Posted in Slam The Controller
This week’s episode is all about E3 and what we took away from what was shown. We discuss who we thought had the best showing, which motion control scheme we’re most interested in, and provide some commentary on all of the titles shown during the major press conferences.
Check it out and let us know what you think! If you want to send us a letter or question, feel free to email us at slamthecontroller@gmail.com or send me a tweet @skeptical_gamer. Thanks!
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Posted in Slam The Controller
I’m happy to announce the 1st show for our new podcast, Slam The Controller! Slam The Controller is a podcast where Kevin and I discuss video games and provide our opinions on what we’re playing and what’s going on in the industry. This week we spend some time introducing the show, discussing what we’ve been playing recently, and finally jump into some expectations for E3.
Check it out and let us know what you think! If you want to send us a letter or question, feel free to email us at slamthecontroller@gmail.com or send me a tweet @skeptical_gamer. Thanks!
How to subscribe:
I spent some time in the multiplayer beta for the upcoming Transformers game, Transformers: War for Cybertron. High Moon Studios looks to have done an excellent job recreating the Transformers experience. The map I played looked really good and was extremely unique. Your character feels like a real bad ass with tons of offensive fire power, but you don’t feel like you can be steamrolled on the defensive side. So far, that balance seems good but certainly there’s more to be found there as the progression of multiplayer happens.
Perhaps most important in creating a Transformers experience is how your character actually performs transformations. Let me tell you, they nailed it. Jumping with A and pressing the left stick to transform is just amazing and really works. The sound is authentic and will bring back some memories from your early childhood if you’re about my age.
I was really surprised by the depth of the multiplayer experience we’ll get at retail. For the beta, there are only two modes available; Team Deathmatch and a mode where you gain points by capturing and holding points on the map (it’s name escapes me at the moment). At retail, there are a handful of other game modes that will be available. Because the game feels and plays a lot like Gears of War 2, at least in terms of controls, it’s really the multiplayer experience that I wanted with Gears of War 2. I’m glad to see that Transformers: War for Cybertron is seemingly stepping up to the plate in delivering a solid multiplayer experience.
We’ll have a lot more on this title in the coming weeks. Skeptical Gamer is getting a review copy and will have an official review. We’ll also be talking about it on Slam The Controller. Stay tuned!
Posted in Reviews
Blur is a complete thrill ride. Bizarre Creations took the combat of Mario Kart, the insanity of Modern Warfare 2’s multiplayer, and turned out one exciting action racing title.
In single player, the goal of Blur is to place in the top 3 of each event and acquire as many “fans” as possible. Fans are the games notion of experience points. As you progress through the game, you are doing so by acquiring fans. You can do a number of things to gain fans including winning races, disrupting your opponents, and completing mini goals during actual races.
The game looks great and plays exceedingly smooth. Blur has a very helpful and timely tutorial system that will provide cut scenes as you encounter new gameplay mechanics. The menu presentation gives off a very futuristic look and really provides a nice interface to the game. I found everything about the graphics, sound, and overall presentation to be really solid.
Blur has a very tight integration with Twitter, Facebook, and Xbox LIVE. Viewing a car in the showroom and want to tell your friends? You can. Just put up a crazy number of fans in the demolition event? Let your friends know instantly. It may seem like a novelty but for something that’s available but not in your face, I think it was implemented well.
A specific feature that I really enjoyed was the ability to see how your friends did on specific events. After a race, you can see how many fans your friends acquired, and challenge them to beat your new high score. It really gave me a feeling of competition with my friends — in the single-player mode. Trust me, I kept track of what scores Kevin had and worked to beat every one I could. That feature, while small, provided a lot of fun for me.
The central gameplay mechanic in Blur is to use power ups to destroy your opponents, or maintain your lead. Your car is equipped to hold up to 3 weapons at any one time. You can cycle through them and use them in any order you’d like. The decision to let you hold on to 3 weapons really created a feeling of strategy. When I’m towards the front of the pack, I’ll seek out the shield, repair, and mine power ups to be more defensive in my approach. Likewise, when I’m working my way up to the front, I’ll find missiles, lightning strikes, and other offensive weapons. I think Bizarre Creations did a wonderful job with the power ups.
The career mode is broken down into groups of races that culminate with a one-on-one battle. At specific fan counts, you will unlock more events with new challenges and “bosses” that need to be beaten. As I progressed, I chose to finish every race in each group before moving on to the next level of races.
Blur’s career mode is a deep journey that contains many hours of content to unlock and conquer. Throughout your journey up the ranks you’ll find various race types, much like what is presented in DiRT 2. I found the variety of race-types to be quite good and a nice balance for the game. I never felt bored with a specific type of event. Instead, it was refreshing to see the variety it felt well paced. In addition to gaining cars, tracks, upgraded tiers of cars (i.e., Forza 3), and event types, you’ll also unlock mods that will help you wreak more havoc.
Multiplayer is where the game shines the most. It’s a crazy experience to find yourself in a room of 20 racers. Things are happening so fast and you’re so focused on destroying everyone around you, that sometimes the driving aspect takes a backseat to the action around you. While you may balk at that last statement, it’s really not a bad thing. Think about old school games like Twisted Metal. Granted, Twisted Metal was not a racing title, but it provided such an immersive experience and Blur captures this really well I think. Especially in multiplayer. A traditional racing title loses a lot of appeal online because generally only the hardcore fans stick around. Blur provides a lot of depth that your average gamer will enjoy and find fulfilling.
As with the career mode, the multiplayer experience provides a number of treats to unlock for the dedicated few. Much like your average first-person shooter, Blur provides a rich leveling system that rewards your hours of play time. There are also mods available in multiplayer and you’ll unlock new cars as you progress through the 50 levels. If you stick with the game, it will reward you with many reasons to keep pushing forward.
Blur is a solid action racing title worthy of a purchase by anyone interested in combat or action racing titles. I’ve really enjoyed the game to this point and plan to continue playing it moving forward. If you’re not traditionally into racing games, or think it may not quite be for you, I would say give it a rent or check it out at a friend’s house. You might be really surprised by what you find in Blur.
Rating: 8
This review is based on an Xbox 360 retail version of the game which Skeptical Gamer received as a review copy.
Posted in Reviews
Right off the bat I will say this. Saying that Sonic racing is a rip-off of Mario Kart is like saying Virtua Fighter is a rip-off of Street Fighter or Forza is a rip-off of Gran Turismo or the 2K sports games are rip-offs of the EA sports games. Mario Kart is a kart racer and Sonic All-Stars is a kart racer.
So with that out of the way, I think Sega has gotten it right with this game. There are several things I really like more than Mario Kart. First off, the control of the karts is exactly the way I want it. I like the cars or karts in any racing game to stick to the road with just a little bit of drift. Some games have too much and all the tracks feel like a sheet of ice. So I really felt like I had control and could really make the kart do what I wanted it to do to be competitive. You could have someone bump into you and not get shot off the course or into a wall.
The weapons are fun and all useful. I love the all-star weapon/power-up. You never know when you are going to get it till you do. Let me stop for a minute. Like Mario Kart, as you race there are weapon/power-ups that you can pick up that then tell you the item you have and then you can trigger the power-up. The all-star power-up does major damage and can usually push you to the front of the pack if you are behind. It’s also easy to see what power-up you picked up and all of them respond well.
The game also has your standard boost pads that do the job well and seem to be placed in good spots. I think this game has a great sense of speed. Some games seem slow till you hit a boost. Sonic/Sega ASR feels fast and then almost out of control fast when you hit a boost pad.
The graphics look great and for being on the Wii, the game performs well with a solid frame rate. The track design is fresh and colorful and many tracks are themed toward a character in the game. All the modes you would suspect are here including a battle mode. I played my wife via split screen and I thought the game still looked and ran great.
I think sound in any game is important. In racing games it is even more so. The karts all had different sounds and power-ups had a very distinct sound. All the music is happy and cute. There is an in race announcer that does just enough without being annoying. It all blends together for an immersive experience that’s not just a continuous humming noise.
So let’s talk online. The Wii doesn’t get much love for its online network but I have never had a problem with it. It works great and I haven’t really experienced any lag. So this game does online racing really well. The problem is I never had a full grid of online competitors. So it’s hard to judge how well the online could be and how much fun you could have. I really believe that the future of racing games is online, just like other sports games. But racing against 1 or 2 other racers made me think this game really best served by its single player or split screen.
BOTTOM LINE
I think Sonic/Sega All-star Racing is a great kart racer that not enough people will pay attention too. That’s a shame because this game would certainly scratch an itch if you love kart racers but don’t have a Wii (available on xbox360 and PS3) or if you have played “the other kart racer on the Wii “ to death. This is a great family game. Kids can have a great time with this game, playing with friends or mom and dad. There are a lot of racing games out right now, but check out Sonic/Sega All-Stars Racing.
Rating: 8
Posted in Reviews
I sat down with the UFC 2010 demo when it was released and wasn’t very impressed. It felt so much like UFC 2009 to me that I had no intention of buying the game. I caved last weekend and ended up buying the game, and quite frankly, I’m glad I did.
I’ve spent a little over 10 hours with UFC 2010 in the last week. My initial instinct was to create a fighter in career mode and go from there. I really haven’t looked back since. I was sucked into the experience of career mode and have been really impressed with it. When your fighter is created you’ll start out as an amateur with an opportunity to compete in a few fights that don’t affect your record.
Between fights, you’re given a number of weeks to train in specific aspects of the MMA game. Each training session will consume a week of time. So the opportunity is there to craft and mold your character into the kind of fighter you want them to be. If you want your fighter to focus on their stand up, you can do that. Likewise, if you want a submission specialist, you can do that too.
In addition to training sessions that award points that you spend on specific attributes, you can attend a training camp with some of the top camps in mixed martial arts. The training camps will give you the chance to learn power moves for use in your fights. For example, I spent a few weeks training with Greg Jackson’s camp learning two specific power moves. These moves are real moves that fighters from that camp are known for.
Once you decide to turn pro, you’ll start in a promotion that’s minor league compared to the UFC. As you fight, gain experience and stats, you’ll hopefully work your way up and receive an invitation to fight in the UFC. Once in the UFC, you’ll fight on under cards for Ultimate Fight Nights. You’ll work your way to the main card, eventually the main event, into UFC pay-per-views, and so on. What’s important to note is that as you lose, you’ll really drop in the rankings and can lose real progress. It can be somewhat frustrating to go from a main event PPV fight to an under card UFN with just one loss.
After each fight, you’re given four options for your next fight. Deciding who to fight is a seriously important decision. If you take a fight simply too high above your skill, you’ll likely lose and fall even further down the rankings. Strategic fight choices are really important in UFC 2010. Remember, between fights you’ll get anywhere from 8-13 weeks to train. That’s a lot of time to use to improve your fighter’s statistics and have a better chance against the top fighters.
In my time playing the game, I have amassed a 29-12 record and was just recently the light-heavyweight champion. Like in the UFC, in UFC 2010, you’re not going to go undefeated and anyone can beat anyone given the right game plan and staying patient. UFC 2010 delivers a highly realistic experience in that regard. At the same time, it’s a video game, and people hate to lose. I think the fact that you’re simply going to lose will frustrate some people out there. But taking it for what it is will provide you with hours of enjoyment.
After the loss of my light heavyweight title, I decided to give multiplayer a try. My experience with the online system is quite limited, so please take it as such. I’ve fought a few matches and they all ended the same way. A quick take down by my opponent, followed by a ground and pound TKO. No attempts at stand up, no submissions, and really only an effort for a quick take down. My initial impression is that ground and pound is highly overpowered online and everyone knows that and takes advantage of it. I want to play more and would like to play with people interested in more of a simulation fight.
To this point, I haven’t had an opportunity to experience the other game modes. I’ve heard good things and will see them at some point. Career mode alone is worth the price of admission for UFC 2010. Anyone with any interest in the UFC will simply love the experience that UFC 2010 provides. Those not into UFC and MMA may not have such an experience. The game is exceptionally deep when it comes to fight mechanics. So deep that after 10 hours and over 30 fights, I’m still learning. Your casual player will likely be too overwhelmed by that. UFC and MMA fans, well, it’s just damn good fun.
This review is based on the Xbox 360 retail version of the game purchased by Skeptical Gamer.
Posted in Reviews
I really enjoyed the experience of Splinter Cell: Conviction. It felt like a season of the late, great TV show ‘24′.
I must state that I have not played any of the previous Splinter Cell titles. This was my first experience and therefore I cannot speak to the importance of stealth in this game compared with previous titles. What I can say about stealth in Conviction is that the game does a great job of mixing in enough to make the experience unique.
Conviction was a relatively short game. I finished in less than 10 hours, easily. Probably more like 7 or 8. But every one of those hours was fun and memorable. I think that matters so much more than attempting to meet some arbitrary quota for game length. Conviction will keep you involved from the start all the way through to the end, and for that alone I think it’s a must-play.
One of the best aspects to Conviction is how the game lets you pick your own path on how you take out a group of guys. You can run in, guns blazing, and wipe everyone out. Or, you can use some serious stealth and not be detected as you go from enemy to enemy performing take downs. Or, my personal favorite, rigging up the space with an explosive, marking a few enemies, and finding a spot to sit while you wait to pull the trigger on mayhem. The variety is seemingly endless at first, but as you progress you’ll find only a few real options. I don’t think it’s a problem, however, because the items you’re equipped with are plenty to carry you through the game.
The biggest downfall of Conviction would easily be the AI in the game. The enemies you’ll encounter are downright stupid and often spew the same quips over and over. For example, if your objective involves closing in on a room inside of a building, as many do, those enemies inside the room will hear what’s going on outside and inform you, annoyingly after awhile, how they’re not stupid and they’re not coming out there. This is a pretty common occurrence but not something that detracted from my enjoyment of the game.
Splinter Cell: Conviction is a great game. Even with the few minor gripes, there’s so much here to enjoy that the experience is just a must-play.
This review is based on the Xbox 360 retail version of the game purchased by Skeptical Gamer.
Posted in Previews
The hype of the Halo: Reach beta completely blinded me. I was so excited to give it a try I quite nearly bought the disgrace that is Halo 3: ODST. Yeah, completely blinded. Instead of making that purchase, again, I received a copy from GameFly. I jumped in on the first day and played a number of rounds of the beta.
At first, I was really starstruck. I was so excited during the weeks leading up to the beta that the initial reaction was going to be positive, regardless of what the lasting impression would turn out to be. I had fun with the “class” selections and found myself picking specific classes depending on the type of game and role I was playing in that game. The different special abilities really felt unique. I found very specific benefits to each class and thought the variety they provide to be plentiful.
After I played a few matches, the hype effect really wore off and what was left was just more of the same. Sure, the graphics are slightly better, the classes offer something unique, and the added game modes are interesting, but the overall feeling I had was a moderate upgrade from Halo 3. I’m just not excited to play the next revision of the same world, the same physics, and practically the same game I played nearly 3 years ago.
If you want more of the Halo universe, Reach will likely deliver that experience. The multiplayer will, certainly. For me, I never finished Halo 3 because I simply lost interest half way through. I bought ODST hoping it would hook me into the Halo world, but it didn’t and I stopped half way through a pathetically short single-player campaign. I had the hype goggles on for the Reach beta and bought into it, in a major way, but really lost interest after the hype was gone. I’m just done with Halo, period.
Posted in Reviews
It only took me 3 months but I’ve finally finished Mass Effect 2. I thought a lot about how to summarize how I felt about the game and how to put it into words. Put simply, Mass Effect 2 is the best game I’ve ever played. I loved every aspect of this game.
You are Commander Shepard, two years removed from the original Mass Effect, tasked with saving the galaxy from a mysterious new threat. You work with Cerberus to build a team with whom you’ll take on this threat against humans.
The story is as compelling as anything I’ve seen on a console and even rivals some of what has come out of Hollywood lately. As you venture across the galaxy to recruit your team, you’ll have various encounters that really add to the depth of the story. Opportunities arise often that give you choice on how your story progresses. During some of the more important phases of the game, I found myself truly pondering decisions, knowing that my action would seriously affect how my game played out.
Graphically, Mass Effect 2 is as stunning as they come. The character models are heavily detailed as are the environments. Cities across the galaxy have amazing detail. Some of the environments will leave you staring off into the distance for a minute to truly appreciate the level of detail put into them.
The combat sequences are a little lacking in that they don’t offer the level of detail present in other available titles. What’s important to note is that Mass Effect 2 is an RPG, not a first-person shooter. Compared to other RPGs, Mass Effect 2 is head and shoulders above the rest. You get a real first-person shooter experience here, but go into it understanding that it won’t be quite as polished as a Modern Warfare 2 or Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Those games only offer an FPS style of gameplay where Mass Effect 2 is so much more than just gun play.
What I enjoyed far more than the traditional gun play was the use of biotics, which are energy based powers you have access to. The level of which you can use them is dependent on the class you choose at the start. I played as a Vanguard and made good use of the Shockwave ability, allowing me to send biotic energy across the room throwing nearby enemies into the air.
One thing I think about often is the hype factor surrounding new releases. So many times you’ll see new titles getting great reviews, lots of coverage on the popular sites, and just a large amount of general hype. And sometimes those games don’t hold up to the test of time, even when measured in weeks. Interestingly enough, I had a direct opportunity to test this theory with Mass Effect 2.
When it came out in late January, it couldn’t have received more hype. People into following industry news were inundated with Mass Effect 2. Even if you weren’t, there were plenty of commercials on TV for it. Knowing that Mass Effect 2 was coming out in late January was hard to miss. Like everyone else, I was all sorts of excited for the release. I played for hours nearly every night and really got sucked into the epic storytelling BioWare is so famous for. With only a few hours invested I was ready to say it was the best game I had ever played.
About 20 hours into the game my WoW fix had to be addressed and I spent the next two months captivated by progression in WoW. After a two month break from console games, and with two newish releases in my hands (Splinter Cell: Conviction and Battlefield: Bad Company 2), would I even go back to finish Mass Effect 2? Well, even with two great games to play, I still went back to Mass Effect 2 and it was just as epic at hour 27 as it was at hour 5.
I spent 27 hours from start to finish and completed the loyalty missions for all but 1 of my squad. I won’t spoil how my game ended, but know that every decision you make along the way matters and will change your experience drastically. Oh, and people can die. Will you save everyone on the Suicide Mission?
If you’re reading this, you’ve likely already played Mass Effect 2. If you haven’t, stop reading this, steal $60 from the person beside you (unless it’s me), and physically run to your nearest Gamestop. You won’t find a better experience on any platform.
This review is based on the Xbox 360 retail version of the game purchased by Skeptical Gamer.
Posted in Previews
I’ve been eagerly awaiting the release of Split/Second from Disney Interactive. It’s a fast-paced action-racer with destructible environments. What’s not to like? Well, apparently, fast-paced action-racers with destructible environments from Disney Interactive is exactly what you shouldn’t like.
I was so excited about this game. Once I heard the demo had been released yesterday, I jumped on to xbox.com from work to queue up the download. I got home and went right into a game. The track in the demo looks great and is very fluid. The detail of the environment is very good. At some points along the way you’ll feel like you’re in a sandbox game instead of confined to a race track.
Pretty much everything else about the demo was underwhelming. I didn’t get the feeling of speed that I expected I would. I was hoping for more of a Blur or Burnout experience in that respect. I also had an odd experience of gaining abilities during my first race. When the race began the group really got spread out pretty quickly. Considering that you really gain a lot of progress towards an ability by drafting opponents, it was difficult to do so without drifting at every opportunity I could. I found myself spending more time trying to find ways to gain destruction abilities than trying to drive fast, well, and advance my position that way.
I was really disappointed by the Split/Second demo. Considering how close we are to a release date, I don’t have a lot of optimism of anything really changing. I’m really curious to hear what others think about the demo. Am I alone on this, or do you feel similarly?
