Every now and then, people actually want to know what I think.
Tag Archive: PS3
Originally Published: June 9, 2010, on ESPNNewYork.com, Lundberg.me, and PlayerAffinity.com
Controller-less gaming is one of the main topics of discussion that is on the minds of gamers everywhere what with E3 less than a week away. Project Natal is right on the horizon for Xbox 360 and the PS Eye is being used in new and innovative ways to help immerse gamers even more into their gaming experience.
On that note, I had a chance a few weeks ago to chat with the CEO of Virtual Air Guitar, Teemu Maki-Patola, about their new game Kung-Fu Live, expected to be released just in time for the holiday season on the PlayStation Network and to be used in conjunction with the PS Eye.
Check out my interview with Teemu and our preview of Kung-Fu Live for PSN below.
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
Originally Published: April 6, 2010, on Lundberg.me, NationalLampoon.com, and Sportsrev.tv
This week I reviewed X-Men Second Coming #1 from Marvel and MLB The Show 10 for PS3. My hot chick pick of the week is Jenna Shea.
Originally Published: March 23, 2010, on Lundberg.me, NationalLampoon.com, and SportsRev.tv
This week I looked at Incredible Hulk #608 and Hulk #21 from Marvel and Aliens vs. Predator for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. I also continued my British invasion of hot chicks with Michelle Marsh as my hot chick pick of the week.
Originally Published: March 16, 2010, on Lundberg.me, NationalLampoon.com, and Sportsrev.TV
This week I reviewed Batman and Robin #10 from DC Comics and God of War III for PS3. My British Invasion hot chick theme also continued this week with Lucy Pinder as my hot chick pick of the week.
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
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 1, 2010, on Lundberg.me and SportsRev.TV
I reviewed MAG for PS3 and Wolverine Origins #44 from Marvel. I also featured Nicole Bahls as my hot chick pick of the week and revealed the exclusive footage of Kiefer Sutherland flipping out on me and Brad Blanks of 95.5 WPLJ-FM at a NYC Red Carpet.
Originally Published: January 13, 2010, on 1050espn.com (Now ESPNNewYork.com) and Lundberg.me
Often when something works, and works well, it will have imitators and copycats come out of the woodwork and try to capitalize on the splash made by the original. This is especially true in the media world and in video games. The hottest trend right now is an oldie but goodie: the portrayal of the possibility of a coming apocalypse, an Armageddon. There are different spins put on it from heaven vs. hell, man vs. the supernatural, or some seemingly omnipotent being needing to be stopped from wreaking havoc, but in the end it all comes down to the same basic concept. In the first quarter of 2010, we have three such games coming out with this basic theme: God of War 3, Dante’s Inferno and Darksiders with the original God of War series being the base concept.
Just because all these games may be similar in theme and execution, does not mean that they all can’t be good. In fact, sometimes the imitators will surpass the original and blow the concept out of the water. The first of these three games released, Darksiders, might do just that.
Darksiders begins with hell on Earth erupting as the balance between heaven, hell, and Earth has been disrupted and Armageddon has been triggered early. You play as War, one of the four mythical horsemen who mark the coming of the end of days, and immediately know something is awry as your fellow horsemen have not appeared. As you move through city streets, trying to find the source of the disruption as angels and demons alike fight overhead, you come upon Straga, one of the most powerful demons to emerge from hell and watch as one of the leaders of the angels, Abaddon, is swallowed up like an appetizer for the things to come. You fight the demon, but like Abaddon, fall to the unparalleled might of this hellish monstrosity.
A century then passes as hell has consumed the Earth and the human race has been wiped out. You have been imprisoned for all this time in the depths of hell by The Council, an ancient race of beings whose sole purpose is to maintain the balance that you have been blamed for disrupting. Finally, the Council relents to your pleas to send you back to clear your name. They concede, but they pair you with a high level demon called a Watcher (played brilliantly by Mark Hamill), to make sure you will do the Council’s bidding, and find out how, and more importantly, who caused the end of days before it was destined to.
Thus begins the story of Darksiders, a tale of redemption as you unravel a conspiracy that could invoke the wrath of a god.
Even with the overplayed theme, Darksiders is brilliantly executed. A combination of The Legend of Zelda and God of War series, the game is packed with both original characters, like Vulgrim the Soul Merchant, with whom you exchange the souls of your fallen foes for new weapons and fighting techniques, and those based in scripture like Azrael, the Angel of Death. Add in tons of actions sequences involving some epic boss battles and an ending that will leave you anticipating the impending sequel is more than enough for me to label this as the first must have game of 2010 (not that there is a lot competition right now).
The graphics are beautiful, from deserts where the sand is comprised of the ashes of six billion dead humans, to lush jungles that have reclaimed the cities that once dominated the landscape. Every creature has exquisite detail to them, from the scars on War’s face to the talons of the giant bats that litter the twisted remains of the world.
Along with great looks, the game sounds very good. The music, although rather generic, helps set the atmosphere beautifully and the voice acting is top notch, highlighted by Mark Hamill who seemed to channel shades of the Joker from Batman: The Animated Series into the masochistic Watcher and Moon Bloodgood as Uriel, the angel who takes over heaven’s ranks after the fall of Abaddon.
I also liked the fact how, aside from the opening and closing movies, the game really focuses more on the action, the fighting, and the platforming and avoids unnecessarily long cut scenes to forward the plot. Possibly this was a move to avoid too many comparisons to the style of games this is clearly based off of since the gameplay easily can draw a lot of parallels to more well-established franchises.
The gore and fighting mechanics are very similar to that of God of War with only a handful of buttons really being needed to mash your way across your typical desert, water, jungle, and fire areas. This goes along nicely with the “me against the world” theme from that franchise.
More parallels can be seen in the items you acquire over the course of the game since almost all of them have appeared in The Legend of Zelda at some point or another. The abyssal chain is exactly like the hookshot, your horse Ruin is reminiscent of Epona, the Crossblade is just like the boomerang, etc. So, the gameplay isn’t anything you haven’t seen before and lacks any real originality. Along with this, there are a few glitches as the game progresses and can be very frustrating when you fall into a bottomless pit when the game glitches mid-jump.
Still though, there is a reason why people love The Legend of Zelda and it was nice to see a game with hard puzzles and tremendous temples. The outside world wasn’t as epic as I would have liked, considering the entire Earth was supposed to be wiped out. It doesn’t seem like you’re traveling more than through the five NYC boroughs.
The game should take you 15-20 hours to completely beat, but there isn’t much to bring you back for a second playthrough. If there were any collectibles or achievements you missed the first time through they could bring you back for a little while, but otherwise this is a one and done.
Even with the aforementioned lack of originality, this game is a lot of fun and does a great job drawing you into the post-apocalyptic world. I enjoyed the game so much that I stood up and clapped at the end of the final cinematic and with the amount of games I have to play; it takes a lot to elicit that kind of a response from me anymore. Kudos to Vigil Games and THQ. Simply put, this is a great game. Darksiders is available now for Xbox 360 and PS3 and is the first must have game of the New Year.
Ratings are based on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best.
Graphics: 9.0: From the detail of the world you fight through to the skulls carved on your Chaoseater sword, the graphics are top notch. A point gets deducted only for the generic looking blood effects. There could have been a little more splatter that lasted longer on screen for my tastes.
Audio: 9.0: The voice acting for this game spearheads this score as Mark Hamill and Moon Bloodgood highlight a cast of awesome performances. Include spot-on SFX and the only point that gets docked from this is for the generic, forgettable background music that at least was able to set a nice mood as you progressed through the game.
Plot/Plot Development: 7.5: The general plot has been done before so it loses points for lack of originality, but at least the game progressed at a good pace and set things up well as the conspiracy against War unfolds and then comes together at the end in a great final cinema scene.
Gameplay: 7.0: Glitches and lack of originality again hurts this score, but when you are basing your game off of sure-fire hits like God of War and The Legend of Zelda, you can forgive them a little.
Replay Value: 3.0: There isn’t a lot to bring you back to this game after the initial playthrough besides looking for more power-ups or any achievements you may have missed along the way.
Overall (not an average): 9.5: Even though I penalized the individual category scores for lack of originality, I can’t do it for the overall game because, the time-tested, proven formula that Darksiders uses works and is a lot of fun to play. Any game that gets me to stand up and applaud while the credits roll is a winner in my book and I cannot deny the fun I had playing this game. I looked forward to coming home and playing this game every day after work. So what if it wasn’t the most original game? Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery after all.
-Ray Carsillo
RayCarsilloWrites.com 