Tag Archive: review


Alan Wake DLC “The Signal” Review

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July 31, 2010

Originally Published: July 30, 2010, on PlayerAffinity.com

I admit, the first time I heard the title of the first Alan Wake DLC I immediately flashed back to the end of Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman starring Michael Keaton where Commissioner Gordon (played by Pat Hingle) and DA Harvey Dent (played by Billy Dee Williams) are having a press conference to comment on Batman’s actions against the Joker. Dent says that Batman gave them a letter saying should evil ever rise again to strike against the good citizens of Gotham, to call him. Alexander Knox (played by Robert Wuhl) immediately asks, “How do we call him?” and Gordon steps in and yells “HE GAVE US THE SIGNAL!”

Okay, so great childhood movie moments aside, Alan Wake’s “The Signal” DLC picks up right where the main game ended. Serving as the seventh “episode” of the game, it opens up refreshing our memories with the “previously seen on” trailer utilized through the main game and explains exactly what happened at the end in case we weren’t too sure. Alan has succeeded in saving his wife Alice by destroying the darkness’ avatar in the long deceased Barbara Jagger, but in the process has trapped himself within the darkness. Now, in a twisted and constantly shifting dark mirror of Bright Falls, Alan must find a way out of the darkness before succumbing to the encroaching madness while also figuring out what new presence Alan is fighting against that is using shadows of his memories to try to steer him off the proper path.

In order to keep Alan from losing his way, a familiar friend from the main game will immediately intervene upon the start of the new episode. BATMAN! No, sorry, couldn’t resist. Thomas Zane, the first writer who fell victim to the temptations of the darkness, returns in his light bulb decorated diving suit warning Alan he is walking a dangerous path and imparts onto him a new flashlight and a cell phone (chock full of Verizon product placement just like in the main game as well). Zane orders Alan to follow the phone’s GPS signal (hence the title of the DLC) to a safe haven in the darkness where they can discuss events up to this point and try to work out a way for Alan to escape. It is here that Alan begins to square off against some familiar foes as well as some new obstacles as he tries to escape the darkness and unravel the mystery of why he became trapped after saving Alice.

If you enjoyed Alan Wake the first time, then this DLC will only prove to suck you back into the enthralling story with another twist ending that will have you counting down the days until the story’s conclusion DLC “The Writer” is released in September. And if you thought the enemies were difficult before, “The Signal” only ramps up the intensity by throwing more at you in this single episode than were probably in the entire main game. Luckily, some of the twisted and unusual areas you stumble across in the dark mirror of Bright Falls have some environmental helps that can even the odds and help you save ammo.

Added into this DLC is a dynamic you saw in the darkness at the end of the main game where typed words were floating in the air and if you shined your light on them, they came into reality. Now though, instead of simple scenery, you’ll need to rely on this dynamic to help find extra ammo, batteries, and maybe trigger a few traps for the possessed shadows looking to drag Alan into eternal darkness. Of course, the words can also be used against Alan as sometimes “enemy” or “possessed” are floating around as well and this can make your life even more difficult if you’re not careful with your flashlight during a fight. Could the words be a way of Thomas Zane and this mysterious new presence battling each other over Alan? Maybe we’ll find out in “The Writer”.

All in all, the only downside to this DLC is that it is only about the same length as any single episode from the main game and should not take most gamers more than 90 minutes to blow through. There is some replay value in that the DLC does include an extra eight achievements worth 250 possible Gamerscore and they will most likely take you two or three playthroughs to collect them all, but aside from that, those just obsessed with the story won’t have a lot to come back to this for. Then again, for a DLC that was free to everyone who bought the game brand new means I can’t really complain about the lack of product. As of now though, “The Writer” looks like it will cost users 560 Microsoft points (about $8) in September so if you want to get the full ending of Alan Wake, it will cost you a few extra bones in the end.

With the same great voice acting and graphics and more of the tremendous story that can’t help but suck you in, I don’t see how anyone could not want to download this free DLC. As for “The Writer”, well, you’ll just have to stay tuned here for our full report. Same Alan Wake time, same Alan Wake channel! I couldn’t help myself.

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Digital Download Dominance?

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July 21, 2010

Originally Published: July 21, 2010, on ESPNNewYork.com

I don’t usually spend a lot of time reviewing iPhone games, but I’ve been spending a lot of time in airports and waiting for delayed flights the past couple of months, so my iPhone has become my savior on some of the worst trips. So, I figured it’d be nice if I reviewed a couple of iPhone games for those out there who may read my column and run into the same problems that I have recently.

The first game I want to talk about is called iBailout!!. Basically, imagine Ms. Pac-Man set to the theme of the recent economic crisis where a yellow ball and pink bow have been replaced by a large corporation building set out to gobble up all of the Federal Reserve’s funds instead of little yellow dots. Of course, it wouldn’t be a true Ms. Pac-Man style adventure if there weren’t things to avoid and iBailout!! provides that in the form of us, the American people. But do not fear! By collecting AK-47s and arming themselves to the teeth, your vacuum like corporation building will easily mow down the unsuspecting citizens as it continues to gobble up as much cash as possible.

Now, I’m not usually one to use my reviews to make any kind of grand statement, but I did find a bit of humor in the one that Marroni Electronic Entertainment made with the creation of this game. A simple, well-designed homage to a true classic, fans of Ms. Pac-Man and conservatives everywhere will probably want to take a look at iBailout!! when looking to kill a few minutes with their iPhones and is available for $1.99 at the iTunes Store.

The second game that I want to talk about will probably stir up a little less controversy. In honor of the recently completed FIFA World Cup, I present Flick Kick Football (Soccer). Part of a whole series of sports games brought to us by PikPok, Flick Kick Football (Soccer) gives you a chance to test your skills in a variety of common free kick and penalty kick situations from The Beautiful Game by simply dragging your finger across the ball. Depending on how fast and what angle you flick the ball at will determine its trajectory as you attempt to curve the ball around and through more and more defenders as the game progresses and you try to beat your high score. If you miss your shot though it could be game over, but you can earn extra lives by burying the really difficult shots to make up for when you maybe mis-flick an easier kick.

Including a time-trial mode, target practice mode, and an achievements list Flick Kick Football (Soccer) offers you a chance to not only kill some time as you try to perfect bouncing the ball in off the inside of a goal post, but to also compare your high scores (my high score is 66 goals) and scoring streaks with friends as you try to become the ultimate Flick Kick Footballer. Flick Kick Football (Soccer) is available now for $0.99 at the iTunes Store.

So there you have it folks. A couple of cheap and effective ways to kill time on your iPhones if you’re like me and end up getting stuck in an airport while waiting for a thunderstorm to pass or maybe if you just don’t feel like breaking out a controller for your console games. Both games are available for purchase now.

-Ray Carsillo

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A Great Game in Disguise

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June 29, 2010

Originally Published: June 29, 2010, on Examiner.com, ESPNNewYork.com, and PlayerAffinity.com

For well more than twenty years, Transformers has permeated our pop culture in ways few things have. Several successful cartoon series, a successful movie franchise, and the action figures that started it all still fly off the store shelves. The one place that Transformers has lacked proper representation though has been in video game format. Until now.

Transformers: War for Cybertron is a look back at why the robots in disguise that we all know and love were forced to leave their home planet of Cybertron and take to the stars before their fateful landing on Earth. Starting off as Megatron and his band of evil Decepticons, you are left searching for a weapon to turn the tide of war in your favor in order to rout the Autobots and claim Cybertron for yourself.

Left to grasping at legends, Megatron invades an Autobot space station that was supposed to at one time manufacture an unstable element only known as “Dark Energon”. Megatron feels if the legends are true and he can harness this element, he could strike at Cybertron’s core and take over the planet in one fell swoop. After recruiting former Autobot Starscream into his ranks, Megatron begins claiming the station for himself and soon his plans for global domination are under way.

It’s at this point, with Cybertron completely under siege, that you take over Optimus and his band of Autobots in an attempt to thwart Megatron’s grand plans for dominance. Only by Optimus embracing his destiny and taking the reigns of Autobot leadership can the Autobots overcome Megatron and attempt to save their home planet before this ages old war wipes out both Autobot and Decepticon alike.

The first thing that fans will notice right off the bat is these are not the movie Transformers. These are the cartoon and action figures that we grew up with. Megatron transforms into his classic white and purple tank form, Bumblebee is not a Camaro, and Soundwave comes along with Rumble, Frenzy, and Laserbeak in tow.

You’ll then notice the great control scheme and third-person shooter action. Finding the balance between your vehicle form and your robot form is a fun challenge as both have their positives and negatives and the game forces to you to use both on different occasions and is a brilliant way to build in gameplay variety. And that’s not the only balance you have to find. The Decepticon and Autobot campaigns are so different that you’ll find yourself feeling like you’re playing two different games altogether.

There are some flaws with the gameplay though. The lack of a duck and cover mechanism is the first and most obvious problem. Although there is plenty of cover to hide behind, not being able to hug it and fire around corners or even duck to fit in behind smaller crates makes some of the firefights you get into a lot harder than they need to be.

Another problem is the enemy A.I. Some of the lower enemies you have to face in this game redefine the term “cannon fodder”, but at least the boss battles are epic. In this vein, although the game is compelling and pulls you in, with most enemies having a relatively low A.I., you should be able to blow through this game in about 10 hours, even on hard mode.

These flaws in gameplay though are more than made up for in other areas. The graphics for this game are flawless. From the seamless transformations of each character with their classic cartoon designs to every piece of Cybertron, this game’s look shines like Energon crystals. When you combine this with a spectacular voice cast spearheaded by Peter Cullen returning as Optimus Prime and the peripherals are almost second to none.

Possibly the best feature of this entire game though is the multiplayer. Of course, almost any shooter nowadays has to have a “Horde” style mode a la Gears of War and Transformers: War for Cybertron provides that with its “Escalation” mode. Your typical Deathmatch and Capture the Flag modes really steal the show though as they’re done in the Call of Duty style (no surprise being an Activision game; if something isn’t broken don’t fix it) and you just hope the Transformers fans truly appreciate this

Beyond some minor flaws, the game really sparkles while setting a new standard for what a Transformers game should be. Good gameplay coupled with a top-notch multiplayer and some pretty graphics makes this game a must have for Transformers fans old and new alike.

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

Graphics: 10.0: This is how I imagined Cybertron would look like. Add in these are the cartoon designs and not the movie ones and the look of this game is flawless.

Audio: 10.0: Perfect voice acting from all those involved including the legendary Peter Cullen leads the charge for a stellar auditory performance. The music is a little generic at times, but it artfully sets the mood and the end credits being set to an old classic makes the audio flawless.

Plot/Plot Development: 10.0: A brilliantly executed story that helps to set up the canon that fans are familiar with while answering some age old questions. It flowed perfectly over the game’s 10 levels and left me wishing they had started even farther back to explain more of the history.

Gameplay: 6.0: Poor enemy A.I., only 10 hours in the story mode, and the lack of duck and cover mechanism left me looking for a little more while I blasted away robot drones.

Replay Value: 7.0: “Escalation” mode was a predictable addition to the basic Call of Duty multiplayer shell this game uses. That doesn’t make it any less fun. A lack of something to bring you back to the story mode does hurt the experience though.

Overall (not an average): 9.0: Brilliant story, great peripherals, and a proven winner in terms of multiplayer mode and this game is a must buy for any and every Transformers fan.

Transformers: War for Cybertron is available now on all systems.

-Ray Carsillo

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A Rock Band Breakdown

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June 13, 2010

Originally Published: June 13, 2010, on PlayerAffinity.com

They are one of the most popular bands in the world and have been speaking to the youth of a generation for about 20 years now. Their music has even inspired a Broadway play. So it’s no wonder that the folks at Harmonix and MTV Games felt that Green Day deserved their own Rock Band video game. Unfortunately, all this latest edition into the Rock Band library shows is how soft Green Day has become over the years.

Starting off with the hit album Dookie that launched Green Day into the limelight, Green Day Rock Band features 47 songs that touches upon most of the group’s best hits as well as the near entireties of American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown. The problem is that by putting on so many newer, and in my opinion, inferior songs, they left out almost the entirety of Insomniac, all of Shenanigans, and nearly all of Warning and Nimrod, all of which were far superior to the red-headed bastard child that was 21st Century Breakdown.

And you can tell the difference in the gameplay. I have the entire set of instruments for Rock Band and made sure to try my hand at them all as I moved through my paltry three-venue career mode. I slammed down on drums and ripped away at guitar and bass and finally screamed till my lungs bled on the microphone. That is until I hit the 21st Century Breakdown section of the game and realized just how much Green Day had sold out when none of the singles were in the game off that album, (they needed to be bought separately on top of $60 you’re already dropping) and how slow and monotonous the music was that I was playing compared to the Dookie days.

I will say that the diehards of the band will enjoy the unlockable videos and rare still shots for three and five-starring songs and challenges as you get to see Billie Joe, Tre, and Mike back in their traveling bookmobile days as they moved from venue to venue. Aside from this though there really isn’t a lot to keep you coming back for more unless you are a Green Day addict. Include the fact that 47 songs is costing you $60, and most of the songs you probably want aren’t even on the disc, and that means this is a reach in terms of a purchase.

The audio is great, as you would expect since it is a music game, and the songs sound like they’re supposed to. Although I have to say that it is hard to keep a beat when all of the swears have been edited out to keep this a T-rated game and none of the character of the band can come through because of this censorship. If anyone has even seen Green Day live, they know that Billie Joe, Mike, and Tre aren’t exactly angels in terms of their language and on-stage antics. The game may look like Green Day and the game may even sort of sound like them, but this game is everything that Green Day used to sing about rebelling against.

Obviously, there is no plot to shred apart because it’s all about playing the music. There is a lackluster career mode that takes you through three venues and three distinctive looks of Green Day over the years as you try to unlock all 47 songs, but aside from this, the game is a glorified track pack. Even with the inclusion of some Tre Cool drum challenges this game is not worth a $60 purchase.

With that said, I would still recommend this as a rental if you are a Green Day fan and especially if you have friends who are fans so this way you can rock out together (at least on Dookie). Otherwise, this is just a reminder of how much these once anti-establishment icons have sold out.

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Ground and Pound

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June 6, 2010

Originally Published: June 1, 2010, on Examiner.com, PlayerAffinity.com, and ESPNNewYork.com

They are modern day gladiators as fans cheer for knockout blows and bone breaking submissions. It is the fastest growing sport in America and is wowing fans with both the technical precision and sheer brutality its athletes need in order to just be competitive, never mind to try to reach superstar status. Of course, I am talking about MMA and its premiere league, the UFC. As with every sport in modern America though, you haven’t really made the full impact your capable of on the popular culture until you have a successful video game franchise. With that, I present to you the second video game installment of the UFC: UFC Undisputed 2010 from THQ.

The first thing you notice as soon as you pop in UFC: Undisputed 2010 are the near-flawless graphics. Accurate facial designs and tattoos of every UFC fighter through every division makes you feel as if you are watching a live Pay-Per-View event at times. Cuts gushing open, blood splattering and staining the canvas, and bruised ribs shine as highlights of a great visual package. Add in live movies of the UFC ring girls (I love Arianny Celeste) introducing the Classic Matches mode and the game is as beautiful as all those girls.

The audio is spectacular as well. Great, fluid play-by-play and analysis by Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan that even takes your previous matches into account when commenting, something no other sports game really does. Include Bruce Buffer as the ring announcer and quality audio clips from every fighter for pre- and post-match interviews, including UFC President Dana White, and the audio is well played all around.

As with every other sports sim, the storyline is really determined by the results of your own play as you try to write your own story in career mode. If you keep winning, you’ll get title shots and be able to change weight classes and maybe even become a hall-of-famer. If you keep losing, you’ll wallow in the depths of the unknown and remain a nobody.

The biggest questions I had with UFC: Undisputed 2010 came with the decisions made about gameplay. I understand how difficult MMA is. It’s not something you can just pick up and play. You can’t just go outside, tape up your ankles, and start trying to choke out your brother whereas most other sports you just need a ball. Video games though should be something you can just pick up and play and you cannot do that at all with this game. The tutorial is something you’ll probably need to go through three or four times before you can even begin to understand how to perform basic techniques like throws and submission maneuvers and the amount of countering down by the computer can become frustrating even on easier game modes. If you don’t put your time in to learn the basic moves this will turn into a old school button masher for you very quickly.

This lack of pick up and play is a tremendous negative in terms of trying to draw in casual fans. The hardcore fans though will appreciate the work that has to go into making your created fighter the best he can be. The deep, detailed career mode that can follow you from being a scrub to a superstar, including what sponsors take an interest in you as you customize your own gear, is probably the greatest individual career mode I’ve ever seen in a sports game. Include sim modes where you can use an already existing fighter, ranging from Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir to Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, and BJ Penn, to go after their respective weight classes’ title, to a gauntlet like title defense mode where you have to whittle away twelve competitors in a row and there is enough depth to this game to keep the hardcore fan coming back. But there’s even more! The Classic Matches mode where you relive and, in some cases, rewrite classic UFC matches to earn customization rewards, gives you a rarely seen total amount of depth from a fighting game.

And you can’t forget about the online play. Not only can you take your favorite fighters, real or created, up against other people, you can even join or start your own MMA camp. You can invite your friends to train with you and hone your skills for online play as you try to let people know that you are not only the ultimate fighter, you’re the ultimate trainer as well.

After devoting much of my Memorial Day weekend to this game, I can say that if you are a fan of the UFC, you’re going to love this game. If not, the difficult control schemes could leave you frustrated enough that you might not want to pick it up again, even with the glowing positives that you’ll notice from the second you get to the title screen. If you are on the fence about this game, not being able to just pick up and play is a big enough negative that might make you want to rent this before you make it a full-blown purchase.

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

Graphics: 9.0: Near-flawless graphics in terms of rendering and arenas and the fighters are so detailed that you would think you’re watching an actual Pay-Per-View.

Audio: 10.0: Great music sets the theme for these modern day gladiators and when combined with tremendous voice over work from every person involved with the UFC makes this one of the better sounding games out there.

Plot/Plot Development: N/A: It’s a sports sim and therefore you make your own plot.

Gameplay: 6.5: The only real negative for this game is that you can’t just pick it up and start playing. Having to devote a lot of time to tutorials and building up your fighters and technique might turn off more casual fans.

Replay Value: 9.0: An in-depth career mode, title and title defense modes, and classic matches mode coupled with online play that includes building your own MMA camp will keep hardcore fans practicing their submission maneuvers long into the night.

Overall (not an average): 7.0: The lack of accessibility to casual fans and newcomers will turn this into something we don’t see much of nowadays, a button masher. Being unable to just pick up and play this takes it down a notch from a must buy to a must rent and is only recommended for the ultimate fan of the UFC.

UFC Undisputed 2010 is available now for PS3, PSP, and Xbox 360.

-Ray Carsillo

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Never to be Forgotten

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Originally Published: May 20, 2010, on Lundberg.me, Examiner.com, ESPNNewYork.com, and PlayerAffinity.com

Note: This review was done with the Xbox 360 version. The Xbox 360, PS3, and PC versions are very different from the Wii, PSP, and DS versions.

The Prince of Persia series of the last generation of consoles was one of the most successful and critically acclaimed series to come out during its era and so it was no surprise that Ubisoft would want to somehow continue it on the current generation of consoles. The problem was that there was really no room to continue the story after it was so perfectly tied together with its final chapter. The solution? An interquel! Thus, we have the Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands.

Naturally, the only place to expand on the trilogy would be in the seven year gap between the first chapter in the trilogy, The Sands of Time, and the second chapter, The Warrior Within, since the third chapter, The Two Thrones, took place immediately after Warrior Within and left no room for expansion (unless they wanted to go more in-depth about the Prince and Kaileena’s relationship on that boat of theirs& probably not a lot of gameplay there, but it might’ve provided for some interesting mini-games). In order to leave more room for later expansion and maybe the return of the Warrior Within’s nemesis, the Dahaka, Forgotten Sands takes place immediately after Sands of Time.

Now that we’ve banged out the timeline continuity, let’s get into the actual story. Our young hero, still not nearly as jaded as we would find him to be in Warrior Within, is sent by his father immediately after the events of Sands of Time to meet his brother, Malik, in the hopes that some of his leadership skills would rub off on our young prince. Upon arriving in his brother’s kingdom, the Prince finds Malik’s capital under siege and immediately puts to use his infamous agility as he begins to scour the city for his brother.

Once he catches up to Malik, the Prince finds that Malik is so desperate to win the battle, knowing that his forces have been nearly wiped out, that in a last ditch effort before retreat, Malik reveals to the Prince an ancient seal he has inherited. This seal supposedly will unlock the gates to a mystical sand army that the once great King Solomon had control over. Malik figures if he could control the army, he could turn the tide of war. It wouldn’t be much of a game though if Malik’s plan came to fruition.

As soon as the seal is inserted, it snaps in two as sand begins pouring out into the treasure room of Malik’s palace. The Prince, once again played by Yuri Lowenthal, quips that it always seems to be sand as only he and Malik are saved from the gruesome fate of being turned into sand statues by the remaining magic in the two halves of the seal. The Prince must now find a way to re-imprison the sand army that is running havoc around Malik’s city while discovering the secrets of King Solomon’s ancient city.

If you are a fan of the Prince of Persia trilogy from the last generation of consoles, then you will absolutely love Forgotten Sands. The Prince flows just as smoothly as ever as he uses his infamous agility to still hop along walls, columns, and flagpoles with as much as grace as in any previous game in the trilogy. There have also been new fighting mechanics added to the game as the Prince now uses not only his entire body and environment as a weapon with his typical jump kicks and acrobatic swinging sword somersaults, but several new powers that he acquires over the course of the game.

There is still the classic rewinding of time introduced way back in Sands of Time, but now there is also the ability to control the elements of wind, water, fire, and earth as the Prince’s new medallion made out of his half of the seal allows him an entire new power set. This new power set also allows for brand new puzzles for the Prince to traverse. Abilities like being able to freeze and unfreeze water has the Prince bouncing back and forth between frozen water ropes and trying to perfectly time when to turn waterfalls into walls and back. Also, being able to reverse time for not only the Prince, but also structures in the environment, creates a whole new challenge in terms of “looking before you leap”.

These new powers also help in the pumped up fights that the modern consoles can handle. There are times now where you are facing entire rooms full of twenty or thirty sand soldiers now, instead of only five or six like in most points in the original trilogy, so being able to call up stone armor or create a whirlwind around the Prince can really help even the odds.

The game also shines in terms of graphics on modern consoles. Never has a Prince of Persia game (even compared to the one that came out in December of 2008) looked so good. From facial expressions to Malik’s collapsing palace, Forgotten Sands is a visual gem. When you throw in a fantastic score and great voice acting from all those involved, including Yuri Lowenthal returning as the voice of the Prince, and this game’s peripherals are top-notch.

Of course, no game is perfect though. Even with all the great gameplay elements of the original trilogy successfully being ported over to this new chapter along with some tremendous additions in terms of puzzle solving, the game still has a couple of faults. Some irritating mid-jump glitches can make the already frustrating traps even more difficult to traverse.

More frustration comes through with the fact that even though the new systems can support more enemies, many of them are just as simple minded as ever and fall like bowling pins as they are knocked over by the agility of a well-trained Prince. The lack of enemy A.I. helps contribute to the fact that the story mode should only be about a 10-hour romp for most experienced players.

Another weak point of the game is that there isn’t much to keep you playing this beyond the short story mode. There isn’t even a hard mode. There is a second mode called “Enemy Tides” that you can unlock after beating the story mode where you try to defeat eight waves of enemies as quickly as possible, but you’ll be so experienced with your powers by the time you finish the game that you should blow through it on your first try with little difficulty. There are some collectibles and the hopes of powering up your Prince more to maybe bring you back for a second playthrough, but this is unlikely.

After having several intense playing sessions with Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands I have to say that if you are a fan of the series, then this is a must pick up. If this is your first foray into this series, I would recommend a rental first, but this is still a game that most every action/adventure gamer should enjoy.

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

Graphics: 10.0: From the smallest grain of sand on the ground to Malik’s collapsing palace, and with spectacular faces and models for all the characters, Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands is one of the best looking games out there now.

Audio: 10.0: Spot-on SFX, a fantastic score that perfectly sets the mood, and superb voice acting from all those involved, including the return of Yuri Lowenthal as the Prince, and the game is a treat for your ears.

Plot/Plot Development: 9.0: I admit that I was a little hesitant with the fact that the newest Prince of Persia game was going to be an interquel, but the folks at Ubisoft did a really good job tying it into the first game. The only problem I have with it is that I would have liked to have seen a tease of the Dahaka at some point since he is such a major force in the Prince’s life later on.

Gameplay: 8.0: The gameplay is very good and the action is as always tremendous in a Prince game. Unfortunately, poor enemy A.I., some glitches, and only 10 hours of gameplay knocks this down a little.

Replay Value: 4.0: This is where the game really falls flat. The “Enemy Tides” survival mode was a nice idea, and I’m sure there will be a little DLC later on, but no hard mode and a minimal of collectibles in the story mode will keep you from playing this after getting through the story.

Overall (not an average): 8.0: A fantastic game to play through the story once, but unless you are an established fan of the Prince of Persia series you should rent this before full out buying it. Still though, this is at least a must experience for every action/adventure fan out there.

-Ray Carsillo

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Worst Writers Block Ever

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Originally Published: May 11, 2010, on ESPNNewYork.com, PlayerAffinity.com, and Examiner.com

A lot of times nowadays, plot is an afterthought when it comes to making games. It’s more about explosions, big guns, and an endless swarm of enemies to mow down. What would happen though if you had a writer as your main character and the plot was the entire premise of the game? You would probably have something along the lines of Remedy Entertainment’s newest Xbox 360 exclusive, Alan Wake. Alan Wake follows the title character through his mundane life as he struggles with a horrible case of writers block. It’s been two years since Alan has written anything of note and he is plagued by insomnia and nightmares. Finally, at the behest of his wife Alice, Alan decides to take a vacation with her to the quiet and tranquil town of Bright Falls in Washington.

Alan immediately feels out of place as a city boy in this rural backwater town. Everyone from the local radio DJ to the waitress at the main street diner begin to swoon over the great Alan Wake’s presence as he realizes this is probably the closest thing most of these people ever get to touching Hollywood. Alan rushes to find the local grease monkey who seems to be in charge of his cabin’s key, but comes across a haunting old woman instead who says the mechanic is indisposed at the moment, but left the key for him with her.

Alan takes it without thinking twice and heads with Alice for the cabin on the lake. But things quickly go awry when night comes. The power goes out, Alice disappears, and before Alan knows it, he is sitting behind the wheel of his wrecked car and has no idea what has happened to him. All he knows is that he keeps stumbling across pages from a manuscript he can’t remember writing and that he needs to find Alice. A mysterious dark presence though is working to make sure that our writer friend does not accomplish his mission and goes about possessing the normally peaceful townsfolk of Bright Falls and moving them into Alan’s path. As Alan begins moving against the dark presence though, he also comes to realize that the manuscript he keeps stumbling across seems to have some precognitive abilities as he tries to shed some light on the puzzle laid out before him.

I really can’t say anymore beyond that without giving away the entire plot, but when they describe Alan Wake as a psychological thriller, they mean it. With more plot twists than a Twizzler, Alan Wake will have you on the edge of your seat as you get sucked into Alan’s world and you addictively play your way through the six episodes that comprise the game.

And I do mean episodes. With heavy inspiration from shows like Lost, Twin Peaks, and The X-Files, Alan Wake is set up like a television show or HBO miniseries considering how long it’ll probably take your average gamer to get through each one. With full previous episode recaps, theme music, and cliffhanger endings, Alan Wake is an accomplishment in video game storytelling and will have conspiracy theorists out there talking about it like several of the shows it drew its inspiration from.

Alan Wake isn’t just a spectacularly laid out story though. The gameplay is top notch for the most part as well. The townsfolk who are possessed by the dark energy live in the shadows and can come from almost anywhere. This gives you the stress of a survival horror’s gameplay, but with a new factor of unpredictability as an enemy can literally come from any source of darkness, continuing the psychological thriller theme as you begin to dread looking around every new corner. Another aspect of this is that later in the game, not only are people becoming possessed, but also animals and even inanimate objects that violently hurl themselves in your path.

Since all of your enemies are comprised of shadows, Alan Wake incorporates a brilliant new way of fighting these unusual enemies as well. A shotgun or rifle is no longer you’re greatest weapon, it is flares and flashlights. You must use whatever light sources you can find to wear down the shadow shields many of the possessed cloak themselves in before you can fire away with conventional weaponry. Your flashlight also works as an aiming sight for your weapons in order to eliminate any need for a conventional aiming system seen in most third person shooters. Even if you run of ammo though, a plethora of batteries for your flashlight could mean the difference between life and death as enemies can be held at bay with your light long enough for you to either find more ammo or to make it to a safe haven. The light vs. dark system also means usually useless weapons can become juggernauts. Flash bang grenades can clear entire screens of enemies and a flare gun can become like a grenade launcher as they give off enough light to completely burn away the possessed.

There were a couple of problems I had with the gameplay though. The combat system was a little faulty in that the shadows are still clinging to actual people and in theory a head shot should do more damage than shots to the legs or torso and this was not the case. It became frustrating that three head shots with a pistol did the same amount of damage as three shots to the arm with the same weapon.

Another frustrating thing was that the game incorporated a radar system in order to keep the player from getting completely lost in the massive Pacific Northwest wilderness that the game created. It was a nice feature, but I felt myself obsessing over it and it nudged me away from exploring as much as I should have.

There was also a couple of problems with the graphics. Although spectacular in many ways, from lighting effects that were obviously crucial to the gameplay mechanics to water and other environment effects, there were only maybe 10 enemy character models for the entire game. With a game that will probably take most gamers 12-15 hours to complete on hard mode, to see the same handful of models thrown at us, especially later in the game, was a sad sight indeed.

The wilderness also seemed to blend together sometimes. I understand that most of the game takes place in poorly lit areas, but for a lot of what you could see, it seemed like many of the bushes, trees, and dilapidated buildings you come across were not as crisp or eye-popping as they could have been.

The audio for the game was solid, but not spectacular. The original score and licensed music for the game really helped with the whole TV show feel and the SFX were spot-on, but the voice acting was only par with what we’ve come to expect nowadays. I’m not saying we needed Nolan North to play Alan Wake (since he seems to play every single other male video game character out there), but the voice acting seemed almost a little forced at times from many of the characters.

Another positive for the game though is the replay value. Unlocking a “Nightmare” difficulty upon completion of your first playthrough, this new mode allows you a chance to collect additional pages of the mystical manuscript. There are also coffee thermoses and other collectibles to still gather after beating the game and there is some DLC guaranteed. What the DLC will garner, whether entirely new episodes or rumors of a multiplayer mode, we will have to wait and see. I admit, normally I would need a little more than that to garner a game’s replay value a positive, but the story is so good that any hope that it won’t end is indeed a positive for me.

All in all, Alan Wake is a game that stays with you. You become emotionally invested in these characters and that is a testament to the story laid out before you. Alan Wake is one of the best written games I’ve come across in a long time and if they plan on doing a sequel, hopefully it won’t be delayed as much as this first game was. Add in a creative combat system and only a few minor complaints keep this from being gaming perfection.

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

Graphics: 7.0: Repetitive enemy models and poor shrubbery knocks this down. Solid otherwise.

Audio: 8.0: The licensed music and original score was fantastic, but the voice acting was a little lackluster and that keeps this from being a higher score.

Plot/Plot Development: 10.0: I can’t remember the last time I gave a perfect score to the story of a game, but I loved every second of it as played out before me.

Gameplay: 8.0: If I shoot a character in the head I want a logical explanation for him not to drop immediately. The radar also could have been tweaked. At least it wasn’t dust on the ground like in Fable II though.

Replay Value: 6.5: No multiplayer, but the hopes of it and new episodes in DLC keeps this respectable. Include extra difficulties and lots of collectibles and there is enough here to make you want to experience this nightmare at least twice.

Overall (not an average): 9.0: One of the best written stories I’ve ever played, Alan Wake is an accomplishment in video game storytelling. Only a few minor complaints keep this from being perfect, but this is definitely a must buy for most gamers and a must experience for all.

Alan Wake will be available for Xbox 360 on May 18th, 2010.

-Ray Carsillo

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Two Heroes, Two Reviews

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Originally Published: May 7, 2010, on PlayerAffinity.com, ESPNNewYork.com, Lundberg.me, and Examiner.com

One of my staples here is that when there are huge summer blockbusters, especially ones based off comics, which have corresponding video games, that I do a double review. So, in keeping with that pattern, I present to you Iron Man 2. We’ll start by taking a look at the movie.

Taking place six months after the end of the first movie, we find the world loving Iron Man. It seems that Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is on top of the world and no one, not Congress, not the US Armed Forces, and not rivals like Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) can take him down. Unfortunately, the thing that has helped Tony rise to the glorified status he has reached, is also killing him. The miniature arc reactor in Tony’s chest is slowly poisoning him and the more he uses his Iron Man suit, the faster the poison spreads throughout his body.

Meanwhile, a physicist named Ivan Drako (Mickey Rourke) is plotting his family’s revenge from the confines of a shack in Siberia. Drako blames Stark for his family’s poverty and will stop at nothing to hasten the process of Stark’s death. Using blueprints that Ivan’s father helped Tony’s father develop and researching Tony’s own work on the arc reactor, Ivan makes his own miniature arc reactor. Instead of creating an entire suit of armor though, Ivan designs a simple harness that can be hidden beneath his clothes and two energy conducting whips that can uncoil at a moment’s notice from the harness.

As Tony privately counts down his last days and races for a cure to the poison in his chest, he must also contend with rivals and enemies he doesn’t even know he has yet. It looks like Tony will be forced to call for a little help from his friends.

Iron Man 2 is a great new chapter in the canon that Marvel is creating with their motion pictures, but is not as good as the original Iron Man. Robert Downey Jr. is Tony Stark. There is no acting involved, he just is. The way he delivers his lines is brilliant and I can’t think of a better actor to personify a character. The humor delivered by Downey and several of the other characters like Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) though is a little dry and predictable at times.

A major problem I had with the movie was the development of Whiplash/Ivan Drako and how they took two villains from the comic book canon and combined them poorly into one. Whiplash was nothing but a common thug in the comics and the Russian with a vendetta who stole Stark’s technology was the Crimson Dynamo. I appreciate that Marvel was trying to modernize the character since the whole “Communist Russia” that inspired the Crimson Dynamo is gone, but they could have kept the character and only changed his history some. Plus, the huge red armor would have probably looked cool.

Continuing with my problems with the character development, let’s look at War Machine. Don Cheadle was a great choice to replace Terrance Howard and he pulled off the Yin to Robert Downey Jr’s Yang perfectly, even if I would have liked to see a little more interaction between the two. My problem was how War Machine came about. Justin Hammer took stolen armor and modified it? That’s so far off course from the comics I can’t even start to dissect where they got that idea from, but I hated it. And why in a movie full of AC/DC music, was the song “War Machine” off the Black Ice album not used?

Speaking of great casting, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow/Natalia Romonova. Wow. I loved watching Scarlett in a skin-tight black cat suit doing flips and kicking butt. Only thing I had a problem with, as a diehard fan of the comics, is that they didn’t go much into her background and they never once referred to her as Black Widow, but it was understandable because she was more of a minor character in this movie.

A minor gripe I have is the fact that the scene from the commercials where Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) kisses Tony’s helmet and chucks it out the back of the airplane has been cut. Is this just something to save for the DVD or was there a legitimate reason that you purposely cut a scene you were using in your major TV ads?

My final complaint is that the last fight scene was anti-climatic compared to the 20-minute slugfest from the first film. Although fun and entertaining, the best fight scenes came in the middle of the movie with the suitcase suit (which was awesome) and made the end scene look like they were tying up loose ends.

On the positive side, it was nice to see that all these extra characters that were introduced were not forced into the series, but were eased in. The casting was spectacular for all these characters, as well, from Garry Shandling as the primary US Congressman against Tony to Scarlett as Black Widow. Also, the special effects were top of the line as expected. I always “geek-out” whenever I see Tony use those three dimensional computer models with JARVIS, his suit A.I. and butler.

All in all, minor complaints aside, Iron Man 2 is a fun, fast-paced action/adventure/comedy that does its predecessor justice, but does not surpass it. Well done by Marvel overall and I would strongly recommend that any fan of the first movie check out Iron Man 2.

Iron Man 2 gets 7.5 out of 10.

I really thought that Iron Man 2 was a solid movie, so I was hopeful that the game wouldn’t be a total screw up.

What I’ve noticed from many recent games based on movies is that they try to extend the story portrayed in the movie, either as events leading up to the movie, or events immediately following the movie. Two recent examples of this that come to mind were Terminator: Salvation and GI Joe. Iron Man 2’s video game, a third-person shooter/action/adventure title developed by Sega, falls into the “after the movie” concept.

The game opens up with Tony’s archives building being attacked by robot drones. Immediately Tony and Rhodey scramble to the scene and try to quell the chaos with repulsor beams and mini-guns blazin’. For the most part they are successful, but after checking all his files, Tony finds that part of his original program for JARVIS, his electronic butler and suit A.I. program, has been stolen. Knowing what could happen if that A.I. fell into the wrong hands, Tony and Rhodey start following a trail of breadcrumbs to find the culprits.

A simple comic book plot that ties well into the canon that the movies seem to be developing, the villains in the game are new adaptations of classic Avengers/Iron Man villains. Advanced Idea Mechanics (A.I.M.), Roxxon, Crimson Dynamo, and Ultimo all make appearances in a much deeper plot than is initially revealed in the opening level of the game and is done in a way that makes sense for this new movie universe, but stray far away from the comics. For example, Tony Stark in this new universe now creates Ultimo, one of the most formidable of villains of the Avengers and originally created by Hank Pym. An interesting account of these classic characters, but purists will flip over this for sure.

So, the plot may be workable, but a story alone does not a great game make. This game from a technical standpoint feels rushed. The graphics look like they were something from the last generation of consoles. NPCs looked cartoony and out of place and the backgrounds were bland at best.

The audio was unimpressive also. The voice acting was solid, but the dialogue was uninspired and I was disappointed that only Don Cheadle and Samuel L. Jackson lent their voices to the game (I hereby declare my love for Scarlett Johansson). The music lent to the game from several rock bands was good, but they didn’t get any AC/DC, which is a clear theme for the movies. I think that is proof positive that this game was rushed to hit store shelves along with the movie hitting theatres.

The biggest downfall of this game though is the gameplay. This game is chock full of glitches, the controls felt unnatural (especially the flying where you’re constantly crashing into walls or obstacles), and made the game much harder than it needed to be. Mind you, the difficulty of the game was somewhat impressive, but it wasn’t because of a good enemy A.I., but because of sheer numbers and health handicaps when you up the difficulty. And even then, you only have eight missions that should take most veteran gamers only 8-10 hours to complete on hard. On easy, this game isn’t even worth a rental since there is no strategy necessary when playing (out of curiosity, I played a few levels on easy after beating the game on hard, and it was a joke, especially in terms of being able to procure a lot of the achievements). Plowing in headfirst will almost always win the day.

Another weakness of the game is the replay value. If you actually enjoy playing this game, there are new armors and power ups that you can acquire by repeating levels. Also, in four of the eight missions you can choose between playing as War Machine or Iron Man to get a different feel between War Machine’s offense heavy strategy and Iron Man’s defensive minded maneuvers. Some kind of multiplayer or co-op mode with both heroes would have gone leaps and bounds for this game and because of that there is really nothing to bring you back to this game. I don’t even think there is enough to bring you to this game once actually.

When you sit back and look at this game with a careful eye, you see the framework for a very solid third person shooter/action/adventure game. Unfortunately, it looks like Sega, either of their own volition or pressure from Marvel, rushed this game, plain and simple. Every element of this game seems incomplete, from the graphics to the gameplay mechanics. It seems that Iron Man 2 has fallen into another summer blockbuster pattern: the corresponding video game is usually nowhere near the quality of the movie.

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

Graphics: 5.0: The models for people and villains are solid, but a lot of scenery clearly has a poor polygon count and seems incomplete or very basic at points. A very rushed job by the folks at Sega.

Audio: 6.0: The soundtrack was solid, but a lack of AC/DC was disappointing considering how important it was for the movie. Also, the fact that only two actors from a star studded cast signed on to do the game is a joke, even when they’re actors of Samuel L. Jackson and Don Cheadle’s calibers.

Plot/Plot Development: 6.0: Not a bad story that works well with the new universe created by Marvel’s movies, but die-hards of the comics will want to throw a brick through their TVs and use the game disc for some skeet shooting.

Gameplay: 3.0: Chock full of glitches and a poor control scheme makes this game a chore to play at best. Add in an uneven difficulty system and only about 10 hours of gameplay on the hardest difficulty and you’re looking at something that should be put on the scrap heap.

Replay Value: 5.0: There are only eight missions in the game’s story and only four of those allow you to choose which of the two heroes you want to play as. There are some weapons and classic armor to collect and some very easy achievements to acquire via replaying a few levels, but beyond that there is nothing to keep you playing this game.

Overall (not an average): 3.5: A rush job all the way around, Iron Man 2 is horribly disappointing and maintains the status quo of good movies often make bad video games. Only the most hardcore of fans should even rent this. No one should buy.

Iron Man 2 is available now for PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, and PSP.

-Ray Carsillo

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Wavering Conviction

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Originally Published: April 16, 2010, on PlayerAffinity.com, ESPNNewYork.com, and Examiner.com

Sam Fisher is back in Splinter Cell: Conviction and not only have the rules of the espionage game changed, but so has the game that players have come to know and love.

SPOILER ALERT: If you have not played the previous Splinter Cell games, be warned that there may be references to previous events of the Splinter Cell series.

Splinter Cell: Conviction opens up with Sam Fisher sipping a drink in Malta, a small island nation in the Mediterranean, as he tries to piece back together his life after the death of his daughter in a drunk driving accident three years earlier. Having left Third Echelon after his last mission pushed him past a point he didn’t think he could return from, where he killed one of his best friends in Irving Lambert, Sam appears completely lost. That is until an angel watching over him appears to deliver him from the brink.

Well, not quite an angel. More like his old handler Anna “Grim” Grimsdottir watching him via a low orbiting satellite. Grim contacts Sam and explains that his daughter’s death wasn’t an accident and that the people who set that up and used his grief to take him out of the espionage game are now targeting the US’s first female president.

Driven by rage and a quest for vengeance, Sam Fisher has never been more dangerous as he only works for himself now. Saving the president will only be a bonus for nothing will get in the way of the revenge Sam will try to enact on to the people who took his daughter away from him.

A nice twist on the classic Splinter Cell plot, where Sam always has to save the world from terrorists, this new game fleshes out the character of our favorite agent with flashback levels and constant plot surprises that I will not spoil here.

The first thing you will notice is that this is easily one of the best looking games out there right now. From blood splattering accurately on walls from headshots to the detail of the characters’ faces, Splinter Cell: Conviction is a gorgeous game. It’s a shame that half of it is spent, literally, in the dark.

A new color-changing system implemented in the scenery informs you of when you are hidden from enemy sight. When hidden, the world is black and white. When you’re in the open, the world is full of vibrant colors. Although a nice idea to help the player try to progress through the levels and around patrols, it takes away from the visuals and makes it difficult to make out cover most of the time. I would have preferred if they had simply left this system out and left it to the player to figure out if they were in the open. Usually the gunfire is a dead giveaway.

The audio for the game though is spectacular. Michael Ironside reprises his role as Sam Fisher and heads up a strong voice over cast that all end up giving great performances. The music helps set the tone of the gameplay and knows exactly when to amp things up and tone things down. Topped off with spot-on SFX and Splinter Cell: Conviction is something that other game developers should listen to when focusing on the audio of their games.

The biggest change from previous Splinter Cell installments though comes from the gameplay. Although there is still a very strong emphasis on stealth, with Sam not being weighed down by his Splinter Cell suit he moves much quicker than he has in previous games.

Along with this emphasis on speed, there is a new “mark and execute” system where Sam can earn some one shot assassination style kills whenever he takes out an enemy in hand-to-hand combat, throws him from a window, or drops on him old-school Splinter Cell style from an overhead pipe.

Once marks are earned, if Sam can see his foe, either from line of sight, underneath the door with his snake camera, or through walls with his new sonar goggles (more on that in a sec) he can mark up to four guys at once depending on what gun he is using (shotguns usually only give you two marks, while Sam’s favorite Five-Seven pistol can get the aforementioned four marks) and when he is in range, the marks turn red. Then with one press of the Y button, Sam turns his would be attackers into instant doormats as some awesome bullet-time sequences play out as Sam executes his marks with one shot each. This mode is a great, quick way to help even the odds in a heavily populated room or to clear one out before the terrorists even know what hit them.

Another nice addition is the new “interrogation” system. Although you’re really just mashing the B button, watching Sam smash the faces of targets of interest against urinals, TV screens, and with the butt of his gun is a beautiful new technique to advance the story. Next time, Ubisoft just might want to make these full-blown button prompt sequences though to add some difficulty to this.

Unfortunately, one minor complaint about the gameplay is the new “sonar goggles”. No longer being a part of Third Echelon has forced Sam to forfeit his signature night vision goggles and about half way through the story mode, Sam acquires these cheap knockoffs instead.

The sonar goggles work just like regular sonar, sending out bleeps in Sam’s general vicinity that can map out the area around him. It’s a good way to see enemies through walls, but it takes away from so much of the terrain that it feels like you’re playing some ancient shooter like the original Wolfenstein or the first Doom (classics for what they were, not something I need to play right now).

Speaking of enemies, the A.I. is hit or miss. I played through the single player campaign mode on the hardest difficult and still only sometimes do the enemies act brilliantly as they try to outflank Sam or create distractions for you. Just as often, instead of just reacting, they exclaim, “We’ve got to try to spread out!” Thank you for telling me your plan of attack so that I can react accordingly and pick you off one by one. Or when taking on opposing Splinter Cells who also have sonar, but act like regular thugs when trying to traverse through smoke screens.

The worst part about the gameplay though is how short the single player and co-op campaigns are. It only took me eight to nine hours to beat all 11 single player missions and another two or three to go through the four co-op prequel missions. Fifteen missions in ten hours is too short to drop a full $60 on.

The replay value suffers as well with the versus modes of old having been scrapped in favor of more co-op vs. CPU matches in new game modes like “Hunter” and “Last Stand” where you get to play as either an American Third Echelon agent or Russian Voron (Russian equivalent of Third Echelon) agent. In these modes you’re pit against the CPU terrorists and complete sweeps of locations from the campaign modes or defend certain locations. Although fun, taking away the more traditional vs. modes from previous installments of the series was disappointing.

Overall, Splinter Cell: Conviction is a nice experiment with the series with new gameplay elements and with an open-ending for a sixth console release if they so chose, but I would hope that Ubisoft got their artistic juices out with this one and will go back to focusing on having Sam Fisher do what he does best and not worrying about playing around with color schemes and fancy gadgets.

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

Graphics: 8.0: If it wasn’t for the crazy changing color and sonar schemes that you’re constantly having to deal with, this would be a perfect score because when the screen is actually in full color, it looks fantastic in terms of blood splatter effects and the details of many facial features, some of the hardest things to digitize.

Audio: 10.0: A tremendous voice cast led by Michael Ironside helps to paint the emotion conveyed throughout this latest chapter in the Splinter Cell series. Add in the usual fantastic orchestrations and perfect SFX and I can’t give the audio anything less than a perfect score.

Plot/Plot Development: 8.0: An original and inventive way to mix up the usual story of Sam trying to save the world from terrorists, but I felt it also took the game away from its roots enough to put off the series’ diehards.

Gameplay: 7.0: It was nice to see Ubisoft trying to mix things up to try to keep things from getting stale, but when you mess with too much, you lose what made the series great to begin with. I love the “mark and execute” system, but the color-changing scheme to represent when you’re in the dark or not was more of a nuisance than a help and the “interrogation” system was pretty, but offered no challenge. When you add in that the entire single player and co-op campaigns are only worth about ten hours total and you have an average score at best.

Replay Value: 5.0: Unless you’re an achievement hog, you’ll only need to play the story mode once to get everything you need from it. And the lack of a traditional vs. mode in the multiplayer I think takes a lot away from the replay value of this game and puts it in mediocre company in terms of bringing players back for more.

Overall (not an average): 7.0: It was nice to see Ubisoft try a few new things with this latest Splinter Cell, but not all of them worked. Couple that with a lack of replay value and overall length to the campaigns and I would recommend Splinter Cell: Conviction as a nice rental over a rainy weekend, but not as a full-blown $60 purchase.

Splinter Cell: Conviction is available now for the Xbox 360.

-Ray Carsillo

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Buy Me Some Peanuts and Crackerjacks

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Originally Published: April 15, 2010, on ESPNNewYork.com

In honor of the Yankees’ home opener this week, I felt it would be fitting to take a look at the premiere baseball series out there. Of course, I am talking about the PS3 exclusive, MLB: The Show, and it’s latest edition, MLB 10: The Show.

It would have been easy for Sony to sit back, update some rosters, get a new cover athlete, and ship out the best baseball game that is available for purchase on any system, but they had a different idea in mind. Listening to some of their critics and fashioning a few new ideas of their own, there are two new key modes that have been added to the MLB 10: The Show.

The first new addition is something fans have been clamoring about since the first inception of The Show and that is a Home Run Derby mode. Set up in your standard three rounds with a limited number of outs, the Home Run Derby has been a staple of America’s pastime for decades and was a favorite feature of many fans of what are considered some of the best baseball games of all-time. The addition of this alone raises the level of The Show to an entirely new stratosphere.

But, Sony wasn’t done. Included with Home Run Derby and their standby “Franchise” and “Road to the Show” modes where you can take control of your favorite MLB club or create an individual and try to have him rise through the AA, AAA, and MLB ranks, they have added the new “Catcher mode”. Not only can you select the pitch and location now, but deal with the frustration of having your diva number one starter shake you off three or four times. Or maybe that’s just me. I said throw the heat!

Whatever mode you decide to play, it is easily the most realistic baseball experience you can expect on a console. The A.I. adapts and changes to the moves you make on even the easiest of difficulties and challenges you at every turn. Although frustrating at times, it shows how far baseball games have come and that there are no glitches in the A.I. where a low and outside fastball will always be swung and missed on or every seventh pitch will be a meatball that you can belt out of the park is a huge accomplishment.

Not to say the game is without glitches. Already Sony has had to release two patches for The Show and the game still freezes at some of the most inopportune times. Aside from this though, the game is relatively flawless.

The game doesn’t just wow you with gameplay though. The graphics are tremendous and take full advantage of the power of the PS3. Add in great play-by-play from Matt Vasgersian and color by Dave “Soup” Campbell and Rex Hudler and the peripherals are near top of the line. I could’ve used a larger music playlist on the menus considering how much time I spend tweaking my franchise (I’m a virtual George Steinbrenner, very much a hands-on owner).

With all these game modes and the high quality of play, if you’re a baseball fan, you’ll have plenty to keep you coming back for more here. Throw in a revamped online multiplayer and matching system and this is probably the pinnacle of baseball games. My only other knock on this game is that Joe Mauer is the cover boy. Come on Sony! The Twins?! The Yanks are the defending champs!

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

Graphics: 9.5: A few stray polygons here and there are noticeable and shock you out of your simulation revelry, but not enough to keep this from being a top-notch gaming experience.

Audio: 9.0: From the crack of the bat to the roar of the crowd, the SFX are perfect. Vasgerian, Campbell, and Hudler all sound great and don’t repeat themselves as often as you see in most other sports simulations. The only knock is that I could have used a lot more music on my menus as I tweak the defending World Champs as they move on their way to back-to-back titles!

Plot/Plot Development: N/A: It’s a sports simulation.

Gameplay: 9.0: A couple of glitches keep this from being a perfect score, but Sony is usually right on top of their patches, and with two already being released, I’m sure the few times the game tends to freeze will be fixed in no time at all.

Replay Value: 10.0: A must have for baseball fans. The revamped online matching is a huge bonus, but when you throw in the new Catcher and Home Run Derby modes to compliment the Road to the Show and Franchise modes and you could live in an internet bubble and still have enough to keep you busy for a long time.

Overall (not an average): 9.0: A few more loose ends than previous versions, MLB: The Show is still the premiere baseball franchise out there right now and this new iteration is still top of the line. With all the new features for MLB 10: The Show, it is no surprise that a couple of new glitches have come up. Yankee Stadium wasn’t built in a day after all.

MLB 10: The Show is available now for the PS3 with slightly less awesome versions out for the PSP and PS2 as well.

-Ray Carsillo

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