Tag Archive: ray carsillo


The Real American Hero

Filed under: Written — Leave a comment
April 20, 2010

Originally Published: August 11, 2009, on 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com), Examiner.com, and Collider.com

Although we are still in the midst of summer, the summer blockbuster season is coming to an end and with it, my series of double reviews (to my editor’s relief). Still though, this final one was also one of my most anticipated double-features yet.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is another movie inspired by a Hasbro toy line and 80s cartoon series. Many of us were drawn in as small children by the catchy theme song, brightly colored vehicles, and enough lasers to put any pop concert to shame. The PSAs it inspired is still the stuff of spoof nowadays as those of us who grew up on the series can look back now and laugh at the shoddy animation and cheesy dialogue.

So how would it translate to the big screen? Would it be as much of a laugh now as the cartoons are? At least those have the nostalgia of our childhoods to protect them.

I will say this: as an action movie; G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is top notch. Tons of explosions and non-stop fighting keep your attention for the entirety of the 1 hour and 58 minutes (Sienna Miller in hot leather spandex for 90% of the movie doesn’t hurt either).

Everyone cast in the movie gives a great performance and stays true to their characters’ personalities, which will make movie buffs and GI Joe fans alike pleased. Dennis Quaid does a spectacular job as General Hawk and Marlon Wayans is nowhere near being the weak link many suspected him to be in his performance as Ripcord. Ray Park was the perfect casting call for Snake Eyes and everyone else from Zartan to Destro to Scarlett were all top-notch.

The only casting problem I had was Brendan Fraser making a cameo as Sgt. Slaughter. He had three lines in the movie and was visible for no more than five minutes, all of them were frustrating because his presence stole attention away from other characters to see if he could live up to one of the more prolific characters in GI Joe history due to his wrestling origins. Of course, he failed, partially in my opinion because he didn’t give any of his famous one-liners like “At ease, disease!”

Aside from this, there were only two other problems I had with the movie. One was a minor detail, but would have made hardcore fans like myself beam with joy had it been included. The original GI Joe theme song was left out of the movie. It wasn’t even in the end credits. Considering the movie cost $175 million to make, you would think they could spare a little cash for an orchestra version of the classic cartoon theme.

The other detail was a major oversight and is what makes this great action movie only a so-so GI Joe movie. The movie takes a lot of liberties with the original GI Joe story and makes some changes in order to fit in the obligatory love story. Every character in the movie is related somehow. Baroness is Cobra Commander’s sister and is also Duke’s ex-fiancée. Baroness though is not really evil, but under mind control created by Dr. Mindbender who everyone confuses with Cobra Commander early on because they look exactly alike. By the end of the movie, you’re just shaking your head, as everyone had to be related to everyone else by some weak link.

If you take account of the fact that the movie killed off key characters who never die in the cartoons or the comics and you’re left questioning whether this movie deserves a sequel. I will say it does, but it had better have a different writing staff, that’s for sure.

In the end, this was a great action movie that held your attention the whole way through with great performances, but a really poor GI Joe movie. GI Joe fans have to see it to confirm their fears and non-GI Joe fans should see it if they’re tired of all the romantic comedies out there (or are trying to still get the lewd images from Bruno out of their minds).

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra gets a 3 out of 5.

Typically, video games based on summer movies do not do well, but Transformers 2 broke that trend earlier in the summer. I’m happy to say that G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra: The Video Game also breaks that trend and easily surpasses the movie.

Taking place immediately after the movie, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra: The Video Game begins with the Baroness being teleported out of GI Joe custody via Cobra’s newest weapon, the MASS device, a teleportation tool to increase troop movement across the globe.

Starting with Duke and Scarlett, you begin by searching for kidnapped teammates Heavy Duty and Ripcord as Breaker, Data Frame, and Dial-Tone try to unravel how the MASS device works back at the PIT (GI Joe’s base of operations) and how GI Joe can remove this military advantage from Cobra’s hands.

This game hit every right cord with this hardcore GI Joe geek. It felt like you were playing updated versions of the old-school NES games that were based on the cartoons. You’re able to play with two Joes at a time while selecting from a roster of 12 possible Joes, all with unique weapons and special abilities. You can switch between the two Joes at any time also as long as they do not get knocked out on the mission and this flexibility can help in creating some interesting strategies. You then march across four general terrains in 20 specific missions as you progress through a classic GI Joe storyline.

Although not the prettiest of games in differentiating the terrains, taking cover to take out HISS tanks or hopping in your own MOBAT tank to destroy Cobra watchtowers was a great feeling.

Add-in the more destruction you caused to Cobra facilities, the more you could fill up your accelerator suit bar, which basically rendered you invincible with tank-like firepower for about 15-20 seconds. The best part of this was during your invincible rampage, almost as classic as Mario’s superstar song, an orchestrated version of the original GI Joe theme played. This alone will endear this game to any and all GI Joe fans.

The only thing this game really lacked in was the gameplay. Even on the hardest difficulty it only took me about 10 hours to complete all 20 missions and unlock all characters. The auto-targeting system was also abysmal. If you storm a room full of Neo-Vipers and turrets, the system would lock onto the 2500 bonus points item in the far corner of the room. It’s not fun trying to avoid a hail of blue lasers and adjust your targeting system at the same time. Not to mention the inability to control the game camera making it easy for enemies to ambush you around blind corners adding an unnecessary level of difficulty.

If you can fight your way through the glitches, you’ll enjoy the storyline and the homage to the old school GI Joe cartoon and games. With tons of collectibles and unlockable characters, the addition of bosses like Firefly, enemies like the B.A.T.s (Battle Android Troopers), and another 20-30 NPC GI Joes that you interact with over the course of the game, this game is easily a must have for any GI Joe fanatic.


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

Graphics: 7.0: There is nothing special about the visuals. A third-person, arcade-style shooter set in very generic locations, the graphics will not blow you away. They won’t take away from the experience either, though.

Audio: 10.0: Original orchestrations for each level and the inclusion of the original GI Joe theme when you strap on the accelerator suit makes the music a definite strong point for this game. Add-in solid sound effects and just enough overacting from the voice talent (only Cobra Commander from the movie cast was also in the video game, which might be the reason why) to make this a very enjoyable auditory experience.

Plot/Plot Development: 9.0: An original plot more along the lines of the original cartoon and only loosely based on the movie script with Cobra acquiring a super weapon and GI Joe needs to save the day. None of the relationships established in the movie were referenced in the game, which made me very happy, and the introductions of all the characters were perfectly done. The only fault I found with the development was that it all seemed to come together too quickly at the end, like they had ran out of time. Other than that, this was classic GI Joe.


Gameplay: 4.0: This is where the game stumbles. A horrible camera system that never follows the characters as closely as it should, an even worse targeting system, and only about 10 hours of gameplay on the hardest difficulty keeps this game from being a superior product.

Replay Value: 8.0: A co-op mission mode, at least five collectibles per mission, and 14 unlockable characters will make you want to keep playing G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra: The Video Game for a good while. The only disappointment was a lack of a vs. mode, but considering the style of the game, it probably wouldn’t have been very good anyway.

Overall (not an average): 8.0: Any and every GI Joe fan will love this game because it gives you what you want on every level. You have the ability to switch between two Joes at a time on the fly, the original theme, a plot worthy of its namesake, and enough classic collectibles to keep you on the hunt for hours. Glitchy gameplay is really the only thing that keeps this from being an upper echelon game, but considering it is only $50 instead of $60 and hits every fiber of nostalgia in my being, this is a great game.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra: The Video Game is available now for all systems.

And now you know…and knowing is half the battle (blue lasers and red lasers is the other half).

-Ray Carsillo

Tags: , , , , , ,
Comment

Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Filed under: Written — Leave a comment

Originally Published: August 7, 2009, on Examiner.com and 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com)

Xbox 360 is in the middle of its second annual summer push of original downloadable content. Later in the month we’ll look at some of the new and revamped games being released on Xbox Live’s Arcade, but we can’t forget the great add-ons being released for some of the already established hits for the Xbox 360.

In that vein we look at the latest and greatest map pack for the 11-time platinum Gears of War 2. A total of seven new maps with 13 new achievements which would award 325 more Gamerscore points, the Dark Corners map pack also includes a very special addition to the story mode campaign.

Originally a part of Act IV the new scene, “Road to Ruin”, was a level that took Marcus and Dom along a Locust highway deep in the hive. Of course, this level never made it into the final cut of the game…until now. After a brief intro movie from Lead Game Designer Cliff Blezinski, the level starts off giving you the choice to go in guns blazing or to sneak around in Locust armor to avoid an enemy confrontation. This new level helps to expand on one of the most powerful scenes in video game history (Dom finding his wife a shell of her former self and putting her out of her misery) and adds to the lore of Gears of War by giving you the chance to meet up with an old friend from Gears 1 along the way and that alone is worth picking up the Dark Corners add-on.

One of the greatest aspects of Gears of War, though, is the multiplayer so I am sure that more people will be looking at what they can do with the seven brand new maps. After a week of non-stop multi-player mayhem, I feel I can now paint you an accurate picture as to how great these maps are.

The first map of note at is Allfathers Garden. A COG landmark that honors the long gone founders of the Coalition, this sacred ground is great for all kinds of matches, but provides fast, heart-thumping action best in Warzone, Execution, or Submission game modes because its small size provides for lots of quick confrontations. Add-in a plethora of heavy weapons and you have all the pieces in place for some explosive combat situations.

Next, we look at the Memorial map. Set in a landmark dedicated to the soldiers who have fallen in battle against the Locust, this map is another great Warzone or Execution map, but also does well in Guardian mode because it forces the leader to constantly be on the move due to the most secure areas are also re-spawn points. Nothing worse than settling into a corner of the map to have someone you just picked off appear behind you and cut you to ribbons. This, again, makes quick confrontations a constant, especially when everyone realizes the Boomshot (grenade launcher) in the center of the building is up for grabs…

Similar in tone to the first two maps, Sanctuary is set in a temple whose walls have long since been abandoned after being battered by Locust attacks, the stench of death its only inhabitant now (I would assume considering video games haven’t become THAT realistic yet). Tight, narrow hallways and mostly blind corners makes this an ideal Annex and King of the Hill battleground as you can regroup with your squad mates and easily flank different positions.

Stepping away from the monuments, we head indoors to an abandoned train station for War Machine. Blank terminals line the walls of the once bustling travel hub as sandbags line the rails now instead of train cars to provide extra cover during frequent firefights. Probably the smallest of all the new maps, it is one of the two easiest Horde maps due to being able to easily hunker down in one of the four corners and pick off the unsuspecting Locust as they wander in front of your crosshairs. It also has a plethora of powerful weapons scattered about that makes the scramble in Execution and Warzone modes a joy as you see the indecision as newbies don’t know if they should secure the high ground or pick up a Boomshot.

Keeping up with the travel theme, we head deep into Locust territory in Highway. A complex system of hallways and passages for moving enemy supplies, the screams of chained Brumaks echo in the background as you try to maneuver through this Locust maze. This is the other great map for Horde for the same reason as War Machine. This is a larger map that would make you a little more likely to wander out and search for you prey, but it has some great areas to hunker down with your teammates and pick off Locust. Another great Annex and King of the Hill map due to its maze-like tendencies providing many ways to sneak up on unsuspecting foes.

Even deeper in the Locust stronghold is the Way Station where captured Stranded and COG soldiers sit in limbo between “processing” and death for whatever nefarious purposes the Locust are using them. A great map for Guardian because, much like Memorial, the leader has to be on the move. It does have a couple of areas that a leader could settle into and make a valiant defense if necessary, but otherwise scrambling for the grenades and Torque Bows and taking the fight to your enemies is probably the best way to go here.

The last map is truly unique from any map in this or any other map pack. Nowhere was once considered an oasis, now long abandoned and reclaimed by the desert as you maneuver down the main street and work your way through boarded up stores and hotels. This is a great map for Execution and Warzone as you have plenty of options. You can either take up a defensive position inside the stores or try to go on the offensive and snipe your enemies with heavy weapons on the roof of the hotel. Either way, fast paced action makes this a great, quick way to build up experience if you can decide on a winning strategy.

It goes without mention that this is a must have download for Gearheads. If you haven’t been keeping up with all that is Gears of War though, there is also the All Fronts Collection that has been released along with Dark Corners that includes ALL previous map packs, which makes this a perfect time to get back into the chainsaw swing of things.

All Fronts is now available for 1600 Microsoft points (roughly $20 American dollars) and Dark Corners is available by itself for 1200 Microsoft points (roughly $15 American dollars).

-Ray Carsillo

Tags: , , , , ,
Comment

Green Lantern’s Light!

Filed under: Written — Leave a comment

Originally Published: August 4, 2009, on 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com) and Lundberg.me

Perfectly timed by DC Comics to coincide with the Blackest Night comic saga and news of Ryan Reynolds being cast as Hal Jordan for a live-action movie, Green Lantern: First Flight is the next installment in the DC Comics/Warner Bros. series of animated spectacles dealing with some of DC’s greatest heroes.

Christopher Meloni (Law and Order: SVU) as Hal Jordan, Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs) as Kilowog, and Victor Garber (Alias) as Sinestro headline an all-star voice cast brought together by Warner Bros. Animation veteran voice casting director Andrea Romano and directed by another WB vet, Lauren Montgomery.

Green Lantern: First Flight deals with how Hal Jordan, one of the most celebrated of the Green Lantern Corps and founding member of the Justice League, came into possession of the galaxy’s most powerful weapon, a Green Lantern ring. It also goes into depth with the beginnings of his relationship with Sinestro, once thought to be the greatest of all the Green Lanterns, and now Jordan’s greatest foe.

One of the movie’s greatest strengths also may have been its greatest flaw in that Jordan gets his ring within the first five minutes of the movie. Although it throws you right into the action with him having to prove himself against Sinestro, Boodikka, Tomar Re, and Kilowog (all major ranked officers in the Corps) before he gets shipped to Oa (the Green Lantern Universal Headquarters) for basic training, you don’t get a real sense of his relationship with Carol Ferris, his boss and main love interest in the comics, or his love of his job as a test pilot.

It isn’t a major gripe because as a movie watcher it helps hold your attention for the entire 77 minutes, but as a die-hard fan of the Green Lantern mythology, I wanted a little more depth. Not going into Hal’s relationships on Earth left him as a very one-dimensional character when he left for Oa five minutes into the movie.

Another major gripe was the death of Abin Sur, the Green Lantern who bestows his ring to Hal Jordan upon his death. Atrocius, one of the most dangerous criminals in the galaxy, killed Abin Sur in the comics. In the movie, Cuch, a two-bit henchman, killed him to help further the plot that Sinestro is going to betray the Green Lanterns.

This aspect of the storyline disappointed me because it goes against Sinestro’s character to work with anyone in any kind of a partnership. His ego prevents him from being anything but the alpha dog and having him cavort with space pirates in a conspiracy does not do the character justice.

Along with those gripes is the fact that many of the more infamous, non-Earth based Lanterns are killed off including Boodikka, whose character is completely trashed in the movie, and Tomar Re.

Aside from these inconsistencies from the original comic storylines, the movie is actually very good as a stand-alone tale. It establishes the yellow impurity against the green (although again, nothing like in the comics), turns Sinestro evil very early and shows that he is willing to go to any lengths to achieve his means of establishing his order throughout the galaxy, and shows the Lantern Corps’ early distrust of Hal Jordan before he saves them all.

Overall, the movie is solid and should be watched by any fan of the Justice League or the Green Lanterns, especially considering it is only $12.99 at most stores in regular DVD format. If you want to drop a few extra bucks, you can get the 2-disc special edition (like yours truly) and get an extra three hours of content along with a three and a half inch action figure with 14 points of articulation.

The extra DVD features were definitely worth it. From Geoff Johns, long-time Green Lantern writer, talking about the future of the franchise, the purpose of the movie, and the origins of the characters to episodes of Justice League Unlimited and Duck Dodgers featuring the Green Lanterns, the bonus features were just as good as the movie and make this a must purchase for Green Lantern fans.

My critical points aside, Green Lantern: First Flight is an interesting take on the Green Lantern/Hal Jordan origin story. Combined with some great voice acting from all those involved, this was a fun, action packed watch that can hold your attention the whole way through with great bonus DVD features.

Green Lantern: First Flight gets 3 out of 5.

-Ray Carsillo

Tags: , , , , ,
Comment

Bungie Finally Snapped

Filed under: Written — Leave a comment

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

It put both Bungie and Xbox on the map back in 2001 and proved to be one of the most prolific first-person shooters in video game history with its second and third installments. Its original characters and compelling plot helped usher gamers into the current age of gaming and set a high bar for all who would follow in its wake. Of course, I speak of the Halo franchise.

Recently, though, Bungie’s Lars Bakken spoke to IGN about Halo: Reach, next year’s FPS that looks back at the beginnings of the Halo story and he mentioned some possibly grave news for the series.

“After Reach that’s it for us. We’re already working on a new IP that we can’t talk about yet, I don’t know when we’ll be talking about it – when we’re ready I suppose,” said Bakken.

Although there is much speculation as to what this new intellectual property could be, the move isn’t all that surprising if you think about it.

With the recent recession affecting the gaming industry just as much as everyone else, it wasn’t a surprise for Bungie and many others to return to the hits. Sequels for popular gaming series are almost always to be sure winners, as long as the games are worthy of the originals, and Bungie has made sure not to disappoint with the Halo series since it has developed one of the strongest followings in games today.

Halo: Reach will mark nearly a decade of dedication to this single franchise, though, and with the market beginning to show signs of bouncing back, and the sure numbers that Halo 3: ODST, coming out this fall, and Halo: Reach, coming out next fall, will provide for Bungie, 2011 looks like a great time to start taking a few chances again.

Also, don’t forget that the recent real-time strategy game Halo Wars showed us that another publisher, in this case Ensemble Studios, could take the franchise and change it around and still be successful with it.

These factors make me confidant that Bungie’s wish to develop this new IP and not be typecast as simply the guys who brought us the Halo series will be a successful one as we wait with baited breath as to what this new IP could potentially be. Until then, I guess Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach will just have to do for now.

Tags: , , , ,
Comment

Xbox Portable in the Plans

Filed under: Written — Leave a comment

Originally Published: July 24, 2009, for Examiner.com

San Diego Comic Con is always a magical time of the year as announcements from all spectrums of the geek media rainbow permeate the culture and help us salivate over new details for upcoming releases or announcements of brand new projects. It’s why Microsoft felt it was the perfect forum for them to confirm their plans for a portable system.

Microsoft’s VP of Strategy and Business, Shane Kim, confirmed earlier in the week that the internet rumors are true and that Microsoft is hard at work on a handheld device. When pressed as to what the device would be, whether something multi-purpose along the lines of the iPhone to compete in another field with Apple, or something more gaming related to try to cut into the DS and PSP’s profits, Mr. Kim admitted that he himself did not even know.

Because of this, I’ll keep the mindset that I’ve had since the rumors began to surface, I’ll believe it when I see it.

I hate being skeptical considering how much the Xbox 360 and Microsoft look to be giving us in the near-future, but why even bother confirming rumors on a product that even your top brass don’t know about?

Personally, I’d rather Microsoft continue to focus on Project NATAL and worry about a portable system after they master that first. And considering how many resources are probably being poured into NATAL to try to have it released in time for the 2010 holiday season, I wouldn’t be surprised if this “Xbox Portable” wouldn’t even come close to enter existence until late 2012-early-2013.

The possibilities are fun to think about, though. A portable Halo or Gears of War would surely make a strong impact for Microsoft in the handheld wars, but the device itself would have to be something spectacular considering how late in the game Microsoft is throwing its hat into the handheld ring.

In another press release from Comic Con, in order to maybe take the heat off of Mr. Kim’s comments, Microsoft confirmed that there will be two new Dashboard updates in the near future. The first will be August 11th, which will include the “Games on Demand” feature. Confirmed with the launch of this feature were Bioshock, Assassin’s Creed, and Mass Effect among others. Shortly after this update, around August 25th, original Xbox programming like the new exclusive Girls Go Geek and the third season of The Guild will return for your viewing pleasure.

The second Dashboard update should be released late in the fall. This would be the update that we heard of at E3 that promised us Facebook, Twitter, last.fm, and Zune HD coming to Xbox 360. Microsoft had promised us to attempt one major Dashboard update a year, but like many major conglomerates, they failed to keep this promise. For once, though, this broken promise is probably a good thing. The more updates the better!

Tags: , , , ,
Comment

The Highway to Hell

Filed under: Written — Leave a comment

Originally Published: July 31, 2009, on 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com), Examiner.com, and Lundberg.me

Fallen angels, hellfire-based powers, mind-control, and a lost god are all rolled into the new game for the Xbox 360, Infernal: Hell’s Vengeance. You would think that all these amazing action elements would spell a sure winner, but this port of the 2007 third-person shooter for the PC, Infernal, should have stayed put.

The basic plot has you playing as Ryan Lennox, a renegade angel whose methods were called into question a few times too often by the holiest of causes and is banished to the earthly plane. His amazing talent with a firearm draws the attention of Lucifer, though, and he offers Ryan the chance to serve him in an attempt to maintain the balance between good and evil as heaven has supposedly procured a weapon that would vanquish sin from the Earth for all time. Now an agent of vengeance, Ryan Lennox must fight both an internal and external battle to maintain the eternal balance.

A decent sounding plot aside, this game is abysmal. The glitches in this atrocity are beyond anything I have ever seen on the current generation of consoles. Freezing after dying, while saving, and/or just standing around and you have easily the most frustrating gaming experience that I’ve had in years.

And that is just from the glitches! Never mind that there is no auto-save or quick save feature so when you do actually get into the plot of the game, on those rare occurrences, and forget to save and then die and get flung back two levels…THAT’S FRUSTRATION.

I understand how easy it is for a PC game to be directly ported to the Xbox due to the Microsoft connection, but you have to fix these small, irritating, repetitive errors when you do because console players expect a more streamlined playing experience than those who deal with the PC.

Add in that the graphics haven’t been brought up to speed and do not take advantage of the 360’s capabilities, the music is annoyingly repetitive, and the A.I. tries to overwhelm you more with sheer numbers than any sort of strategy, and you have a horrible gaming experience reminiscent of Goldeneye: Rouge Agent. There is no stealth required in this game and it is more about conserving ammo as you mow down seemingly limitless enemies in each room as the game tries to hold your attention through five sleep inducing levels.

Infernal: Hell’s Vengeance was full of potential considering the abilities to wrap your bullets in hell-fire, teleport, and consume people’s souls for energy. The lack of polish on this game, though, along with a plethora of glitches and a poorly implemented plot leaves me with no choice but to only recommend this game if you find it at the bottom of the $5 bargain bin somewhere.

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

Graphics: 5.0: Infernal: Hell’s Vengeance looks exactly like the PC game it was ported from. No upgrades or polish added to visuals that were only on par in 2007 leaves this at a sub-par level now, especially considering the capabilities of the Xbox 360. This game is best described as visually lackluster and dull.

Audio: 4.0: Repetitive, uninspired music really takes away from the already poor experience with this game. On top of this, the voice acting sounds like it was done by a cast of anime voiceover rejects. The SFX are solid and is the only audible saving grace for Infernal: Hell’s Vengeance.

Plot/Plot Development: 7.0: This gets a passing score because the overall plot is actually an awesome idea. Fallen angels trying to maintain the balance between good and evil sounds like it could be full of great action sequences that would keep you entertained for a long while. Due to awful story telling and glitches galore, though, the plot is implemented poorly and knocks this back down.

Gameplay: 1.0: Considering all the glitches, lag, and lack of firing accuracy (that’s a big problem since it is a third-person shooter) and I could not give this anything more than my worst possible score.

Replay Value: 2.0: Aside from the three difficulty levels, there is nothing to bring you back to play this again, especially since you should be able to beat the entire game on the hardest difficulty without much effort, just like I did.

Overall (not an average): 3.0: Horrible glitches, abysmal gameplay, no replay value, and a lackluster attempt on the peripherals leaves this game towards the bottom of the bargain bin at best. This was a pitiful effort on porting over what was once a decent PC game over to the Xbox 360. I expected much more from this effort and am horribly disappointed. I would avoid this game at all costs.

Infernal: Hell’s Vengeance is available now for Xbox 360.

-Ray Carsillo

Tags: , , , , , ,
Comment

Crush on Hu

Filed under: Audio — Leave a comment

Originally Published: July 28, 2009, on 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com)

X-Men 2: X-Men United was easily one of the best comic book movies of all-time. It introduced some of the most memorable characters from the long-hallowed canon of the X-Men while still delivering a compelling plot. One of these infamous characters was Lady Deathstrike, played by the lovely Kelly Hu.

Kelly has a lot on her plate, though, besides appeasing her obsessive comic book fans (a group I begrudgingly admit that I fall into). As an accomplished actress and voice actress, with numerous TV and movie credits to her name, Kelly continues to build her comic book fan base as the new character Sha Shan Nguyen in the new Specatcular Spider-Man cartoon, which has new episodes airing every Monday at 7:30 PM on Disney XD.

But many of us geeks still idolize and think of her as Deathstrike. So, when Robin Lundberg and I had the chance to talk with Kelly, we both knew we were going to focus on the clawed femme fatale.

With that in mind, in honor of the passing of the recent San Diego ComicCon, Robin and I sat down with Kelly to ask her how she handles dealing with some of the more absurd individuals in the comic community (again, myself included) and how it is to play such an iconic character like Deathstrike.


CLICK HERE – to listen to Robin Lundberg and I interview the very lovely Kelly Hu.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Comment

A Whole New World

Filed under: Written — Leave a comment

Originally Published: July 24, 2009, on 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com)

When you look at the surface of Treasure World for the Nintendo DS, there really doesn’t seem to be a lot to the game.

When you turn the game on you’re immediately introduced to a mystical being that travels the cosmos collecting stardust. As his ship travels around the Milky Way, it runs out of fuel and crash-lands in your backyard. He asks for you to help his robot assistant explore your world and collect enough stardust to refuel his ship so he can go back to exploring the universe.

The game is pretty straightforward, but the difference between it and any other game you will play is that the in-game exploration revolves solely around your real-world interactions. As you walk around the real world, like you’re on an actual treasure hunt, the game utilizes the DS’s wi-fi compatibility to latch onto new wi-fi signals. As you collect more signals and, therefore, more stardust and unique items, you get closer and closer to powering your mystical friends’ ship. This is the entire premise of the game; to walk around the real world and attempt to locate more unique signals in order to have the game’s spaceship return to the stars. It’s almost like a real-world treasure hunt (hence the name of the game).

It sounds simple, right? But when you add in that the collectibles can be used to make original musical compositions, the items can be used to help “disguise” your robot friend, and you can trade items with others who own the game, the game gets a new layer of depth that immediately made me think of the Pokémon series’ original catch phrase, “Gotta Catch’em All!”

After finding enough stardust, the mystical being blasts back off to the sky, but leaves his robot friend behind to help you continue to explore their digital universe (and your real one) as you attempt to collect all of the more than 2,600 items available via trade, stardust purchase, and random exploration.

The game isn’t going to blow you away in terms of looks or plot, but solely on the gimmick of the real-world interaction that the game revolves around. It is a solid premise and it will keep you entertained for a good amount of time as you carry your DS around, knowing that with every step you take you could be getting closer and closer to completing your collection. The game also includes a great safety feature in that you can actually close the DS and put it in your pocket as you travel and it will still collect items and signals. This way, you don’t have to worry about walking into lampposts as you try to collect more items.

Another nice feature that really appeals to the social aspects of the game is the ability to go online and trade codes you find for some of the more rare items in the game, as well as the ability to trade with friends via the DS’s already preeminent wi-fi capabilities.

Unfortunately, most people don’t have the means or the opportunity to just randomly explore and try to collect wi-fi signals in order to beat a video game so once you’ve gone through your daily routine for a few days, the game really loses its luster and appeal as you walk by the same wi-fi signals. This is especially difficult if you’re a child, who is the main target audience for the game, and you rely on your parents as your main source of transportation. Even if you’re out riding your bike, you’re going to be hard-pressed to find 2,600 wi-fi signals.

It’s pretty difficult, too, if you live in a more rural area where the wi-fi signals are fewer due to it being a less populated area. I walked around New York City and found half the treasures in the game in a single day of exploration. I don’t think someone in Omaha, Nebraska, would have the same ease in tracking down signals.

Still though, the collection and trade aspects and, as Nintendo has proven with the Wii, real-life interaction gimmicks are big nowadays, so this game is a solid pickup if you’re looking for something to keep your Nintendo DS warm for a while.

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

Graphics: 7.0: The visual aspect isn’t going to be the selling point for this game since you can spend most of your time playing the game with the DS closed. When you do look at the screen though, the graphics are average.

Audio: 9.0: An enjoyable, simple melody serves as the theme for the game and with solid SFX, so you can’t complain about the audio. The aspect that boosts this score, though, is that different items also represent different notes and you can compose your own, more varied music as you collect more items, a la old school, Mario Paint style.

Plot/Plot Development: 3.0: A friendly alien ship crash lands in your backyard and you walk around in the real world in order to fill up its fuel tank so it can blast off again. Obviously, plot was not a big consideration when making this game.

Gameplay: 5.0: This was difficult for me to score because there really isn’t a lot of “playing” going on in the game. The game is glitch-less, which is nice, but most of the game really is just you walking around the real world. So, in good conscience, I couldn’t give it a passing score.

Replay Value: 10.0: One of the major selling points is trying to collect all 2,600 treasures, and that reason alone is enough to give this a phenomenal replay score.

Overall (not an average): 7.0: The social aspects required to trade online and/or in person are nice, but not enough to make this a must-have title. What makes the game so interesting is the avatar customization and the gimmick of walking around trying to collect wi-fi signals like you are on a real-world treasure hunt, and considering there are 2,600 treasures to find, if you really want, you can devote a lot of time to this game.

Treasure World is out now for the Nintendo DS.

-Ray Carsillo

Tags: , , , , , ,
Comment

Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!

Filed under: Video — Leave a comment

Originally Published: July 20, 2009, on 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com) and Examiner.com

When describing the Forza Motorsport online community, “hardcore” does not even come close to doing these folks justice.

Keeping that in mind, the Microsoft gaming gurus teamed up with Audi, one of the top of the line racing car manufacturers, and decided to reward their racing community as the launch date for the highly anticipated Forza Motorsport 3 nears.

Microsoft flew the top nine players in the Forza community, hailing from all over the United States, to New York City for one very special weekend that coincided with the Le Mans 24 hour race in France (that Audi just so happens to dominate most of the time).

After being broken into three-man teams, these elite players competed on a never-before-seen Forza 3 demo for a chance to win a trip to France for Le Mans 2010.

The outlines of the competition had the teams facing off for three hours at a time, one driver for every 40 minutes with the first driver also taking the fourth shift, with the best overall times being electronically monitored by Microsoft experts. After a full 24 hours, the winning team would be decided with the conclusion of the competition tied in directly to the end of the Le Mans race overseas.

While these select few players were competing for the trip of a lifetime, I had a chance to hop on a Forza 3 demo myself in Microsoft’s special simulator pod to get some first hand impressions on the game. I was also able to catch up with one of the racers during an off-shift and Brian Lockhart of Turn 10, one of developers of the Forza Motorsport franchise.

Forza Motorsport 3 Preview with Ray Carsilllo
Video by Jared Bodden

Be sure to stay tuned for my second preview of Forza Motorsport 3 where I got to sit down with an extended demo for over an hour and truly put the framework of Forza Motorsport 3 through its paces.

-Ray Carsillo

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Comment

June Swoon – June Video Game Sales

Filed under: Written — Leave a comment

Originally Published: July 17, 2009, on Examiner.com

Being an admitted geek, things like charts and numbers and tables always make me smile a little, especially when tracking things like video game software sales. It’s a great way to see how your favorite systems are doing and which third party developers are hot at the moment.

Being the Xbox 360 Examiner, I will focus on the Xbox games in terms of analysis, but will give the entire list of top 10 in terms of software sales in terms of both worldwide sales and United States sales.

The June month time period is measured from May 31st through to June 27th and further information can be found at http://www.vgchartz.com

Worldwide Sales:
1. Wii – Wii Fit – Nintendo – 745,576
2. Wii – Wii Sports – Nintendo – 691,255
3. Wii – EA Sports Active – Electronic Arts – 587,434
4. Xbox 360 – Prototype – Activision – 526,434
5. DS – Pokémon Platinum – Nintendo – 459,899
6. Xbox 360 – UFC 2009 Undisputed – THQ – 412,482
7. Xbox 360 – Red Faction: Guerilla – THQ – 382,115
8. Wii – Mario Kart Wii – Nintendo – 356,149
9. Wii – Wii Sports Resort – Nintendo – 349,411
10. PS3 – Prototype – Activision – 345,388

United States Sales:
1. Wii – Wii Fit – Nintendo – 387,170
2. Xbox 360 – Prototype – THQ – 358,515
3. Wii – Wii Sports – Nintendo – 339,350
4. Wii – EA Sports Active – Electronic Arts – 339,138
5. Xbox 360 – UFC 2009 Undisputed – THQ – 312,410
6. Xbox 360 – Fight Night Round 4 – Electronic Arts – 268,942
7. Xbox 360 – Red Faction: Guerilla – THQ – 237,754
8. Wii – Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 – Electronic Arts – 208,010
9. Xbox 360 – Ghostbusters: The Video Game – Atari – 188,923
10. PS3 – Prototype – Activision – 185,692

This short list provides countless amounts of information. First off, Nintendo’s worldwide dominance is still clearly evident with having not only six of the top 10 titles worldwide (5 Wii, 1 DS), but five of those six are all first party published, which means Nintendo is just raking in the profits on the worldwide market.

Xbox 360 is making a nice showing, though, by having three of the top 10. Microsoft has to be pleased considering its poor influence overseas, especially in Japan.

This poor overseas influence I speak of can be seen most clearly by comparing the United States list with the Worldwide list. Even though Nintendo and the Wii still have the top spot in the US, it’s a much closer deficit between one and two and on this list an Xbox 360 game is listed as number two.

Aside from having the second best selling game, Xbox 360 has five of the top 10 slots compared to four for the Wii showing that Xbox 360 is competing very well in the United States with the Wii right now and if Xbox 360 could take a larger chunk out of the worldwide market, which seems to be trending towards all these workout games, then it could make a case for the top spot that Nintendo has held since the Wii’s release.

A consistent sales trend showing a continued pattern towards workout games might make Microsoft want to push harder for Project NATAL to become a reality a little sooner than first planned. If a workout game is what the people want, then the tools and means to have a workout game is what the people should get.

In terms of total software sales in the United States for June, even though the Wii had three of the top five, Xbox 360 sold 92,876 more total software units in the top 10.

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Comment