Wrath of the Impromptu Book Critic
Hot on the heels of his previous gaming philosophy book, The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy (you can read our review here), editor Luke Cuddy has followed suit by assembling various members of academia and all-around gaming junkies for his next book in the gaming philosophy series, World of Warcraft and Philosophy: Wrath of the Philosopher King.
It would seem that WoW would be a perfect fit for philosophical discussion, what with the constant accusations of the game’s addictive properties as well as its real-world defying economy, and for the most part, this is true.
Like Zelda and Philosophy, WoW and Philosophy organizes itself into individually written chapters that attempt to tackle a specific topic relating to WoW using philosophical tools. For instance, WoW’s economy is studied to determine whether it is the perfect or ideal form of capitalism, and if so, whether it can be reproduced in the real world.
Though each chapter is written by a different author, often causing the quality and consistency of the book to vary, the chapters are broken down into sections to help facilitate out-of-order reading based on specific topics. The book even prefaces each section with humorous quest-based introductions, complete with aged-looking paper laying out your objectives, that claim to give you +5 Intellect! and other rewards after reading. It’s a nice little touch that’s meant to reinforce the authors’ hands-on understanding and experience with WoW and help them connect with the reader beyond an academic-based approach.
Getting down to the actual content of the chapters though, I find that the book is a bit haphazard. At times it feels like each author is attempting to appeal to a specific WoW player at the point of being boring or going over the top for other readers. For instance, Chapter 5, “A Mage in Motion,” is written from the viewpoint of a mage in game – not the player behind the keyboard. The author then unfolds a philosophical discourse between the mage and the higher power controlling said mage – the player behind the keyboard.
While the chapter’s style can at least be noted for its novel approach to discussing philosophy, the conversation between the mage and the player regarding the laws of physics just isn’t as interesting as the more straightforward chapters.
Chapter 20, “Future Pasts of Magic and Deceit,” is simply all over the place. The authors jump from one topic to another without warning or transition and at the end of the 8-page ordeal, you’re left wondering what the hell you just read.
Wrath of the Impromptu Book Critic
Hot on the heels of his previous gaming philosophy book, The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy (you can read our review here), editor Luke Cuddy has followed suit by assembling various members of academia and all-around gaming junkies for his next book in the gaming philosophy series, World of Warcraft and Philosophy: Wrath of the Philosopher King.
It would seem that WoW would be a perfect fit for philosophical discussion, what with the constant accusations of the game’s addictive properties as well as its real-world defying economy, and for the most part, this is true.
Like Zelda and Philosophy, WoW and Philosophy organizes itself into individually written chapters that attempt to tackle a specific topic relating to WoW using philosophical tools. For instance, WoW’s economy is studied to determine whether it is the perfect or ideal form of capitalism, and if so, whether it can be reproduced in the real world.
Though each chapter is written by a different author, often causing the quality and consistency of the book to vary, the chapters are broken down into sections to help facilitate out-of-order reading based on specific topics. The book even prefaces each section with humorous quest-based introductions, complete with aged-looking paper laying out your objectives, that claim to give you +5 Intellect! and other rewards after reading. It’s a nice little touch that’s meant to reinforce the authors’ hands-on understanding and experience with WoW and help them connect with the reader beyond an academic-based approach.
Getting down to the actual content of the chapters though, I find that the book is a bit haphazard. At times it feels like each author is attempting to appeal to a specific WoW player at the point of being boring or going over the top for other readers. For instance, Chapter 5, “A Mage in Motion,” is written from the viewpoint of a mage in game – not the player behind the keyboard. The author then unfolds a philosophical discourse between the mage and the higher power controlling said mage – the player behind the keyboard.
While the chapter’s style can at least be noted for its novel approach to discussing philosophy, the conversation between the mage and the player regarding the laws of physics just isn’t as interesting as the more straightforward chapters.
Chapter 20, “Future Pasts of Magic and Deceit,” is simply all over the place. The authors jump from one topic to another without warning or transition and at the end of the 8-page ordeal, you’re left wondering what the hell you just read.
Top 5 Reasons to Buy Darwinia+ for Xbox Live Arcade
Darwinia+ is finally available on Xbox Live Arcade after an extended development cycle of over four years. Darwinia+ was created by Introversion, one of the best independent game developers on the planet with several classic (and award-winning) PC games under their belt, including Darwinia, Multiwinia, Defcon and Uplink.
Darwinia+ gets nearly everything right on the Xbox, albeit with a few caveats. First off, the price is simply too high. I personally think 1200 points is a great value considering how much gameplay is on offer, but I’m in the position of being a self-professed Darwinia-freak and as such, have a complete understanding of the game and its concepts. This places me in the minority. Most Xbox 360 players will have never heard of Darwinia and will be quick to disregard it based on nothing more than its retro-graphics. Too bad, their loss.
A lower price-point of 800 would have made impulsive and/or exploratory purchases far more likely. At 1200, Darwinia is pricing itself away from experimentation and distancing itself from gamers who may not be able to perceive the game’s value based on the trial version. Additionally, Microsoft has been discounting a considerable number of games lately and players are well aware that a discount will hit Darwinia at some future date, so fence-sitters are prone to remain on their asses until the price comes down.
My second problem with Darwinia is the camera-scheme that kicks in when controlling a Squad. It does its best to position itself correctly, based on the elevation of nearby terrain, but it’s not what I would call perfect or some semblance of perfection. Fortunately, you can work with it and bend it towards your will by releasing control of your squad and repositioning the camera at a better angle, though it doesn’t completely resolve the problem.
True resolution of the Squad Tracking Camera issue will only be found in a patch and I see it working as such: Darwinia currently has two ways of selecting available squads/engineers, via bumper-buttons or directional-pad (left-right). You only need one scheme, so drop the bumpers for squad selection and use it for rotating the camera while the directional pad cycles through units. Problem solved. I waive my consultation fee.
While the camera is a minor problem at best and one that can be dealt with, the price is less surmountable. What you need are valid reason to buy Darwinia+, reasons that may not be entirely obvious in the limited trial version. Without further ado…
Top 5 Reasons to Buy Darwinia+
1. Purchasing Darwinia+ Saves a Small Game Company From Extinction
Not every publisher can be (or wants to be) Bungie and Infinity Ward. Some companies actually take pride in creating small, challenging games that are packed with more ideas and love than titles costing four times as much. Unfortunately, taking the road less travelled means imminent bankruptcy is always around the corner. In the case of Introversion, Darwinia+ took far too long to create for the Xbox 360 and this consumed resources. Now Introversion is in the nasty position of needing Darwinia+ to sell well or their doors will close for good.
In a recent interview with Computer & Video Games, Introversion head-honcho Mark Morris said:
I think that we’ve spent four years developing a game which is a hell of a long time and expensive. I think it would be disingenuous for me to say we haven’t had a hit yet – I think we’ve had four. We’ve done well. What happened though is we were so young and inexperienced when we started out that we didn’t know how long this project was going to take. We didn’t really attack it in the way that we would attack it now.
We don’t need Darwinia+ to be a massive runaway success. We know the figures that Space Giraffe did and they’re not particularly high. As long as we do as well as Space Giraffe we’ll be OK, so we’re kind of hoping we’re going to hit that sort of level. At the same time, I didn’t drive here in my Bentley which is kind of the reason we started Introversion! I’d like a game that just goes stellar, of course I would. But in terms of Darwinia, this was the best game we released from a critical perspective and I really hope that the 360 players enjoy it as much as the PC gamers did.
Review: SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 3
SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 3
Developer: Slant Six Games
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America
Genre: Tactical Third Person Shooter
Release Date: 2/16/2010
Despite spending four years in the service, I really don’t know too much about the Navy SEALs. For one, I spent most of my time on an Aircraft Carrier, so there weren’t many Seals around. Secondly, when SEALs were around, we stayed the hell away from each other; they typically stuck to their clique. Whatever the reality of being a Navy SEAL is, I can at least assure people that it’s not what you see in movies or games, which are used more as recruitment tools than accurate portrayals of how the military works. I dislike the fact that videogames, especially games like America’s Army, are being used to recruit people to actually kill others, particularly because the perception of military life is always as different from the reality of it as it is in this idiotic Air Force Reserve ad they showed during halftime of the Super Bowl.
When taken purely for what they should be, however, military games are still fun. Afterall, who doesn’t like shooting terrorists/Communists/whoever it is we hate this week? It’s worked since the 80s, and what are most army games if not the evolution of Commando? You can have it include as much propaganda as you want, the name of the game is still the same: we’re good, they’re bad, they have to die. I also generally like less realism in my shooting games than a lot of people nowadays. Therefore, I’ve never really been high on the SOCOM series. Why fart around with such an emphasis on teamwork and stealth when I can get another game and just go blowing up things?
When I received the PSP version of Fireteam Bravo 3, I was intrigued, but cautious. I typically like my shooters of the mouse + keyboard variety, whereas the PSP doesn’t even allow for a double-stick shooting method. Would lock-on gameplay be sufficient? Can Fireteam Bravo 3 live up to the SOCOM name?
Story/Modes
The story for FTB3 involves the fictional country of Koratvia, a former member of the Soviet Union. Someone in the country is planning on using WMDs, and it’s a matter of national importence to send in four SEALs on a covert mission to gain information from a former KGB agent who knows what’s going on. Without giving too much away, the story has a similar narrative style to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 1 in both story execution and the way it involves the SEALs in question. This time around, the seal team is led by Wraith, who has appeared in previous games and teams up with Sandman, Raven and Toro, the last of whom is the standard FNG. The story has it’s moments, and has enough going to keep most people interested, but it isn’t as climatic or interesting as MW1’s story, nor is it as introspective or political as that of FTB2. In short, it’s a vehicle to get the action moving, which it does a good job of.
In terms of modes, the standard campaign is eight stages long, with each stage being anywhere from fifteen to thirty minutes long. There’s also a custom mission single-player mode that lets you decide different parameters in the stage, from what the goal of the stage is to enemy density to what kind/how strong of an enemy you’re facing, or even if you want your AI SEAL partners or not. Depending on how high the difficulty is, you get a higher reward of Command Equity (CE) points, which can be used to buy weapons for the campaign, or on items to customize your multiplayer avatar.
Best of all, both the campaign and custom mission modes are available for multiplayer cooperative play as well, via both the Playstation Network and Ad-Hoc Wi-Fi mode. The game plays much differently when playing cooperatively with other people. In single player mode, you are the leader; what you say goes, and your team will follow suit. Online, everyone has to work in tandem, and though I ran into few problems, I was also playing against other journalists that got the game early; anyone randomly jumping into a match is probably going to end up dealing with at least one tosser who thinks “teamwork” is equivalent to, “X TO SHOOT! X TO SHOOT! YAY ME.” Still, being able to go through missions with a team is a great way to expand on SOCOM’s inate gameplay, especially when considering the fact that SOCOM has been based around team-based tactical gameplay since it’s inception.
There are also competitive modes, also over either Ad-Hoc or Wi-Fi. Competitive modes support up to sixteen players, for various modes ranging from standard deathmatch modes to positional holding stages. My personal favourite is Leader, where the goal is to keep one member of a team alive. This plays up SOCOM’s team-based focus, and forces everyone to work together well. Everything else is negligible, especially considering SOCOM’s gameplay, which I’ll go into in a bit.
Overall, the story for the campaign is workable, and the options for anyone with wireless internet capabilities are outstanding. Furthermore, the custom missions make up for the fact that the campaign is short. For a PSP game, this is a nice package.
Story/Modes Rating: Good
Graphics
The graphics in FTB3 are a mixed bag. On the one hand, player models look good, and the environments look nice for a PSP game. On the other hand, the amount of polygon clipping is immense. There are times when I’ve died where my character’s entire arm and part of his head have gone through the ground. Player animations are pretty good, and enemies die differently depending on how they’re shot, whether it’s a headshot, body shots or a stealth kill. One thing that annoys me isn’t so much with graphics as it is with physics. If your three AI buddies have spots under cover and you move into their spot, you’ll roll off of them, and they will magically switch places with you without moving a muscle. I thought that was a little weak.
The story is told via cutscenes, which are outstanding for a PSP game. No graphical clipping, and only a bit of jagged edge. What most impressed me is that the gun you and your team are using are seamlessly integrated into the cutscene with no issue (such as trying to hold a grip that doesn’t exist). This is most apparent if you’ve picked up a gun with a laser scope. If you’re the only one with a scope, this becomes more obvious.
Graphics Rating: Enjoyable
Sound
FTB3 makes all the noises you’d expect a war game to make: guns sound authentic, teammates communicate well, and the enemy even talk in what sounds to be pretty authentic Russian. One issue I have is that a lot of the same lines are repeated very often throughout the game. While this is understandable, hearing Toro go, “Tango Neutralized!” gets to be a bit much after awhile. One thing I like is that your mates change how they communicate based on their orders. If you’re ordered for stealth, they’ll make sure to speak lower until other orders are given, or until they start taking on fire. What bothers me about stealth sounds is that they not only still talk, but sound like they’re still talking over their radios. Stealth is supposed to me stealth. Speaking at all is against regulations (hand signals are supposed to be used, but on a PSP game, this is unrealistic to wish for), and speaking over an unsecure medium such as radio is flat-out wrong as those communications can be intercepted. In terms of how the guns sound, I don’t know *how* authentic the guns sound – I was a Machinist’s Mate, not a Gunner’s Mate – but each gun does have it’s own resonance. Considering how much effort went into the guns themselves, I would have to assume that they sound accurate as well.
Any music that’s played is standard operatic fare that is used for suspenseful purposes. Take the music played during tight sequences in the movie Pearl Harbor, and you have an idea of the music used in FTB3.
Sound Rating: Enjoyable
Control and Gameplay
One of my biggest concerns coming in was how action would work. As I’ve stated numerous times in the past, playing shooting games with a control pad makes me feel naked. I assumed coming in that not even having a right analogue stick would make things even worse. Thankfully, Sony’s control scheme makes sense, and makes the game work.
Aiming at a person is done with the R button. Accuracy is determined by the gun’s stats, distance, add-ons (like a suppressor that could cut a weapon’s effective range), how fast the enemy’s moving, how fast you’re moving, how long you’ve been locked on and had your aim steady… it sounds like a lot, but in execution, the game actually plays well. Nine times out of ten you’re going to be using an automatic or semi-automatic weapon, so it’s as easy as holding the R button to lock on, firing until the enemy dies, and pressing it again if any other enemies are nearby to repeat. For what it’s worth, the system works well. I’m a little disappointed that it takes a long time of keeping aim to ensure a headshot, but it actually adds a bit to the stealth aspect of the game, as it’s best to aim for headshots when you’re sneaking around with a suppressed pistol. The negative aspect of all of this is that shooting from the hip is useless. You have to be aiming at someone, or you’re not going to hit them. This is supposed to be mitigated somewhat by pressing up on the digital pad to zoom in, but that doesn’t help accuracy any more than locking on would, and the cons, becoming stationary, and having to have another button click to be able to move again, far outweigh any positives. There are two points where you’re going to have to zoom in to do someething right, and we’ll get to those in a bit.
One major issue I have is the use of cover. If you watch your AI partners, they lean around corners and use cover well, as if they were “snapping” to it, ala Gears of War. As Wraith, you can’t really do this. You can use the triangle button to stand, crouch or lie down prone, but even crouching down, you’re vulnerable if you have short cover like a jersey barrier. It’s reassuring that most enemies aren’t going to kill you unless they’re unloading a full clip into you at once, but the cover issue could have been fixed by implimenting something from GoW.
As noted, you have three AI partners with you, and they’re outstanding. They follow orders well, and can cover for you in a pinch. Anyone thinking of the AI partners in games like MW1 where your partners are more or less for window dressing will be pleasantly surprised here. If you need to go reload or recover life, you’ll often notice that your three partners have either taken care of the enemy or are in the process of it. They also get into position very well, meaning that in a firefight, you’re only responsible for part of the area instead of having to play the hero. Even further, even if one of them gets taken out, you or a teammate can revive them to half-life with a simple button press (though if you die, it’s game over). What’s best about this is that your teammates are very good at reviving downed teammates and covering for anyone that’s reviving. The team element of FTB3 is extremely well executed.
It’s a good thing teammate AI is so good, because the AI of the Russians isn’t nearly as good. Stealth aspects absolutely blinker them; I’ve made audible noise trying to sneak through grass or bushes, and they don’t notice. Furthermore, there are times when three of them will be looking the same way, I’ll take one out in open space, and no one even thinks to turn around. Wouldn’t you think stabbing someone would make a *slight* sound that would be noticed by trained guards that are supposed to be on patrol? As it is, even enemies in a firefight have problems noticing you sometimes. I’ve had instances where I’ve walked across an enemy’s field of vision while he’s fighting someone far away, walked right up to him, and just butt-ended him to death. This doesn’t improve much on higher difficulty settings, either; the only real differences between Lieutenant (default) and Admiral are that you die quicker, and aiming accurately takes longer. Some AI tweaks were in order.
Team commands are given by holding down the circle button. It’s important to note that you have to *hold* the circle button, otherwise you’re going to tell your team to move ahead of you. This has blown my cover on a few occasions. Once you get into team options, they’re plentiful, though the only ones you’re going to use a lot of the time are telling your team how to move (usually switching them to hold their position if you need to do some one-man wetwork) or telling them whether or not their weapons are hot (firing at will). As stated, your teammates follow their directions to the T, and once you learn how hard you have to press the button to get into that screen, you’re fine. My issue is that a lot of buttons have multiple uses, and they sometimes get crossed up. They packed a lot of gameplay into this game, but there just aren’t enough buttons to handle it.
I’m almost required to talk about the fact that you can arm gun turrets in this game, but unless you’re playing multiplayer, there’s no reason to even bother; by the time you can reach a turret, any tangoes in the area are gone. Furthermore, controlling them is annoying, and runs into the same problem as firing from the hip does. In short, they’re worthless from a player’s perspective.
Playing online is fine, but it does cut the gameplay in half, as any pretentions to stealth go out the window. Playing against human players who actually know what to look for turns every fight into a battle for finding cover and blowing everyone away. Stealth doesn’t come into the equation. It’s like playing Team Fortress 2 as a spy against a team with six pyros who are doing nothing but spy checking. You’re not going to get anywhere, so just change classes/roles.
Overall, the gameplay from FTB3 feels dated, but it works well. Controls take a little getting used to, but once you’ve got the basic functions of aiming, firing and strafing down, you’re set. The pros outweigh the cons.
Control and Gameplay Ratings: Above Average
Replayability
The custom missions add a layer of replayability to the game due to the fact that there are now a nearly uncountable number of ways to play the game, in addition to the online options. However, the fact that there are only nine environments in the game to play on hurts things.
With that said, I still look to play the game even after I’ve beaten it on every level. I still call up custom missions, still look to earn CE points, and when the game is released next week, I’ll be looking for other people to play against as my schedule dictates. In short, despite the fact that I’ve done everything I can until the general public gets the game, I still want to pick the game up and play it.
It’s up to the player as to whether or not the custom options and CE incentives override the lack of maps. For me, they do.
Replayability Rating: Good
Balance
The difficulty curve for FTB3 at all difficulty levels is solid. The game is fairly easy in the beginning when you’re only fighting a few enemies at a time, but gets much harder later on as you’re fighting against large swarms of enemies, and even against an armored vehicle and a helicopter. The balance of enemies is nice, as they get stronger as you get further into Koratvia. It’s the fights with the APC and helicopter that are problematic.
The issues with these fights is that you have to use an RPG-7 to take them out. This means you have to find the gun, switch it out with your primary gun, arm it, hope you or someone else don’t get blown away first, come out from behind cover, and shoot. Shooting is made infinitely harder because this is about the only gun in the game that does not lock on, so you have to zoom in, aim, fire, pray you hit, zoom out, either reload or get more ammo, and repeat. While doing this, you’re naked, with no cover, and probably with a teammate that badly needs a medic. They’re the most frustrating fights in the game, even moreso than the end-boss that can blow your team to shit with one well-placed shot.
I talk about them in Balance because they make the difficulty curve spike significantly. These parts, and a few choke points in later stages when you hit gun turrets and pillboxes with no way to get around them. You have to run behind cover, hope you or someone else don’t get blown away, and hope you can hit a far away shot on a hidden opponent. If these spikes could have been smoothed out, we’d be looking at a higher rating in this part.
Balance Rating: Decent
Originality
There’s not much original here. Just about everything in FTB3 has been done by other games in some form. SOCOM is one of the innovators of the team-based tactical shooter, but other games are more to move things forward now.
With that said, FTB3 is less about innovation in this round than it is about execution, the latter of which it does extremely well. Considering how poorly Tactical Strike did both commercially and critically, they made the right choice to focus on executing what they needed to do to make a good game instead of trying to push a half-baked envelope.
Originality Rating: Poor
Addictiveness
FTB3 isn’t the type of game that sucks you in for hours at a time. Unless you’re playing online, the gameplay sessions are one or two missions at a time, tops. The gameplay within those two missions is good, but after a couple of missions of running around, playing stealth, shooting people and fulfilling whatever my mission was, I found I was ready to move onto something else.
Addictiveness Rating: Mediocre
Appeal Factor
SOCOM has been a big name since the first PS2 game in the series, but few things have happened since then to take off the sheen of the name. Most notably, other shooters caught up tactically. Call them wannabes if you want, but the things SOCOM innovated – tactical action, a reliance on proper teamwork, and the use of headsets in console gaming – are all being done by other franchises now. In short, SOCOM is no longer a AAA title, especially after a couple of missteps.
However, even if it’s not top-tier, it’s still a notable name. Furthermore, the market for anyone looking for a good action/shooting game on the PSP is very limited, because what’s around is either not very good, or Metal Gear Solid. Sony is treating this like it’s a big release, and for PSP gamers, it is.
Appeal Factor Rating: Good
Miscellaneous
FTB3 does a lot of things right. It provides a fairly good story, good action that doesn’t trip over itself, some excellent online options, and a desire to keep playing the game even after it’s finished. I really like what Sony’s done here, especially as their first step into this franchise on the PS3 was online-only, which leaves a lot to be desired for anyone that likes playing single-player.
Sony hasn’t exactly been batting 1.000 with their big PSP releases lately (Hello, Gran Turismo), but I’m pleased with FTB3. They took a limited system and made a game that shouldn’t work well in 2010 work.
Miscellaneous Rating: Good
The Scores
Story/Modes: Good
Graphics: Enjoyable
Sound: Enjoyable
Control and Gameplay: Above Average
Replayability: Good
Balance: Decent
Originality: Poor
Addictiveness: Mediocre
Appeal Factor: Good
Miscellaneous: Good
FINAL SCORE: ABOVE AVERAGE GAME
Short Attention Span Summary
SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Fireteam Bravo 3 is a good tactical shooting game for a system that shouldn’t be able to put out a good game in that genre. The gameplay is solid, the story is good, and even after beating the game, gamers are going to get a lot out of their purchase.
It’s not a system seller, but FTB3 is a good game for a system desperate for good action games.
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Review: Puzzle Chronicles (PSP)
Puzzle Chronicles
Publisher: Konami
Developer: Infinite Interactive
Genre: Puzzle RPG
Release Date: 01/28/2010
It’s kind of funny really. The genre “puzzle RPG” was created by Infinite Interactive back when they released Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords. However, they seem to be the only developers working on this kind of game. They made Galactrix, Puzzle Kingdoms, and now this game. Plus, they’ve also got Puzzle Quest 2 in the works. You’d think that with all of the publishers out there trying to earn a buck stealing other peoples work (i.e. EA Sports MMA), that SOMEONE else would make a puzzle RPG at some point.
Still, you can’t complain that Infinite is bleeding the concept dry by releasing roughly the same game with a few cosmetic upgrades. Galactrix was completely different from the first PQ and Puzzle Kingdoms took the concept in an entirely new direction.
This time, the Bejeweled style gameplay has been excised for a more real time combat scheme more akin to Puzzle Fighter than anything else.
Does the Puzzle RPG formula still work without the gem swapping action?
Story/Modes
As the game starts out, you are a member of a warrior tribe. In fact, the game’s tutorial is meant to be your day to officially become a warrior. Soon after, however, your tribe is attacked in the night by a group of slavers lead by a horned daemon. Your entire tribe is sold into slavery including you. As luck would have it, however, the mysterious sorceress Morgana decides to buy your freedom in exchange for a favor later on down the road. She serves as your guide as you attempt to free your tribe mates and take your revenge on the horned daemon.
The setup is a bit basic, but the story as a whole has a rather nice flow to it. It almost feels like something that would have been a great TV show in the vein of Hercules: The Legendary Adventures. Unfortunately, the plot isn’t as good as it could be due to a number of reasons.
For one, your character isn’t likable in any sense of the word. He is a barbarian through and through. Kill first and ask questions later. You do several dastardly things that no self respecting hero character would be caught dead doing. Worse off, there isn’t even a good reason for your character’s actions, so he doesn’t even make a good anti-hero. There are even several moments where the writers seemed to realize this and tried to correct it. For instance, at one point in the game your character decides the best way to raise an army is to steal a boat and become a pirate for a while. This requires him to murder all of the guards at the harbor, as well as slaughter the entire crew of the ship. To try and compensate for this, you find out that the ship you’ve captured is a slave ship and that you’ll be freeing a bunch of people. The problem is that your character didn’t know about this before all of the slaughter began. Basically, he’s an ass!
Overall, however, the plot is at least mildly entertaining. There were some moments, like the approach of a giant, that was done rather well. The comic book inspired cut scenes were also interesting choices. As far as stories in a puzzle RPG go, this is better than anything else Infinite has done. Granted, that isn’t saying much.
Beyond the story, you have a few other options at your disposal. You can free battle any opponent you’ve already defeated, manage your inventory, and play any of the minigames you’ve unlocked. There’s also a multiplayer mode that allows you to battle against a friend via an Ad-Hoc connection.
It’s a typical setup, but one that works.
Graphics
There are three different things to talk about in the graphics section.
First off is the overworld. It kind of reminded me of the old “find the object” books they had in the library when I was a kid. The towns and locales are full of little details such as buildings, pits, caves, etc. However, the style is kind of cartoonish in a way. It certainly doesn’t go for the realistic look in any way.
The cut scenes I mentioned before are very similar. These scenes are where the character designs are fully realized. Body parts are accentuated, costumes are outlandish, and it’s all done in a comic book panel style that will definitely be hit or miss with players. There were a few moments where it was hard to tell what was going on, but the style worked. Fully animated scenes would have been preferable, but I’m not about to fault the game for not doing something that so few games these days do. It is certainly better than the simple static portraits in the developer’s previous games.
Finally, there’s the battles themselves. The greater part of the screen is for the puzzle combat, while there is a good bit reserved on top of the screen for the characters to actually do battle. As you build up rage in the puzzle, you’ll deal damage. All of the attacks are played out by the models, and effects such as poison or fear are represented with glowing icons over the fighters. Seeing your barbarian charge in with a multiple hit combo after you’ve just cleaned house in the puzzle section is far more satisfying than merely watching an HP meter drain.
Overall, the graphics for this game are certainly not going to impress those who are used to games like Resistance Retribution or Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny, but they are far superior than has been seen for other Puzzle RPGs. It could go a bit further, but I was satisfied.
Audio
One huge change you’ll notice right away is that the game is chock full of voice acting. Every cut scene is fully voiced and the voices are surprisingly adequate. Compared to the horrific narrator from CotW, this is a blessing. It also helps breathe life into otherwise dull characters. The only reason I didn’t outright hate the main character was because his voice was so fitting for his character.
You’ve also got a fully orchestrated soundtrack that does a pretty decent job of heightening the action on screen. Most importantly, the tunes never become grating. Perhaps this is because your attention is completely focused on the real time puzzle action below, but it is yet another improvement over past games in the genre. I even found myself humming the victory tune every time I won.
The effects are still a bit disappointing. The tinny explosions of gems being destroyed are usually followed up by stereotypical attack sounds that do get a bit old after a while. Still, that big combo is a bit more satisfying when your character yells as he plunges his blade right into the enemy’s heart.
Like the graphics, the audio is simply better than other games in its genre, though it doesn’t hold up as well to other games on the platform.
Gameplay
First off, I’ll reiterate that this is not your typical gem swapping affair.
The playing field has been flipped on its side so that pieces fall from left to right rather than top to bottom. You’re given a group of three gems at a time that can be rotated and placed on the field. There are several types of gems that have a variety of uses. Rage gems take the shape of colored skulls that build up your rage meter when they are destroyed. Wildcard gems can be used for any color they’re adjacent to. Multiplier gems double the power you gain from a destroyed colored gem. Battle gems are what actually destroy gems on the field. If they touch a gem of the same color, all connecting gems of that color will be destroyed. There are also blank gems that merely serve as one of the four colors. The final gem type is the power gem. These don’t fall, but rather must be created on the field by creating 2X2 blocks of the same color. The creation of this gem grants you the benefit of any of the gems used to create it. For instance, if you used a rage gem, you’ll gain the equivalent rage in your meter. More importantly, the power gems represent special pieces of your equipment. Red power gems represent your weapons, green represents your shield etc. If you destroy a power gem, you’ll gain the ability of the item it represents. For instance, the great sword power gem would grant you bonus rage, and the great shield power gem would make you invulnerable to damage for a short while.
The point of battle is to build up your rage meter so that you deal damage to your opponent. However, neither of you has HP that must be depleted. Instead, there is a line that divides your side and your opponent’s side of the field. As you deal damage, this line moves in the direction of your opponent’s side, causing your playing field to become bigger and your opponent’s field to become smaller. The goal is to push this line so that your opponent tops out, giving you the win. Of course, they’re dropping gems on their side of the field trying to do the same thing. It ends up being a kind of tug of war mechanic. When the bar moves towards your opponent, any gems it passes are added to your side and you can gain their effect once they are destroyed. The same holds true for your opponent, so you have to be careful about how you set up combos. Rage is generated by destroying rage gems and using special abilities. You have around eight or so equipment slots you can fill to boost different aspects of battle. For instance, I used a belt that increased my red power as well as blue whenever I destroyed blue gems. There are also various status effects like poison and fear can affect either player. Poison slowly causes the white bar to creep forward, stun makes it so you can’t rotate gems for a while, and other abilities have other such adverse effects.
You also have a warbeast that can learn various abilities through training. By destroying gems, you build up the power for these abilities. For example, if you teach the warbeast an red ability, you need to destroy red gems to power it up. When it’s charged, you can unleash the beast so to speak to grant that ability’s effect. The skill tree for this isn’t all that deep, but you can mix and match them as you see fit. Basically, if it weren’t for these powers, the blank gems wouldn’t be all that useful. That tug of war mechanic can make battles tense and exciting, especially playing against another person.
The only real problem I have is that the combat doesn’t go at a fast enough pace for a gem dropping mechanic. There’s a slight delay in nearly every action you take, which can really effect you if your field gets too small. When you’re used to games like Tetris, Lumines, and Columns, the delay is really annoying. Still, the differing strategies, chances for combos, and thrill of shooting that white bar forward several spots at once makes the combat quite enjoyable. If not for the slower than average pace, it would be simply awesome.
The setup for the game is pretty much similar to any puzzle RPG you’ve played. You move around the map examining points of interest to gain quests, fight battles, etc. You can visit shops to buy new items, unlock dungeons to fight endless waves of enemies, craft new items, train your skills, train your warbeast, and even search for treasure. There are a couple of sidequests in each location that you can either perform as you go or save for later. Generally, however, you can pretty much stick to battling and moving the story forward. New locations are unlocked as you progress the story and places where there are quests available are highlighted on the map. It’s nothing all that special, but it works.
Put simply, the setup is like any other game in the genre, but the real time gem dropping combat is such a refreshing change of pace that it manages to make the game feel brand new. With a few tweaks, it could have been simply awesome. As it is, it is a very enjoyable experience.
Replayability
Because of the nature of the gameplay (i.e. not being turn based) battles tend to be shorter. Thus, the game doesn’t last nearly as long as other puzzle RPGs. Still, expect the basic run through of the story to last somewhere around fifteen hours or so. If you chose to to go about collecting all of the items or work on maxing your stats, you can add several hours onto the total. The game does have a awards system in place to keep track of your accomplishments. These don’t really add anything, but completionists will get something out of it.
Beyond that initial first run through however, there isn’t really a reason to play the game again. There are no character classes to chose from nor even branching storylines. Everyone who plays the game is going to get the same experience. Your character will always be that Conan wannabe with the gruff voice.
Thankfully, that first playthrough is more than likely going to get you your monies worth and the option to play at four difficulty levels should mean the chance to play it again on a harder difficulty.
Balance
Speaking of difficulty levels, I can’t help but mention how easy this game can wind up being. I started off on normal difficulty and switched over to hard about halfway through because I was getting bored. As it turned out, the items I’d equipped and my strategy for using them was so useful, I only lost twice throughout the entire story. One of those times was really early on before I had a full complement of equipment. The second time was the first time I came into contact with the poison status effect. For that first time, I had no answer to it, but afterwards it was no problem. Point in case, I defeated the final boss in about thirty seconds without him so much as landing a hit on me.
I did go back and try the game on “deathbringer” mode from the get go. This was nearly impossible. The way it works is that the rage bar starts off halfway closer to your side. In addition, the enemies deal damage far more often. I couldn’t even beat the first battle because all I had was a sword and not even a warbeast yet. The best bet for someone who wants a real challenge is to start the game on hard and then move up to “deathbringer” after they’ve had a chance to level up a bit. Then the game should prove quite challenging.
Basically, the game can become a bit easy once you have enough equipment. If you up the difficulty before you get too far in, the balance is just perfect. Still, any game where you need to manage the balance like this doesn’t deserve the same score as a game with a proper curve.
Originality
At first glance, the puzzle combat might seem completely original, but there’s actually some precedent for it. Puzzle games have long had versus modes where you attack your opponent by making chains that drop junk on them, forcing them to top out. Also, the versus mode in Lumines involved moving a dividing line around to give yourself a larger field of play. The groundwork was there. All Infinite needed to do was add in some RPG elements and they had a unique battle system. Again, it isn’t wholly original, but you can’t play anything quite like it.
The rest of the game is stripped straight from CotW. The customization options, the overworld, and even the various mini games are straight in line with the genre’s roots. Even the story feels like your typical action movie plot. I might has well have been playing The Scorpion King.
Addictiveness
I had a surprisingly hard time putting this game down. While playing, I told myself that I could stop anytime I wanted to; that the only reason I was continuing was because I wanted to finish the game quickly. However, the fact that I was playing for two or three hours at a time speaks volumes about how hooked I actually was. What can I say? Puzzle games are almost universally addicting because they are simple to pick up yet offer enough depth to keep you satisfied. Throw in a battle mechanic that works, and it is almost like crack.
There are a few elements that keep it from being as addicting as it could be, however. There are rather lengthy load times for any time you want to open your inventory and even longer load times before battles. At one point, the battle took less time to finish that it took for the game to load the battle and load back to the map when I’d won. It got really annoying.
Also, the main character is just so unlikable, you’ll find yourself not wanting to press onwards simply because you won’t feel he deserves his revenge. That might sound a bit out there, but it is simply true.
So while there was so much this game did in terms of presentation and combat that was above the norm for puzzle RPGs, the addictiveness just isn’t as high as those other games.
Appeal Factor
On one hand, I can easily say that this game can pretty much be enjoyed by anyone. On the other hand, it doesn’t appeal to nearly as wide a base as it could have. This is mostly due to the fact that you are shoehorned into using the main character and there are no classes to chose from. It still boggles me that developers haven’t realized that creating your own character is what a good RPG is all about. It’s why games like Diablo are so huge. True, you can customize your equipment, but it isn’t on the same level at all.
This game is also probably going to have a harder time on the market than you’d think. Most people don’t realize that all of these games are made by the same people, and I’ve seen a good number of them think that this game was an attempt by Konami to cash in on Puzzle Quest’s success. There isn’t even the little tag that Puzzle Kingdoms had to remind players of who made the game. That could definitely hurt the game’s chances of selling to the average consumer.
Still, the game is accessible and fun enough that anyone can get some enjoyment out of it. Also, this is only the second puzzle RPG to make it to the PSP as well as the first in nearly three years. That alone should help ramp up the interest.
Miscellaneous
I mentioned the annoyingly long load times earlier. What bugs me is that this could have been solved by a simple option to install the game on your PSP. We’ve seen this work wonders for games like Dissidia and Soul Calibur, so why not do it here as well? It just seems lazy not to have it.
There’s nothing really in the way of specials. I can’t really think of any suggestions right now as to what they could have put in, but nonetheless the lack of any sort of bonus is a bit disheartening.
Worst of all, the game’s plot leaves the game open for a sequel. That’s not so bad you say? It does this at the expense of a major plot line not being properly resolved. It can almost take the sense of accomplishment out of beating the final boss.
Overall though, the game leaves positive vibes. It just didn’t reach its potential is all.
The Scores
Story/Modes: Decent
Graphics: Above Average
Audio: Enjoyable
Gameplay: Enjoyable
Replayability: Mediocre
Balance: Above Average
Originality: Decent
Addictiveness: Good
Appeal Factor: Decent
Miscellaneous: Mediocre
Final Score: Above Average Game!
Short Attention Span Summary
Puzzle Chronicles on the PSP is a bit of letdown in terms of what the game could have been. The main character isn’t likable, the gem dropping isn’t fast enough, and the load times can be killer. Still, the puzzle combat is fun, the journey is lengthy enough, and the game will definitely hold your attention from start to finish. For PSP owners looking for a fun puzzle RPG, this game will fit the bill, even if it doesn’t hook you quite as well as Puzzle Quest did. I’m hopeful for an eventual sequel, because with a few tweaks, this could be something truly special.
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The Many Failures of Mass Effect 2
One of our writers posted a critique of the latest wildly-popular BioWare RPG, Mass Effect 2, on our sister site, InfoAddict, and it’s seriously stirred up the emotions of quite a few fanboys so we thought we’d reprint it here for you to enjoy (or hate) too. (If you’d like to read some of the encouraging comments and fiery criticisms left on the original, you can find it here.)
With an average score of 96 on Metacritic, one would be justified in believing Mass Effect 2 has little room for improvement. An overwhelming majority of so-called game critics have weighed-in, predictably showering Bioware’s latest RPG with roses and garlands.
Bioware is one of a select number of game companies that receives a +3 modifier in review scores. So take an average game that would normally receive a 7, add Bioware’s name to the box, and oila! Instant 10. While this may be great for Bioware’s bottom-line, it’s actually a grave disservice to the company and gamers, not to mention a glowing example of everything that is wrong in game journalism; criticism specifically.
Having played and finished Mass Effect 2, I can safely say, without reservation or hesitation, that Bioware’s latest RPG is a complete mess, from top-to-bottom and not a product worthy of Bioware’s heritage.
Before I launch my critiques, allow me to post a comment from Bioware’s very own Ray Muzyka that appeared in a recent interview given to Computer & Video Games:
Early feedback and reviews for Mass Effect 2 have been hugely positive. You must be delighted?
We look at it really practically. We’ve had a lot of 90-rated games right? Pretty much every game we’ve ever released has been 90-plus. So we take it in our stride. We kind of look at it that sometimes our teams are our worst critics in terms of the way they look at our past work.
While we’re really ecstatic about the feedback we also look at it and say ‘Where are the opportunities for improvement? How do we make the next installment in this trilogy better? How do we make the next installment of Dragon Age better? How do we make Star Wars: The Old Republic better?’ I look more to the future than to the past.
It’s interesting being at the EA meetings and receiving the launch congratulations. I appreciate it and it’s nice to receive nice words and congratulations, but I’m more interested in how we drive success in the future, how we make our next games even better than Mass Effect.
Well Ray, if you want to know how to improve your franchise then I highly recommend you don’t read any actual reviews, because my brethren in the journalism community are rabid fanboys who unfortunately have bylines. You also won’t find much at Metacritic because they de-list any site that has review scores that are not within some arbitrary average, which defeats the entire purpose of aggregate reviews when you remove low scores.
So Ray, that leaves you and me…and few lonely stragglers shouted down in forum posts. Besides, the public has spoken with their wallets: they love Mass Effect 2. Then again, people love the Transformers movies. There is no accounting for taste, but there is bookkeeping when it comes to quality.
Enough preamble.
Mako Gone = Great, Planet Survey = Bad
One of the many aspects of the original Mass Effect I despised was the awful Mako, an ATV the player drove to explore planets. The problem was the physics behind the Mako, which made it feel like a lame arcade game with all of its bouncing around and assorted nonsense. Bioware obviously heard people’s criticism but instead of fixing the issue they simply removed the feature altogether. Unfortunately, their overall solution is to have the player survey planets from the Normandy, a truly boring and repetitive process that involves holding the mouse button down as you scan the surface of a planet for minerals. This is presented in such a boring and uninteresting way that it comes across as a huge speed bump for the game, a necessary evil imposed on the player because you need those resources to create new upgrades.
Mass Effect 3 Improvement: Make surveying a planet challenging and truly interactive. Make it an experience. Develop an economic model that powers the entire enterprise, have the player fight off enemies for resources, invest in mines and factories. There are a lot of ways to handle this besides looking at a boring planet display and hovering your mouse over the surface. This concept wouldn’t pass muster as a free iPhone app.
The British Romans Effect
Mass Effect 2 places you within a bustling galaxy packed with many alien species and cultures. Unfortunately, they all speak English and have human mannerisms. They are alien in look only, which is quite lazy on the part of the designers. Perhaps Bioware believes people can’t stomach subtitles or have low reading comprehension. Whatever their reasoning, Mass Effect 2 reminds me of several TV shows recently, like Rome and the new Spartacus, wherein all the Romans have a British accent because the production company in question is British. At least when George Lucas made Star Wars, his aliens sounded and behaved like aliens, complete with subtitles. No one complained and it made the universe feel like it had aliens with tangible cultures. When George made the second trilogy, he drifted away from alien languages and we were left with Jar Jar Binks.
Mass Effect 3 Improvement: Develop alien languages for at least a few major species so your game doesn’t feel so culturally and racially vacant.
Review: Dracula – Undead Awakening (PSP)
Dracula – Undead Awakening
Publisher: Chillingo
Developer: Moregames Entertainment/Abstraction Games
Genre: Run n’ Gun Shooter
Release Date: 01/28/2010
I haven’t been to impressed with Sony’s would be recommitment to the PSP. Purchasers of the PSPGo have been screwed overly a lack of content for it and a lot of the DLC only content that has come out since October has been underwhelming at best. This especially true for the PSP Minis. Games like Hero of Sparta and Vempire looked like they might be pretty good, but turned out to suck big time.
So of course, you’re probably wondering why I decided to pick up the latest PSP mini, Dracula – Undead Awakening. Part of it was because I’m a whore for traditional shooters, and this game’s screenshots resembled Ikari Warriors so I decided to give it a try. Plus, it’s a Dracula/vampire game and I’m a sucker for those, name jokes aside.
So is Dracula – Undead Awakening the first good PSP Minis experience I’ve had, or is this another stake in the coffin for the PSP revamp?
Let’s Review
1. Modes
There’s no real plot to speak of here. You’re a vampire hunter and you’re attacking a literally unlimited horde of the undead until you finally die. There is no winning in this game; it’s just seeing how long you can hold out.
There are four modes of play. The first is Survival, which is the standard mode. Here, you have constant enemies coming at you. It starts off slow and with only a few enemies at a time but eventually you get a constant stream of monsters in every direction. Every so often you’ll earn a power up and enemies sometimes drop weapons.
Rush has you start off picking one of three weapons. Unlike Survival, your weapon here as unlimited ammo and you can’t get any new ones. You are then attacking by a barrage of never ending enemies.
Wave Attack is probably the least cruel of the three. Here’ll you have a never ending set of rounds, but a limited number of enemies per round. Instead of dropping items and ammo, enemies will instead drop money. At the end of each round you can spend the money on ammo, health potions and new weapons.
Super Survival is basically the same as Survival, but there are exclusive power-ups like Time Stop or Haste. Vampires also seem unkillable as well.
You are also given a choice of three different stages to play in: Frozen Earth, Grave Park, and Castle Hall. Each stage has a different layout and different monsters to face off against.
For five bucks, I was actually impressed with the amount of modes, variety of monsters and the sheer number of power-ups and perks you could earn. My favourite mode was Survival, although I really enjoyed Wave Attack too. I was surprised how many hours I actually sunk into this and it’s actually a pretty good deal for its price tag.
Modes Rating: Good
2. Graphics
I was pretty impressed with the visuals here. The game runs at 60 frames per second and the animation is quite fluid. Monster look very nice for what they are, and especially so for a Minis game. You’ll encounter severed hands, ghosts, skeletons, weird floppy winged lizard hopping things, a Bela Lugosi inspired Dracula and more. The only weird thing is that the would-be werewolves actually look like the Hyenas from The Lion King. Everything looks nice and the backgrounds are quite large and detailed. In the Frozen Earth, there was an iced over lake and I thought for sure it was going to crack under my feet. Very nice.
One of the other things that is pretty impressive is that such a little game can handle so many independently moving and acting creatures at once without the slightest hint of slowdown. At one point I had over fifty monsters swarming at me and I could easy maneuver around and fire off machine gun bullets without the slightest pause. I’m actually really impressed at how smoothly this game comes off. There are some full budget PSP titles that could learn a few lessons from this game.
You’ll find Dracula: Undead Awakening visually appealing for what it is, especially for the price.
Graphics Rating: Enjoyable
3. Sound
Although there are only two tracks in the entire game, both are extremely catchy. They’re fast paced, hip and the frantic energy of the tracks fit the game nicely. They’re not tracks that will get caught in your head, but you may find yourself shooting to the beat or humming along while playing. The only downside is that the tracks are so limited, but at least what’s here is very nicely done.
Sound effects are equally impressive. Every weapon from the pistol to the BFG (Nice Doom homage) have their own sound along with their own rate of fire. Monsters too have their own noises, be it shrieks, or lightning bolts. Again, you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck. The musical tracks may be very limited, but at least there is a lot of diversity to the sound effects.
Sound Rating: Enjoyable
4. Control/Gameplay
Controls are simple. You use the D-Pad or analog stick to move, the shoulder pads to switch weapons and the shape buttons to fire. Each button fires in the direction that corresponds to the button. For example, Triangle is up, X is down and so on. This of course means you can only fire at 90 degree angles, which is a change from the eight way aiming that can be found in the iPhone version of the game. This is a bit disappointing and it would make the game a bit easier to play. Now, there is a way to get 360 degree aim and that’s to choose to swap the shooting controls to the analog stick and thus movement will be controlled by the shape buttons. It’s pretty awkward to do it this way though, so stick with the default controls.
Now that you know the controls, the rest of the game is easy. Shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot and eventually die. Depending on the mode monsters may drop gold, ammo, weapons, or special items. This is completely random and what they drop can either really help or hinder your progress. At certain score intervals, you’ll gain perks. Perks too are random in regards to what you’ll get, but at least you’ll receive a list of four and then choose one of them. Perks can include faster reload, a full health recharge, higher score modifiers, regeneration and more. There are also weird perks like Invulnerability which makes you impervious for thirty seconds but then you die or armour which makes you take less damage but you move a lot slower. It’s just a matter of seeing how long you can survive. For me it’s usually eight minutes, but my longest game has been twenty-one.
I wish the controls would have been as fluid as they are on the iPhone (Even though I haven’t played that version), but what’s here works quite well and I had a lot of fun with it. I loved all the different weapons and knowing that this was a bit of a Kobiyashi Maru made me far more accepting of the 90 degree angle aiming only issue. The gameplay is so fast and frantic and the controls are so simple that you’ll no doubt, like me, find Dracula –Undead Awakening a lot of fun to play.
Control and Gameplay Rating: Enjoyable
5. Replayability
With four different modes and no true way to win, I actually found myself playing this game a lot in order to try and beat my previous high score in each mode. Younger or more casual gamers might find this a bit odd, but this was a fairly common thi9ngs for games in the 70’s and 80’s. In fact, it reminded me a lot of the old Activision title River Raid. I used to play that game on my Atari 2600 all the time with my only motivation being to beat my old score and/or to see how much farther I could get before dying. The same principle applies here.
Basically think of this game as a very gory Tertris or Bejeweled and you’ll have the right idea. You’ll find yourself returning to all four modes in hopes of collecting Nodes (which are dropped on the rare occasions you kill a vampire) and beating your scores. If this doesn’t sound like enough of an impetus for you, it probably means you won’t play this game very often. Otherwise, it’s a great game to play for ten minutes while waiting for something else, like a cake to bake or laundry to finish drying.
Replayability Rating: Above Average
6. Balance
Now I’ve described the game as a no-win scenario where you know you’re going to die – it’s just a matter of when and where. Some people might think that means the game is balls to the walls hard. In fact, Dracula – Undead Awakening is actually nicely balanced save for the Rush mode which is purposely designed to be merciless. With Wave Attack and both Survival modes, enemies start off slow and there are only a few at a time. The better you do and the longer you last, the more will come at you. Eventually, new types of monsters will be added to the mix and then faster or more powerful versions of the older monsters with a pallet swap. At some point a vampire will come at you. Again, this all keeps going on until you die. The goal seems to be to survive long enough to encounter a vampire and kill it. Then you pick up the node. After ten nodes you “rank up,” which is just a pat on the back.
Everything is pretty balanced and you’ll find the game getting noticeably harder as you progress. It’s just a matter of when the sheer numbers overwhelm you. Dracula – Undead Awakening is just the game you’re looking for if you’ve been in search of a real challenge.
Balance Rating: Good
7. Originality
Dracula – Undead Awakening harkens back to a time where games didn’t have a set ending or a last level. It’s very much an homage to the Atari 2600, Collecovision and Odyssey age of gaming. There are so many games like this that I played as a little boy. River Raid, Barnstorming, H.E.R.O. are just a few. Yes D-UA is a throwback to the early 80’s in terms of style and gameplay, but it’s also a perfect example of why so many of these games were highly addictive and fun. It’s nice to see this gameplay aspect revived and it’s even more entertaining to do it with a “hordes of the undead” motif.
Older gamers will find D-UA reminiscent of pre 8-bit era games while newer games will find it pretty outside the box compared to what they normally play. It’s not a highly original game, but it is one that decides to revive nigh-extinct gameplay elements instead of being a carbon copy what’s already been done to death, and I appreciate that.
Originality Rating: Decent
8. Addictiveness
I found it extremely hard to put this gain down. I loved trying out the different weapons, testing out the various modes and/or power-ups and seeing how long I could last. It was always an awesome moment to take out a vampire and snatch up their node, and each play through felt completely different from the last.
In only a few days I racked up well over a dozen hours with this game. I was ecstatic the one time I finally pushed past the twenty minute mark in Survival and although I haven’t done it since, I know I’m going to keep trying.
D-UA has actually been the best Downloadable-only title I’ve picked up from the PSP Store and it’s definitely a game I’ll continue to play for a long time. It’s short, simple and hard to resist.
Addictiveness Rating: Great
9. Appeal Factor
Some gamers may be put off by the idea of a game you can’t “beat” or that never ends, but this was fairly common twenty years ago, and it’s something we still see today with “endless” puzzle games. The game is only as long as you are skilled and the fast, frantic and intense game speed might be too much for some gamers. I personally loved this title. It was a mix of bullet hell shoot ‘em ups, River Raid’s “How long before you die?” aspect and Ikari Warriors. I was hooked after my first play of Survival and this little five dollar game is seeing more playtime than a lot of the thirty or forty dollar PSP games I own.
With four different modes and a constant challenge guaranteed to improve your hand-to-eye coordination, Dracula – Undead Awakening is a game most gamers will get their money’s worth out of and then some. It’s definitely worth the download.
Appeal Factor Rating: Above Average
10. Miscellaneous
Dracula – Undead Awakening is not only proof than a simple game can be fun, but that there’s still hope for the whole PSP Minis concept. Many PSP Mini games are badly ported iPhone or cell phone games that cost far more than the original superior version. Not so with D-UA. This is quality game through and through and I’m still shocked at how low the sticker price is with this. Four modes, three level designs and a ton of monsters and customization gives you a game you may not be able to beat, but it certainly is one you can have a lot of fun with. About the only thing I could ask for is a two player co-op mode. Supposedly this is also coming to WiiWare and DSiware, so Nintendo fans will get a chance to experience it as well!
Miscellaneous Rating: Good
The Scores
Modes: Good
Graphics: Enjoyable
Sound: Enjoyable
Control and Gameplay: Enjoyable
Replayability: Above Average
Balance: Good
Originality: Decent
Addictiveness: Great
Appeal Factor: Above Average
Miscellaneous: Good
FINAL SCORE: ENJOYABLE GAME!
Short Attention Span Summary
At only $4.99, Dracula –Undead Awakening is a no-brainer. The frantic no-win scenario gameplay is extremely addictive and a lot of fun. The graphics and sound are limited in comparison to a full budget PSP release, but what’s here is done exceptionally well. This is easily the best PSP Minis release to date and it’s so well done, you’ll feel like you ripped poor Chillingno off. If you’ve got the five bucks to spare, download this from the PSP store as you’ll definitely get your money’s worth and then some.
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The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces Review
The Wii has not exactly been lacking in aerial combat games since its launch, but you could say that it has been lacking in good, or perhaps great aviator sims. Blazing Angels, Heatseaker and WWII Aces have all been released (among other titles) over the past few years to rather lackluster receptions. This, of course, has left aerial combat fans with something more to be desired.
Well, the good news is that if you’ve been patiently waiting for the right flight sim to fill your needs as a Wii owner, or if you’re just looking for more content after getting hooked on Wii Sports Resort’s Island Flyover mini-game, then look no further than XSEED’s The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces.
The Sky Crawlers is the latest aerial combat game from Project Aces, the team behind the critically acclaimed Ace Combat series. The game’s story is based upon the anime film by the same name, taking place in an alternate history where corporations go to war against each other using “kildren,” special children who supposedly can only die in battle.
As ace rookie pilot “Lynx,” you’ll set out on 18 various missions for the Rostock Corporation, helping to war against Rostock’s arch rival, Lautern. Along the way you’ll encounter various friends, foes, superiors and certain surprises as the game’s plot unfolds both through gameplay and beautifully presented anime cutscenes.
The standard controls utilize the Wii remote and nunchuck in an unorthodox manner whereby you hold the nunchuck in your main hand and the remote in your secondary hand. The nunchuck itself steers the plane much like a flight stick, and the Wii remote acts as the throttle control, pushing the aircraft to full speed when held upright and maintaining cruising speed when held in a level position.
While the controls did take a moment to get used to, I quickly found myself enjoying this unique setup which I’m told is meant to more accurately demonstrate the controls of an actual plane. However, fans of classic controls can still opt for either a Classic Controller or GameCube pad.
Final Fantasy XIII Trashed by Gaming Magazine
Final Fantasy XIII may be getting glowing reviews in Japan where it is selling millions of copies in record time, but a gaming magazine based in Hong Kong has unleashed a brutal review of the Square-Enix game that is irritating fans of the franchise.
Translated:
Scenario: 2.0 — “An epic tear jerker”
System: 1.0 — “Such a crude system barely warrants being called an RPG at all.”
Graphics: 9.0 — “Full marks here.”
Sound: 7.0 — “Mostly quality.”
Enthusiasm: 1.0 “As if you could play this for 100 hours! I could put up with 8.”
Total: 4.0 — “To think it got this bad…”
“The game is complete linearity until the open areas near the end. You can’t even backtrack.”
“Of all the RPGs I’ve played in recent years, this is the first which has been so linear that it’s little more than riding an amusement park ride.”
“I had heard the opinion that “It’s amazing once you get to Chapter 11,” but why should you spend 20 or 30 hours on a game to get to the only enjoyable part? Just how do they intend to make me play this? Do they think I’m some kind of masochist?”
“A button mashing puzzle game with no real strategy or RPG elements and a plethora of annoying features, game as a whole is little more than a digital novel of sorts.”
“For such a game to approach 2 million copies sold must be due solely to the strength of the Final Fantasy brand”
“biggest swindle in gaming history”
“biggest joke of 2009.”
Review: Creature Defense (PSP)
Creature Defense
Genre: Tower Defense
Developer: Hudson Entertainment
Publisher: Hudson Entertainment
Release Date: 11/04/2009
I enjoy a nice tower defense game every once in a while, but with access to the Internet, at the same time, it’s kind of spoiled me in regard to the genre. When you jump on the Internet, you can find a massive number of free tower defense games just waiting for someone to give them a tender click of the mouse. So whenever a tower defense game would land on a console or handheld, a price of $20 or more would usually equate to sticker shock. Fortunately, Hudson Entertainment looked to do something a little different with the genre by mixing the tower defense genre with a card management scheme and for the first time, I paid attention to a handheld tower defense game. By tossing in a fantasy element akin to what people might see in Magic: The Gathering, Creature Defense creates a unique identity for itself, but fans of tower defense games will be pleased to know the title didn’t mess around with what makes the genre fun.
As far as I could tell, there is no official story for Creature Defense, which given the rich fantasy tone of the title is a slight disappointment, but, then again, I could easily rattle off a good handful of great tower defense games that also have no rhyme or reason. Regardless, it is always kind of nice to know why waves of baddies are attacking your tower (which, conveniently in most these titles you never even get to see) and why the player can summon defense creatures – it isn’t necessary, but it certainly would have enriched the experience. As such, most of this review’s attention will be placed on the title’s modes of play and variety.
There are no real discernible game modes, per say, instead, the title features a single mode that thrusts players onto an overhead parchment map that features all available environments as well as the game’s shop. Each environment obviously places players into new territories and how the enemies attempt to storm your tower, however, each environment also comes packed with multiple phases (differing the order and frequency of the monster types that spawn in each wave) and an eventual time attack mode. Players do also have access to deck editors, help menus and more, but as a whole, there is only one game mode in the entire game, which, if you’re picking up a tower defense game, though, you’re probably expecting nothing more than the straight-forward strategy provided in Creature Defense. Even though there is a lack of variety, the title does provide a lot of scope in its offerings and tower defense and card management fans will find it hard to be disappointed in Creature Defense’s offerings.
While the mechanics are sound in the title, Creature Defense’s presentation isn’t necessarily strong. None of it will make the title less fun and addictive, however, it is entirely noticeable if you are paying attention to everything involved. The visuals get high marks outside of the gameplay as the menus are all very clean and well-organized and by accessing a creature’s stats, players are shown large hand-drawn fantasy artwork that will no doubt please anyone into that style. During gameplay, however, players won’t be treated to heavy details in the visuals, with muddy, pre-rendered environments, low animation and somewhat fuzzy visuals. Nothing is so bad that players won’t be able to tell what is going on and, thankfully, the monster paths are displayed very clearly, but everything else is as average as can be. The graphics do have their highlights, though, which is more than what I can say about the generic audio. While nothing is painfully bad to the ears, the game’s quiet music is easily lost in the action and Creature Defense is full of generic magic sound effects that the player will hear over and over. If there were a few more various sound effects and some more urgency to the music, everything would come across a lot better for the audio.
While a mouse is easily the most intuitive means of controlling a tower defense game, there are thankfully no real issues in navigating the terrain and placing your creatures in Creature Defense. The square button handles the zooming of the playfield, the X button allows players to place a creature and confirm selections and the triangle button toggles active creatures in order to level them up or sell them back for mana, while the shoulder buttons cycles through options to slow down or speed up the gameplay. That is simply all there is to controlling the game and the simplicity makes the format work on the handheld scene and anyone that has touched a tower defense game should feel right at home with Creature Defense.
However, there are a few mechanics that shake things up and insert even more strategy into the genre as opposed to a standard tower defense game. These obviously come in the form of the roughly 50 cards players can collect to cast creatures out into the playfield. However, the catch is players can only bring five of these creatures into each phase. When you consider that each creature has an elemental infinity and each one of these has a weakness, you’ll start to see where the strategy comes in to play. Flying enemies that can only be destroyed by items suitable to attack in the air also make their way into the title, but it goes further than this when you have to prepare fire element creatures that do heavy damage to the forest element. While players start off with a meager span of cards, by slaying a suitable number of baddies, that enemy is added to the card shop for the players to shuffle in stronger and varying creatures into their decks.
What this will mean for most players is eventually during a phase, a poor choice of cards can really haunt players as each phase consists of 50 waves and once the player settles on a deck, they have to use it for the duration of the phase. Players may get well into a phase to find out they are not prepared to battle a flying water element monster, causing them to rethink their strategy. Strategy is the key in Creature Defense because even though you might place in a creature more suitable for fighting off the flying water elements, you may end up replacing a card that is necessary for another wave in the game. As such, the title is equal parts strategy and management, and each lends itself to the game incredibly well. Dedicated players will become quickly addicted to the title and given the title’s challenging nature, the payoff is extremely rewarding for players that can tackle some of the game’s stages.
Even though players can dive through the handful of environments relatively quickly, there is a lot to go back and accomplish. Players can revisit levels after picking up stronger creatures to improve their scores or to more effectively battle powerful enemies to add them to their card store. Eventually, players will also unlock new phases with different sets of waves to challenge players and completists will want to own every single card in the game. Tower defense players looking for a more challenging outlet might be able to find it in Creature Defense as the game doesn’t really hold players’ hands at all, starting out moderately tough and amping up the difficulty from there. While this might intimidate beginner players and scratches the balance down just a little bit, the progression is easily suitable from that point, injecting branching paths and more difficult environments, monsters and waves as players move on. Again, if you’re interested in this title, though, you’re probably somewhat accustomed to the genre and a lot of it should be second nature.
With the combination of genres, Creature Defense opens up its appeal even more as it is definite sell to tower defense fans and a great suggestion to management buffs that like to tinker with customizable decks. The title is also positioned at a comfortable price of $8 on the Playstation Network that is easily worth the price of admission and will give players on the go hours of entertainment. It’s hard to put down once you get sucked in and there are a lot of extra goods to be seen, including a fan service nod to Sony’s Eye of Judgment series as the game contains three creature cards pulled from the PS3 series.
The Scores
Story/Modes: GOOD
Graphics: GOOD
Sound: DECENT
Control/Gameplay: CLASSIC
Replayability: INCREDIBLE
Balance: GOOD
Originality: ABOVE AVERAGE
Addictiveness: GREAT
Appeal Factor: GREAT
Miscellaneous: VERY GOOD
Final Rating: VERY GOOD GAME
Short Attention Span Summary
While the mixture of genres found in Creature Defense might not revolutionize tower defense games, it actually comes pretty close, and it becomes hard to put the game down once you get into it. Due to the nature affinities each creature has and the limitation of only being allowed five creatures at a time really piles on the strategy and challenge more than one might initially think. Creature Defense drops the ball on its presentation a little and the challenge and balance might not be too welcoming for those new to the genre, but the title doesn’t fail to provide hours of fun and it will do everything that matters to tower defense fans. The title is an easy recommendation for tower defense fans and the appeal should carry over to those that like to micromanage and when it comes to the PSP, Creature Defense is a great solution for those looking for this style of game on the Sony handheld.
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