Tag Archive: video games


EGM Fruit Ninja Kinect Review

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August 15, 2011

Originally Published: August 9, 2011, on EGMNOW.COM

Publisher: Halfbrick Studios
Developer: Halfbrick Studios
Platforms: XBLA

Release: 08.10.11

Players: Singe Player, 2-player local vs and co-op multiplayer, online leaderboards

ESRB Rating: E – Everyone

The Good: Just as much fun as the iPhone app…
The Bad: …for the same amount of time and ten times the price
The Ugly: Me after sweating from ferociously chopping in my living room for a couple of hours

Even though it may come across as a simple game, the release of Fruit Ninja Kinect carries a lot of weight with it. Being part of the Xbox Summer of Arcade garners that the game needs to be a certain level of quality. It’s the first downloadable Kinect game made and many Kinect owners are hoping this will begin a push to see more software finally start to support the device again. And it could deal with the ire of fans of the original game for smart phones if it doesn’t translate well to motion controls. So how would a game originally designed for a touch screen feel when not touching anything at all? Pretty damn good.

Anyone who has played the original Fruit Ninja will instantly be able to jump right into this game. After only a couple of sessions in the perfectly ported Arcade, Classic, or Zen mode you’ll be swinging your arms as proficiently as you swiped your fingers across a touch screen. The only problem players may find with the controls comes when you are swinging upward because when you bring your arms back to your sides, the game will sometimes pick that up as a downward slice and cut into something you never intended to. After a couple rounds prematurely shortened due to this though and you’ll learn to compensate as the original game overall translates very well to the Kinect. The game may actually translate a little too well.

After only an hour of play, I had matched or broken the high scores I had in the smart phone app and found myself bored with the game. Would I play it again at some point? Maybe, especially if I had a friend coming over for the local versus or co-op modes, which is the only real difference between this and some smart phone versions out there. But, swinging your arms instead of swiping your fingers just isn’t enough to sell me on this game at this price if I’m playing by myself. I could just pick up my phone or iPad, and do the same exact thing as on the TV screen with a lot less effort and for one-tenth the price. Bright, colorful, easy to pick up, and initially fun to play, Fruit Ninja Kinect is a solidly built game. But with such fast dissipating appeal and minimal replay-ability I don’t see why you’d pick this up when you can get virtually the same experience for a lot cheaper on your smart phones.

Score: 6.5

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SDCC 2011 Cos-Play

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Originally Published: August 9, 2011, on EGMNOW.COM

One of the most charming and long lasting impressions that you take away from Comic-Con is the pure love and devotion that people are willing to show by pouring hours on end into costumes just to go gallivanting around the Con for a few days. Some put more thought and effort in than others and some simply relish the opportunity to show off some of their finer…ummm…assets, but no matter what the reason behind it, cos-playing is one of those things that define the Con and is proof positive as to why this is the pop culture extravaganza that it is. On that note, here are some of our favorites that we saw while roaming the show floor.

1. Castle Crashers: CHARGE! When released in 2008 as part of the Xbox Summer of Arcade that year, few knew the intense following the simple side-scroller beat ‘em up Castle Crashers would encourage and these two gentlemen here are proof positive why it was a hit.

2.Catwoman: Puuurrrfect in every way, this femme fatale is a comic book staple for over 70 years now and is a favorite for female Con-goers everywhere representing the strong independent woman mindset. The authentic bullwhip also works as a deterrent for those of us who ogle too long.

3.Ghostbusters: Who ya gonna call?! Probably not these guys. It wouldn’t be a Comic-Con though without staples like Slave Leias, Stormtroopers, or a fearless foursome in brown jumpsuits. Including prop ghost traps and proton packs, these guys (and lady) are ready to believe you.

4. Black Cat: If this is what Black Cat looks like, you might have to question Peter Parker’s tastes for sticking with Mary Jane all those years when he had this waiting for him for a long while. Although rather harmless looking, this feisty feline knows where to hurt you the most.

5. Portal: Lacking in characters to cos-play as, did not act as a deterrent this year for Portal fans. This group found a way to put everyone in a costume with Chele, a pair of portals, and even a very lovely Companion Cube. They all deserve some cake for their efforts.

6. CoD Sniper: As the world rushes by him, the quiet and calm sniper stays hidden in the brush, waiting patiently for his target to finally enter his sights. Holding my breath, I quickly squeezed the trigger when this Sniper wandered into my sights due to the great effort put into his costume.

7. Waldo: Where is he? Right here. And I found his girlfriend, too. I always was very good at those books. I wonder just how much they actually blended in though once they made it through the Con doors and mingled amongst the huge crowds.

8. Army of Two: You can tell cos-players take their craft seriously when you ask them for a picture and they strike a pose relevant to the characters they are portraying. Unfortunately for them, the Call of Duty Sniper from earlier is off camera ready to take them both out.

9. Female Assassin: A huge fan favorite this year was people dressed as Assassin’s Creed characters. The fan turnout was rewarded by Ubisoft as those who dressed as AC characters and attended their Saturday panel, like our female assassin here, were promised free autographed Signature Editions of Revelations when released.

10. Princess Peach: Not the most traditional Peach, but if this is what is always awaiting Mario, no wonder why he keeps going through eight castles for her and that Bowser won’t stop kidnapping her. If your choice was this girl or weird little mushroom people, well, is it really a choice then?

11. Street Fighter: Another group shot, these folks decided to take on the guise of several protagonists from the Street Fighter series including fan favorites like Chun-Li, Ryu, and Blanka. They sure let themselves go since Super Street Fighter IV was released though, haven’t they?

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EGM Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet Review

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August 5, 2011

Originally Published: August 2, 2011, on EGMNOW.COM

Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Developer: Shadow Planet Productions
Platforms: XBLA

Release: 08.03.11

The Good: Old school exploration and backtracking similar to Metroid
The Bad: Constantly referring back to your map and weapon wheel breaks pace of game play
The Ugly: Monstrous, screen-filling shadow creatures bent on your destruction

Cut from the mold of old-school action games like Metroid, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet proves that fun, simple, yet engrossing game play can trump all the special effects and cut scenes of other games most any day of the week. In fact, the story of Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet can be summed up thusly: You’re an alien with a spaceship. Your home world has been invaded by a plague like shadow creature. Kill it.

And that’s all you really need as you pilot your way through a maze-like massive world with varying climates and themes and you blast away at parasitic creatures spawned from the master shadow monster. And blast away at these creatures you shall as you’ll earn an assortment of various weapons from standard missiles, blasters, and scanners, to more unique weapons like buzz saws and barrier shields. Of course, each new weapon will only make you want to explore even more as each will not only help you take down certain foes, but also open up new door ways that were once blocked off to you. Rewards ranging from concept art and more of the game’s back-story to armor and blaster power-ups await you if you choose to explore the entire map available.

The only downside that comes from having a large assortment of weapons and a map of where to explore is that you find yourself constantly referring back to the map to see where to go next, or even with four assignable hot keys, needing to go to the weapon wheel to change weapons. This tends to break the pace of game play and will slow down the experience for all the completionists out there.

Despite this minor complaint, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet is a wonderfully addicting old-school romp that uses simple, tried and tested techniques to pull off a winner. The limited color palette works perfectly for the theme of the game and it helps put your sensory emphasis on the mood-setting music as you blast away in classic underdog style with your tiny ship against an entire world. Throw in an actually compelling 2-4 player co-op/versus mode called “Lantern Run” where you and up to three friends must work together to solve puzzles and escape the encroaching Lantern Monster, all the while competing for the high score, and Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet is another more than worthy entry into Xbox’s Summer of Arcade.

Score: 9.5/10

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EGM Section 8: Prejudice Review

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Originally Published: August 2, 2011, on EGMNOW.COM

Publisher: TimeGate Studios
Developer: TimeGate Studios
Platforms: PS3 (previously released on Xbox 360 and PC)

Release: 7.26.11

The Good: Deeper story mode than original serves as more than tutorial for multiplayer
The Bad: Dated, last-generation graphics, glitches, and horrible voice acting
The Ugly: The splatter when an orbital supply drop crushes someone

Section 8: Prejudice is a sequel to Section 8, a sci-fi shooter that revolved around space marines who would be shot from an orbital cannon into various military conflicts, and provides players with the personal challenge of trying to crush hapless opponents on impact. Although an interesting take on the shooter, the campaign served as nothing more than an extended tutorial that seemed to gear players up for the multiplayer. With the release of Prejudice though, the entire Section 8 universe has seen a re-design.

The most obvious fix to this franchise comes in the single player campaign. Although there are several parallels between the action of this new story, which continues to follow Alex Corde, the first game’s protagonist, and the original game’s campaign, the clear ramping up for the multiplayer, which remains the game’s meat and potatoes, is much better hidden through a more complex story.

The terrific multiplayer, which is what most attracted players to the first game, has only been bolstered by the new Swarm mode. Similar to Gears of War’s Horde mode, Swarm sees players team up to defend a single control point as they eliminate waves of enemy bots. Up to 32 players can also take part in the returning Conquest mode, which rounds out the multiplayer experience. In Conquest, two teams attempt to score points by killing their opponents, capturing objectives, and finishing a plethora of missions that prompt teamwork from the entire group in order to complete. This variety in a glorified death match mode really lends itself to team tactics in order for your squad to emerge victorious. Include again several customizable load outs you can pre-set before jumping into any and every fray and the multiplayer is something that most shooter fans should check out at least once.

Even with this downloadable title having more content than the disk-based original from two years ago though, there are still many flaws right on the surface of Prejudice that keep it from being elite. The paltry graphics, glitch riddled combat, and horrible voice acting makes you think this could be a game from the last console generation. And, again, even with a more involved story and much better character development and cut scenes, the single player campaign still feels like an extended tutorial to play before jumping into the multiplayer mode.

Despite this though, Section 8: Prejudice is a much richer experience than its predecessor and with the cheaper downloadable price tag, is a worthy distraction for shooter fans with itchy trigger fingers.

Score: 7.5/10

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EGM Captain America: Super Soldier Review

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July 25, 2011

Originally Published: July 19, 2011, on EGMNOW.com

Game Name: Captain America: Super Soldier

By: Ray Carsillo

Publisher: SEGA
Developer: Next Level Games
Platforms: 3DS, DS, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360

The Good: Stellar shield mechanics makes you really feel like the Star-Spangled Avenger
The Bad: Uneven plot pacing leaves you feeling vaguely dissatisfied
The Ugly: Unnecessary acrobatic sequences too often break the flow of action

In an adventure worthy of the character’s long history, Captain America: Super Soldier takes some liberties in regards to the original comic story lines, but from the get go fans will know that Cap is in his classic element and I can’t imagine it feeling better than how this game portrays it. From working your way through WWII trenches and punching out HYDRA foot soldiers, to taking on some Arnim Zola inspired monstrosities in German warehouses, the action sequences are worthy of any comic book hero as Cap pursues his long time nemesis, the Red Skull, deep into Nazi controlled Europe.

The first thing anyone should want to try out is Cap’s iconic shield, which handles surprisingly well in both offensive and defensive situations and feels like a natural extension of Cap. Aside from deflecting punches or bullets, the shield’s offensive capabilities have it so you can get the drop on your enemies from afar or use it in its own combo as it bounces off three, four, or even five enemies at a time just like Cap does in the comics. And for more personal combat, the game takes a page out of the Batman: Arkham Asylum handbook. Cap will often find himself surrounded by various foes, but by stringing together punches, kicks, and properly using your shield to counterattack, you can pull off combos that will leave your enemies sprawled at your feet and you no worse for ware, even if it feels a bit more stiff than the inspiration from which the system seems to be taken.

Unfortunately, for as good as the fighting feels, there are also a lot of unnecessary points to the game play, specifically some acrobatic and platforming situations that seem more akin to Assassin’s Creed or Prince of Persia, but far too linear. Although meaning to show how Cap could use his superhuman abilities to get around, the sequences often came at the sacrifice of the flow of action and jarred you out of the world you found yourself in as you tried to needlessly time these forced maneuvers.

All things considered though, when you include cameos by some of Cap’s classic allies like Nick Fury, the Invaders, and Bucky Barnes while taking down iconic foes like Baron von Strucker, Madame Hydra, and the Red Skull himself in this comic worthy storyline and the positives clearly outweigh the negatives as any Cap fan will be thrilled by how well-portrayed the Star-Spangled Avenger is overall in this game.

Score: 7.5

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EGM Bastion Review

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Originally Published: July 19, 2011, on EGMNOW.com

Game Name: Bastion

By: Ray Carsillo

Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Developer: Supergiant Games
Platforms: XBLA

The Good: Old school RPG dungeon crawl feel with new stylized design twists to keep it fresh
The Bad: “Quests” can become repetitive
The Ugly: The game is more linear than most RPG fans may like

Most gamers nowadays don’t have the time to devote to a 40-hour dungeon crawl like Dragon Age. Well, those gamers out there who have been looking for a more casual dungeon crawl may finally have the answer they’ve been looking for with the first entry into this year’s Xbox Summer of Arcade: Bastion.

Bastion is a real-time combat RPG with a top down hack ‘n’ slash-style flare reminiscent of Gauntlet Legends. You play as “The Kid”, a young adult who has seen his share of hardship and finds himself as one of the last living beings in his world after a great calamity has wiped out all he’s known and loved. Planning for such an event, his people built the great Bastion that was to serve as a protective meeting place should the need arise, but even that is in shambles and must be rebuilt by “The Kid” and other survivors.

Bastion succeeds in finding a balance between keeping the action quick and simple, but also providing an engaging enough story to make you feel you should have a vested interest in the characters. Part of what makes you care is every action you take in the world is described “live” by the story’s narrator and it compels you to continue on even when the game’s dozen or so levels start to feel repetitive. The narrator also helps to set the atmosphere of the game as you can actually feel your heartstrings tug as you walk up to less-fortunate citizens who have been petrified, akin to real life victims of Vesuvius in Pompeii millennia ago. Turned to ash almost instantaneously, but preserved, frozen in charcoal, the narrator talks about who they once were as you come across them and it is the most haunting graveyard you may find in a game.

The only real drawback I found to Bastion is the overall lack of choices you have. Many of the levels are unlocked one right after the other and so with your path already laid out before you, there isn’t anything story-wise beyond your weapons selection and leveling up bonuses for you to directly influence. Despite this, Bastion is one of the more replay-able RPGs I’ve seen, as there are weapon challenges, three horde mode-like levels with 20 waves of enemies, and several side-quests that may prompt you to go replay levels. All in all, with a terrific plot, tremendous atmosphere, and solid game play, Bastion is another title in the long list of stellar downloadable games that have been part of Xbox’s Summer of Arcade.

Score: 9.5

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Valve Teams with Dark Horse to Collect Graphic Novels into One Volume

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Originally Published: July 19, 2011, on EGMNOW.COM

THE BUZZ: Dark Horse Comics, the publisher of comics like Hellboy and several titles that follow the Star Wars universe, will be teaming up with Valve to provide a hardcover volume of the comic book tie-ins that Valve has produced over the years for some of their most popular games.

WHAT WE KNOW: Titled Valve Presents: The Sacrifice and Other Steam-Powered Stories, the volume will be priced at $29.99 and be 304 pages in length. Due to be released on November 16th, 2011, the three games featured in the volume will be Portal, Team Fortress, and Left 4 Dead. When released, it will mark the second video game related property that Dark Horse will publish in as many months as October 19th will also see the comics publisher launch a 4-issue mini-series dealing with the Mass Effect universe.

WHAT IT MEANS: This is nothing new to see video game developers teaming up with comic book publishers to promote games old and new. Prototype, inFamous, Halo, and Gears of War are just some of the first and third party developed games that have had printed comic book tie-ins before. Even iconic figures like Sonic and Mega Man have their own monthly comics, so it is no surprise that Valve would want to showcase Chell from Portal, the Survivors from Left 4 Dead, and the various crazy character classes from Team Fortress. An extra plus for this hardcover is that most comics cost $2.99 for 24 pages, so 304 for $29.99 is like 25% off the cover price if these issues were all sold separately.

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Sony Becomes 1st First-Party to Institute Online Passes

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July 24, 2011

Originally Published: July 19, 2011, on EGMNOW.COM

THE BUZZ: Joining the ranks of THQ, EA, and Warner Bros., Sony has come forward and confirmed that they will be the first first-party to include an online pass, rumored to be called PSN Pass, with their games to unlock some, if not all, of a game’s online features.

WHAT WE KNOW: The PSN Pass system will be much like others implemented in third-party games up to this point. A new copy of the game will come with a one-use only code that can be used to access online play for the game. Players who buy the game used from retailers such as Gamestop and want the online content will be forced to go onto the Playstation Store and pay a small fee for a new code to use with their previously owned game, just like with third-party titles that make use of online passes. The price point is still unknown, but will likely be universal across the board once more games begin featuring PSN Pass and Sony has confirmed that Resistance 3 will be the first game to require it for unlocking its online multiplayer.

WHAT IT MEANS: “This is an important initiative as it allows us to accelerate our commitment to enhancing premium online services across our first party game portfolio,” said a Sony spokesperson on the matter of PSN Pass. This is clearly just another step by developers and publishers to make sure they receive some sort of cut of the profits from used game sales and it was only a matter of time before the first-parties got in on this. And since Sony’s online pass will already be implemented by September with Resistance 3, even though Sony said it would be game-specific, it isn’t too far fetched to think that Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One, Twisted Metal, and Uncharted 3 could likely see passes as well even though they were not directly mentioned. And if Sony is willing to begin implementing this, could Microsoft be that far behind? Considering you already have to pay for Xbox Live, compared to PSN’s free service, Microsoft could be even more primed to put the screws to used game retailers in the future.

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NHL 12 Cover Boy Announced

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July 15, 2011

Originally Published: July 12, 2011, on EGMNOW.com

Lightning Strikes: Stamkos Broke Face in Playoffs, EA Using Better Picture

THE BUZZ: Steven Stamkos is an up and coming superstar, so it makes a lot of sense for him to be NHL 12’s official cover boy. The grit and determination he showed in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals when he literally had his face broken by a puck off a slapshot and then came back in the same game and you can see that this kid is a perfect snapshot of “hockey”.

WHAT WE KNOW: Stamkos is quickly becoming a player to watch for hockey fans. After a slow start to his career, Stamkos exploded in his sophomore and junior campaigns for a combined 96 goals, averaging a goal every 1.7 games. Along with this, he shared the “Rocket” Richard award (most goals in the NHL) with Sidney Crosby in the 2009-2010 campaign, was the third youngest player to have 50+ goals in a season behind Wayne Gretzky and Jimmy Carson, and led his team to a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Finals this year. Hockey has a new face and it resides in Tampa Bay.

WHAT IT MEANS: The boys from EA Canada, which is located conveniently a stone’s throw from Vancouver, may be holding a grudge in not putting Boston goalie Tim Thomas on the cover. Considering that EA’s big new feature for NHL 12 is being able to hit the goalies and have them fight each other, not putting the one who won the Cup, the Cup MVP, and the Vezina (best goalie in the NHL) on the cover doesn’t make a whole lot of sense otherwise.

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EGM Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D Review

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July 7, 2011

Originally Published: June 28, 2011, on EGMNOW.COM

More mindless than the zombies you’ll be shooting

Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Platforms: 3DS

Release: 06.28.11

Players: Singe Player, 2-player Co-op

ESRB Rating: M – Mature

The Good: Beautiful graphics
The Bad: We’ve seen this all before in Resident Evil 4 and 5
The Ugly: Time is your greatest threat, not your enemies

Every fan of the Resident Evil franchise has been waiting with baited breath to see if it could make a successful transition to portable gaming with a pair of titles coming to the 3DS. The first of those titles, Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D may have the diehards worrying a little.

Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D is the attempted expansion and combination of the Mercenaries mini-games found in Resident Evil 4 and 5. Although the graphics for the game are crisp, the character models look nearly as good as they did on a console, and the use of the bottom screen for your inventory and map are nice touches, there is little beyond these features to make the game worthwhile.

The point of Mercenaries is to play as one of eight different characters from the series that are randomly inserted into various familiar locations from the Resident Evil 4 and 5 games. Whether in Europe taking on cultists or in Africa taking on the Majini, the object of the game revolves around an arcade style time-trial where you try to get the highest score possible in the time allotted while also building up combos by quickly dispatching several foes in a row.

Unfortunately, even with 30 possible missions, RPG-like powering up of your favorite Resident Evil characters, and some stellar graphics, the game gets repetitive and boring quickly. There is an overall lack of enemy variety with nothing you haven’t already seen in previous Resident Evil games and because of limited enemy A.I. and the powering up feature, where any character can equip up to three upgrades once they’re unlocked, your greatest threat against getting a high score does not come from the infected but from the clock on the top of the screen.

A nice feature to try to add some replayability to the game is that Mercenaries does feature a co-op mode for a friend with a 3DS, but then you’ll have two people getting bored after a handful of missions instead of just yourself. Add in poor controls that will take a lot of time to get used to as the most often used actions for this game, shooting and reloading, require not one, but two buttons to be pressed or held at a time and overall, Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D just lacks the substance necessary to make it a worthwhile purchase.

Score: 4.0/10

By: Ray Carsillo

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