April 2011

MLB 11: The Show

April 5, 2011

PlayStation 2 / Reviews / by Shawn Vermette Make a comment! / Tweet it!

The PS2 is pretty much relegated to PSP ports these days, a reversal of roles from the early days of the PSP. This year’s MLB The Show is no exception.

Unlike with the PS3 version, Sony stuck with the button-only control schemes for the PS2, though that doesn’t really mean anything to me, as the buttons are a much more accurate and reliable control method anyway.

The franchise mode is pretty much the same as it always has been. That still means it is one of the better modes out there for franchise or sim nuts. It’s as deep as you would hope for from MLB The Show, though as usual, it lacks some of the depth of the PS3 version. 

The Road to the Show mode is back, though it is nowhere near the quality of the PS3 version. After being drafted by a team, you’ll get sent to AA, with the goal of improving both your in-game stats and your overall stats. After each at-bat, you’ll be given points based on how “good” your performance was. For a pitcher, you’ll want to either strike out the batter or get them out with as few pitches as possible for the best scores, while as a batter you want to make the pitcher throw as many pitches as possible, and preferably get on base. Additionally, your stats have changed to allow 60 days of not being worked on before they start declining instead of just 30.

They added a third commentator this year, Eric Karros. Unfortunately, his lines are very sparse, with nearly all the commentary recycled from last year. Graphically, it looks okay for a PS2 game, though its PSP roots show.

If you’re still sporting a PS2 as your system of choice, then this is pretty much your only option for baseball games. That said, it’s a pretty good option to have.

Pros: Franchise mode is deep and detailed; Road to the Show is as fun as ever  

Cons: Commentary is largely recycled

 

Trailer: Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale

April 4, 2011

News / by Graham Russell Make a comment! / Tweet it!

Atari sent over a new trailer for downloadable hack-and-slash title Dungeons & Dragons: Daggerdale. This one features the fighter, doing what fighters do. (Hint: they fight.)

The trailer is after the break. Daggerdale will release in episodic form later this year. READ MORE

Snackbar Speculator: You shall not (online) pass

April 4, 2011

Features / Speculator / by Shawn Vermette Make a comment! / Tweet it!

In this installment, we look at Star Fox, Mortal Kombat and the Halo remake.

Star Fox 64 coming to 3DS in May

Nintendo is notoriously closed-mouthed when it comes to when their biggest franchises will be released, but according to a recent document released by the Spanish distributor of Nintendo games, Star Fox 64 is coming in May to Europe. Thus, it stands to reason it would come to the US in May as well, right? 

Gerry: Sure, why not. The 3DS could sure use some more games to cover the gaps left on the launch line-up. 50%

 


Andrew: You would think that if any big 3DS title was going to come out in May, it would be Ocarina of Time. But that’s currently slated for June. Nintendo has been known to release some games in Europe before the U.S., so it wouldn’t be all that surprisingly to see Star Fox 64 3D over there before we get it. It’s the kind of thing you think they would announce by now if it were true. Either way, doesn’t seem entirely plausible to me. 20%

Graham: Nintendo was clear about which games would hit the launch window. From what I’ve played, it will be a great version of Star Fox, but it doesn’t make much sense to release it near either Pilotwings or Kid Icarus. I’ll hold out a bit of hope, just because the post-launch 3DS schedule is as barren as it could possibly be.  3%


Halo: Combat Evolved remake coming in 2011

Microsoft has confirmed that they are working on a full-fledged remake of the original Halo for the Xbox 360, but have given no release schedule for it. However, recent rumors seem to indicate it could come as early as this holiday season, putting yet another blockbuster franchise in to an already crowded holiday season.

Gerry: Given a lack of a new Halo release this year,  there should be some pressure to release something new related to the franchise. A Halo:CE remake would certainly be well-received during the holiday season, though I wonder how quickly Microsoft would rush this to fit a deadline. 45%


Andrew: I’m sure we’ll be hearing about a new Halo game soon enough (probably E3 if I had to guess), but I doubt we’ll actually see it this year. I’m sure Microsoft would love to keep people talking about the franchise, so why not reboot the original? With a nice new coat of paint and some online play, it could be a great way to get the Halo name out there again before 38 Studios takes a stab at whatever the next game might be. 80%

Graham: It’s getting a bit crowded for the holiday season, but what’s really missing is something Microsoft can trumpet as a solid system exclusive. Halo would sell like hotcakes and get them through another year without too much talk of a next-gen device, and they already said they’re working on this. It could tank the series if it fails, though, so they may want to give the new guys a generous development cycle.  70%


Mortal Kombat to require an ‘online pass’ for used games

Recently, rumors have been popping up that Warner Bros. is going to adopt the online pass strategy for used games that EA and THQ have created, charging $10 to access online portions of games that are sold used. These rumors also seem to indicate that the first such title would be the new Mortal Kombat.

Gerry: As much as I disagree with this “online pass” policy, the appeal of gaining money off used game sales is tempting enough to get more big name publishers to adopt it. I really hope this doesn’t come to pass, but the odds don’t look too good. 75%


Andrew: It seems to be the popular business move to make these days. I won’t get into whether it’s right or wrong, but big publishers want to do whatever it takes to make sure that gamers hold onto their copies of Mortal Kombat and also that they don’t buy it used. It seems like a given at this point. 95%

Graham: I hate gouging consumers. I don’t so much hate online passes, since they don’t take from anyone who has already paid them. Do what they need to do about used games, yeah? It just creates a problem in the future, but I doubt online play will even be active as far away as I’m concerned about. Anyway, Mortal Kombat. Yeah, it could have it. I have no inside sources, but it make sense, and WB hasn’t shied away from similar tactics in the past.  70%

Top Spin 4

April 4, 2011

Reviews / Xbox 360 / by Justin Last Make a comment! / Tweet it!

Top Spin 4 is a lot of fun. Top Spin 3 swung a bit too much toward unforgiving sim, and Top Spin 4 comes back with a much better compromise between sim controls and arcade controls. The physics are handled well, the create-a-player interface is top notch, and both the offline and online play are streamlined and fun.

Tennis is a game about endurance and timing, and both elements are present in Top Spin 4. As the match wears on, your player will get more and more tired. This is evident in run speed, shot strength, and for the AI, an unwillingness to chase a long shot across the court. What this means to people who play tennis is that the same tactics that work on the court in real life will also work on the court in Top Spin. It is worth your time to aim your shots and make your opponent run left to right for each shot, as eventually he will get tired and you’ll have an easier time sneaking a shot by him. The physics are realistic as well. Different court surfaces produce different ball performance and player speed. And the players can’t turn on a dime. You take off at full bore in one direction and there’s a slip and some slowdown when you try to turn 180 degrees for your next shot. Controls feel deliberate without feeling clunky and responsive without feeling unnatural. Regardless of whether you win or lose, you’ll feel like it was your doing that got you there and that you weren’t fighting the game along the way.

Create-a-player systems are an odd beast. They allow you to help develop the game you’re playing, and players who love them really, really love them. Top Spin 4 has an excellent create-a-player system, and it all focuses on one area – the face. It is amazing just how detailed an avatar I can make just be selecting preset facial features and then tweaking how the system has stitched them together. After you’ve created a face, there a decent selection of body types and swing styles to choose from as well. However you want your player to look and act, Top Spin 4 can accommodate your wishes.

Offline career is full of exactly what you want to do when playing a tennis game: tennis matches. Minigames governing training are gone, and Top Spin 4 is better for it. I don’t care that real tennis pros dodge barrels or go bowling or any other thing that makes them better at playing tennis. If I wanted to do those things, I would find a game about them. I want to play tennis. The folks over at 2K Czech get that and have filled Top Spin 4 with nothing but tennis matches. There are goals to be met, stat increases to earn, and tournaments to compete in. You still have a player to manage (the aforementioned stat boosts), but you don’t have to worry about things that don’t matter like finances and whether fans like you.

Online play closely mirrors offline play in that career and quick play are available. You’ll find yourself matched with players outside of your skill range, but the trade-off there is that matches are quick to find in the interest of allowing you to play matches instead of watching a search fail, expand its range, fail again, expand again, etc. until a “suitable” match is finally found. You’ll get better by playing better players, and everything feels good enough that it is possible to have fun even if you’re losing.

Top Spin 4 is a great tennis game. Everything should be so aware of exactly what it is, cut away the unnecessary bits, and present its core concept to the player so well.

Pros: Great physics, player stamina system, well-streamlined product

Cons: Skill level mismatches in online play

 

Revenge of the Titans

April 1, 2011

PC / Reviews / by Michael Walbridge Make a comment! / Tweet it!

Tower defense is a niche genre that wears out its welcome quickly for some, and if that has happened to you, Revenge of the Titans won’t do anything to make you come back. However, if it is a genre you crave, then Revenge of the Titans’ unique options and opportunities for creativity will satiate your thirst. 

In the game, you are defending Earth from Titans, extremely large aliens that seek to destroy humanity. You then take the fight back to them. The commander and researchers will provide amusing, though usually useless, updates on what your research for that level will be and what the new titans will be. The weakest point of the game hinges on this—the descriptions for the research and buildings are often vague. Sometimes the needed building or ability is asked for in one level, but is 3 to 4 levels away in the tech tree. Some towers end up being highly useful in some situations, some are always useful, and some are usually not. At first this is a disappointment, but that really is part of the magic of deciphering the code and mechanics in tower defense.

The real treat is the design of titan paths and level layouts. The maps are more like maps from RTS games, with varying mountains and crystals to mine. Instead of one or two obvious paths, the titans can start from 5 or 8 paths. Some start in the middle. Some can be directed off course by the decoy building or simply by building money-producing refineries in the middle of nowhere. All buildings are placed instantly, and all have limited ammo that must be reloaded. Ammo can be reloaded manually. Powerups also appear in random spots or upon killing some titans. The ability to instantly place mines or barricades can make for some close calls. 

Difficulty and campaign progression is done well also. The first two section are generally easy (though I suspect just about every player underestimates the first mega titan on the tenth level), but the difficulty really starts to ramp as further on. If you have a hard level, you can lower the difficulty just for that level in order to progress and come back to it later. The money is also kept over from each level to the next, as are the powerups, making each level’s performance important, even the easier ones. Levels can also be saved in real time. Making the campaign truly a campaign in the strategy sense rather than have it be level progression is an old trick on a new dog, but it works well.

The other two modes are Survivor and Endless. Endless is a campaign in the classic sense, with shorter levels and even lesser story. In Survivor, you can pick a type of map and a map size and then go as long as you can. The unique element here is again that you can save it in real time–there is a record that goes longer than a day.

There are unique elements and ideas in some of the buildings, too, but nothing here really shines. There is a decent amount of content, the mechanics work well and there is a lot of furious on-the-fly action, but as someone who has played plenty of tower defense games (at least a dozen), there isn’t anything exciting here. If you’ve played plenty and need something new, this will fit the bill, but if you’re new to the genre or looking for something impressive, I would recommend trying Lock’s Quest for the DS or Defense Grid: The Awakening for Xbox 360 or the PC/Mac.

Pros: Real-time save feature, experiments in the genre worth seeing, map layouts, titan-pathing

Cons: Lots of bad buildings, cluttered and confusing tech tree, lacking story (even for this genre), frustrating learning curve

 

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