Originally Published: November 28, 2010, on ClassicGameRoom.com
As a part of CGR Undertow, I reviewed Spike TV’s Deadliest Warrior video game for XBLA once again.
Tag Archive: tv
Originally Published: November 18, 2010, on ClassicGameRoom.com
As a part of CGR Undertow, I reviewed The Biggest Loser: Ultimate Workout, for the Kinect.
Originally Published: July 22, 2010, on ESPNNewYork.com, Lundberg.me, PlayerAffinity.com, Newsday.com, and Examiner.com
Microsoft officially kicked off their Summer of Arcade 2010 last night with the release of Limbo, but considering my next review subject was just released last week, I don’t see why it couldn’t be part of this awesome event highlighting original XBL titles. Of course, I am talking about Spike Games’ Deadliest Warrior: The Game available now.
Based on Spike’s TV show of the same name, Deadliest Warrior: The Game takes seven combatants from the first season and the Roman Centurion from the second and pits them against each other in one of the most fun and brutal fighters to have come along in some time. With only eight fighters and five arenas to do battle in, this game works perfectly as a XBL title; available for 1000 Microsoft points (roughly $8).
The gameplay is near flawless as you can hack and slash your way through a difficult arcade mode to unlock new weapons and costumes for your favorite warriors or try your hand at proving that you are the deadliest in online versus and tournament modes. And trying to unlock new weapons can be surprisingly addictive due to each weapon having various attributes in terms of damage they can deal and the speed with which they can be wielded at so that it is unlikely you’ll have two exact fighters even if they are selected from the same class.
A unique aspect to Deadliest Warrior: The Game is the chance of a one-hit kill due to the realism the game focuses on (a spear through the face is an instant kill and for good reason). The realism that the game incorporates makes many fights faster than most fighting games, but this also makes you less likely to go in swords-a-swingin’ and make you think some before you actually attack. Include a simple, straightforward combat system that features high, mid, low, projectile, and signature attacks each assigned to their own button and Deadliest Warrior: The Game is the best kind of fighter, one that is easy to pick up but difficult to master.
The graphics are also very impressive. From limbs being hacked off and blood gushing around the arenas to the facial expressions of the warriors themselves, Deadliest Warrior: The Game is very pretty. There are a couple of minor glitches, but extra effects like dead bodies twitching at the end of each round more than make up for it.
There are some flaws to the game though. The game lags on occasion and the audio is very bland as a whole. It would have been nice if the game could have been livened up a bit with commentary from the hosts of the show, Geoff Desmoulin, Max Geiger, and Dr. Armand Dorian, or the show’s narrator Drew Skye. With only some generic music, roars of pain from the combatants, and the anticipated SFX of metal on metal leaves you wanting a little more from the audio side of things.
The plot is also non-existent really compared to your standard fighting game. It’s hard to critique it though since it’s the same premise as the show, to find out “who is deadliest?” In that aspect it has more of a simulation feel because the player really decides the storylines. What would happen if a knight took on an Apache? Or how about a samurai against a ninja?
Something that makes this game one of the best XBL titles out there though is the replay value. Aside from your standard online versus modes, there are promises of increasing the fighter roster as the show goes on and more medieval fighters are revealed. You could have a roster of 30 fighters before the show is done. If that happens, I would hope that the developers also include some new arenas.
The only other thing that fans of the show may be wondering is why all the fighters are of the medieval variety. Well, it wouldn’t be very fair to have Al Capone tear a Viking apart with his tommy gun now would it? Maybe they’ll come out with a sequel for modern warriors. I call dibs on the IRA!
Although flawed, Deadliest Warrior: The Game is a fun, unique fighter that is a bargain considering it is only going to cost you $8. Nevermind Limbo, Deadliest Warrior: The Game is the way you’re going to want to kick off your Summer of Arcade.
Ratings are based on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the best.
Graphics: 9.0: A couple of minor glitches crop up here and there, but twitching dead bodies and blood spurting by the bucketful more than makes up for it.
Audio: 5.0: Generic music, expected SFX, and no commentary take away from the overall experience unfortunately.
Gameplay: 9.5: Unique fighter aspects like one-hit kills and the ease with which you can pick this game up make it a great overall fighting experience. Lag does crop up on occasion though and that’s the only thing that keeps this from being perfect.
Plot/Plot Development: N/A: After giving it some thought, I list Deadliest Warrior: The Game more as a simulation and therefore plot is a non-factor.
Replay Value: 7.5: You have your standard online versus and tournament modes, but the promise of more fighters for download as the show continues will make you come back to this more often than typical fighters.
Overall (not an average): 8.0: A few minor flaws can’t overshadow the legitimately solid experience that Deadliest Warrior: The Game delivers and I know I can’t wait for the first batch of new fighters to be released.
Deadliest Warrior: The Game is available now on Xbox Live.
-Ray Carsillo
Originally Published: May 18, 2010, on ESPNNewYork.com and PlayerAffinity.com
If we ever wanted to find out who was the deadliest anything, we would most likely go to my latest interviewee. He is a professional Biomedical Engineer and one of the hosts for SpikeTV’s Deadliest Warrior, Geoff Desmoulin.
On Deadliest Warrior, which is now in its second season (first season available on DVD) and airs every Tuesday night at 10 PM on SpikeTV, Geoff, along with Max Geiger, Dr. Dorian, and some sweet analytical software, take some of histories greatest individual warriors and warrior groups and pit them against each other in mythological match-ups to determine the age old question: “Who is DEADLIEST?”
I had a chance though to ask Geoff some other questions like how he got involved with Deadliest Warrior and if we can ever hope to see some fictional characters make their way into the Deadliest Warrior fight club, where many of the shows’ weapons tests are conducted.
CLICK HERE – to hear Part 1 of my interview with Deadliest Warrior host, Geoff Desmoulin.
CLICK HERE – to hear Part 2 of my interview with Deadliest Warrior host, Geoff Desmoulin.
CLICK HERE – to hear Part 3 of my interview with Deadliest Warrior host, Geoff Desmoulin.
Originally Published: April 28, 2010, on Lundberg.me, PlayerAffinity.com, Original-Gamer.com, and Examiner.com
After News Corporation/Fox did not renew Peter Chernin’s contract last June, the veteran media industry executive continued on his own right where he left off. Starting with the formation of his own production company, Chernin has been working non-stop coming up with new ideas and properties and when you’re credited by many as the reason all of Fox’s cable networks are a success, your ideas usually carry a bit of weight with them.
One of these new ideas has been brought to light now as Chernin met with Microsoft executives a couple of weeks ago. The idea? An exclusive Xbox Live TV network.
Bloomberg News reported last week that in his meeting at Microsoft headquarters up in Washington, Chernin had suggested creating an entire TV network centered on the core of Xbox gamers. This 18-34 male demographic focused network would be distributed through Xbox Live. Chernin also discussed that it would likely cost users an extra $1-$2 per month ($12-$24 per year) to keep the station up and running and that he would co-own the rights with Microsoft.
With music, movies, and TV shows already being downloaded en masse by gamers online, an entire channel could be the next likely step in media evolution as we become more and more dependent on our game systems for various forms of content besides games. The big questions that immediately come to mind though are: what actual programming could we see on the channel and would Xbox Live users be willing to pay another $20 a year on top of the $60 they are already dropping on the online service?
In terms of content production, I have faith that Chernin already has several ideas for shows and programming, especially since his sons are writers for such shows as “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”. Not to mention that it would not be hard to get distribution rights for shows like “Pure Pwnage” and that Microsoft already has their own shows like “The Guild” and “Red vs. Blue”. If anything, this would spark an even greater independent creative drive for the system.
The biggest problems would come from the price raise. Personally, raising my Xbox Live bill by 25% would not be something I would be thrilled about, but in the end would be something I end up paying for because the service is just too crucial to me enjoying the system. I know many gamers who would not bend so easily though. A possible solution could be having third party developers help to fit the bill, especially those that rely on online content as much as we rely on playing it. This could have other ramifications though like seeing the rise of software prices so this also seems unlikely.
With Microsoft and Chernin refusing to comment on the meeting at the moment, only time will tell if XBOX-TV will become a reality. Microsoft has always tried to be at the forefront of new and exciting media, but if isn’t cost effective for the consumer, this may be one idea that is never realized.
Originally Published: March 9, 2010, on 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com)
The efforts of Comedy Central to bridge the gap between South Park and Daily Show on Wednesday nights have been well documented in my column. Starting with Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire, and continuing on to Michael and Michael Have Issues, and Secret Girlfriend. I have previewed all of these shows before they came out and predicted that they were never destined for a long life (although I did think Michael and Michael Have Issues would have lasted a little longer than it did) due to repetitive potty humor and a lack of comical subtlety that people are starving for in today’s overpowering shock value comedy landscape. I think Comedy Central’s latest effort though might finally bridge this seemingly impossible to fill 10:30PM gap.
Ugly Americans, which premieres March 17th at 10:30 PM after the start of the brand new season of South Park, sees a young, optimistic social worker in Mark Lilly hitting the hard streets of New York City in an effort to help new citizens acclimate to the greatest city in the world. But there’s one major catch to this seemingly straightforward concept. Mark doesn’t live in our reality. He lives in an alternate universe New York City where monsters, demons, and people coexist in a hysterically twisted vision of the Big Apple. From regular folks from Croatia to zombies and chicken-men, Mark must analyze each one on a case-by-case basis and try to help them acclimate as quickly as possible before they get deported by his rival, Officer Frank Grimes, who is trying to meet his deportation quota. As if his job wasn’t difficult enough, he must also balance an affair with his she-devil boss Callie (literally, she is a she-devil, with a tail, and horns, and…you get the picture) and deal with the antics of his zombie (again: an actual zombie) roommate, Randall.
Ugly Americans is a refreshing change to what Comedy Central had been pitching into the 10:30PM abyss on Wednesday nights and I think it will be able to find an audience and hold its own. Ugly Americans has its fair share of shock value and potty humor, but it also has enough subtle undertones and room for character development that people can really get behind Mark and his hopeless quest to help the people of his demonic New York. From traversing into Hell to meet Callie’s dad (assumingly accessible via Hell’s Kitchen), to helping Randall buy new body parts as they rot off, the sky is the limit for the possible situations and different twists on classic situations that Mark can find himself in.
The only knock against it is that the animation is average at best, but Ugly Americans is so funny that only the most critical eye (like my own) will pick a little at the animation style. The voice acting and comedic timing is top notch and as long as the writing can keep up to the high bar that is set with the first episode, I can see Ugly Americans serving as the perfect transition from South Park into the Daily Show.
To help prove my point, Comedy Central has also come out with, by far, their greatest flash game yet to coincide with the launch of Ugly Americans. This standard point and click problem solving game is a great way to kill time at work (not that I would know, of course) and get a quick glimpse at some of the characters Mark will have to interact with in every episode.
CLICK HERE to check out the Ugly Americans flash game and get an idea of what it is all about before its March 17th premiere.
So, aside from the usual pints of Guinness and/or green beer you have to look forward to on St. Patrick’s Day, remember: starting at 10:30 PM, you can look forward to the premiere of the next great Comedy Central original show, Ugly Americans, immediately following the premiere of the new season of South Park.
-Ray Carsillo
Originally Published: February 1, 2010, on Lundberg.me and SportsRev.TV
I reviewed MAG for PS3 and Wolverine Origins #44 from Marvel. I also featured Nicole Bahls as my hot chick pick of the week and revealed the exclusive footage of Kiefer Sutherland flipping out on me and Brad Blanks of 95.5 WPLJ-FM at a NYC Red Carpet.
Originally Published: October 28, 2009, 1050ESPN.com (Now ESPNNewYork.com) and Lundberg.me
As mentioned in my article on the new South Park video game, there is also a new season of South Park going on now. Unfortunately, Comedy Central’s show to bridge the gap for last season between the foul-mouth youths of South Park and the satirical wit of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart was Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire, and as predicted by yours truly, sputtered out after only a season as they burned through the same jokes over and over again.
Well, you can’t have a gap in your strongest block of programming, so Comedy Central has taken their chances this time with an even raunchier comedy, Secret Girlfriend.
The basic premise is that this sitcom revolves around YOU. At least, it is supposed to. Shot in a first-person perspective, you live somewhere in California where the sun is always shining and the ladies are always wearing something skimpy. Along with your two roommates/best friends, the sitcom follows you as you attempt to attain all that most guys in their 20s think about: booze and babes. All the while you also try to keep your hot, but bat-guano insane, ex-girlfriend from mucking up your life. You also find a meaningful relationship early on, but must keep her hidden from your ex-girlfriend to protect hers and your safety (hence the title of the show).
The show follows you to parties, clubs, strip clubs, and your apartment complex as your roommates try to use get rich quick schemes and viral videos to help them on their quest for their ultimate one-night stand where as you don’t have that difficulty due to your natural good looks and charm. You are thrown into constantly sexually provocative situations with random girls at bars, the yoga practitioner across the hall, and even on the car ride to wherever you are headed that day. All in all, you live a pretty sweet life.
I’ve watched the first three episodes of Secret Girlfriend because I wanted to see if there is more to it than just potty humor and hot women. There is not. And that might just make it a success. Of course, there is also a more probable chance, much like it’s time-slot predecessors, that it will burn through these jokes much too quickly and grow old in the minds of its viewers. That’s probably why the hot women are there, to help cover up the quickly aged jokes and situations. Then again, many of us have cable modems at this point and can see much more than what this show gives us for free.
So there really isn’t a lot of substance in Secret Girlfriend. In fact, Secret Girlfriend makes me frustrated in many ways. For example, I am not handsome and I am not charming and, in fact, most women find me kind of creepy (“Mua ha ha ha ha” seems to be a bad pick-up line). It really ticks me off seeing guys like the guy you’re supposed to be in the show, who have no job, loser friends, and no life, chasing every piece of tail they see and succeeding. Especially since I know guys like that in real life. I don’t want to see that on my TV!
Also, none of my neighbors practice yoga. And if they do, I sure don’t want to see it because I am surrounded by geriatrics in my neighborhood. They’re sweet people, but there isn’t a single, hot, 20-year-old in spandex among them. And don’t even get me started on the hot chick who just wants to hang around, eat pizza, and play GTA 4.
Since I believe most guys fall in-between the “playa” you are in this show and my own relationship-challenged category, I don’t see a lot guys being able to relate at all to the character we are supposed to be in this show.
I see a lot of guys turning Secret Girlfriend off and heading over to their broadband PCs for their hot chick fix. The jokes will get tired very quickly and the insane situations the characters find themselves in will run out faster than the writers can come up with them and so my official prediction is that I don’t see Secret Girlfriend lasting more than a season or two.
New episodes of Secret Girlfriend can be seen (for now) at 10:30 PM every Wednesday night after South Park on Comedy Central.
-Ray Carsillo
Originally Published: October 19, 2009, to 1050ESPN.com (now ESPNNewYork.com), Lundberg.me, and Comicvine.com
With numerous TV, big screen, and broadway credits to his name, Ernie Hudson is easily one of Hollywood’s most recognizable personalities. His ability to portray a gamut of emotions has earned him the chance to play a wide range of characters over his career.
His most recent character is Captain Lubbock on NBC’s Heroes, every Monday night at 8pm, as he tries to chase down Sylar and attempt to wrap his head around the concept of a world full of super powered beings at the same time.
Possibly his most famous character though is as Winston Zeddemore from Ghostbusters I, II, and Ghostbusters: The Video Game.
I had a chance to talk with the veteran actor about everything ranging from his favorite type of role to play to possibly nailing down some solid details about a third Ghostbuster movie.
CLICK HERE – to listen to my conversation with veteran actor Ernie Hudson.
-Ray Carsillo
RayCarsilloWrites.com 