Andrew Passafiume

2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa

May 26, 2010

EA Sports’ FIFA series has enjoyed incredible success, especially in the recent years. EA has also put out FIFA World Cup games to commemorate the championship itself, and this year we get 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa. While I’m not a veteran of the FIFA series, I have played one every now and again, and consider it to be the best around when it comes to soccer video games. However, many people criticized the last World Cup game. Does this title redeem the FIFA World Cup name?

The presentation, as expected, is top notch. The player models all are great, the crowds are incredibly realistic, and the stadiums themselves look incredible. The crowd will react depending on how well the team they are rooting for is doing, and it is clear there was a lot of attention to detail when it comes to these little tweaks. The player animation is very solid as well, and the commentary is well done. EA has done another fine job in the graphics and sound department and delivered a very realistic looking and sounding soccer game.

The first thing you will notice when you start up the game is the ability to choose options that will cater to you depending on how much of a FIFA Soccer veteran you are. You can choose the beginning difficulty level, and change your control scheme to suit your needs. There is even a two button control scheme that allows you to pull off all of the basics very easily. Sure, this control scheme does not allow for the precision that veterans are used to, but it allows for all players to get into this game. The controls, no matter which scheme you select, are as responsive as you can get.

There are many different modes and options to choose from. You can jump straight into a match if you would like with the “kick off” option, which is easy if you are just looking for a quick match to play by yourself or with friends. You can start a random match by either pressing the start button, or you could select a match using the right analog stick right from the main menu to pick two teams straight away. This game definitely gives you plenty of ways to jump straight into the action. And of course, you can actually play through FIFA World Cup itself as any team you’ve selected.

Captain Your Country is a new mode, although it’s basically the World Cup version of FIFA Soccer’s “Be a Pro” mode. You either play one to four different players on specific teams (you can basically pick four different teams), and you can select a specific player from the team(s) or create your own. The character creation is pretty good, and has plenty of options for crafting your own soccer captain.

From there, you see your captain’s own personal website where you can check your stats, your ranking among other captains, manage your team, train your captain, and eventually go on to play different matches. And you are scored based on how well you play in different matches. Overall, this mode is full of plenty to do, with lots of depth for true soccer fanatics, and it probably will last you quite a long time.

The online play is where the game is really lacking. The online options seem very limited, and although you can play through the World Cup with friends, either competitively or cooperatively, the lack of online support with Captain Your Country is very disappointing. Also, I had problems connecting to matches on many different occasions and a lot of them I did connect to seem to be very laggy. Let’s hope that these small issues are ironed out soon, because they really hamper the online experience.

When it comes down to it, 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa plays a great game of soccer, and has plenty of new modes and improved features that will keep you coming back for more. If you’re a FIFA Soccer fan or just a soccer fan in general, this is definitely one game that is worth adding to your collection.

Pros: Amazing presentation and player animation; solid controls; Captain Your Country is a great addition that will keep you busy; easy for all players to get into; plenty of modes and options to choose from

Cons: Online options are lacking, and online can be laggy at times

Dead to Rights: Retribution

May 23, 2010

Reviews / Xbox 360 / by Andrew Passafiume /

Dead to Rights is a series that started out with promise, but fell flat on its face with the second installment. The first game definitely was enjoyable while it lasted, and it combined some solid shooting mechanics with even better hand to hand combat. The two blended together rather seamlessly, but when the second game came around, everyone gave up on what could have been a rather successful action series. Here we are, five years later, with a reboot of the series that has the potential to live up to the original.

Just like the first two games, Retribution stars Detective Jack Slate and his canine companion Shadow. Although this is not connected to the original two games in anyway, and in the beginning, Jack does not even have Shadow at his side. The story in general is rather weak, and just barely pushes the player along from one grimy looking area to another to take wave after wave of bad guys.

This is not a good looking game by any means. Everything about this game from the character models to the environments just scream last generation, and the voice acting is rather weak as well. Everything about the game’s presentation really makes me believe that the developers did not feel the need to even try to hold up to today’s standards.

The gameplay itself? It works, which is always a good thing, but it’s all an incredibly forgettable experience. The controls are fine, the shooting feels solid, but the execution of it all is nothing exciting. The game is not only a shooter, but like the first two games, it allows you to switch to hand to hand combat on the fly. The combat itself is well thought out, but the way you switch between the two is awkward, and when certain enemies have guns and others just want to beat you up all in the same area, it can just get frustrating. Shooting them all seems like the simple answer, but that does that not work as well as one would hope.

And then there are the Shadow levels, in which you sneak around and stealth kill enemies. It seems neat at first, but when you realize you are playing as a dog and dragging bodies to try and hide them, it’s hard not to laugh. Plus, these levels are very short and lack the punch that some of the better action sequences do. There are some memorable moments in the game, but they do not last very long and they are overshadowed by the rest of the game, which does nothing to help it stand out among the wide array of other action games on the market.

As soon as the achievement popped up for “performing a groin takedown” with Shadow, I thought this game might be something special. However, the design only helped to prove me wrong in every conceivable way. If this game were strictly a shooter, it would probably be a fun weekend rental. As it stands, the final product falls short of even generic shooter territory and becomes a rather abysmal game with some few minor (but enjoyable) action sequences. If there is any good reason to keep this series from coming back again, this game is it.

Pros: Controls are solid; shooting mechanics work

Cons: Muddled, ugly graphics; forgettable story; Shadow stealth levels are laughably bad; the combination of gunplay and fighting does not work nearly as well as it should

Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper

May 19, 2010

Reviews / Xbox 360 / by Andrew Passafiume /

Back when I was a kid, my dad thought it would be a great idea to buy a Sega CD, and with it came some of the numerous “classics” like Sewer Shark and Night Trap. The system did have a few good titles though, and one of the games we had was a little adventure title called Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective. Okay, looking back on it now, it was not very good, but it was a game I actually enjoyed. It allowed the player to truly enter the role of Sherlock Holmes and, while I was generally not very good at the game, it sparked my interest in both Sherlock Holmes and the adventure genre in general.

Jump forward many years later, and Sherlock Holmes still finds himself in many new mysteries. It seems like developer Frogwares has recently brought Sherlock Holmes back to gaming in a series of adventure titles for the PC. And here is the first game in the series to make it to consoles, Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper. Based on the title alone, the premise may seem silly, but it is actually very cool. What if Sherlock Holmes had existed and he was able apply his own detective skills to the murders of Jack the Ripper? This was another title that truly put the player in the role of the famous fictional detective.

The game’s strongest points lie in the setting, story, and overall feel of the game. You take the role of both Holmes and Dr. Watson as you investigate a series of murders all centered on the “Whitechapel killer” (or Jack the Ripper, as he is later referred to). As all adventure titles go, there is a lot of exploring, puzzle solving, and (in true Sherlock Holmes fashion) many deductions to make. At the end of this tale, it all seems to tie in rather well with the actual history involving Jack the Ripper, so things seem a bit more grounded in reality than you may think.

The puzzles are all ingenious and generally take a lot of effort to solve. They are all mostly well designed and very clever, and you will make a LOT of mistakes while solving them. The game is rather short, but most of your time will be spent solving these puzzles, as some of them may take a lot of effort. Those familiar with adventure games will find themselves right at home here.

The actual “crime scene investigation” and deduction making processes are excellent as well, and you really feel like Holmes himself as you try to put together these pieces to a continually growing puzzle. You will do several things during the game that feel out of place, but it all comes together in the end as you slowly piece together who the killer really is.

On the downside, the game is really hampered with technical problems and a very poor presentation. The game looks pretty bad by today’s standards, the character models are ugly, and you often get very odd clipping and hit detection issues. The voice acting, outside of Holmes and Watson, is pretty bad as well. However, as good as the voice acting for the two leads may be, many of their voice clips are repeated ad nauseam. These problems really hinder the game, but they don’t truly ruin the experience as you might think.

Also, if you are going to play this game, I recommend the PC version, as the interface would probably be a lot easier to use. The 360 controller works, for the most part, but some of the interactions with different objects or characters can be wonky at times. The controls aren’t complex, they just seem poorly implemented. Also, certain puzzles seem like they simply work better with a mouse and keyboard.

Overall, this is a solid adventure title, especially great for the Sherlock Holmes fans out there. The game’s presentation is poor, and the technical issues really bring down the overall experience, but at the budget price, this is a must have for adventure game fans desperate for a new game. It tells a great story, and it will really get your mind working.

Pros: Excellent story; very well designed puzzles; the investigation and deduction scenes make you feel like Sherlock Holmes

Cons: Horrible presentation; technical issues that bog the experience down; 360 controller isn’t exactly adventure game friendly

New Game+: Linearity in games

May 16, 2010

Features / New Game+ / by Andrew Passafiume /

In recent months, I’ve heard many reviewers note that a game with a very linear structure is not as good as it could be, especially if the prior game or games in the series are more open for exploration.

Linearity has become something that many people consider a bad thing, but why? It seems like gamers enjoy exploring the world the developers created more so than being lead on one particular path that is held together by a story. I definitely do not blame them, especially since game worlds have become increasingly more interesting and free to explore, but there is no reason to discount linearity entirely.

What makes linearity great? Even in this day and age, there are plenty of video games with a very linear structure. You mainly see action oriented games, but RPGs tend to focus on more wide open worlds for you to venture around. And RPGs have been like this since the original Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy. Yet, when RPGs become even bigger, one series dared to tighten things up and lead players down a very specific path.

Final Fantasy XIII, the game I’ve been referring to, is the one that has taken the most heat from being almost completely linear when compared to the previous games in the series. Almost every area leads you down a very narrow pathway with a few branches in the path here and there that might lead you to treasure. People were unhappy with the lack of towns, a real over world to explore, and they all felt like something was missing. This is especially true when compared to Final Fantasy XII, which was incredibly wide open and almost required exploration.

But, I like Final Fantasy XIII a lot, and enjoyed the very linear structure to the game. While the story was far from perfect, it allowed the developers to lead you to where you needed to go to develop the story exactly how they want it to be developed. Fallout 3 is a game that is built on exploration, but because of that, it loses its narrative focus. The story becomes lost and muddled, and by the end of the main missions, they tend to lose interest entirely. Final Fantasy XII received similar complaints from fans who felt like the story could have been a lot stronger.

I’m not saying that it is impossible to create a strong narrative in a game with an open world, but it does become increasingly difficult the more developers focus on exploration and the bigger the world itself gets. There is nothing wrong with creating a non-linear game, but I think in doing so; developers know the risks they are taking in terms of narrative.

To look at a game that is not an RPG, BioShock is one of the few shooters that benefits from having a strong story and being truly linear. Sure, there are parts of Rapture that you can explore, but you are essentially following the game’s instructions and going exactly where you need to go to progress the story. Sure, there are audio logs you can find to expand upon characters and on Rapture itself, but the story that is presented is one of the best seen in a game. It is one I feel would get lost or muddled if things were left more open to the player.

Another recent release that is pretty linear in nature is Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love. Although this is not a new game, it’s the first time we’ve seen the popular Japanese series localized here in the States. This is quite an amazing and endearing game that is part SRPG, part dating sim. And while it may be an odd combination for some, it really does work, and the rather linear nature of it all helps the characters develop and become more than just cardboard cutouts with one particular trait.

Sure, there are plenty of choices you can make in the game, but that will only impact the girl you end up with at the end of the game, not the overall story. It is a game that still takes you from point A to point B, but does so in quite excellently. Sure, there are times when you are free to explore, but these only benefit your relationships to the characters and not to the overall story.

In the end, linearity is far from a bad thing in video games. If a game is going to be linear, especially an RPG, there is a good chance it is done to keep the player focused on the narrative and truly develops the characters. Not every game should be linear, but games should never be faulted for it either, especially RPGs. If every RPG played the game, I think people would grow tired of the genre rather quickly. Final Fantasy XIII and Sakura Wars are examples of linear games that benefit because of it. I believe linearity good for the industry, especially when some of the best stories are told from these particular games.

Lunar: Silver Star Harmony

April 18, 2010

PSP / Reviews / by Andrew Passafiume /

Lunar; Silver Star Harmony is an updated version of the original Sega CD RPG developed by Game Arts. The first version of the game originally on the Sega CD, but it was later released for the Saturn, PlayStation, and even had a version for the Game Boy Advance. However, I can confidently say that this is the best version of this classic RPG.

For one, the game has improved dramatically in terms of its look. The art style has been completely redone, and it fits the PSP perfectly while making the game look a lot more fresh and original among the various other PSP RPGs out on the market. Everything looks clean, and the character art is just as good as it ever was.

The music is excellent as well, with some very memorable tunes that rival some of the best RPG soundtracks out there. The downside to the presentation is the voice acting, which has also been redone, but still is not very good. Actually, it’s pretty terrible, but it’s still an improvement over the voice acting found in the PS1 release.

In terms of gameplay, Silver Star Harmony is as traditional as you can get. The thing that makes this a worthwhile adventure and how it stands out among the rest of the portable RPGs is both the world itself and the cast of characters. While the voice acting may get on your nerves quickly, the characters themselves all stand on their own, and it does not take long before you find yourself invested in their story and in this world.

While the gameplay is very traditional in nature, it does not stop it from being a blast to play. Monsters appear on screen, and you can choose to run past them or fight them. You have your basic attack, special attacks and magic attack, and as you fight them, you gain experience, so on and so forth. Nothing new or groundbreaking, but it is still a very engaging game to play despite how dated it may seem in this day and age.

What doesn’t work about the gameplay? Nothing in particular, but certain dungeons are incredibly lengthy and very tedious to navigate through. It’s also standard to have a handful of these tedious dungeons in JRPGs, but they feel a bit out of place with most of the dungeons and the world itself, which is generally a blast to go through and explore. Also hindering the experience are very long loading times, something that never became too apparent to me until these specific dungeons.

Aside from those little problems, Lunar: Silver Star Harmony is a great RPG that fits the PSP perfectly, so much so that it may be hard to return to any console version of the game. It is still a very memorable RPG, and even those who have never played it will get a kick out of the story, characters, and the world, and may just find an RPG that puts itself above and beyond most found in a handheld.

Pros: Turn based gameplay holds up well and is a blast to play; memorable cast of characters and world to explore; incredible music; updated art style fits the PSP perfectly

Cons: Some dungeons are unnecessarily long and tedious; incredibly long loading times; awful voice acting

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