Andrew Passafiume

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2

October 23, 2009

Reviews / Xbox 360 / by Andrew Passafiume /

Marvel Ultimate Alliance, released back in 2007, was the first game that successfully combined a large number of Marvel superheroes into one co-op adventure. Although it was far from perfect, it had a surprising amount of depth, and the combinations of different superheroes generally led to fun times. Two years later, we have Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, a sequel that attempts to both re-capture the same audience of the original and bring a new audience in, but somehow fails to do both entirely.

The story revolves around the Marvel superheroes, specifically two different sides of heroes. There is an act that is passed which mandates all superheroes must register themselves as “weapons of mass destruction” and become government agents. This splits the alliance apart, with Iron Man becoming the leader of the Pro-Registration side, and Captain America leading the Anti-Registration side. The story is not the main focus here, but both sides generally are identical and the story never leads to any kind of satisfying conclusion. There are dialogue choices, but their impact on the game’s story are minimal at best.

Visually, the game looks nice. All of the character models are fleshed out, and you can tell there was a lot of work that went into the making of each character, their animations, and their flashy special moves and fusion attacks. The villains, which play just as big of a role in this game as in the first, are also impressive and have the same kind of visual flair you would expect from a game like this. And there is a wide variety of both them and the many enemies scattered around the game world. The environments can get repetitive and pretty dull though, and the voice acting is mediocre at best. Not to mention we get several of the same lines repeated, which can only lead to people muting their TVs.

The core gameplay is basic, even more so than the original. You have your main attacks, your special attacks, and your fusion attacks. You also have a jump and double jump (or flying ability for certain characters) to help bypass of the trickier areas in the game. The special attacks are easily performed, and the fusion attacks are a perfect way to get out of a tough situation. All and all, these moves blend together nicely and lead to plenty of cool looking combinations.

You also have the ability to level up your party and eventually you’ll be able to switch out characters from your four hero team on the fly. And, as always, you’ll be able to switch between your four main heroes at any point during battle, which brings me to the co-op. This is a game that is definitely best experienced with a friend, or even three friends, just like in the original. There are no real improvements to the co-op, but it worked fine in the first place, so there’s not much that needs to be changed.

My main gripe with the game is, even with a friend or friends playing alongside you, you will still find yourself getting bored of it rather quickly. The main combat is not nearly as satisfying as it should be, and all of the heroes, despite their special attacks, all practically feel the same. There is no benefit for going with one hero or another in any specific situation, and there is also no real strategy involved in combat. All and all, it tends to be not only a bore, but there is practically no challenged involved.

Another major problem is a lot of the major components from the first game, mainly the RPG elements, have been stripped down. It feels like they are trying to attract a larger crowd with the sequel. Although you can still auto-level up your characters, if you enjoy micromanaging their stats, you’ll be very disappointed to find out that a lot of the same options that may have made the original addictive have been removed, and the amount of things to level up for each character has been trimmed down significantly. It takes what made the original unique and ruins it completely.

Overall, with a good group of friends you may have some fun with this title. However, the game is just too repetitive to make it a strong single player title. It has a lot of things going for it, but at the end of the day most fans of the original will be very disappointed with this sequel.

ESRB: Rated T for teen; rated for mild language and violence

Pros: Cool character interactions; nice variety of enemies and bosses to fight; has the same basic formula from the original; the co-op is still fun

Cons: It gets very old very fast; while there is a nice variety of enemies, they all are practically the same; the RPG elements and leveling up have been toned down, taking away a lot of the depth of the original; the story is lackluster; the voice acting is bad, and plenty of the same lines are repeated

Impressions: Abbey Road and Queen DLC

October 22, 2009

News / by Andrew Passafiume /

This week was a huge one for DLC, especially if you are a Rock Band fan. Not only did Rock Band owners get a huge Queen pack featuring ten songs, The Beatles: Rock Band owners got the first of three full albums to be released this year. Both packs are expensive, but considering how many songs you get and the quality of these songs, both are well worth checking out. READ MORE

Brutal Legend

October 20, 2009

Reviews / Xbox 360 / by Andrew Passafiume /

Brutal Legend is a metal-inspired action/adventure game that has a lot of the same humor you’d come to expect from the lead designer and writer, Tim Schafer. The game blends several different elements together, and it does so rather successfully, but it is not without its problems. However, it is safe to say there are a lot of things to like about this trip into a new realm of fantasy.

Speaking strictly about production values and the script writing, this game is truly brilliant. The world itself is very immersive, and has a look that is one you will not see anywhere else. It brings together many elements of rock music history, and even if you are not a fan of the genre, you can still appreciate just how beautiful it all looks. The voice acting matches the hilarious script brilliantly, with the included talents of actors such as Jack Black and Tim Curry, as well as famous voice actors such as Jennifer Hale. Each character fits into the world perfectly, and there is never a dull moment in the game’s story.

The story itself is not only funny, but very compelling as well. Although the entire game begins as what appears to be a parody of some sort, by the halfway point certain events happen that actually show a more serious side to the story. There are a lot of moments that are incredibly epic and truly make you care about these characters more than you thought you would. And then, the final piece of the puzzle is the soundtrack, which fits perfectly into the game. Once again, you may not be a fan of heavy metal, but you can at least appreciate the time and effort that was spent to bring together all of these songs and bands, which truly completes the experience.

There are three major parts to the game: the basic hack n’slash action, the driving, and then the real time strategy portion. All of these blend together rather well in an amazingly detailed open world environment. It is wide open, and there is a lot to do and explore. There are plenty of things to unlock and collect throughout. There are also side quests, which can be fun at first, but tend to get a bit old after a while. You do wish there was more variety, but the handful you get can be fun.

The first basic element, the core action gameplay, works well. You have your regular axe attack, which is your melee weapon, and then your guitar. The guitar uses long range attacks, kind of like magic, to do some major damage. And in some of the larger scale battles, these guitar attacks can come in handy. There are also several guitar solos which can be collected throughout the world and performed during battle. One you get early on is the Facemelter, which literally melts the faces off of any enemies that are within a certain range, killing them instantly. It all controls well and feels rather satisfying overall.

Second element is the driving, which is how you easily travel throughout the open world. Eddie Riggs, the main character, has a vehicle which can be summoned at any time using a simple guitar solo learned early on in the game. Sadly, the car does not handle too well, and all too often you find yourself flipping over completely just for hitting a small bump in the road. This can lead to some problems during certain missions as well, where timing and accuracy are needed.

Both your basic attacks, guitar attacks, and your vehicle can all be upgraded in the Motor Forge. There are several of these you can find scattered around the world, and you spend fire tributes (which you earn for completing story missions, side missions, or finding other things in the world) to upgrade your abilities, weapons, and your vehicle. Some of these upgrades are essential for later parts of the game, mainly ones that add new weapons and armor to your vehicle.

The third and final part of the game deals with major battles that happen several times during the main story. It is here where all of the gameplay elements are combined. These RTS set piece events can be truly fun and engaging, but at the same time, they do not work as well as one could have hoped. You have several different unit types, a main stage that you can upgrade, and your main resource are “fans” which can be brought to your side by creating merchandise booths. But unlike any RTS, Eddie is very useful and actually incredibly crucial in combat. If you play it like any other strategy game, you are bound to lose, which is how Brutal Legend is able to bring in gamers who have no experience with RTS games into the experience easily.

The main problem lies with the controls. Commanding individual units or even trying to organize your troops in specific ways can lead to a lot of frustration. You need to go up to a specific group to command them separately, but otherwise you will end up commanding the entire army, and it could lead to many problems. And it is hard to keep up with a lot of the things happening during these major battles, and sometimes the enemy just gives you no time to think. There really is not that much strategy involved as long as you keep Eddie in the battle and not just commanding it.

And this is where the multiplayer comes in, which is two armies pitted against each other. Your main goal is to destroy the other player’s main stage, and the multiplayer can be a surprising amount of fun, but thanks to the control issues, things can become more tedious than enjoyable at times. With the right person to play against, you could get a lot out of the multiplayer; just don’t expect to come back to it too much in the long run.

Brutal Legend is a love letter to metal music, and there is nothing wrong with that. Even if you do not consider yourself a fan of the genre, you can still find a lot to enjoy with Brutal Legend. The core gameplay is solid, and even with its flaws, the game makes up for it with its amazing story and hilarious script. If you are looking for a fun action title to pass the time, you’ll be hard pressed to find one better than Brutal Legend.

ESRB: Rated M for mature; rated for strong language, violence, blood & gore, and plenty of face melting

Pros: Consistently funny writing and acting; compelling story; amazing soundtrack; immersive and beautiful metal world; plenty to do and collect; basic hack and slash gameplay is great; blends a lot of different gameplay elements successfully

Cons: Driving controls are a bit weird; the RTS portions of the game can be annoying due to some control problems; side quests tend to get dull; multiplayer is a bit underwhelming

The importance of music games

October 18, 2009

Features / Opinion / by Andrew Passafiume /

Music and rhythm video games have existed for quite a while, and they have made a permanent place in the video game industry. They are a very important part of not only bringing a new audience to video games, but managing to combine two completely different industries into one.

This becomes more apparent with the more recent popularity of games such as Guitar Hero and Rock Band. These games stand out as some of the few that can bring a new audience to games, and ones that are incredibly valuable for the growth of the industry.

It’s safe to say that, in the United States, music games really became popular with the release of the first few editions of Dance Dance Revolution. Over in Japan, Konami’s popular series of dance and rhythm games included several other game series that brought together many different music styles and instruments that all appealed to the Japanese market. Not only do they have DDR, but they also enjoy Beatmania, DrumMania, Pop’n Music, Guitar Freaks, and even ParaParaParadise. These are franchises that are widely popular in Japanese arcades, and also have found small success here in the States as well. DDR is easily the most popular of the bunch, and it started a genre of games that dramatically changed the industry.

But it was not until the release of the original Guitar Hero, and eventually Rock Band, where most gamers really began to take notice. These games branched out and reached an entirely new audience of non-gamers, and managed to be successful in an industry where many similar games have failed. While Dance Dance Revolution may have a huge following here, it has never reached the same level of popularity as Guitar Hero or Rock Band. These games forever changed the way gamers and the industry as a whole views music games, and successfully brought together two industries unlike any other game or genre has before.

These games can be just as challenging as any other kind, and they have a lot of replay value, so what is it about them that makes them appeal to the casual audience? The music itself. Many people playing these games enjoy them simply because of the music involved. There is a certain satisfaction that comes with being able to play a song or selection of songs you have only been able to listen to before. It is that sense of interaction you never get with any other form of media that makes them more successful.

And publishers have profited greatly from them, mainly Activision and MTV Games, the two big publishers behind the biggest franchises in music game history. Although analysts are predicting that the market is now over-saturated with music games, with so many Guitar Hero and Rock Band titles coming out each year. Those who do not play games regularly may not be able to afford a new game every other month or so, and even so, limiting the appeal of these games by dedicating them to specific audience may be a reason why. Also, with the increased expense of making the peripherals and controllers that go along with the games, like the guitar and drum controllers, it is hard to tell if these games are here to stay, or they are just a fad.

One exception is The Beatles: Rock Band, which manages to bring one of the most popular and successful bands in history to a video game, and manages to branch out to even more audiences than ever before. Those who never care about these games before might be interested in trying to play their favorite Beatles songs; it might just once again spark the interest in these games. Bands like Van Halen, Metallica, and even Aerosmith do not have as widespread an appeal as The Beatles.

With the different genres and types of music out there, and with downloadable content becoming bigger than ever, it’s hard not to find songs you enjoy in music games now. Although it has both managed to grow the gaming audience and branch the gap between games and audience, there still may be a long way to go before these games can reach their full potential. Or are their potentials limitless? Will they even be around and popular long enough for us to find out? It’s hard to tell at this point, but right now, music games will be around for a little while longer.

Contra Rebirth

October 13, 2009

Reviews / Wii / by Andrew Passafiume /

Contra has returned on the Wii. Although this game is called ReBirth, many consider Contra 4 for the DS to be the game that once again sparked interest in the series. Still, ReBirth has a lot more going for it than you would think.

The first thing you will notice about this version of Contra is the art style. It is a bit different than any previous Contra title, and takes the cartoony style to an entirely new level. And with a storyline that is more present (and ridiculous) this time around, it is clear that the developers know Contra and just how silly the entire experience is meant to be. The look is different enough to distinguish itself from the rest, but also pays tribute to the original games on the NES and SNES.

Like all of the previous titles, co-op is definitely a must, especially when it comes to the harder difficulties. The game also included three characters to play as, one of whom is unlocked when you finish it the first time through on any difficulty. But aside from their cheesy catch-phrases, none of the characters actually play any differently. You start out with your standard machine gun, but as you progress you can collect other weapons. All of the weapons and power-ups are what you would expect from a Contra game, including the always popular Spread Shot, which is just as effective here as it is in any previous iteration.

There are four difficulty modes: easy, normal, hard, and nightmare, the last of which is unlocked once you finish the game on hard. Newer Contra players should definitely stick to easy to start out with, as the game still presents the same challenge you would expect. But it’s also pretty friendly to newer players as well. While the famous “Konami code” is not available in this game, you can still set your lives from three to seven, and the game even offers unlimited continues. This lessened challenge may disappoint some veterans of the series, but keep in mind, nightmare mode will make you thankful of these changes.

The main problem with the game is the length. Now you would never expect a Contra game to be incredibly long, and its short length is made up for the increased difficulty, but I was able to breeze through this game on normal in less than an hour. I can expect the play time will go up with the increased difficulties, but aside from playing with a friend and trying these higher difficulties, there isn’t much reason to replay this title as well.

If you are itching for a new Contra game, own a Wii and are short on cash, Contra ReBirth might be the perfect fix for you. It is the perfect Contra game for older and younger players alike, and I think everyone will find that it is a fun and challenging experience, no matter what the difficulty.

ESRB: E10+ for ages ten and up; rated for plenty of cartoon and fantasy violence

Pros: Offers an old-school challenge for players of all ages; co-op is just as fun as it has ever been; the different options and difficulty modes make this game accessible for anyone; the look of the game is well done

Cons: The game is very short, even for a Contra title; not much replay value

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