Originally Published: November 23, 2010, on ClassicGameRoom.com
As a part of CGR Undertow, I reviewed The Simpsons Game for the Nintendo Wii from EA.
Tag Archive: ea
Originally Published: October 29, 2010, on ClassicGameRoom.com and NationalLampoon.com
As a part of CGR Undertow, I reviewed the new NBA Jam remake for the Nintendo Wii from EA Sports.
Originally Published: October 29, 2010, on ClassicGameRoom.com
As a part of CGR Undertow, I reviewed Godfather II for the Xbox 360 from EA. It’s all about family.
Originally Published: October 21, 2010, on ClassicGameRoom.com and NationalLampoon.com
At NYCC 2010, I had a chance to talk with Producer Zach Mumbach from EA about Dead Space 2!
Originally Published: July 28, 2010, on ESPNNewYork.com and Newsday.com
I previewed All Points Bulletin, the Grand Theft Auto inspired MMORPG from EA, back at PAX East in March and we saw an open-world environment that had our mouths watering from the thought of bringing that much chaos to a constantly evolving MMO style world. With the promise of “no more level grinding” to revolutionize the MMO experience, PC gamers everywhere were keeping a close eye on this title. Now that it has officially launched and is available, could the final product live up to that March demo’s tremendous hype?
First, let me establish the basic story. You are a citizen in the crime ravaged modern city of San Paro and you have a very basic choice at this point in your life. In order to survive you have to join one of two factions, either the criminal faction that feeds on the innocent people of San Paro, or the Enforcers who serve as a vigilante force that feeds on the criminals.
In order to get the most out of my review copy, I set up two separate accounts, one for the criminals and one for the Enforcers to first test the balance since unlike most MMORPGs, these are the only two “classes” you really get to choose from. The difference in difficulty you have playing as an Enforcer compared to the criminal is tremendous, as you must walk a much finer line than the criminals in your “day-to-day” actions. From avoiding killing NPCs to the techniques you must use in trying to apprehend criminals makes you a much better person than me if you choose to be an Enforcer. I found myself gravitating to the much easier criminal faction where your foul actions are rewarded with prestige and money and let’s be honest, it’s a lot more fun causing chaos in video games. Of course, this could just be personal preference though and could be very rewarding for those looking for the challenge of capturing criminals.
As for the gameplay, APB falls truly flat. The promise of “no more grinding” was false as you will find yourself trying to accomplish meaningless graffiti quests in order to level up and unlock bigger and better guns. And you need the better guns in order to advance faster since, just like your typical MMORPG, what weapon you can use depends solely on your level. If APB had made each bullet as powerful as it should be, no matter the gun, instead of me having to pour a 30 bullet clip into a guy like I was playing Gears of War 2 then I would have been impressed. And at least in Gears of War 2 a single grenade was all that was needed to kill an enemy whereas this may take two or three. Add in that it doesn’t matter where you hit the character and your frustration grows very quickly if you’re just starting out. At least the lag is sporadic.
There are some good gameplay elements though. Being able to have impromptu drive-bys is a lot of fun as you cram into a four-door car with your teammates and one guy drives while the other three go to town on your targets. And then if you need to scatter, being able to jump over fences and kick down double doors is a great feeling. Unfortunately, you can feel the game relying on these team building and fighting tactics to get things done. Sometimes you just want to shoot something by yourself.
Aside from the great possible team tactics, the place where APB truly shines is the customization abilities and peripherals for this game. From having your own theme song play whenever you kill someone to logo and decal creation for your clothes, cars, and even whatever you spray paint means you can turn the world into your own little canvas for all other players to see. No other MMO offers you this level of customization for your character and their equipment.
But are great customization features and some random chaos causing elements enough for a buy and then subscription fees? I’m going to lean towards saying no. It is a shame because there were such high hopes for this game from demos and the hype, but in the end it comes off as a water-downed Grand Theft Auto that lacks any real direction or purpose. After devoting a lot of time into APB, I just found myself wishing I was playing a MMORPG that gave me super powers and magical abilities.
APB is available for $49.95 for the install disc and then $9.99 a month after that or for 50-hour blocks of $6.99 each.
Ratings are based on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best.
Graphics: 9.0: The game is gorgeous in terms of how much detail you can get on each person with only sporadic lag and the ability to create any and every logo imaginable is a nice touch.
Audio: 9.0: Solid voice acting combined with the ability to mix and assign your own tunes is beyond awesome and I’m surprised no one has thought of it until now.
Plot/Plot Development: 5.0: A nice opening credits cut scene sets up a very simple tale. Will you be a bad guy or a good guy?
Gameplay: 5.0: Being forced to team up with people and having to use 30 bullets and three grenades to take out a single enemy is frustrating beyond belief. I can’t remember the last time I yelled at a game this much. So much for eliminating the level grinding.
Replay Value: 4.0: I’m not a big fan of paying for something that relies on me playing with other people in order to enjoy it.
Overall (not an average): 5.0: It is still early in the life of this MMORPG and so I have hope that many of the problems like weapon balancing and only team driven gameplay will be remedied somehow. As it is, the game might be worth a look for the customization features, but should only be bought if you like the idea of having to level grind in a Grand Theft Auto environment.
All Points Bulletin is available now for the PC.
Also, just for your knowledge, here are the specs for the PC I used:
Windows Home 7 64-bit
Intel Core i7 930 @ 3.2 Ghz
6 GB DDR3 RAM
nVidia GTX 260
-Ray Carsillo
Originally Published: April 21, 2010, to ESPNNewYork.com and PlayerAffinity.com
With the delay of Geek Stuff coming over to the new site, obviously it has taken more time to get everything re-acclimated. So, without any further delay, here are my experiences over the three days up in Boston for the highly anticipated, 1st annual, PAX East video game convention.
Originally Published: February 17, 2010, on 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com)
Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy is one of the most influential works of literature the world has known. It depicted the concept of hell, purgatory, and heaven in such detail that it became a widely believed standard that is still referenced to this day. It also was the first major work of literature that used the Tuscan dialect in early 14th century Italy instead of Latin and paved the way for the modern Italian language. With that kind of historical gravitas and background, no wonder EA wanted to make a video game series out of it. I had a chance to talk to Phil Marineau, EA’s Senior Product Manger for Dante’s Inferno, about the game’s adaptation process and more.
To listen to my interview with Phil Marineau,
CLICK HERE!
Dante’s Inferno, the first part of The Divine Comedy, sees the main character, Dante, having to face all his sins from his life as a Crusader as he makes his way through all nine layers of hell on his way to redemption. In the EA version, Dante is not only looking to redeem himself, but to save his true love and ideal woman, Beatrice (it always has to do with a chick).
Along the way, Dante comes across some of history’s most influential beings, from Pontius Pilate to Attila the Hun, in an effort to help depict the nine layers of hell and sin. Limbo, lust, gluttony, greed, anger, heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery all have their famous faces and in the game, absolving or punishing history’s most infamous sinners can also help you level up your abilities.
Unfortunately, like many of these third-person, action-adventure God of War clones, no matter how much you level up, you really only need two or three attacks while the rest are pretty useless. You can standard light attack and heavy attack your way through all nine levels of hell (just like I did) without having to level anything up except, maybe your health bar.
Another sour note about this game is that, at least right now, there isn’t much to bring you back into the game once you beat it. Although there is DLC on the way in March with a prequel level, and then a level-building multiplayer in April, as of right now, there isn’t much to make you want to go back to Hell once you’ve been through it.
I will say though, EA’s interpretation of Dante’s classic work is one of the most visually stunning games I’ve seen in a while. The level and character details are exquisite and the creative way in which they imagined classic characters like Cerberus, the mythical giant three-headed dog and guard of gluttony, is a sight to behold. When you add in an original orchestral theme from the Philharmonic Orchestra in London and the peripherals for Dante’s Inferno are top notch.
The plot is very compelling (the story is still popular after 700 years) and the characters are well developed, helped by top-notch voice acting and an amazing mixture of 2D anime and full 3D cut scenes. Add in EA having Dante sew a tapestry across his chest in the shape of a cross that tells his story up to the point where he enters hell as a creative masterstroke and you have probably the best interpretation of Dante’s Inferno yet.
This is one of literature’s most classic stories and EA did a spectacular job bringing it to life. Unfortunately, in terms of gameplay and difficulty, this game is lacking and shouldn’t take most gamers more than 10 hours to blow through. Dante’s Inferno is worth a look, but I would hold off on buying it outright if I didn’t have the cash to burn.
Ratings are based on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best.
Graphics: 10.0: Graphics don’t get much better than this. From details like the eternally damned trying to reach up from the rivers of blood they are forever fated to drown in to the design of Dante himself, this game is visually stunning. Add in beautifully rendered 2D and 3D cut scenes and I can’t find any fault in the graphics.
Audio: 10.0: An original score composed and played by the Philharmonic Orchestra in the world-famous Abbey Road Studios in London, tremendous voice acting, and spot-on SFX make the audio something EA should be proud of.
Plot/Plot Development: 10.0: The story is a classic for a reason and EA did a brilliant job staying as true to the original story as possible. The handful of changes and additions they made were insightful and only added to this timeless tale of redemption.
Gameplay: 6.0: The game is simple. An average gamer will blow through the entire story mode in 10 hours and will do it without a more complex combo than hitting light or heavy attack three times in a row. Although relatively glitchless, the game doesn’t put up a challenge.
Replay Value: 5.0: This category is saved a little by the fact that a DLC multiplayer will be coming out in April, but the fact that the original game or even the “Divine” edition doesn’t come with a code for this multiplayer means you’re going to have to shell out more cash just to play more of this game. It seems like a blatant attempt for EA just to milk you for more cash when the original game itself is barely worth the cover price.
Overall (not an average): 7.0: A compelling story with complex characters makes this at least worth a look, but simple gameplay and little to no replay value really knocks this clear God of War clone. An even mix of quality and quantity needs to be found before a game is worth having $60 shelled out for it. Rent it before you decide on buying it.
Dante’s Inferno is available now for Xbox 360 and PS3.
-Ray Carsillo
Originally Published: February 16, 2010, on Lundberg.me and SportsRev.TV
I talked about Disney beginning to destroy Marvel with their reaction to Captain America 602, reviewed Horns by Joe Hill and Dante’s inferno from EA for Xbox 360 and PS3, and revealed my latest hot chick pick of the week: Courtney Elyse Black.
Originally Published: January 11, 2010, on Lundberg.me and Sportsrev.tv
This week I looked at Dragon Age: Origins from EA and Cable #22 from Marvel. I also introduced a new segment with my Hot Chick Pick of the Week. This week I melted down while featuring Leysi Suarez from Peru.
Originally Published: October 9, 2009, on 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com), Examiner.com, and Lundberg.me
Many people know that I’m a sports fan, and being a video game fan, I love all sports video games as well. In that vein, I’m providing you fine folks with a double shot of sports games with reviews for both NHL 10 and NBA LIVE 10, both from EA Sports.
We will begin with NBA LIVE 10 since there were a lot of questions coming into this season for this game. Usually, the best way to answer questions about a game is to go to the source. I had a chance to speak with NBA LIVE 10 Lead Producer Sean O’ Brien, Dynamic Season feature producer Garreth Reeder, and Lead Gameplay Designer Mike Wang about all the new features in this year’s game and improvements over last year’s version considering the entire game was rebuilt from scratch.
CLICK HERE – to listen to my interview with NBA LIVE 10 Producers Sean O’ Brien and Garreth Reeder and Gameplay Designer Mike Wang.
Since I didn’t have the time to wait for basketball season to actually start, I’m going to have to take Garreth’s word on it, but it sounds phenomenal. From what I did play in Dynasty Mode, I can say that this is the premiere basketball game out there right now and this game model, closer to what the NHL series has used the past few years, is the top of the line format for sports games.
The only knocks I have against the game is that the graphics aren’t as sharp as I would like, especially when you look at other sports games from EA Sports like Madden and NHL, and the A.I. isn’t that great for your teammates. I know I put myself at a natural disadvantage by playing with the Knicks, but when there are lanes to the basket and I am looking for guys to pass to, instead of running up those lanes, my A.I. controlled guys run to the corner or right into a double team. Very frustrating, but that’s the life of a Knicks fan, I suppose.
From what I’ve seen and heard, NBA LIVE 10 is the must have basketball game of the season.
Ratings are based on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best.
Graphics: 8.0: The looks of the game are average. Maybe the Dynamic Season takes up a lot of space on the disc so the graphics aren’t as sharp as they could be, but not the most best looking game from EA Sports.
Audio 10.0: The soundtrack of the game gets your blood pumping, and authentic cheers and boos from the Garden crowd (more boos than cheers considering the Knicks’ performance the past couple of years) are awesome. Add in Marv Albert and Steve Kerr providing authentic play-by-play and color commentary and the sound cannot get any better.
Plot/Plot Development: N/A: It’s a sports sim…
Gameplay: 8.0: Garreth might be looking for a perfect score, but the A.I. could use a little more tweaking before I give this a perfect score. No lag though, a great free throw system, and basketball as authentic as it can get on a video game console still gives this a good score.
Replay Value: 10.0: If you love basketball, the Dynamic Season and Dynasty modes will keep you happy throughout the entire season and keep you playing this game for a long time.
Overall (not an average): 8.0: With the addition of Dynamic Season and the rebuilding of the game engine from the ground up, this game is just scratching the tip of its potential. It needs a little further tweaking, but this is ready to be the premiere NBA gaming franchise, starting right now.
From the hardwood we move to the ice as we look at NHL 10. Considering how in-depth NHL 09 was and how many awards it took away last year for it, all EA Sports had to do was make minor tweaks to improve on their already dominate product.
The graphics are even sharper than last year and the way the ice gets worn down as the game progresses is a beautiful thing to see.
The sound is authentic to the point that “Henrik! Henrik!” chants rise up from the Garden whenever the King makes a spectacular save and Gary Thorne and Bill Clement’s commentary are always spot on.
The most impressive thing is that the gameplay and A.I. is even sharper than last year. The puck movement and passing is more realistic and accurate than ever before and the defense reacts like a real team. If a defenseman gets beat for a breakaway, he might try to catch up now for the back check and dive and flail with his stick to try to knock the puck away.
Add in the return of all your favorite features like Dynasty Mode and Be a Pro and the inclusion of first person fist fights now and this is the greatest hockey game of all time.
Ratings are based on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best.
Graphics: 10.0: I don’t know how this game could look any better than it does. From the real-time degrading of the ice to movement of the players’ jerseys and this game is gorgeous.
Audio 10.0: The soundtrack of the game is an awesome array as always from EA Sports and Bill Clement and Gary Thorne doing an authentic feeling broadcast makes you want to jump up and shout like you’re in the Garden cheering along with a capacity crowd.
Plot/Plot Development: N/A: It’s a sports sim…
Gameplay: 10.0: The best A.I. system to date combined with the best puck physics I have ever witnessed makes this game as smooth and flawless as if you were watching a game on TV.
Replay Value: 10.0: If you love hockey, there is no reason for you not to immerse yourself in the returning Dynasty or Be a Pro modes.
Overall (not an average): 10.0: What can I say? As a diehard hockey fan, I just can’t find a flaw with this game. If you love hockey, you NEED this game.
So there is your double dose of winter sports. Both of these games are sure winners if you are a fan of these sports.
-Ray Carsillo
RayCarsilloWrites.com 