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Wargaming.net Announces World of Tanks: Blitz

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April 7, 2013

At GDC last week, we had the opportunity to sit down with representatives from Wargaming.net as they unveiled the latest addition to their ever-growing universe in World of Tanks: Blitz.

This new iOS/Android platform title looks to bring the action of the main PC game into mobile formats, while placing an emphasis on faster, more accessible play. Part of this mobile movement included scaling back from the main game’s 15-on-15 battles to a more manageable 7-on-7 format, as well as taking full advantage of the devices’ touch screens for movement, aiming, and firing.

The game will feature US, German, and USSR medium and heavy tanks, as well tank destroyers.

We were also told that Wargaming.net would like to link Blitz accounts with those that are currently on World of Tanks when it is released (no hard date as of yet). Linking accounts will possibly provide rewards—such as in game currency—for players who perform well on both World of Tanks and World of Tanks: Blitz. Solid details on whether the folks at Wargaming.net plan on following through with this idea will hopefully emerge closer to the game’s launch.

In our meeting, we also learned that the console project that recently acquired Day 1 Studios has undertaken for Wargaming.net is still progressing, but no other details were available at the time.

What do you folks think of World of Tanks going mobile? Do you think you’ll sign up for a mobile account? What about the links between both games? Let us know what you think with comments below! 

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EGM Exclusive: Suda51 Explains Origins of Mondo Zappa

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At GDC, I had the distinct pleasure to once again sit down with Grasshopper Manufacture CEO Goichi “Suda51” Suda and talk to him a bit about his studio’s upcoming game, Killer is Dead.

In the game, players will take on the role of Mondo Zappa, an executioner for a covert hitman agency that specializes in cases revolving around weird happenings around the globe which could specifically threaten large groups of people.

Knowing that Suda also draws huge amounts of inspiration from music, I wanted to know more about where Mondo and Killer is Dead fit in regards to his personal tastes.

“Music is really important—not just in this game, but in how I create games,” said Suda. “For example, the soundtrack is done by Akira Yamaoka; he did the music for Silent Hill and other titles. But the title itself, Killer is Dead, I got the inspiration for that name from “Queen is Dead” from The Smiths. And for Mondo Zappa, “Zappa” is from Frank Zappa. There’s no direct relationship, it’s just—it’s who I am, and how much I love music just comes out and starts affecting the games that I create.”

In our time with Suda, I also learned more about Mondo in regards to his design and inspiration, and that he is far more used to removing bad guys from the world than we may have originally been led to believe.

Specifically, I was very curious about Mondo’s arm. His business attire gives off a very distinct personality, very much that of a stone cold killer. But then, he has this mechanized arm that can act as a gun. So, I wanted to know where the idea for the arm came from.

“So this won’t be said in the game,” Suda explained. “It’ll never be said in the actual game. But, the concept is that Mondo was one of the assassins that killed Osama Bin Laden, and in the [Killer is Dead] world, when there’s somebody that’s really bad, and they have this malice within them, when you execute them that malice will be transferred to the person who killed them. Mondo was part of the team that took down Bin Laden, and the other team members were affected as well. In fact, one of the team members will be showing up in the game. Mondo’s arm got infected, and he couldn’t control it—so he had to change it into a mechanical arm. But, that’s not explained in the game; that’s just the concept, where the basis of the game started from.”

If Mondo didn’t have enough going for him already, he’s also got a bit of Ash from Evil Dead in him as well. We will just have to see what other interesting character traits Mondo has when Killer is Dead is released this coming summer for Xbox 360 and PS3.

Are you excited about Killer is Dead? How do you think this will differ from Suda51’s previous games? Does Mondo Zappa compare to the likes of Juliet Starling and Travis Touchdown? Let us know with comments below!

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EGM First Look: Battlefield 4

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Same old song and dance

It was one of the worst-kept secrets in the industry. As soon as the invites hit our inboxes, the word was out on the street that we’d finally get to see Battlefield 4 for the first time at GDC. Renting out a massive theater at the Metreon in San Francisco, EA shuffled in some of the biggest names in videogame development. And, somehow, I snuck in, too.

With the ever-present cloud of next-gen systems looming on the horizon, I admit that I didn’t know what to expect. But I do know that I definitely wasn’t expecting what we did get. After waiting on line for close to an hour—and another 30 minutes shuffling through the door—I witnessed EA and DICE show, quite simply, one of the most disappointing 15-minute game reveals I’ve ever had to uncomfortably sit through.

Things didn’t start off horribly, though. In fact, those first few visuals from the brand-new Frostbite 3 engine had me doing a double-take, since they were so lifelike. Of course, these visuals were also displayed on the highest-end PC money could buy, so 90 percent of the Battlefield-loving audience won’t experience what I did—nor will I when it comes time to review the game later this year.

This also clearly shows just where DICE’s focus is when it comes to developing Battlefield 4, because their claims of looking to make the game more “human, dramatic, and believable” just were straight up not true once events actually began to unfold. If anything, this reveal did nothing but point to lowest-common denominator game development, where developers hope that impressive visuals will hide the fact their game probably fails to provide the depth of content most gamers crave.

In regards to making the game more “human, dramatic, and believable,” the first thing you’d look for is character development. Being able to immerse yourself in the characters is critical to enjoying most media of any sort. Yet Battlefield 4 looks to deliver a group of cold, distant characters once again that will likely be forgotten by the time the end credits roll—and this came across in many instances. 

The demo began with the four soldiers in your group—the player character included—sinking in a submerged vehicle. Your commanding officer is trapped against the dented frame of the car and his seat. He orders you to shoot the window out, leave him behind, and get the rest of the group to safety. With reluctance, you do this before a flashback explains how these soldiers got to this position in the first place.

During the entire transition, all I could think of was this: “Why would I leave this guy to drown if he meant something to me?” It’s a fact that, as subjective as it is, many people consider drowning one of the worst ways to die. Wouldn’t it make sense that if you really cared about this person—or had any shred of humanity—after working with this man for who knows how long, that you’d put him out of his misery and not let him suffer before escaping? This was just the beginning of the awful storytelling I saw.

About halfway through the flashback sequence, you’re racing up the shell of an abandoned factory, hoping to be rescued with the vital intel you’ve collected. Before you can reach the top of the building, however, an enemy helicopter comes in for the kill. Your allied chopper is at the top of the building already waiting for you, but the enemy helicopter decides that it needs to shoot you—the tiniest, most difficult target to hit—instead of the chopper you’re headed toward. If America’s real enemies were this stupid, we wouldn’t be so hated much the world over.

But this could also just have been to help amp up the “drama” aspect that Battlefield 4 looks to focus on. That’s fine. Videogames need a little disbelief in them, although that goes against that entire “believable” thing they were going for as well. So, either way, they screwed up here.

OK, so the enemy helicopter finally figures out the proper target to aim for and blows your friendly copter out of the sky. Along with all the shooting it directed toward you, this causes the rest of the factory to collapse on itself. Somehow, because this is all so believable, you fall several stories and get buried under a ton of rubble. But you walk away unharmed. In fact, three of your four squadmates are perfectly fine. 

Now we go back to this “dramatic” aspect. Your commanding officer (it’s clearly not this guy’s day) has his leg pinned. With a little bit of realism here (finally), he talks about how his leg’s been completely crushed by the concrete. He hands you a combat knife and tells you that you need to cut the leg off. This is also not unheard of. What is unheard of is that, like a samurai sword through wet paper, you easily cut through his leg with this teeny-tiny knife. Combat armor, skin, muscle, tissue, and tendons are all cut through in an instant. Ignoring that we never see or hear anyone cauterize or clot up the new wound that would cause most men to bleed out, I think it would take a bit longer than a split-second to do this maneuver. 

At the very least, DICE had the good taste to have our character look away so as to not show players what could easily have been a gruesome scene. But you talk about building humanity into your characters? This was another failed opportunity. Have the player look at the commanding officer’s face. Tell him how sorry you are this is happening. Put some dialogue in there to help convey the power of the emotion that comes from a guy having to cut off his buddy’s limb!

Instead, we quickly flow right into our next dunderheaded story beat, where a random security guard comes to explore the giant explosion and collapsed building. In this part of the world, the last thing that most people would do when they see American soldiers is to want to help them out. We’re not really welcomed with beds of rose petals whenever we go to certain parts of the world—this coming across as one of them. Then, you steal his car, which leads to a stereotypical driving sequence that brings you back to doing your best Ariel impersonation under the sea.

And let’s not forget: Aside from the story, the action we saw was nothing special. It’s the same stuff we get in every other military shooter. Some cool group mechanics, some slow-mo moments that try and fail to build tension, a little bit of gameplay variety with a driving sequence, and I’m bored just writing that damn sentence—never mind playing it.

But you must be asking yourselves: “Why hasn’t he mentioned multiplayer?” Because they didn’t show us any of the multiplayer! The best we got was a brief mention of how the gap between multiplayer and single-player would be bridged. The only thing I saw that hinted at this was beating up some guy and stealing his dog tags. For a brief instant, there were a few murmurs of delight in the crowd. But that raised the question in my mind: “Why the heck would I care about a single-player NPCs dog tags?!”

The graphics are next level, for sure—but the story’s still wallowing in the muck. It seems that after Bad Company 1 and 2, DICE forgot what it meant to actually provide an entertaining single-player campaign. The action is run-of-the-mill, and the thing most folks really care about, the multiplayer, was noticeably absent. Of course, with all this being said, this was a 15-minute demo of what looked like the first level of the single-player campaign. Things can certainly change once we get longer demonstrations, hands-on previews, and the final review code.

But since this is all EA and DICE decided to show us, that’s all I can comment on—and what I saw had me shaking my head as I walked out of the theater.

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Hands-On: Transistor

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Turn up the radio

After their smash hit Bastion back in 2011, many of us wondered whether or not Supergiant Games would be able to replicate their success with such a small team. Then, last week, they released the first trailer announcing their new game, Transistor. And I know many people looked at that trailer and said “Hmmm… This looks like a cyberpunk Bastion.”

Well, I was fortunate enough to go hands-on with it at PAX East 2013 for 15 minutes, where it was playable on the show floor. And instead of just sharing my initial thoughts, I wanted to share with you the text message I sent to the rest of the EGM Crew upon my completion of the demo:

“OMG TRANSISTOR IS GOING TO BE AMAZING! THE TRAILER DOES NOT DO THIS GAME JUSTICE!”

Surely not my most professional moment, that’s for sure. But after reveling in the jealousy I’d kicked up among my coworkers, I took a minute to compose my thoughts about what I’d just seen, played, and—most impressively—heard.

Indeed, from the very first moments the demo started, an amazing song serenaded my ears as the opening text popped up onscreen. Not only was the song beautiful to hear, but its lyrics and melody also helped set the stage for the game. It immediately established a tone for Transistor and opened the door for a much easier opportunity to get immersed into this new world. If there’s anything that Supergiant seems to be keying in on as their forte when it comes to game development, it appears to be masterfully crafting an atmosphere right from the get-go—especially with sound—to help drive home the points of the game’s inventive script. 

Logan Cunningham, who played Rucks/The Narrator from Bastion, returns once more as your guide. We immediately learn the massive sword that protagonist Red wields is, in actuality, the Transistor. And the Transistor talks! (With a voice provided by Cunningham.). The sword also has some sort of history with Red—who interestingly enough (and continuing with the audio theme), cannot talk.

Shortly after the first tutorial battle, Red stumbles upon someone who was clearly less fortunate than she in regards to finding a giant talking sword. The Transistor then says that even though the person is deceased, it can talk to them. So, after talking briefly with the person’s digital soul, Red learns a new move that can be used in combat, as the soul becomes sucked into the blade.

Not only is this a phenomenal twist, it also sets up many questions about the origins of the Transistor, serving as a driving force to continue the story. Was the voice inside the Transistor related to Red in some way? Did this person use the Transistor to save their consciousness? Has the Transistor always been used like this? Whether or not the voice is a brother, lover, or complete stranger to Red, how the Transistor got that voice is another interesting subplot that formed in just my 15-minute demo. Mind you, the main plot of a futuristic world being subjugated by robots isn’t something to scoff at, either.

As story-driven as Transistor clearly is, it could be easy to look past the unique combat system it sports. Red can perform a variety of moves repeatedly in real time—a bit like a button-masher—that can wield destructive results against the forces who clearly wish to stop her. Whether it’s up-close stabs or long-range explosive blasts, the Transistor makes sure Red can hold her own.

What makes this unique, however, is that she can also activate a special power given to her by the Transistor that allows her to stop time. In this suspension of reality, Red can run around the battlefield and perform attacks—or avoid ones thrown her way in order to overcome what seems like insurmountable odds.

Red can only do so much in suspension before being forced to step back into real time, but once she does, everything she planned out in suspended reality will happen at lighting-fast speed, dealing extra damage or allowing her to escape unharmed. The disadvantage—which quickly becomes evident—is that Red then becomes very vulnerable for a short time. She must wait for a special meter at the top of the screen to refill before she can even attack in real time again—never mind slipping back into suspended reality.

This risk-reward dynamic, plus the badassery of being able to play with time, definitely gave Transistor a special feeling. Couple that with another enthralling story full of mystery and intrigue, and you can consider me hooked for sure. Now, it’s just a matter of finding out what systems Transistor will be available for—and counting the days to when it launches sometime in early 2014.

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EGM Review: Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon

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Fly Luigi to the Moon

When the GameCube launched in 2001 without an official Mario game, the Nintendo faithful were stunned. Instead, they got a title starring Mario’s brother, Luigi, and immediately many gamers got that sinking feeling that the system was getting off on the wrong foot. But those who actually gave the game a chance found a charming title that reminded us why Luigi deserves the spotlight—maybe not as often as his big bro, but at least once in a while.

The next logical conclusion, then, was that Nintendo wouldn’t launch a system with this game unless they wanted to turn it into a new series. So, we waited. And waited. And waited some more. Several systems, including handhelds, came and went. And after all this waiting, Luigi’s Mansion had been relegated to nothing more than a nice one-hit wonder.

As is often the case with Nintendo, however, just when you think you’ve figured them out, they surprise you. Nearly 12 years post-launch of the original, Nintendo’s decided to give us Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon for the 3DS, a true sequel to that GameCube launch title.

The action unfolds with Professor E. Gadd continuing his paranormal research in a land called Evershade Valley. Here, the ghosts are docile and friendly, like Casper or Slimer. But when the mystical Dark Moon, which hovers over the valley, is shattered into six pieces by Luigi’s old nemesis, King Boo, the ghosts go bonkers. E. Gadd barely escapes to a special safe house he’d constructed in case of such an emergency, and he knows there’s only one call to make.

Being the one man with any sort of ghost-busting expertise in the Mushroom Kingdom, Luigi knows he has to help E. Gadd restore peace to the valley—even if he’s absolutely terrified to do so. Armed with an upgraded Poltergust and flashlight, Luigi must travel to five different locations across the valley in the hopes of collecting the remaining pieces of the Dark Moon (one conveniently fell in E. Gadd’s lap after it broke apart) and helping the ghosts there revert to their more docile state.

The first thing you’ll notice is how pretty Dark Moon looks on the 3DS—and how well it takes advantage of the system’s one-of-a-kind aspects. The gloom and doom of a haunted valley doesn’t usually afford the most vibrant color scheme, but this just makes the bright green of Luigi’s clothes and the rainbow array of colors that represents your ghastly foes pop even more on the tiny screen. Also, the lighting effects are superb; entire rooms flash when lightning strikes, and blowing out candles with the Poltergust can completely change the ambiance of any given area. Dark Moon also takes full advantage of the system’s 3D capabilities by having several puzzles play off the depth perception created by the top screen. As for the bottom screen, a Zelda-like map and list of objectives are displayed to help keep Luigi on point through this 10 to 15-hour adventure.

Dark Moon’s level design is also head and shoulders above its predecessor. With five different haunted houses, each with their own theme, the bevy of different puzzles you’ll face will keep you on your toes and entertained through the two dozen stages. You also get to see the range of this new Poltergust and Luigi’s new flashlight, as some simple techniques learned early on get inventive uses later as the stages become more complex.

The game does supply a few frustrations, however; the most notable of these is the aiming system. Dark Moon is just another entry on the ever-growing list of 3DS titles that could benefit from the use of a second analog stick, as you can’t easily turn Luigi in one direction while moving in another. And it grows more frustrating, as you face tougher and tougher ghosts—and the pull against them is what allows you to suck them into the Poltergust.

In light of the fact that the 3DS only has one analog stick—and that Nintendo decided not to offer support for the Circle Pad Pro—you’re left to make use of the system’s gyroscope, but I don’t imagine anyone playing this will want to spin around wildly with their handheld in an attempt to complete the game. I can just imagine someone sitting on a plane, flailing around and smacking their neighbors in the face. When they ask why you did that, you can just reply that you were desperately trying to catch imaginary ghosts. I’m sure that’ll go over well with the FAA.

The story’s also a bit of a drawback, because just like his brother Mario’s adventures, Luigi’s tale here hits almost all the same beats as the first Luigi’s Mansion. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as the game still has a lot of charm and remains quite humorous as scaredy-cat Luigi progresses further and further. I just expected a little more. Then again, after 12 years, I’m sure not everyone remembers the original Luigi’s Mansion, so this could also serve as an entry point for rookies.

The single-player isn’t the only thing that really caught my eye; one of the more pleasant surprises here is the multiplayer. This option offers four different modes that can feature up to four friends in the ScareScraper, a haunted building where the game’s host can determine where the team of ghost-busting, multicolored Luigis can start at before racing to collect as many pesky poltergeists as possible. I wonder if part of my enjoyment was that it wasn’t just a rip-off of the Luigi’s Mansion minigame from Nintendo Land and instead its own unique feature, though. Nonetheless, if you can’t get enough of the single-player action and want more of a challenge, this is a solid place to look.

Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon’s charm, great looks, and interesting puzzles overshadow its few flaws to provide a quality experience that fans of the original and newcomers to the series alike should enjoy in earnest.

Developer: Next Level Games • Publisher: Nintendo • ESRB: E – Everyone • Release Date: 03.24.13
8.5
Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon maintains much of the charm of the original and benefits from a superior coat of paint and level design. But one limitation the 3DS has—its lack of a second joystick—can prove irksome, especially as you move into the latter stages.
The Good A large variety of levels and puzzles keep the experience fresh.
The Bad The aiming system is in desperate need of a second joystick.
The Ugly Nearly 12 years between titles and virtually the same story.
Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon is a Nintendo 3DS exclusive.
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Hands-On: Metro: Last Light

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The Mushroom Cloud Kingdom

Editor’s Note: This preview will reference events in Metro 2033 and might spoil some things for those who have yet to play it. Consider yourselves warned. 

It may not have been the prettiest game, and the AI was definitely flawed, but Metro 2033 was able to immerse gamers in ways other properties only dream of. Because of that, it earned a special place in the hearts of those who played it. In fact, it was difficult not to get sucked in to the hardship of everyday life that our hero Artyom had to go through, feeling like you were indeed living in Moscow’s Metro system after a nuclear holocaust.

You had to keep track of the air in your gasmask filter, scavenge for military grade bullets to use as currency, and use nothing but an old-school compass to navigate the world around you. And then, as many of these stories go, you became caught up in events much larger than yourself.

These events led to one of two endings in Metro 2033. The good ending saw you save the Dark Ones, strange creatures who were desperately trying to communicate with human kind and accidentally harming them in the process, and helping them learn how best to help us. The bad ending, which was much more common for most players, is also the canonical ending that Dmitry Glukhovsky penned in the book the game was based off of. In that ending, Artyom destroyed the Dark Ones, only realizing his blunder when it was too late, and then returning to the Metro, guilt-ridden and dejected.

After Metro 2033, Glukhovsky wrote a sequel titled, appropriately enough, Metro 2034 that took place one year after Artyom’s failure. But instead of having 4A Games craft a game directly around that novel, Glukhovsky wrote a new story, original to the video games, that follows Artyom down a different path. And thus, we have Metro: Last Light, which we were able to finally go hands-on with recently.

Still picking up a year after the events of the first game, Artyom, who was a bit green behind the ears before his encounter with the Dark Ones, has become a grizzled veteran Ranger of the Metro under the careful guidance of Miller, of the Spartan Order, since last we saw him. While going about his daily business, Artyom is confronted by one of his other mentors, Khan, who reveals to Artyom that a young Dark One survived despite his misguided efforts and was seen fending for itself amongst the shattered nest the creatures had once lived in.

Since many still perceive the Dark Ones as threats and that Artyom did the right thing, he is ordered by his superiors to destroy the creature, even if Artyom may have his doubts. Things have a habit of going sideways whenever you venture to the decimated surface, far away from the Metro, though. So, soon after beginning his search for the creature, Artyom runs across members of the Fourth Reich and things just get worse from there.

With the Metro series being so story driven, I really can’t go any further into the rest of the tale I saw unfold before me, but let me tell you, that if you’re a fan of the first Metro’s story, this looks to be shaping up to be even better.

I can talk a bit more about the game play, however. A lot of the great survival features from the first game are coming back. You still have to monitor your air when you go to the surface, ammo is scarce, and you still have to charge your headlamp manually. The entire idea of having to really struggle to survive is still perfectly in tact as you wrestle with situations like only having one clip left in your assault rifle, yet there is a room full of Nazis ahead of you and who are ready to turn their fully loaded rifles on you if you step into the light or make too much noise. Do you run or fight? And if you do fight, do you go the stealth route with your knife or go all out hoping to find extra ammo on dead bodies?

There are some critical differences to these situations as compared to the first game, though. 4A has crafted their own in house engine and have really keyed in on enemy AI with it. Should you alert one foe, the “hive mind” AI where the entire room would be aware from the first Metro is gone. Mind you, if you make too much noise you might alert the entire room anyway, but it makes sense now. Or if you’re too slow to take out the one enemy whose attention you’ve drawn, he will go get his trigger-happy buddies.

But should you choose to not fight and run away, or duck into air ducts or sewer grates and try to hide, the AI won’t stop looking for you after they’ve spotted you. You can’t trick the AI as easily in that regard. Like rabid dogs, if the AI knows there is an enemy nearby, they will continue to think their enemy is there, somewhere, until they get an all-clear from someone who has actually shot you, or you clear them all out first.  Or you keep moving away from where they are and hope they don’t follow, which sometimes they will!

And that is something else the AI impressed me with, even of the new mutant animals you’ll face: it is completely random. No situation will play out the same way twice. Paths enemies will walk around in a room, where monsters will or won’t spring up from, even who will attack whom when different species of monsters or conflicting human groups come across each other. You might be able to sneak by a firefight between the Reds and the Fourth Reich, or a shrimp monster (think of the prawn mutated to the size of a person) sparring with a dragon while on the surface looking for supplies.

The AI isn’t the only thing that is benefiting from this 4A engine, however. The graphics have been drastically improved, especially in terms of lighting effects. You can shoot a lantern and it will start a slow burning fire if it was set amongst dry boxes or kindling. Lighting is also a more critical factor in order for you to take the stealthier route through combat situations, as darkness is your greatest ally when you’re alone in the Metro.

In real life though, I hadn’t been alone and just as my hands started to work a groove into the controller from gripping it so tightly, it was time for me to relinquish it as my time with Metro: Last Light was up. When I was done with my slice of this post-apocalyptic first-person shooter, I was mighty impressed with how far the franchise had come technically in terms of game play, and I couldn’t help but immediately be sucked into the new, original story. Now it’s just a matter of waiting for May to go even deeper into the Metro.

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EGM Review: Assassin’s Creed III – The Tyranny of King Washington: Episode 2 – The Betrayal

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Fly Like an Eagle

Editor’s note: This review contains The Tyranny of King Washington: Episode 1 spoilers; it is recommended you play Episode 1 before reading our review of Episode 2.

Continuing the story started in the first episode of The Tyranny of King Washington, this episode, The Betrayal, features Ratonhnhaké:ton exploring a transformed Boston as he continues trying to unlock the mystery of how he’s ended up in an alternate universe.

After being captured by Israel Putnam during his assault against Benedict Arnold, Ratonhnhaké:ton is transported to Boston to be served up as a present to George Washington. Putnam has his own plan, however, hoping to use this gift to garner more favor with Washington and wrest Boston away from the clammy fingertips of the cowardly Ben Franklin. It’s while he is wasting away in a cell, waiting for Washington to decide his fate, that Ratonhnhaké:ton comes across an old friend from the past, learns that Sam Adams is a freedom fighter no matter what reality he’s in, and, most importantly, embraces his second spirit animal—the eagle.

The eagle spirit power focuses on the second pillar of Assassin’s Creed: movement. Transforming into an eagle allows Ratonhnhaké:ton to fly short distances, making it easier to cover more ground than on foot. Also, when in eagle form, Ratonhnhaké:ton can literally get the drop on his opponents as he performs some impressive aerial assassinations. Much better balanced than the wolf power, the eagle can only be used to move between certain points—and although it takes some getting used to, the additional crosshairs become second nature by the end of the tutorial, disguised as your “spirit journey.”

Unfortunately, a fair amount of the DLC still requires you to use the unbalanced wolf powers acquired in the first episode, making your time in Boston poorly spent; you can easily avoid open combat once again. Moving along the streets among Washington’s Bluecoats is a breeze, as you magically camouflage yourself in a wide-open area and reach your objectives with alarming speed; this turns your early missions into glorified fetch quests.

Despite a slow start to this section of the story, The Betrayal picks up dramatically once you no longer need to rely on your wolf powers. The second half starts an inevitable ramp up in the action that not only sees this episode conclude on a high note, but will hopefully continue to a satisfying climax in Episode 3.

As is the case with most Assassin’s Creed-related items, the story is the heaviest focus; in that regard, The Betrayal does a fine job of moving this tale along. Combine this with the inventive eagle powers and amped-up pacing seen in the latter stages, and anyone who enjoyed Episode 1 will no doubt enjoy their time, short as it is (the episode shouldn’t take most players more than 2 to 3 hours again). 

Developer: Ubisoft Quebec • Publisher: Ubisoft • ESRB: M – Mature • Release Date: 03.19.2013
7.5 The new eagle powers are far more impressive than the wolf skills from the first episode, and although the story drags early on, it picks up nicely towards the end, ramping up to a hopefully fitting—and satisfying— conclusion in the final episode.
The Good New eagle powers take some getting used to, but they make for interesting assassinations.
The Bad Needing to use wolf powers to worm your way through alternate-universe Boston.
The Ugly Ben Franklin as a sniveling coward in the mud.
Assassin’s Creed III: The Tyranny of King Washington – Episode 2: The Betrayal is available on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. Primary version reviewed was for Xbox 360.
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EGM Review: LEGO City Undercover

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We Built This City

As a child who grew up playing with LEGO, I came to love those themed sets that dealt with undersea exploration, deep-space mining, and pirates (not the stupid ones based off Pirates of the Caribbean, but actual pirates). Growing older, I also came to have an interest in Traveller’s Tales’ LEGO games, ever since the 2005 release of LEGO Star Wars (again, the Pirates of the Caribbean one was an exception). But much like how the models I created as a kid started to gather dust as I moved past that childhood phase, the licensed-movie LEGO games lost their luster—and my interest in the series became fleeting at best.

Then came LEGO Batman in 2008, which offered something substantially different: an original story not based on a movie. Of course, it wasn’t the deepest plot for a Batman-related property, considering the general audience of the LEGO games, but it rekindled a spark of interest in the series for me.

After LEGO Batman, though, Traveller’s Tales went back to their tried-and-true method of replicating movies. But, for me, it was too late. They’d opened Pandora’s Box. I’d seen that these games could actually take licensed properties and create original adventures—much like I did as a child with my toys. And it seems that, finally, Traveller’s Tales has realized this is the way to reach the largest possible audience.

Once they repeated their success with Batman in LEGO Batman 2: DC Superheroes, Traveller’s Tales turned their attention to LEGO City, the longest continuously running theme in the building blocks’ history (if you include the “Trains” series under LEGO City, which I do). Here was the biggest challenge yet—unlike Batman, no source material existed beyond the actual building kits themselves. And much like I did as a child, the developers used their imaginations to mold easily the most entertaining LEGO game to date.

The story revolves around one Chase McCain, a disgraced cop who gets a second chance when the criminal mastermind he once helped take down, Rex Fury, escapes from prison and sets off on the largest crime wave in LEGO City history. McCain’s greatest strength lies in the fact that he’s a master of disguise; he can don eight unique outfits to solve puzzles and work his way through LEGO City’s surprisingly seedy underbelly to get another shot at Fury. Rex can also commandeer most vehicles due to his police status, and he puts his police training to use to jump, climb, or free-run around any obstacles in his path.

In other words, a lot of the more “mature” mechanics we see in games like Grand Theft Auto or Assassin’s Creed are incorporated into a kids’ game here. Would this make LEGO City Undercover a “gateway game,” then, for younger players? I don’t know the answer to that one, but it allowed me to thoroughly immerse myself in an experience that I initially thought might have trouble appealing to a grown-up audience.

Stellar gameplay isn’t the only thing that transcends demographics, however. LEGO City Undercover makes constant references to classic TV shows and movies like The Shawshank Redemption, Starsky and Hutch, and every single Arnold Schwarzenegger flick without losing its primary target audience. I laughed at the Austrian-accented construction worker who makes references to avoiding “collateral damage” on the dig site and hates that the electric fence “jingles all the way” as it opens, while my 10-year-old cousin laughed because the character sounds funny. I laughed at the man in the prison yard who helps me break into Rex Fury’s cell because he’s doing a spot-on Morgan Freeman impersonation; my 10-year-old cousin laughed because the character sounds funny.

Mind you, these characters are also integral to moving forward a plot that takes you all over a massive LEGO metropolis that compares in scope to most any other open-world title—and should take most gamers 12 to 15 hours to complete. That timeframe’s only in terms of the story, though; LEGO City Undercover may also be a completionist’s worst nightmare, with dozens of different activities that include time-trial races, photo missions, foiling random robberies, and even catching aliens on the way to hoarding more than 500 collectibles. This could bloat the time needed to 100-percent the game to double—if not triple—what it takes to beat the story.

As good as all this sounds, though, LEGO City Undercover inherits a few issues from its predecessors—mostly on the technical side. The driving controls feel loose, and considering how large the world is, driving’s a necessary action to get from Point A to Point B—especially since there isn’t a fast-travel system to speak of if you don’t build it first. The idea of needing to collect bricks to build up the world around you to open up train stations, ports for boats, or car garages fits in well with the theme, but it’s counterintuitive for an open-world game and needlessly lengthens some trips between missions. It’s rare that you’ll have enough bricks to open up a point on your first visit there.

Speaking of needlessly lengthening the experience, the game’s load times are abysmal. I know these are a necessary evil, but LEGO City Undercover features easily some of the longest waits I’ve experienced in years; the game just seems to taunt you with a progress bar on the Wii U GamePad that ever-so-slowly fills up. Anytime I entered a building or started a new mission, I was met with yet another progress bar—and another clump of hair I’d pulled from my head in frustration.

While on the subject of the GamePad, not only is it used to communicate with the police station, but it also serves as an audio listening tool, and as a camera during surveillance missions. It’s an ingenious little plot device, but it was a mistake to also place the city map on the GamePad’s screen. I’d crash far too often while driving when I looked down for more efficient paths to my objective, since the ones given via the AI—represented by a path of green studs on my TV screen—were some of the most roundabout ways to get to a destination I’ve ever seen.

LEGO City Undercover is also one of the few Wii U titles that doesn’t allow you to play entirely on the GamePad because of these mechanics, which meant that I had to choose between watching hockey and playing this game—instead of doing both at the same time like with most other Wii U games.

Another returning LEGO problem here is the ever-broken camera. It’s understandably fixed in many instances in order to hide certain collectibles, but not being able to move the camera during a lot of the free-run sequences had me missing platforms, climbing in the wrong direction, or just not being able to see where I needed to go next.

These technical shortcomings aside, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a good time playing LEGO City Undercover. The plot’s definitely the best in a LEGO title yet, and it makes me hope that Traveller’s Tales continues down the path of original games based on licensed products—not straight-up movie rip-offs. The music does a great job of added to the lighthearted tone, and the voice acting’s superb all around. Children of all ages (even this 27-year-old one!) can laugh at different points about different things without the quality of the experience diminished.

If you’re one of the few people who actually owns a Wii U, LEGO City Undercover will serve as a nice break from the gaming drought you’ve been suffering as of late. If nothing else, the bevy of collectibles here should keep you busy just long enough until Nintendo releases another worthwhile title for the system—several more months down the road.

Developer: TT Fusion • Publisher: Nintendo • ESRB: E10+ – Everyone 10 and up • Release Date: 03.18.2013
8.0 Great gameplay and a humorous, well-written plot are more than enough to help LEGO City Undercover overcome some of the franchise’s lingering technical flaws, making it one of the few worthwhile experiences on the Wii U.
The Good Well written; incorporates all the best mechanics from previous LEGO games.
The Bad Also incorporates all the worst mechanics from previous LEGO games.
The Ugly So many collectibles that completionists won’t sleep for weeks.
LEGO City Undercover is a Wii U exclusive.
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EGM Review: Dead Space 3: Awakened

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Rise and shine

WARNING: This review contains spoilers in regards to Dead Space 3. If you haven’t finished Dead Space 3, you shouldn’t read this DLC review.

After destroying the Marker signal at the end of Dead Space 3, Isaac Clarke and Sgt. John Carver’s fates were unknown. All we knew was that, somehow, they’d survived after Isaac’s voice came across the radio calling out for Ellie conveniently after she rocketed off into slip space. Dead Space 3: Awakened is downloadable content intended to explain just what happened after the Necromoon fell from the sky and crashed back into Tau Volantis—and how Isaac’s still kicking around on that iceball.

The primary problem with Awakened is that it fails to explain anything, is full of loopholes, and asks players to suspend belief far too many times. The story begins with Isaac waking up in an ice cavern on Tau Volantis. When he and Carver realize they’re not dead, they try to figure out how they survived riding a moon into a planet like a cowboy straddling a bull at the rodeo. Isaac’s answer? Aliens. Something on Tau Volantis didn’t want them to die. Even Carver recoils at the idea and calls Isaac crazy, speaking for everyone who’ll play this mess of a tale.

Once our heroes come to their senses a bit, they realize that many of Danik’s men who were stationed on the planet at the end of Dead Space 3 are still around. So, Isaac and John decide if they can steal one of Danik’s ships, they can get back to Earth, and if they need spare parts, they can grab some from the ghost flotilla still orbiting Tau Volantis. Of course, at this point, I’m still trying to figure out how anything survived on the planet so perfectly AFTER A MOON DROPPED FROM ORBIT ONTO EVERYTHING. The ship graveyard, the men still stationed on the planet, all the ships—they should all have been wiped out. Maybe because the moon was made of flesh, it cushioned the blow? Maybe because Isaac is crazy, he’s still just floating in space on life support, and it’s all a dream? I don’t know the answer, because Awakened asks you to just take everything at face value with no explanation whatsoever.

The technical reason why nothing was destroyed is a lot more depressing than poor storytelling—it’s just plain laziness. Instead of creating new levels, the three chapters of Awakened simply reuse sites that Isaac and John have already visited, culminating back on the Terra Nova. At least the locations look a little different at certain points, especially the Terra Nova itself. Danik’s men who survived (but shouldn’t have) have a rift form in their ranks, which leads to some forming their own cultlike church aboard the Terra Nova and deforming their bodies to look like Necromorphs, even though they’re not quite dead—and causing Clarke and Carver all kinds of trouble.

Beyond the story, Awakened‘s other major flaw is that it’s short, even for DLC. If it takes you more than 90 minutes to beat this, hang up your headset because you have to admit you’re just not that good at games. Heck, the end credits are nearly as long as Awakened itself. For $10 (800 Microsoft Points), there’s just not enough value here for that inflated price tag.

Now, my review has been resoundingly negative thus far, but I’d be remiss if I failed to mention some aspects of Awakened that I thoroughly enjoyed once I ignored the flawed logic the story beat me over the head with. Unlike in Dead Space 3, there’s actually a lot of tension here. The hallucinations that plagued Isaac in the first two games return in full force; you’ll be walking along, when suddenly, the screen will flash red and enemies will appear out of nowhere, making the action far less predictable than in the main game.

The red tint may signify that the enemies are only hallucinations—but to Isaac, they’re all too real, so you have to fight them as you would actual enemies, consuming ammo and losing health along the way. Of course, if they’re not real in the physical plane, they shouldn’t drop ammo, health, and items! But the idea that Isaac’s mind is being torn through like wet toilet paper is a theme that the main game sorely lacked, and it’s a welcome addition.

For its faults, Dead Space 3 was certainly a polished experience, and that’s also the case with Awakened. The non-story-related banter between Clarke and Carver is witty and entertaining, and the idea of a crazed space cult onboard a dead ship gives the game an old-school Dead Space feel that most fans of the series have missed—and will appreciate seeing again. I loved the boss battles, new enemies, and the general feeling of not knowing what was around every corner. If Visceral could’ve somehow combined the gameplay found here with the story of Dead Space 3, I think a vast majority of fans would’ve been a lot more satisfied with the final product.

Developer: Visceral Games • Publisher: Electronic Arts • ESRB: M – Mature • Release Date: 03.12.2013
6.5 Dead Space 3 would have been well served to include some of the thrilling gameplay featured here, but Awakened‘s convoluted narrative has far too many absurd plot holes—and is far too short—to be worth anything to anyone but the most die-hard Dead Space fans.
The Good Provides the kind of psychological horror we expected from the main game.
The Bad Very short; backtracking through old levels; too many plot holes.
The Ugly Trying to play with a solid grip on science and logic.
Dead Space 3: Awakened is available on PS3 (PSN), Xbox 360 (XBLA), and PC. Primary version reviewed was for XBLA.
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EGM Review: God of War: Ascension

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March 9, 2013

Kratos goes through the motions

When Kratos arrived on the scene back in 2005, he quickly became one of my favorite gaming protagonists—probably because we had so much in common. We both have familial roots in the Mediterranean. We both have wicked-awesome goatees. And we’re both fueled by an all-consuming rage that the rest of the EGM crew can attest to me possessing when it’s my turn to drive during lunch break. (Stupid SoCal drivers.) Anyway, it’s been with great joy that I’ve played every God of War game to date.

But I’ll admit that when I heard about God of War: Ascension being a prequel, I was filled with more fear than joy. Personally, I can’t remember anything with that label that lived up to what came before it, whether it was a movie, comic book, or videogame. So, it was with much trepidation that I fired up Ascension, not really knowing what to expect.

This trip back in time finds Kratos taking on the Furies in an attempt to break his bond to Ares—and sets our bald, brawny antihero down the path of the main God of War trilogy. You see, before Kratos was to make his mad, one-man assault against Ares in the original God of War, he had to break the magical bond that tied him to the god to begin with. Otherwise, he’d be powerless in his quest for revenge.

Breaking a vow with a god, however, is not taken lightly. It’s here that we meet the Furies, whose sole purpose is to make those who would go back on their word suffer for all eternity. And it’s with great joy that this trio of underworld goddesses adds Kratos to their list of prisoners. He’s not into BDSM, though (at least when it comes to himself), and so the game opens with Kratos escaping his prison on the massive, 100-handed Hekatonkheires, a giant more powerful than even the Titans—and the first to break his word to a god. In his case, Zeus.

These opening scenes pull you back into the familiar button-prompt events and blood-gushing brutality that’s defined much of the God of War series. For fans of the franchise, this will feel like second nature, as the game keeps the action heavy from this opening confrontation with the Furies to the end credits. And you’ll immediately appreciate the cinematic quality of the camera movements that attempt to give Ascension that epic feeling we all expect.

The camera isn’t perfect all the time, though, and it provides the only real technical flaw I found with the experience. As Kratos begins his escape of the Hekatonkheires prison, the camera pulls out—this game actually found an even bigger creature than the Titans to have Kratos run around on. The detail and scope of this monster is exquisite, and it makes you wish that the action would let up for just a short while so you can take in the magnificent scene properly.

As the camera pans out farther and farther, the action continues on the ground as prisoners under the Furies’ control continue their assault. With the camera zoomed so far out in order to give a glimpse of the monumental levels, though, I couldn’t differentiate between Kratos and the enemies trying to attack him. And this continues throughout the game; you’ll find several instances where the camera flares out and Kratos is a mere speck against this gorgeous background. But the enemies keep coming.

Despite the occasionally wonky camera and segments where the action flows poorly, Ascension is still an impressive achievement on a technical level. The graphics and sound are both top notch, and the gameplay itself may well be the best we’ve seen from the series. The new combat system is the most elaborate yet, with seven brand-new powers, a new sub-weapon system that allows for a bevy of new combos, and a refined Rage meter that fills up and depletes faster than ever before, offering the best button-mashers multiple moments for Kratos to flip out.

But while the game shines technically, it stumbles creatively. While the variety here is appreciated, much of it’s simply borrowed from other franchises, making several sequences feel less like God of War and more like any old action-adventure title—such as the sliding sequences down slippery hills, a flavor of the month in game design right now. Meanwhile, the climbing segments through dilapidated ruins remind me more of Uncharted than God of War, while Kratos’ new time-control power screams Prince of Persia.

And this brings us back to the story. Whether you’re a God of War apologist or a stern critic of the franchise, it’s easy to see that this is the weakest story the series has offered yet. I understand that it’s difficult to craft an original tale when fans already know that no matter what happens, Kratos’ fate is sealed. That’s a motif central to Greek mythology, but it’s not a really a big bonus for a videogame.

The new villains are poorly developed and desperately try to fill the role that Ares—and, later, Zeus—provided over the main trilogy, and they fail miserably in this attempt. The levels, although definitely gorgeous and massive, are also the weakest in terms of ingenuity the series has ever seen. And the mythological references are so obscure that you’ll need Google open nearby at all times. It feels like Ascension tries to wring out the last few drops from a dried-out dish rag of mythos. Oh, and let’s not forget the plot holes left open by Kratos’ new powers that he obviously never had in the main series. So, what the heck happened to them? Oh, that’s right—you take them into multiplayer.

Yes, here comes my obligatory statement on that segment. I did indeed try every mode several times and poured a half dozen hours into the experience, leveling up my character and maxing out several pieces of equipment. Early on in the game, while Kratos is escaping his prison, you come across another prisoner who’s thrilled—at first—to be freed by Kratos. But elation sooner turns to fear, as the chaos Kratos has unleashed begins to wash over him. But before this random NPC can pay the ultimate price, he’s magically teleported to Olympus and becomes the basis for your avatar in multiplayer, where you’re tasked with choosing a god to champion from Ares, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades (based off the four elemental powers Kratos acquires in single-player). Depending upon whom you choose, your powers and buffs change.

After a quick training session with your chosen abilities, it’s off to the arenas—and it’s nice to see familiar series backdrops here, as iconic locations like the Labyrinth Cube from God of War III are reimagined. You also have theGod of War take on your standard smattering of multiplayer modes like Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Point, Capture the Flag, and even a wave based co-op mode. Some of these play better than others, though, as the arenas are smaller (for the most part) in an attempt to jack up the encounter rates, since every battle is hand-to-hand. This works well in Deathmatch and even Capture the Point, but Capture the Flag is a mess—a team that works well together can win a match in only a couple of minutes with the flags so close together. The small teams—maximum 4-vs.-4—also put a limit on what could’ve been some truly chaotic-yet-fun multiplayer action.

Really, this multiplayer isn’t anything we haven’t seen before; it reminded me of BioShock 2’s in many ways, as it takes modern designs and conforms them to the God of War theme. But the gimmick wears out quickly, and I found myself bored far too often. It’s not a bad add-on, but for as much as it’s been hyped, it’s not something that was really necessary, either—and I doubt many players will put more than a couple of semi-enjoyable hours into it.

God of War: Ascension is a highly polished action-adventure game—and probably one of the strongest we’ll see from a  technical standpoint this year. But the soul of what made this franchise great is lost here, as this ultimately feels like a last-ditch attempt to squeeze in one last Kratos appearance this console generation. In the end,Ascension will be remembered as if Kratos’ legendary rage and anger simply faded out as an exasperated sigh of resignation.

Developer: Sony Santa Monica • Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment • ESRB: M – Mature • Release Date: 03.12.2013
7.0 A clear example of a studio going to the well with a franchise one too many times. Although highly polished and still entertaining for fans of the franchise, Ascension lacks the soul of its predecessors as it scrapes the bottom of the Greek-mythology barrel to try to deliver on a franchise that’s clearly run dry of fresh ideas.
The Good More elaborate combat system punctuated by a refined Rage meter.
The Bad The story is easily the weakest of the series.
The Ugly A parasite-infected Hekatonkheires.
God of War: Ascension is a PS3 exclusive.
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