Michael Walbridge

Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway

October 27, 2008

There has been about a decade of realism-oriented World War II shooters, so anything new in such a narrow category and for such a specific time period should be held under severe scrutiny. “What’s new?” is a fair question to ask, especially if the game is part of a franchise. Brother’s In Arms: Hell’s Highway comes three years after the last entry in the series, so it’s fair to expect there to be some large differences to justify a return to the format.

Sadly, the changes are not enough to warrant this an improvement, at least not for a three-year-wait. In this edition of World War II you are still Sergeant Matt Baker; you dropped in Germany during D-day and are now assisting in Operation Market Garden, a massive airborne directive that largely ended in disaster. You must command your unit and help them survive until they can reunite with larger forces.

The storytelling here is ambitious as before, continuing in the style of Hollywood soldier movies. Baker starts the game mourning over a soldier who dies in conversation, while a fellow sergeant urges him to move on. The story then rewinds by a few days and builds up to the beginning, which replays again, adding poignancy to Baker’s idealism and zeal for reducing casualties. This struggle is examined from a variety of safe viewpoints to illustrate the different reactions and philosophies soldiers adopt in understanding war. The writing is professional and the acting and character direction is an ambitious attempt to get the player closer to the characters. There are too many for you to get attached to many of them but Baker, which is problematic because Baker’s sorrows come as a result of mistakes of these characters that don’t have enough time to be fleshed out. Had the cast been a little smaller, the story may have been more engrossing, but as it is it feels incomplete. The graphics are more detailed, but the scenery is not complex (the hospital level is a great exception), and the faces seem mask-like. The models look like highly-detailed puppets.

Back, of course, is the series’ tactical gameplay. It is Brothers in Arms as usual, and not much has been done to improve it. The enemy soldiers have bad aim on the harder of the first two difficulty levels, and your allies are even worse. You can’t depend on them for anything but distraction and for blowing up sniper and machine gun nests with the bazooka. (That is one change; your squads have different roles, and some of them can blow up the cover.) The experiences vary; there are parts where Baker must go solo, as well as a couple of tank levels and one sequence where he must use a sniper rifle to protect a civilian. There is also a level where he loses all his weapons except his pistol. These variations are solidly executed but the core gameplay doesn’t feel too different.

The German squads respond to strategy, but in a highly predictable manner; Gears of War does this better. Most of the levels were bland and used nothing but corridors, vast open spaces, or parallelogram-shaped spaces with boxes and drums. These levels, the poor aim of the soldiers and the terrible grenade system, which I could never figure out how to use effectively, make only two strategies viable. Unless you’re using the bazooka, your soldiers will very rarely kill other soldiers, only distract them.

You can either be patient and pick them off, or you can flank and kill them all from behind or the side where they are exposed. It was incredibly difficult to get a team to flank the enemy without losing the soldiers; I eventually grew frustrated and just used my team to pin them down while I did all the killing. It isn’t hard to get through the game and the monotony is only broken up by the deviating levels and the splendid acting.

If, somehow, it’s your first time playing a World War II shooter and you like soldier stories, Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway commits no major mistakes. For those who have been here before, even if you haven’t played a Brothers in Arms title, it will feel like more of the same. The multiplayer is practically nonexistent, with no players on the Gamespy network, and doesn’t play very well anyway. Even if you wanted to play this one just for the story, you can skip this one and not regret it.

ESRB: M–gory, bloody, lots of bad language.
Plays like: a previous Brothers in Arms, only with minor changes that do little for it
Pros: Not cheesy, respectful of the war; original and different story
Cons: Unoriginal, combat doesn’t feel authentic like in many other WWII titles, bland and predictable levels

Stardock Releases “Customer Report”

October 24, 2008

News / by Michael Walbridge /

Just got an email in my box from Stardock, publisher of Galactic Civilizations, Sins of a Solar Empire, the upcoming DemiGod, and the Gamer’s Bill of Rights (not a game), a document that is somewhat anti-DRM, a rare stance found among PC-only game companies (or any company in particular, for that matter).

They have released the 2008 customer report, a business document that’s a little dry but full of plenty of information. Much of the info is old, but interesting stuff that seems to be new is the customer survey, what they consider legitimate and illegitimate DRM concerns, and the problems and feedback they’ve received on their Steam-like distribution platform, Impulse.

It keeps crashing in my browser, so you may just wish to download it instead of just opening it. Not a customer but interested anyway? Read on.

Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2

October 23, 2008

DS / Reviews / by Michael Walbridge /

I will begin by admitting that I haven’t played any of the other Naruto games. I still know, however, that Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2 will be a disappointment, even for some younger Naruto fans.

I know this because the dialogue and plot are watered down, even for Naruto; this may not matter since fans of the show aren’t exactly picky in that regard. The opening scene depicts some bad guys unleashing spirits that, should they make contact with regular people, will take over their bodies and make them wish to fight until they die. It is caused by a catfish, and you must recover five awesome mirrors in order to reverse the process. Fighting ensues, drama does not. The characters of Naruto are only barely represented and sketched through their words and actions, though they are perfectly represented through voice; each time it is a character’s turn, he or she shouts something obnoxious (Choji shouts “Chubbies rule!” one third of the time, and after hearing that dozens of times it still makes me uncomfortable); each time a character attacks he or she shouts too (“Take that!”; “Uuuuughhhh!”; etc.), and annoying as that is, they really do sound like the characters from the show.

The single-player story is mind-numbingly easy. Defeated characters are revived with 1 hit point after a battle ends. Any time you hit a save point all characters have their HP and chakra (magic) restored. Items are everywhere. A level-up also instantly restores hit points and chakra. These happen frequently. Numerous characters can heal. Chakra is plentiful. Any fight that is not a boss fight can be beaten by pressing A until it’s over. You can do this for minutes. You also seem to have a 50% chance to run away. You can attempt again with each character. You literally don’t even have to fight in random encounters if you don’t want to!

The journey remains in this droll state until it dawns that you are not simply adding members to your party, you are collecting them. Path of the Ninja 2 has a multiplayer mode that takes itself quite seriously as it attempts to emulate many elements of Pokemon while supplying the characters and items through the single-player storyline.

There are a few redeeming graces for Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2. You collect dozens party members that stay permanently in your party. There are also “ninja cards” that grant jutsu (spells) or abilities that stay only as long as the card is equipped. You only use 4 party members at a time, though; the fun is in the many combinations you can achieve through equipment and choosing four out of over two dozen characters. Of the 4 party members, 3 are on the field at any time; any party member can switch out for the fourth, with the switched character being able to act immediately. There is also a grid for the characters to move around on; moving doesn’t use up a move, but the amount of damage a character can deal and receive depends on position; even some of the moves vary depending on field position. So the combat is not as bad as the story, at least, and for two kids who buy a semi-annual game together in which they will have lots of time to level their characters to 99 in order to challenge each other later, this whole system has the possibility to justify itself.

All this customization bodes well for multiplayer action and for boss fights. The bosses in the story do at least require some ingenuity, strategy, and even creativity, and this is where the unique elements of combat become somewhat rewarding. Bosses can and will kill you if you take an incorrect mix of party members. The saving grace here is that in most cases there is no magical formula for a correct or incorrect set of party members or moves that are required for victory, a common problem with many Japanese RPGs.

Still, it must be emphasized that Naruto: Path of the Ninja 2 is for kids. It is simple in design and language even by some kids’ standards, emulates Pokemon, and is full of annoying sounds and simple graphics. It’s a smooth ride for the kids, but the older you are, Naruto fan or not, the less likely you are to enjoy Path of the Ninja 2. This is the 9-year-old annoying version of testosterone in 20-hour-form, a long version of the show that would be considered one of the better representatives of the Naruto universe if only it had some more challenge and some more authenticity in the story.

ESRB: E 10+: if the kids can watch Naruto, it’s fine. In fact, content is milder than the cartoon.
Pros: Unique combat system, endless customization, extensive multiplayer options
Cons: Annoying, repetitive, dreadfully easy, and a plot so generic that it could be transferred to a Halo, Mario, or any other RPG
Plays like: an updated very simple RPG from the days of the NES, SNES, or Game Boy + Pokemon combat system

Wall-E

October 23, 2008

PSP / Reviews / by Michael Walbridge /

It isn’t every day that a portable version of a game manages to outshine its console-bound bigger brothers, but that is exactly what the PSP edition of Wall-E has managed to do. Wall-E, like many proud droids before him, exists solely to serve the humans that commissioned him. As the game opens he finds himself completely alone as the other robots set to clean up Earth have stopped functioning for one reason or another. After a few levels wandering around solo Wall-E runs into EVE, a reconnaissance robot from the Axiom. Eve teaches Wall-E that there is more to life than just picking up garbage and turning it into perfectly formed cubes.

Wall-E’s gameplay is fairly simplistic, which is to be expected for a handheld title. Wall-E spends the first few levels wandering through the myriad hazards of Earth looking for items that allow passage through the many locked doors. Like in the console versions, Wall-E is able to compact human’s litter into perfectly formed cubes. Basic cubes can be used as projectiles to attack enemies or open containers, magnetic cubes are good for attracting or repelling metallic objects, and explosive cubes are good for – well – exploding at things. Wall-E can also curl up into his hull like a turtle and use himself as a battering ram to smash through conveniently placed breakable walls.

After meeting EVE, Wall-E finds himself on board the space cruiser Axiom. The change in scenery brings about a change in gameplay elements as well. On the ship Wall-E is able to enlist the help of the Axiom’s android crew, and each crew member has access to a special ability that will help Wall-E through the whatever obstacle is blocking his progress. The whole concept feels a bit like Clank’s ability to control little robots in the Ratchet & Clank series. Wall-E also features a few minigames that serve to break up the levels. The assortment of minigames includes a rendition of Frogger, a race, and a space shooter where Wall-E takes control of the Axiom’s weapons systems.

Movie tie-in games are typically sub-par and aimed squarely at children who enjoyed the source material. Wall-E doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not. It’s still a movie game, and it’s still aimed right at the kids that enjoyed the movie, but it’s a good movie tie-in aimed at children. Wall-E offers only a little challenge, but the people interested in this title aren’t looking for difficulty on par with Metal Slug. Wall-E achieves what it sets out to do; it leads fans of the movie through the adventure again at home.

ESRB: E for Mild Cartoon Violence – Wall-E is appropriate for fans of the film
Pros: fun minigames, more Wall-E for fans of the movie
Cons: on the easy side
Plays like: the vast majority of movie tie-in platform games

Prey the Stars

October 22, 2008

DS / Reviews / by Michael Walbridge /

Is there a way to make a timing-based, competitive Pacman complete with Mario Kart style attacks and competition? If there is, it’d have to be Japanese, like the nonsensically titled Prey the Stars.

In Prey the Stars, you play a cute and mute little monster with large teeth that roams around levels and eats stuff for points. First to a certain amount of points wins. Single player is really just the

multiplayer version with all computer opponents and tutorials.

The variation comes in through different elements. Courses will take different shapes and through random elements. You start each round only being able to eat the small

items, but through the consumption of special small items that appear

at random points your monster can grow and thus be able to eat some of the bigger items. This is a key part of winning because the larger items are worth many more points and the majority of the items aren’t

small. Some items have to be licked before they are ready to be eaten. Bigger items take more bites before they are fully consumed, and all items have a timed bar wherein you must press A on the green area if you want to build up your meter to Gabu Gabu mode wherein you are mostly invincible and don’t have to time your chews. The bigger the item, the more difficult the timing.

Also in the mix are elements or types of items; in gin rummy style, you must either eat three of the same element or one of each element in order to get an one of many items that allows you to disrupt your opponents that are also eating everything in site.

This all sounds extremely weird, but the premise could easily be something else due to the game’s simplicity. The imagery and music are simple and repetitive–this could have been a Game Boy Advance game or even a flash based game.

The multiplayer is a bit more interesting than the single player, which pits you against idiots or gods. However, the distribution of food and powerups and the time it takes to eat everything make this more a simple “who gets there first” type of competition when everyone is the same speed. Trajectory shouldn’t mean this much in a zone that is shaped like a square, circle, or cross. Items are also uncommon and difficult to use to any major effect. Most of them end up being useless or doing little to alter the game, though a few are dramatic game-changers. Still, these dramatic comebacks are rare and wholly dependent on luck in a game of nominal, bore-inducing skill. There are only 4 monsters to choose from and these all must be unlocked from the single player mode. You can switch out their “skins” which will add a bonus to stats, allowing for some minor custimization, but this does little to the core gameplay.

It’s an interesting premise and the curious mix of traditional gameplay elements make it one-of-a-kind, but Prey the Stars becomes too old too fast. You’ll want to play it just to see what it’s like, but the single player is monotonous and the novelty of multiplayer quickly wears out its welcome.

ESRB: E for everyone. Cute monsters with big teeth eat simple depictions of shopping carts and birthday cakes and occasionally knock each other down. Completely safe.
Plays like: Pacman and Mario Kart combined; you’re in a race to

eat the most stuff while using random picked-up items to get ahead to

victory, and you do it on various levels with various obstacles.
Pros: So unique you’ll want to just see it. Kind of cute and mildly amusing.
Cons: Limited scope, very repetitive, gets old quickly. “Button-mashing” is usually a cliche, but it’s literally more than 100 hundred presses of the A button each match.

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