Summer Gaming

At this point, I think it's universally understood that the summer is the annual back catalog period for gamers. Big publishers like Activision and Microsoft are saving their best franchises for the ever-jam packed holiday release window of late September through mid November. Gears of War 3, Batman: Arkham City and Modern Warfare 3 are just three of the biggest titles that will be made available to the masses this fall, with many more in tow. But, for now, that's neither here nor there.

As I said in the open, summer is a time to catch up on games that may have passed you by the first time around as well as revisit old favorites that haven't seen the inside of a console in a while; that's what I'm here to discuss today.

So, as you may or may not have heard, there's this little trilogy called Mass Effect that's coming to a close next March. For those unfamiliar with the series, Mass Effect is an action/adventure game set in space. Humanity has recently become a space-faring species and, subsequently, have discovered that they're not the only kid on the space-block. This leads to inevitable racial and territorial tensions between the various other species and provides the backdrop for the first two games, in which Commander Shepard (you) goes from badass soldier to interstellar super spy, and attempts to stop an omnipotent sentient-robot race from destroying the galaxy; you know, that old song and dance. Anyway, one of Mass Effect's biggest selling points - other than giant angry space robots - has been the ability to carry your choices (and their consequences) from one game to another. So, for example, if you decide to let one of your squad members die in Mass Effect 1, they stay dead in Mass Effect 2 or 3.

In anticipation for Mass Effect 3, I decided to play through part deux again. Believe it or not, that game is still awesome, though some of it's problems, like stiff combat movement and some awkward animations, are a tad more evident after seeing some early ME3 footage. The characters are just as memorable, though I made a concerted effort to give some of the characters in the latter half of the game, particularly Legion and Samara, more time in the spotlight. One part of the game that I found considerably more pronounced since my first go around was the audio. I bought a nice 2.1 speaker set since then and now feel stupid for ever playing anything without them, but with Mass Effect, in particular, it was night and day. On your ship, The Normandy, there's this hollow atmospheric presence in the background, like you can hear the nothingness of space surrounding you. I definitely can't wait for the epic conclusion to this excellent trilogy, currently set for release on March 6, 2012.

I've also been playing a bit of the Sims 3. Now, I know there are people somewhere out there that play this game like a straight-up life simulator, but I can't go through that game without it devolving into, 'find new ways to make my sim's life a living hell.' By now, I'm sure everybody knows about the golden oldies of the franchise, like having a sim go into a swimming pool and then removing the ladder so they can never get out, or putting a sim in an empty room and deleting the door. But, as the saying goes, "variety is the spice of life." Or in this case, death. I'm not a sadist, or anything, but I think EA Games secretly wants you to inflict all manner of horrors upon those gibberish-speaking guinea pigs. Just look at them, with their doe eyes and unbridled lust for life; their ghosts turn different colors depending on how they die, for crying out loud. If that doesn't say, "Tinker with the television and see how long it takes to electrify your sim," I don't know what does. It is a sandbox game, after all.

As you PC gamers out there are more-than-likely aware of, the annual Steam Summer sale recently came to a conclusion (though, if you followed my website "www.vortigaming.blogspot.com" you would have known when it was going down). For those not privy, Steam is a marketplace for buying and playing computer games, and their annual summer sale is a period of about two weeks where a large portion of their games are available for anywhere from 15 to 80 percent off. I'm not a huge PC gamer, but I decided to pick up Battlefield: Bad Company 2 in anticipation of Battlefield 3 - which comes out October 25 - as well as Assassin's Creed 2, which was an enjoyable, albeit lengthy, adventure through renaissance-period Italy.

Bad Company 2 is decent enough, like a summer movie where you just want to see stuff blow up and don't really care why (I'm looking at you Michael Bay). The single player was completely forgettable, serving as more of a tutorial to the ways of the Frostbite engine's destructible environments and bullet gravity. The multiplayer is definitely where it's at, with a sizable community and a 'by the numbers' persistent career element. Though, to be honest, the most fun I had was running through a hail of bullets as a medic, and bringing teammates back to life with the magical cordless defibrillator paddles they give you.

So that's been my summer swoon so far. I haven't had a chance to pick up Catherine, a Japanese puzzle game by Atlus Games, but the demo seems interesting enough and that studio has a good track record. There's also Suda 51's, Shadows of the Damned, a third-person shooter that already has a cult following. Anyway, I hope your summer has been less hectic than mine - taking over a newspaper will do that.

From me to you, happy gaming.

Steam Summer Camp Sale

In case you missed it, the annual Steam sale is going on right now. There are some ridiculous discounts (Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood and many others for up to 90% off). Don't like what you see today? No sweat, there are new deals every day beginning at 1:00 p.m. EST. The sale ends on July 10, so get in there and keep the summer gaming drought at bay!

Review: inFAMOUS 2

     In 2009, Sucker Punch ditched the cartoony, Ocean’s Eleven antics of its mainstay Sly Cooper series in favor of a grittier, ripped-from-the-comics style of Infamous. Cole MacGrath’s journey from anonymous delivery boy to hero (or villain) of Empire City received much praise for its fun electrical powers, addicting collectables and a comic book plot that didn’t feel paper-thin. Two years later, Infamous 2 is looking to draw on its predecessor’s success, keeping much of the original’s gameplay mechanics, while simultaneously expanding its color palette beyond the drab blues and greys of Empire City. Does Infamous 2 provide a spark to the summer swoon, or fizzle out?

     
     Infamous 2’s story picks up not too long after the conclusion of its predecessor, and, without spoiling one of the coolest tutorials in recent memory, Cole must make his way down south along with formerly annoying-as-hell sidekick, Zeke Dunbar and Lucy Kuo, a government agent looking to help Cole become more powerful as a mysterious new threat draws near. Infamous 2 employs a morality system similar to the original, though the decisions put before Cole aren’t nearly as hokey as the “be an angel or a dick, and nowhere in between” quandaries found in the first game. What’s more, Cole’s powers reflect his choices far more, reaching such a disparity between precision and chaos in the latter part of the story that they feel like two completely different games. The powers and parkour truly are the heart of Infamous 2’s experience, making up for a story that, while cooler in concept than the original’s, really begins to drag by the last third. In addition to the main story and side missions, Sucker Punch has also included a level creator and user-created content throughout the world. It’s a nice distraction from the story missions, but doesn’t serve as anything more than a novelty.

Monsters have been added to mix up the otherwise repetitive enemies.

 
     By today’s standards, Infamous 2 isn’t exactly the prettiest game on the block. Other than the main characters’ faces, the graphics can look anywhere from decent to embarrassing, particularly on close-ups of pedestrians, who reach almost Wii-levels of bad. However, if you’ve played Infamous, you’ll instantly feel some good ol’ southern comfort as the series swaps out its faux New York in favor of the colorful New Marais - though why they don’t just call them New York and New Orleans is mystery, considering that the game specifically mentions other real U.S. states. Regardless of its name, New Marais is a beauty to look at, with neon signs, old forts and a flooded suburban area that equates to a “the ground is lava” scenario, which makes traversal even more challenging and fun. 

Speeding through the city on electric rails and your static thrusters is still the highlight of inFAMOUS.

     Infamous 2’s music clearly reflects its new-found southern roots, with a heavy emphasis on drums during action and meandering strings during exploration. The problem is that the game is far too inconsistent about when it plays, with intense battles or long stretches of traversing the city in unexplained silence. This exposes another of Infamous’s shortcomings. Much like the original, the game lacks any kind of ambience. Cars silently glide along and the hussle and bussle of New Marais is equatable to a mime walking on tip-toes. The only exception being occasional pedestrian chatter as you pass by, and the sweet(?) saxophone or fast-paced beat of a makeshift drum played by street performers.

     There’s no doubt that Infamous 2 is better than its predecessor. Sucker Punch largely fixed the problems of the original while creating a sense of identity and originality that Infamous never had. However, the series’ audio problems really detract from the experience and the story is awfully anxious to move through the neon district and bayou that set it apart from other open-world games, in favor of a more generic industrial district. The user content feels bolted on, and there are so many side missions already that the user missions feel like an unnecessary attempt to extend the experience. Sucker Punch’s second crack at Infamous is a mixed bag, most of which is great. At the very least, Infamous 2 is worth a rental, but if you’re into action, comics, or just want to go crazy in an open city after L.A. Noir’s comparatively tame experience, Infamous should be an easy buy.

Sony Conference Rundown

Well it didn't take long for Sony to address the recent Playstation Network outage. Minutes after the opening sizzle reel, Jack Tretton took the straightforward approach, rather than trying to play it off, though he did manage to sneak in a few half-hearted attempts at humor.

The uncontested big announcement of Sony's conference was the unveiling of their new handheld, the Playstation Vita, formerly known as the NGP. The Vita will feature two SKUs, a Wi Fi-only model for $250 and a Wi-Fi/3G model for $300. Games shown on the Vita were Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Ruin (which looks strikingly similar to Torchlight), Modnation Racers, Little Big Planet and Street Fighter x Tekken.

On the software side, Sony wasted no time jumping into the meat of their catalog, kicking the show off with a new demo of Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (11/1/11). While impressive in its own right, the decayed ship environment didn't exactly show off the game's gorgeous visuals. In addition, Naughty Dog will be holding a multiplayer beta in late June.

Following Uncharted was a brief, unflattering demo of Resistance 3 (9/6/11), whose best feature so far appears to be its Olly Moss cover art. However, the game will feature a SOCOM-style sharpshooter bundle for $150.

Not to be discounted was an HD collection of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus (Sept. 2011), which appeared so briefly you'd have thought that Sony was ashamed of the cult classics. Both will be remastered and 3D enabled.

Speaking of 3D, Sony is attempting to make three dimensional gaming more accessible to those without an arm and a leg burning a hole in their pockets, with a $500 bundle including 24'' Playstation brand 3D TV, along with a pair of 3D glasses, an HDMI cable and Resistance 3.

From there, Sony focused on Move, with a Kobe Bryant-filled NBA 2K12 demo, a forgettable Medieval Moves: Dead Man's Quest demo (seriously, even the developer describing the game sounded like he didn't care), increased Move functionality in Little Big Planet 2, Infamous 2 and the space western-themed Starhawk.

My personal announcement of the show came when Sony unveiled Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time (2012), which was teased in the recent (and very good, if you haven't picked it up yet) Sly HD Collection.

Sly was followed by Ken Levine, who came out and declared that Bioshock Infinite would feature Move functionality, and hinted at something Bioshock related on the PS Vita. In addition, PS3 Infinite will feature the original Bioshock, adding incentive to go PS3 for those with multiple consoles.

Electronic Arts Conference Rundown

EA hit the ground running this year with a new gameplay unveil of Mass Effect 3 (3/6/12), which is pushing more and more towards blockbuster action game and further away from hardcore RPG. That's not to say Commander Shepard's big finale is dumbed down for the masses, just streamlined in the same vein as ME2. However, the on-rails boss battle at the end did feel a little too similar to playing as Master Chief.

ME3 was followed by a head-scratching car-to-on-foot-quicktime-sequence-to-car-again gameplay segment of Need for Speed: The Run, which already makes us wish Criterion was handling NFS from now on.

Speaking of games that are already dragging a little, EA followed NFS with a trailer of Star Wars: The Old Republic, which doesn't have very big shoes to fill after the last Star Wars-themed MMO, Galaxies. However, in the trustworthy hands of Bioware, SW:TOR definitely deserves the benefit of the doubt for now.

EA Sports brought the thunder with an action-packed trailer for the new reboot of SSX (Jan. 2012). The game will feature the crazily arcady gameplay the series is known for. FIFA is aiming for a "global community" with the addition of EA Sports Football Club along with a revamped physics system in FIFA 12. Lockout be damned, Madden 12 (8/30/11) is really pushing emotion this year with a pumped up speech by Vince Lombardi, however EA was suspiciously light on actual features.

Curt Schilling came out to show off his pet project, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. While it may seem like a Fable/God of War knock-off with Elder Scrolls elements, Reckoning has above average looks and interesting melee-magic combat.

Insomniac premiered a trailer for their all-new franchise, Overstrike, which has about as much charm in its characters as explosions in its combat. While it is a disappointment to not get any actual gameplay, the anticipation of a fresh new franchise is enough to keep us wanting more.

Electronic Arts certainly saved the best for last with a brand new trailer and demo of Battlefield 3 (10/25/11). The game's engine, Frostbite 2, looks like the major push forward in technology that everyone has been waiting for. The on-foot and vehicle controls are classic Battlefield and a brief look at multiplayer should have Activision looking over their shoulder.

Microsoft Conference Rundown

Microsoft kicked off the E3 festivities today with the unveiling of new gameplay from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Tomb Raider, both of which looked impressive. After teasing a new mystery EA Sports title (more than likely a return to MLB), Bioware showed off their Kinect voice integration with Mass Effect 3. Ghost Recon: Future Soldier made an appearance, putting some cool, Kinect gesture-enabled weapon customization called "Gunsmith" on display, and revealing that all future Tom Clancy titles will feature Kinect functionality.

Proving that Xbox 360 is about more than just games, Microsoft unveiled their new Dashboard update - set to release this fall - which will remove clutter and improve on lackluster Kinect support. In addition, the Dashboard will now feature Youtube, as well as Bing and live TV, with UFC being an early adaptor.

Back on the gaming front, a new Gears of War 3 level was revealed, in which Marcus and company fight off a giant tentacle sea creature with mech suits called "Silverbacks." A Kinect sword-play game called Ryse, Halo 1: Anniversary, which features a graphical overhaul as well as online co-op and multiplayer and Forza Motorsport 4 all made brief appearances.

Appealing to their more casual audience, Microsoft unveiled theri new line of Kinect games, including: Fable: The Journey, Minecraft, Kinect Disneyland Adventures, Kinect Star Wars, Sesame Street: Once Upon a Monster, Kinect Fun Labs, Kinect Sports: Season 2 and Dance Central 2.

Microsoft capped off its conference with one final surprise, a new, Bungie-less, Halo trilogy beginning with Halo 4 in holiday of 2012.

E3 Press Conferences

It's that time again! With E3 about to hit like a 1000-pound elephant, the big three console devs will strut their stuff for the masses the week of June 6. There will be no shortage of places to watch the livestreams of Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, Electronic Arts and Ubisoft, and I'll be reporting on ALL of them. However, if you're so inclined to watch'em yourself, here's when the lights will go on.

Monday, June 6

Microsoft - 12 noon EST

Electronic Arts - 3:30 p.m. EST

Ubisoft - 5:30 p.m. EST

Sony - 8 p.m. EST






Tuesday, June 7

Nintendo - 12 noon EST

Review: The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings

With the exception of Steam and a few other determined developers, gaming on the PC is in a rapid decline. Piracy and the allure of greater profit on consoles have stymied the progression of gaming on a once-thriving platform. However, with the release of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings, Polish developer CD Projekt Red Studio is attempting to prove that sticking with the PC’s hardcore roots while simultaneously pushing the platform forward graphically will be enough to bring console gamers back to the mouse and keyboard.

The Witcher 2 is literally the Frankenstein of gaming. There are so many modern and old-school gaming tropes packed in that you’ll feel like you’re playing Baldur’s Gate one minute and Assassin’s Creed the next. This is the beauty and the curse of The Witcher. While many of the game’s elements will feel familiar, most of them have already been done better. Combat is clumsy, with the protagonist, Geralt taking far too long to implement attacks and even simple movement, at times. Button inputs sometimes won’t even register, and enemy targeting is a huge hassle. All these problems are amplified even further by the game’s group combat. When surrounded by a swarm of enemies, often you’re only chance at victory will be to cheese the system by getting foes stuck on the game’s environment and going in for a few quick blows.

A annoying as combat can be, however, The Witcher 2’s biggest flaw is the tutorial system, or to be more precise, the lack of one. True, the game teaches you all the basics of combat and map markers of objectives help, but seemingly obvious things like what spells do or how to mix potions aren’t covered. Whether this was bad development or because The Witcher 2 is callback to hardcore PC games is unclear, though the latter seems more likely. However, getting lost for hours at a time and dying constantly because you couldn’t tell that Yrden was the sign (i.e. spell) you needed to cast in order to stop a giant tentacle from smashing you are unforgivable, whatever the reason.

One thing that is obvious about The Witcher 2 is how impressive it is, graphically. It is among the games that truly push the limits of gaming PCs, looking gorgeous even on medium and low. Minute details like the texture of skin and light shining through trees are captured perfectly. 

The Witcher 2 makes no concessions about its content; this game takes full advantage of its M rating. Blood flows like water and women ain’t shy in the world of The Witcher. Right of the bat, Geralt’s little lady, Triss is on full display and not soon after that, you’re cutting up badies left and right in a chaotic siege. There’s not a whole lot of romanticizing when it comes to the game’s fiction. Towns like Flotsam are filled with fat slobs, prostitutes and corrupt guards, and the way characters talk, you’d think everyone in the game was a sailor. If you’re looking for shinning knights and blonde damsels in distress, this isn’t the game for you.

While the unapologetic adultness of The Witcher 2 is refreshing and the major characters are decent enough, $50 is just too high a price for such a niche game. There are just too many problems with the gameplay and interface that will put off the average gamer. However, if you’re a hardcore gamer with a powerhouse rig and a lot of free time this summer, and you’re willing to stomach the atrocious combat, The Witcher 2 is right up your alley.

Review: MLB 2K11

Any baseball manager will tell you that, for all the stats and sabermetrics, you still have to go out between the white lines and play the game. That, for every 5-tool superstar like Troy Tulowitzki, there are scrappy gamers like Nick Punto who contribute in less tangible ways. Such is the life of 2K Sports’ frumpy also-ran baseball series, MLB 2K, which has long-since been abandoned by gamers for Sony’s stick-swingin’ sim, MLB: The Show. But while The Show may possess every tool in the proverbial shed, and despite 2K’s lame duck exclusivity deal with MLB drawing to a close, MLB 2K11 somehow finds a way to deliver a fun, albeit arcady baseball experience.

As with last year’s entry, 2K11’s big strengths are the pitching and hitting systems, which mimic your onscreen athlete’s actions. When pitching, you choose your pitch and location, and then perform a two-step motion with the right analog stick. Some pitches, like a four-seam fastball, are straightforward, with an easy back-then-forward motion, while others like a curveball require more complex movement to accurately perform. There’s a good variation of pitch types, which keeps pitching fun throughout the grind of a full, 9-inning game.

The hitting system hasn’t changed since 2K9, and for good reason. It’s easily the better batting interface of the two current games available, and just might be the most comfortable I’ve ever used. Everything, from the depth perception of the ball to the pitcher tipping his pitch on a bad delivery, feels right, and the exaggerated, bat-shattering sound of squaring a ball up further-accentuates the feeling of success.

One aspect of 2K’s arcady nature that succeeds is My Player mode, which debuted in 2K10 and remains intact in this year’s game. In what is essentially Sony’s Road to the Show mode, My Player boils down to creating a top prospect and guiding him from the minors to the Hall of Fame, all while playing exclusively from his point of view. What sets 2K’s version apart is the manner in which you rise to the top. Road to the Show is more comprehensive, forcing you to constantly work on all assets of your game, or they’ll degrade over time. In 2K11, you take on more of a Bryce Harper, “golden boy” role, with dramatic clutch moments occurring late in games and skills that don’t decline until late in your career. While it’s not as realistic, My Player sacrifices a WoW-style minor league grind for instant gratification and a quick rise to the bigs.

While The Show is praised for its gorgeous visuals, 2K remains the ugly duckling, occasionally looking decent when the lighting is right on an all-star’s recognizable mug. At its worst, 2K11 is laughable, with grossly oversized versions of players like Baltimore’s Mark Reynolds and shots of pitchers gasping like a fish out of water. What’s worse, the same three or four stock faces are used in lieu of less recognizable athlete’s faces, making for some pretty comical situations in which multiple players appear in a game with the same generic face.

In terms of game modes and overall additions, MLB 2K11 might as well be a palette-swap of 2K10. Other than some roster bug fixes and updates to Brian Wilson’s beard, there’s no real incentive for anyone other than PS3-less baseball purists to re-up with 2K Sports’ baseball franchise this year. However, if you can stomach the less-than-stellar visuals and John Kruk constantly saying “ath-a-lete,” then there is some fun baseball to be had in MLB 2K11. 

Review: Portal 2

Every so often a game comes along that changes your perception of a particular genre, that makes you smile and remember all the amazing moments you had with it, even while you’re still playing through it for the first time. Portal 2 is such a unique and polished experience that it would be unfair, no, an insult to compare it to any other puzzler, shooter or even the original Portal. That’s right; Portal 2 is so much more refined and streamlined that even the original is shrouded in its shadow.

From the moment you first wake up, Valve displays their uncanny ability to combine seamless narrative and comedy, while still keeping strong gameplay at the core of the experience. Wheatley, a small spherical bot who accompanies you throughout the game, conveys more emotion though rapid eye movement and body language than most games are able to accomplish with an entire human body. Add in a timid, yet unwittingly hilarious performance by Stephen Merchant (of The Office and The Ricky Gervais Show) and Wheatley steals the show, with the exception of GLaDOS.

Still alive and ready for science.

Yup, Portal’s cake stealing, party submission position, neurotoxin spewing baddie is back, and boy is she pissed at you. This is one of those elements that show just how evolved Portal 2 is when compared to its predecessor. Throughout Portal, GLaDOS was far more reserved, dipping occasionally from mad robot scientist to straight-homicidal during the test chambers, and then going full-on maniacal during your escape. This time around, the big bad bot is stone cold, playing more of a Jigsaw role by keeping you alive just to go through more increasingly difficult and deadly tests.


The actual gameplay of Portal 2 remains largely intact from the original, with the energy pellets being swapped out for “thermal discouragement beams,” lazer beams that can be redirected to open doors and destroy those cute-as-hell turrets. In addition to the discouragement beams, Portal 2 features bridges made of pure sunlight, gel that can be used to speed up movement and propel you through the air and tractor beams. These puzzle features add a new wrinkle for series veterans and make navigating test chambers even more treacherous and fun.

Portal 2's Excursion Funnel (left) and Repulsion Gel (right).

While Portal 2 is a relatively short game, coming in at around 10 hours, the addition of a cooperative mode that allows two people to run a separate series of test chambers does extend the experience. However, the sheer quality of the content that is there more than makes up for any shortcomings, and with additional downloadable content (the first of which will be free, by the way), Portal 2 is a game worth hanging on to.


Valve has once again taken the lofty expectations of a fervent fan-base and completely shattered them. Portal 2 is the closest to gaming perfection since Super Mario Brothers 3 back in 1988, and is the clear front-runner for game of the year, if not decade. Do not hesitate to pick this game up, regardless of your gaming preferences.

Review: The Next BIG Thing

With the exception of episodic releases of games like Sam & Max and Back to the Future by developer, Telltale Games, the point-and-click adventure genre has become pretty barren. However, the semi-obscure, Madrid-based developer, Pendulo Studios is attempting to fill the gap with their release of The Next BIG Thing for the PC.

As beautiful as it is charming, The Next BIG Thing is a classic adventure game in every sense of the word, with puzzles ranging from clever to downright head-scratching, often requiring the player to randomly experiment with different items in order to succeed. This is more an indication of the hand holding approach developers take in modern games, rather than a fault of TNBT’s replication of a long-revered genre, as any gamer who played the Monkey Island series in the early 90’s will attest to. However, the presence of a hint system that coyly drops clues about the current situation helps at times.

The Next BIG Thing is chock-full of personality, with quirky characters like Liz Allaire, a disturbingly energetic field reporter, with a propensity for blurting out random statements, and Tobby, a pet Venus Flytrap with a taste for caviar. The genuinely funny script is further enhanced by rapid-fire dialogue that fits the game’s absurd brand of humor to a tee.

To put it bluntly, TNBT is gorgeous. The cell-shaded 3D characters look sharp and are animated well, with the exception of spotty lip-syncing. The dubbing is especially disappointing because it detracts somewhat from the stellar dialogue. The hand-painted backdrops will leave your jaw on the floor, especially when played at higher resolutions.

The big drawback of The Next BIG Thing is its price. At $30, it's a little expensive, especially considering that when you've played through the game once, you have pretty much seen everything it has to offer. When compared to Telltale charging around $10 for similar games, Pendulo might be pricing themselves out of the market.

Despite its cost, The Next BIG Thing is an exceptional adventure game that harkens back to the early years of gaming. For those who can afford the price of admission, TNBT doesn't disappoint. With its classy style, sexy looks and excellent dialogue, The Next BIG Thing is a short ride, but one that you'll enjoy every minute of.

Game Narrative

The presence of narrative in video games has traditionally been considered an afterthought, more often than not just a reason to justify playing as a space marine fighting hell demons on mars, or a chivalrous knight battling dragons in medieval times. With the added challenge of presenting an engaging story, while simultaneously not dragging down the actual gameplay, developers often choose to forgo heavy narrative in favor of convenient allegory. But over the current console generation, story in gaming has taken a major step forward.

Games have become more complex in their ability to convey plot to an audience, often foregoing simple exposition for a more indirect approach. Valve Corporation’s, Portal builds its story through the schizophrenic ravings of a maniacal robot named GLaDOS, as the mute protagonist makes her way through a series of lab rat-style puzzles. Along the way, you find the paranoid scribblings of an unknown character in small alcoves, which hint at the facility’s sinister reality hidden behind its sterile white walls. You never get a clear picture of who you are or how you wound up there in the first place, with the only clues coming through the aforementioned alcoves and an escape through the bowels of the facility in the final chapter.

One of Portal's mysterious Rat Rooms.

While some developers prefer to take an unconventional approach to storytelling, others strive to replicate a more traditional cinematic experience. Bioware has a long tradition of well-written, narrative-focused games, dating back to Baldur’s Gate in 1998. Their Mass Effect trilogy, the third of which releases later this year, is a space drama in the same vain as Star Wars or Battlestar Galactica. The games build a vast universe (literally) with a plausible fiction and complex racial and political undertones. Mass Effect 2, in particular, features some of the finest characters in gaming, such as Mordin Solus, a fast-talking alien scientist who, if you are chummy enough, will perform his own version of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Major-General’s Song,” and lecture you on the merits of safe sex (not at the same time, of course).

The Uncharted series by Naughty Dog, whose third release will also be available later this year, takes a page from comedic action-adventures like Indiana Jones and Firefly. The games are best known for their snarky protagonist, Nathan Drake, who channels his inner Malcolm Reynolds with sarcastic dialogue and dark humor in the face of treacherous gun battles and exotic locales.

Nathan Drake (left) and Firefly's Malcolm Reynolds (right) played by Nathan Fillion.

Each of these games illustrates how far developers have come since the days when a small yellow puck being chased by four ghosts was the pinnacle of gaming narrative. And the various methods each game uses to convey its story show just how difficult it is to deliver an immersive fiction while still keeping fun gameplay at the heart of the experience.

Mortal Kombat 9 Review

          This past decade has not been kind to the Mortal Kombat series. With additions like a cartoony, Mario Kart-style racing mode, a slow-as-molasses chess mode and DC superheroes performing “heroic brutalities,” America’s bloodiest and oft-criticized fighting game has seen its reputation take a nose dive. So with a return to the series’ roots of solid 2D fighting mechanics and cringe-worthy finishing moves, does Mortal Kombat 9 mark the return of Scorpion and Sub-Zero to fighting game prominence?

           

          Developer NetherRealm Studios, headed by MK mastermind Ed Boon, has a knack for taking a game disc and filling to the brim with as much content as possible. With a full-fledged story mode to go along with the traditional ten-match ladder, online and offline versus modes and a humungous 300 level challenge tower, Mortal Kombat is no lightweight when it comes to ways to play. Add in 500 unlockables like concept art and extra character outfits and fatalities, as well as Test Your Luck, which adds randomized elements like headless combat and infinite special meter, and you have no shortage of incentives to keep playing long after the story credits roll.

         

          All that content is great, but what is the point of it if the game is not fun. Fortunately, Mortal Kombat’s best asset, above all the flashy modes and extras, is its core fighting mechanics. The controls are responsive, and with each fighter having their own heft – Kitana glides across the screen with ease while Sheeva lumbers along, no one character plays the same. There is a real sense of impact when a fighter lands a hit, and with blood and damage persistently accumulating over a match, the characters really do look like they have been through the ringer after a tough bout.

           

          As good as it is, Mortal Kombat is not without its faults. While the story mode starts out strong, retelling the first two games with smooth transitions between cut scene and fight, by chapter 15 the story goes so far off the rails that it almost makes MK: Deception’s zombie Liu Kang look good. Another sore spot are the fights with Shao Khan and Goro, which force the use of cheap tactics like projectile attack spamming to win. They are neither fun, nor satisfying when you are eventually victorious.

Zombie karate apparently also requires chains with hooks on them.

           

          Mortal Kombat’s online mode features a matchmaking system, as well as a lobby system where players can chat and challenge each other. There is also King of the Hill, which attempts to replicate the arcade experience of the 90’s with a line of players awaiting their shot at the current champion, and a peanut gallery where spectators can cheer, taunt and vote on a fight’s quality. There were issues with player connection and matchmaking, however, often taking minutes before an opponent was found.

            

          The story and connection issues are hardly enough to spoil an otherwise top-notch brawler. With stiff competition from Street Fighter 4 and Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Mortal Kombat distinguishes itself, not as a mediocre-playing shock jock, but as a solid, tournament-ready fighter with enough bloody pizzazz to keep the experience fresh and exciting. 

Downloadable Games: Future or Fad?

With the introduction of larger hard drives and faster internet connections, downloadable games have seen their presence in the gaming industry grow considerably since the launch of the current generation of consoles. But with Sony hyping bluray as the evolution of DVDs since the Playstation 3 debuted back in 2006, is bypassing physical media truly the future of games?

Consider that since its launch in 2004, the Xbox Live Arcade has grown from a small collection of games, most of which were re-releases of classic games like Gauntlet and Ms. Pac Man, to a library numbering in the hundreds. And the Arcade hasn’t simply been a place for companies to cash in on older titles. Small and independent developers that lack the backing of a big publisher like Activision have found success there as well.

Developer PopCap Games has found success on XBLA with hits like Bejeweled (above), Peggle (below), and Plants vs. Zombies.

Being a longtime gamer, I understand that there is a certain fondness for having a physical copy of a game. And there’s an odd feeling of pride, seeing that vast collection of titles accumulated over a lifetime of gaming. But to be honest, how many of those games do you truly cherish? I wouldn’t give up my mint condition Twisted Metal II for anything, but I don’t extend that same sentimental value to something like Homefront.

Let’s say you don’t have an emotional attachment to a particular game, and you couldn’t care less about supporting a fledgling game developer. It still makes economic sense to go diskless. Buying a downloadable copy of a game is often $10 to $15 cheaper without the cost of printing a disc or manual. What’s more, you get it instantly, without having to use gas driving to the store. You can always download the game again if you delete it, and there’s no risk of scratching up the disk.

If only pictures had sound...

Why fumble around opening cases and exchanging disks when you could simply select the game you want from a list, and play. It may sound like nothing, but it’s just one more way downloadable games are cutting the fat out of the overall experience. They embody the streamlined, less-is-more attitude of the modern consumer; which is why downloadable games are becoming a larger part of mainstream entertainment than their traditional counterparts. How could an experience like Mass Effect, which requires hours of investment, compete with something so instantly gratifying as hearing Beethoven’s “Ode To Joy” blaring as you beat a level in Peggle?

In Eyetoy Play, you must dance to free your soul from those horrible teletubbie things.

 From Nintendo’s Virtual Boy to Sony’s Eye Toy, the gaming industry has seen its share of short-lived, “next big thing” technology. But downloadable games offer practicality rather than flashy gimmicks, which has, and will continue to aid in its success. It may take some time, but eventually downloadable gaming will become the standard of entertainment consumption. 

SOCOM 4 Online Beta Impressions

With the upcoming release of the fourth game in the online-centric SOCOM series, Zipper Interactive has opened its pre-launch online beta to the public. Hardcore fans are all but demanding SOCOM 2 in HD, but Zipper has attempted to ease their concerns with the addition of a "classic" mode that mimics the SOCOM experience of old. Along with classic is standard mode, which brings the Navy S.E.A.L.s into the modern era of gaming, featuring health regeneration, respawning, and the ability to sprint.

You can aim down the sights of your gun if it's equipped with a scope.

Right off the bat SOCOM 4 distinguishes itself as a polished shooter. The character movement is fluid and aiming feels just right, not too quick or sluggish. The selection of weapons is standard fare for a modern shooter, but each one has its own feel. And with use, each weapon will upgrade over time, eventually allowing for attachments like grenade launchers and advanced scopes. Game connection is near-perfect. Only once did I get hung up in menus, waiting to join a game. Once in, there is virtually no latency, even in 16v16 matches. The one weak spot so far has been the game's audio. All the weapons have a flat, clanging sound when they fire, and the music is indistinguishable from any other shooter on the market.

Unlike previous titles, you carry two primary weapons.

The two maps available, Port Authority and Assault and Battery, are well designed with multiple stories for snipers and run-and-gunners, with objects like boxes and jersey barriers strewn about for cover. The action is frantic and reliance on teammates is key to success in the objective-based modes.

The two game modes I've played so far are Uplink and Last Defense, both in standard and classic. Uplink plays like a game of king of the hill, with each side constantly batting to keep supremacy of three key points on the map. Between the two rule sets, Uplink was more enjoyable on classic, forcing teams to stick together in order to safely capture the points. Last Defense is an attack and defend mode with one side protecting three data points. If those are captured, the attacking team pushes forward for an all out attack on the defender's base. Last Defense is best played in standard mode, with constant respawns causing every inch of ground gained to feel like an individual battle contributing to the overall war effort.

I'll be reviewing SOCOM 4 in its entirety when it releases on April 19.

Review: The Sims Medieval

After releasing the third game in The Sims franchise back in 2009, and its subsequent expansion Late Night a year later, Electronic Arts and Sims Studio have diverted from the traditional sims formula with their latest release.

While easily mistakable for "sims at the Renaissance festival" at a glance, Sims Medieval is far deeper and quest-oriented than any game in the series. Similar to Sims 3, you start out by either making a custom sim or choosing from a list of presets. Unlike Sims 3, however, you don't have a choice of career aspirations; you are the monarch of your own little kingdom. You choose two of several traits for your sim like "fun-loving," or the ever-wonderful "whale ate my parents." Then you select a mandatory fatal flaw (every king has to have a dark side, right?) like leaning too heavily on the bottle, or just being a plain ol' bastard.

Once you've got your ruler, the next step is to pick a quest. Quests are the biggest difference in terms of gameplay from the previous Sims titles. They add a constant feel of progression to Medieval and, while you always have a quest of some variety (and they are varied), you can stop at any point and do whatever you want without fear of failing that quest.

Some quests offer multiple ways to complete them.

In addition to quests, The Sims Medieval uses a resource system which allows the player to add buildings to their kingdom. Go off into the woods to chop down trees for wood, or into the local cave to mine for metal. When you've accumulated enough resources, visit your trusty builder and he'll put your hard work to use. You can erect common buildings such as a tavern or a barracks (among other structures), or save up your resources for a wizard's tower or marketplace. While building construction adds a personal touch to each kingdom, the layout of the land can't be changed, meaning if you wanted to build a tavern, the only place it could be built is in its predesignated spot on the map.

The Sims Medieval may use The Sims 3's engine, but they look and play nothing alike. Sure they both have a point-and-click system, but Medieval's interface has been streamlined so well that the experience is like comparing apples and oranges. Medieval does away with most of the sims upkeep like bathing and happiness, and in its place is a system that revolves around your monarch's ability to rule up to snuff. Do the villagers hate you for being too oppressive? Did you meet the deadline for that new peace treaty with the neighboring kingdom? Medieval's new system is all about you ruling a kingdom, not micro-managing your sims's moodlets.

Overall, The Sims Medieval provides an enjoyable experience. The quests keep the game fresh and the redesigned system which emphasizes being a ruler over mood management makes for a more fluid game. Far from a ho-hum expansion, Medieval provides an experience that is a genuine departure from previous iterations, and is sure to please series veterans as well as those who were turned off by the series' traditional suburban style or micro-management.

Shooter Saturation

So Homefront and Crysis 2 came out last week. Personally, I don't see the appeal of Crysis as anything more than a glorified tech demo. And Homefront is unremarkable in every way possible. They're not bad games per-say, they just don't do anything that hasn't already been done better by other shooters. Homefront's saving grace is an above-average, battlefield style multiplayer, but even then, how much longevity will it have with Call of Duty, Halo, Killzone, SOCOM, and countless other military-themed shooters available.

Killin' things.

Crysis 2's multiplayer faces the same challenge as Homefront. Ever since Call of Duty 4 broke the game industry out of its wash, rinse, repeat formula with World War 2 shooters, every developer under the sun wants in on the M-16s and UAVs too. Now the market is as full of terrorist hunting as it was Nazi shooting back in the days of the PS2. There are people other than Nazis and terrorists that have done bad stuff.

We're Oscar Mike!

MLB 11 The Show is the Best in the Series, but is it Hall of Fame Worthy?

You can only rest on your laurels for so long. After releasing what, in essence, was the same game with various minor improvements for the past four years, Sony Computer Entertainment San Diego finally decided to overhaul the golden goose with the release of MLB 11 The Show.

The big ticket item this year is the introduction of "pure analog" controls. Similar to the 2K Sports baseball franchise, the new control scheme is meant to imitate the actions of the on-screen athletes through movement of the analog sticks rather than the basic button press system of old. 

Analog pitching has the player selecting a pitch and a location. Then, instead of the meter-based system from previous games, you pull down on the right analog stick until reaching the yellow bar that represents a perfect release point. Once you reach the bar, you push up in the direction you want the ball to go to. 

As a result, you have a far greater impact on the success (or failure) of the pitch, which was previously decided based on the rating of the pitcher.

Analog hitting is similar to pitching in that you pull the right stick down, then up again. The big difference with hitting however, is that you have to time when you start to pull back carefully. If you pull the stick back and hold it there for a few seconds before pushing forward, the contact you make will be far weaker than if you do it in one smooth motion. This means you have to watch the pitcher's delivery and decide when the time to start your swing is right.

Compared to pressing the X button to swing, analog hitting is far more tactile, and there is a greater sense of gratification when you square a ball up on the barrel and hear the beefy thud of the bat, as opposed to the puny click that resonates when you make contact on the handle of the bat.

The weakest of the three is analog fielding. When a fielder catches the ball, you push the right stick in the direction of the corresponding base. The more accurate your motion is, the more accurate the fielder's throw will be. If you hold the stick down longer, the throw will be harder. The problem is that the fielder will make an errant throw far too often, even if you make a perfect motion with the stick. This makes the system feel unreliable and too often you'll be hoping the fielder makes a decent throw regardless of how well you completed the motion.

The Show features all the basic modes such as exhibition, season, and franchise, as well as their trademark mode Road to the Show, where you create your own prospect and guide them to the bigs. In this mode, you play exclusively as your athlete from their perspective. The big improvement to Road to the Show this year is that you are constantly being rewarded for your actions the field, as opposed to previous iterations which only rewarded you for completing appointed goals.

MLB 11 The Show's biggest issue is the computer opponent's intelligence. The computer refuses to swing at anything outside of the strike zone, regardless of how well you throw a pitch. Too often I've had the computer in an 0-2 count and it refused to chase perfectly executed curveballs and sliders that a real major leaguer would have. This adds a level of frustration where you should have been rewarded for working ahead in the count and using your pitcher's out-pitch, only to have the computer act as if it knows what's coming. Another oddity is that some of the real life player models have heads that don't match the proportions of their bodies. For a baseball simulator, seeing a major leaguer who looks like they've had their head shrunk by a witch doctor can take you out of the experience quickly. 

MLB 11 The Show looks great. The constant improvements to the lighting and stadiums draw you into the experience, and the majority of the player animations are smooth. The game requires a large install when you first start it up, however, and even then, load times are exceptionally long. One last small gripe is that The Show's soundtrack has to be one of the worst in any game, but you can easily turn it off so no harm done.

MLB 11 The Show manages to replenish a stagnant franchise with a solid new control scheme to compliment the game's stellar looks and large list of modes. If you've been out of the game for a while or are new to The Show, now's the time to grab a bat and take a few cuts.