Kris VanHaaren

Madden NFL 06

February 5, 2006

Reviews / Xbox / by Kris VanHaaren Make a comment! / Tweet it!

The [i]Madden[/i] series for more than a decade has been one of the biggest games every year, not only in sports but in all of gaming. Hardcore and casual gamers alike flock to stores every August 9th to spend their hard earned cash on what is arguably one of the greatest series in gaming history. While this year’s incarnation is not the pick up and play title it once was, it is still stunningly addictive.

This new version brings us into a new era of [i]Madden[/i]; the exclusivity era. EA sports has bought the NFL license, so there will be no competition in the sim football realm. Despite this monopoly EA has continued to bring new elements and to change the game to make it the best it can be.

Some of the controls in this year’s game have been changed as well as some new controls being added. Ball carriers no longer control their nearest blocker with the right analog, but can now truck stick defenders by pressing up on the right analog. While this helps break free of most tackles it also increases your chance to fumble. Pressing down on the right analog now performs a back juke, or a quick stop for defenders who over pursue.

There are a few new animations this year but they are few and far between. Franchise play is essentially the same, other than a few presentation changes, and the new interviews and dialogue on the Tony Bruno Show. John Madden and Al Michaels supply the commentary as always, although it is virtually unchanged from last years. One great addition to this year’s edition is the NFL Films tracks that have been added to the soundtrack.

[i]Madden 06[/i] brings some revolutionary elements to the table in both the Q.B. Vision and precision passing systems. In an attempt to bring more realism to the game a quarterback’s vision is limited to a highlighted A

Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean

January 10, 2006

GameCube / Reviews / by Kris VanHaaren Make a comment! / Tweet it!

As we all know, the GameCube has gotten the short end of the stick as far as the amount of games produced for this generation of consoles. More specifically, the Cube has only received a handful of RPG’s, although the majority of them ([i]Tales of Symphonia[/i], [i]Paper Mario[/i], [i]Skies of Arcadia Legends[/i], etc.) are very good titles. Well, now you can add to this list Namco’s latest: [i]Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean[/i].

[i]BK[/i] takes you on a journey as the guardian spirit of an angst-filled young lad by the name of Kalas. Kalas and his band of companions are on a journey to avenge his family’s death and to prevent the resurrection of the evil god, Malpercio. While it isn’t exactly original, Namco does pretty well making the story unique and adding some very good plot twists to keep you interested.

[i]BK[/i] displays some of the best looking visuals you will find on the GameCube. The pre-rendered backgrounds are absolutely beautiful, although some (village made out of construction paper anyone?) are extremely odd. The character models as well as the environments show a good amount of detail. The menus are easy on the eyes and are very easy to navigate. Spells used in combat have some dazzling particle effects, but you will most likely be too focused on the combo system to really enjoy them. The biggest gripe I have is that all the cutscenes are done with the in-game graphics. I think it would’ve been a very nice touch to see some FMV goodness at least a few times throughout the game.

[i]BK[/i] is a traditional turn-based RPG at heart, but it does have a bit of a spin to it. Rather than using weapons and armor, you use magnus cards. Magnus cards are used to trap the A

Battlefield 2: Modern Combat

December 21, 2005

Reviews / Xbox / by Kris VanHaaren Make a comment! / Tweet it!

After having seen much success with both [i]Battlefield 1942[/i] and [i]Battlefield Vietnam[/i], EA has done it again. With the newest installment in the series, EA brings Battlefield into the 21st century, as well as bringing it to the consoles. With a new single player campaign and Xbox live on its side, how does [i]Battlefield 2: Modern Combat[/i] stack up to the other great shooters that have been released recently?

[i]BF2[/i] comes to the Xbox with a newly revamped single payer campaign. The campaign is now mission based rather than being simply a handful of conquest maps where your play against computer opponents. While the single player missions are not exactly riveting story-packed epics, they are enjoyable. The controls are solid and work well in the heat of battle although they are slightly different than the online controls which may confuse some gamers.

If you’re looking for a strategy or stealth oriented campaign then this is the wrong place to look. [i]BF2[/i] has a very arcade vibe about it. You are scored on your speed of completion, how many deaths you unit takes, number of kills, and how affectively you utilize the new “hot-swap” feature. “Hot-swapping” is a way of transporting yourself from your current position to any other friendly within eyesight. This does wonders in helping to maintain the fast paced action feel of the game. Need to get across that bridge but you don’t want to walk? Just put your reticule over any of your companions in the area and with the push of a button you are now in control of them.

As I mentioned you are scored at the end of each mission. You receive stars for your kills, time, and hot-swapping and lose stars depending on how many deaths your squad incurs. You also earn medals throughout your missions for completing various skills and feats. As these stars and medals accumulate you will gain ranks which unlock more weapons for all of the different types of soldiers at your dispense.

While the single player is fun, that’s not where this title really shines through. EA has brought [i]BF2[/i] to Xbox live with a near perfect result. In online play up to 24 people can go all out in two separate modes. The conquest mode from the original battlefield where two teams compete to control strategically placed outposts and drain the other teams point count or the classic capture the flag option. It would have been nice to see at least a deathmatch or team deathmatch option though.

You can play on 13 different maps, which are all very well done and allow for success when playing any of the five types of characters. The maps are all large and look fantastic, but they are somewhat repetitive. There are only four to five different environments in all of the 13 maps but with the enormous scale and player quantity you never really get tired of them, and if you tire of the online play with all the varied play styles available then shame on you. You could snipe from the grassy hilltops, roll in with a tank or helicopter, call in air strikes, plant C4 charges in doorways or on enemy vehicles; anything is possible and it’s all extremely fun.

If it wasn’t apparent after the release of the first [i]Battlefield[/i] then it most certainly is now. EA is really onto something with this franchise. Both a well-polished single player and an addictive online experience make for one hell of a game. While the single player alone isn’t worthy of your fifty bucks, we all know that isn’t why you are thinking of getting this game anyways. One of the best online console experiences to date makes this more than worthy of your hard earned cash.

Next Entries →