Originally Published: April 5, 2011, on Youtube.com/Rcars4885
I come to you once again with your weekly geek fix, but now from my new apartment in…my grandmother’s attic! This week’s episode sees me review Deadpool Team-Up #883 from Marvel and WWE All-Stars from THQ. My hot chick pick of the week is Italian “journalist” Marika Fruscio and this week’s theme is Hulk Hogan’s theme “Real American”.
Originally Published: March 30, 2011, on Comicvine.com
After knocking the Devil himself off his throne in hell, Wolverine must now exorcise the demons in possession of his earthly body. But can he eliminate the threat in his own mind before his friends eliminate him altogether?
The Good
The middle part of this 3-part arc did exactly what it is supposed to do in ramping up the action successfully on both fronts. Wolverine lets loose some of his worst memories in order to help him fight the demons and we see some awesome montages of Wolverines past and present including the ones from his Weapon X and Department H days.
On the physical front, we see the demons pray on the weaknesses of the X-Men Cyclops has brought with him, like making the water boil when fighting Namor or bombarding Magneto with flashbacks of concentration camps, and turn Cyke’s plan completely on its head until some unexpected help arrives from the living ladies in Wolverine’s life.
The Bad
If you haven’t been picking up this series, this is not the issue to jump into things with. And even though this is billed as the second part of a three-issue arc, you really need to have read the opening five-issue arc to really understand what is going on.
On top of this, there are plot holes abound with the regular X-Men continuity. For example, when Wolverine’s lady friends show up to help provide mental support, Jubilee is in tow with them. Last I checked, she was a vampire and couldn’t walk out in the middle of the day as her blood transfusions from Wolverine only provide resistance against limited UV light and this is never addressed. Include showing Nightcrawler and the Phoenix Force symbol at various points inside Wolverine’s mind and this arc looks to be coming to a very predictable end.
The Verdict
This comic gives fans of Wolverine everything they’ve come to expect. They show his depth as a character, his perseverance as a hero, and just why he is the best there is at what he does. It also shows how much of an effect he has had on the people around him over the years.
Despite all this, there are plot holes that will be noticeable to people reading the X-books right now. For a book that did a great job of holding your attention and kept you guessing through its first six issues, Wolverine #7 makes some very predictable turns. If you have been reading Wolverine up to this point then this issue forwards the plot enough to make it worthwhile, but newcomers to the series should look to hold off until the beginning of the next arc.
Originally Published: March 22, 2011, on youtube.com/Rcars4885
I come to you once again with your weekly geek fix from my mother’s basement! This week’s episode sees me review Generation Hope #5 from Marvel and Dragon Age II for Xbox 360 from EA and Bioware. My hot chick pick of the week is Carol Zara from DigitallyBlonde.com and this week’s theme is the end credits theme from Dragon Age II, “I’m Not Calling You a Liar” by Florence + The Machine.
Originally Published: March 21, 2011, on Original-Gamer.com
It’s always a big deal whenever a new map pack is released into the Halo universe, but the new Defiant Map Pack for Halo: Reach carries an extra bit of weight to it. Defiant marks the passing of a torch, as 343 Industries takes over Halo from Bungie. This is 343’s first major playable content for the franchise, made with the help of developer Certain Affinity.
With the slogan “Defy the Covenant” at its heart, you can download three new maps, Unearthed, Highlands, and Condemned now for 800 Microsoft points ($10). But except for the Halo hardcore, are three new maps worth the steep price?
MAP MAYHEM
Superb Level Layout – The biggest strong point for the Defiant Map Pack for Halo: Reach is the terrific layout and variety of the new maps. If you are a fan of Firefight, then you will love the multi-tiered desert base and scattered vehicles that Unearthed provides for you and three friends. If you are looking for a wide-open Slayer level with plenty of hiding spots, then Highlands might be a dream come true. My personal favorite was easily Condemned, which is set aboard a damaged Orbital Space Station. A circular map with clear landmarks at the compass points, Condemned also features a damaged zero gravity cross point in the middle that usually features a top tier weapon for whoever can fight to the top of the generator first. This can make for a lot of great matches from Oddball to your traditional Slayer.
Crisp Graphics – Each map is absolutely beautiful looking and has unique features, but they all fit in perfectly within Reach. Unearthed takes place in an abandoned base that provides an interesting dichotomy against the golden desert sand as grunts pour in from all angles. Highlands is the largest map in this new pack and also the most diverse looking. It features waterfalls, lush vegetation, dark caves, and this is all book-ended by a pair of marine bases with Covenant ships blasting away just over the horizon providing a previously unseen color palette all at once on your screen. And Condemned is the icing on the cake; the massive wall sized windows of the Orbital Space Station allow you beautiful looks into deep space and the planet Reach itself.
Vehicular Manslaughter – Compared to the other maps, Unearthed and Highlands provide some of the best opportunities for vehicular combat of any map due to there being plenty of vehicles and weapons to counteract those vehicles. In Highlands, Mongooses, Ghosts, and Warthogs are bountiful on one end of the map and used to cross the lush expanse to reach the other side. On that other side are laser cannons and missile launchers for the opposing team to use to counteract any blitzkrieg that their foes may try to unleash and is especially effective in Capture the Flag style matches. The Unearthed map features Rocket Warthogs and Ghosts. With no true corners for the Covenant to back you into, you can run rampant in the desert blasting away deep into Firefight mode with your buddies.
DEFY THE DLC
Unearthing a Flaw – One of the most interesting and risky aspects of this map pack is that the Unearthed map pack is exclusive to the Firefight mode. For a game where the majority of its online action deals in the versus elements instead of the cooperative, this was a huge risk and might turn off a lot Slayer and Invasion mode fans since this makes it seem more like two maps for $10 instead of three.
Steep Price to Pay – One of the biggest problems with DLC in general and not just this pack, is the over-inflated price you pay compared to the amount of content you receive. With three maps, one exclusive to Firefight, and only three achievements for 150 points, the Defiant Map Pack does not make me feel like I am getting the full bang for my buck. Ten dollars is a bit too much and will probably only be worth it to hardcore Halo: Reach players. Otherwise, I recommend waiting to see if it goes on sale or gets bundled with the Noble Map Pack.
At the end of the day, it really comes down to how long your Halo: Reach disc has been in your Xbox 360. If you haven’t played it since two weeks after the launch date, then you may not have even realized a new map pack was released. If Halo: Reach is your go to online multiplayer shooter right now and you’ve racked up enough credits where you could buy and sell every noob out there, then you will be very satisfied with these new maps even with its steeper than necessary price.
-Ray Carsillo
Originally Published: March 15, 2011, on youtube.com/Rcars4885
I come to you once again with your weekly geek fix from my mother’s basement! This week’s episode sees me review two comics since I’m still working on Dragon Age II. Ghostbusters: Infestation #1 (of 2) and Venom #1 are reviewed. My hot chick pick of the week is Francine Dee and this week’s theme is the main theme from Separation Anxiety starring Venom and Spider-Man back for the SNES and Sega Genesis.
Originally Published: March 9, 2011, on PlayerAffinity.com
One of the most compelling concepts of Fable III was the fact that you not only had to breath life into a revolution, but then serve as king (or queen) and try to make sure Albion flourished after completing your main quest. But what would happen if someone else tried to start a revolution to dethrone YOU?
That’s the question that the new “Traitor’s Keep” DLC asks. Another one of your brother Logan’s nasty secrets rears its head when while going through your daily duties an assassin makes an attempt on your life right in the throne room! After dispatching the would be killer, you get word from some of your soldiers that an unknown ship is approaching the harbor.
What you initially thought was another threat is revealed to be soldiers that are actually loyal to the crown aboard the ship and you uncover that Logan had a secret prison full of people who would not bend to his will. You decide to board the ship and inspect this keep full of political prisoners yourself and give a verdict on its fate. Unfortunately, upon your arrival to Ravenscar Keep you find there has been a massive prison break and realize that not all of the prisoners were there simply because of their politics.
After quelling the riot, the keep’s commander brings to your attention that the three most nefarious prisoners kept at the keep are no longer in their cells and one of them had nothing on his mind beyond dissolving the crown for good. I hope you were itching for some action because you’ve got yourself a good old-fashioned manhunt on your hands now!
The “Traitor’s Keep” DLC features three brand new locations for you to explore as you begin your search for the prisoners and learn just how deep the roots of your brother’s corruption go. From the keep itself to the brand new Clockwork Island, the home of the man who was in charge of Reaver Industries before Reaver’s infamous takeover, and the Godwin Estate, a private mansion on an island between Aurora and Albion, you’ll have your hands full as you explore these new areas under Albion rule and try to restore order before a new uprising begins to throw you off the throne.
Clockwork Island will also introduce you to the new clockwork enemies, once peaceful creations that were supposed to help bring a new technological age to Albion, but now simply serve the twisted Inventor once again now that he has escaped his cell. Godwin Estate will also see something unusual to diehards of Fable as Balverines, Hollow Men, and Hobbes all work together…and against you. Explore this now dilapidated plantation as you hunt down Witchcraft Mary, the former owner of the estate and practitioner of the dark arts to find out why.
Along with four new quests and three new areas to explore, the “Traitor’s Keep” DLC also features two brand new costumes, the prisoner and Logan’s soldier outfit, as well as 10 new achievements for 250 Gamerscore, nine of which tie directly into the new DLC.
Although this extension of your Fable III adventure is well worth the price of 560 Microsoft points ($7) in terms of length, since it should take you four to five hours to find every item and beat every quest, the question you have to ask yourself is just how much of a fan you are of Fable III.
If you weren’t a huge fan of the main game, then you probably won’t enjoy the DLC since it is a lot more of the same thing. The dialogue has that cheeky British humor still throughout and the combat is exactly the same, so the only new feature is that the world you were originally set in is now much larger than it was before. If you were a fan of Fable III though, then this DLC is more of the same quality RPG action that you got used to with the main game. Clearly, this is whom the DLC is tailored to. It won’t bring in any new fans, but with all these extra quests, costumes, and locales, pre-existing fans should be more than pleased after dropping their Microsoft points on this one.
Originally Published: March 8, 2011, on youtube.com/RCars4885
I come to you once again with your weekly geek fix from my mother’s basement! This week’s episode sees me review Batman Beyond #3 from DC Comics and MLB 11 The Show for the PS3. My hot chick pick of the week is Jayonna Fabro and this week’s theme is The Ice Titan theme from Castlevania: Lords of Shadow by the Bratislava Symphony Orchestra.
Originally Published: March 1, 2011, on youtube.com/RCars4885
I come to you once again with your weekly geek fix from my mother’s basement! To kick off Volume 2 this week and shake off the rust, I review Gotham City Sirens #20 from DC Comics and Bulletstorm for the Xbox 360. My hot chick pick of the week is Leeann Tweeden.
Originally Published: February 27, 2011, on my StrongProtector account on GiantBomb.com
In high school and even later in college, my friends and I back in Jersey would head over to the mall arcade maybe once a week and feed a ton of quarters into our favorite machines. A couple guys would settle into the chair of a racer like Initial-D, but I would always head over to the Marvel vs Capcom 2 cabinet. This went on until I graduated college and the arcade, like many others in Jersey, closed down.
Fortunately for me, shortly after that, Capcom would give us Marvel vs Capcom junkies a downloadable version for current generation consoles. Instead of placating us though, all this ended up doing was feed the fires for myself and others like me who wanted another sequel to this beloved brawler. And now, after a decade of waiting, its finally here. But with so much hype and anticipation surrounding it, could Marvel vs Capcom 3: The Fate of Two Worlds live up to the lofty expectations of addicts like me?
The basic plot of the game is that Doctor Doom has tampered with his dark magic a bit too much and has discovered a parallel Earth populated by the characters of our favorite Capcom games (and a future Earth with Zero). Tempted with the thought of conquering multiple worlds, Doom teams up with not only the greatest threats of his Earth like Dormammu and M.O.D.O.K., but also with the greatest of the Capcom universe, Albert Wesker. Unfortunately, this wormhole into other dimensions has also stoked the hunger of the greatest nemesis anyone, hero or villain, has ever faced, the cosmic being Galactus. With a smorgasbord of planets to possibly quell his insatiable hunger, Galactus has begun his approach and now heroes and villains will have to unite to save all universes threatened by his cosmic power.
Right off the bat, this is probably the best plot of the series as it has more of traditional Marvel comics feel and you can credit veteran comic writer Frank Tieri for that. On top of the plot being heavily influenced by comics, the entire art direction of the game seems to be ripped from comics as well. Bright, stylized, cel-shaded graphics with beautifully drawn paneled cut scenes, much like a comic book page, has the game seem more like a fan service for loyal Marvelites out there. All you need is Stan Lee to yell “Excelsior!” before every match. Even the character select screen sees the chosen characters placed onto a graphic novel style tablet as you choose their assists before a battle.
The audio is also very strong as instead of each level having a set theme, now each character has their own theme and you’ll hear the theme of whomever you may be facing. From a more patriotic ballad for Captain America to the classic Bionic Commando and Street Fighter themes for when Spencer or Ryu jump on screen, the music is tremendous. It’s not the only part of the audio that shines though as the voice acting is also well done. With each character having specific taunts both in battle and after every victory depending on whom they’re facing, like Captain America yelling at Iron Man “That was for the Civil War!”, the audio is simply top notch all around for Marvel vs Capcom 3.
Marvel vs Capcom 3 isn’t perfect though. The standards of the series return such as three member tag-teams and huge hyper combos that can be done singly or with your team if you have enough power bars. But other diehards of the series might be a little put-off by the fact that the combat system has been simplified in many ways. Instead of having the standard six attack buttons like the old arcade cabinets (high punch, med punch, low punch, high kick, med kick, low kick), now there are only four comprised of a low, medium, high, and special attack that can be used to launch foes into the air. This offered me a lot of confusion when I first started playing the game and was trying to perform a low kick with Iron Man.
To help remedy this, there is a new missions mode reminiscent of some of the later Mortal Kombat games which serves as a chance for you to learn some basic combos and special moves to get the feel of the game if you wish. Each character has 10 missions and so this lets you either become well-rounded with many characters, or really specialize in two or three.
One positive to the new button layout is that it is much easier to switch characters in and out, call for assists, or perform your hyper combos as now each one of those maneuvers has been assigned their own button on the controllers. This does allow for more rookie fighters to jump right into it and level the playing field with more veterans, but there are plenty of new maneuvers that have been added to help separate the rookies from the veterans as well like the brand new team air combos and new reversal systems.
Another new aspect added is the “X-Factor” where by smashing the four attack buttons at the same time, you can increase the attack power and heal your active character. This new feature does give an interesting strategic twist, but again diehards of previous titles in the series probably won’t even remember to use it as it just feels so gimmicky and foreign to this series.
The biggest disappointment probably for the game is the lack of characters though, both old and new. There are only 36 characters total at launch, with more coming in DLC to sap you of more money. Sure new characters like Deadpool, Super-Skrull, Viewtiful Joe, and Amaterasu are great original additions to the series, but others are just rip-offs of characters who were removed or are still in the game. Haggar is just a Zangief rip-off with a steel pipe, X-23 replaces the “bone claw” version of Wolverine, and Zero is Mega Man with a sword.
I understand that Capcom wanted to streamline the 56 characters that were in Marvel vs Capcom 2, but to cut out 20 characters including a lot of fan favorites? Just to re-package them as DLC later? Of course fans will still buy it, but I think I speak for a lot of people when I say how disappointing that is. Cutting out half the roster when making a fighting game sequel is not usually the way to go because by pure definition that is not bigger nor better.
Despite all this, Marvel vs Capcom 3 is still a very good fighting game. Technically it is very sound and it is easy to pick up but hard to master with a great storyline that will make any and every Marvel fan squeal in delight. If you are a fan of the franchise, Marvel, Capcom, or just fighters in general, then this is a game you should add to your collection even if you’ll walk away feeling it is a bit more generic than you’d initially expect.
Ratings are based on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best.
Graphics: 10.0: The visuals for MvC3 are absolutely tremendous done in a stylized cel-shading that really stresses the comic book feel that is persistent throughout the game as you are bombarded by bright and vibrant colors all day long.
Audio: 10.0: Redone classic video game themes for all the Capcom characters and fitting original themes for the Marvel characters is one of the great highlights of this game. Coupled with great voice acting from all those involved and the audio is as perfect as can be.
Plot/Plot Development: 4.0: Most fighting games truly lack a compelling plot, and MvC3 may have the most piss poor of them all. Never even properly explained, all you have to go on is a stylized opening sequence and a solid boss battle with Galactus to put together that Wesker and Doom have partnered together. Solid comic book plot, but it needed to be explained a lot better than it was.
Gameplay: 7.0: Many diehards will be irritated with the button changes and new features added, but at the end of the day, they work and will appeal to a mass audience. Too bad for this review, I’m representing the diehards.
Replay Value: 6.5: Like any good fighting game nowadays, the replay value really comes in the online play, especially since you can blow through the single player offline mode in a weekend if need be. Unfortunately, it may take you 20 minutes to find an opponent to play online and therefore make the online play moot because who wants to play three matches in an hour? So if you don’t have some friends to form a lobby with, then you might think twice about the worth of MvC3.
Overall (not an average): 8.0: MvC3 is a very solid fighter on a technical level, but fans of the series will be put off by the gimmicks added and the arcade style of play that is the true staple of this series. More bells and whistles are all well and good, but it felt like Capcom sold the soul of this game. So even with it being technically perfect, this game falls just short of being put into elite status in my mind.
Originally Published: February 27, 2011, on my StrongProtector account on GiantBomb.com
They had us save a world of metal and then showed us that there is still a little magic left in Halloween. So what would the folks at Double Fine Productions have for us next? Well, they felt we needed a little bit of a break and could play with some dolls. Specifically, Russian matryoshka, or babushka, dolls.
In Stacking, you are in a world similar to ours during the industrial revolution near the turn of the 20th century, but the entire population is made up of babushka dolls of varying sizes and you play as the smallest one of them all, Charlie Blackmore Charlie and his family have fallen on hard times when an industrialist named The Baron hires Charlie’s father to be his chimney sweep. But then days turn into weeks and then into months and Charlie’s father is nowhere to be found. In order to pay the rising debt the family owes, the Blackmore children are all then forced into slave labor by The Baron and his men. All that is except Charlie, who is deemed too small to be of any worth in the labor force.
Determined to save his siblings and put a stop to The Baron and his child labor schemes once and for all, Charlie sets out ready to show that it isn’t the size of the doll in the fight, but the size of the fight in the doll, or doll within a doll within a doll.
Being the smallest member of his community, Charlie has a unique talent that most others around him would be shocked to know. He can control other dolls. Well, he can stack into them anyway and then use their own unique talents around the world Charlie finds himself in while on his quest to free his family. Whether needing to take over a mechanic in order to access ventilation ducts, a fire chief in order to put out a fire, or a boxer to smash some heads with a proper uppercut, the puzzles laid before you are all rather straightforward and will require a minimum of effort for you to figure you out. The only hard part you’ll find is making sure you have the right size doll in your control to stack into the next size up.
This simple gameplay mechanic is really the entire premise of the game as you’ll work your way through some beautifully designed levels inspired by the time period like train stations, cruise ships, and zeppelins. Also fitting of the time period, and since babushka dolls don’t talk, the cut scenes are done in the silent film style where you cut to a grainy full screen of text before continuing the scene. Add in the player piano themes and although there is no voice acting whatsoever, the audio is still good, if not great.
The biggest downside of Stacking though is that the game is too short. Sure, there are plenty of collectibles and alternate ways to complete mission objectives if you’re looking to pad your achievements or trophies, but if you’re just looking for a varied gameplay experience and deep plot, then this is not the game for you, especially considering the $14.99 PSN and 1200 Microsoft point price tag that comes with Stacking. The only reason why the game doesn’t start to feel tedious is because it should only take you two or three hours to beat the entire story.
Although with just as much humor and polish as previous Double Fine titles, Stacking just doesn’t have enough content to warrant such a large price tag for this downloadable game. Without a glitch to be found and with a premise that was as inventive as this one, I wish I could just sing the praises about Stacking, but at the end of the day the game is too short, simple, and just not as fun or as addictive as it could be. Since it is technically very sound, if you’re still curious about Stacking, I would recommend waiting for it to go on sale or be included as some sort of downloadable game deal before making this a part of your collection.
Ratings based on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best.
Graphics: 10.0: Although the character designs are as simple as can be, the world of Stacking comes off without a glitch and the perspective change as you move into larger and smaller dolls is seamless. I can’t think of how Double Fine could have made this world they crafted come to life any better.
Audio: 8.0: It may have been inventive to use the silent movie style for the cut scenes, but I really would have preferred voice actors. Aside from this, the classic piano themes and “click-clack” SFX as you enter and exit various dolls work perfectly.
Plot/Plot Develoment: 7.0: A very basic and predictable plot that does the job, but is really nothing more than a vehicle for the concept of Stacking.
Gameplay: 6.0: Innovative and unique, the core gameplay of Stacking, although glitchless, does become very repetitive over the short time you’ll be playing this game. Combine this with simple puzzles and you have an interesting experience that just fails to impress beyond the initial few moments.
Replay Value: 6.0: There may be several ways to complete each puzzle and a variety of collectibles to find on each level, but most are so simple to solve that even if you come back to finish the game, it shouldn’t take you more than five hours to get to 100% and there isn’t enough here to make you play through the game again.
Overall (not an average): 6.5: Stacking is a very polished downloadable game, but considering the lack of content you get for the $15 price tag and I’d wait until this game went on sale before seeing this as a truly worthwhile purchase.
RayCarsilloWrites.com 