October 2010

New Game+: The benefits of DLC

October 12, 2010

Features / New Game+ / by Andrew Passafiume Make a comment! / Tweet it!

With the announcement of Dead Rising 2: Case Zero, there was a huge uprising in the interest of downloadable prequels (or sequels) to upcoming games. Later on, THQ announced one for the upcoming Red Faction game, and EA was soon to follow with a game that pre-dated Dead Space 2. The promise of additional content for the full game was enticing enough, although some claimed that these were simple marketing ploys to get people to pay for what were essentially demos. 

The release of Dead Rising 2: Case Zero was a huge success for Capcom, leading up to the announcement of Dead Rising 2: Case West that would be released soon after the full game. With the right price point of $5, it was hard not to be interested in Case Zero. It gave the player a taste of what to expect with Dead Rising 2, a little background on the two main characters, and a chance to find out if the Dead Rising experience was right for them.

I completely find the claims, at least in the defense of Case Zero, that these are glorified demos to be completely wrong. The basis of these products can be described as a demo, sure, but it more or less gives the player more of a background on the story of the full game more so than any demo might, and feels more like a full product. Plus, the ability to transfer your character’s level to Dead Rising 2 is a nice addition, offering something else you will never get from a demo.

These products, if priced correctly, show a new way to approach downloadable content. They offer a full product at a small price that can connect with an upcoming, high profile release. They allow the player to get the basic experience of a demo, but with situations that won’t be found in the main game. It’s not a product you will find yourself playing again, but it’s not one that needs to convince the player otherwise.

DLC is often used to expand upon a game after its initial release, either offering improvements or just giving the player more to do. Allowing the player to enter this world (in one way or another) before the game is out and giving them extra incentive to do so is one way developers can reach out to their communities and find problems before it is too late. 

With the right ideas in mind and the right initiative to deliver a quality product, these low price, easy to access game prequels can really expand upon a game in more ways than ever before. This is a good thing for the industry and, if not abused, can lead to many new and creative ways to deliver quality content for fans of particular series. Demos can often be misleading, but these products allow the developers to give us a different experience that satisfies our need to enjoy a particular game or series while also rewarding us just for being fans. 

It may seem like a minuscule idea, but it is one that can further expand the use of downloadable content in our industry for the better. 

NBA Jam

October 12, 2010

Reviews / Wii / by Graham Russell Make a comment! / Tweet it!

There are defining installments in game series. With most, there’s a rise to greatness and a fall from grace. Somewhere in the middle is the game’s peak, where the right elements fell together in the best combination. For Midway’s basketball games, this effect was more pronounced than most. The original title, Arch Rivals, had that special something, but it was a rough title that lacked polish. Then there was NBA Jam. After that, the series tried and failed with new ideas in Hangtime, Showtime and the disastrous Hoopz. 

So now that EA has revived the Jam moniker and gameplay, we have a lot of attempts to compare it to, and a lot of cautionary tales.

So let’s get this out of the way: the game’s amazing. 

EA Canada worked hard to become students of the original, duplicating as many elements as possible that made that version special. The core is the same: two-man teams face off with crazy dunks, frequent blocks and a bit more pushing than is allowed in the actual sport. They brought back the obvious structural elements like going “on fire” and turbo shoes, but it doesn’t stop there. The team signed many of the players in the original title as unlockable “legends” (including secret characters like the Clintons and the Beastie Boys), added many of the powerups and Big Head Mode and signed Tim Kitzrow as announcer.

Kitzrow’s return was huge for the title’s nostalgia factor. Now that he’s less restricted by memory, he can go on a little longer and with more variety, and it works well. As for the rest of the sound, well…it’s adequate. The soundtrack won’t wow you. It’s unobtrusive, though, and it’s better that way. The visuals are crisp, with everything running at 60 frames per second and the styled graphics polished up to look nice at any resolution.

Just as the announcing benefited from technological advances, the gameplay can too. Added to combat the effectiveness of blocks, pushes and steals are pump fakes, spins and crossovers. It’s subtle, but it makes the game a bit less abusive to the new player. Also added is an alley-oop, but it feels right at home in the Jam festivities. There’s Classic Controller support, but the slight motion controls work well enough to recommend using them. Shooting and blocking use flicking motions, and while that’s usually obnoxious, it’s implemented well, and the arm movements make a dunk or block just a bit more satisfying.

The game has two campaigns: Classic Campaign, modeled after the old title and consisting solely of vanilla two-on-two matches, and Remix Tour, which shakes up the formula pretty radically. Remix Tour has five game types: Elimination, a free-for-all scoring competition where the low scorer is eliminated each round; 21, another free-for-all where the winner is the first to score that number;  Backboard Smash, in which the boards have hit points and more violent dunks do more damage; Remix 2v2, which adds powerups to the base Jam game; and Domination, where teams try to control points on the court by being the last to score there. The three half-court modes (Elimination, 21 and Domination) are interesting minigames but hold no long-term potential.  Remix 2v2 is not that much more interesting than normal Jam, but can be fun. Backboard Smash is a cool change to the gameplay, especially if you’re frustrated by goaltending. None of them are clear improvements, though. All in all, Remix Tour was a nice try, but it was smart for the team to set it aside in its own mode.

A few gripes: Tag Mode is gone (though you can still tell opponents to shoot and pass), there’s no online (though the HD versions later this year should have it) and the team didn’t implement quite as much password record-keeping as was in the arcade classic. 

Ultimately, you want this game, and you should play it with three friends. It’s not an epic title to play on your own, but there are other games that do that. This is tailor-made for groups, and it works as well as it did in 1994. 

Atelier Rorona

October 12, 2010

PS3 / Reviews / by Andrew Passafiume Make a comment! / Tweet it!

The Atelier series first gained a cult following here in the States with Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana on the PS2. Six games later (including Mana Khemia 1 & 2), we have Atelier Rorona: The Alchemist of Arland. This game, like the Atelier games before it, features a heavy emphasis on alchemy. This game is less about exploring a traditional RPG game setting (although there is some of that) and more about character interactions, creating things through alchemy, and completing jobs in a timely fashion. 

Atelier Rorona starts off with young Rorolina Frixell (Rorona for short), the apprentice of a master alchemist named Astrid in the land of Arland. They own a little alchemy shop that is soon passed down to Rorona. Also, one day, a knight of Arland, shows up to tell Rorona that the shop will be closed unless she can complete twelve assignments for the King. The story is fairly basic and there are no big surprises: the villains are obvious and the heroes are generally likeable.

The characters are very charming though, and they all stand out from your typical Japanese RPG tropes. Rorona herself is definitely an unlikely lead character, but she manages to play her role just fine. While the characters themselves are good, the English voice acting is not always as enjoyable. Some VAs are flat-out unbearable, while others are pretty nice. Luckily, the game provides the option to turn on the original Japanese voice acting, which is nice to see.

Aside from some problems with the voice acting, Atelier Rorona’s presentation is great. The game looks very gorgeous with a nice art style, and the music ranges from relaxing to incredibly catchy. The game can also be rather funny, which ties into the very charming cast of characters mentioned above. Despite the forgettable story, this game has a lot going for it.

The gameplay itself can be very hit or miss. At times, I found it quite addictive, playing for hours in a single sitting. Other times, I couldn’t wait to get back to the save point to stop after a frustrating hour of tedious grinding and annoying quests. The times when it works, which is generally during the very intuitive alchemy sections or the character interactions, you can easily see yourself looking past the flaws. But on the other hand, you will often find yourself bored of some of the things you need to do.

There is plenty to do in the game, so there is a nice variety available. Aside from the alchemy and social aspects mentioned above, you also can accept quests to gather certain items to help raise money and your popularity in the town (which brings in more quests, characters, and money in the long run). These quests are separate from the main assignments and are a lot easier to do, if not a bit more tedious.

Some of these quests involve creating things with alchemy (or just buying/gathering a certain number of items). Sometimes you need to go out of the city to explore and gather new materials, which is where the game falls into the traditional turn-based RPG gameplay style. You have a party of three characters (whom you can invite or remove from your party at any time) to go with you to defeat monsters and gather items. It can be fun, but you often find yourself exploring many of the same areas and fighting many of the same monsters. It can get pretty dull very quickly.

The last thing worth mentioning is that everything in the game is timed. Each assignment has to be completed on time, as do each quest. At first you will feel compelled to try and do every quest possible, but after a while you learn that you need to do only the ones you can in a timely matter while also trying to finish the major assignments. It gives you plenty to do at the very least. It’s a shame most of the quests repeat themselves very often.

This game definitely stands out from a lot of others, but sometimes the distinctness of it can lead to tedium. It is, at its best, incredibly charming and humorous with some very addictive gameplay elements, but a lot of that is bogged down by some very boring quests and plenty of unnecessary grinding. Still, it’s a solid game that has a lot to offer. If you’re looking for a lengthy adventure with something new to offer, or you are a fan of the series, Atelier Rorona might be the game for you. 

Pros: Gorgeous presentation with enjoyable music; very charming characters; addictive gameplay with plenty to do

Cons: Some of the English VA is awful; item gathering and quest completing can get tedious pretty quickly

 

Jungly Jump

October 11, 2010

iPhone / Reviews / by Chris Rasco Make a comment! / Tweet it!

Jungly Jump is the newest game from iOS app specialist MEDL Mobile. It features two lovable characters, Squaty and Spiky, that are out to get a bite to eat. And they need your help. A simple-yet-challenging strategy game, Jungly Jump will test your creativity and keep you longing for just one more level.

The game is dead simple. Launch Spiky off the teeter-totter by telling Squaty, who climbs up and down the tree above, where and how high to jump from. Spiky’s trajectory is controlled by tapping the screen to aim. Each level has a target number of fruit to collect and a certain number of attempts in which to collect the fruit. Early levels have different patterns of fruit suspended in the air, but as you progress through the hundred-plus levels you’ll run into booby traps like fruit-rotting worms and even some power-ups to make the level easier.

Jungly Jump has a slight learning curve as you become familiar with the in-game physics. It has a ton of depth with the number of levels included and I really wanted to keep playing, but as the game progressed I grew tired of the aim, wait, and jump formula. Its cartoony graphics were fine, but Squaty reminded me an awful lot of Sid the Sloth from the Ice Age movies.

All of that aside, Jungly Jump is a decent strategy game if you are looking for something to play here and there. I genuinely had fun with it, but I just got bored on long playing sessions and found myself switching to other games after 10 or so minutes. It’s priced low at $1.99 so it’s a solid title to have at your disposal, but I wouldn’t say it’s one of my favorites.

AT&T U-Verse coming to Xbox 360

October 11, 2010

News / by Shawn Vermette Make a comment! / Tweet it!

Remember when Microsoft announced that their IPTV initiative, one that would allow you to use your Xbox 360 as a DVR and watch live TV streaming through it? Well, four years later, that service will finally be released this Friday, October 15th. READ MORE

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