Category: Written


Putt Precision Perfection

Filed under: Written — Leave a comment
April 19, 2010

Originally Published: June 22, 2009, on 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com), Lundberg.me, and Examiner.com

Right off the bat I’m going to admit that I’m not a golf aficionado to say the very least. In honor, though, of the conclusion of the U.S. Open, especially since it is being played in nearby Bethpage Golf Course in Farmingdale, NY, I am taking this time to review EA Sports’ Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10.

I sheepishly admit that I got addicted to this game for the entire weekend and for someone with as many games as I have to play, to devote an entire weekend to one game, shows how good this game is. It’s not going to dazzle you with graphics, but I think this is easily the best simulation for a sport there is right now, from mimicking the difficulty of sinking a 10 foot putt to trying to play in the rain at Bethpage.

I found myself wanting to throw my controller after every missed putt like I was actually living it. And this was on only the first hole of the Buick Invitational. The new putt-precision system is a nice addition and does make it a little easier for amateurs like myself, but for you pros out there with Tiger, you can simply up the difficulty for that more classic feel.

The putt-precision system though does need a little tweaking. Allowing only one look at how your ball will track is a little frustrating and can actually up the pressure if you see that your current path will send the ball spiraling into the fringe if your corrections aren’t enough to sink the putt. One thing, though, that can really push the casual player away is how the consequences for squandering a putt opportunity, as opposed to a normal shot, are extremely harsh and unforgiving.

If you have the Wii, these problems are a little less noticeable since with the inclusion of the 1:1 Motion Plus sensor with the game, you can judge your shots with a little more accuracy than with the analog stick on a Xbox 360 or PS3 controller making this the first preferred sports game for the Wii, at this point in time. Add in the lack of processing power needed for the simple graphics (grass is grass, whether in 480i or 1080p) and the Wii might be the best buy of the bunch for this particular game.

Along with an extensive career mode, that will lead you through every major as you try to up your stats to near-Tiger levels and became a tour de force, the game now includes a Tournament Challenge mode. In this mode, you can relive some of the most impressive performances in tour history at some of the most famous courses from Bay Hill to Sawgrass to help you unlock new and better clubs and louder and more interesting clothing apparel.

Include live, online tournaments, mini-games, and plenty of other multi-player options; if you are a golf fan, this game is your dream come true. Even if not a golf fan, you’re going to have a good time and find yourself mildly addicted if you’re anywhere near as competitive as someone like me. Just don’t go smashing too many controllers.

The only real knock on the game is as with most sports games that the commentary gets tired very fast and Scott Van Pelt is tired to begin with so you might want to grab your iPod or put a CD on to cover up the droll ramblings. Other than that, this is an early front-runner for sports simulation of the year. Of course, that could change very quickly with Fight Night Round 4 coming out shortly.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 is out now for all systems.

Ratings are based on a score of 1 to 10 with 10 being the highest.

Graphics: 8.0: There aren’t a lot of knocks here in terms of graphics, but it doesn’t exactly push any system’s threshold either. There are only so many ways to make grass look good, especially when not supporting 1080i or 1080p.

Audio: 6.0: A generic music playlist is disappointing considering the lineups EA usually compiles, but it is a golf game. Coupled with repetitive, dry commentary (even for golf) and the audio is a clear weakness for this game.

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

Gameplay: 9.0: Although the putting is frustrating to say the least, I think that it adds a level of difficulty that you would only see if you were playing on a real course so I can forgive it. Even having people in the crowd reacting from some shots that slice astray was a nice touch to this spectacular sports simulation.

Replay Value: 10.0: If you like golf, you’ll keep coming back to this game over and over again until next year’s release. Mini-games, online play, an extensive career mode, and now the Tournament Challenge mode along with tons of unlockable content will keep every golfer happy for a long time.

Overall: 9.0: (not an average) The putting system can be frustrating at times and the game doesn’t exactly stimulate the senses. Of course, it’s not like there is any competition for golf games out there since EA has the monopoly on the field like with their Madden franchise. The gameplay, though, is what makes this game and if the game of golf is what gets you pumped up then you’ll be all set for another year as Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 improves on their already high golf gaming standard.

-Ray Carsillo

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Comment

The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny?

Filed under: Written — Leave a comment

Originally Published: June 20, 2009, on 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com) and Lundberg.me

When I saw Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball for the Nintendo Wii, I didn’t think much of it. Then I started to analyze the concept. Some of the most revered character genres in all of creation are being combined into one game. Pirates, ninjas, robots, aliens, monsters, and more are meeting in one of the most-fun games you’ve ever participated in on the playground. This game had a premise of what could be an instant classic. So, what have I learned after playing it? Always trust your first instinct.

Although a winning concept, Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball is really nothing more than a glorified mini-game. The story mode lacks any real depth beyond a handful of text prompts before each match as you battle your way through various scenarios set before you. These scenes are possibly humorous to a small child, however, the text story is droll and predictable to anyone out of pre-school.

The graphics are typical of the Wii with their cartoony goodness, but there aren’t many details to drool over visually because of the overhead observational view of the dodgeball court. Even then the court is rather bland and leaves you wanting more.

On top of lackluster visuals, the audio is dull at best. No voice acting whatsoever and cheesy music and sound effects leave any hardcore gamer just shaking their head.

The gameplay was beyond simple and the inclusion of a homing-shot targeting-system left the game to be no challenge whatsoever. It was nice to see each group of characters have special powers to help delay your opponents, but instead of a dodgeball match, the powers help it de-evolve into what might have been a cooler game, actual pirates versus ninjas.

There isn’t much to bring you to this game a first time, never mind for repeat playthroughs, but at least there a few nice versus options if you can convince a friend to play with you. Other than that though, this game is an instant bargain bin offering and will only appeal to much younger, beginning players, if anyone at all.

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

Graphics: 4.0: A lack of details on the court, cut scenes, and an overall emphasis on the cartoony look leaves you looking for more from the looks of this game.

Audio: 2.0: Bad sound effects and worse music, coupled with no voice acting, just shows the lack of production value given to this title.

Plot/Plot Development: 2.0: Text-driven prompts usually, only between two characters, poorly develops a lackluster pseudo-rivalry between all these of fictional fan-favorites. This is just another clear sign of poor-production values.

Gameplay: 2.0: No difficulty whatsoever and an emphasis on powers leave a lot to be desired from the gameplay. To say the game is chaotic and unsatisfying is like only saying the Red Sox and Yankees have a rivalry.

Replay Value: 5.0: If you should get this game and can convince someone to play with you, you might actually find the one, barely-redeeming quality of the game. There are several different versions of dodgeball that may get your more competitive side to emerge. However, there is nothing to bring you back to the story mode.

Overall: 1.0 (not an average): Unfortunately, this makes my list of some of the worst games ever made. The worst part of this awful game is the wasted potential. This game could have been very good, I don’t know if there was a lack of funding or a true development team, but the lack of production values and creativity leaves this game a bitter disappointment. Follow your gut when you look at this game and avoid it.

Pirates vs Ninjas Dodgeball for Wii is out now, probably at the bottom of the bargain bin, if you’re looking to waste a few dollars.

-Ray Carsillo

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Comment

Fallout Continues for Fallout 3

Filed under: Written — Leave a comment

Originally Published: June 20, 2009, on Examiner.com

Coming this Tuesday, June 23rd, to Xbox Live and expanding on the already immense world of Fallout 3 is the 4th DLC pack in the series, Point Lookout.

Before we get into the new Point Lookout DLC, though, a brief history of the DLCs that have come out so far for Fallout 3.

The game starts in the Capital Wasteland, better known as Washington D.C. After bringing possible salvation to the Wasteland’s denizens, the first DLC, Operation: Anchorage, throws you into one of the most pivotal conflicts of the Fallout universe, the liberation of Alaska from the Chinese. The Operation: Anchorage DLC was released in January.

In the next DLC, we explored more of the expansive Fallout universe by traveling to a raider town that was once known as the Steel City of Pittsburgh. The Pitt DLC came out in March.

It wouldn’t be long before we headed back to the Capital Wasteland as part of Broken Steel where you join up with the Brotherhood of Steel to take on the remnants of the Enclave back in May and would begin a series of monthly downloads for Fallout 3.

Now, on June 23rd, Point Lookout will add to the mythology of the Fallout universe by exploring what was once Point Lookout State Park in Maryland, near the Capital Wasteland. What was once a coastal resort area has now been turned into a mutated swampland after the war. With this being the first truly rural environment to be explored in the Fallout universe, you can expect new, challenging enemies, and many new quests and achievements to keep your Xbox 360 warm at night.

If you are a Fallout junkie you will also be pleased to know it is the same price as the other DLC at 800 Microsoft points (roughly $10 American dollars) and that the monthly DLC releases will continue with next month’s Mothership Zeta DLC which will involve the Alien Crash Site and some not so friendly extra-terrestrials. More details as they are beamed up.

Comment

‘Bustin’ Makes Me Feel Good

Filed under: Written — Leave a comment

Originally Published: June 15, 2009, on 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com), Examiner.com, and Lundberg.me

The 80s was a hotbed for geek culture. With Transformers, G.I. Joe, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles permeating the popular culture, it’s hard not to see why my generation is having a renaissance of our childhood, as these franchises have celebrated or soon will be celebrating anniversaries.

The only geek-geared franchise that began in the movies though, and is now celebrating its 25th anniversary by releasing both a brand new video game and both movies on Blu-ray on June 16, was, of course, Ghostbusters.

With shock-value scares and classic humor from some of the greatest comedy minds of the era, Ghostbusters struck chords with fans young and old (although some of us younger fans couldn’t truly appreciate all the comedy until we hit our early teens).

From an entire universe being encapsulated in the fictional work of “Tobin’s Spirit Guide” to the gluttonous green ghoul called “Slimer” haunting the Sedgewick Hotel, Ghostbusters caught our imaginations from the opening scenes. Add in classic characters like the sarcastic Peter Venkman, and “the heart of the Ghostbusters,” Ray Stantz, and you had an instant classic.

Unfortunately, after two movies, a long running cartoon series, and a cartoon-inspired line of action-figures and video games, Ghostbusters faded away far quicker than those other classic 80’s franchises. Die-hards of the series though had always been clamoring for more; especially a third movie to complete what many have felt should have been a film trilogy.

While rumors continue to swirl about a third movie script being green lit by Columbia Pictures (which actually have some validity to them after I chatted with Harold Ramis, which you can check out by CLICKING HERE), many fans are saying this new video game is the closest thing we will get to a third movie.

The story opens up in 1991, two years after the end of the second Ghostbusters movie, with your character being hired as the newest Ghostbuster. Simply known as “the rookie,” you begin your Ghostbusting career ominously by short-circuiting the famed containment grid that holds all the ghosts, ghouls, and specters that the Ghostbusters had already caught. Only a couple of ghosts escape, including our old friend Slimer, before Egon can get the grid back online. However, since you let them go, you have to catch them. Thus begins the obligatory training level as you hunt the loose ghosts in the Ghostbusters firehouse’s basement. After catching the first ghost, Slimer floats out of the firehouse to find safety at his favorite old haunt, the Sedgewick Hotel.

After arriving at the hotel and disposing of Slimer in similar fashion to the first movie, Egon reveals the startling news that there is a lot more ghost activity going on in the hotel other than Slimer (anyone remember the twinkie?). Thus begins the stirring of a plot that started in the first two movies and will come to a fright-filled, comedic head in the game to give a fitting finish to this trilogy.

Visually, this game is stunning. From the ghosts and goblins to the Ghostbusters themselves, this game looks hauntingly good. The environments set the mood perfectly as you work your way through such unsuspecting settings as the New York Public Library to the murky New York City sewers as you uncover a cataclysmic plot over a century old. Add in the classic Ghostbusters soundtrack to help lighten or darken the mood as necessary and you’ve got a game that feels like you’re playing a new movie.

The gameplay is strong, but not perfect. No one actually dies in the game, but if you or the other Ghostbusters get knocked around too much, you’ll be planted on your backside like a turtle as you wait for someone to help you up (they’re carrying around 100 lbs. of equipment on their backs, not easy to lift while on the ground). This sets up an interesting conundrum while fighting harder ghosts. Do you keep saving your own bacon or risk it to pick up your teammates and get some extra proton streams on the ghoulish baddies? Sometimes the decision is made for you though as some ghosts, either by accident or on purpose, not quite sure, will hover directly above your fallen comrades and prevent you from reviving them. Unfortunately, if everyone in the party gets knocked out, you have to start the mission over from a checkpoint. To say this can be frustrating after being knocked out 15-20 times on hard mode is an understatement. Along with a few too many glitches for my liking, it does a lot to remove you from the overall experience that this game tries to create.

A big positive for the game is the replay value. An impressive multiplayer system that allows you to team up with up to three friends to bust ghosts in three different modes will have you coming back for more as you try to rack up the high score as you catch more and more ghouls online. Add in a varying amount of possessed collectibles per story mode level and the challenge of trying to scan every breed of ghost with your PKE meter into your own personal Tobin’s Spirit Guide and what is only a 10-15 hour story mode will easily give you many more hours of secondary gameplay.

Of course though, the best part is that there is no greater feeling than listening to all of the original Ghostbusters come back and do their own voices for this video game. Bill Murray sounds like he forced his performance a bit since it has been so long since he has been involved in a comedy anywhere near the quality of Ghostbusters, but age hasn’t affected any of the other Ghostbusters and Ernie Hudson surprisingly sounded the best of the bunch. Along with Alyssa Milano as Venkman’s newest love interest and this star studded cast delivers for the most part another classic comedic performance.

If you are a fan of Ghostbusters, this game is beyond a must-have. A story that has been waiting 20 years to be made, this game is the culmination of everything fans have come to love from the series and more. There is no greater satisfaction than forcing a ghost into a well-placed trap and listening to Venkman whine when a new ghost slimes him from behind. An instant classic! For the nostalgia alone, this game could be a game of the year contender.

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

Graphics: 9.5: The game is beautiful visually. From the way the proton stream wraps around ghosts as you try to wrestle them into traps to the character and ghost models themselves, this game will blow you away with graphics. Only that the models look a tad cartoony at times keeps this game from getting a perfect score (not counting the Wii version which purposely looks more cartoony).

Audio: 10.0: The entire original Ghostbusters soundtrack is included and it makes even the load screens entertaining. Add in tremendous voice acting from everyone involved and the SFX being spot on with how they should sound and this game is a treat for your ears.

Plot/Plot Development: 9.0: The plot ties together with the first two movies perfectly and develops at a natural pace like you were watching another 90-minute masterpiece. The game explained many common questions from the first two movies very well, but also brought up a few new questions with the Ghostbusters canon. For the most part though, everything was well explained in terms of new plot points, technologies, and spirit guide additions. Only drawback would be that if you haven’t seen the movies, you might miss many references. Of course, if you haven’t seen the movies, you most likely aren’t going to want the game either.

Gameplay: 7.5: Glitchy and frustrating at times, considering everything that is happening on screen it can be forgiven to a point. It was nice to see a game’s hard mode actually be hard and not just a walk in the park like the easy mode. If you’re looking for a challenge and can tolerate the, at times, weak teammate A.I., then you’ll definitely enjoy the game experience overall. Another nice feature would have been able to customize your rookie Ghostbuster on all systems, a feature only found on the Wii.

Replay Value: 8.5: Plenty of collectibles from haunted items to filling your personal Tobin’s Spirit Guide will be plenty to keep you coming back for a few more story play throughs. Add in though a very enjoyable multiplayer mode online where you compete with friends to catch ghosts and earn cash and any fan of the series, the game, or both will keep coming back for more.

Overall: 9.0 (not an average): The game provides everything you could have hoped to expect from it. A great plot that continues the classic Ghostbusters storyline along with awesome surprises will make any and every fan of this classic series jump for joy on more than one occasion as they play through the story mode. Along with a solid multiplayer mode and this game is a must have for anyone where ‘bustin’ makes them feel good.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game will be out for every system on June 16th.

-Ray Carsillo

Tags: , , , , , ,
Comment

And the Winner is…

Filed under: Written — Leave a comment

Originally Published: June 5, 2009, on 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com) and Examiner.com

After four days of press conferences, huge announcements, and new demos, E3 has drawn to a triumphant close. Only now can we look back and truly analyze the full goings-on of the conference and draw the undeniable conclusion that Xbox 360 was the clear winner amongst “The Big Three”.

Now, this isn’t to say that Nintendo or Sony did not put up gallant fights, because they did.

Nintendo came out with the big news of a new Metroid game and that Retro Studios, the developer of the Metroid: Prime trilogy, would not be working on this game, but that Team Ninja of Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive fame would be mixing first- and third-person shooter elements in Metroid: Other M. An early trailer with Samus fighting against Ridley looked breathtaking, but I’m not sure if the strong anime style graphics will appeal to Nintendo’s hardcore audience. Fanboys everywhere though will rejoice from the many scenes of Samus outside of her famous gold and red spacesuit.

Along with this, Nintendo’s other surprise reveal was Super Mario Galaxy 2, Mario’s first true sequel since the SNES and the first in 3D. The early trailer showed that the Yoshi clan will return with many different powers and colors, much like in Super Mario World for SNES, to lend Mario a hand once again. These reveals, along with New Super Mario Bros. for Wii, another remake of the all-time classic, this time with 4-player co-op action and new powers like the propeller suit, were the only real eye-openers to Nintendo’s presentation.

Other news from the Nintendo front was the reveal of a Wii Vitality Sensor which monitors your heart rate as you play games. I appreciate Nintendo always trying to think outside of the box, but unless it is packaged with one of their Balance Board workout games like the newly revealed Wii Fit 2 (basically Wii Fit with more exercises; Heath Bell will be thrilled), this sensor looks like the biggest waste of money since the Virtual Boy. This lack of earth shattering reveals means that Nintendo is simply staying the course and that they are beginning to hit the same problems they had with the Gamecube: a lack of third party development, aside from a look at No More Heroes 2: Desperate Measures and Red Steel 2. Of course, in terms of economic times, it’s also safer just to push established titles (which you see from everyone now; we are living in the era of the sequel), hence another Metroid and two more Mario games.

Sony led with the worst-kept E3-secret since they were promoting the PS1: the PSP Go! The Go! is a smaller, sleeker, touch-screen-enabled PSP with 16 GB of flash memory and the ability to download games directly to the system. Along with the new system, Sony announced exclusive Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil, Assassin’s Creed, Gran Turismo, and Little Big Planet games for their PSP line that will be able to provide exclusive content for their PS3 brethren when you link the PSP and PS3 games.

On the console front, Sony had a couple of blockbuster games up their sleeves to try to steal thunder back from Xbox’s press conference, which revealed a lot of Sony’s formerly exclusive titles would no longer be exclusive. However, Sony did unveil Final Fantasy XIV to be an exclusive. Unfortunately, a nice trailer does not mean the game is anywhere near finished, and considering we’re still months away from FF XIII, I don’t think we’ll see FF XIV for a long while. Along with this, Sony revealed Mod Nation Racers, a game that looks like Little Big Planet, but with go karts.

Much of Sony’s press conference revolved around two things though, God of War III, which was expected (and the live demo of Kratos ripping harpies apart looked fantastic!), and a new motion controller that looks like a remote with a light bulb on the end. This new 1:1 motion controller won’t be released until Spring 2010 and requires the purchase of the PS Eye with it. Its best feature, aside from the 1:1 movement, is the light bulb changes colors depending on the game and actions you take during the game.

Nintendo may not have been the winner, but it definitely wasn’t a loser. Sony on the other hand should just fold up shop at this point like SEGA did after the Dreamcast because the PS3 is going nowhere in terms of innovation. This new motion controller is clearly a rip-off of Nintendo’s Wiimote and adds nothing to the gaming experience besides a light bulb. I understand that bright lights and colors often grab people’s attention, but I’m pretty sure most gamers will want something with a little more substance in the long haul. Considering that Nintendo’s Wiimote will be 1:1 in a few weeks, the Sony motion controller doesn’t have any special features that Nintendo hasn’t thought of.

The PSP Go! is a direct response the DSi as the inclusion of a touch screen seemed necessary as the DS and its variants are outselling the PSP and its variants at about a 2.5:1 ratio at this point and will most likely continue to as long as the PSP and its variants are $100 more than the DS.

In addition, one of the games they spent the most time on, Mod Nation Racers, is nothing more than a Mario Kart rip off with a create-a-track mode, just shows that Sony has run out of good ideas and is the exact opposite of Nintendo in that they have to rely on their third-party developers to survive because their lack of originality is leaving them floundering in the game community. The fact that the games they announced that were the most interesting, Agent, a Rockstar developed game that deals with international espionage, and God of War III, had the least amount of time spent showcasing them just shows how backwards Sony is at this point in time.

This leaves Xbox 360 as the only one to come out with true blockbuster announcements and reveal an actual step forward in motion sensor technology with Project NATAL, which if when released is anywhere near as good as the demo at E3 was, will fly off shelves like the Wii did with its release over two years ago.

With a little help from Steven Spielberg (yes, that Steven Spielberg) and Peter Molyneux of Lionhead Studios (of the Fable franchise, who coincidentally, looks like a bad James Bond villain), Xbox 360 unveiled a motion sensor that would eliminate controllers altogether. With graphics reaching their fullest-potential with current technology, the next step in gaming is apparently going to be finding ways to give gamers a more immersive experience beyond the television set. The Nintendo Wii had capitalized on this with their pre-set waggle commands (which the Xbox 360 folks took a bit of a shot at) and this left Xbox 360 asking “what would be the next logical step in gaming technology?”. They would give us an answer.

Imagine a sensor that connects to your current Xbox 360 and could scan your face, your clothes, objects in your room, and then follow every motion you make perfectly. You would become the controller. No more rechargeable batteries. No more tripping over cords. No more limitations. As development kits are being shipped as you read this, Xbox 360 showed to everyone at E3 several of the endless possibilities this device could have.

They began by playing a Brickbreaker-type game, where you served as the paddle that would deflect projectiles at the bricks. The woman doing the demonstration danced around in a small circle as she hopped, punched, and kicked her way through the first three levels. It was a simple demonstration, but enough to start making eyes bug out of heads.

The next demonstration reminded me of Mario Paint for the Super Nintendo, a game that debuted almost two decades ago. It was a simple program where your arms served as the brush and your voice commands were recognized when you wanted to go to a more detailed or broader painting tool. An interesting concept, but how many gamers would really drop their hard-earned cash on it?

The demonstration that took my breath away though was done with a small film presented by Molyneux, one of the first to get their hands on the development kits. Peter proceeded to introduce us to “Milo,” an A.I. program that responded with original thought to the context of questions and answers it was given and reacted to objects that were scanned into the system, recognizing colors and shapes. This mind boggling revelation means that, in theory, for truly the first time ever, the game could intelligently interact back with you.

It is a bit of a scary thought when you think of all the sci-fi movies that always begin with a benevolent A.I. that runs amok, but also think of the gaming possibilities: Calling out commands to squad mates in Call of Duty, climbing up towers that nearly touch the sky in Assassin’s Creed, ducking for cover in Gears of War, all with never pressing anything more than the “on” button.

Of course, I’m sure there are a lot of additions and changes that need to be made before an optimistic release for the Fall of 2010 (and to get the image of SkyNet out of people’s minds when they see it ), but Project NATAL’s announcement was the left hook that Sony and Nintendo didn’t see coming. Nintendo is strong enough to withstand it, I’m not so sure about Sony.

Project NATAL aside though, Xbox 360 also dropped major game and system announcements that will have repercussions throughout the ongoing console wars. The announcement of exclusive relationships with Twitter and Facebook that can be accessed via your Xbox Live account and all Netflix movies coming in at 1080p HD brings Xbox Live to a new level in terms of providing quality entertainment and interactivity to home consoles and this comes at no extra charge to your Xbox Live subscriptions.

Add in the announcements of FF XIII and a new Metal Gear, Metal Gear Solid: Rising, will be coming to Xbox 360 as well as the PS3 is a huge blow to Sony’s dwindling exclusives list. This just shows how little of the market Sony is actually appealing to right now and that Xbox 360 is still going strong, even though the Wii is far and away the number-one seller as of this moment.

Aside from snuffing out some of Sony’s exclusivity for certain franchises, Xbox 360 also made strong showings from their own exclusive titles as well as a few new ones. The first one, which did not surprise many people, was Forza Motorsport 3. With the promise of over 400 available cars, new tracks, and better controls, this was an expected announcement that had racing fans nodding with approval.

Then the big guns came out. Halo 3: ODST was revealed as expected along with a new Firefight mode that resembles Gears of War 2’s Horde mode. As everyone knows by now, ODST is a side-story that follows a new character during the events of the third Halo, expanding on the already rich lore of Xbox’s premier franchise. What no one expected though was the announcement of Halo: Reach, another new game in the franchise due out in 2010 that takes you through the fall of humanity’s main colony. Although only a teaser was revealed along with the details that it will be a first-person shooter, this announcement shows that the Halo franchise is alive and well and should have Nintendo and Sony a little worried considering how well Halo always does.

Xbox also revealed an Xbox Live exclusive download called Shadow Complex. It reminded me of a Metroid game in that you start off with all your upgraded devices and weapons in the first level, only to lose them all and have to search through a giant complex that you can go forward and back in as much as you want as you find new weapons to open new doors. Considering it is an Xbox Live game, the promise of a 10+ hour campaign, it is made by the guys who brought us Gears of War over at Epic, and that it reminds me of a great classic franchise like Metroid, will have this at the top of my Xbox Live list when it comes out later this year.

The last exclusive that really knocked my socks off was Alan Wake. Set-up almost like a murder mystery TV show, this survival horror game redefines the idea of lighting effects, especially since it is your main weapon in the game. Alan is a novelist who has lost his inspiration and hasn’t written anything worthwhile in over two years. His wife suggests a nice relaxing vacation in a backwater town up in the state of Washington. Everything seems picture perfect until Alan’s wife disappears and his only clues are pages he keeps finding to a book he hasn’t begun to write yet. With a feel like Stephen King meets Silent Hill, this looks like it will be a worthy addition to Xbox’s exclusive library in the Spring of 2010.

Along with these exclusive titles and announcements, Xbox also revealed that along with PS3 it will have Tekken 6 and a new re-launch of the Castlevania series that is being developed by Hideo Kojima of the Metal Gear series that people are already comparing to God of War in terms of its style. On top of those announcements, looks at Bioshock 2, Assassin’s Creed 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Fight Night Round 4, Madden ’10, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, The Saboteur, Brutal Legend, and Alpha Protocol, which will all be out this year for multiple systems along with the console exclusivity Left 4 Dead 2 (now you can wield an axe!) and Xbox 360 looks very strong in the coming months in terms of their library and the direction they are headed in.

Therefore, as the only system to make an actual technological advancement and to have both strong first- and third-party projects coming out that after a long week of gaming greatness being on display, as the dust has now settled, Xbox 360 walks away the winner after quite possibly their best showing ever.

-Ray Carsillo

Tags: , , ,
Comment

Breaking Down the Breakdown

Filed under: Written — Leave a comment

Originally Published: June 1, 2009, on 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com)

I don’t cover a lot of music what with all the comics, video games, and movies that are constantly drawing my attention. But when Green Day releases their highly anticipated 8th studio album, 21st Century Breakdown, you have to give it the focus it’s due. Owning all seven of their previous studio albums, I also readily admit I have been a Green Day fan for a long time.

Much like their previous album, American Idiot, a rock opera in how it depicts the story of a fictional character dubbed “St. Jimmy”, 21st Century Breakdown does much of the same following the story of two star-crossed teens, Christian and Gloria. Whereas American Idiot was one continuous story with several marathon-like songs broken into multiple parts, this album is plainly broken down into three acts, each with a different theme that progresses the story of Christian and Gloria.

The fact that Green Day has evolved into this story-telling, rock opera producing machine has them drawing comparisons to legendary bands like The Who and has some misguided people thinking we’ll see a Green Day inspired play on Broadway soon.

I’m not here to argue that Green Day has solidified their place in the heart of American music, they did that long ago, I’m here to say that 21st Century Breakdown isn’t as good as people are making it out to be. It’s a good album, but if you didn’t tell me this was Green Day, I don’t know if I would have recognized them.

Some would say that they are simply evolving and that is the mark of a truly great band. I would argue that they already went through this metamorphosis with their last album, American Idiot. 21st Century Breakdown sounds forced and like a continuation of the same teen angst and social disorder themes that they bottled in American Idiot, but following different characters. If anything, there is devolution here for producing an inferior product to American Idiot.

Many are calling this their greatest album ever. From speaking with many other Green Day fans recently, when the conversation turned to a debate of Green Day’s greatest album, 21st Century Breakdown is nowhere in the picture. The debate has always and is still only between Dookie, Nimrod, and American Idiot.

The main reason for this has been that things are usually judged on your initial reaction. The initial reaction for many of us has been that 21st Century Breakdown was okay. Only after repeatedly listening to the album did it grow on us to even be considered amongst Green Day’s better albums, never mind the best of the best.

Even the singles off the album so far, 21 Guns and Know Your Enemy, although solid, are nowhere near as powerful as the first singles off previous albums. And you know Green Day has missed the mark when the singles are being used as beds for “Sportscenter Top 10” highlight reels. I don’t think Know Your Enemy is talking about the Yankees and Red Sox.

It’s great to finally see a new Green Day album, and I’m sure most people’s initial reaction has been so positive simply because Green Day fans have waited so long for a follow up to American Idiot. Unfortunately, when you really analyze the product, it isn’t anything new or special and shouldn’t be put at the same level as Dookie, Nimrod, or American Idiot; those are albums that marked true evolutions in the band while providing unforgettable hits. 21st Century Breakdown is a solid album that grows on you the more you listen to it, but in the end is nowhere near the level we’ve come to expect from Green Day.

A great test for an album is if you would give someone who has never heard of the band before that album to give them a solid representation of the band, their music, and what they are all about. 21st Century Breakdown is not one of those albums and should only be bought by true Green Day fans who can forgive the band for a sub-par product.

-Ray Carsillo

Tags: , , , ,
Comment

Xbox 360 Project NATAL initial reactions

Filed under: Written — Leave a comment

Originally Published: June 1, 2009, on Examiner.com

Many people believed that Xbox 360 was going to have a quiet E3 this year. You knew that there would be the major franchises: Halo, Gears of War, Forza. But what Xbox 360 revealed was more than anyone could have expected.

As if the revelation that MGS 5: Rising (starring Raiden and not Solid Snake) was coming to the Xbox 360 as would Final Fantasy XIII from Square Enix (probably due to Sony’s awful sales) were not enough, Xbox 360 dropped the bomb of what could be the next step in gaming.

With a little help from Steven Spielberg and Peter Molyneux of Lionhead Studios (the Fable franchise), Xbox 360 unveiled a motion sensor that would eliminate controllers altogther. With graphics reaching their fullest potential with current technology, the next step in gaming was going to be finding ways to give gamers a more immersive experience beyond the TV set. The Nintendo Wii had captalized on this with their pre-set waggle commands (which the Xbox 360 folks took a bit of a shot at) and this left Xbox 360 asking “what would be the next logical step in gaming technology?”. They would give us an answer.

Imagine a sensor that connects to your current Xbox 360 and could scan your face, your clothes, objects in your room, and then follow every motion you make perfectly. You would become the controller. No more rechargable batteries. No more tripping over cords. No more limitations.

Xbox 360 has very likely created the next step towards virtual reality with what they have dubbed at this point “Project NATAL”. As development kits are being shipped as you read this, Xbox 360 showed to everyone at E3 several of the endless possibilities this addition could have.

They began by playing a Brickbreaker type game where you served as the paddle that would deflect projectiles at the bricks. The girl doing the demonstration danced around in a small circle as she hopped, punched, and kicked her way through the first three levels. A simple demonstration, but enough to start making eyes bug out of heads.

The next demonstration reminded me of Mario Paint for the Super Nintendo from almost two decades ago. A simple paint program where your arms served as the brush and your voice commands were recognized when you wanted to go to a more detailed or broader painting tool. An interesting concept, but how many gamers would really drop their hard earned cash on it?

The demonstration that took my breath away though was done with a small film presented by Peter Molyneux that was done at Lionhead Studios, one of the first to get their hands on the development kits. Peter proceeded to introduce us to “Milo”, an A.I. program that responded with original thought to the context of questions and answers it was given and reacted to objects that were scanned into the system, recognizing colors and shapes. This mind boggling revelation means that in theory, for truly the first time ever, the game could interact back with you.

It is a bit of a scary thought when you think of all the sci-fi movies that always begin with a benevolent A.I. that runs amok, but also think of the gaming possibilites. Calling out commands to squad mates in Call of Duty, climbing up towers that nearly touch the sky in Assassin’s Creed, ducking for cover in Gears of War, all with never pressing anything more than the “on” button. The possibilities are nearly endless and my mind is already racing with these very thoughts.

Of course, there could also be limitations. Not many people have the space in their living rooms to re-enact a futuristic war or sneak along shadowy corridors before assassinating their target. It will be interesting to see how Xbox 360 overcomes this question of space recognition, but the thought of this revolutionary immersal into video games is nearly beyond belief.

There was no date as to when we could expect to see the bugs worked out of NATAL or the complexity of games we could see to go along with it, but even without Sony of Nintendo’s press conferences taken place, Xbox 360 may have already stolen the entire show. So much for a quiet E3, eh?

Tags: , , , ,
Comment

Well I’ll Be Damned

Filed under: Written — Leave a comment

Originally Published: May 31, 2009, on Examiner.com

If someone came up to you and said they were going to make a game that combines the plots of Wild Wild West and Terminator, what would you do? I know I would be pretty damn excited.

That was exactly what was attempted with Damnation, a new third person shooter for Xbox 360. Unfortunately, this Frankenstein-like hodgepodge of plots falls flat on its face before the disc can even get warm in your system.

In Damnation, along the timeline of American history, somewhere during the Civil War, things have taken a nightmarishly drastic turn. Steam powered weapons have been invented by a man named Prescott and sold to both sides of the war. This war profiteering has extended the conflict to the point where people cannot remember a time of peace. Using his now immense wealth, Prescott has emerged in an attempt to reunite the country under his own tyrannical fist with the help of a handy mind control drug he uses to poison unsuspecting towns’ water supplies and an army of robots. As Captain Hamilton Rourke of the resistance, you set off in search of your lost fiancée while undermining Prescott’s advancing robot/zombie army at every possible turn.

Aside from a plot with unrealized potential, this game is a total and utter waste of time. It resembles something from the previous generation of consoles instead of the current. There are more glitches in the first level than most game trilogies have in them.

On top of that, most third person shooters allow the character to duck behind cover, but this game conveniently forgot that so most of the game you’re stuck in the open during a fire fight hoping your trigger finger is faster than the A.I.’s. To make up for this shortcoming, the A.I. was made so abysmal that they won’t use cover either, leaving you and your enemy just out in the open shooting at each other. To say the game play leaves something to be desired is like saying the Palestinians and Israelis have a misunderstanding.

Add in that when you’re not fighting, you’re unnecessarily climbing up walls just because the game wanted to have some Assassin’s Creed elements to it or roaming around on a boxlike motorcycle just to get from desert outpost to desert outpost so they can say they had vehicle levels and the only thing left in the dust is the 10-15 hours of your life that you lost playing this piece of garbage that you’re never going to get back.

There are multiplayer vs. and co-op modes, but why you would ever want to put another person through this kind of torture is beyond me. The worst part is that, if you should play it, you need another person to get about 60% of the Gamerscore for this game and unless you’re in Guantanamo Bay, people are going to be a little hesitant when it comes to torture like this.

Along with horrible, last-gen graphics, insane load times even for Xbox 360, and the worst voice acting I’ve ever heard in a game, Damnation is just plain damned and not even worthy of serving as a coaster for my coffee mug, never mind ever seeing the lens of my Xbox 360 ever again. Avoid it at all costs.

-Ray Carsillo

Tags: , , , ,
Comment

More Serious than Swine Flu

Filed under: Written — Leave a comment

Originally Published: May 28, 2009, on 1050ESPN.com (ESPNNewYork.com), Collider.com, and Lundberg.me

Normally literature doesn’t fall into my realm of reviews, but when the director of the Oscar winning film Pan’s Labyrinth and the comic book movies Hellboy 1 and 2 says he’s written a vampire novel, you reconsider. Guillermo del Toro, the premiere modern guru of visual effects, teamed with accomplished fiction writer Chuck Hogan, and they have released the first in a trilogy of thriller novels.

The first book in The Strain Trilogy, aptly titled The Strain, sets the stage by playing on the fears of the modern age mixed with classic figures from horror’s lengthy mythology.

A plane suddenly dies on the runway after a perfect flight overseas and landing at JFK airport. After the plane is pried open since it was locked from the inside, and almost all of the passengers are found dead, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) is called in and the head of their early response “Canary” team, Dr. Eph Goodweather, is baffled by the strange findings in the plane. After examining the situation, he is left with a feeling of dread that chills him to the bone as he tries to implement his scientific methods to a situation that clearly does not follow the rules of modern science.

Meanwhile, on the Upper East Side, a pawnbroker from the old world realizes that there is an even older evil at work and it is a race against time to contain this ancient force before it spreads outside the city limits.

As events unfold to bring these unusual allies together to contain this viral invasion of immense implications, other forces behind the scenes begin to work against them in the hopes of seeing a grander plot come to fruition.

The Strain is a tremendous, thrilling read. I had to keep putting the book down after every few pages because I was so creeped out by the amazingly descriptive passages. If you can work up the courage to finish the book, you’ll be clamoring for the second and third installment of this trilogy in no time.

This story will redefine how you look at vampires; del Toro mixes science and mythology like some mad chemist. Bela Lugosi doesn’t hold a candle to the vampires depicted in this book. There are a few clichés thrown in as well which probably comes from del Toro’s previous vampire works (he directed Blade II) like a “day walker” or “chosen one” they refer to as “Sun Hunter”, but aside from these necessary stereotypes for the vampire novel, this is an experience unto itself.

This will especially appeal to anyone from or familiar with New York City. The story carries you from JFK Airport to the Bronx and Queens to Vesey St. down in Tribeca or the very heart of Times Square. The thought of vampires emerging in these familiar settings, ready to prey on unsuspecting tourists (although I wouldn’t mind a few less tourists in the area) as the lights of Broadway flash over their pale, almost transparent flesh is a terrific mental image. Even if you are a stranger to New York City, del Toro and Hogan paint such a vibrant picture with their words that it shouldn’t take away from this phenomenal read.

With the culture flooded with media that aggrandizes these classic horror figures (Twilight and True Blood just to name a couple), it was refreshing to see someone represent vampires in the way they were meant to: scaring us into leaving a light on at night. If you like a good thrill and aren’t apt to nightmares (and even if you are), The Strain is a must read for any horror fan.

The Strain, by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan, will be on bookshelves this coming Tuesday, June 2nd. If you want a little bit more information on the book, be sure to check out The Strain’s website by
CLICKING HERE.

-Ray Carsillo

Tags: , , , , ,
Comment

Searching for Salvation

Filed under: Written — Leave a comment

Originally Published: May 25, 2009, on 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com) and Lundberg.me

Continuing the trend of movies geared towards the geeky genre this summer, we look at the second movie and game combination of the summer blockbuster season with Terminator: Salvation. After X-Men Origins: Wolverine fell flat on its face in the theatre, but delivered a strong performance on the home gaming consoles, you were wondering if T4 would be this summer’s best hope for salvation; would it rise up and be able to provide that rare combination of great movie and game that we haven’t really seen since Spider-Man 2?

Terminator: Salvation takes place in the year 2018. John Connor (Christian Bale) has always had his fate intertwined with the fate of the world and is now one of the top heads of the resistance against the machines in California as Skynet’s global network has overridden the entire world and established itself as the dominate form of “life”. Now he searches for Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin), the man Connor will send back in time (the original Terminator movie) to protect his mother and end up becoming his father before the machines can find him and wipe Connor from the timeline of existence by killing Reese.

Along the way, Connor also discovers that the machines have begun making the necessary advancements in order to upgrade the common, but still very deadly T-600 model (the famous skeleton-looking foot soldiers that comprise the bulk of the machines’ army), to the T-800 infiltrator unit that could mimic a human’s appearance with living flesh and tissue covering the silver skeleton of the Terminator units (made famous by Arnold), just as he had always known they would.

Meanwhile, a “too good to be true” fault in the machines’ programming is found and Connor must weigh the decision to go after Reese or lead an assault that could possibly end the war with one massive offensive.

While Connor searches for Reese, Reese stumbles across Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), a convict given the death penalty back in 2003, but signed waivers to donate his body to science upon his demise. An un-aged and amnesiac Wright was released from a human holding pen that was supposed to be used in the T-800 experiments after an attack on a Skynet base by the resistance and was sent stumbling through the California desert before being found by Reese.

Reese saves Wright from a “Skin Job”, a T-600 covered in rags and rotted rubber skin to appear more human from afar and lure resistance members close before mowing them down with their mounted mini-guns. Reese proceeds to catch Wright up on everything he has missed over the past 15 years and they set off to look for John Connor in the hopes of meeting up with the resistance, all the while Reese not realizing his fate is pre-ordained should he be able to survive the machines for a little while longer.

As Wright and Reese head out on a grueling mission to find John Connor, Connor struggles with his decisions on what orders to carry out, his superiors’ or fates’. The two groups don’t realize though they are headed for an explosive collision course that will change the fate of the resistance forever as Wright is not exactly what he appears to be on the surface…

This was a spectacular action movie from start to finish. Everyone involved gave great acting performances from Bale as John Connor and Sam Worthington as Wright to smaller characters like Common as Connor’s left hand man Barnes, his wife Kate played by the beautiful Bryce Dallas Howard, or sympathetic Blair Williams played by the lovely Moon Bloodgood.

The special effects and settings were unbelievably real and you couldn’t tell what was CGI’d or not. The robots moved and acted with a realism that you just don’t see and the post-apocalyptic California countryside was amazing to behold.

The story was well-written and kept well with the continuity of the first three movies, making sure to keep the set-up of the story of Kyle Reese having to go back in time and the resistance getting their hands on a T-800 model to send back in time later in tact.

Watching this already established story unfold and be expanded upon was easily the most wonderful part of the movie though. From robots that lurked in rivers and attacked humans looking for a drink to giant Hunter Killer aerial units patrolling barren patches of desert to smaller motorcycle units racing down highways void of any and all traffic, the thought that Skynet ruled the world was not a stretch to believe from the picture portrayed in Terminator: Salvation.

The only problems I had with the movie was that there were a lot of nukes going off in relatively close vicinity to humans and usually if you can see the mushroom cloud coming, you’re not going to survive, and from the looks of a “Skin Job”, I don’t see how anyone could get fooled into thinking this thing was human.

Aside from these minor complaints and add-in a special CGI’d Arnold cameo and this movie gave you everything you could ask for in the 4th in the series. Terminator Salvation has at the very least saved the Terminator series as we look forward to a 5th film to continue the futuristic adventures of mankind’s last hope in John Connor after watching this fun, action packed gem.


Terminator Salvation gets 4.5 out of 5.

After such a wonderful viewing experience from the movie, my hopes were raised that the game would deliver at least a par experience, but it would be all too soon before my hopes were markedly dashed.

The Terminator: Salvation video game, out for XBOX360, PS3, and PC, is set two years before the events of the movie, which immediately had me groaning knowing that it would not follow any of the events of the movie that I enjoyed so much.

The plot follows John Connor, of course, but as a low-level member of the resistance instead of one of the higher-ups as we’ve always known. He receives a distress signal from fellow resistance member David Weston that he is trapped behind enemy lines with his unit. John sets off alone to try to rescue his comrades since “every life is sacred” and so against all odds, he is joined by his good friend Blair Williams as the two of them set off against the machines and work their way deep into Skynet territory.

What I liked about the game is it finds a way to introduce all the main resistance characters from the movie and show how they joined up with John, but aside from this point, the game is a complete waste of time. Even on Hard mode, I beat the entire game and got every achievement in less than eight hours, nowhere near worth the $60 price tag this baby carries.

The graphics are easily subpar for any current generation console. It looks similar to Fallout 3‘s unpolished graphics, but at least that had the excuse of cramming a massive world, 30+ hour plot, and an open-ended decision based path onto one disc while this is a small, linear world with no room to explore and only nine short, simple levels. It was supposed to look like a post-apocalyptic world, not like it had been made in one.

The audio is one of the few bright spots for the game since it takes the music straight from the movies and the constant din of gunfire and explosions work. Unfortunately, Christian Bale refused to do the voice-over work for the game or have his likeness used and his replacement had some big shoes to fill and fill them he did not. Although getting Rose McGowan to serve as another resistance fighter, Angie, and getting Common and Moon Bloodgood to reprise their movie roles was nice, the voice acting overall was still subpar.

The gameplay was full of glitches and frustrating as both you and the enemy would occasionally find holes in the cover that you could both shoot through. Last time I checked though, grenades could not be lobbed straight through steel girders.

The game does feature a co-op mode where a friend could take on the role of Barnes or Blair, but this makes the game an even more simple experience as flanking the robots is about as easy as turning the game on to begin with. Even when Blair or Barnes is computer controlled, they understand how simple it is to flank the robots since most of the time your computer controlled partner will do it on their own. I don’t know if it is good A.I. for your partners or bad A.I. for the robots, but this is part of the reason why the game is a breeze as enemies refuse to use or find cover and can only target one character at a time allowing one of you to just fire away with the enemy’s back turned. Add in that there is always an abundance of ammo lying around when you are about to get into a firefight helps eliminate any element of surprise for the enemy and allows you to camp out in good positions to pick them off one by one as they haunter by.

Combine these poor experiences with no unlockables, no collectibles to search for, and no vs. mode and the replay value on this game has been nuked like Skynet dropping bombs on Judgment Day. Terminator: Salvation is easily one of the worst gaming experiences you can have on a modern console and probably isn’t even worth a rental for the die-hard Terminator fans.

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

Graphics: 4.0: No current console game should look this bad. For such a big budget movie that ended up so good, you think they could’ve thrown the game developers a few dollars to get some designers that knew what they were doing.

Audio: 7.5: The audio is passable as the game takes the soundtrack straight from the movie and the firefights sound great. The voice acting was awful though considering the talent and I think part of that falls on the poor writing for this movie prequel storyline.

Plot/Plot Development: 5.0: John Connor sets off on another suicide mission, but survives because it is what he does as humanity’s last hope against the machines. Simple, to the point, and not nearly fleshed out enough to get any kind of a decent score. It was nice to see how Blair and Barnes join John and the resistance and how John begins to get some real recognition in the ranks, but even adding in those minor points, the plot is still a stinker.

Gameplay: 3.0: A bevy of glitches with a beyond simple enemy A.I. makes this game a quick and simple once playthrough, even on Hard mode, and I still unlocked every achievement.

Replay Value: 1.0: No unlockables, no collectibles, no vs. mode, and a co-op mode that makes the already simple story mode even more of a cake walk means you should start getting ready to trade this one in before the disc even gets to speed.

Overall: 2.5 (not an average): Even the most die-hard of Terminator fans should steer clear of this game unless you have a free rental coming your way and you want to see some poorly animated T-600s on your home console or are looking to bolster your achievements score with a ridiculously easy 100% completion. The game is lacking in every way imaginable and is just another victim added to the list of horrible games to follow great movies.

-Ray Carsillo

Tags: , , , ,
Comment