The Reset Button

The Reset Button: Haunts, Crackfiend, LPN, and N3SS in GamesRadar's Street Fighter x Tekken livestream!

2012-02-16T00:40:00.000-05:00

Check out the two-part video as Haunts, Crackfiend, and LPN join N3SS (Marcos Sanchez) in GamesRadar's Street Fighter x Tekken livestream! 

Characters shown in demo: 
Sagat, Abel,  Nina, Kazuya,  Steve, Rolento,  Hugo, Juri , Balrog, Xiaoyu , King, Lili , Poison, Ibuki,  Chun-Li, Guile,  Cammy, Raven , Asuka, Vega,  Law, and Kuma.

Part 1

Part 2

Legend of Zelda: The Hero of Time. A Full-length live action movie!

2012-02-03T14:28:00.001-05:00

The Hero of Time is a fan-made, feature-length Legend of Zelda Movie. Film made by Director-Producer Joel Musch and Producer-Actor David Blane.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 Review

2012-02-02T10:39:00.000-05:00

Platform(s): XBOX 360, Playstation 3

Developer(s): Square Enix Production Development Division w/ Tri-Ace

Publisher(s): Square Enix

Genre: Role-playing game

As you may have realized already, Final Fantasy haven’t had a lot of luck with sequels with their mainstream games since Final Fantasy X-2 having an unneeded storyline and Final Fantasy XII attempting to create a RTS with a Final Fantasy feel to it. So, I was a little bit skeptical about getting Final Fantasy XIII-2, especially since they was bringing back the theories of the space/time continuum – a topic that's always interesting to explore but notoriously difficult to execute. Luckily, Final Fantasy XIII-2 does bring back the space/time continuum with some touches and innovative play style.

Story-wise, Final Fantasy XIII-2 is lacking a little bit but it still makes a heavy impact. It follows the events of its predecessor: Lighting was written out of history for disrupting the flow of time by “achieving the impossible” in defeating Orphan and saving Cocoon. Presumed to be dead, everybody moved on and began their life on Gran Pulse believing that Lighting gave her life up to the common good except for Serah, her sister, who believes that her sister is still alive because of her dreams. Along the way, you run into familiar faces and learn the reason for the paradoxes and problems in time. The story does make interesting theories regarding time/space continuum as well as give more depth to the story and events in the world of Final Fantasy 13. Especially since, as a Final Fantasy first, you are granted the ability to time travel from the beginning of the game. The game introduces a variety of side-quests and multiple endings that more than compensate for the short story that can be achieved through various criteria.

When it comes down to actual in-game content, Final Fantasy XIII-2 has revamped their gameplay style, bringing back the paradigms roles and adding cinematic triggers to the various battles to add more of an action element to the game, while maintaining the graphics that the original game is known for. The game brought back some favorite such gaining gil after battle, random encounters, exploring town, Moogles, and, which was a shock for everybody, the Beastmaster class. This feature in the game allows the player to capture and raise various monsters, each with their role and assign them to your party. To take it a step further, different monsters can also be absorbed by another monster to obtain passive abilities and/or learn new abilities.

PRO: Unlike its predecessor, Final Fantasy XIII-2 focus more of adventure than the main storyline on the game giving more freedom with great side quests to complete and various endings to see which adds to its re-playability. It also took combined the traditional elements of Final Fantasy with the gameplay style of Final Fantasy XIII. Of course, the graphics are breathtaking, especially when it comes down to its their cutscenes. Finally, the return of the Beastmaster class was a welcome addition to the game allowing the player to add their trained monster to their party, even if you can only add three at a time.

CON: Final Fantasy XIII-2 does have a few flaws. For instance, the game is pretty short for a Final Fantasy game. The other thing that can be a nuisance is the low odds of monster crystal being dropped but there are workarounds. All and all, the flaws can be overcome.

OVERALL: Final Fantasy XIII-2, in my opinion, has finally broken the curse of sequels of the Final Fantasy mainstream games providing a sensible story and unbelievable gameplay features. The story may be a little short but it will keep you hooked from beginning to end.

Overall Score: Final Fantasy XIII-2 gets a 4 out of 5.

Justin P.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 demo strategy guide (FREE)

2012-01-31T14:30:00.000-05:00

Thanks to gamer "Safer Sephiroth VII", we are blessed with a "Final Fantasy XIII-2" demo strategy guide to help the new and old RPG fans who happen to be curious about the world of "Final Fantasy XIII-2". How in-depth is it? Trust me when I say you will fully understand how the game plays!!

Download "Final Fantasy XIII-2" demo strategy guide HERE!

Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA)

2012-01-12T13:53:00.000-05:00

The Kraken

By Doug Beaver

Many pirates tellthe tale of a beast so grand that they only dare to whisper its name. It’s a monster so powerful, ye scallywags,that it even makes the mighty Google herself hoist her anchor and head forbluer seas.

This new-aged Krakenthat has come up from the depths of Hell – aka bowels of Congress – is the StopOnline Piracy Act (SOPA).

But when the myth isseparated from the monster, this animal is just another bloated governmentjellyfish, full of formless regulation, with nonspecific goals. It’s an internet business owner’s nightmare,but a lawyer’s wet dream.

Even the missionstatement on the first page of the Act trails off at the end: “Topromote prosperity, creativity, entrepreneurship, and innovation by combatingthe theft of U.S. property, and for other purposes.”

“And for other purposes” is more vagueand ambiguous than a Netflix business plan.

It’s not as thoughthe idea of protecting intellectual property (like music, games, movies, andeven pictures) is a new one. We all knowthe drill, if you’re a pirate, you’re stealing. In the long-term, pirates can ruin the market that creates the work youlove. Pirates take away the biggestdriving factor behind all this popular art: profit.

While many artistsclaim that their work is for the masses, and that they stand out against greed,they are referring to pieces that would be distributed for free anyway. These pieces aren’t in danger of beingpirated. That art will always be safe.

SOPA is trying toprotect Lindsay Lohan’s breasts.

Lohan’s rack hit theinternet right in the face (which doesn’t sound too bad) before the magazinewent on sale at newstands, costing Playboy revenue, and forcing them to releasethe issue ahead of schedule to prevent major damage.

Playboy still doesrather well for a gentleman’s magazine when there are fewer gentlemen in theworld than ever before, but piracy could threaten to shut down The Mansion forgood – and no one wants that before we get a chance to party there.

While it’s tough tobe a business that has to constantly find new and innovative ways to protectits content from piracy, SOPA is also attacking entrepreneurs from the oppositeangle by placing costly and time-consuming regulations that are difficult toenforce.

Internet companieswill have to constantly monitor its own users’ actions to ensure no copyrightedmaterial is even linked to, or access to the whole site could be immediatelyblocked. That’s like shutting down a Targetstore if a customer were to show his friends a leaked trailer on his iPhone atthe checkout line.

The government hasplaced internet businesses at a real disadvantage, because sites areresponsible to follow traditional business rules and regulations (likeSarbanes-Oxley) as well as the PRO-IP Act, which is the forerunner to SOPA.

There will be a lotof winners if SOPA were to pass. Lawyersand bean counters love these regulations, as it gives them purpose with apaycheck, and keeps them in business. True pirates see PRO-IP and SOPA as a challenge, and internet geeks lovenothing more than to be challenged and demonstrate holes in existingsystems. The government would get tocollect on fines and fees.

The only ones thatdon’t win in a SOPA controlled internet are the businesses, and that’s whysites like Google, Yahoo!, and Facebook are against it. It made perfect sense that GoDaddy wasboycotted for supporting SOPA, because the businesses that get their domainsfrom GoDaddy are facing additional hurdles.

Instead of congresscreating these acts that benefit everyone except the businesses they effect, abetter solution would be to have the companies that need piracy protection laws– companies that support SOPA, like the MPAA, Viacom, and Nike – work withcompanies like Google to create a system to combat internet piracy withoutgovernment interference.

After both sides ofthe argument come to terms that can be agreed upon, the government can beconsulted to ratify it. Other than that,congress should stay out of the internet’s way, and keep the krakens they aretrying to implement away from private enterprises.

“I’m from thegovernment, and I’m here to help,” are still the nine most terrifying words inthe English language… and the attempt to the internet by implementing SOPA isjust another great example.

2011's Game Of The Year

2012-01-05T00:01:00.000-05:00

We have now come to the end of the year and we have seen the best the industry has had to offer. Now, we must decide, what were the games this year that really pushed the industry forward, what made us say wow, what will we still be playing for years to come. Ladies and gentleman, let us begin.

Sound Design:

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

In gameplay you can actually use the sounds in the game to locate bad guys, make yourself harder to find, make enemies investigate curious noises, and identify what’s running toward you, trying to eat you (bears and wolves announce themselves from a ways off, dragons shout challenges, skeletons rattle like old bones should) . All this plus weapons unsheathing have different sounds (which change based on which enchantments you place on them), arrow’s impacts sound differently based on what they hit, and no loud annoying click announcing that you just scrolled through a menu. Games like this are the reason people bother to hook their consoles up to surround sound.

Graphics:

L.A. Noire

If you really read the above description, you would have to know why this game had to win this award. The facial motion capture improvements used in this game really put people to shame. This was the first time that a game really fooled me into believing that what was moving on the screen wasn’t just normal mapping and pixels, but human flesh, muscle, and skin. There were prettier games this year (Battlefield 3, Uncharted 3, arguably Crysis 2) but this game has now reset the bar for facial animation in engine (that is to say, not a cutscene) and their advances will no doubt disseminate into the rest of the industry.

Best RPG

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Multiple main storylines, interesting NPCs, almost unlimited builds and play styles possible, and more enemies than you can shake a six foot glass warhammer at. This game is quite possibly going to be the Final Fantasy VII of its console generation, the new official heavyweight champion of RPGs. And its not from Japan! Bad news though: not that many hot chicks to cosplay as (except Aela).

Best Mulitplayer

Super Street Street Fighter 4 AE 2012 Ed

Yeah, I went there. Call me a fanboy, but when you look out over that room, and all you see are faces of people who paid through the nose, and waited forever in line just to sit (or mostly stand) and watch people play a game, you have to give props. Ask yourself this, have you ever cheered while watching someone play a FPS like this roomful of people cheer while watching Daigo play?

Don’t get me wrong, Mortal Kombat 9 has more players, and lets not even talk about MW3, but the design of Street fighter really does allow for great multiplayer fun through the integration of big comeback moves (Ultras), enhanced moves that significantly change the characters abilities for a moment, the ability to save your online matches to watch again in the future, spectator mode, and mostly lag free online. Plus, at high level, the game is still fun to watch: not just who gets first hit wins, or who picks Bob first, or who has the best near-infinite combo. Now that Yun, Yang, and Fei have been put in their places after the new update, we should have some great matches for the next year.

Best Shooter

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Think of a big Hollywood movie. Got it? This game made more money than it. How about a book? Still more money. Game? Same answer. CD or record of your favorite artist or group? Not Even close. In the first day of sales, MW3 sold $400 million plus, and in a week, blew right past $1 billion. And guess what, the game ain't bad either. Kinda settled the MW3 vs. Battlefield argument right there, huh?

Best Fighting Game

Mortal Kombat

While Street Fighter is traditionally always the better gameplay-wise, Mortal Kombat has been more fun. And while Mortal Kombat once again borrowed heavily from its fighting game counterparts (Ultra vs X-ray, Enhanced vs Ex, 2d gameplay with 3d characters, Tekken juggle system and four limb control…), the package they came up with is well, fun. With the challenge tower, and deep story mode, Mortal Kombat even added value for people who didn’t have friends. Granted, at high levels, the game basically becomes less about fun, and more about meter management, first hits, and 40 to 60% combos (yeah, really); but really, who didn’t want to watch Kratos fight Freddy Kruger?

Game of the Year

The game of the year is not the game that had the best graphics, although they were pretty good. It’s not the game that sold the most copies, although it did ship more than $450 million worth of copies in the first week. It’s not the game with the best multiplayer or co-op, because it has neither of them. If there was an award for most ridiculous glitches, it would win easily. This is game of the year, because it exceeded what we at J1 Studios thought was possible to do in a game. It won because there will never be a good reason to trade it in. It won because it simply blew everything out of the water as far as sound design, attention to detail, story, and depth of gameplay.

Our Game of the Year is The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

Here’s how it broke down for the top ten list of 2011 GOTY Nominees (and conveniently, the last ten games for 25 Days of Begging)

1. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

2. Batman: Arkham City

3. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

4. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

5. Assassins Creed: Revelations

6. Rage

7. Portal 2

8. Battlefield 3

9. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

10. Gears of War 3

25 Days of Begging: Part Three

2011-12-23T11:28:00.000-05:00

25 Days Of Begging: Week Three

Well, we’rewinding down to the last few weeks of begging and chances are you have alreadyoffended everyone you know with your incessant chatter about what presentsyou’d like for Christmas. But soldier on! How else do you expect to be able toget everything on your list? The trick is to nag them to the point that theygive in and buy you everything you want just to shut you up. And that’s okay:who needs real friends when you have electronic ones? And just so you know, thisis the last set of five before the J1Studios.com Game of The Year top ten list.And yes there will be surprises!Everyone loves suprises.

15. Mortal Kombat 9

Mortal Kombat cameup 1000% since its last outing. They set a new standard for story mode for afighting game, brought the series into the new millennium with a fightingsystem made for high level play, and really upgraded the graphics with theadditions of x-rays and visible damage. And some of the fatalities are justsilly (link). If you don’t have this game yet, it’s a mustbuy. Or I’ll send Reptile over to give you a kiss.

14. Ico and Shadow of the ColossusHD

Sometimes you needto play a game that doesn’t just consist of shooting people in the face,curbstomps, and mindless violence. There’s were real gaming art lies: story,art, design, and interactivity all coming together to make an experience thatmoves the player. A great example of that sort of game is the Ico and theShadow of the Colossus HD Collection. As you play these games, you encountercharacters you care about, story lines that engage you, and game play that isjust amazing. Not having a game like this in your collection you are reallymissing out on a major portion of the gaming industry.

13. Deus Ex: Human Revolution

This game is purdydarn fun. You have multiple ways of story progression, multiple ways ofdefeating your enemies, and multiple endings. It’s one of the few shootinggames in which you literally don’t have to shoot anyone, outside of cutscenes.Granted there are a few issues, but there’s nothing that should keep this fromshowing up on your list.

12. Catherine

In one of thedeluxe versions of this game, Atlus sends you a copy of underwear, a t-shirtfor your lovely lady to wear as pajamas (or I guess you could wear it too, buttrust me, you won't look as good), a pillowcase, and a pizza box. Everythingyou need for a night out. Persona Team has ever come out with anything thathasn't been hot, and Catherine is definitely a game worth grabbing. Just makesure you're faithful to your girl or it will turn you into a sheep-man, andhave a screaming baby try to kill you.

11. Super Street Fighter 4 Arcade Edition

Without aquestion, Street Fighter is the franchise that innovated the fighting game to somethingenduring that we actually want to play. If it wasn't for Ryu, then there wouldbe no Morrigan, Fulgore, Marstorius, Jack the Ripper, Joe Higashi, orScarlette. Street Fighter has continued to be a frontrunner in innovating thefighting game genre, and is still the ruler to which we hold everything up to.

That said, ifyou're a serious fighting game guy, and you have been kicking around the ideaof getting AE, but just haven't pulled the trigger yet, or if you're holdingout because a character you like got nerfed, the 2012 update just came out(free), so the balancing and little details are worth taking a look into.

HonorableMentions

Blaz Blu Continuum Shift 2

Until Guilty Gearmakes Badguy in HD, this is what ya got. Be happy with it.

Beyond Good and Evil

You should getthis game before the NDAA passes and we all go to jail.

Sonic Generations

Sega made another Sonicgame. But this time they decided to leave out the suck! (cough cough Shadowcough)

Street Fighter 3 Third Strike Online

I dare anybody tomake Q top tier.

By Chris Alexander

psn Imnotonfacebook

Xbl Mastergief

Email Mastergief@gmail.com

25 Days of Begging: Part Two

2011-12-20T15:16:00.000-05:00

25 Daysof Begging: Part Two

Well, week one is gone, and youstill can’t be sure that your loved ones have made the right gift decisions,maximizing the awesome and limiting the suck. To improve your beggingeffectiveness, part two of this article has five more awesome games, more greathonorable mentions, and another neat bit of kit for you to open, and thenscream over like an eight year old kid.

20.

SuperMario 3D Land

Let it be known:I am no big fan if the 3DS, it’s just not my thing yet. But more games likeSuper Mario 3D Land are going to change my mind in a hurry. I think this mightbe the first three dimensional Mario game that I like. Almost all the oldsuits, neat camera angles, Shadow Mario. and more await you when you pop thisin your 3DS, and seeing as it’s the first new game just for the 3DS, it’s amust have.

19.

Metal GearSolid HD Collection

If I have toexplain to you why more Metal Gear Solid is a good thing, then I’m not evensure how you found this website. Computer glitch? Monkeys typing on yourkeyboard? That’s how this is getting written: some Reese monkeys, a couple cansof Four Loko, and some bananas. Bradjelina adopted all my child workers, so Ihad to diversify.

All jokes aside,this is a remake: you probably had great fun beating Solidus, Liquid, Boss, andcompany already. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy doing it again withshiny new graphics! Plus, if you didn’t get the PSP entry Peace Walker, then there’sa whole new game waiting for you, complete with a brand new control scheme.Plus, Snake Eater: Subsistence still comes with Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2:Solid Snake. And a boss mode. And then there’s the online multiplayer to thinkabout. And it only costs $50.

18.

Halo:Combat Evolved Anniversary Edition

I heard that‘Chief shows his face in this edition. You just have to put in the special codeon your Game Genie. What, you can’t use a Game Genie on your 360? Well, no facefor you. But what you do get is a completely reskinned edition of the reasonthat shooter games got hot on our current generation of consoles. Yes,Goldeneye did it big, and Doom before them, but the reason why we are able toenjoy the Battlefield, Call of Duty, or Gears of War franchises is because ofthe innovation in the genre by Bungie.

So, what makesthis game special? Well, HD graphics for the first two games in the series area good start, and you can actually toggle between the old look and new in gamewith a button press. Pretty neat. Second, achievements and online multiplayeron the new XBL has been added, so if you’ve found yourself missing the threeshot pistol of death, or the green gun combo, then you’re in luck. Just don’texpect them to add sword sniping back in.

17.

Resistance3

If you have aPS3, and only a PS3, you don’t have the new Halo. You don’t have Gears of War.You almost didn’t get Half Life. But what you do have access to is a downrightsilly roster of weapons, enemies, and game play options in Resistance. In Resistance,it is normal to get attacked by a facehugger. Or an Invisodemon. Or a platoonof zombified aliens. And to defend yourself you have a shotgun that lightsenemies on fire, a gun that shields and shoots through just about anything,biological weapons, and everything gains perks over time. Plus, let’s notforget that if there were a competition of whose game has humanity at the mostdesperate position in any game ever, Resistance may well be a winner.

16.

UltimateMarvel vs Capcom 3

You could make areasonable fighting game from just the characters added in the new edition ofthe Vs series. It doesn’t matter if you gravitate for traps, chainsaws, penancestares, or objections, there’s probably a new character you have been lookingforward to fight as, or beat up. This game is literally mind blowing, everymatch by similarly skilled players holds excitement and drama. Matches betweenuneven competitors become combo expos, which hold their own entertainment value.Don’t feel bad though: pwning builds character.

HonorableMentions

Bulletstorm

Get rewarded for violence. What’s better than that?

Yakuza 4

Tired of old, fat Italian gangsters eating pasta, and killingeach other with Tommy guns? Well prepare for young, tattooed gangsters drinkingsake, and killing each other with katanas!

Crysis 2

Pretty enough that if your wife sees you playing with it, shemight get jealous.

Fifa 12

Maa-den? Who ees Madden?

L. A. Noire

Use the lessons of sniffing out lies taught to you in this gameto figure which one of your friends is in fact the one that dealt it.

Hardware

The Playstation Vita isn’t out yet. It won’t be out by Christmas.It won’t even be out by New Years. But in Febuary, we will finally get a chanceto see Sony’s view of the future of portable gaming. One of the major gripesabout the PSP, lack of killer games, seems to be a thing of the past, with AAAtitles like Bioshock, Uncharted, and Call of Duty developing games just for thenew system. With two touch screens, dual analog sticks, wifi and 3g, and by farthe best portable graphics ever, the Vita will be finding its way into manyhappy pockets soon after all the Eggnog has been drunk.

Games to watch for:

Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 (w Cole from Infamous)

Uncharted: Golden Abyss

BlazBlu: Continuum Shift Extend

Touch my Katamari

VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE (review)

2011-12-19T12:24:00.000-05:00

VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE

Developer(s): Behavior Interactive

Publisher(s): THQ

Genre(s): Action Adventure

System(s): Playstation Network, Xbox Live

Rating: Teen

As a child of the eighties, I was thoroughly excited when Transformers finally got a good game after three disappointing releases. So imagine my surprise when I found out about another of my favorite shows getting its video game debut. Voltron: Defender of the Universe is an action adventure game based on the 1980's series. In the game, you get to control one of the five lions, each with its own attributes. You fight your way through King Zarkon's Drule army decimating vehicles and small inferntry. Each lion is equipped with a multi-directional cannon that is controlled with the right analog stick. Movement is done with the left analog stick. The lions have melee attacks to take out ground enemies while their pounce attack is excellent for taking out airborne attackers. At the end of the level, the lions combine to form Voltron to fight the Robeast. Attacks are coordinated through quick-time events. When playing with two or more players control over the robot is passed to the next player once the previous player's turn is complete. A sequence begins by choosing one of four attacks, after which a quick time event occurs. During the enemy's turn players can defend by performing a similar quick time event. Once the Robeast's health has been depleted, Voltron forms the Blazing Sword and delivers the finishing blow.

PRO: The gameplay is pretty straight forward; blast away enemies as you run freely around the landscape. I liked the Zelda-inspired overhead view that shows your enemies approaching from all sides. The graphics are bright and colorful with detailed enviroments. Remixed music and scenes from the original series move the story along and make you apart of the action. The Drule army attacks your lion en masse with tanks, jets and soldiers. Combat is frantic and fast-paced as you're attacked from all sides. Space combat gives a nod to old school games like Space Invaders and Galaxian. I liked this alot. I remeniced about those arcade days as I guided my lion, taking out Drule ships along the way.

CON: As much as I enjoyed this game, there were a few bad spots that I feel could've been improved upon. Though the overhead view gives a Zelda nod, at times I felt that the camera was too far away. The attacking troops look like ants though they are understandably smaller than the Voltron lions. Aiming with the multi-directional cannon seems a bit choppy. I ended up missing several targets as I moved around; however, standing still was not an option. Doing so made me a sitting duck and forget successfully nailing the foot soldiers. I compensated with melee attacks. I also would've like combat to expanded upon when fighting as the Voltron robot. I really didn't care to much for the sequenced fight as opposed to a Real Steel battle.

OVERALL: Voltron: Defender of the Universe is a fun game if you're a fan, new or old, of the series. I thoroughly relived my childhood with this game much like I did with the latest Transformers game. To me, it was nastolgic to hear Peter Cullen's indomitable voice narrate the game as he did breathing life into Optimus Prime. I took the game for its highs and lows like I did with the series. I have enjoyed Voltron: Defender of the Universe despite its quirks and found it to be entertaining. It's a blast from the past that'll have you relive the past. Voltron: Defender of the Universe gets 3.5 out of 5.

See you on the next level,

Brian M.

The King of Fighters XIII (Console-version) Review

2011-12-15T03:54:00.003-05:00

Platform(s): Playstation 3, X-Box 360

Developer(s): SNK Playmore

Publisher(s): Atlus

Genre(s): Fighting

Rating: T for Teen

So who remembers a little game released about 2 years ago titled The King of Fighters XII? If you do (or want to), then you can agree with me that the game was a complete disappointment to KOF fans worldwide. Why, you ask? Because, in comparison to all the previous games under that title, KOF XII was nothing more than an incomplete title that should have stayed in the development labs. But now, with the release of The King of Fighters XIII, will SNK Playmore’s legendary fighting game title get the revival that fans have been longing for or will it be the sad end of an otherwise illustrious legacy?

The Story:

The King of Fighters XIII takes place after KOF XI, and is the last game of the third story arc that started in The King of Fighters 2003. The fighter Ash Crimson has absorbed the powers from two of the descendants of the clans who sealed the Orochi away 1,800 years ago, Chizuru Kagura and Iori Yagami, while Kyo Kusanagi is to be his last victim. As his former comrade, Elisabeth Blanctorche, prepares to stop him, fighters receive an invitation to another King of Fighters tournament hosted by a person labeled as "R". The tournament is sponsored by Rose who is being controlled by "Those From The Past", the organization behind the two previous tournaments that has been trying to break Orochi's seal.

The Pros:

Okay. So the first major pro that I have to add on here is that this game is a major improvement from its previous version, KOF XII. There’s no more Critical Counter system (tapping Heavy Punch at the right time to make your own custom combo), Guard Attacks or anything of the sort. It’s all taken out, and replaced with better moves that are reminiscent of the older titles of the games.

My next pro is the roster. KOF XII had myself (and many other players) ticked when certain people weren’t included in the short roster. Once again, XIII has fixed that problem by bringing back the characters we wanted to see in the game. Yuri Sakazaki, Mai Shiranui, and K’ are just a few of the returning faces making it on the roster for the newest installment.

Next, the combat has to be a favored pro of mine. As I said earlier, they’ve taken out all the failed moves from KOF XII and added newer moves to keep the combat fresh. EX moves is one of the newer things added to the game, allowing the characters to not only perform an EX version of their special, but of their Desperation moves. Also, the Hyper Drive gauge is a new addition, where players can sacrifice half of this gauge meter to perform Drive cancels, or activate the once it’s full to have a short but unlimited use of Drive cancels.

That means that if you catch the opponent in a combo and activate the Hyper Drive gauge, you can create your own devastating combo. It’s not an easy task, seeing that combos in this game require near surgical precision to execute a lot of moves, but once you get it down, it’ll be a problem for opponents.

Finally, the extra modes that are included in this game are a personal pro. For the beginners and newcomers to the game, they have a solid tutorial mode that really teaches you the mechanics of the game. A Mission Mode is added for players to get the character-specific combos down (which goes from simple to ridiculous sometimes). However, the Time Attack and Survival modes are the two that’ll keep the fighting game fans who aren’t big on playing online busy for a while. And personally, the last 2 modes should be a staple for any fighting game.

The Cons:

What can I say that’s bad about this game? I can mention a few things, to be honest. First of all, I’ll mention the one thing that every fighting game fan knows about a SNK game. Yes, the SNK Boss Syndrome is heavy in this installment, folks. For those who don’t know what that is, the SNK Boss Syndrome is the term associated to the bosses in a SNK fighting game, who are nowhere near easy to beat due to their cheapness, sheer strength, and ridiculous difficulty. So if you thought that Seth (Street Fighter IV), v-13 (BlazBlue), and Shao Kahn (Mortal Kombat 9) was bad, fight against Saiki and Shadow Ash. It’s guaranteed that you’ll hate every moment of that fight.

My second con falls in the story mode. Now…the story mode is done well, considering that it tells the story from different teams’ perspective and everything. However, the one thing they could have added in there was some voice-overs. As much as I like the story mode for KOF XIII (which is a first for the series, I believe), they could have added that in as well.

My final con isn’t really a con at all, but I think that it should be noted. Now, I love the fact that there are new moves added to here to improve the game. But on the other hand, it seems that they are taking a few pages away from their rival’s books. What do I mean? EX moves and NEO MAX moves…you can easily see the resemblance to Capcom’s famed EX Moves and Level 3 Supers. Overall, it’s not a bad thing, considering that the NEO MAX moves look and are more devastating than the Level 3’s, however it seems a bit monotonous in a way.

Overall:

It’s safe to say that The King Of Fighters XIII is an exceptional improvement over its predecessor. However, I can say that the 13th installment of KOF is possibly one of the best fighting games this year. From the roster to the solid, technical game play and even the extra modes, this is probably the one game that most hardcore fighting game fans will keep with them for a while.

Final Score: 5 out of 5

Retro Review: X-Men vs. Street Fighter

2011-12-06T00:01:00.000-05:00

Developer(s): Capcom

Publisher(s): Capcom

Platforms: Arcade, Sega Saturn (Japan-only), Playstation

Genre: Fighting

Rating: Teen

With the release of Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 and the upcoming Street Fighter X Tekken, I'd thought it would nice to take at look back at how the cross-over genre began by reviewing the game that started it all--"X-Men vs Street Fighter."

During the haydays of arcade gaming, Capcom released the coin operated console game that pitted their own against the X-Men. The Street Fighter characters retained their appearance from Street Fighter Alpha 2 while the Marvel character remained largely unchanged from Capcom's two previous Marvel releases, "X-Men: Children of the Atom" and "Marvel Super Heroes." Gameplay for X-Men vs. Street Fighter is similar to the style of Marvel Super Heroes, and adds a tag team feature. Unlike the forementioned title, this game's matches consists of two-on-two battles as opposed to a best two-out-of-three match. Players controlled one character while their partner waits off screen. You can switch parnters on the fly and the match lasted until a team is defeated.

PRO: X-Men vs. Street Fighter's two-on-two matches provided much more variety than in other fighting games at the time. You can begin your assault with one character and finish with the other. No best-out-of-three matches here. It's one match; winner take all. The character models were smooth and fluid, and cartoony, much like in the first two Marvel based games and in Street Fighter Alpha which made intergrading Ryu and friends with the X-Men a seemless fit. The action is very fast paced, pulling off insane combos to devastate your opponent. Hyper Combos add flare to your attacks. These are enhanced versions of a characters super combo.

CON: By today's standards, X-Men vs. Street Fighter would be considered a turtle plodding along in the sand. It's limited roster of 12 fighters and graphics have nothing on current titles Marvel vs Capcom 3 and Street Fighter 4. But in it's hayday, X-Men vs. Street Fighter was the game to play.

OVERALL: Today's fighting games and even some action games have to thank the fighting games of yesteryear. X-Men vs Street Fighter not only brought variety to what was once a straight forward genre (beat your opponent and that's it), but it has also inspired gameplay for titles such as God of War series, current Mortal Kombat release, and Devil May Cry series. X-Men vs Street Fighter set the standard for cross-over fighting games as well as games that succeeded it. It was a fun and entertaining game enjoyed by many an arcade attendee and still is to this day. And will continue to inspire future tag-team crossover fighting games.

Final Score: X-Men vs. Street Fighter gets 5 out of 5.

See you on the next level,

Brian M.

25 Days of Begging: Part One

2011-12-05T01:37:00.001-05:00

25 Days of Begging: Part One

So, 2011 has gone by and you have beenwoefully behind in your gaming. Maybe you have been out with the in-laws inAmish Country, maybe you have been dodging cholera and dysentery encampedoutside your nearby city hall (you dirty hippies, you), or maybe you have beentrapped beneath a rock and you haven’t quite managed to free yourself in thelast twelve months with your dull pocket knife. Good luck with that. For all ofyou, this article will detail the 25 games you need to beg for the hardest,shiny new hardware to meticulously wipe fingerprints off of, and a whole slewof honorable mentions that are good 26^th choice games in case theywon’t buy you what you really want. This is also something like J1Studios gameof the year awards as well, so pay attention kid, you might learn something. After all, you don’t want to get stuck with this.

25.

Ilove Bastion, and I fought hard to get it on this list in a year full of betterthan average gaming. Between the low price, replayability, solid action-rpggameplay, and overall polish, the main fundamentals of the game are good. Butwhat really knocks it out of the park with this game is the narration that cuesoff of actions taken during the game. Its sort of like that post apocalypticFamily Guy episode, but completely not annoying. One might be tempted tocompare this mere downloadable game to full disc RPGs like FFXIII or athrowback like Eternal Sonata. That same person should also conclude that it’sbetter than most of the RPGs that have come out in the last few years. A lotbetter.

The sort ofpeople who like and play Dark Souls are the sort of people whose leisureactivities involve safety words. If you like punishing difficulty in whichanything can kill you at any time, in many ways, congratulations, this game isfor you. Mind you, there’s more to this game than insane difficulty, but its toughto enjoy its amazing graphics, sound design, story, and dungeon architecture,when that angry monster keeps insisting on gnawing on your skull like he’strying to open an extra difficult bakugan. “Fun”, right? To its credit, if yourself-esteem somehow manages to survive getting killed again and again, and youmake it through the dungeon and kill the dragon, the sense of accomplishment islike almost nothing else in gaming. Go treat yourself to an ice cream cone, youearned it.

This may well be thelast KOF ever. Since the last editions have not had the commercial impact thatthey needed to, despite the recent renaissance of the fighting game, SNK hasbrought us this swan song to bid farewell to Kyo and company, possibly forever.But, if this is the last game they make, then it’s a darn good one to go outon. As is consistent with the newer editions of KOF, the fighting system hasgotten a major revamp that the advanced players can use to make even morestylish combo mayhem onscreen. The new cancel system allows you to combosomeone with a series of normals, then a special, then a super, then anupgraded SDM (bigger than the leader SDMs from KOF 2003), if you get mymeaning. Also added was a Street Fighterish ex system, except you can ex asuper as well (like the old SDM). It looks and plays just as ridiculous as itsounds: every character has the capability to play like Dante with the DevilTrigger and X Factor. Get ready for some YouTube combo exploits.

I love Tekken. With theexception of Tekken 4 (hot trash), Namco hasn’t let me down yet. The latestrelease Tekken Hybrid, is a sort of a combo pack of Tekken awesomeness. Namco,more than many of the other studios, really understand value for their fightinggames: Tekken has had bowling games, beach ball fighting, side scrolling 3dbeat-‘em-ups, space combat, secret characters, four games on a disc, 3^rdperson action games, and much more. So what are they giving us this time?

Tekken Hybrid comeswith Tekken Tag HD, Tekken Tag 2 Prologue, and Tekken: Blood Vengence movie foronly $40. It’s a great price for a great game: just hope your friends aren’tcheap and use True Ogre all the time.

There’s a talking gunthat shoots glowing octopi onto people’s faces who then get hypnotized,becoming friendlies. Until their heads blow up like a pound of c4. Dildos are alegitimate means of killing someone. Every weapon has individual balltapanimation. Do I really have to explain to you how bonkers this game is? Preparefor nonstop insane slapstick humor, punctuated by occasional outbreaks of goodgaming.

Honorable Mentions forthis week:

DC Universe Online

Since this consoleand PC based MMO went free to play, it got a whole lot more attractive.Definitely worth a look.

Little Big Planet 2

I honestly don’t knowhow this didn’t make the list. I might flame myself.

NBA 2k 12

One of the bestsports games ever. Take that, EA.

Dead Space 2

Who would havethought that Dead Space 2 would be more of a survival horror game then thenewest Resident Evil?

Must Have Hardware: 3DS

Portable glasses free 3dsounds like something from a Sci-fi show, but Nintendo has worked its magic onits newest handheld. Better yet, now that there’s actually some games out forit, and a nice price drop, look forward to your nearest Gamestop being sold outfor the next few months. Even more new games, as opposed to retreads andremakes, should be on their way soon.

Suggested games:

Zelda: Orcania of Time 3D

Super Mario 3d Land

Super Street Fighter 4 3D

By Chris Alexander

PSN: Imnotonfacebook

XBLA: Mastergief

Mastergief@gmail.com

R.I.P. Gamepro

Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Review

2011-11-29T00:01:00.000-05:00

Platform(s): Playstation 3, X-Box 360

Developer(s): Capcom

Publisher(s): Capcom

Genre: Fighting

Rating: T for Teen

Price: $39.99

9 months ago, we were gifted with the long-awaited sequel to one of the best fighting games in the past decade: Marvel vs. Capcom 3. And while we enjoyed it, we all could recognize that there were a few things missing that Capcom should have fixed. So, Capcom gave us Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 as a way to improve on a good foundation. But is it a good improvement or does it need to go back to the development team?

The Story:

Capcom's Firebrand goes at it against Marvel's cocky archer,
Hawkeye.

Doctor Doom has assembled the greatest villains of the Marvel Universe and has joined forces with Albert Wesker in order to unite their respective universes in an effort to conquer both. However, this course of action awakens a great and powerful threat that could potentially destroy both worlds. It is up to the heroes of the Marvel and Capcom universes to put a stop to this evil before it is too late.

The Pros:

Okay…before I get into the good and bad parts of the game, I’d like to clarify something for people who’re probably wondering why they made a 2nd version of Marvel 3. Originally, this game was supposed to be all DLC for the original Marvel vs. Capcom 3. However, production was delayed due to the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Once that was cleared up, the director and producer of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 decided to release the proposed DLC for MvC3 as a game with a lower cost with new concepts and re-balanced gameplay.

Now that we know that…onto the pros of the game.

The first pro that I have for this game lies with the online mode. Players that are in a room who are not participating in the match are now allowed to watch the match as it plays out. And honestly, you don’t know how glad I am that they’ve included this in there. Because honestly, sitting in the lobby watching nothing but the character’s bars diminish and wondering what is going on wasn’t a good idea, especially when you’re allowed to watch the fights in Super Street Fighter IV.

Ghost Rider performing his Level 3: Penance Stare.

Now, my next pro has to be the new characters added. One of the things that I enjoyed about Marvel 3 was that the character list was diverse. Well…the new addition still rings true about this game. The added characters still hold their own different fighting styles from the ground/air rushdown tactics of Firebrand and the keep-away style of Hawkeye to the long-ranged fighting of Ghost Rider and the pure power of Nemesis. Add in the fact that they’ve added in fan favorites like Vergil and Strider Hiryu and you have a great addition for this game…mostly.

Finally, the re-balancing of the game is a solid plus. Everything in this game got re-balanced, from basic combat to character specific stuff. Even the X-Factor has a much needed revamping, including the ability to do it in mid-air. And I’m thankful (so thankful for this) that they limited Phoenix’s ability to release as many fireballs in the air. Because honestly, you don’t need a high-level character like Phoenix to be able to spam fireballs.

The Cons:

Okay…so now we’re at the part of the review where I talk about what’s bad about the game. And I have a feeling that I’ll probably rant about a specific con.

The first con that comes to mind has to deal with some of the character re-balancing. Or, to be more specific, a certain character re-balancing in general. That character would be Albert Wesker. Now, Wesker’s a top-tier character who was easy enough to play with but had a few complex things. So instead of toning him down a bit, Capcom decided to barely balance him out and made his Teleport a lot simpler this time around. How? Simply do his gunshot move and press a button directly after it.

Why, Capcom? Why?

Phoenix Wright doing his most famed gesture on his
opponent.

My second and final con has to be one of the biggest issues that many people voiced when they seen this character released. And I’m pretty sure that by reading that sentence above, everyone knows who I’m talking about. He’s the Ace Attorney, Phoenix Wright and even I can say that he’s possibly the only character in the game that will make you want to turn the game off when you see him in action. Why, you ask? All of his attacks are more suited to prosecuting the defense (searching for and submitting evidence, walking forward and thrusting papers at you, pointing…) rather than fighting, his trademark maneuver – pointing at you and shouting OBJECTION!!! – activates a special mode that makes certain moves unstoppable, and his level three is dangerous. And that’s without being in X-Factor…

Granted he's actually a good character in the game, he has a large fan following in the Capcom universe, and they were trying to put him in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom but wow…you could have handed us Megaman X over him.

OVERALL:

Overall, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is the game that the original version should have been. With the new characters added, fighting system re-balanced, and being able to watch online matches as you fight, you’ll enjoy this game a lot more than you did the first one. However, I can guarantee that if you were a fan of the first one, you’ll find something in the game that’ll tick you off. And, most likely, it’ll be something other than Phoenix Wright.

Final Score: 4 out of 5

Super Mario 3D Land review

2011-11-25T12:37:00.001-05:00

Super Mario 3D Land

Platform(s): Nintendo 3DS

Developer(s): Nintendo EAD Tokyo

Publisher(s): Nintendo

Genre(s): Platforming

Rating: E for Everyone

A tree that stands on Princess Peach's castle grounds is stripped of all its leaves during a storm. The leaves, which turn out to be Super Leaves, are blown across the Mushroom Kingdom, bestowing Tanooki tails on all living things they touch. When Mario and the Toads go to inspect the tree the next day, they discover a letter from Bowser, learning that he has kidnapped Princess Peach. Mario sets off in pursuit to locate and rescue the princess.

This is how I imagined a 3D Mario game to play like.

Let me start by saying when this game was announced and I saw the trailer I thought that this would be just another Super Mario 64 remix of sorts. I am happy to say that I was wrong! It does have the visual styling of Super Mario 64, but it has the playability of Super Mario Bros 3. This is what I imagined what Super Mario 64 was going to be like so when that game came out I wasn't the happiest Mario fan.

Yes that's Bowser with Raccoon tail.

Now you get all the usual items like Super Mushrooms (to grow), Fire Flowers (to throw fireballs), Super Stars (becomes invincible for a short time) and Gold Coins. Oh and just like your regular SMB game after collecting 100 coins gets you a 1-Up (extra life). They did add a few new items to make your experience on Super Mario 3D Land have that WOW! When you find the propeller box, which is a "?" box that when you hit it becomes a cute little box that you wear can fly you in the air vertically so that you can reach higher platforms. Boomerang Mario is exactly that. You throw a boomerang and if you time it properly, you can jump around and have that one boomerang take out a number of baddies on the screen. The one thing that made it a Ooh or Aah moment went to the revival of the Tanooki (raccoon) suit from the SMB 3 fame. It generally still plays the same (no flight but the ability to hover), and if you are knowledgeable of SMB3 you can find the ability to turn your Tanooki Mario into a statue (for all of us fanboys).

Yes! Tanooki Mario is back!

Now that I cooed over the Super Mario 3D Land, it' time to give you sharp thoughts on the game. The 3d controls are very responsive but require some real adjusting if you're not used to Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine or Super Mario Galaxy. So mastering jumping with precision on certain platforms can be a bit tricky. The graphics are smooth, with bright colors like what you would expect from a Mario game. Now the 3D effect that comes with being on a 3DS works so well to the point where you can turn it all the way up and it won't bother your eyes likes a few of these 3DS games have in the past. I have to give props to the level designer, because he brought originality to old level concepts. The stage may seem short or constrained in a box but they are highly imaginative. Things you couldn't really do in the 2D world of Mario, and too afraid to try in other 3D Marios have been implemented here. Some stages are completely vertical shooting higher in the sky while others exist in the one area as if it's asking you to solve the puzzle that is this stage. New imaginary Ghost house stages, fantastically organized and heart-pounding Airship stages, and every stage has remixed classic themes with new tracks that carry the same vibe. I have to say this game definitely gets a 4.5 out of 5. I am love with this game. By for my new favorite Mario game. I don't know how they keep improving on these more recently SMB games but they do. I can't wait to see what new comes from Miyamoto. Rumor has that there is a 2D Super Mario Bros coming out for the 3DS someday soon. Hhmmmm......

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim review

2011-11-22T01:01:00.001-05:00

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Platform(s): PC, X-Box360, Playstation 3

Developer(s): Bethesda Game Studios
Publisher(s): Bethesda Softworks

Genre(s): Action/Role-Playing
Rating: M for Mature

There was a lot of hype surrounding the release of Skyrim, especially since its predecessor, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was such a world-raved success, and because Bethesda Studios had more than 5 years to work on it. The important question then stands, “Is the hype worth it?” especially since such vicious competition as Modern Warfare 3, Arkam City, Uncharted 3, and Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3 were all released within 14 days of each other?

I think so, Yeah.

The first impression of the game is the graphics. Thick mountain forests with non-cookie-cutter trees placed at irregular intervals, a touch of frost on patches of grass or collected in the base of one side of the trees and rocks, and splashed onto the faceted faces of the surrounding mountains. The wagon you are in creaks and warps and splinters as it’s slowly pulled over an irregular landscape, and the faces of the surrounding initial characters with their several days of stubble, old battle scars, and an articulation of the mouths that match the well-voiced acting. If you look around, since it takes a minute to realize that the opening scene is in-fact *not* a CG rendered cutscene, you can watch as a small town looms out of the woods, clearly behind on the upkeep as the splintered wooden buildings break under the elements. Then a sense of doom washes over you as before you can even control yourself yet, you are shoved forwards towards your execution.

And just when you think you finally get a sense for the spectacle, the Dragon appears, and all hell breaks loose.

The opening tutorial mission is chaos incarnate for an opening mission. The fog of war holds no greater meaning then when you and your allies are fighting tooth-and-nail against unknown enemies in the dark of the cave, and you can’t differentiate friend from foe among those struggling silhouettes in front of you. The landscape is proven to be destructible as it is literally torn apart around you. When you can finally move on by yourself into the world, the sheer scope of the world is laid bare and boy are you tiny in comparison.

Gameplay is in many ways an improvement over Oblivion. Each hand is now an independent entity to which you can assign a weapon, shield, spell, torch, or go barehanded in any combination you may like. Skills are once again independently leveled based on use, and your own personal level is increased by the improvement of skills, but now there is no limitation to “talented” skills or not. Stat points are reduced to general stats that improve automatically with levels. Finally, skill-related perks are no longer gained automatically with skill rank. Now you have to buy those perks with leveling points, meaning that you really do need to specialize this time, since it is impossible to buy every perk in the game. Another big improvement is that weapons and armor don’t break anymore, so you never have to worry about wasting weight limitations with stupid blacksmith hammers.

The AI is a major improvement over the predecessor. A pack of wolves will fight like *a pack of wolves!* meaning, one will draw your attention while the others flank, and then they’ll hit and run until you’re dead or they get injured enough to flee. People will press you with melee and defend while their partners pick you off with arrows, and dragons will roast you with their breath from above, strafing runs, or directly in your face on the ground, depending on what is most likely to kill you first.

Some downsides to the game: The shortcut menu is too limited. With so many spells, weapons, enchanted armors, and powers at your disposal, having only 8 or 9 shortcut buttons simply isn’t enough. The favorites menu quickly fills up into a ridiculously long list to sift through for your chosen thing, and it’s an annoying break in the action to pause in the middle of a fight just to jump through several screens of articles to equip the next thing you need. The game sometimes glitches, rendering some missions impossible, such as the one where I needed an NPC to open up the wall to the dungeon, but he’s already further along leaving me trapped in the foyer. Finally, no matter what kind of character you want to play, smithing seems to become a necessary skill to level, since it’s the only way to get any decent, or matching, high level equipment in the game. Enemies rarely ever wear anything more than Fur stuff, and hoping to find a type of weapon or armor underground is a crapshoot at best.

All in all, though, it is incredibly easy to lose yourself for hours, days, and weeks at a time in World of Tamriel across the snowy mountains of Skyrim . Since I had to struggle to find faults with the game, I’d say that Bethesda used these last 5 years of development wisely, and that the Elder Scrolls V is in fact all that it was hyped up to be.

BloodRayne: Betrayal Review

2011-11-01T01:49:00.000-04:00

Platform(s): X-Box Live Arcade, Playstation Network

Developer(s): Wayforward Technologies
Publisher(s): Majesco Entertainment

Genre(s): Action/Adventure
Rating: T for Teen

The dhampir vixen is back! After a long hiatus, everyone favorite vamp returns in a new game Bloodrayne: Betrayal. The game continues Rayne’s quest to eliminate her father Kagen’s extended family. Things were quiet after the events of the second game until a new vampire uprising calls the Brimstone Society to action. However this new threat is proving too much for them to handle. With no other options, Brimstone contacts Rayne to deal with the new threat.

Betrayal moves Rayne from her previous 3D adventures for some old school side scrolling. Many gamers will recall the days when all combat were like this. In fact, a lot of today’s 3D action/adventure games can find their roots in 2D. Bloodrayne is no different. The new game retains the same action horror that made the two previous titles fan favorites as well as the character Rayne. Instead of humans, you fight your way through hordes of supernatural creatures as well as other vampires. There are also mechanical monsters that will bar Rayne’s path as she descends into the depths of the castle, which she enters after the game’s opening level. Rayne still has her trusty arm blades and guns to mow down her opposition.

The Pros:

Bloodrayne: Betrayal’s anime style graphics bring the characters to life, making you feel like you’re watching a series rather than playing a game. The character animation is smooth and combat flows nicely, keeping the action moving. As always, Rayne can take out her enemies in a variety of gruesome ways, whether she beheads them or stomps them into the ground. Besides her iconic arm blades, Rayne does have access to her gun but with limited use. The game’s platforming element is true throwback to earlier action platform games like Ninja Gaiden or Contra. Bloodrayne: Betrayal may not be as challenging as the series’ two previous entries, but the action is non-stop enough to keep your attention.

The Cons:

There aren’t too many flaws with the game. I did make note that I cannot block enemy attacks like before. However this is compensated with a dash maneuver. Time it right and you’ll avoid damage. This move can also be performed in the air.

Overall:

Rayne has been brought back from what, thankfully, did not end up a dead franchise and upgraded with familiar and new abilities yet giving gamers a feel for some good old fashioned action platforming. I am pleased with the sexy vamp’s rebirth and her anime makeover just makes her more appealing. Bloodrayne: Betrayal offers up good action with intriguing puzzle solving.

Final Score: Rayne’s back and ready to sink her teeth into new fans. She gets 4 out of 5.

See you on the next level,

Brian M.

Dance Central 2 Review

2011-10-27T00:01:00.000-04:00

Platform(s): XBOX 360

Developer(s): Harmonix Music System

Publisher(s): Harmonix Music System

Genre: Music, Rhythm, Exercise

Without ever a full year passing by, the Kinect’s best-selling game, Dance Central, is back with its long awaited sequel, Dance Central 2. As you may recall with the first Dance Central, it made a perfect blend of music, ranging from old school to contemporary, and dance, ranging from simplistic to intricate. Taking cues from previous music games, Dance Central creates innovative dance routines based upon the theme and genre of the song and goes a great job while doing it. The same thing is done with its sequel but at a greater effect.

Right off the back, Dance Central 2 present itself with more appealing graphics by adding the effect similar to that of viewing a lighted object through smeared glass. This only made the colors pop and, when it came down to scenery changes, which can only be achieved by hitting a string of “Flawless” and “Nice”, the visual makes the game even more appealing.

Another thing that makes the game worthwhile is the improvements that it has made from the first one. One of them is the introduction to crews. There are six crews, consisting of two members (some returning from the first one and some new to the game) each with their own style and attitude towards you: Lu$h, Riptide, Hi-Def, Flash4wrd and Glitterati. With these crews comes the most important improvement in the game: Simultaneous 2-player gameplay. While the first Dance Central dabble in 2-player mode , having the Dance Battle forcing you to switch every interval, Dance Central 2 now support two dancers on the screen. This enables you to either play cooperative or competitive with your friends. It even introduced a drop in/drop out functionality. While the two player gameplay is a welcoming addition to the game, granted if you have enough space to accommodate another player, that’s not the only thing that has improved.

Dance Central 2 has also remodeled their “Break It Down” mode, allowing the players to focus on specific moves in a particular routine that’s giving them a hard time as well as record how you’re performing each move. This feature will allow you visually see how precise your movements are in comparison to the dancer. It also goes to show the improvement that the developers went into making sure that players don’t half step these moves now the sensor is very sensitive to the way your body is moving. That means if they want you to get low, you have to get low.

Finally a campaign mode has been added to the game allowing players to get familiar with the different crews in the game. Each crew has a set list of songs that are unique to them. For example, Flash4wrd, a sassy hip hop crew consisting of alumni Taye and newcomer Li’l T, focus more of the sexy and seductive dance style such as Rihanna’s Rude Boy or Donna Summer’s Hot Stuff. The campaign is simple, and can be expanded on, but it’s still pretty fun.

The Pros:

Like its predecessor, Dance Central 2 has a great blend of old school and contemporary music, ranging from techno to hip hop. It also gives the player the luxury of import all their downloaded and original songs from the original Dance Central increasing the complete list of songs to a whopping 100 or more. It also made a great number of improvements to its existing features; two players dancing being the most emphasized one. The graphics is another plus because it makes the environment and characters pop.

The Cons:

Dance Central 2 goes come with one interesting flaw: it’s not XBOX Live compatible. This may be a problem for some but others aren’t too picky about it. Since the game is meant it to be a party game, putting it on Live would defeat the purpose of the local aspect of the game.

Overall:

Dance Central 2 is the game for beginner and advance dancers alike, showcasing seamless routines to some of the most popular songs in the industry. While your body may be aching from some of the demanding moves in the song, it still, in my opinion, holds the title of being the best-selling game for the Kinect.

Final Score: Dance Central 2 gets 4 out of 5.

Justin P.

Batman: Arkham City Review

2011-10-25T00:55:00.000-04:00

Platform(s): Playstation 3, Microsoft Windows, X-Box 360, Wii-U

Developer(s): Rocksteady Studios

Publisher(s): Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Genre(s): Action-Adventure

Rating: T for Teen

In 2009, we were introduced to what has been hailed as the "best superhero game ever made." Batman: Arkham Asylum gave gamers exactly what they wanted--a great comic hero game and, moreover, a great Batman game. Two years later, Rocksteady Games is looking to catch lightning twice.

The Story:

Batman: Arkham City picks one year after the events of Arkham Asylum. Taking credit for stopping the uprising at the asylym, Quincy Sharp has been elected mayor of Gotham City. His first act was to buy a large section of Gotham City's slums, which he converted into a massive prison and leaving it in the care of psychiatrist Hugo Strange. The criminals are allowed to run free with the exception of one rule. They are not allowed to escape. Batman, fearing the former warden's plan may go awry, has himself placed in Arkham City as his alter ego Bruce Wayne. After escaping and contacting Alfred, Bruce suits up and sets out to uncover the truth of Arkham City.

Right off the bat (pun intended), you get a majority of Batman's gadgets that were aquired in Arkham Asylum minus the Ultra Batclaw and Sonic Batarang. The game's open world gives it more depth than the confines of its predecessor. It truly depicts Batman's worst fear--a city where anarchy runs rampant; where values and sanctity are cast to the wind. It's one man against seemingly overwhelming odds. At the start of the game, the Dark Knight learns that Catwoman has been captured by Harvey Two-Face. He suspects there is some hidden agenda Dr. Strange has and that Catwoman might have useful information. After sneaking into an old courthouse, Batman finds Catwoman and Two-Face. Fighting Harvey's men, I immediately noticed that the freeflow combat has been tweaked. Batman glides smoothly from foe to foe, taking them out with a variety of moves. I discovered that I can take out two badguys at once in the midst of combat. I like how Batman immediately has a strong set of moves right away.
The Pros:

When I got my first glimpse of Arkham City, I was awestruck by the sheer scale of Batman's new proving grounds. This city is massive. It is a vibrantly lit landscape with dark overtones. It is as if the city itself is a living entity. The graphics completely blew me away. Not one once of detail was spared. Everything from all the characters to the buildings to the TYGER helicopters flying overhead is intrigantly detailed to perfection. The game machincs are polished to a mirror finish. You have absolute control of everything with no hinges at all. And the cream of the crop--open world exploration. No longer restricted to the clastrophobic confines of Arkham Asylum, you are free to take Batman wherever you want in this massive, living, breathing landscape. With an enhanced Glide machanic, there are no restrictions. Plus, you get to play as Catwoman, whose combat machanic is just as sleek and beautiful as she is.

The Cons:
The only cons in this game are the ones you get to beat up. There is nothing bad to say about this.

OVERALL:

Epic. A beautiful dark symphony that will enthral all who listen. Rocksteady has not only struck lightning twice, they pulled it from the sky and tamed it to create this beast of a game. Arkham City is truly a masterpiece. The acting is phenominal. Kevin Conroy is awesome giving Batman his gritty voice and Mark Hamill is just electric portraying the best Joker ever. The action is intense and the boss battles are amazing. I love how each new villan is introduced as well as old ones. The inclusion of Catwoman as a playable character is a plus and just adds to the craziness of the action. The characters are beautifully detailed and the city is just majestic. While buying this game, the retailer told me that Arkham City makes the previous title look like toilet water. I can now go back to him and tell him that he was wrong. Arkham City makes the asylum look like a baby's crib. Rocksteady has brought one of the most beloved comic heroes into the spotlight of gaming. Batman: Arkham City is a game that should not be missed and a strong contender for "Game of the Year."

Final Score: Batman: Arkham City's rating is 5 out of 5. My only regret is that I can't go higher.

See you on the next level,

Brian M.

Gears of War 3 Review

2011-10-04T00:01:00.000-04:00

Platform(s): X-Box 360

Developer(s): Epic Games

Publisher(s): Microsoft Studios

Genre: 3rd Person Shooter

Rating: M for Mature

It seems that 3 is the magic number for video game series nowadays. From God of War to Resistance: Fall of Man and even Skate, 3 games seem to be the ideal life span for a series…although Halo doesn’t count if you consider ODST and Reach. This time, X-Box’s golden child Gears of War is back with its third installment, ending the saga once and for all. But does the final chapter of Gears make the epic impact that Epic Games aimed for, or fizzles out into a mass of hype?

The Story

The game takes place 2 years after the COG was forced to destroy the Jacinto plateau, the last major city on their planet, in Gears of War 2. Their world ravaged by a new enemy, the Lambent, the remaining teams of COG are left to survive, some on land and others by sea. However, after receiving a message from his father via Chairman Prescott, Marcus Fenix and Team Delta go back out to search for the missing scientist…who possibly has the answers for destroying the Lambent once and for all.

The Pros

Geez…how do I begin this? For starters, my personal pro would be the enemies in the game. There are two types of enemies: the Locust, which are/have been the staple enemies in the game (but far from common) and the Lambent, creatures in the game that have been mutated by Imulsion. The pro about this is that they are far from simple to kill, especially the Lambent. When you kill one, move away b/c they are bound to explode. That, plus some will mutate after taking a lot of damage, taking the fight to another level.

A clip of Horde mode, where you fight off
wave after wave of Locust.

Secondly, Horde mode is a second pro in my book. If you haven’t played Gears 2, Horde mode is an arcade-style mode where you fight off wave after wave of enemies until you reach Level 50. And after every 10 levels, the enemies stats increase, making them harder to defeat. This mode has undergone some massive improvements, to say the least. A money system has been added, allowing players to buy items to protect their fort from caltrop barriers to mounted turret guns and even a decoy to draw enemy fire.

But the biggest improvement in Horde mode is that they added boss battles at every 10th round. Meaning after you fight the entire wave off, you have to battle a boss. And if you played any of the Gears games, you’ll know that the boss is far from easy…or small. And with the addition of Mutations in the game – similar to the Skulls in Halo ODST/Reach – it adds a deeper challenge to the game than just shooting enemies to survive.

A new mode to the Gears series (and another pro) is Beast mode, which is the complete opposite to Horde. In Beast mode, you’re playing as the Locust whose goal is to destroy all the humans in the area. The money that you gain from this mode is used to spawn better Locust. So if you play your cards right, you could appear as a Kantus on one round…or a Beserker.

Finally, my last pro would be the weapons in the game. A lot of the weaponry has been improved since the second installment of Gears. And with the addition of newer weapons (the One-Shot, Incendiary Grenades, Cleaver and more) and more savage versions of older weapons (Retro Lancer, Sawed-Off, and Digger), combat gets a bit more nuts.

The Cons

Alright…so for my first con, I’d have to get on Story Mode. Why? It’s shorter than expected. With 5 acts and 5 chapters an act, that’s 25 stages that you have to play through. And with the promise of the “biggest-ever Gears campaign solo”, that seems like a bit of a letdown.

And yes, that was written on the back of the Gears 3 box.

Members of COG.

The second con has to be one that I always find in every FPS (or in this case, 3PS) game. There’s always that one weapon in the game that’s unreasonably unbalanced and overused by everyone online. What is it in Gears 3: the Sawed-off Shotgun. The reload time is extra slow, however if you are in point blank range of someone and shoot (or get shot), the result is simple: You Die!

My next con lies with Beast Mode. Now, that mode is great, seeing that you pretty much flip the script and play as the antagonists. However, the mode is short. You only get 12 rounds and a minute per round, which slightly increases with each kill you acquire. And compared to Horde, where you get 50 rounds and unlimited time…yeah, enough said.

The leveling up system in the game…I can’t say it’s a complete con, but I do feel that it needs to be listed. The more you level up in the game, the more characters and weapon skins you are able to unlock. It looks nice, however it’s been considered useless by a good amount of players so it’s a noteworthy con.

Overall

If you’ve been waiting for Gears of War 3 anxiously, from the moment you first heard the announcement, then you’re guaranteed to get your money’s worth in this final installment. With the new modes, the 4-player campaign co-op, and gritty, brutal gameplay that the series is known for, you won’t put it down. If you’re buying this game and haven’t played the other two, you will still enjoy this game. Even though the campaign may be a bit short, there are plenty of modes that will keep your hands on the controller for a long time!!!

FINAL SCORE: 4 out of 5

Bleach: Soul Resurrection Review

2011-09-23T00:01:00.000-04:00

Platform(s): Playstation 3

Developer(s): SCE Japan Studio
Publisher(s): Sony Computer Entertainment
Genre: Action

Captain Kyoraku getting ready for war.

Bleach: Soul Resurreccion is an action game based on the popular anime and manga. The game starts out with Ichigo and company heading to Huecho Mundo to rescue their friend Orihime who has been taken to ex-Soul Reaper Captain Soske Aizen. You fight your way through waves of Hollows of various types including the giant Menos Grande to save Orihime from Aizen. All your favorite Bleach characters are present in the game each with their own chapter in the game's story. Soul Resurreccion's graphics nearly match the anime much in the way of the Naruto games. Side mission's provide action-packed areas to build your character's stats. The missions are pretty straight forward--defeat all the Hollows to complete the mission. This is a good way to build any character who is lacking in skills and abilities especially those who are aquired late in the game. Character development is done through a Final Fantasy type grid. Each character has their own section on the grid. Abilities and attributes such as life, soul energy, etc. are upgraded by spending Soul Points gathered during gameplay. Like in recent Final Fantasy releases, characters are not limited to their section on the grid. You can guide them to other sections to gain more abilities and attributes.

PRO: Bleach: Soul Ressureccion is impressive with graphics that closely match the anime. The game keeps everyone's powers and special abilities intact from the series. The cool thing is that Ichigo as well as some of the other characters start off already in the Bankai stages so there's no need to develop from scratch. The game is fast-paced like the series with sword swinging action and powerful enemies, some of which can finish off a character in just a few hits. Navigating the stages is not too difficult. You can run through it normally or dash your way to the end in a matter of moments. Combat is simple. You can slash away at the Hollows with your character's main weapon or use their special attacks which are limited in use by the Soul Gauge. But not to worry, the Soul Gauge recovers over time and is ready for use before you even know it. Another amazing feature is the Ignitioin Gauge which, when triggered, brings out your charater's most devastating attacks taken straight from the series.

CON: Soul Resurreccion isn't that bad of a game and there are a couple of drawbacks. For starters, the Hollow enemies aren't too difficult to defeat. You'll wipe out a large number of them before they can even cause damage. Even the larger Hollows pose no real threat. Their attacks take a good chunk out of your life bar but they go down easily once you figure outr their pattern which isn't that difficult. Boss battles are usually intense in games of this type but here not so much. Sure, as the game progresses bosses do get tougher and you will die. However, the strategy is easy to figure out and you can take out your foe with minimal effort. My biggest gripe is blocking and dodging. There's too much lagtime when executing either one. Plus I really couldn't cancel an attack to perform them smoothly. I was able to once I stopped slashing my sword but not during.

OVERALL: Bleach: Soul Resurreccion is a good action game that didn't miss on adapting from the series. Fans will enjoy this game as well as those new to the series. It may not be up to par with the Naruto games but it is definately a step from the previous entry. The action goes by fast but its side missions and hidden unlockables will keep you engaged. Bleach: Soul Resurreccion is a fun game that is a worthy entry for anime adapted games.

Overall Score: Bleach: Soul Resurrection gets a 3.5 out of 5

See you on the next level,

Brian M.

Alice: Madness Returns Review

2011-09-04T21:01:00.000-04:00

Platform(s): Playstation 3, X-Box 360, PC, Apple

Developer(s): Spicy Horse

Publisher(s): Electronic Arts

Genre: Action/Adventure, Platform

Rating: M for Mature

Ten years ago I learned about a game that fueled my love of twisted fairy tales as well as action platform games. American Mcgee released Alice in 2001 but it was only for the PC much to my dismay. Then just recently, EA games released the sequel Alice: Madness Returns. The story picks up after the end of the first game with Alice now living in an orphanage in Victorian London after being released from Rutledge Asylum. At the orphanage, she is under the care of a psychiatrist named Doctor Angus Bumby, who uses hypnotism to help his child patients to forget their harsh memories. Still haunted by her family's death in the house fire ten years ago, Alice continues to have hallucinations. Sent to the local chemist to get medicine, Alice wanders after a white cat and has more hallucinations, witnessing asylum Nurse Witless transform into the Jabberwock. And this is where the games madness begins.

The Story

Alice: Madness Returns version of Wonderland is a twisted malevolent landscape of its former self. Upon arriving, Alice encounters the Cheshire Cat who informs her of a new law ruling Wonderland, this time it’s from the outside world. Alice must stop it and restore Wonderland to normal. After learning of Wonderland’s plight, I guided Alice through the beautiful yet strange landscape. I found it pretty easily to navigate. Once I picked up my first weapon, the Vorpal Blade, found in the remains of the Jabberwock, my first enemies appeared. The game’s combat system is fairly simple. Alice targets the closest enemy when attacking; however, I am able to manually target my foes as well. The manual targeting set-up is similar to Darksiders placing a black border around the screen keeping it fixed while I moved Alice around. I can cycle through enemies with ease, keeping the action moving. Madness Returns’ offers lots of platforming which becomes a larger part of the game as you traverse through Wonderland’s areas. I found this to play out more in later stages and since there no ledge grabbing like in most current titles, I had to make my jumps count. However, this is compensated by Alice ability to triple jump and float. The game also has lots of secrets and hidden areas which can be accessed using Alice’s ability to shrink. Alice’s other ability is her Hysteria mode that she enters when her health is low. In this mode, she is invincible and her attack strength is doubled.

The Pros

The combat mechanics are simplistic enough for anyone new to the game or to the type of game play. Alice’s primary weapon, the Vorpal Blade, attacks with lightning speed which quickly finishes off weaker enemies. There are also long range weapons in the form of a gattling-gun firing Pepper Grinder and Teapot Launcher which fire boiling tea at your enemies. I like the fact that I can switch between close and long range on the fly. The platforming element is very basic, a kind of throwback to its early days where timing is everything. I was pleased with the level designs and the disturbing atmosphere of each world which truly represented the madness of Wonderland. Also, you get to access to the first game either with a redeemable code or purchasing it for $9.99.

The Cons

Before I mentioned the simplicity of the game’s combat mechanic, but it couldn’t hurt to have a little variety in Alice attacks. I found myself button mashing the whole way. True, there are moments where I had to strategize to defeat certain enemies but I would’ve liked to be able to vary my attacks rather just simply swing the weapon wildly. The game does glitch a few times. Sometimes my long range weapon remained deployed even though I had switched the Vorpal Blade. My mayor problem was the camera especially when using the long range weapons. The camera is not always fixed behind Alice and in some instances this infraction ruined my jumps during a platforming section. I found myself having to adjust the camera before and sometimes during a jump or when using my long range weapons. The umbrella Alice uses for defense is only deployable when in targeting mode. I would’ve liked more freedom with this.

OVERALL

Despite its faults, Alice: Madness Returns is a good action platform game in the tradition of Darksiders and the God of War series. Its disturbing cut scenes keep the story moving which may be confusing unless you’re familiar with the Lewis Carroll story. I like how the game’s storyline switches between Wonderland and the real world, which has an atmosphere relevant to Silent Hill. Exploration of both worlds will keep you interested as well as the secrets found using Alice’s shrink ability. Fans of the first game will have fun with the sequel. If you haven’t played the first game but are looking for an action platform to kill some time then pick up this game. Though I have not played the first game, I like Madness Returns. It is a bizarre twist on a classic tale told like never before.

Final Score

Alice: Madness Returns gets a 3 out of 5.

-Brian M.

Catherine Review

2011-08-10T23:45:00.005-04:00

Platform(s): Playstation 3, X-Box 360
Developer(s): Atlus Persona Team
Publisher(s): Atlus
Genre: Puzzle-platformer/Survival-Horror/ Adult-Adventure
Rating: M for Mature
Price: $59.99

A man told me once that there are three things that are certain in life: death, drama and taxes. The first will happen regardless, the last whenever money is involved, and the second – drama – will happen at any given moment. And Catherine, the survival-horror puzzle game developed by Atlus is chock-full of drama from the moment you turn the game on. But does the drama – and the insanely challenging puzzles – breathe life into this game or condemns it to an early death?

The Story

Vincent Brooks (age 32) is trapped in a nightmare, facing a choice of marrying his longtime girlfriend Katherine or moving on to the incredible blonde he just woke up next to – named Catherine. The worst part is, if he makes the wrong choice, he could end up dead.

The Pros

So…I’m gonna try to be unbiased with this game. First of all, the graphics of this game are nice. A mix between crisp 2D and 3D Japanese-style animation, the presentation of the game is good. It makes the game seem like you’re playing through an anime storyline, which caught my eye at first.

Secondly, the puzzles are a personal pro to me. The goal of the puzzles is for you to reach the top of the tower by rearranging blocks for you to climb. It’s challenging and slightly mind-boggling, requiring you to think on your feet a bit because spending too long on one area will have the ground fall out from underneath your feet. Thankfully, if you find yourself stuck, you can undo a move with the push of a button.

Finally, the story was a personal pro in my opinion. Although the pacing of the story was a bit…expected at times (like the repetitive drinking Vincent does at his favorite bar only to find himself waking up with the other girl), it doesn’t get too overloaded with drama to make it seem like a bad Jerry Springer episode.

The Cons

Okay…so what’s exactly bad about this game, you ask? Well, for starters, the price of Catherine is the first con that hit me when getting this game. Honestly, as good as I think the game is, it’s not worth the $60 that you have to put out for it. $40, yes, even $50 would be somewhat acceptable, but not $60.

Secondly, the difficulty of the puzzles is something that can be listed as a con as well. Now I wrote it as a pro because I enjoy some challenging puzzle games but there are points in the game where you wonder why they made the puzzles that difficult. In fact, the difficulty of the puzzles was something that the developers of Catherine had to create a patch for due to people’s reaction. Of course, that was the Japanese version of the game, however if even the Japanese have an issue with it, then you know that the game isn’t going to be a breeze.

Finally, the game’s overall presentation was something that fell into a bit of a con. When you first look at the game, either through advertisements or first glance, you get the feeling that it’s like Heavy Rain, only with puzzles to add a bit of variety in it. And unless you’ve followed the game like a few friends I know, you find yourself disappointed with the fact that you spent $60 on a drama-filled puzzle game that probably let down your expectations.

Overall

If you’re a fan of mind-boggling puzzle games with a somewhat interactive storyline, then I suggest you get this game. If you’re an anime fan, then you may want to pick this game up and add it to your collection. The storyline, puzzles, and the overall feel of the game will have you either addicted or enjoying yourself.

Outside of that…I suggest that you not get the game. Catherine screams of a cult-favorite, simply for its puzzles and nothing more. Honestly, it’s a hit-or-miss like most games but I have the feeling that it would be a miss for the average video game player.

Final Score: 3/5

King of Fighters-i (iPhone edition review)

2011-07-26T02:13:00.006-04:00

King of Fighters-i

Developer: SNK PLAYMORE

Publisher: SNK PLAYMORE

Genre: Fighting game

Platform: iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad

Release date: July 07, 2011

Price: $7.99

Buy it Here!

Various fighters from around the world come together in 3 on 3 teams to find out who is the true King of Fighters!

FEATURES:

In King of Fighters (also known as KOF-i) you can choose from the following 4 game modes when playing in ARCADE MODE:

“TEAM BATTLE” for classic KOF 3-on-3 battles,

“SINGLE BATTLE” for 1-on-1 gameplay,

“ENDLESS” to defeat as many opponents as possible with just one character (life).

“TRAINING” to get accustomed to the Virtual Pad-based controls and practice your combos.

"BLUETOOTH" is for local versus matches as well as trading cards in the Trading Card mini-game.

"TRADING CARD" you can buy with Battle points various cards and sometimes you might get more than one so you can go to the KOF shop (in the game menu) and sell your extra cards to get more points to buy other cards.

PROS:

I say that these are some of the best graphics I've seen for a fighting game on the iOS platform to date. They captured the exact look and feel of the upcoming King of Fighters XIII, and I do mean captured! Unlike the visually stunning but disappointing KOF12 (console version) this brings the classic "good fighting game" KOF engine right into the palm of your hands. I love that you can do not only all of the specials and supers but you can do all the combos that they show you online for the upcoming KOF13! The gameplay and sound feels just like I'm playing the arcade version of the game. You can hear the vocals clearly and everything! This game lets me know how awesome KOF13 will be when it comes to console. The controls are solid, you just have to get used to touchscreen pad controls. Once you do that it'll feel completely natural.

CONS:

No endings. Understandably it is a mobile phone game. You can't expect to have EVERYTHING that's in a arcade or console to be in an iPhone game. There is the fact that it doesn't allow you to play opponents online, but after seeing how well that works (or doesn't) in other games, I'm not sure if that fits as a con.

OVERALL:

With hours of replay value especially just to see what each individual fighter says to one another, and free character DLC in October, I couldn't understand why this wouldn't be in your list of apps.

4 out of 5

Street Fighter IV Volt: Battle Protocol review

2011-07-08T14:12:00.011-04:00

Street Fighter IV Volt: Battle Protocol

Developer: CAPCOM

Publisher: CAPCOM

Genre: Fighting game

Platform: iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad

Release date: June 30, 2011

Price: $6.99

Buy it Here!

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In 2010, CAPCOM put out Street Fighter IV for the iPhone which to my surprise was actually quite good. The game has the ability to provide a feel (even though it's limited) as close to the PS3 and Xbox360 console version as possible. The things that make the game work on the iPhone is that there are less characters then the console versions. Combos that you do in the home versions are still doable in this mobile addition. I could go on about Street Fighter IV iPhone addition but the focus is Street Fighter IV Volt, so let's get to it!

GOOD:

I love that this version (unlike the 1st iPhone version) has ONLINE MULTIPLAYER!! That's right folks you can play other people who enjoy SF4V all across the globe! Phones have come a long way baby! With Street Fighter IV iPhone edition having only 14 characters in the game total, the addition of 4 new characters (Cody, Vega, Balrog and ????) is welcome. The "????" is a hidden character that you can later unlock (I'll explain on our Facebook fan page). to give it that newer/update feel they made the interface like the Character Select screen and Stage Select screen follow the look of the updated Street Fighter IV game, SUPER Street Fighter IV. This also gives me the thought that via iTunes you MIGHT be able to buy or download for free, more characters. Here's hoping! With the Online play you build up stats just like you would on the home versions (kinda cool). Your avatar that you customize to represent you ONLINE can actually "battle" other avatars that you played via online matches. That builds up stats but they are separate from your actual fighting stats. Think of it as a silly mini-game. You can even post your stats and achievements via Twitter. Graphically I think it looks pretty amazing especially for an iPhone game, and the sound quality is top-notch!

BAD:

I know that this is a mobile game but I still wish there were endings for the characters. You do get a 5 sec cinematic, which is better than nothing (SS4 iPhone), but the biggest complaint is the LAG in the online play. Yes I know this is a first for CAPCOM when it comes to phones, so I expect a game update that will fix the problem. Still when it works, it works!

OVERALL:

Overall, I have to say that I really enjoy Street Fighter IV Volt. It is a great on the go game and a great time waster especially for the price of $6.99. I mean come on, I was doing my crossover combos on my iPhone!! I have to say that this deserves a 3.5 out of 5. GET IT NOW!

E3 2011 info for those who don't know!

2011-06-24T09:54:00.009-04:00

So E3 is over and where has it left us? Well, the major games and hardware were in attendance, Candace Bailey looks good playing Kinect games in a skirt (or a dress), and we all were treated to some of the industries best eye candy that we will hold onto until the next E3 comes along. We here at J1 believe that while we can deliver news to our fans, often its our opinions andour imaginations that you really care about most. So, lets take a look at the big stories, and little stories, of E3 and what we think of them with a little J1 flava on top.

First the biggies: Halo 4, Halo HD, the “real” launch titles for the 3DS, Street Fighter x Tekken, the Wii U, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Battlefield 3, Rage, Zelda: Skyward Sword, the Vita, Batman: Arkham City, Overstrike, Deus Ex Human Revolution, Uncharted 3, Skyhawk, Gears of War 3, Bioshock Infinite, Prey 2, Journey, The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim...really too many to write out here. But as far as I'm concerned there are only a few that are really making me lean forward in my seat as the trailers play.

Of all of E3, the following are on my must buy list: Street Fighterx Tekken, the Vita, Batman: Arkham City, Bioshock 3, Mass Effect 3, Overstrike, Deus Ex Human Revolution, and perhaps Hawken.

I wouldn't be a fighting game fan if I didn't get Street Fighter x Tekken and it already looks awesome. Let's just hope 'Gief and King get to wrestle (go King!). The Tekken players will supposedly have moves that will allow safe passage through the waves of fireballs that will be thrown at them, and will excel at close ranged combat. There is some bit of that that makes me uncomfortable. Zangief, Abel, T. Hawk, and others already have fireball safe moves and they still struggle to close the distance with the best of the keep away artists (Guile, Dee Jay, Akuma, Gouken). The neat thing will be seeing how they balance out the complete lack of fireballs on the Tekken half with the serious juggling and mixup advantage that they should also have.

Arkham City and Deus Ex are need-to-buys because the games in their respective series before them were great and there would need a Devil May Cry 2 style meltdown to come out as anything less than stellar. Since I have seen enough of both to be assured that won't be happening, I'll definitely be getting them, probably at launch (see you at midnight, South Street store). I feel bad for the people that are going to have to judge for the Game of the Year category for the next two years, if these two titles are representative of the quality of work going into the AAA titles they will have their work cut out for them.

Overstrike and Hawken are two completely new games: one made by David and the other by Goliath. EA's Overstrike probably had a small army working on that trailer for at least half a year for ten hour days; Hawken is made by less than 10 people, some of which are interns. And Hawken showed up with actual gameplay! Nevertheless, we look forward to both entries, and lets pray that Overstrike plays at least something like its trailer.

Mass Effect 3. Bioshock Infinite. Two games that have game of the year written all over them. If I didn't get both of these, I might as well sell my PS3 and 360. These two games will be so awesome that they will no doubt take up more of my life than several of the other games on this list combined. You have to love how they moved Bioshock from the ocean to the clouds, and the apparent graphical bump they've given it. Lets hope for a little more enemy variation to make the game perfect. And I love how Mass Effect carries decisions we made years ago all the way through to the end. Can't wait to kick some reaver butt. Seriously, I can't stress it enough, these two are too innovative, too pretty, too amazing to pass up; if you get nothing else (besides Street Fighter x Tekken) get these two..

I've never been a big fan about Battlefield but the graphics on this game look amazing. You have to remember, the trailers you see on tv or even online are a lot like uncooked re-chewed food: the game isn't done and its been re-rendered through the camera/computer so the quality of the sound and the video will not be the same as when you plug it in and play. The fact that Battlefield made me drool (graphically speaking) from a demo means that they are doing well enough production-wise to polish their work to the sort of quality expected from a complete game. I seriously might buy the game just so I can watch my gun fly apart into a hundred little customizable pieces.

Also the COD: MW3 demo looked sick with the NYC backdrop, the sight customization, and the smart grenade launcher (which will hopefully be even better than MGS 4's). I love how the game alternates between making you feel like the grim reaper (the first game had that famous AC-130 section) and being a completely helpless punk (Black Ops' endless army of doom comes to mind). We can all look forward to calling down surgical strikes on whole buildings worth of baddies, helicopter crashes, tense sniper infiltration missions, and generally blowing crap up.

Halo HD and Halo 4 are interesting because they're both games made by Microsoft (not Bungie) specifically in the pursuit of wringing every last dollar from a super successful franchise. Sometimes that works out all right (Fallout: New Vegas) but more often than not the new studio makes a game of decent quality that looks similar, and sounds similar, but just doesn't feel the same. Especially when you consider that they are going to try to make three games! They are going to have a tough job: to make a game that is familiar to players of the original trilogy, and yet making something that's innovative enough that's its not just a retread. The fans will be looking at every atom of detail put into the game to make sure that it stays true to their extremely high game play and story expectations. Tough job. Can't wait to see how that's going to come out.

I want to come out and say that while I plan to buy Rage and play it to death, I am somewhat confuzzled at how they are going to start

announcing and planning a sequel when they haven't released the first game yet. Rage could sell two copies for all they know! It kinda feels dirty, like a company making a game and then coming out with paid DLC in less than a week later. Well, at least the game looks as good as advertised, I was worried that it was going to look like the offspring of Doom and Borderlands.

In my pocket on some days I could have a Geimei A330 (look it up), a personal media player of some type, an android smart phone, and occasionally I have a bag with my laptop/tablet in it. And I still want a Vita. Why? Cause I do. Because it finally has dual sticks. Because it has graphics on par with the PS3. Because its black and shiny. Because it it the complete spiritual opposite of the 3DS. That alone it good enough for me.

Now for the stuff that's not so cool. Though the Kinect and Move did have a solid showings this year, there really just isn't anything that has me desperate for them yet. Does anyone remember the Playstation Eye? Though the tech has come a long way, I just feel like if I'm going to get up and move around, I'm going to hit pads in the dojo for real, or throw a frisbee, or play peek-a-boo with a crackhead in a garbage can. I like how people are willing to sweat for their games now, but don't we really like games because they're completely unrealistic? I mean, doesn't Chuck Liddel holding pads for you as you kick for real seem like one of those gimmicky arcade games we used to play when we were kids? Or dancing in front of your television? When they come out with something I can play by myself or others that doesn't make me feel foolish I'll be all over it, till then, no thanks.

The puzzlement extends to the newly revealed Wii U; seriously, that's the best name that the marketing team could come up with? I don't get the controller, which looks like a tablet with buttons. I don't get how the “hardcore” games are going to play on a system so aggressively marketed to casual players. And I also ponder what kind of price this strange arrangement might cost. One of the things that helped the Wii was that it was so cheap, but how are they going to manage to make the Wii U cheap? The tablet controller itself should retail for at least the cost of what a Wii today would cost. I would actually find it interesting if they allow you to load games on the tablet thingie and take it along with you portable style. I'd probably try to root it and install Honeycomb, just an idea.

What do you guys think? Is there something that you saw at E3 that tickled your fancy? Disagree with me? Didn't get all of the E3 info you wanted and want to get filled in? Hit me up on the forum and let me know!

~ Chris A.

Mortal Kombat review

2011-04-25T03:18:00.003-04:00

Mortal Kombat

Developer: NetherRealms Studios

Publisher: Waner Bros. Interactive

Genre: Fighting game

Platform: Playstation, Xbox360

Release date: April 19, 2011 (North America) April 21, 2011 (Europe)

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Mortal Kombat (or Mortal Kombat 9 to fans) is a return to the basics. All the things that made you fall in love with the MK series is back and in true form!

“The story begins after the events of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, where almost all the fighters are dead, leaving only Raiden and Shao Kahn. Defeated and about to be dealt the final blow, Raiden uses his last attempt to cast a spell on his amulet, now shattered, to contact his past self and quote "He Must Win!" before he is killed.

During the events of the first game's tournament, hosted by Shang Tsung, the Raiden from that era possesses visions of the events from the future; he notices his amulet has cracked, signaling troubling times ahead.”

STORY MODE! What an amazing way to explain the plot in a fighting game! You have to play as different characters throughout a five-hour story that unveils the new and I’m guessing true story of Mortal Kombat. I don’t want to give away anything but I guarantee that what you remember of the MK storylines gets changed in some “HOLY CRAP” moments. This is a clever way to reboot the series and giving it a fresh (and solid) plotline.

Gameplay is so freakin’ awesome! Solidly balanced and loads of fun, with modes galore!

They added a cool new aspect to the game which is the X-ray bar, or Super bar. As you attack and get attacked your Super bar increases. With every level it goes up you can perform enhanced versions of your regular special moves by pressing the block button simultaneously with the last button input you use to perform the move in the first place. If you decide to hold off and not do that you can also use it as a counter move (or a Breaker as they call it in the game). When you seem to be getting the beating of a lifetime you can interrupt the melee with a move that knocks the opponent away from you giving you time to think things through. The final piece to the Super bar puzzle is the X-ray move. This move (if you let the meter fill up completely) will allow you to pull off a mid game fatality-like series of hits that actually shows an X-ray of your opponent’s body showing damage.

In single player mode you are given Story Mode (which you already know about), Arcade Ladder, Tag Team Ladder and Challenge Tower. Arcade Ladder mode is the arcade mode that when you beat the game with a character you get a personal “what if” ending. Tag Team Ladder is the same as Arcade Ladder except you get to use two characters in a swap out at any time style combat. Challenge Tower is a series of various tasks that you pull off to gain coins. These coins can be earned in just about every mode in the game. This leads to the Krypt where you use the coins and unlock art, costumes, and new fatalities.

The graphics and sound in this game is stunning especially since they seemed to have taken the Unreal Technology graphics they used for Mortal Kombat vs DC and added more detail. With the sound you can hear every single crack and crunch especially when you perform the X-ray specials! Lots of awesome in one fighting game!

A really impressive feature they added was the training and tutorials. You can practice the gameplay with the computer walking you through the basic moves carefully, all the way up to fatality practice so that you can learn how to really embarrass your friends.

In the multiplayer modes you are given the Arcade Ladder and the Tag Team Ladder whether you want to do a local two-player match or if you want to take it online. The online also has very little to almost no online lagging/slowdown in the game.

This game is everything that you would want in a Mortal Kombat game by taking all the great parts of Mortal Kombat 1, 2 and 3 while putting it in great 3D graphics and new interesting gimmicks with 2D gameplay.

My only gripe with the game is Shao Khan in Story mode. I promise you that you will want to throw your controller out of frustration after a few tries. Trust me. With that I can say I give this game a 5 out of 5, no matter how cheap Shao Khan is. If you don’t have it yet, and you call yourself a MK fan; do yourself a huge favor and get this game!!

-Jason R

Release Date for Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition!!

2011-03-29T01:30:00.004-04:00

The BBFC (UK's ESRB rating system) lists a release date for Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition: 24th June 2011.

The British Board of Film Classification has confirmed the launch of Super Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition in the UK.

The BBFC's listing mentions anime animator Jiro Kanai as director, suggesting the Arcade Edition includes new intro and outro movies.

Predictably, the game was passed with no cuts made.

Street Fighter producer Yoshinori Ono has teased the launch of the Arcade Edition, which includes four new playable characters, for months now.

Speaking to Eurogamer ahead of the launch of Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition last Thursday, Ono said: "Well, if you think I'm a tease, I ought to have something to show if I'm teasing. But that's all I can say because of political issues."

The AE (Arcade Edition) adds Yun and Yang from Street Fighter III as playable characters, as well as Evil Ryu and new character Oni (an even more evil Akuma) as secret bosses.

Gameplay balance changes are also implemented, some of which have sparked intense debate within the fighting game community.

We'll see if it is a download or a disc. Which format would you prefer?

Source: Eurogamer

Marvel VS Capcom 3 Achievement/Trophy Guide

2011-02-24T10:16:00.004-05:00

Earn the Achievement/Trophies For Marvel VS Capcom 3: The Fate of Two Worlds

1. Passed the Field Test – Clear 160 missions in Mission mode.

2. A New Avenger – Clear 320 missions in Mission mode. — Each of the 36 characters in the retail game has 10 missions to complete. There are 36 characters in total, so you will need to complete almost 9 out of 10 missions for each.

3. Welcome to the Avengers Academy – Clear 80 missions in Mission mode.

4. Leading the Charge – Surpass the rank of Fighter.

5. Combat Specialist – In Ranked Match, surpass the “1st” class rank, or fight someone who has.

6. Comic Collector – Unlock all items in the Gallery.

7. Back at’Cha! – Perform 10 successful Crossover Counters. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only)

8. Excelsior! – Perform 10 Team Aerial Combos. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only)

9. Be Gone! – Perform 10 Snap Backs. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only) — A Snap Back is when you use quarter circle forward and the support/assist character button to force the opponent to tag in a different character.

10. Mega Buster – Use 1,000 Hyper Combo Gauge bars. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only)

11. Ultimate Nullifier – Perform 30 successful Advancing Guards. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only)

12. Playtime Is Over – Surpass the rank of Amateur.

13. Herculean Task – Beat Arcade mode on the hardest difficulty.

Set the game to the Very Hard difficulty, 30 second time limit, and damage on highest. Select Taskmaster with Aim Master Assist, Chris Redfield with Gunshot Assist, and Dr. Doom with Plasma Beam Assist. Keep using the projectiles from the corner to win every match. When you reach Galactus, activate X-Factor, and perform a Hyper Crossover Combo to take away a decent amount of health. He will hit you before you are done. Then, fight him as you normally would.

14. Saving My Quarters – Beat Arcade mode without using any continues.

15. Waiting For the Trade – View all endings in Arcade mode.

16. Master of Fate – Unlock all achievements.

17. I Buy the Issues – View one ending in Arcade mode.

18. World Warrior – Earn 5,000 Player Points (PP).

19. Brusin’ Bruce – Land an Incredible Combo. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only)

20. Charles In Charge – Land an Uncanny Combo. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only)

21. Average Joe - Land a Viewtiful Combo. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only) — Do a 30+ hits combo with Viewtiful Joe. Henshin A Go Go Baby!

Make a team with Iron Man, Deadpool, and M.O.D.O.K. Once you have three Hyper Combo bars,make all three characters do their Hyper Combos at once. Make sure the oppenent has almost a full bar of health so they do not die while doing it. You should get a 95-hit combo and get the "Average Joe", "Brusin' Bruce", and "Charles In Charge" achievements.

22. Champion Edition Hero – Earn 30,000 Player Points (PP).

23. Super Turbo Brawler – Earn 100,000 Player Points (PP).

24. Big Bang Theory – Perform 30 Hyper Combo Finishes. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only)

25. Brave New World – Participate in any mode on ONLINE only.

26. Steel Battalion – Block 100 times. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only)

27. Fate of the Satsui no Hadou – Decide who is the true master of the fist in an ONLINE only match. — Finish a fight between Akuma and Ryu.

28. Copy This! – Put an end to this game of spider and fly in an ONLINE match. — Finish a fight between Spider-Man and Taskmaster.

29. Raccoon City Incident – Settle things between former S.T.A.R.S. members in an ONLINE match. — Finish a fight between Chris Redfield and Wesker.

30. Passport to Beatdown Country – Fight in all of the stages.

31. Need A Healing Factor – Win a match without blocking. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only)

32. School for the Gifted – Get a 5 game win streak in Ranked ONLINE Match.

33. A Hero Stands Alone – Win a match without calling your partners or switching out. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only)

34. Full Roster – Battle against all characters in an ONLINE match.

35. Who Will Answer the Call? – Participate in an 8 player Lobby ONLINE .

36. Duty and Deus Ex Machina – Make a match ONLINE between a national hero and a killing machine a reality. — Finish a fight between Captain America and M.O.D.O.K. (Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing).

37. One Step Ahead – Land 50 First Attacks in a match. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only)

38. Avengers Assemble! – Make a team composed of the Big 3 and win a match. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only) — The team is Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor.

39. Turn the Tables – Land a Team Aerial Counter in a match. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only)

40. Galactic Smasher – Perform 30 Crossover Combination Finishes. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only)

41. Wreak “Havok” – Use X-Factor in a match. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only) — When you lose one or two of your teammates, you can press the two assist buttons to trigger this damage boost. It cancels out your opponents moves, even hypers, allowing you a one-time comeback.

42. Badds to the Bone – Make a team of three who have altered their bodies, and win a match. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only) — The team is M.O.D.O.K., Iron Man, and Spencer.

43. Whose Side Are You On? – Bring about an end to the Civil War in an ONLINE match. — Finish a fight between Captain America and Iron Man. I’m not sure, but you might also want to try including Spider-Man & Wolverine against She-Hulk & Deadpool.

44. Fate of Two Worlds – Make a match ONLINE between the marquee characters for this game a reality. — Finish a fight between a team of any 3 Marvel universe and a team of any 3 Capcom universe characters.

45. Female Flyers – Make a team composed of women who can fly, and win a match. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only) — The team is Storm, Phoenix, and Morrigan.

46. Darkstalkers – Make a team composed of those who dwell in the darkness, and win a match. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only) — The team is Morrigan, Felicia, and Hsien-Ko.

47. Weapon X – Make a team composed of Weapon-X test subjects, and win a match. (OFFLINE/ONLINE only) — The team is X-23, Wolverine, and Deadpool.

Courtesy of gamingbolt.com, videogamesblogger.com, and cheatcc.com

Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Review

2011-02-22T00:49:00.006-05:00

Platform(s): Playstation 3, X-Box 360
Developer(s): Capcom
Publisher(s): Capcom
Genre: Fighting
Rating: T for Teen
Price: $59.99 (Standard Edition), $69.99 (Limited Edition)

If you’re a fighting game fan, then you have been waiting 10 years for this moment. Ten long years for Capcom to release a sequel to its smash title “Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes”. And now…you’ve finally gotten your wish. Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two World is finally here. The question is: does it live up to the legend that Marvel vs. Capcom 2 was or does it fall short?

The Story:

Doctor Doom has assembled the greatest villains of the Marvel Universe and has joined forces with Albert Wesker in order to unite their respective universes in an effort to conquer both. However, this course of action awakens a great and powerful threat that could potentially destroy both worlds. It is up to the heroes of the Marvel and Capcom universes to put a stop to this evil before it is too late.

The Pros:

So for a game that the fighting game world has been waiting for since the last installment, which was a decade ago, you ask yourself “Where do I start with what’s good with this game?” I guess that the first pro I’ll highlight about this game is the combat. MvC3 still holds the same chaotic, frenzied and wild combat that made its predecessors famous in the fighting game circuit. This time, it’s a bit simpler for the user, thanks to the 3-button control scheme, which is more like Tatsunoko vs. Capcom’s controls. And, for the true beginners, they’ve introduced Simple mode, where the attacks and specials are all mapped to their own respective button.

The fighting in this game gets heated. Although the speed isn’t as mind-boggling fast as MvC2, it’s still to the point that you can get lost if you don’t pay attention. Combos are still a must in this game, meaning that if it ain’t over 10 hits, it ain’t doing much damage. Two new moves are introduced to this installment: team aerial combos where the player can switch out in a mid-air combo with one (or both) of their partners and X-Factor, a move that reminiscent to Tatsunoko’s Baroque system. X-Factor is a one-time only boost mode that lasts longer if you don’t have any more of your partners left. If used right, it can be the catalyst for your epic comeback in any match.

Another pro for the game is the character roster. Now, not a lot of people liked the character roster for MvC3 since a lot of the MvC2 greats or their favorite characters were in there (I even remember seeing someone ask for Sonic to be in this game on the MvC3 fan page…), but I can say that they have the most unique and diverse roster for this installment and it works for them. From fan favorites like Dante, Chris Redfield, Thor and Deadpool, to the more obscure characters like Arthur, M.O.D.O.K., and Dormammu, the 36 characters in this game - just 4 shy of MvC2’s opening roster - are nothing to sleep on.

Another pro of mine falls in a few of the things that they’ve added in the game. The Liscence Cards being my first bit on here for the online players. Liscence Cards are pretty much your stats card on how you play online, showing you and other players the general strengths and weaknesses of your playing style. It’s a good addition to the online warfare because now you have somewhat of an idea of what kind of player you’ll be fighting against before you battle. Also, the fact that they allow you to store three set teams (Reserve List) keeps things a bit personal. This way, when you go up against that friend who says they can top your best squad (or squads), it’s an easy 2 buttons just to pull them out.

The Cons:

Unfortunately, we get to the real gritty part of this review. And for a game of this magnitude, I hate to go here, but here are the cons of the game. The first one is the damage factor. The damage that most characters do on here is too high at times. What do I mean? Do a combo with certain characters (Wesker, Dormammu, Super Skrull, Sentinel to name a few), end it with a super and see how their health drops to below half quickly. And that’s just giving damage; characters like Storm/Akuma/Phoenix…well, one good combo can be the end of them.

Or in Phoenix’s case, one combo will be the end of her.

Secondly, the controls are a con that’s been talked about for a while. The controls make the game easy to pick up for the common fighting game fan, but it makes it simpler for the more advanced fighting game player. Personally, I’m impartial to it but I will say that it drops the learning curve for the game, making the more complex combos easier to figure out.

The third con falls in the online modes. Now in Super Street Fighter 4 (and there’s a reason why I’m bringing this up), if you were in a lobby and you weren’t fighting, you could watch the current match happen. In Marvel 3…you can’t do that. You can’t watch the other matches go down, you can’t save replays of online matches, you just fight and wait. I mean, really Capcom? I’m hoping for a patch that allows you to do that in the near future, but until then, that’s a major strike in my book.

Overall:

Here’s what I’ll say about this game. It’s fun! The combat is still the MvC-style playing that I’ve grown to love ever since I’ve stepped into the arcade in my city and seen how Marvel 2 is truly played. Despite the slight drop in complexity that the game has, people can’t deny that it’s still Marvel. On the flip side, some of the things that they did in this installment (damage factor, no watching matches online, Sentinel) brings the game down from greatness to great. It’s still a good game and I recommend you to get it for yourself, but compared to Marvel 2…I think that the predecessor will win that battle.

Final Score: 4.0/5

Upcoming games for 2011

2011-01-26T00:01:00.002-05:00

So it’s the beginning of the new year and with it comes a slew of new games to anticipate. Sequels, prequels, and brand new titles will be dropping this year and The Reset Button will give you a small list of games to check out for the next 365 days.

- Portal 2
Cake anyone? It seems that Valve Corporation, the people who made Left 4 Dead, Half-Life, and the original Portal, will be giving us a sequel for this game. This time, you return as Chell, having been in stasis for several hundred years while GLaDOS and the rest of the Aperture Science facility has fallen into disrepair. Chell is awakened by one of GLaDOS's personality cores, and inadvertently wakes GlaDOS who begins testing her again through numerous chambers as she rebuilds the dilapidated facility. With more challenging puzzles and two player cooperation, Portal 2 will be another game to check out! This game drops on April 18th, 2011 for the PS3, 360, Windows and Mac.

- Twisted Metal
Twisted Metal, the popular vehicle combat series for Playstation is making a return. Not much is known on the actual storyline of the game, however it looks like the game takes place in a post-apocalyptic Earth. As far as game play is concerned, you can still expect the wild destruction that the series is known for. Keep an eye out for this game when it drops, which will be later on in 2011 on PS3!!!

- Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception
Fans of the Uncharted series will have something to look forward to this year. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception will be taking place in the Middle East, this time. Nathan Drake will be traveling the world with his mentor Victor Sullivan to find the legendary city “The Iram of the Pillars”. And from what I’ve seen of this game, it looks awesome. This game comes out on November 1, 2011 for the PS3 only.

- Marvel vs. Capcom 3
It’s been a decade-long wait for this title, but Capcom fans are finally getting what they asked for. Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds is promising to be one of the greatest fighting games of this year. And from all the footage that’s been released of it, it seems to be living up to its claims. Insane 3-on-3 fighting action, an ever-expanding roster of legends from Marvel Comics and Capcom, plus crisp graphics makes this game a must-have for fighting game fans. This game drops on February 15, 2011 on PS3 and 360!

- Batman: Arkham City
The Dark Knight returns to the gaming world once again and this time, he has to take down an entire city. Arkham City takes place a year after Arkham Asylum, where the new mayor of Gotham, Quincy Sharp (former warden of Arkham Asylum), has bought out a section of the city’s slums to contain the former inmates of Arkham and Blackgate Prison. Batman keeps a close eye on Arkham City, but when Two Face devises a plan to publicly execute Catwoman, the Dark Knight steps into the lion’s den once more for the sake of Gotham and Catwoman. There is a lot of crazy things happening in this game and if you were a fan of Arkham Asylum, you’ll definitely fall for its sequel. This game drops in the summer of 2011 for PS3, 360, and Windows.

- Mortal Kombat
And just when you thought that this series had fallen into the deepest pits of the Nether Realms, the people at NetherRealm Studios decided to revive this game for the new era. Mortal Kombat is back and better – or gorier – than ever. Taking place right after Armageddon, Raiden sends a mental message to his past self to prevent the current events from taking place. This game takes it back to the classic Mortal Kombat games (1 – 3) and looks lovely…in a gruesome, bloody manner. Mortal Kombat hits the PS3 and 360 on April 19, 2011

So that’s all that I have for now. But there’s plenty more to come so stay tuned to The Reset Button for more!!!

Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit REVIEWED!

2010-12-14T01:05:00.004-05:00

Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit

Platform: Playstation 3, X-BOX 360, Nintendo Wii, iPhone and PC

Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: Criterion Games
Genre: Racing

Release Date: November 16, 2010
Rating: E10+ for Everyone 10+

Story:

Going back to its roots, Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit puts you behind the most beautiful and exotic cars to become the amazing street racer, OR the most fearsome cop in Seacrest County!

Pros:

You get the true source of what makes the Need For Speed (NFS) series as famous as it is! I mean MAN, it's about time we get back to NFS being NFS. After going through SO MANY BAD games that held the series' name hostage I'm so glad I can go back to being a crazed street racer, avoiding cop blockades and spike strips, then being able to be a maniac cop hunting down a set of racers tearing down the highway.

So if you ever had a chance to play the Burnout racing series, understand that the same team behind that is the very same one who made this gem. So your car now takes some real serious DAMAGE. It's pretty insane to see your car flying down the street against oncoming traffic either avoiding cops or taking someone down and suddenly... BOOM, you just kissed a van head-on! But unlike Burnout: Paradise (the latest of the Burnout series), you get to drive licensed vehicles, and you are not driving around [forever] in a free-roaming city waiting for something to happen.

When it comes to the graphics, I guarantee you will be shocked at how clean and polished this game looks, especially (for the detail oriented gamers) since it doesn't run at 60 frames, but at 30! This game downright excites me! So much fun to play and to look at. The scenery is just beautiful. You can see the that when it rained in an area that the street is actually wet and the physics of the game changes with the climate change. So expect to adjust your turns and controlling your speed so you don't collide into a wall, guardrail, truck, or a divide. The music is top notch. They get the rights to share some really good popular music that really put you into the mood to race your butt off. 30 Seconds To Mars has a song on here that made me REALLY want to get more of their music just because I now associate "AWESOME" and "FAST" with their sound. It's also kind of funny hearing the police force get flustered when you get past one of there many obstacles.

Speaking of obstacles, you get weapons for both your cop car and for your street car. YUP! Weapons! With the cop cars you get to call for a blockade, drop spike strips right behind you while driving, a helicopter (to hunt and slow down racers that are getting away) and an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) to temporarily immobilize targets right in front of you. BANANAS! As an illegal street racer you get a turbo so you can blast right through roadblocks, jammers (shuts down all radar/maps and EMPs they were about to shoot), spike strips, and EMPs!! SUPER BANANAS!!

The coolest thing they added was the AUTOLOG. This is a way to combine multiplayer with your single player career mode. It will post online any of your accomplishments and you can compete against your friends' career mode skills without having to play each other right then and there. If someone tops your time the game will let you know the next time you start the game up, which if you get as competitive as I do will lead to you replaying certain races just to stay on top. Also with Autolog you can post on the WALL with a message with it, so you can brag hard.

Online gameplay is very important and they did a great job with this game. You can enter a room and play against 7 other people. What is interesting is the way the system picks half of you to be racers while the other half plays as the cops trying to stop the racers from reaching the finish line. It seems that NFS tries to keep it even by not making you a racer every time you play so that your stats can expand evenly. You also get to use the weapons that are in the career mode to help you succeed.

Cons:

Okay, now I can't really say that this game comes with many cons, but they exist. One of the things that bother me is that there's no split screen multiplayer, which is kind of a bummer. I really want to send a friend sitting next to me crashing into a wall or other cars. The difficulty is weird because the first set of races are so easy that sometimes I purposely tried to lose but when you come to a certain spot in the race the AI cars seem to slow down. Later you get challenge races where you have to use a specific car for some type of time trial and it seems that it's almost impossible to get the gold. Frustration ensues.

Overall:

When I played the limited time only demo, I knew this was going to be an excellent game. I bought it and I am MORE than pleased with it. If you are looking for a fun arcade style racing game that is truly the love-child of classic Need For Speed with the graphics and physics of Burnout, then do yourself a big favor and pick this game up!

Final Rating: 5 out of 5

- Jason

2010-12-07T00:00:00.001-05:00

Donkey Kong Country Returns (2010) Review

Platform(s): Nintendo WII
Developer(s): Retro Studios
Genre(s): Action-Adventure/Platformer
Rating: E for Everyone on the Wii

Story:

“Something shifty is going down on Donkey Kong Island… A tribe of mysterious marauders are putting some kind of musical voodoo spell on the island wildlife, and using them to make off with every banana in sight! Naturally, this doesn’t sit too well with Donkey Kong, whose personal banana horde has been ransacked. With pint-sized pad Diddy Kong on his shoulders, Donkey Kong sets out to get to the bottom of this banana burglary brouhaha.” (This is straight from Nintendo’s site)

Pros:

Everything J I fully admit to loving this game from childhood but it is a great game and continues to impress on the Wii. The games consists of eight worlds and 40 levels. There are multiple features that are bound to amuse, entrance and enjoy. I’ll list a few of my favorites: What was quite amazing and lots o’ fun was barrel shooting. This feature existed back when the original came out (on SNES in 1994) yet there it is even more thorough as you can do so from a foreground to a background. (Although this is true, this is a 3D rendered game yet with 2D playing) You can then proceed forward in the background (with Donkey’s size still small - reflecting the adjustment for depth) - so absolutely neat! Amidst this barrel shooting, you can also break through walls. This has no functional purpose but is another detail-oriented visual that makes you appreciate all the work put into this game.

What makes having it on the Wii an advantage (besides the vibrant and sharp coloring, of course) is what you can do as a result of the motion sensitive controller. For Donkey Kong to pound the ground you shake the Wii-mote up and down. In addition, he can blow by holding the down arrow and shaking the Wii mote up and down. (This is needed for those Tiki monsters that are ablaze or to blow on flowers that reveal hidden treasures)

Another new and fabulous feature is Kong’s ability to hold onto any grass that covers ceilings, boulders etc. This allows for many new ways to travel (and avoid enemies) along with a newly learned, bit-of-skill-requiring boss battle.

What we all look for in games besides the fun factor, is replay value. After hours of working on a game run, what makes you want to pick it back up and play again? Donkey Kong Country features the collection of letters to spell out KONG (as was true of the first one) and puzzle pieces throughout each level you have to collect (New). Once you’ve collected each piece and reached the end of the level, all the pieces fit together to create one puzzle piece. Not certain yet what picture this puzzle is creating but I can’t wait to go back and find out! This video seems to imply that if you finish the whole level without dying, you’ll obtain both the KONG pieces and the puzzle piece yet maybe this is an interpretation issue:

I’m pretty certain that attempting to obtain all these items is enough to keep you busy for quite some time.

To add to the replay appeal, is the option to have two players. As was the case in the New Super Mario Brothers game, also on the Wii, this was a struggle as you had to pick a leader and a follower from the outset. Yet it provided many laughs and I know as a gamer, a healthy challenge is always what our pride desires. A quite helpful addition is Diddy’s stuttering jetpack. Although he cannot last long, the few seconds longer of flight time has saved my keister more than a few times

The game is not easy or hard but certainly challenging especially new the end. A helpful feature for those who may get stuck is an “auto play” feature that appears if you’ve died enough times in a level. It gives you the option to have the system play through the level for you. It will complete it and you’ll be able to move on but the world view will still show that level as if it were incomplete (hinting at you to finish it yourself!).

Cons:

I have none! The only complaint I’ve heard was the inability to play with Diddy unless you are in co-op mode. If this is all there is to whine about, I’d say you have a winner!

Overall:

BEST INVESTMENT OF THE YEAR (even over Christmas gift ;)) Seriously though, there seem to be no downsides with the exception of the number of hours of sleep you will not get as a result of playing.

Final Rating: 5 out of 5

sources: http://donkeykong.nintendo.com; www.youtube.com

Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 Review

2010-11-04T00:01:00.000-04:00

Platform: X-BOX 360, Playstation 3
Developer(s): CyberConnect2
Publisher: Namco Bandai Games
Genre(s): Fighting
Rating: T for Teen

Anime-based video games…it’s the one type – if you could call it a type – of video games that usually doesn’t leave a good taste in people’s mouths. Reason why: while the series provides crazy, over-the-top action, the game puts heavy limits on how over-the-top the mayhem can get. However, there have been a few games that have gotten fans attention recently. The main one being the Naruto: Ultimate Ninja series, Ultimate Ninja Storm being its highly-acclaimed hit. Can the sequel raise the bar on what its predecessor brought to the table?

The Story:

First off, if you know the story of Naruto, either because you follow the manga/anime series, then you know what’s going on and you want to skip this part. With that being said…

Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 picks up where its predecessor – and the entire season of Naruto – left off. The story revolves around an older and slightly more matured Uzumaki Naruto and his quest to save his friend Uchiha Sasuke from the grips of the snake-like Shinobi, Orochimaru. After 2 and a half years Naruto finally returns to his village of Konoha, and sets about putting his ambitions to work, though it will not be easy, as He has amassed a few (more dangerous) enemies, in the likes of the shinobi organization; Akatsuki.

The Pros:

To start this off, I’ll say this: if you have a game that can draw in fans, even when they aren’t fans of the series or Japanese animation in general, then you have a solid pro. The combat in this game is where the game shines at. Combat has a high risk of getting insane, which is exactly how it is in the series. Every move can still be evaded with the Kawarimi no Jutsu (Substitution Jutsu – a well-timed block will get you behind the opponent when he attacks), which is still one of the best defensive mechanic in fighting games. Reason why: it makes sure that there's no chances for infinite combos.

An improved feature that they’ve added to the game is the Team Assists, which is a pro. With the addition of the Support Drive meter and the option to choose what type of support your character does (attack, defense, and balance), it adds a new depth to the combat. It gives the option of letting a character continue a combo, stopping an opponent from charging in, and even pushing the character out of the way when an Ougi (Ultimate Jutsu) lands. And, there’s also the Triple-Team Ultimate, where all three characters attack, ending with the main character performing his finishing technique on the opponent.

A personal pro of mine is how well the story was done in the game. Simply put, when you do story mode, you’re literally playing the series. All the events in the game are the same thing that happened in the series, which is another plus for the game. Also, the crazy boss battles that the predecessor had are back and better than ever. And with 44 characters in the game, including Lars Alexandersson from Tekken 6 (his alternate costume in Tekken 6 was designed by Masashi Kishimoto, creator of Naruto)…well, it’s self-explanatory from there.

The Cons:

Sadly, there are some objectionable downsides of the game and they have to do with what was taken out of the game. A main con is the loss of the Jutsu Clashes, where if two techniques collide, the two players will battle it out in a button-mashing contest to see who wins. It’s no longer in there so if two Jutsus hit, they’ll cancel each other out unless the technique’s not a projectile.

Another con is the loss of the Ougi Battles. When a player did an Ougi (Ultimate Jutsu), they would have to input a displayed button command to see if the move would connect. With that no longer in the game, it’s just a case of “if it hits, then it’s over”. Not that it takes anything away from the game overall, but it’s a bit of a downer in my eyes.

Overall:

For fans of the series (video games, anime or both), Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 is a must to buy. If you’ve played the first one, then you’re going to enjoy this new installment. Everything that was great in Ultimate Ninja Storm is back along with new stuff and an Online mode, so you’ll be getting your $60 worth. And if this is your first introduction to the Ultimate Ninja Storm series, well…you’ll have your mind blown away by this game. Crisp graphics, an excellent story mode with good replay value, epic boss battles and combat that rivals the action in the series…you can’t ask for more.

Final Rating: 4 out of 5

Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 Review

2010-10-26T00:01:00.004-04:00

Platform: Playstation Network, X-BOX Live Arcade, WiiWare, iPod/iPhone
Developer(s): Sonic Team, Dimps
Genre(s): Platformer
Rating: E for Everyone

So it seems that this year has been dropping two things: highly anticipated sequels/prequels and reinventions of our all-time favorite titles. This time, SEGA has decided to grace us with the sequel – I’m sorry, the true sequel – to its classic series that had everyone in front of their Genesis. Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 is out, but is it the blue hedgehog’s rise to fame or nothing more than a pitfall to a spiky doom?

Story:

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is set shortly after its predecessor Sonic & Knuckles; in the game, Sonic destroys Doctor Eggman's space station, the Death Egg. With the Death Egg destroyed and Angel Island returned to the sky, Sonic decides that it is time to take a break. After parting with Tails and Knuckles, he sets off to explore new territories alone; however, unbeknownst to him, his nemesis Dr. Eggman has survived their last encounter, and has revisited and rehashed some of his "very best" robotic creations in another attempt to defeat Sonic. Sonic must travel through a variety of zones to defeat Doctor Eggman once again.

Pros:

So, from the start, I’ll just say that I’m a fan of the older Sonic series (Sonic the Hedgehog – Sonic & Knuckles and both Sonic Adventure games). And the first – and possibly major – pro that I’ll list on here is that Sonic 4: Episode 1 is a true sequel of the Genesis series games. The developers did what they said they would do: they kept everything exactly like the original games that we all grew up on. And that in itself is a major pro.

A major pro for this game was the controls. The controls were basic Sonic controls: D-Pad/Analog to move, and face buttons to jump. The Spin Dash is back and they even gifted the blue blur with the Homing Attack. And honestly, that’s all you really need to play a Sonic game…no guns or psychic powers, just jumps, spin dashes, and homing attacks.

The stages are another pro for this game. All the zones in the game are reminiscent of the old school games graphically, but are a bit more challenging in this installment. It’s guaranteed that you’ll get a bit stuck in some zones on this one. Also, the music is a solid pro for this game. All of the Sonic games had memorable music and this one is no different.

Cons:

Although this game is great, it has its downsides. For starters, as sharp as the graphics are, it seems that our blue blur of a hero goes a bit slower in this game. Compared to earlier installments – especially Sonic 2 – Sonic seems to run with a leg cramp in this game. Not that it’s alarmingly slow; it’s just that he’s not as speedy as he was before. Also, the amount of stages is another con. When you break it down, you have 4 zones with 3 acts and a boss battle. Add in the 7 special stages and the final boss battle and you have 24 stages that honestly go a bit quick for hardcore players. Granted, it’s the first episode and you expect that but…eh.

Also, another con is the lack of competitiveness in this one. They’ve added in a time attack and score attack mode and you’re able to post up your times on the XBL/PSN/WiiWare leader boards, but there’s no multiplayer. And as I said before, it’s the first episode so we don’t know exactly what will happen, but there could have been a multiplayer race mode, either local or online.

Overall:

If you’re the Sonic fan that’s heavily disappointed with all the Sonic games released after Sonic Adventure 2 and wanted a revival of the old series, this game is for you. If not, then I suggest that you still get this game. Even though it’s a bit short, it’s still worth the $15/1200 MS Points that it costs for the download. And remember: this is Episode 1. Imagine what Episode 2 will bring.

Final Rating: 4 out of 5

Halo: Reach Review

2010-10-14T00:01:00.004-04:00

Genre: First-person Shooter
Developer(s): Bungie
Publisher(s): Microsoft Game Studios
Release Date: 9/14/2010
Rating: M
System: XBOX 360
Price: $59.99 (Standard Edition)
$79.99 (Limited Edition)
$149.99 (Legendary Edition
$399.99 (Xbox 360 Limited Edition Halo: Reach Bundle)

Ok, it’s here! Halo: Reach; one of the biggest game releases of the year. If you already know the history, then skip ahead. For those who don't know, Halo is an epic about the conflict between humanity and an alien group called "The Covenant". Now that the intro is over with, let’s get down to business. Halo: Reach is a First Person Shooter (FPS for short). This is the sixth game is the franchise. It takes place between Halo Wars and the first Halo game. The game has up to 4 player co-op and up to 16 people online via Xbox LIVE. There are 5 main play modes for this installment.

The Story
The game tells the story about the "Fall of Reach". You play as Noble 6, the newest replacement member of Noble Team since their previous member died in combat. If you saw the commercials, then you already know about that. Your team is sent to find out what happened to a communication relay on the planet. Expecting to find Rebels, you discover that The Covenant is the cause behind it. This leads to the discovery of an invasion on Reach. Now you must warn the UNSC and amass a heroic assault to stop this incoming armada. This whole campaign will take about 10-12 hours by yourself; however it will take less time if you have three other players with you.

The Multiplayer!!!
The online is where you get the rest of your money’s worth. The Matchmaking mode is where you battle online players in games like: Slayer (a free-for-all death match), Team Slayer (a team death match), Elite Slayer, (Slayer but you control Elite Covenants), Infection (3 players spawn as zombies and kill or "infect" the other players) and Juggernaut (one person starts with over-shields, super speed and a gravity hammer while the other players try to kill him. The player that defeats the old Juggernaut becomes the new Juggernaut.)
Objective hosts games like Capture the Flag, King-of-the-Hill and Race. Headhunter is where you collect the skulls of your kills a-la predator. Oddball is whoever has the skull the longest wins. Assault is where you plant the bomb in the enemy's base. In Stock Pile your team collects as many flags as possible. The Territories match is like King-Of-The-Hill but there are 3 "hills". Then there is Invasion, which is as combination of Territories, Assault and Capture the Flag.
The Third is Firefight were you must survive an onslaught of Covenant. This game type ranges from Survival, Generator Defense, Rocket Fight, Sniper Fight and Gruntpocalype. This is where all the enemies are Grunts.

The Creativity!!!
If, for some reason, you decide that the on-going carnage is a bit too much for you, then you have the fourth mode titled Forge. Forge is for those who like editing and creating new maps and game types. You can make anything from old Halo maps to maps from other Halo games. Whatever you can think of you probably can do it in this mode. And finally, there is Theater. Theater is where you can save your game play, take photos and make videos. The pics and flicks you have can be uploaded for the world to see and rate. It’s like some Halo players say, "If you didn't save it, then it never happened."

The extra stuff...
For those of you who are undecided as to what edition to buy, this will help. The Limited Edition comes with the game, ONI-themed case & artifact bag, Dr. Halsey's personal journal and other classified documents, Waypoint avatar gear, and Exclusive Elite armor for multiplayer. The Legendary Edition comes with the same stuff as the Limited Edition plus exclusive SPARTAN armor effect, exclusive digital video content, and the Noble Team statue. The statue was expertly crafted by McFarlane Toys and individually numbered. All of this comes inside a large UNSC-themed case. The Xbox 360 Limited Edition Halo: Reach Bundle comes with the game, the 360 with built in WI-FI, 250GB built in hard drive, two wireless controllers, a black headset and is Kinect Ready.

The Pros:
There are many pros in Halo: Reach that needs to be highlighted. The enemy AI is a major pro for this game. The enemies are more skilled than in previous games, making it a more challenging aspect without the Skulls activated. Also, the armor abilities they’ve added in the game are another one. The abilities, although not mandatory to use, are useful in game play. Used wisely, it can help improve your game play in more ways than one. Another pro in the game are the “Assassinations”, a move where you melee the opponent from behind in a stealthy manner. There are several different animations of assassinations that depend on what weapon you have, what you do, and your position.

The in-game Commendations are also a pro in the game. Commendations are like in-game achievements that help track your game play progress. It’s also a useful tool for improving your game playing skills. And finally, Forge mode is another pro because they’ve improved it since its initial appearance in Halo 3. This time, it’s more user-friendly, allowing you to be a lot more creative with the mode than last time.

The Cons:
Sadly, with the good points come the bad points. First off, the friendly AI in this game is still as retarded as it was in the last installments. You’ll still have AI teammates who still can’t shoot for the life of them, still can’t drive and die too quickly. Actually, I think the only thing they improved on was the teammates not dying to quickly. Secondly, the online matchmaking has its own set of cons. The matchups you are set up in are more based on your performance in the previous match, rather than your level. So if you’re a beginner who had a good match, you’ll probably be set up in an extremely tough match next where everyone takes headshots. Also, there’s not much circulation of newer match types in Matchmaking. If you’re not just looking to play Slayer/Team Slayer and the more common matches, you may not get the chance seeing as SWAT, Infection, and Snipers are the more common types even with the new update.

The abilities have a con side to them. While they are extremely useful, there’s no real in-game tutorial on how to use them, which leaves people picking the more common ones like Sprint and Jet Pack. Also, on the weapons front, the DMR is a definite con. What is the DMR, you ask? It’s a new rifle that has the long-range precision of a sniper rifle and the short-range firing of the pistol. It’s also the most common (if not over-used) weapon of the game. The leveling up system has a small con in it, seeing as it is unbalanced when you move up to higher classes (specifically the move from Warrant Officer Grade 3 to Captain). And finally, Bungie has put on a daily credit cap for online game play, meaning that you’re unable to sit there all day and level up the entire time. Whether it’s a good point or a bad point is up in the air, however it’s still worth noting.

When the dust clears...
The 5 types Campaign, Matchmaking, Firefight, Forge and Theater will have you gone for days. Sometimes in the Campaign, the game amps up the difficulty and hands it to you but it’s not enough to have you walking away. Matchmaking and Firefight is where you earn you stripes and bragging rights. With games like Slayer, Objective and Gruntpocalype you will have a lot to talk about. . If you have the money and you like collectables get the Legendary Edition. Or, if you need a new system, get the Xbox 360 Limited Edition Halo: Reach Bundle. If not... I still say get this game.

Final Rating: 5 out of 5

Jason Kanter interview... :)

2010-10-13T00:00:00.000-04:00

We here at The Reset Button got ahold of our good friend Jason Kanter. When last we saw him (in person) I believe he had just finished up work that he did on BioShock 2. So for people who want to know more about what Jason did, or you want to know more about the industry read on...

As an audio engineer, what got you into the gaming industry?

I was working in the music/record industry as a producer and tracking/mixing engineer for a long time and in the late 90’s/early 2000’s I was seeing a significant decline in record budgets. Labels were seeing decreases in sales. They started dropping bands from their roster in droves and slashing recording budgets. This was combined with the fact that bands were becoming savvier as to what studios were capable of achieving technologically. Bands would come in knowing they had a drummer that couldn’t keep time or a singer with piss poor pitch and would expect the engineer to make them sound like god. And we would but the job became more about fixing shitty performances and less about capturing great music. It was simply not why I got into making records. Overall the horizon for record making looked pretty bleak.

Then in 2003 my brother in-law, Scott Carroll, started working for Maxis/EA as an animator on “The Sims 2”. They were in need of freelance audio editors and I’ve been an avid gamer since age 13 so I jumped at the opportunity. Although editing Simlish for 12 hours a day can be somewhat maddening, I was making good money and was able to combine my passion for audio with my love for games. After finishing “The Sims 2” I decided to make the switch to games full time and haven’t looked back since.

Besides gaming what other projects have you been involved with? Will you or have you been involved in film?

I still work on music projects from time to time and I’ve also provided sound for the occasional website or new-media project but when not working on games the majority of my time is spent working on film and television. I’ve done sound for a few projects on Comedy Central like “The Awkward Comedy Show” and this crazy animated series about a crack addicted robot called “Crackatron”. Currently I’m working on co-producing a TV show with a good friend of mine, Victor Varnado, and I have a number of film projects going on. But generally I love providing sound for anything visual.

Working on games as a sound designer I’ve learned how satisfying it can be to add sound to an otherwise silent scene. Sound designers have significant influence on the weight that even a single animation can have. Every animation is like a blank canvas and you have so much freedom in the sounds you use to paint that canvas.

A few years back I got to try my hand doing sound design and re-record mixing for film on a short film called Roboto Supremo and found it immensely satisfying. Although it’s the same basic concept as providing sound for games, the gratification I get from working on film is much more immediate since it’s a linear process and everything’s right there in front of you. Plus you generally don’t have to wait several years before the project is completed. When I get the film the visual is basically complete and when I add sound to a scene it’s done. Levels might change in the mixing process but otherwise I don’t have to worry about a sound file not firing due to bad coding or the sound being dropped because the audio engine has reached its limit.

We know that you were involved with the dialogue editing of BioShock 2. What was the hardest thing you had to deal with?

The hardest part about working on “BioShock 2” was the pace. I was the lead dialogue editor and had two editors working for me. The turnarounds were pretty fast and we were getting multiple sessions every day so it was easy to have the work suddenly pile up. Plus, in addition to editing I was responsible for QC’ing every single line before I submitted it back to 2K. It was a pretty massive undertaking. I had to pull a few all nighters and by the end of it I think we were all a little burnt out but I live to tell about it. Hehe.

I’m currently lead dialogue editing “XCOM” for 2K and I’m handling it a lot better. I’ve basically tripled the number of editors working for me so I’m able to focus on the QC and file management more and do less of the actual editing myself. Getting a new editor on board is always an investment of time since I’m a meticulous bastard in terms of the way each file is edited, but it’s well worth it once I get a new editor up to speed.

Now I know you did audio work for Sims 2, Rat Race and even Barbie Diaries: High School Mystery Game . Now what exactly did you for each one of them?

On “The Sims 2” I was working as a freelance editor whereas the other two I was the in house audio director so my involvement was completely different.

“The Sims 2” was a fairly simple job. I would be sent DVD’s filled with Pro Tools sessions and every single session was a different animation voiced by one actor. The actor would do six or seven takes for each animation and I had to select the best take (or edit the best combination), clean it and bounce off the edit with the appropriate filename. Now mind you this is Simlish we’re talking about, so the actor is for all intents and purposes speaking gibberish; it’s not as if I’m listening for script accuracy or pronunciation. But listening to Simlish for 8-12 hours a day, you do start to pick up a sense of what is and is not Simlish. As crazy as it sounds there were actors that were definitely better at doing it then others.

Basically I had to watch the animation and try to get what the character is saying emotionally. Then I’d listen to each of the takes and pick the one that best matched the emotion conveyed and how the character is gesticulating.

After completing “Sims 2” I took a job as Audio Director for a small developer in NYC, Super-Ego Games. They were developing an original IP called “Rat Race”. It was supposed to be a playable sitcom set in an office so needless to say it was very character driven and there was A LOT of dialogue. While “Barbie” was a different game in that it was a licensed IP aimed at kids, it was also comedically based and character driven so it too had a lot of VO. As audio director I was in charge of all aspects of audio for both titles but the majority of my time was spent casting, recording and directing the voice actors. I also handled the majority of the sound design and edited the music as well as mixed all the cutscenes. Like audio directors for most small companies I had to wear many hats so I did whatever I had the time and skills to handle and hired staff and freelancers for everything else.

At any these gigs, did you ever get to meet a celebrity (as in a movie star)?

We had big plans on “Rat Race” to hire celebrity talent to voice guest characters in certain episodes, which would have been very exciting, but sadly that never came to fruition.

Not sure if they’re the A-list “celebrities” you were looking for but I’ve worked with some known musicians like Anthrax and Bruce Hornsby during my record making career and in the last film I worked on, “Tell Your Friends”, I got to meet Jim Gaffigan, Janeane Garofalo and Colin Quinn. I was also snubbed by Henry Rollins once… that was pretty exciting.

Any future titles that you will be adding audio skills to?

Aside from the aforementioned game “XCOM” I’m currently audio directing on an undisclosed title set in space by a small company in NYC. I’m also about to start post on the film, “Tell Your Friends”; I’m scheduled to do post for a spooky horror indie feature later this month; and I’m co-producing a TV pilot with my friend Victor Varnado. I think that’s all I have scheduled right now.

Any words of wisdom for those who want to get into the audio world?

Get an internship at a busy studio ASAP; on the job is the best way to learn the trade. While getting formal training in audio never hurts and it’s good to learn some of the nuts and bolts science behind what you do, true knowledge comes through experience and when you’re done with school you’ll still need to get that experience somewhere. If you get your foot in the door at a busy post house you may start out making coffee but you’re more likely to be thrown in on a project earlier on and there is no better teacher than experience. Then you can take all the money you saved on audio school and spend it on some nice gear.

To learn more of about Jason Kanter go to www.jasonkanter.com

Spider-man Shattered Dimensions

2010-09-24T01:12:00.003-04:00

Platform(s): Playstation 3, X-BOX 360, Nintendo DS, Nintendo WII
Developer(s): Beenox (PS3, 360, WII), Griptonite Games (NDS)
Genre(s): Action-Adventure/Platformer
Rating: E for Everyone

Spider-man. He’s the amazing web-slinger with the never-ending witty comments and the spider-like abilities that makes him an icon in the Marvel universe. So will the wall-crawler leave a legendary mark in Beenox’s “Spider-man Shattered Dimensions” or not?

Story:

Spider-man Shattered Dimensions revolves around an artifact known as the "Tablet of Order and Chaos". When it is shattered into pieces during a skirmish between Spider-Man and Mysterio it causes problems with multiple Marvel Universe realities. Madame Web calls on four versions of Spider-Man from four realities to assist her in bringing the realities back into balance: the Amazing Spider-Man; Spider-Man Noir, a 1930s version of Spider-Man; Spider-Man 2099, the Spider-Man of a possible future; and Ultimate Spider-Man, the younger Spider-Man of an alternate present who is currently bonded with a symbiote.

Pros:

From the start, I’ll say that this is a fun game to play. The game play is reminiscent of the older Spider-man games (not including Web of Shadows), where it’s more linear with very little free-roaming. It’s a hit-or-miss factor but it fits this game. Combat is still simple button-combo commands and you get more when purchasing them in the Web of Destiny menu. The combat, however, is a good point to focus on because it differs with each dimension. While the commands stay the same, the attack styles are different with each Spider-man. Amazing Spider-man will use more web-based attacks while Ultimate Spider-man’s attacks are just the symbiote striking. Noir suit are more physical and 2099 is more aerial-based.

The dimensions are another favorite point in my book. It’s obvious to say that no two dimensions are alike, but I give credit to how Beenox approached it. Despite the slight repetitiveness in the games, you’ll be taking a slightly different approach in each world. Especially in the Noir world, where stealth is your primary objective. The Noir world gives it that Arkham Asylum style to it (and there’s a reason why I’m bringing up a DC game in a Marvel game review) because the bulk of your actions in that stage is taking down opponents under the cover of darkness. Meaning that you can’t just go in and wail on the opponents because you’ll end up looking at the death screen.

The audio in the game is something worthwhile to mention. We all know that Spider-man has a witty remark for almost anything that happens, but this game makes him run his mouth. And when you consider that there’s 4 Spider-men that you play with in the entire game, you get a lot of funny/sarcastic comments and remarks. Add to it that they put Deadpool in the game as a boss and you have a stage that’s rife with crazy commentary, even when you keep the game on pause for a while.

Cons:

Unfortunately, there are some major downsides in the game. First off, the game is short. How short, you ask? You get about 13 stages that can be completed in about 30 minutes on average, 15 if you do a speed run. So you don’t get much of the game to play. There’s also very little replay value to this game. After the first 4 stages, you get how to handle the game and well, you’ll probably get bored quick. So unless you’re doing an online walkthrough or you’re an achievement/trophy hunter, there’ll be no reason to play this game a second time.

Also, this game gets very glitchy at times. From enemy markers still on your screen when there are none there to parts of a mission where you’ve defeated the baddies and there’s no cut-scene or objective to do, you will encounter glitches even if you install the game to the hard drive. Thankfully, there are no major camera angle flaws. However, if you’re crawling on a wall and there happens to be a ledge…yeah, it’s like doing a DUI trying to crawl forward.

Overall:

Spider-man Shattered Dimensions is an alright game. It’s not worth its $60 for the purchase, but if you have a GameFly account, then it’s something to check out. And if you’re a fan of witty comments, then pause the game on Deadpool’s stage and count to 60.

Final Rating: 3 out of 5