Miami Vice stereotypes, and put in a little more polish, it could have been a must-buy. As it is though, it is a recommended rental for most, a buy for people who are completion crazy and love third person shooters.

Just Cause 2 is available now for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.

-Ray Carsillo

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Hunter, Survivor, Prey

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Originally Published: March 22, 2010, on Collider.com, Examiner.com, 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com), and PlayerAffinity.com

Those three words sum up the entire premise behind Sega’s latest foray into the mature gaming world as they continue to try to distance themselves from a certain blue rodent. Aliens vs. Predator, the latest addition into a series that has been beaten to death with new iterations of the same name on nearly every system dating back over a decade, returns with what they are claiming is a brand new story, but is really just a rehashed version of the same old one Rebellion Developments and other developers have been pushing out for what seems like forever with this series.

Like in the previous installments of the game, this version of Aliens vs. Predator gives you the opportunity to take control of three different factions and playthrough their respective storylines. Unlike previous installments of the game though where there were three completely different story arcs, these three story arcs all interconnect.

You can play as the Aliens (Survivors), or xenomorphs, as they are referred to as in this fictional universe, where the Weyland-Yutani Corporation from the movies are still trying to obtain and train a xenomorph specimen for their own nefarious means. This time, they have captured one on a faraway planet that happens to have these strange ruins that look very familiar to anyone who has seen the movies. As the xenomorph, it is your objective to escape the facility where you were raised to maturity and to wreak havoc on your oppressors. With your prehensile tail, ability to walk on walls, and a hatred for the flesh bags who have imprisoned your queen, you must find a way to not only destroy the on-world facility, but find a way off-world to continue spreading your species.

You can also play as the Predator (Hunters). This ancient race whose society is based on battle and honor has come to this strange planet with a group of Youngbloods to test their worthiness by slaying the Predator’s most ancient enemy, the xenomorphs. It is with rage and disgust upon your arrival to find that humans have settled near one of your temples and have pillaged your proving grounds. You must not only wipe out the greedy humans for disgracing your people, but also avoid the constant xenomorph threat at the same time.

And last, and most definitely least, you can play as a Human (Prey). Assigned to a Weyland-Yutani task force, your marine squad is sent planet side after a colony unearthed something in those ruins they probably shouldn’t have. With your limited military might, your objective is to uncover exactly what happened to the planet-side colonists while escaping with your life.

As you can see, it is basically the exact same storyline for every Aliens, Predator, or Aliens vs. Predator movie or video game to have ever come out where your mission is the most basic of missions: to survive.

Aside from a lack of originality, the game does deliver some decent first-person shooter action. Each species brings its own distinct advantages and challenges to the gamplay. The aliens rely almost entirely on stealth and cannot afford a full frontal assault on any group of humans or else you’ll be mowed down with extreme prejudice. This means you spend a good amount of time trying to avoid vertigo as you walk on ceilings and try to take out all the lights in a room before dropping down onto your unsuspecting prey and rip them to shreds in an exquisitely gruesome fashion. Sometimes you slit their throats with your tail and other times you can use your inner mouth to rip out their eyeballs as they scream in terror and the blood splatters across your screen.

The Humans have the greatest disadvantage of the group and so in order to compensate, carry the biggest guns imaginable. From sniper rifles with night vision to wide impact shotguns, the humans have the most to fear so they have the most to shoot stuff with. Although this provides a more traditional FPS experience, it also provides the greatest challenge due to the fact that your foes can come from literally anywhere without you knowing. This also creates a nice sense of suspense as you progress and gives the truest feeling to the movies.

Then comes the Predators and they are the best-known hunters in the universe for a reason. From plasma rifles to disc blades to one hit kill staves, there is no reason why you would want to be anything but the Predator. Even on the hardest of difficulties, the Predator puts his two counterparts to shame and offers the least challenging of the game experiences.

Each species has six levels, including the almost mandatory tutorial level, and each campaign shouldn’t take more than five hours, even on the hardest difficulty, to complete any of them. This only gives you a 15 hour single player experience, and the multiplayer is usually a wash because everyone wants to be the Predator, again due to its being head and shoulders above the other two species.

There are four difficulty levels, with the hardest mode taking away all mid-level checkpoints, that could bring you back for more, but one playthrough should be enough for most any gamer, even the most die-hard of FPS fans. There was a minimum of glitches throughout with the very straightforward gamplay and the game features some good graphics, even though the background textures were somewhat plain, and some nice shadow effects. Throw in a decent musical score to set a suspenseful mood for much of the game and you have a solid, but not spectacular, experience for what has become a rather banal franchise.

Ratings are based on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best.

Graphics: 7.0: Good shadow effects were a nice touch, especially during the xenomorph levels, but using the same five or six basic skins for all the enemies got very repetitive and the blood effects were average at best. The level textures were also very simple and won’t push your system too hard.

Audio: 8.0: A nice musical score sets a very suspenseful mood, but the limited loop of screams, hisses, grunts, and clicks made by the various species in the game takes away from the overall experience as they become redundant quickly. Add in some subpar voice acting for the human campaign and the audio is good, but not great.

Plot/Plot Development: 3.0: Shoot stuff and survive. That’s all you need to know and that’s all they really explain to you.

Gameplay: 7.0: A minimal amount of minor glitches on a game that won’t push your system anywhere near to its full capabilities. It doesn’t re-invent the wheel, but it doesn’t fail as a FPS either.

Replay Value: 7.0: Although the multiplayer becomes tired quickly as most people choose the Predator species, it is a nice multiplayer system, even if it takes some time to match you up with other players. There isn’t a lot to bring you back to the campaign, but at least they offer you four difficulties with collectibles scattered throughout each level for the sole purpose of attracting achievement/trophy hogs.

Overall (not an average): 6.0: A solid FPS, but by no means does it break any ground and the lack of creativity with this franchise as a whole is frustrating. A strongly recommended rental, but I would avoid as a full-blown purchase.


Aliens vs. Predator is available now for the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

-Ray Carsillo

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In the End, There Will Only Be Chaos

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Originally Published: March 12, 2010, on 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com)

Those are the first words you see, emblazoned in a bold gold color, when you look at the back cover of one of the most anticipated video games of all time. God of War III is the epic conclusion to Sony’s exclusive Greek tragedy worthy of Homer himself. And epic is the perfect way to describe this game.

SPOILER ALERT: I just want to mention that if you have not played the first two God of War games, this review will come from the perspective of someone who has. If you haven’t played the first two, go pick up the God of War Collection for PS3, catch up, and come back later because there are spoilers of the first two games ahead.

God of War III takes place immediately after the conclusion of God of War II, with Kratos on the back of the Titan Gaia as they continue their climb to the summit of Mount Olympus for the final confrontation with Zeus. It wouldn’t be much of a game though if there weren’t some strife and anguish for our anger management challenged protagonist. Zeus will pull out all the stops to ensure that the Titans remain where he put them, below his almighty heel, and will send Kratos there with them if he is not careful. Some of the most famous gods from Greek Mythology will join Zeus’ cause in trying to stop Kratos and the ensuing battles may cause more chaos and mayhem than humanity can stand.

I can’t talk about the plot much more without giving away any more spoilers, but the adventure is something worthy of a Greek epic and God of War III fleshes out exactly where Kratos falls in the grand scheme of things amongst the great Greek heroes. Just like the previous games in the series, God of War III expertly weaves its story through infamous locations from the Greek pantheon that interconnect throughout various points in the game, all the while making reference to the history established in the previous two games. Of course, not knowing about Greek mythology doesn’t hurt your gaming experience, but it sure does it make it that much sweeter.

So, the plot is spectacular as expected, but a big question coming into this game was how could they improve upon the gameplay in the God of War series after the leaps and bounds made from the first installment to the second? Well, just think of the gap between PS2 and PS3 and then increase it tenfold. The new “soft-body collision” system that allows Kratos to walk and climb along the Titans and other moving platforms adds an entirely new element to the gameplay. It can give traps and level hazards the ability to come from completely new directions as well as changing the entire scope of the level with one swing of a colossal arm or rotation of a platform. One second you’re on your feet, the next you’re hanging upside down. Include even more boss battles and button prompt sequences, mountable creatures to use against your foes, and brand new weapons and the gameplay has been taken to another level all over again.

Along with the amazing new “soft-body collision” system, the game is almost completely glitchless. The only glitch I saw was after upgrading my weapons in the pause screen, like in the previous God of War games, when coming back to the main game, the game froze. And not just lagged, I mean completely froze. I waited for five or six minutes before finally having to restart my PS3 and it happened several times. Maybe that “soft-body collision” system stressed the PS3 more than expected.

Aside from that glitch, the game is flawless. The graphics are absolutely stunning and take full advantage of the PS3’s capabilities by flooding the game with as much detailed blood and guts as possible. The carnage you can wreak on your enemies, from using weaker drones as battering rams against other foes and disemboweling some of the larger enemies, to ripping out a Cyclops’ eye like in God of War II, is all awesomely gruesome and detailed in ways you never imagined.

And the peripherals are phenomenal all around when you hear the tremendous audio. The original orchestrations that convey Kratos’ inner turmoil and the tension between Kratos and his godly foes are unbelievable at how well they set the mood. The SFX are spectacular from the clang of Kratos’ blades against concrete to a duller sound as they tear through rotted flesh. The greatest part of the sound though was the voiceovers. A star-studded cast came in to lend their voices to help flesh out some of the most famous faces in Greek Mythology. I won’t spoil who they play, but Rip Torn, Malcolm McDowell, and Kevin Sorbo (you can probably guess who he plays) all lend their voices to the returning cast of the first two God of War games including TC Carson as our infamous Ghost of Sparta, Kratos.

For the most part, everything about the game is top of the line, but it does lack in one area. Once you beat the story mode, I feel that there just isn’t a lot to bring you back for more. The story is so engrossing and takes so much out of you, that I don’t see a lot of people going for a second playthrough once you unlock “very hard” mode unless you are a trophy hog. The challenges might bring you back for a couple more hours, but they lack the depth to keep God of War III in your system once you complete this great gaming epic and so replay value is the only real sore point I see in God of War III.

Even without a lot to bring you back, if you are a fan of amazing storytelling, solid gameplay, and gorgeous peripherals, then you would have to be insane to not pickup God of War III. I would recommend, however, that you play the first two God of War games before popping in this installment.

Ratings are based on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best.

Graphics: 10.0: Blood, guts, and seamless textures makes this possibly the best-looking game I’ve ever seen. You literally need to see it to believe it.

Audio: 10.0: A tremendous, completely original, mood-setting score combined with spot-on SFX would automatically give this great marks, but when you take into account the amazing voiceovers (something that is all too often taken for granted nowadays) from an all-star cast and this game is a treat for your ears.

Plot/Plot Development: 10.0: A perfect conclusion to the trilogy, God of War III is a quintessential Greek tragedy and would make Homer jealous that he hadn’t thought of it himself.

Gameplay: 8.5: The “soft-body collision” system is revolutionary in how seamlessly in changes your perspective in the middle of fighting hordes of enemies without an ounce of lag. Unfortunately, this might put a constant strain on the system because several times when I tried to return to action after upgrading my powers, the game would completely freeze and it happened far too often. This major glitch is the only thing that keeps this from getting a perfect score.

Replay Value: 6.5: Only a barely passing score for the replay value because God of War III offers you a couple of incentives to bring you back, but not enough to make it a necessity. Several challenges out of the main game and an unlockable “Very hard” mode are nice, but not really enough to make my mouth water at the thought of playing this game again.

Overall (not an average): 9.5: Amazing peripherals, compelling characters in this tremendous finale to one of the most epic trilogies in gaming history, and revolutionary gameplay makes the wait for God of War III well worth it. If you thought the jump in quality between God of War I and God of War II was unbelievable, you’re head just might explode with the jump between God of War II and God of War III.

God of War III will be available for PS3 on March 16th, 2010.

-Ray Carsillo

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Comedy Gone Ugly

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Originally Published: March 9, 2010, on 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com)

The efforts of Comedy Central to bridge the gap between South Park and Daily Show on Wednesday nights have been well documented in my column. Starting with Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire, and continuing on to Michael and Michael Have Issues, and Secret Girlfriend. I have previewed all of these shows before they came out and predicted that they were never destined for a long life (although I did think Michael and Michael Have Issues would have lasted a little longer than it did) due to repetitive potty humor and a lack of comical subtlety that people are starving for in today’s overpowering shock value comedy landscape. I think Comedy Central’s latest effort though might finally bridge this seemingly impossible to fill 10:30PM gap.

Ugly Americans, which premieres March 17th at 10:30 PM after the start of the brand new season of South Park, sees a young, optimistic social worker in Mark Lilly hitting the hard streets of New York City in an effort to help new citizens acclimate to the greatest city in the world. But there’s one major catch to this seemingly straightforward concept. Mark doesn’t live in our reality. He lives in an alternate universe New York City where monsters, demons, and people coexist in a hysterically twisted vision of the Big Apple. From regular folks from Croatia to zombies and chicken-men, Mark must analyze each one on a case-by-case basis and try to help them acclimate as quickly as possible before they get deported by his rival, Officer Frank Grimes, who is trying to meet his deportation quota. As if his job wasn’t difficult enough, he must also balance an affair with his she-devil boss Callie (literally, she is a she-devil, with a tail, and horns, and…you get the picture) and deal with the antics of his zombie (again: an actual zombie) roommate, Randall.

Ugly Americans is a refreshing change to what Comedy Central had been pitching into the 10:30PM abyss on Wednesday nights and I think it will be able to find an audience and hold its own. Ugly Americans has its fair share of shock value and potty humor, but it also has enough subtle undertones and room for character development that people can really get behind Mark and his hopeless quest to help the people of his demonic New York. From traversing into Hell to meet Callie’s dad (assumingly accessible via Hell’s Kitchen), to helping Randall buy new body parts as they rot off, the sky is the limit for the possible situations and different twists on classic situations that Mark can find himself in.

The only knock against it is that the animation is average at best, but Ugly Americans is so funny that only the most critical eye (like my own) will pick a little at the animation style. The voice acting and comedic timing is top notch and as long as the writing can keep up to the high bar that is set with the first episode, I can see Ugly Americans serving as the perfect transition from South Park into the Daily Show.

To help prove my point, Comedy Central has also come out with, by far, their greatest flash game yet to coincide with the launch of Ugly Americans. This standard point and click problem solving game is a great way to kill time at work (not that I would know, of course) and get a quick glimpse at some of the characters Mark will have to interact with in every episode.

CLICK HERE to check out the Ugly Americans flash game and get an idea of what it is all about before its March 17th premiere.

So, aside from the usual pints of Guinness and/or green beer you have to look forward to on St. Patrick’s Day, remember: starting at 10:30 PM, you can look forward to the premiere of the next great Comedy Central original show, Ugly Americans, immediately following the premiere of the new season of South Park.

-Ray Carsillo

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Winning Time

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Originally Published: March 5, 2010, on 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com)

When I was growing up and first getting into sports in the early 90’s, I remember clearly how my favorite teams were developing. The Yankees were slowly starting to come out of the funk they were in for the better part of the 80’s and the strike-shortened season was heartbreaking for the biggest Donnie Baseball fan under the age of 10. The Rangers were winning the Stanley Cup and I couldn’t understand just how significant it was at the time. Though, I still jumped up and down though knowing that it was the first championship I would truly remember for the rest of my life and it was exhilarating. The Giants were coming undone as their stars from the 80’s were aged fast, Bill Parcells was on his way out, and Dan Reeves would help usher in three of the worst years I ever had to see as a Giants fan. And finally, the Knicks had gotten what they had always needed with Michael Jordan retiring early and giving the rest of the NBA a chance to win a championship. The Knicks would run all the way to the Finals in 1994 before falling short against the Rockets. Of course, along that run, a young upstart named Reggie Miller would make his presence felt, an omen of things to come in 1995.

That story is what Dan Klores has decided to tell in the upcoming March 14th installment of ESPN’s 30 in 30 series. Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks is the story of how a second rivalry for the Knicks (in addition to the Knicks vs. Bulls rivalry) began to develop in the mid-90s and how one of the most dynamic characters of the NBA would lead the charge in the classic “David” (Miller’s Pacers) vs. “Goliath” (Ewing, Starks, and the rest of the Knicks) storyline that was the 1995 playoff series between New York and Indiana.

Of course, knowing how this story ended was already putting me in a sour mood, but I went in with an open mind and wanted to see Reggie’s viewpoint on the story. I have to admit, I was entertained. The way Klores builds the story up with the interviews of Reggie and his family to put Reggie in a better light while balancing that with the biggest Knicks fan in the world, Spike Lee, and several of the key Knicks who played in that 1995 series was nicely done.

There were several problems I had with the piece beyond the subject matter. The story moved at a frantic pace. Being only 68 minutes long, Klores fits in everything from the 1985 draft of Patrick Ewing, the entire high school, college, and then pro career of Reggie Miller up to that point, and the entire 1994 and 1995 seasons were run down leading up to that playoff series between the Knicks and Pacers. If Klores was going to try to fit so much content into the piece, he should have asked ESPN for more time, or cram in less of Reggie’s personal stories like his rivalry with his sister. Of course, my advanced screening was also without commercial interruption, which may help with the pacing of the story once aired on the network since this was made for TV.

This was a well-done documentary with interesting interviews that gave a completely different perspective on those two Knicks seasons. It could have done with better pacing and less fluff if they were going to try to fit everything they fit into only 68 minutes, but it will make a fine “made for TV” movie and continues the strong trend for ESPN’s 30 in 30 series. Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks airs on Sunday, March 14th at 9 PM on ESPN.

Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks gets a 3.5 out of 5.

-Ray Carsillo

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Opposite Day!

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Originally Published: March 2, 2010, on 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com)

The folks at DC Animation are constantly thinking up new ways to put some twists on classic comic book storylines and their latest undertaking is a new look at the classic alternative universe, or “multi-verse”, storylines that have been a staple of the DC Universe (DCU) since the 1960s.

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths sees the Justice League visited by an alternative universe Lex Luthor where everything is opposite to our beloved Justice League’s universe. So, Lex Luthor and the Joker (called The Jester) are heroes and Superman, Batman, and the rest of the Justice League all has villainous mobster-type counterparts (Ultraman to Superman, Owlman to Batman, etc.). It is now tasked to our Justice League to rise to the challenge of adapting to this new world and to take down this nefarious group of super villains (called the Crime Syndicate) for the sake of the entire multi-verse!

If you’re a DCU fan and you are expecting to see a single comic story arc represented in this latest straight to DVD movie, then you will be sorely mistaken. A die-hard DCU fan will immediately recognize that this is more of a compilation of elements from all of the multi-verse stories of the 1960s all the way through to the first DCU Crisis. From adding a few original elements and using the Crime Syndicate of Earth-3 storylines, to the idea of a multi-verse and its possible destruction, this DVD was able to tie together all those concepts very well to create a never-before-seen, enjoyable storyline involving all of our favorite superheroes. Of course, it didn’t take a lot of reworking from the brain trust at DC Animation since most of these pieces were already in place almost a decade ago when this was originally supposed to be a bridge between the Justice League and Justice League Unlimited cartoons, but I still liked it.

Although the movie is just 75 minutes, there are also plenty of DVD features on the special edition to make this a worthwhile purchase instead of a simple rental. The special features include a short documentary feature on the advent of the multi-verse in the DCU and how they inspire storylines even today, which was brilliantly done and features the usual powerhouses behind the scenes of DC. Along with this, you get a preview of the next big DC Animation project (Under the Red Hood), a special animated short featuring the original Spectre done in the style of a 1970s crime drama, and two episodes of the Justice League cartoon from the early 2000s that, of course, features an alternative universe Justice League. Right there you have probably another 75 minutes of bonus content, not to mention it comes with an Owlman figurine if you get the 2-disc special edition.

Even with all these great features and an original plot, there were a couple of drawbacks. I thought the animation style was a little sub par to what I’ve come to expect from DC Animation. There was just something that rubbed me the wrong way and it had to do with the characters’ faces. They almost looked a little too unrealistic, like they belonged more in a Bugs Bunny cartoon. Along with this, the voice acting was only average. I was severely disappointed with William Baldwin’s portrayal of Batman and Mark Harmon as Superman and Chris Noth as Lex Luthor really ground my gears as well. I did love James Woods as Owlman, though, and Nolan North, a voice acting veteran best known for several of his video game roles, played Green Lantern and his evil counterpart, Power Ring, very nicely.

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths could be a nice addition to any DC fan’s DVD collection with some great special features and a good plot based on some classic storylines, but I wouldn’t put it above Batman/Superman: Public Enemies or the Wonder Woman animated feature that came out last year.

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths gets 3 out of 5.

-Ray Carsillo

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