Tag Archive: review


EGM Review: Resident Evil: Chronicles: HD Collection

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July 8, 2012

Don’t forget to bring an Umbrella

Serving as a refresher course on the bulk of the Resident Evil series before Resident Evil 6 hits this October, Resident Evil: Chronicles HD Collection pairs the previously released Umbrella Chronicles and Darkside Chronicles for the Wii, gives them an HD facelift, and delivers them on a silver platter for less than $30 on the PS3. And, considering the amount of content here, if you haven’t played these on-rails renditions of the original classic Resident Evil game—or the originals, period—you should definitely jump on this bargain.

But if you’ve played these titles previously and remember all the way back to 1996 (when the first Resident Evil released), there really isn’t much here that you haven’t already seen. Not to mention that if you lack a Move controller, you’re out of luck altogether. Sure, seeing the original Resident Evil titles from a first-person, on-rails arcade-shooter perspective might be interesting, as they offer slightly different takes on the in-game events. Aside from reliving the major beats of this iconic survival-horror franchise from a different viewpoint, though, there’s just nothing new to suck you in.

Umbrella Chronicles follows Resident Evil Zero, the original Resident Evil, and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis. What’s interesting here, though, is that the between-level narration comes via the viewpoint of the franchise’s longtime antagonist, Albert Wesker. The final level is original to Umbrella Chronicles (though not the collection) and offers you the chance to play as Wesker as he attempts to remove Umbrella’s most important files from a Russian stronghold while Chris and Jill try to take it down.

Darkside Chronicles follows Resident Evil 2 and Code: Veronica and also sees its own original chapter (again, not original to the collection) that centers around the personal loss of many of the series’ more popular protagonists.

I will say that if you’ve never played these games before, there’s a chance you could easily get addicted if you’re a lightgun fiend. The action plays out like a classic arcade game, with plenty of collectibles in each level that help flesh out the Resident Evil backstory. And, much like the Wiimote did during these games’ first run, the Move controller works perfectly for on-rails action like this, especially if you’ve got the Sharp Shooter attachment.

Again, the major drawback here is that if you’ve played these games before, there’s really no point in picking them up again aside from the promise of crisper graphics—and this isn’t a title that, by itself, is going to sell you on a Move controller. But if you haven’t played these games and have a Move controller, you can’t go wrong if you’re looking to kill a few hours with some classic arcade lightgun action based on a story millions of gamers already know and love.

SUMMARY: Resident Evil: Chronicles HD Collection is a solid pairing considering the price tag, but with nothing new besides the HD facelift, there’s little here to entice veteran players.  

  • THE GOOD: Plenty of content for the low price point.
  • THE BAD: Nothing new aside from the improved graphics.
  • THE UGLY: Nemesis is even uglier in HD.

SCORE: 7.0

Resident Evil: Chronicles HD Collection is a PS3 exclusive.

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EGM Movie Review: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

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Four gore and seven years ago…

By the time we’re probably about 10 years old, if not younger, we all know who Abraham Lincoln is and we continue to learn about him throughout out lives. And because of this we all know the major talking points about him. He freed the slaves, saved the Union, and was assassinated in a theater (there’s obviously a lot more, but I’m not writing a biography here). But what if there was more to him than what we knew in our history books?

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, based off the book of the same name, is the fun, over-the-top, action-packed ‘what if?’ story about out 16th President and if the driving force behind many of his greatest moments in history was really all just part of his unending campaign to destroy the undead bloodsuckers.

Starting off in his early childhood with his parents as indentured servants, Abe rushes to the aide of an African-American friend of his named Will Johnson who was being whipped for no good reason. When the taskmaster looks to strike Abe as well for interjecting, Abe’s father rushes in and strikes the man. The landowner that Abe’s family works for doesn’t take kindly to this and threatens to collect all his debts that evening. And indeed he does as that night, the man enters the Lincoln home, reveals himself as a vampire, and drains Abe’s mother right before his eyes as he peered through the cracks in the bunk above. Thus, Abe’s lifelong quest for vengeance began.

It is also after this that the movie quickly changes pace from something a bit more suspenseful to straight up action with a small dose of comedy along the way. If you’re looking to be scared folks, this definitely isn’t the movie for you. If you’re looking for some deep, moving experience, look elsewhere. If you’re looking for a dude dressed like Abe Lincoln to act like a badass and chop off vampires’ heads with an axe, you’ve come to the right place, and in that regard, this movie is very solid.

The fight scenes are well planned out and indeed, young Abe, and even older Abe, comes off looking like someone who knows well what he’s doing. And with the History channel-like narration, you almost believe that this could have all actually happened as the movie does a wonderful job of buying so deeply into the idea of vampires being a real threat to the well-being of our nation in the mid-19th century.

The acting is also solid throughout from all major players, but Dominic Cooper as Henry Sturges, Abe’s vamp killing mentor, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Mary Todd Lincoln steal the show though on the whole.

The only real drawbacks I think for the movie is the fact that the character development is relatively weak, especially when it comes to Abe’s training as a vampire hunter, which very much used the montage method to blow through it. The definition of the vampire menace was also very unclear, relying on only a few lines of dialogue to explain the differences between the vampires Abe faces and the ones people have come to expect from other forms of media. For example, the vampires in this movie can go in the sun, whereas it is widely accepted that this is the one true weakness to the undead.

Aside from this though, if you’re looking for some mindless fun from a well-made action flick, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is a solid choice. Good acting, great action sequences, a little bit of humor, and even a few nods to history that folks might find enjoyable round out a solid night at the movies.

SCORE: 7.5

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EGM Review: LEGO Batman 2: DC Superheroes

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You can call me…JOKER!

In my mind, the major issue holding the Lego videogame franchise back since its 2005 debut has been the strict guidelines to which the games adhere, since they’re all based on established properties. Mind you, they’re all terrific franchises: Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, and soon, Lord of the Rings. But one game in the series that bucked that trend was the first Lego Batman. Though the Caped Crusader’s clearly an established property, the story didn’t limit itself to a comic book, cartoon, or movie story arc—and many of us celebrated that fact.

Flash forward four years after the release of the first Lego Batman, and developer Traveller’s Tales has decided to forgo their proven-successful mold once more with Lego Batman 2: DC Superheroes. Not only does this entry provide players with an original storyline, but it also marks several significant series firsts. Midlevel checkpoints might be one of the more noticeable changes, as the size and scale of each story level is several times larger than anything else seen to date in the Lego franchise. The game also includes a centralized hub world—in this case, Lego Gotham City—that connects players to many of the major plot points.

But let’s get to the biggest change: talking! For the first time ever, each character in the game actually speaks and doesn’t just mime their intentions or resort to physical humor to get a point across. Now, that’s not to say that the childish Lego slapstick’s been entirely done away with—there’s just a bit less of it. And DC Superheroes’ cast is more or less a Who’s Who of voice actors, with Nolan North, Rob Paulsen, Claudia Black, Tara Strong, Jennifer Hale, and many more—spearheaded by Clancy Brown, who reprises his DC Animated role of Lex Luthor.

But as always, it’s that classic Lego gameplay model of destroying and rebuilding everything in your path—and the kooky plot at the center of it all—that really makes DC Superheroes. And, of course, as our tale unfolds, the Joker’s back up to his old hijinks; he crashes the Gotham “Man of the Year” awards, demanding that he should be the recipient. Bruce Wayne, the actual winner, makes a quick costume change into Batman and proceeds to apprehend his longtime nemesis. But Lex Luthor, also in attendance, decides that working with the Joker to possibly help rig his upcoming presidential run could be just what he needs to change his address to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. And so, as soon as the Joker lands back in Arkham Asylum, Lex busts him out. A nefarious duo of such epic proportions might be too much for even Batman to handle, so the entire Justice League comes in to lend their support.

More so than any Lego game to date, this one should strike a chord with audiences of all ages. Older Batfans will appreciate several moments that pay homage to Adam West, Michael Keaton, and essentially every actor who’s worn the cape and cowl over the years, while younger players will love being able to break apart and rebuild an entirely interactive Gotham. And with the expanded roster of the Justice League at your command, exploring the same area with different characters can make DC Superheroes seem like a whole new adventure each time—not to mention that you’ll need to switch often if you want to find every secret red or golden block.

The expanded Gotham does provide some navigational problems, though. Although the game includes a map feature—and you can place markers that create a Fable-like trail in the ground comprised of Lego studs—the markers blend too easily into the background and can be confused with those you pick up as currency to unlock characters. And while there’s also a compass in the upper-left corner of your HUD when in the Gotham hub world, it’s difficult to really tell where you want to go, especially when soaring around in the Batwing or taking hairpin turns in the Batmobile—the compass spins around faster than the Flash on a straightaway!

Despite these occasional navigational issues, though, this is still the most complete experience you’re likely to get in a Lego game. Whether it’s taking to the air as Superman, making constructs as the Green Lantern, or just sticking to the main story as the Dark Knight and rocking out in his iconic vehicles, gamers of all ages should be able to appreciate what Lego Batman 2: DC Superheroes brings to the table.

SUMMARY: Easily the best Lego game yet, Lego Batman 2: DC Superheroes’ expansive world, original story, and bevy of unlockables should please fans of all ages.  

  • THE GOOD: Massive world, entertaining original story.
  • THE BAD: Easy to get lost in Lego Gotham.
  • THE UGLY: Aquaman. Aquaman is always the answer to this one.

SCORE: 9.5

Lego Batman 2: DC Superheros is available on Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Wii, DS, 3DS, and PS Vita. Primary version reviewed was for the Xbox 360. 

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EGM Review: Pokémon Conquest

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Gotta conquer it all

Since the “Gotta Catch ‘em All” superfad days of the late ’90s, Pokemon’s been a gaming staple that’s transcended audiences due to its addictive, turn-based RPG base and its cute, family-friendly humor and themes. But like all great Nintendo cash cows, it also needs to break away from the formula every once in a while in order to possibly reach new audiences (and wallets). That’s what led to the creation of the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon spin-off, after all—and to the game we’re looking at today.

Pokémon Conquest is a cross between the pocket monsters we know and love and the classic Tecmo Koei strategy series Nobunaga’s Ambition, which tasks players with uniting feudal Japan under one banner. In this game, you’re the newest daimyo in the land of Ransei, a Japanese-inspired realm. Along with your loyal pet Eevee, you’ll build an army comprised of the best Pokémon trainers in the land in order to conquer the 17 other daimyos and rule Ransei. Each daimyo, just like in all the other Pokémon games, battles using themes based around specific types of Pokémon—and, with 17 daimyos to conquer, you’re sure to see each type represented once.

But if you’re expecting a traditional Pokémon game beyond those aspects, you’ll be sorely disappointed. The Pokémon you wield are simply tools to carry out macro and micro strategies on a gridlike battlefield. In fact, Pokémon traditionalists may well be irked by the gameplay. But if you can look past what this game isn’t and focus more on what it is, you’ll find a deep, well-polished, engrossing strategy offering.

The bulk of the actual gameplay sees you positioning your Pokémon around a field, moving them square by square in standard strategy-game fashion and then either choosing to attack, hold your position, or use an item, which reminded me of a poor man’s Fire Emblem. One downside to this, though, is that each Pokémon only has one attack move instead of the traditional four. That means that once you choose to attack, your turn with that Pokémon is all but over. For a game revolving around strategy, removing that classic Pokémon element is somewhat puzzling. That, and when—or if—a Pokémon evolves almost seems to come at random, as the leveling-up system we know and love has also been replaced by a Pokémon’s “strength rating” and a meter measuring the relationship with their respective trainer.

The biggest key to success in Pokémon Conquest, though, is that instead of capturing new Pokémon, you recruit new trainers and their specific Pokémon to your cause and build your army up. This is an interesting dynamic, as you can fight with up to six Pokemon per turn; once you reach the limit of six trainers in your party, though, you’ll need to start distributing other trainers to previously conquered lands. But since each land can also only hold six trainers at a time, you’re very limited in who you can or can’t recruit—and this will surely frustrate players used to trying to complete their Pokédex (now replaced by a common gallery) and having as many Pokéballs they could buy and then just storing them in a massive PC.

Though the Pokémon label might be slightly disingenuous, Conquest does offer a novel, enjoyable take on the strategy genre—and the Pokémon brand also gives the traditionally hardcore strategy genre a modicum of accessibility to a wider audience. If the wider Pokémon fanbase can look past a few curious decisions in regards to this odd franchise marriage, they’ll find a strong strategy title that should provide some severe addiction in its own right.

SUMMARY: Another solid Pokémon spin-off, but die-hard fans will quickly miss much of the gameplay from the main series.

  • THE GOOD: Interesting blend of turn-based strategy elements with Pokémon.
  • THE BAD: Hardcore Pokémon fans will miss the traditional catching and leveling aspects of the main series.
  • THE UGLY: Some of the simplest level design you’ll ever see.

SCORE: 8.0

Pokémon Conquest is a Nintendo DS exclusive.     

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EGM Review: Dragon’s Lair – XBLA

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June 2, 2012

The Groundhog Day of Video Games

Dragon’s Lair is considered by many to be one of the most important early arcade games. Only one of three games to be featured permanently in the Smithsonian along with Pong and Pac-Man, Dragon’s Lair marked a lot of firsts for the gaming world back in 1983. It marked the first time anything but a sprite was used as the main character in a game, courtesy of the game’s creator, former Disney animator Don Bluth. It was the first arcade game to cost 50 cents instead of just a quarter. And it was the advent of the quicktime event.

The entire basis of the game was to guide Dirk the Daring through a random assortment of rooms where he would have to dodge using the four points of a d-pad or attack with his sword and press them at the proper time. If successful enough times (or after enough quarters), Dirk would rescue the very lovely Princess Daphne from the dastardly dragon, Singe and they’d live happily ever after.

Flash forward nearly three decades later and the game has been ported literally dozens of times and has been on nearly every system imaginable. So it was destined I suppose that this arcade classic was to make its way to the Xbox 360. In the hopes of giving this relic a little bounce to its step though, the game has also been made compatible for the Kinect, marking another first for Dragon’s Lair as it is the first downloadable XBLA game where you can play the entire thing through either via the Kinect or a controller like in the old days.

But, after playing through the game with both control methods, I can say with total confidence that as historic as Dragon’s Lair may be, it does not stand the test of time. The original Don Bluth animation is still stunning, but there are various glitches abound that were never smoothed out due to the game’s format. It is also alarmingly simple and should not take you more than 30 minutes to work your way through on even the hardest difficulty levels now that you have to pay $10 up front instead of worrying about feeding quarters into a machine.

The game still holds some of its charm with the princess constantly calling for you to save her and the humorous ways Dirk can die if not quick enough with your button presses, but nostalgia can only do so much. And if you want to give kids a history lesson in games, there are surely better ways. The Kinect controls are also, as usual, absolutely unnecessary and if you really want to get the best experience from this game, you have to use the controller all the way. Jumping left, right, forward, and back to dodge doesn’t immerse you as much as I’m sure the additions were intended to.

All in all, Dragon’s Lair was a significant note in gaming history back in 1983. But now, in 2012, it just can’t stand up to the games that we are used to seeing today and I don’t see it being worth $10 just to have a history lesson on your Xbox 360. Nostalgia can only do so much folks and at in the end, it isn’t enough to make Dragon’s Lair really worthwhile.

SUMMARY:  There is a lot of historical gravitas that Dragon’s Lair carries, but with over five dozen ports since its 1983 arcade launch, the game lacks punch, especially on modern consoles. There may be a nostalgia factor here for some, and it might be a good history lesson for others, but the game really doesn’t stand the test of time.

  • THE GOOD: Few games carry as much historical weight
  • THE BAD: Short, simple, and lacks modern appeal
  • THE UGLY:  Definitely not Princess Daphne! Hellloooooo princess!

SCORE: 3.0

Dragon’s Lair is available on Nintendo 3DS, PSN (PS3), PS Vita, PC, iOS, and XBLA (Xbox 360). Primary version reviewed was for XBLA (Xbox 360).    

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EGM Review: Battleship

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Battleship Sunk

Battleship might very well be the poster child for what we’ve come to expect from your standard movie game. A very solid core is in place that could be found enjoyable by a large group of gamers, but because of a short dev-cycle, the game lacks the polish worthy of a $60 price tag and feels like it belongs more on a system from a generation or two ago with the lack of features it boasts.

One of the most glaring flaws for the game was the overall lack of plot development. You are thrown into the middle of an alien invasion right from the get go with no set-up whatsoever. You then spend only 5-7 hours, depending on your chosen difficulty level, working through some of the most generic corridor game play you’ll find only to receive a bare-bones resolution at the end with some of the worst cut scenes you’ll see on modern consoles. Also, no one from the movie is featured (I want to hear Liam Neeson yell ‘You Sunk My Battleship!’) and the little voice acting that is used is complete and utter garbage making the game play feel even more cheap and cobbled together.

The flaws don’t stop there though. The environments you find yourself in are as generic as they come. I understand most of the movie, and therefore the game, takes place in and around the Hawaiian Islands, but these environments and level layouts were so uninspired that you end up re-visiting three levels again and performing nearly the same mission, but with more bad guys and doing it at night. Add in a lack of weapon choice, there being only three types of enemies on the ground, and repetitive mission objectives, and ‘lackluster’ doesn’t even start to scratch the surface for how disappointing much of the world you find yourself in is.

The game does have a single saving grace though and that is its combination RTS and FPS mechanics. Half the game takes place on the ground in your standard FPS world where you play as Cole Mathis, a bomb disposal expert who is charged with rallying the troops to fend back the alien invasion. The other half though is where you take to a satellite image that plays out like the old-school grid-based Milton Bradley board game. From here you can position your ships (up to five depending on the level, just like the board game) and must outmaneuver the alien fleet, laying waste to their various ships and protecting the coastlines along the way. By protecting the coasts, Cole can call in cannon and missile strikes from his nearby fleet to help him on the ground while he moves about sabotaging alien structures so the fleet can move more freely. By working together, and occasionally taking remote control of a respective ship’s guns to blow enemy vessels out of the water (easily the most fun aspect of the game), you should be able to overcome the alien fleet and win the day.

The RTS aspect of the game was thoroughly entertaining and I really wish there was more of it, but it also pointed out to me the game’s most severe fatal flaw: there is no multiplayer. Now, you don’t always need multiplayer for a game to be fun, but considering this is a game based off a movie really based off a board game, there should have been some sort of 2-player online versus mode with the RTS elements of the game. Even if it was just a simple version of the original grid-based game where you were guessing enemy locations and taking turns calling out grid-squares. It needed something like that and the fact there was nothing was disheartening and ultimately the final nail in the coffin for this title.

In the end, although Battleship may be one of the most successful marriages of RTS and FPS elements that I’ve seen, it lacks the depth and polish of a title worthy of a $60 price tag and so I recommend you wait until this hits bargain bin prices or rent a copy if you’re really that curious about it.

SUMMARY: The core of Battleship is fun and entertaining, and it makes you think that if Double Helix had a full-dev cycle, they could have put together a very memorable experience. As is though, Battleship feels half-finished and rushed out the door without any of the polish we’ve come to expect from a game with a $60 price tag.

  • THE GOOD: Excellent blending of RTS and FPS game styles
  • THE BAD: No multiplayer or plot development
  • THE UGLY: Another movie game that suffers from not having a full dev-cycle

SCORE: 4.0

Battleship is available on Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, and 3DS. Primary version reviewed was on Xbox 360.   

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EGM Review: Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II

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A Tail of Two Games

He is one of gaming’s most beloved mascots, but in recent years, the spiky speedster that is Sonic the Hedgehog has had trouble even getting out of the starting gates due to a difficult transition into the 3D realm. But, with games like Sonic Generations and the first episode of Sonic the Hedgehog 4, we’ve come to realize that Sonic’s natural environment may just be that of a classic side-scrolling platformer. So, when SEGA announced they were finally releasing the second episode for Sonic 4, many fans, myself included, could not wait to see if Sonic could hit the trifecta.

Unfortunately, where Sonic succeeded in his previous two side-scrolling forays, Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II is held back by one key factor: Sonic’s ever-irritating sidekick, Tails. And it’s not that I mind Tails’ presence in the game, but more that SEGA felt the need to force Sonic to share the spotlight with his sidekick. In fact, the game almost feels more like a Tails game than it does a continuation of a Sonic adventure. Many of the puzzles, obstacles, and even boss battles require you to team-up with Tails in order to navigate the branching pathways of the four new acts presented to us. Whether grabbing Sonic and briefly flying with him to scale a particularly steep cliff or a special double-spin attack that lets you barrel over nearly everything in your path, the emphasis on Tails is ever-present and quite off-putting if you’re an old-school fan.

Another down point is that even though the controls have been tweaked and it is nice that Sonic feels a lot smoother than in Episode I, with the Tails team-up maneuvers, it feels like you’re fighting your joystick a lot of the time when flying or rolling in the double-spin. Just another aspect of the game that is taken down a notch due to Tails’ overbearing presence.

There are some positives to this game as well though. The audio/visual aspect of the game is absolutely top-notch. From racing down rickety roller coasters, to working your way through a Robotnik Oil Refinery, or sliding down snow-covered slopes, the level design is diverse and no two areas really look the same. The music, specially tailored to sound like the 16-bit tunes of old, are simple, but catchy, successfully reminding us of Sonic’s past exploits.

There are even some positives to Tails. Since they make you drag the fox around anyway, as he continues being flattened, forked, and flambéed as he gets left behind constantly when just being controlled by the computer, the least SEGA was able to do was insert both local and online 2-player co-op. Playing with a friend as Tails is still difficult depending on your communication skills, but at least it’s a lot more entertaining when you can yell at your friend for dropping you instead of the computer.

The game also offers a fair amount of replayability with the time trials feature where you can upload your times to an online leaderboard, and there are always those seven Chaos Emeralds to collect. As a nice additional bonus, if you purchased Sonic 4: Episode I, once you beat Episode II, you can unlock an additional act where you can play as Metal Sonic and learn just how it was that he came back as he traces a unique path through levels from the first few Sonic games. These levels were particularly fun as it gives fans a chance to revisit some classic locales as well as you don’t have to deal with an irritating sidekick most of the time.

All in all, this game does a decent job of finishing off the Sonic 4 story and does offer enough platforming and old-school elements that should please hardcore fans enough that they can look past many of the game’s shortcomings. It is efforts like this though that remind us why so many people consider Tails a nuisance as him hogging the spotlight for this game really forced a lot of the game play to take a step back from what fans expect and appreciate from an old-school Sonic adventure.

SUMMARY:  The controls took a surprising step back and there were too many puzzles that required Tails’ assistance for my liking. If you can get past these though, there is a solid Sonic adventure here at its core that’s worth taking a look at for long-time fans.

  • THE GOOD: Classic Sonic style action in bright and colorful new locales
  • THE BAD: Tails-centric obstacles and puzzles
  • THE UGLY: A.I. Tails still constantly getting killed just like in Sonic 2

SCORE: 6.5

Sonic 4: Episode II is available on XBLA (Xbox 360), PSN (PS3) and PC. Primary version reviewed was on XBLA (Xbox 360).  

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EGM Review: Fable Heroes

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An Unwanted Return to Albion

Although Fable has always been a franchise that stayed true to some very traditional RPG tenets, it’s unique story, creatures, customization, and choices has made it beloved by gamers everywhere. So, when Fable Heroes was announced as a side-scrolling beat ‘em up based on the popular action/adventure RPG series, I admit my curiosity was piqued. But, unfortunately, like many games that stray too far from the formula that works for them, like a toddler teetering away from its protective mother’s grasp with those first exploratory and cautious steps, Fable Heroes falls flat on its face. In fact, it’s so far from Fable that you wonder if this wasn’t some other game that simply had an Albion shade of paint thrown on it in the hopes of capitalizing on the strength of Lionhead’s premiere product.

Fable Heroes allows you to choose from several puppets designed after the series’ most beloved characters like Hammer, Maze, Garth, Reaver, or the Hero him/herself. You then side-scroll through familiar haunts in the Fable universe like Bowerstone or Mistpeak and take on familiar foes like Balverines, Trolls, and Hobbes, as you look to collect gold for a game within a game. You see, Fable Heroes is almost set-up like a Mario Party board where you collect gold in each level, do a handful of simple mini-games or boss fights, and roll dice for the opportunity to upgrade your characters, which then allows you to collect more gold. The end only comes after conquering each area of Albion and players are then awarded first through fourth place, as the game offers both local and online 4-player co-op, depending on much gold they collected in each level.

This additional twist to the side-scrolling beat ‘em up action does offer at least a small reward at the end of day, but it all just feels disjointed and definitely not something that long time Fable fans should respond to. The limited amount of action is dull and repetitive and with even less options for combat than traditional Fable games, I don’t see how anyone could play this for long stretches of time. The art style for the game is a definite plus though as recognizing iconic Fable locations and enemies in the child-oriented, but very vibrant and original, puppet style of the game is cute and the music stays true to the series.

At the end of the day, this isn’t even a passable side-scrolling beat ‘em up though. The ESRB rating may be E10+ (everyone 10 and older), but 10 seems to be the age limit instead for the game as this is definitely geared towards younger gamers. And they probably won’t enjoy it either because with no story told in this game (it relies on you having played the previous Fable titles) it just seems like a bunch of random set pieces mashed together with a fancy paint job. No matter if you are a fan of the franchise or not, I highly recommend that you steer clear of Fable Heroes.

SUMMARY:  Beyond the creative art style’s unique take on Fable III’s Albion and seeing everyone’s favorite characters return in puppet form, the downright boring and uninspired game play keeps this from being worth anyone’s time.

  • THE GOOD: Vibrant, unique art style
  • THE BAD: Uninspired game play
  • THE UGLY: Still dressing up like a Hobbe

SCORE: 3.0

Fable Heroes is an XBLA (Xbox 360) exclusive.

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EGM Review: The Walking Dead: Episode 1

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A New Day

With an abundance of zombie games in recent years, it’s not an easy thing to differentiate yourself from the mindless crowd when a new one is announced. But when you have one of the most popular comic book and TV series of the past few years as the basis for your game, that alone will turn a few eyeballs your way. Combine that hit franchise then with the unique perspective that only a developer like Telltale Games can give and suddenly your shambling ahead of the rest of the crowd.

The Walking Dead: Episode 1 does just that. Instead of focusing on action and how many NPCs can be fit on screen at once, The Walking Dead: Episode 1 revolves around problem solving, character development, and difficult choices. And zombies. This first episode takes place about a month before the comic starts, at the very beginning of the outbreak, and you play as Lee, a felon being transported to the county jail when the zombie apocalypse hits. After the cop car wrecks itself against a zombie shambling in the middle of the road, you find yourself free from the backseat and trying to survive this brand new world before you, where the dead walk amongst the living.

What impressed me the most was that because you’re not running around collecting tons of crazy guns and ammo and blasting everything that moves, but instead must point and click on key interactive items in the world to progress the story, those few instances, where you have to do the correct button prompts when you actually do square off against a zombie, are some of the most pulse-pounding, tension filled moments you’ll get in a zombie game. Include the need to win people over by building relationships with other survivors as you explore different areas of the world and you have enough action/adventure and RPG elements that should whet the appetite of people aren’t used to this genre of game, but are fans of the franchise or at least just zombie horror.

Another small aspect that I loved was that at the end of the episode it tells you what the five most major decisions were and how other people who have played the game reacted to the same situation. And they are truly major as some people’s lives literally hang in the balance. Throw in some The Walking Dead cameos by fan-favorites like Glenn and fans of the comic should be hooked.

The only real drawback for The Walking Dead: Episode 1 is that the episode lacks immediate replay value until you collect the entire series as the decisions you make here will carry over down the line into the next episode and beyond. And because of that, the waiting may just be unbearable for some. The cel-shaded graphics may also turn off some folks who prefer more realistic tones to their rotting flesh. All in all though, if you love The Walking Dead, zombie games, or other point and click adventure from Telltale, this game is more than worth the price of admission.

SUMMARY: Fans of The Walking Dead comic book or TV show will love the character development and attention to detail this first episode takes. The only downside is a lack of replay value and the waiting for Episode 2.

  • THE GOOD: Serious ramifications for nearly every decision you make
  • THE BAD: Lack of instant replay value, waiting for Episode 2
  • THE UGLY:  No matter how cel-shaded you make them, zombies are never not ugly

SCORE: 9.0

The Walking Dead: Episode 1 is available on XBLA (Xbox 360), PSN (PS3), PC and iOS. Primary version reviewed was on XBLA.

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EGM Review: Prototype 2

Filed under: EGM (Electronic Gaming Monthly), Written — Leave a comment

Revenge is Sweet

Prototype 2 starts off a little more than a year after the events of the first Prototype. Alex Mercer, the first game’s hero, has been lambasted as the villain behind a new mutagenic viral outbreak that now cripples New York City (since renamed New York Zero). Sergeant James Heller, a man who has returned home from overseas military conflicts to find his wife and daughter murdered, supposedly by someone infected with what has now been dubbed the Mercer Virus, plans revenge on Mercer, who he blames for his loss. But Alex has other plans for our dear Sergeant, whom he promptly infects with the virus. Now, with power comparable to Mercer, Heller looks to take down all who get in his way on his vengeful path.

The first thing you pick up on when you start playing Prototype 2 is the drastic change in the tone of the story. Whereas the first game’s plot was very conspiracy theory heavy, Heller isn’t here to play detective. He has one purpose and one purpose only, and if on the way to that he blows a lot of stuff up that hurts Blackwatch and GenTek, so be it. People who love plot and story may not enjoy just how simple things have gotten, but simplifying the plot also makes the game a lot easier to relate to, helps the story pace flow more smoothly than the convoluted conspiracy theories of the first game, and helps keep the main focus on the action.

And there is a lot of action in this game, especially as you start to evolve Heller’s powers with a streamlined upgrades tree. Not only are many of Heller’s powers different from Mercer’s beyond the wall-running and gliding, but a lot of the control issues from the first game have been done away with and so a new game play element has surprisingly crept in: stealth. In the first Prototype, if you picked something up, you automatically set off an alarm. Now, it just raises your suspicion level and you can place it back down and wait for things to cool off without entering conflict. You also have a new sonar sense so you can tell who is most vulnerable in a group of enemies, sneak up behind them, stealth consume them, and work your way into Blackwatch bases or GenTek facilities without ever tripping an alarm. And seeing the reactions of soldiers and scientists as they realize their co-workers are slowly disappearing is hysterical.

Of course, if you want to be a bull in a china shop, you can do that, too. And with powers like “Black Hole”, where you fire a cluster of tendrils at someone or something and when the cluster makes contact, the tendrils explode outward and pull in whatever is within reach, doing massive damage, it’s not going to be easy to take Heller down.

The one downside to all this is that the game play can get very repetitive after a while. There is very little in terms of mission variety beyond murdering high value targets for information or new powers as you build up to the final confrontation. I never thought I’d see the day where I’d get bored suplex-ing a tank, but it can happen in Prototype 2. And the mini-games that are present are good for building up experience, but really are a sad attempt at changing the pace of action as they are not at all necessary on your path towards completing the game and aren’t as fun as they were in the first.

The game also has a fair amount glitches in it. It’s understandable with such a complex physics system in an open world that sometimes things won’t go as smoothly as they should, and these can be patched later on, but some of these glitches are in the vein of Skyrim or Red Dead Redemption where they are more humorous than game play hindering. I’m talking NPC hobos randomly flying across the screen for no reason or bouncing around in the middle of the street like they’re having a seizure or standing in place and floating up the side of a building like they’re in some invisible elevator.

All in all though, if you enjoy superhero games, then you’re going to really enjoy Prototype 2 because I imagine this is what it would feel like if you had a Spider-Man symbiote to play around with. There is never a slow moment (although they are repetitive) and the story is solid, if not as good as the first. The voice acting is superb, the graphics are awesome (when not glitching), and at the end of the day, I had more fun than not smashing up a virus-laden NYC.

SUMMARY:  The rough controls of the first Prototype have been tweaked and revamped to allow for a more user-friendly experience. The story also flows a lot more smoothly than the more conspiracy-driven first game.  Unfortunately, even with Heller’s different powers, Prototype 2 does become tedious at times as there is little variety in mission parameters, but you should still find some fun in blowing up everything that gets in your way.

  • THE GOOD: Many of the rough edges from the first game have been smoothed out
  • THE BAD: Lack of game play variety
  • THE UGLY: All non-human bad guys look like something you would puke up.

SCORE: 8.5

Prototype 2 is available on Xbox 360 and PS3. Primary version reviewed was on Xbox 360. 

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