Andrew Passafiume

Tekken 6

December 13, 2009

To the delight of many fighting game fans, Tekken 6 was released this year on consoles. And like Tekken 5 before it, we now have a portable version of the newest fighter, with many of the same features found in the console version. And with several new key additions to the franchise, it’s easy to tell that the game will give Tekken fans plenty to do while on the go.

On a technical level, Tekken 6 is the best fighting game to hit the PSP yet. The sound design is fantastic, and the game looks absolutely stunning. Also, the loading times are reduced from the ones found in the console version, which is nice to have in a portable game. Namco Bandai clearly has set the bar high for how a fighting game should look on a handheld, and it might be a while before we see another 3D fighter as technically amazing as this one.

The game features the largest cast of characters in the series history, including plenty of old favorites such as Heihachi and Law, and a few new additions such as Alisa and Bob. The roster is well balanced, with a character that is there for every kind of fighting game player. None of the characters feel broken, and with the right amount of time and patience, they can all be mastered.

A problem many people might have with playing a fighting game on a portable is the controls. But Tekken 6 controls wonderfully, with the PSP d-pad allowing you to perform several precise combos just as easily as you would on the console version. Those who have played the console version will be happy to know that the same exact move sets from the other versions are still present in this one.

The modes you would expect to have in a Tekken game are here, including the arcade and story modes. Although the arcade mode is the same as it is on the console, the main “story mode” is incredibly short and feels like an incredibly downgraded version of the one found in the console game. Also, there are quite a few modes, including the Campaign Scenario mode, which are completely absent from the game. Considering Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection, which was a downloadable game, had all of the features of its console brother, it’s a disappointment to know that Tekken 6 is not the same.

But despite all of that, there is still plenty of content here to keep you busy. The arcade mode itself is still a lot of fun, and it will take a while for even the most dedicated player to go through it with all characters and try to unlock all the game has to offer. The multiplayer is also a blast, although it is a disappointment that it’s only local and there are no options to hop online and face opponents. But if you’re on the go and have a few friends to play with, you won’t have much of a problem.

Tekken 6 is the perfect game for those itching to have their favorite 3D fighter on the go. While it does pale in comparison to the console version in a few ways, it also manages to exceed it as well. Overall, it’s a solid entry in the series and a great game to have on the go.

Pros: Solid controls; plenty of characters to choose from; amazing presentation; fast loading times

Cons: Loses a lot of features and content from the console versions

Left 4 Dead 2

December 6, 2009

Reviews / Xbox 360 / by Andrew Passafiume /

Whether or not you thought we needed a sequel so soon, Left 4 Dead 2 is here. And with it comes a brand new setting, four new lead characters, and plenty of other additions that make the first feel like more like a demo than the full experience.

The gameplay is just as you remember it. Your goal in each campaign is to get from point A to point B, doing different objectives along the way to clear your path and eventually get to rescue. The concepts are the same, but with some radical new additions to the game, there are plenty more reasons to revisit each campaign.

Your A.I. buddies tend to not be too helpful, so we recommend playing with other human players. The co-op, especially with four people, is still just as addictive as it was in the first, and all five of the campaigns show a lot more variety than first’s.

There are several new additions to the game, but let’s start with the enemies. In every level, there is a new common infected scattered among the rest. In the Dark Carnival level, you have zombie clowns. In Parish, there are zombies in SWAT armor. They generally are a bit harder to take down than the normal zombies, but you will find yourself mowing them down pretty quickly in time.

There are also three new specials that can be just as dangerous as the original’s. Spitters shoot deadly acid at you and your allies. Jockeys jump on top of you and try to steer your character towards any kind of danger. And then chargers, well, charge at you and continue to slam you into the ground until you are rescued.

There are also new zombie-killing tools available as well. First, melee weapons are now in the game, and there are a lot of them, from a frying pan to a chainsaw. These replace your standard pistol and can be pretty useful in tight situations. Sometimes they can become your prime weapon during key zombie horde attacks. There are also new variations on the guns, and stuff like incendiary ammo that can very handy when taking on waves of zombies.

There are also other multiplayer modes outside of the co-op campaigns. There is versus, which pits a team of survivors against four players playing as the special infected, and a survival mode which is just as it sounds: survive as long as possible. The new game mode is scavenge, which has you trying to collect as many different items as possible before being wiped out by the infected. It’s addictive and might be the new preferred mode of play among many players.

Overall, Left 4 Dead 2 is a lot like the original, but with a enough improvements and new additions to keep you coming back for more. It is one of the best shooters of this year, and it will be one you continue to come back to for many months.

ESRB: Rated M for mature; rated for blood and gore, intense violence, and language

Pros: Amazing co-op; all five campaigns show more variety than the original game; new additions to the game are welcomed; scavenge mode is addictive; the A.I. director offers more challenge and ways of altering the levels

Cons: A.I. allies are still not too helpful

Half-Minute Hero

November 30, 2009

PSP / Reviews / by Andrew Passafiume /

Half-Minute Hero is one of the most unique games to come out in quite some time. It takes the concept of a “pick up and play game” and runs with it, with gameplay that is perfectly suited for a handheld. Taking the concept of an RPG and making it well suited for a pick up and play experience seems like something that might be impossible, but developer Opus has done just that.

There are three main modes of play that are unlocked when you first start the game (with some more to unlock as you make progress in the game). The main mode is Hero 30, which casts you as a random hero who has the job of trying to save the world in thirty seconds. This sounds like it is practically impossible, but there is no real motivation or story besides “there is a villain, you are a hero, and you must stop the villain from destroying the world.”

Within the first quest of the game, you meet up with the Time Goddess who will reverse time for you whenever you please (and are willing to pay her the money to do). And once you complete this quest and stop the villain, you learn that the real fiend behind this plot is still alive. With more than 30 different quests in all, you will find yourself with plenty to do in this main mode, especially considering some of these quests lead to branching paths.

The gameplay is rather simple, and it seems tailored to any gamer, even those who do not consider themselves RPG fans. At the beginning of each quest, you start out at level one, and as you run around the open world you run into random encounters. You continue to fight these monsters, level up, and travel around the map until you are ready to face the final boss of the quest. The battles themselves are played out based on what your level is. There is no real input from the player required, you just watch the battle unfold, and how long it lasts depends on the level of your character.

If you find yourself running low on time, you can go to a nearby town and use one of the several Time Goddess statues to restore time once again. From these towns, you can also buy healing items, equipment (which you keep from quest to quest), and get specific side quests which may lead to rewards that help you in your journey.

At the end of each quest, you are ranked based on how many times you used the Time Goddess statues and just how quickly you were able to “save the world.” There is no real penalty for dying, as you are just brought back to your starting position with only a small bit of health.

Each quest has specific challenges that might take you a few tries how to figure out. In this regard, Half-Minute Hero can be quite the puzzling experience, especially during some of the later levels. But this challenge is welcome, especially considering that the game overall is not terribly long (but this is no surprise really) and if you decide to sit down and get through the game as quickly as possible, it probably will not take you more than 4-5 hours. But it is meant as a pick up and play title, one you will find yourself playing at 20-30 minutes at a time before moving on to something else.

The other two modes you get from the start are Evil Lord 30 and Princess 30, both of which can be finished pretty quickly. Evil Lord 30 is a quick-paced strategy game where you must defend your castle. Princess 30 plays like a side scrolling shooter. Both modes are fun for a little while, but they leave a lot to be desired and just are not nearly as fun as the main mode of play.

Despite how lackluster the other modes in the game are, Hero 30 is a blast, and the entire game is well worth the price because of it. This is a game that is not meant to be played for long periods of time, but if you do find yourself getting through it quickly, there are harder difficulty modes that could provide quite the challenge. Half-Minute Hero is an incredibly original and truly fun handheld experience that should not be missed by any PSP owners.

ESRB: Rated E10+ for ages ten and up; rated for animated blood, language, and mild fantasy violence

Pros: The main mode of play, Hero 30, is addictive and challenging

Cons: The other game modes are a lot more shallow than Hero 30

Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo

November 29, 2009

Reviews / Wii / by Andrew Passafiume /

It is always nice to see a good side scrolling action game every now and again. In the case of the latest release in the Dragon Ball series, Revenge of King Piccolo is not a good side scroller. It is as generic as they come, and it feels like it belongs on one of the older Nintendo systems, not on the Wii.

The game’s story follows a young Goku throughout the entire Dragon Ball series as he is on the hunt for the legendary Dragon Balls. If you are a fan of the series, you will note that the game does follow the series close enough, despite how much it skips around. If you are not a fan of the series, you will most likely be incredibly lost.

In terms of the presentation, the game is a mixed bag. All of the voice actors from the original English dub of the anime reprise their roles, and the voice acting is generally good. The game has the same anime style cell shading you would expect from any other game in the series, but at this point it just does not hold up to more recent releases. The game looks like it belongs on the PS2, and with very repetitive and annoying music that does not represent the stuff you would hear in the anime. And let’s not forget the “cutscenes” that feature just cutouts of the characters, which are generally very static and do not tell the story at all.

The gameplay itself is rather tedious, and is a very basic brawler. You move from left to right beating up on the very similar looking enemies, and every once in a while you face a boss. The bosses do not require much strategy at all, and they all can be taken down rather quickly once you figure out their very basic pattern. On the plus side, the controls are easy enough for anyone to get into, so the game could be enjoyed by much younger audiences.

The game progresses through six different levels that are each divided into smaller sections, and due to a lack of challenge it does not take long to get through a chapter. The entire game might take you 5-6 hours top to finish, and that is not much considering it is covering practically the entire anime. But with the gameplay designed as bland as it is, you might be thankful the game is not any longer.

You get a select set of combos (and a special move, which for Goku is his signature Kamehameha Wave), but none of them make much of a difference in the end. The enemies all are practically the same, and there is little to no strategy involved in most of the combat (with both bosses and regular enemies).

The game does feature a tournament mode, which uses the same basic controls from the adventure mode but applied to a fighting game style. The controls and combat seems to suit this mode more so than the standard side scrolling beat ‘em up found in the main story mode. Sadly, with a very slim picking of characters and not much else to do in the mode, it will not hold your attention for too long.

Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo feels like a game that is stuck in a completely different era. It plays like an old school beat ‘em up, but at the same time, we’ve come to expect more from our games, especially one that is at full retail price. This might be an enjoyable rental for a young one to pass the time with, but overall this is a game that even Dragon Ball fans will have a hard time enjoying.

ESRB: Rated E10+ for ages ten and up; rated for some cartoon violence and mild language

Pros: Follows the Dragonball story pretty closely; good voice acting; simple controls make it easy for anyone to play; tournament mode can be fun

Cons: Boring, static cutscenes; repetitive and tedious gameplay; the game looks pretty dated; annoying music; very sparse on content

Sgt. Pepper’s DLC impressions

November 17, 2009

News / by Andrew Passafiume /

This week saw the release of the second full album for The Beatles: Rock Band. Although not as popular as Abbey Road, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is a nice addition to the game. And considering the price, it might not be worth it for some, but it definitely expands the game even more with a bigger focus on vocal harmonies than the previous release. READ MORE

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