Tag Archive: video games


EGM Preview: Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2

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April 16, 2012

I ain’t afraid of no Ghosts

For a lot of shooters nowadays, the idea of patience is taboo, like it was some naughty word or an out of date, ignorant way of thinking. Run and gun has become synonymous for the most part with this genre, especially those of the first-person, military-based variety. Many franchises that even once revolved around stealth have abandoned their proud roots for the sake of just getting the bullets to fly as fast and as furiously as possible. The folks at City Interactive though feel there is still a strong base of gamers out there who would enjoy a more involved simulation that rewards you for taking your time, being precise, and not making a sound. And so we here at EGM got into our best camos, snuck into our game room, and sat down for a demo of Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2.

The first thing we immediately took notice of was the detailed and rich environments we saw in the two-level preview we were given. Courtesy of the power of CryEngine 3, the levels we saw were massive in scope yet still were able to highlight the tiniest of details as if we were actually in those locations. Also, whereas in the first game you were relegated to jungle environments, you’re going to get a lot more diversity in Sniper 2 in terms of location and that was evident in that we saw both an urban and jungle level in our demo, and we were promised some campaign levels in the Himalayas, although we did not actually see them.

The new engine also allowed a lot of the A.I. issues that those who played the original Sniper complained about to really be cleaned up with enemies reacting much more dynamically to you when you were spotted. The new engine also allows a lot more enemies on screen at once. Really focusing in on the stealth elements, there were whole sections of the levels we saw where discretion was the better part of valor and it was much smarter just maneuvering around enemies instead of engaging them in any way.

There is also a lot more feedback being given to the player. Picking up enemy snipers from the glint on their rifles, tagging patrolling foes via binoculars, and a whole new detection system have been implemented to help you work your way through levels.

“The main difference compared to the first Sniper Ghost Warrior in terms of detection feedback is we were only telling players if we were being spotted at the moment, but it never told us from which direction. So we added the direction tracker to make it easier to maneuver away from enemy sights as now only when the indicator fully fills up does it actually register with the enemy A.I. that he’s spotted us. So if I move slowly and carefully enough, I can correct any errors I may make and back up back into cover,” said Sniper Ghost Warrior 2 Producer Michael Sroczynski

Aside from the A.I. and environments though, there is even more going into this franchise facelift. Your rifle selection has increased to allow for bolt-action rifles. There are now several different stealth kill animations including kidney stabbing and throat slitting. You can blow off enemy body parts if you hit them in the right spots with the right weapons and ammunition. And, of course, bullet cam is returning, where when you get those special kills, whether it be a really far off enemy or the last guy in a crowded room, the camera does a panoramic around the bullet as it releases from your rifle and tears through the flesh and bone of your foe, putting him down like the dog that he is.

City Interactive is also implementing a Custom Difficulty mode on top of the traditional Easy, Medium, and Hard modes. This Custom Difficulty will allow you to choose what assists you do or do not want. If you want wind resistance to be on, but not gravity factors, or if you don’t want to have to take weights and balances into account, but still want to be able to hold your breath to steady your shot, then this mode will be perfect for all those micro-managers out there. But, if you want the most accurate sniper simulation possible, then leaving most of those factors on is the way to go.

With our demo complete and dozens of digital denizens’ brains blown out, I admit that the only thing I could think of was that fellow fans of stealth and headshots should definitely be looking forward to this game. If this tasty tidbit was any sign of things to come, then I can’t wait to grab my spotter and head back into the shadows when Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 releases this summer on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

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EGM Preview: The Amazing Spider-Man

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Catchin’ Thieves Just Like Flies

Since developer Beenox took over the Spider-Man franchise for Activision, they’ve put out a couple of great Spidey titles that gave fans of the wall-crawler hope for his future in video games. But now that they’re going to do a game based off of a movie instead of an original story, many are wondering if the developer will have enough wiggle room to produce the top-tier title fans have started to expect from them with the web-head.

After seeing a brief demo of The Amazing Spider-Man, I have hope renewed. Although the game will be released about a week before the movie actually hits theaters, the game takes place after the events of the movie and will feature Dr. Curt Connors (no word on if he’ll turn into the Lizard in the game), Gwen Stacy (basically confirming she won’t get killed off in the first movie), and our dear Peter Parker. Aside from them, exclusive to the game we also saw a very bestial looking Rhino (although we’re not allowed to go into much more detail than that).

Beyond the characters though, the thing that really jumped out at me was the look. Crisp, clean, and very cinematic, Beenox has taken their time to craft what is shaping up to be their most life-life Spidey yet in a fully realized Manhattan. And part of this was the camera angle, especially when web-slinging.

“The camera is more of an over-the-shoulder shot than a traditional third-person view and is much closer than in any previous Spider-Man game ever when web-swinging. It gives you this incredible connection to the character. This is extremely different from anything anyone has tried before in a Spider-Man game and, for me, this provides the most outstanding web-swinging experience ever because of that familiarity you quickly develop with Spidey from it,” said Dee Brown, Studio Head at Beenox when talking about the new cameras while swinging around Manhattan.

And speaking of getting around Manhattan, the movement was definitely one of the key aspects of the demo shown to us. One of my favorite sequences involved Spidey trying to get to the front of a high-speed car chase, using both his normal webs, and a new move called “Web Rush” where Spidey can stop in a moment and pick a specific point he wants to throw his web. The game engine then performs real-time computation to get Spidey to that point in the fastest, most acrobatic way possible. When Spidey got to the front of the chase, we were rewarded with him spinning a massive web that caught the entire getaway vehicle and left the robbers high and dry for the cops to clean up with a very distinct Spider-Man calling card.

The web rush ability was very cool to see, and it showed off how powerful Beenox’s new engine is, but my only concern is that there were a lot of yellow Spidey silhouettes showing where he could go and I hope that they will only be active during the mode or that those silhouettes were still early build markers as I could see that getting distracting very quickly in game.

Aside from the movement, we also saw some of Spidey’s new combat. Incorporating some of the stealth maneuvers Beenox had played around with in Shattered Dimensions with Spider-Man Noir, Beenox has it now so that in the indoor areas Spidey will traverse, he can either go in with web-shooters blazing or take the sneaky route and really strike some fear into the foes he will face.

Although the game is still a few months from release, again, what I saw gave me a lot of hope. Beenox knows they’ve set a pretty high bar to hit and know that being tied to a movie can both help and hurt them. But from what I saw, I think everyone is just going to really enjoy being Spider-Man again and I, for one, can’t wait to see the finished product.

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EGM Review: Kid Icarus: Uprising

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Get ready to hate eggplant again

Many of us who grew up with the NES fell in love with the idea of a little angel who was trying to save the heavens from a nasty demon with snakes for hair. Then we played this game and proceeded to throw and smash many a controller due to what would become its legendary difficulty and would need to go to anger therapy for being turned into an eggplant over and over again.

But still, all this was part of the charm of the original Kid Icarus, and many of us wondered why we never received a true console sequel. Sure there was a Game Boy version in 1991 that was really just a dumbed down version of the original and we’d later be teased and taunted by Pit being a fighter in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. But now, finally, after so long, Pit is back to serve the goddess of light, Palutena, and save the world once again from Medusa. And Medusa has a few surprises in store for our dear Pit, including a dark doppelganger of our hero, the return of her lieutenants like Pandora, and yes, that damned Eggplant Wizard as well. At least now the eggplant thing is only temporary though (although I would’ve loved to have seen some 3D nurses).

But, although Eggplant Wizard may no longer be as infuriating as he once was (or his new cousin Tempura Wizard that can turn Pit into a shrimp), there is still some great difficulty to be had with the new Kid Icarus: Uprising. But if the normal experience should prove simple for some of you out there, you can make the game more difficult before hand by sacrificing found hearts to the “Fiend’s Cauldron” before each chapter and amp up the Intensity to a level 10 (the game starts at an Intensity level of 2). This can lead to finding bigger and better treasure in a level, but will also throw a lot more and stronger enemies at you and if you should die, you lose all the hearts you used to increase the difficulty in the first place.

Unfortunately, the “Fiend’s Cauldron” isn’t the only thing that makes the game difficult. Some of the game’s inherent difficulty also stems from the unusual control scheme. All of the action from the game stems from shooting with the L Button, moving with the circle pad, and using the stylus to aim and look. Each level is broken into two parts. The first is always an on-rails in the air style shooter where Palutena is guiding Pit’s wings and all you have to do is shoot enemies as they come on screen. This works fine with the odd controls.

The problems always arose during the second part of each level when Pit was on the ground and the game became more of a traditional third-person shooter. It was difficult to target enemies, move the camera around with the stylus, and really just figure out where you were going at any time or where you should be looking. I would have killed for some sort of Z-Targeting system like in The Legend of Zelda games (or a second joystick like every other shooter made in the past decade) just to help me keep my bearings with a lot of the foes, especially during the epic boss battles. And although the included stand does help alleviate some of the strain that comes from having to hold the 3DS so awkwardly whenever you play, it also limits you to where you can play as it only works best on a table or flat surface of some kind. Trust me, I tried it in my lap and a few other places, and tables are your best bet.

Despite this, you’ll probably be able to force your way through most of the game as long as you take it in short spurts of only a couple of chapters at a time. And because of the humorous writing and great story, you’ll definitely be compelled to finish the story mode. Not to mention, the ability to use nine different types of weapons with a bevy of options in each category really helps keep the game play from getting too boring as you get new weapons through a variety of different means.

But, here I am getting carried away with how awesome the story mode is, and I almost forgot that there is also a huge new multiplayer component to the game as well. First, you can use AR cards included with the game or Idols collected in game to duel various creatures from the game’s universe against each other with the 3DS cameras. There are also “Light vs. Dark” team-style and “Free-For-All” versus arena modes where you can battle up to six players with your own customized Pit depending on what weapons you find and use in the game.

The game is also pleasing to the eyes and ears as no two levels, in story mode or versus, look alike and take advantage of a bright and colorful design palette, and the voice acting, especially for Pit and Palutena in story mode, who fill in most of the gaps of the story with some witty mid-level banter, is simply top of the line. Add in some remixes of classic NES themes and a few new tunes as well and the audio/visual component of the game is superb all around.

When all is said and done, although the controls may be frustrating at times and take some getting used to, this is a very solid game. Great visuals, tremendous depth of game play modes, and a fully realized plot that is brilliantly executed on every level makes this probably a must have for every 3DS owner out there.

SUMMARY: A brilliantly written and executed new chapter in the long-abandoned, but never forgotten, Kid Icarus franchise that will appeal to new and old fans alike with its amazing depth and stunning visuals.

  • THE GOOD: Great action and writing throughout
  • THE BAD: Unusual control system can get uncomfortable after long periods of time
  • THE UGLY: How about a two-decade long wait for a true sequel

SCORE: 8.5

Kid Icarus: Uprising is a Nintendo 3DS exclusive.

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EGM Review: Defenders of Ardania

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None Shall Pass!

High fantasy seems to be the soup de jour in the games industry nowadays with games like Lord of the Rings, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Game of Thrones, Kingdoms of Amalur, etc., etc., either having just been released or are just beyond the horizon. But something that hasn’t been beaten to death is the Tower Defense genre and since high fantasy lends itself to that discipline rather naturally (think castles and stone forts), enter now Defenders of Ardania ready and willing to fill the gap. This isn’t your typical Tower Defense title though as it interestingly mixes in some RTS elements that encourage you to think both offensively and defensively as well.

As the ruler of a prosperous fantasy kingdom, your wealth and resources has obviously attracted a horde of malcontents who wish to raze you for every last coin you may have. But by implementing some serious strategy, you can weather the storm of both human and demonic foes. To ensure your victory though, you must also march your army down the enemy’s throat with wave after wave of your own soldiers.

The ideas that Defenders of Ardania throws out there are all well and good, but like so many games that try to cross-breed game play types, a failed marriage between two or more elements can lead to a bigger disaster than had a single game play style been used and failed. The Tower Defense base works fine as you place ballista, spearmen, archers, and various other well equipped fortifications around the battlefield map. Even the magic spells in your inventory work to help even the odds as space runs out quickly on the field for you to place your towers. But the RTS element is woefully under-developed as each wave you create of soldiers must walk a clear path towards your enemy’s castle and they are as mindless as the towers you place. You let them go and forget about them. So although there is some strategy there as you must pick what units to send and what paths for them to take, you can mostly forget about them after you create them and hope they carry out their pre-ordained mission.

The worst part of this is that once you create a sound enough defense, as the old sports adage of “defense wins championships” was taken to heart it seems in the game design, your enemy has typically done the same and you can’t muster the proper offense you need to win as your mindless drones march to their doom over and over again, often resulting in long drawn out matches on even the easiest difficulty settings as you try to force your way past a virtual stalemate. One nice thing about the game though is the multiplayer as when you insert human error into the equation, there is a better chance for a match to progress at a decent pace, or if a stalemate does occur, for one player to get tired and give up.

The sound is irritating as well as your narrator and chief advisor sounds like an awful Sean Connery impersonator and he may be the best of the voice actors you come across as you move through the levels. The visuals are at least bright and vibrant enough to offer some distraction from this, but there are a lot of pretty games out there I’d rather devote my thinking power to.

When all is said and done, Defenders of Ardania was a nice concept, but poorly balanced execution and a tired, unoriginal story keep this from being anything special aside for maybe some Tower Defense diehards who have been waiting for something to come along in the genre.

SUMMARY: The marriage of RTS elements with a Tower Defense base fails to work as smoothly as necessary for this game to be anything memorable.

  • THE GOOD: Beautiful, stylized high fantasy setting
  • THE BAD: RTS and Tower Defense elements don’t blend as smoothly as necessary
  • THE UGLY: Bad Sean Connery impersonator serves as narrator

SCORE: 5.0

Defenders of Ardania is available on Xbox 360 (XBLA), PS3 (PSN), PC, and iOS. Primary version reviewed was on Xbox 360.

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Hands-On: Mortal Kombat Vita

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March 16, 2012

Get Over Here!!

Something that has littered much of the Vita’s launch has been ports of popular games from last year that could easily make the transition. And fighting and racing games are typically the easiest of the easy for the bunch. So, I admit, when I heard Mortal Kombat was coming to the Vita, I just shook my head and figured “here we go again”.

But Ed Boon didn’t want that. And seeing an opportunity to play around with some new technology, wanted to make sure that there was something that made this version of Mortal Kombat a little special and differentiated it from it’s console brethren from a year ago. So at GDC, we were able to go hands on with Mortal Kombat for the Vita and the handful of new features were just enough to actually make the short list of Vita titles I’ve been excited for.

A lot of what made last year’s console Mortal Kombat great in the first place remains like the tight combat and story mode. But now there are special Vita-centric challenge towers that utilize the touch screen, like a fight where blood splatters on the screen with each hit and you have to wipe it away to see, and special new mini-games modes to go along with classics like Test Your Might. We were also told of an expanded ‘Krypt’ to show off some behind the scenes of the development of the Vita version.

The challenge tower was the first thing we looked at and to go along with the blood splatter mission, there was also a mission where you had to catch falling ‘koins’ by tapping them before they hit the ground and a juggling contest where you would tap missile launchers to bounce a falling ‘kombatant’ around and keep them from hitting the ground. The promise of even more missions and another challenge tower promises a lot more longevity to this new game. Not to mention one mission where you can play as Shao Khan…

The next thing we looked at were the two new mini-games: Test Your Slice and Test Your Balance. Test Your Balance takes advantage of the Vita’s built-in gyroscope and has a character balancing over a pit filled with blades, acid, or some other instant kill trap. Not only must you balance your character for a certain amount of time, but random body parts from previous balancers who failed will be thrown at you, trying to knock you into the pit below and adding an interesting challenge to this game that was a lot of fun.

But what was most surprising was Test Your Slice, which is basically Fruit Ninja, but with a Mortal Kombat flair. Instead of cutting fruit, you’ll be slicing apart brains, hearts, and skulls just to name a few body parts. There are also a few characters’ heads with special abilities, like Sub-Zero’s freezes the stage, thrown in as well. Just make sure to avoid the bombs. This, too, was a lot of fun and made great use of the Vita’s touch screen.

The most impressive part of the game though may have been the local connection we ended up trying out. Not a hint of lag with the inputs impressed me more than any other multiplayer feature for a Vita game to date as I used my preferred Sub-Zero to best my opponent’s Noob Saibot in three rounds. And what was really phenomenal was I then pulled off Sub-Zero’s classic beheading/de-spining Fatality by using the touch screen. Yes, Fatalities are easier than ever now as with a quick simple rubbing of the screen back and forth over my opponent and his head was my latest trophy for my wall.

All in all, this was easily the most impressed I’ve been with a Vita title to date, as even though it’s a port, it offers enough new features to keep old fans happy and hopefully brings in even more newcomers with its portability. And we can’t forget that it also features PS3 exclusive roster character Kratos and all the DLC characters as part of the package so I can’t wait to really put this fully through its paces when it releases sometime this Spring.

And if you want, the reveal trailer is embedded below for your convenience. FIGHT!

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EGM Review:Mass Effect 3

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Don’t fear the Reapers

Part of what’s made Mass Effect so amazing as a series is how much the direct choices you make as a player not only affect you in game, but beyond. And the concluding chapter in this tremendous trilogy doesn’t let up at all in that regard, as choices made in the first two games come back to reward or haunt you in unforeseen ways as you continue to fight against the Reapers.

Whereas the first Mass Effect was all about introducing us to the major players and ME2 was about building up relationships and your own personal task force, ME3 is all about cultivating the relationships from the first two games in order to best prepare the galaxy into forming a united front against the Reapers, who now even pester you in the galaxy map, which adds a new layer of danger to the previously mundane process of probing planets. Every task you complete and planet you successfully probe will affect how much military strength you can muster, and by crossing the wrong person or making the wrong choice on how to allocate available resources, you can strengthen or weaken the armada you’re trying to create.

The story’s also a bit more engrossing this time around, as there are a lot more cinematic, big-movie moments—and they all look amazing, as the visuals are probably the most impressive in the series to date. This more fluid story telling really helps the game flow, and fans of the series will appreciate a lot of throwback references that sometimes come from nowhere and will instantly put a smile on your face.

The weapons, armor, and RPG leveling-up system have also been streamlined so that players who want a more action-packed experience are doing less item hunting and navigating menus. Plus, there’s also a “narrative” difficulty option that really fleshes out conversations and the customization for those players who’d prefer the more traditional RPG experience.

The combat controls feel tighter and field tactics are also smoother this time around, but the cover mechanics introduced in Mass Effect 2 are still very delicate, and movement’s much more deliberate than you’d want in any type of a shooter. And that isn’t what you need in the heat of battle, as you’ll often accidentally roll away from cover when you’re trying to stick to it. Coupled with a flawed damage feedback mechanic that doesn’t properly inform players how much damage they are taking, and combat can still be irksome at times.

But Mass Effect 3’s greatest problem is its new multiplayer system. And it’s not the fact that it’s an amalgamation of Battlefield 3’s class system with Gears of War’s Horde mode, as I love both of those games’ multiplayer options. No, my problem lies in the fact that you’re pretty much forced into playing the multiplayer in order to unlock the best possible ending in the single-player mode. This aspect, called “Galaxy at War,” starts where the galaxy’s 50 percent ready to take on the Reaper threat as soon as you begin your single-player game. But instead of collecting more assets in single-player or completing side quests to improve on this number, you need to win multiplayer matches, which correlates to your armada readiness in single-player mode—this means players will be forced to play a mode they might not necessarily want to get into right away. Plus, there is no local split-screen options and a lot of times the best co-op multiplayers all allow you to have your buddy sitting right next to you while you play.

Mass Effect 3 is still an awesome game overall, of course, as the few negatives just happen to stand out against what is an otherwise mostly blemish free experience. Even the Kinect options are a lot more enjoyable than I had anticipated, although I found myself falling back into old game play patterns a few hours in as I’m just not used to screaming at my TV (when not watching a sporting event, anyway). The conclusion to the story is phenomenal, the action’s great with legions of new and old enemies alike, and the multiplayer’s fun and addictive, even if I don’t like how it affects your single-player campaign. Not to mention Mass Effect 3 has one of the more moving scores I’ve heard from a game in a while and fantastic voice acting for all our returning favorite characters, and a nice job by some new folks like Freddie Prinze Jr. as James Vega. Fans who invested in the first two games will know the wait for this third game was well worth it, and BioWare shows why they’re some of the best storytellers in the industry.

SUMMARY: Mass Effect’s brilliant story remains intact, and if you played the previous two games, the payoff’s more than satisfying. Some cover and combat issues remain unsolved, though, and the idea of participation in a completely separate multiplayer mode potentially influencing your single-player ending is mind-boggling.

  • THE GOOD: Brilliantly concludes one of the most epic trilogies of this console generation
  • THE BAD: Multiplayer tie-in to single player, combat and control nitpicks
  • THE UGLY: Joker wanting to get it on with a robot

SCORE: 9.0

Mass Effect 3 is available on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. Primary version reviewed was on Xbox 360.

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EGM Review: Uncharted: Golden Abyss

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February 14, 2012

The Return of Sony’s Golden Boy

Uncharted: Golden Abyss sees our favorite modern-day treasure hunter, Nathan Drake, in the jungles of Central America as he stumbles upon a 400-year old mystery involving a murdered Spanish expedition. Of course, no Drake adventure would be complete without some sort of meddling from interlopers, so Nathan will have to avoid the rivalry of an old friend, Jason Dante, and new leading lady Marisa Chase, a girl who’s searching for her missing archeologist grandfather—and who can hold her own in a firefight.

Now, Sony moving their crown-jewel franchises over to portable systems is an inevitability that’s paid off some decent dividends when you look at franchises like God of War and Resistance. But can Drake make the transition as easily as when he hops from ledge to ledge—especially with the pressure of being a PS Vita launch title—or will he stumble and fall into a portable-gaming chasm of doom?

For Uncharted fans, the answer isn’t quite so clear, unfortunately. The story unfolds just like one of Drake’s PS3 adventures we’ve all come to know and love. Sony Bend’s tale stays true to the character while also brings along new players seamlessly. Couple this with the great voice acting for which the series is known and console-quality visuals, and—at least on the surface—this game looks like a winner.

But if you were expecting to come into this experience and be able to pick up and play it just like one of its console brethren, then your frustration level will rise quickly. To start off with, the game features forced tutorials that showcase special Vita-style controls—and which constantly pop up throughout much of the early part of the game. Now, this is somewhat understandable, given that the Vita’s an entirely new paradigm, but after learning what it takes to execute even the simplest of moves, you’ll quickly realize that it’s just much easier to do what you’ve always done on the PS3 with button prompts. Why would I want to draw a path with my fat fingers for Drake to climb when I get a much more desired level of accuracy—and a more satisfying feeling of direct input to my character—by moving the analog stick and pressing buttons?

But whether you choose to avoid the Vita-style gameplay or not, Golden Abyss forces you into countless minigames that not only break up the pace of the action, but are also so simple that you’ll wonder why the developers are making you bother in the first place. These minigames include putting together a torn-apart map, taking pictures of interesting ruins, rubbing your finger over the screen to draw a charcoal etching, and, of course, balance games. Because nothing says Uncharted like running away from poachers with assault rifles, coming to a log bridge, and then being forced to stop in the middle to play with the Vita’s gyroscope so that Drake can miraculously balance himself and continue being chased. And these instances are constant—I must’ve taken a dozen charcoal drawings and balanced on half a dozen bridges (not always being chased) in the first five chapters alone. For a series whose pacing and storytelling is as celebrated as its visuals and voice actors, the former really falls apart when forced into these proof-of-concept minigames.

The other major problem is that even on the least-sensitive setting, the aiming crosshairs are still much too sensitive; the right analog stick is so small that each degree of movement is greatly magnified. This means that while your movement might work on the PS3, it’s completely thrown off by the shrunken-down scale of the Vita’s analog stick. This leads to constant misfiring and needless deaths as you attempt to work out where your enemies will be so as to save yourself the trouble of aiming. And though you can move the Vita around to help with this, you’ll find that it just throws too many moving parts into the machine, and you’ll still overcompensate as you move your arms and thumbs trying to line up a shot.

Uncharted: Golden Abyss may serve as a Vita proof-of-concept, but it also serves as proof of a lesson to be learned: Don’t mess with something that isn’t broken. All the new moving Vita parts and features end up watering down what should be celebrated as a really great Uncharted story, but the diluted pacing, unnecessary minigames, and hit-or-miss (literally) controls keep this from being anywhere near the level of a console Uncharted.

SUMMARY: A story worthy of the franchise, Uncharted: Golden Abyss falls short in terms of pacing and controls, as the touchscreen gimmick takes the experience down a big notch.

  • THE GOOD: The story’s worthy of an Uncharted adventure.
  • THE BAD: The gimmick-based play destroys the pacing and flow.
  • THE UGLY: My fat hands trying to use touchscreen controls.

SCORE: 7.0

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EGM Review: NeverDead

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Fall to Pieces

There are many people out there who wish they could live forever. But Konami and developer Rebellion show that 500 years really can take its toll on a person. And unfortunately it doesn’t do any favors for game players either.

NeverDead is the story of a demon-slayer named Bryce who in an epic battle with the demon king Astaroth, loses his wife and is damned to walk the Earth forever. Five centuries later and Bryce spends most of his time now drowning his sorrows at the local pub in between wreaking his own bit of vengeance as a freelance hunter, trying to keep demons from overrunning the modern world.

The most interesting aspect of his curse is that Bryce may walk the Earth forever, but in his line of work, you’re due to take your lumps, especially when you’ve been doing it as long as he has. So when he gets slashed by weird four-legged demons with giant knives on their heads (ironically named “Spoons”), Bryce doesn’t really take damage in the traditional sense, although he does go to pieces. Literally. You see, as Bryce takes damage, he loses life AND limb until he is just a decapitated head sputtering around the battlefield trying desperately to put himself back together.

What is great about this concept is that it provides a clearly unique challenge you won’t find in any other third-person shooter out there, and fits in with the wonderfully abstract character designs you’ll see throughout the game, from the colorful demon lieutenant Sangria to the twisted demon minions you’ll face in every level. And the physics system is phenomenal as explosions scatter your parts to the winds and you can find some twisted humor in trying to roll Bryce’s head around the level trying to find them again before some smaller demon finishes you off.

But having the game play revolve around this concept does have its drawbacks. It becomes irritating that there is no way to really strengthen Bryce so that he’ll fall apart less often, and as the enemies become more difficult, you end up spending more time trying to put yourself back together than actually fighting demons because of it. And with the two-bit voice acting that is wrought throughout this game, including no more than a handful of nickel and dime lines that Bryce says whenever you put him back together, this mechanic will soon become the bane of both your and Bryce’s existence.

Speaking of strengthening Bryce though, there is an RPG system where you gain XP by obtaining collectibles or striking down foes, but it feels more like a tacked on system that came in later than being a game play pillar from the beginning of development as there are several seemingly useless powers and it just seems too easy to gather the XP you need to get the handful of good powers that are offered to you.

This also leads us into the enemies and how you combat them. I will say that the boss battles are some of the more ingenious and entertaining boss battles you’re likely to find in any game. They feel like a reward for working your way through each level. The problem is they feel like such a reward because the levels themselves are cut from the same uninspired cookie cutter design and each room you enter consists of the same pattern. Kill enemy spawn points, kill enemies that spawned before you killed spawn point, repeat. Over and over again.

And the weapons you use do not help break up this monotony either. Bryce can wield a bevy of modern day weapons in each hand, or use his patented Butterfly Blade. But, and this is especially true in the early levels, Bryce’s Butterfly Blade is so much more powerful and effective than many of the firearms offered to you that there is little to no point to ever not use your sword. And this turns the already monotonous levels into an even more monotonous hack ‘n’ slash fest. Of course, you also later learn how to use Bryce’s body parts as projectiles, but doing this defeats the purpose of trying to keep yourself together if you actually use it in battle and so only is useful in solving the handful of simple puzzles scattered throughout the game.

When all is said and done, there are some glimmers of great things in NeverDead. An interesting life mechanic, solid physics, epic boss battles, and colorful characters. But monotonous combat, boring level design, and tacked on game play elements keep this from rising above mediocrity.

SUMMARY: NeverDead is a classic example of an interesting premise falling flat on execution. A brilliant exercise in game physics and boss battles, this game is weighed down mostly by the mundane combat across nearly a dozen dull and uninspired levels.

  • THE GOOD: Great physics and boss battles that feel like the reward they should be
  • THE BAD: The grind that is working through the levels leading up to said boss battles
  • THE UGLY: The toll 500 years can have on the human body

SCORE: 6.0

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

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Prototype 2 Best Buy Pre-Order Package Revealed

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THE BUZZ: Activision and Radical Entertainment have announced the special items you will receive if you pre-order Prototype 2 from Best Buy.

EGM’S TAKE: Gamestop recently revealed the Bio-Bomb Butt Kicker ability if you were to pre-order Prototype 2 with them and so Best Buy made sure that their deal had to at least be on par with that.

If you pre-order from Best Buy, James Heller will have access to the Hardened Steel armor, which can best be summed up by Radical Entertainment Studio Head, Ken Rosman:

“Prototype 2′s Hardened Steel Vehicle Armor allows Sgt. James Heller to jump into any military vehicle and shrug off even the most devastating attacks. Whether fighting off individual soldiers, helicopters, tanks, and APCs or all the above at once, this upgrade provides Heller a defensive advantage as he goes head-to-head against everything the enemy Blackwatch forces throw at him.”

This sounds all well and good, but I’m concerned because if this armor is supposed to be as powerful as Rosman hypes up, does it stand a chance of making the game too easy then? Could this allow you to buy your way to some easy trophies and achievements? It sounds like the start of a slippery pre-order slope if you ask me. Then again, if you’re just playing the game to blow stuff up without remorse to begin with, then this will likely just help you to do more of that so I guess it all depends on what reason you have for playing the game.

Along with the armor, there will be a limited edition Prototype 2 poster while supplies last to go with the Best Buy bundle.

Will these items make you want to pre-order the game from Best Buy? Was Prototype 2 on your spring wish list before this announcement? Where do you typically get your games from? Let us know your thoughts with comments below!

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2K Reveals First MLB 2K12 Trailer

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THE BUZZ: 2K has released their first official trailer for MLB 2K12 highlighting their “My Player” mode.

EGM’S TAKE: The trailer shows a young up and coming middle-infielder in the White Sox organization as he moves through the ranks until his first major league at-bat against 2011 AL Cy Young and MVP winner Justin Verlander.

Along with the “My Player” mode, 2K is stressing their enhanced A.I. this year and having a youngster get schooled by Verlander in his first MLB at-bat helps stress that. Throw in the great commentary crew of John Kruk, Steve Phillips, and Gary Thorne setting the stage and the feel, even if not the look, of a MLB game is all around you.

As I watched this, I couldn’t help but think though that 2K needs this year’s game to do well so highlighting their strengths is a must as even with having the Xbox 360 all to themselves, they typically do not do as well both critically and sales-wise compared to the Sony exclusive series The Show. And with 2K’s contract with MLB coming up, there is a chance that both parties could walk away as 2K is tired of bleeding money, even after signing that fat contract with MLB back in 2005, and MLB is tired of the series taking two steps forward and then a step back. And without 2K willing to put the money into a better graphics engine for the game, fans will continue to gravitate over to The Show just on looks alone, as shallow as that may sound. But let’s all enjoy the rookie striking out for the time being and think happy thoughts, shall we? Pitchers and catchers report soon after all. The full trailer is below.

Are you folks fans of The Show or 2K? What do you think of the trailer? Do you prefer making your own player or just jumping into Franchise mode? Let us know what you think with comments below!

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