/columns/136/Out-Of-Control Video game reviews and news Mon, 21 May 2012 16:10:51 GMT 5 http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/194877/Out-Of-Control/Gonzalez-is-no-Cover-Girl So I did what life expected me to do and picked up a copy of MLB 12 The Show. As a Blue Jays fan I love the fact that Jose Bautista is gracing the “Canadian” cover of the game. But while JoeyBats may be on the cover for Canada, it is Adrian Gonzalez who is on the “official” U.S. game cover. I say hilarious because the two teams that probably shouldn’t have players representing MLB on video game covers this year are the Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox. Why? Well perhaps it is just the opinion of one video game blogger, but the person who graces the cover of MLB 12 probably shouldn’t be a member of one of the teams that had one of the most epic self-destructions in baseball history. The opening montage of the game only adds humour to the decision to make Gonzalez The Show’s cover girl. The opening montage, of course, is a rather long highlight show of the Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves decent from playoff shoe-ins to regular season failures. This rant is going somewhere. Allow me to propose the five players (or, people I guess) who should have graced the cover of MLB 12 instead of Gonzalez. But first, a word from digital Jose Bautista:      Mariano Rivera Remember this guy? It pains me to lobby to have a Yankee *spit* on the cover of anything, but he did become the undisputed greatest closer of all time with 603 career saves. While the BoSox were blowing a season, he was Mr. Consistent and continued to save games. Justin Verlander American League MVP and a dynamite pitcher. What’s not to love about Verlander on the cover of The Show? Sure, he is on the cover of MLB 2K12, but that doesn’t make him deserve the cover of The Show any less. Derek Jeter My gag reflexes are on overdrive, but I have to nominate another Yankee *spit.* But Mr. 3,000 didn’t just record his 3,000th hit of his career, he did with a homerun at home. There is a lot more positive to say about Jeter, but he is still a Yankee so I’ll end it there.     Prince Fielder Everyone loves Prince. He had a great season, expectations for him in 2012 are high and he is loaded with charisma. And that’s exactly what you want from the cover player. I’m sure most people would probably argue that his 2011 teammate, Ryan Braun, was awarded the National League MVP and therefore should trump any Brewer’s (or former Brewer’s) chance of being on the cover for 2012. But Mr. Fielder did not have a drug controversy. Yes, Braun was exonerated. But his photograph on the cover of The Show would only spark conversation about whether or not he was juicing. That isn’t good for Sony, and it isn’t good for Braun or the MLB. Tony La Russa OK, even I am not all that serious about this one. But having a manager on the cover isn’t the craziest idea in the world. Having a player from a team that had one of the most epic fails in baseball history is the craziest. La Russa would be in significant contrast to Gonzales. For starters, La Russa’s team is at the opposite end of that epic collapse, albeit in the National League. When The Atlanta Braves fell apart in September, it was the St. Louis Cardinals that were rewarded with a playoff spot that would eventually turn into a World Series championship. Of course being a manager, and incredibly ugly and scary looking dude, isn’t the only things working against La Russa. His retirement means he won’t be part of the 2012 season, which makes him a poor choice for the cover model of a 2012 game. That could actually make him the second worst choice for The Show’s cover. The absolute worst choice being, of course, any member of the 2011 Boston Red Sox.        Thu, 08 Mar 2012 13:02:11 GMT http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/194877/Out-Of-Control/Gonzalez-is-no-Cover-Girl http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/194215/Out-Of-Control/Ready-and-set-for-Mass-Effect-3 Depending on when you are reading this, we are either (a) hours away from the launch of Mass Effect 3 or (b) Mass Effect 3 has launched. To celebrate the occasion, I went and dug up all three Mass Effect launch trailers. And by dug up, I really mean did a quick You Tube search. Before you start watching, these trailers contain violence and what appears to be a make out scene or two. You’ve been warned. Anyway, we begin with Mass Effect.     After Mass Effect, came Mass Effect 2.   So if you haven’t played, you are probably assuming that everything turned out OK. Well … in an effort to avoid any spoilers I’ll just say that the story doesn’t exactly end with Mass Effect 2. In comes Mass Effect 3, which is only hours away from launching/ just recently launched.   Mon, 05 Mar 2012 20:51:32 GMT http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/194215/Out-Of-Control/Ready-and-set-for-Mass-Effect-3 http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/182988/Out-Of-Control/Best-Skyrim-Mod-ever If you’re playing Skyrim on the PC, then you get to explore the Wide World of Mods. While I haven’t added any mods myself, I did stumble upon this …     Every other Skyrim mod is now fighting for its chance to be called second best.   Wed, 11 Jan 2012 10:56:48 GMT http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/182988/Out-Of-Control/Best-Skyrim-Mod-ever http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/178576/Out-Of-Control/Will-Naughty-Dog-do-it-again? If you missed Saturday’s Video Game Awards on Spike TV Saturday, then you missed the world premier of The Last of Us debut trailer. Basically, Naughty Dog – the developers who brought us the Uncharted franchise – are giving gamers another post-apocalyptic zombie game. Before you roll your eyes, check out the trailer below. This is Naughty Dog we are talking about. That means, unlike other games in the post-apocalyptic zombie franchise, we can expect characters with depth and a story that isn’t completely ripe with clichés. Well … at least that’s what I’m hoping for. Check it out.     Mon, 12 Dec 2011 15:44:13 GMT http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/178576/Out-Of-Control/Will-Naughty-Dog-do-it-again? http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/174457/Out-Of-Control/Spike’s-kick-in-the-Sackboy It appears that Spike TV doesn’t like little boys. Wait. That sounds wrong. OK, heads out of the gutter and let me explain. LittleBigPlanet 2’s iconic Sackboy will not be sweeping Spike TV’s annual Video Game Awards when it airs Dec. 10. While the game wasn’t shutout, the critically acclaimed platform and sequel to LittleBigPlanet was given just a single nod – Best PlayStation3 game. It is possible that LittleBig will walk away with the award, but being up against Naught Dog’s Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception means it can’t really be called the frontrunner. The other baffling nomination snub goes to Limbo. Originally an Xbox Live Arcade exclusive, Limbo seems like a no-doubt-about-it nominee in two categories – Independent Game of the Year and Downloadable Game of the Year. Critics and gamers loved the creepy puzzle-platform, and it would have easily been considered a frontrunner in both of the above mentioned categories. So now that you have context, I will repeat my lead statement ( please, no childish grins this time ): It appears Spike TV Doesn’t like little boys. Below are trailers for LittleBigPlanet 2 and Limbo. A full list of Spike TV’s VGA 2011 nominees are below those videos. Underlined games are my predictions.   Game of the Year Batman: Arkham City The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Portal 2 Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception Studio of the Year Bethesda Game Studios Naughty Dog Rocksteady Studios Valve Best Xbox 360 Game Batman: Arkham City Forza Motorsport 4 Gears of War 3 Portal 2 Best PS3 Game inFamous 2 Killzone 3 LittleBigPlanet 2 Uncharted 3 Best Wii Game Epic Mickey Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Lost in Shadow The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Best PC Game Battlefield 3 Minecraft The Witcher 2 Portal 2 Best Handheld/Mobile Game Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective Infinity Blade Super Mario 3D Land Jetpack Joyride Best Shooter Battlefield 3 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Gears of War 3 RAGE Best Action Adventure Game Assassin’s Creed: Revelations Batman: Arkham City The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception Best RPG Dark Souls Deus Ex: Human Revolution Dragon Age II The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Best Multiplayer Battlefield 3 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Gears of War 3 Portal 2 Best Individual Sports Game Fight Night Champion Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters Top Spin 4 Virtua Tennis 4 Best Team Sports Game FIFA Soccer 12 NBA 2K12 NHL 12 MLB ’11: The Show Best Driving Game DiRT 3 Driver: San Francisco Forza Motorsport 4 Need for Speed: The Run Best Fighting Game The King of Fighters XIII Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Mortal Kombat WWE All Stars Best Motion Game Child of Eden Dance Central 2 The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword The Gunstringer Best Independent Game Bastion Minecraft Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP The Binding of Isaac Best Adapted Video Game Back to the Future: The Game Batman: Arkham City Captain America: Super Soldier LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars Best Original Game Bastion Batman: Arkham City Deus Ex: Human Revolution Portal 2 Best Graphics Batman: Arkham City L.A. Noire RAGE Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception Best Performance By a Human Male J.K. Simmons as Cave Johnson – Portal 2 Mark Hamill as the Joker – Batman: Arkham City Nolan North as Nathan Drake – Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception Stephen Merchant as Wheatley – Portal 2 Best Downloadable Game Bastion Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet Stacking Trenched Best DLC Fallout: New Vegas – Old World Blues Mass Effect 2 – Arrival Mortal Kombat – Freddy Krueger Portal 2 – Peer Review GameTrailers.com Trailer of the Year Assassin’s Creed: Revelations – E3 2011 Trailer Batman: Arkham City – Hugo Strange Reveal Trailer Dark Souls – Ignite ’11 Debut Trailer Dead Island – GDC 11 Cinematic Trailer Deus Ex: Human Revolution – Purity First Infomercial The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – In-Game Debut Trailoer Hitman: Absolution – E3 2011 Trailer Prey 2 – E3 2011 Trailer Tomb Raider – E3 2011 Trailer Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception – E3 2011 Trailer Best Song In A Game “Build that Wall (Zia’s Theme)” by Darren Korb – Bastion “Exile Vilify” by The National – Portal 2 “I’m Not Calling You a Liar” by Florence + the Machine – Dragon Age II “Setting Sail, Coming Home (End Theme)” by Darren Korb – Bastion Best Original Score Bastion Batman: Arkham City Deus Ex: Human Revolution Portal 2 Most Anticipated Game BioShock: Infinite Diablo III ( Why are there even multiple nominees in this category?) Halo 4 Mass Effect 3 The Last Guardian Thu, 17 Nov 2011 14:32:47 GMT http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/174457/Out-Of-Control/Spike’s-kick-in-the-Sackboy http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/174335/Out-Of-Control/Cheat-on-Skyrim,-not-your-spouse Getting frustrated with the rules that game developers of Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim have forced upon you? Well you’re in luck. Less than a week after its release, the Internet is already full of game exploits for the open-world RPG. Below, I’ve collected some of the more popular exploit videos for you to browse. Not a cheater? Well good for you. But take a look at some of the videos and live vicariously through the cheating of others. If you are a cheater, you better use these game exploits soon. Bethesda Game Studios has announced that a patch is coming for all platforms. While the patch is meant to fix some bugs and texture issues, there is a chance that it may also correct some of these exploits. Enjoy. Oh, and P.S. I understand that cheating isn't for everyone. I watch enough Maury Povich to understand that. This post does not intend to promote cheating, even though I'm sure that's exactly what it is doing. Infinite sneak upgrades and XP: Infinite arrows: Wait, that sounds stupid. Well guess what? Arrow are worth money. So it’s actually the … Inifinite gold:   Infinite gold glitch 2: Here’s a stronger gold glitch. But be warned, you have to kill some skeletons to activate this glitch. If you can’t do that … then I understand completely why you want/ need these exploits. This video is poorly edited, so watch until you’re told about the location, then fast forward to about 2:30.     Infinite archery/ level glitch:   Infinite illusion skill:   Infinite one-handed skill: Just don’t kill your friends trying this. Rumour spreads in Skyrim.   Pickpocket exploit: ( actually, I’m not sure if this is an exploit. I think it is just being a jerk. And if you're increasing your pickpocket skills, you're probably going for that anyway )     Thu, 17 Nov 2011 10:21:10 GMT http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/174335/Out-Of-Control/Cheat-on-Skyrim,-not-your-spouse http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/174147/Out-Of-Control/Mario-versus-PETA Move over Bowser, Mario has a new boss to fight. The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has a beef ( problem, not cow ) with the Mushroom Kingdom’s most decorated plumber. The issue surrounds Mario’s wardrobe. PETA doesn’t like one of the suits he uses in his ongoing effort to save the universe’s worst-protected princess. What has caused the controversy? The tanooki suit. You see, it appears that PETA ( likely misunderstanding the concepts of fiction, fantasy, magic and pixels ) believes Mario has captured, killed and skinned a raccoon dog to get this suit. PETA believes that by having this item in the game, Mario is sending a message that it is OK to capture, skin and kill animals to create magical suits that may or may not help you save a princess. “When on a mission to rescue the princess, Mario has been known to use any means necessary to defeat his enemy—even wearing the skin of a raccoon dog to give him special powers,” the organization explains on its website . Thanks for the update PETA! I only wish you would have told me this a month ago. All those poor animals. What was I thinking? Maybe I’m too impressionable. Mario features the controversial tanooki suit in his new Winter-fashion lineup, featured prominently in the recently released Super Mario 3D Land, available now for the Nintendo 3DS. In response, PETA released a flash-based game of its own. In the game Super Tanooki Skin 2D ( yeah, 2D … welcome to 2009 PETA ), you control a character that appears to be a skinned tanooki chasing down Mario. But while PETA was busy not fixing the clunky controls of this game, the organization missed something -- Mario doesn’t get his tanooki suit from an animal. Don’t get me wrong, the plumber’s animal rights record is terrible. The Mushroom Kingdom is littered with the corpses of stomped critters. But skinned raccoon dogs? Nope. Mario collects the magical suit, not from the skin of any animal, but from a dead leaf in a yellow box. (Keyword being magic … you know, those unexplained mystical happenings that you see often in fiction-based tales?). If anything, someone should be looking for this tree and making sure that (a) it died of natural causes; (b) it gave the leaf willingly. ( As a magical tree I assume it has free will and the ability to give away its powers ). Anyway, my final thoughts are that PETA is trying too hard to collect attention via the release of Super Mario 3D Land. While it is working – I mean I’m typing away about it right now – it only continues to make the organization look silly and out of touch. In fact, you could argue that PETA is using the skin of Mario as a magical suit to further its cause. Sorry, PETA, but your successful PR campaign is in another castle. As for the Mushroom Kingdom, its residents have more important things to worry about than what Mario is wearing. Like, for example, why is the princess still being captured!? Fire your head of security, buy a gun or at least get a panic room. The faster these folks can get their princess security detail in order, the faster Mario can get to the toilets that need unclogging. I hope those toilets weren’t clogged by people flushing gold fish bodies … PETA wouldn’t be happy.   Tue, 15 Nov 2011 11:30:15 GMT http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/174147/Out-Of-Control/Mario-versus-PETA http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/173920/Out-Of-Control/Racism,-homophobia-and-online-games There’s a problem with online gaming. It has nothing to do with framerates, bugs, or game exploits. Forget lag and random disconnects.  The problem is with online games that feature in-game voice chat, or rather how that feature is being used. The intention of voice-chat is to allow gamers to converse with one another about the game, share strategies and work together. The system usually works, but sometimes it’s abused.  Some gamers use voice-chat to get under the skin of players they don’t like.  “You suck,” or “my mother snipes better than you,” are not the phrases used to achieve this. Instead, many gamers go on homophobic rants to make their point. Many times racial slurs are thrown into the mix, with the N-word (an unfortunate fan favourite among some gamers) flowing freely. The super technical term for this, according to those who study cyber bullying, is griefing . A griefer is someone who uses the online game as a platform to harass and attack other gamers. It might not be a big deal for someone like me. I have thick skin and can ignore griefers easily. But other gamers, specifically teens who may be dealing with bullying and other sorts of harassment in their non-pixilated life, may see this as a serious issue that’s impossible to escape. According to a 2008 Pew Internet and American Life Project report , more than 50 per cent of teens playing online games reported hearing “people being mean and overly aggressive” while playing. While the study doesn’t examine the specifics of “being mean,” I know as an online gamer that “aggressive” can be downright vicious.   I couldn’t find a more recent study, but my gut tells me that today’s results would feature a number larger than 50 per cent. After all, 2008 in the video game world may as well be 1998. My approach to this issue, which I believe has probably been the wrong way, has been to ignore it.  I even purchased a Bluetooth microphone earpiece in an effort to turn a blind eye (or a blind ear, I guess) to the issue. Typically, the voice-chat banter comes through the same speakers that deliver game sound effects, which means the racial slurs bounce off my living room walls with the sounds of gunshots and explosions. By purchasing a headset I was able to have the voice-chat run through the earpiece, while the game sounds continued to emit from the home-theatre speakers. Muting the microphone ensured the sound from my living room wouldn’t invade other gamer’s space. With the gadget on my coffee table and away from my eardrum, I assumed I had solved the problem. Not exactly. The problem is still there. So how do we, as gamers, solve this? I could demand Microsoft and Sony begin policing their networks to ensure voice chat isn’t abused. But that’s not feasible. So instead of turning to Sony and Microsoft, I’m turning to gamers. We can’t ignore griefers. We can’t stoop to their level either, but we can at the very least use our voice-chat to express our displeasure. And we can set the record straight – griefers don’t represent gamers. This may add fuel to the fire (never feed the trolls, I believe is the expression) but speaking up isn’t for the griefer anyway. We need to speak up for that possibly fragile teen who may be absorbing the hate and harassment. It is that person who needs to know that the griefer attacking them (even if the attacks aren’t specifically directed toward a specific person) doesn’t reflect the other dozen players he or she is online with. Until gamers start doing that, the griefers will win. And something tells me that a griefer’s victory could one day become a fatal headline we read about. Let’s fix the problem before it gets there.           Mon, 14 Nov 2011 11:57:28 GMT http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/173920/Out-Of-Control/Racism,-homophobia-and-online-games http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/173623/Out-Of-Control/75-Minutes-With-Skyrim The point of my 75-minute reviews is not to get a full and detailed look at a game. Instead, I want to explore the game’s hook, and find out how quickly and deep it can sink that hook in. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim didn’t need 75 minutes. It hooked me at about three. My opinion of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is critical. I found the main story failed to push me forward into the game world.  Even meeting Capt. Picard didn’t do it for me. But this isn’t Oblivion; this is Skyrim. And in Skyrim, the initial presentation of the main story ark makes the player want to be a part of this world. Without getting to spoiler-ish, I can tell you that you find yourself as a captive in the opening moments of Skyrim. As you are hauled away, bound in the back of a horse-drawn wagon, to your execution grounds you quickly understand that you're in the middle of something large and very serious. Your character, at this point, appears just as ignorant as you. This means your confusion and curiosity is the same as his – or her's. Post continues after video ... Spoiler alert: there is an intervention and you are not executed ( giving you more than four minutes of gameplay ). This intervention is exciting and draws you into the story, action and the mythology of Skyrim. This action, combined with my curiosity and the other non-playing characters I am surrounded by encouraged me to keep moving forward. I immediately wanted to know more about this world and how I can help shape it. Aesthetically, calling Skyrim eye candy would be an understatement. This game, on PC at least, looks gorgeous. The beauty is at its greatest from a distance, so try not to inspect anything too closely. The distant mountains, the northern lights that stretch across the night’s sky (which thankfully entered my game at minute 73) all led me to stop playing and take a moment to look around. The massiveness of the game world is also immediately obvious. Before the first scene, we’re probably already aware that this game feature's a huge world. Just like how we knew the game world was large in Fallout: New Vegas, Oblivion and other Bethesda games. But there’s something about Skyrim that really makes you feel its size. Very early on I was chasing an NPC down a trail in a wooded area. Something about that forest and the mountains in the distance really made me feel like a small being in a big world. Post contniues after videos ... Before I get too wrapped up in the game’s stunning visuals, I do have a warning for PC users. Out of curiosity I turned my video settings down. The game looks OK on Medium settings at 1080p resolution. But drop below medium, or even bring the resolution down slightly, and the game’s beauty disappears.  So if you are a PC user and expect to play on medium-to-low settings, you may want to lower your graphical expectations.  Character interaction is another feat worth mentioning. Conversing with an NPC is much more natural than it was in Oblivion, and the voice acting seems more consistent and improved. But it’s not all good in the world of Elder Scrolls V. Combat, specifically melee combat, is lackluster. There’s an awkwardness when your character swings an axe or sword. That awkwardness is magnified when you – apparently – make contact with a foe. Other than a modest animated reaction, it’s difficult to tell if you’ve made contact. The problem is similar when you are struck. While there is evidence that you’ve been hit, you are never really can believe it. This isn’t an issue for some other RPGs. A game that comes to mind immediately is Dark Souls. When you make contact in Dark Souls, there's no mistaking it. When contact is made against you, boy do you feel it. Back to Skyrim, and I just can’t help but feel that the contact I make with thin air is the same as striking raw flesh or hide. This is a rather small gripe, and one I found myself forgetting before ending my short game session. Post continues after video ... One thing all readers should be aware of is that 75 minutes didn’t allow me even start scratching the surface of Skyrim.  But that didn’t stop this Elder Scrolls installment from invading my mind. Waking up this morning, my first thoughts were of my plans to explore this vast and intriguing world. I couldn’t help but debate to myself what direction I should take with my character. I’ve decided on the path of a Nord warrior, but I couldn’t help but argue with myself ( internally so my wife wouldn’t think know I was crazy ) while I brushed my teeth that maybe focusing on magic would be appropriate. Skyrim’s hook is powerful. It’s strong enough to get you thinking about it even when you’re away from the PC. That means there's likely something really, really special waiting for me inside this game world.  And I know I won’t be able to discover it all with just another 75 minutes. Game Facts Genre: RPG Played on: Windows PC Also available on: PS3, Xbox360 Meta critic rating: 95/ 100   Fri, 11 Nov 2011 16:33:54 GMT http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/173623/Out-Of-Control/75-Minutes-With-Skyrim http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/173283/Out-Of-Control/75-Minutes-With-Modern-Warfare-3 75 Minutes With is not a review, it is a first impression and intends to give readers an idea what to expect. 75 Minutes With: Modern Warfare 3 focuses exclusively on the competitive multiplayer modes. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is a familiar friend. That’s meant to be both a grand compliment and a scathing criticism. After 75 minutes with the competitive multiplayer modes of the most recent installment of the always popular Call of Duty franchise, I found a lot to love, and a fair bit to hate. Like other Call of Duty games Modern Warfare 3 features a quick and chaotic pace that constantly rewards. It is a formula that never fails to get a gamer’s blood pumping. Whether you’re a skilled assassin on the battlefield or a clumsy noob, you will be rewarded for your time and effort. Familiar white numbers will pop up on your screen regularly as you gain more experience and move toward your next treat. More often than not you’ll be hearing that same old promotion tune. Post continues after video ...     New guns, new weapon attachments, kill streak rewards, weapon skins, titles and other goodies are always being added to your account. Sometimes you’ll be given these treats even after playing a game where you failed to produce anything significant for your team. Call of Duty games have never been cheap when it comes to handing out these earnings, but MW3 seems to toss around experience even more liberally than before. This may water down the satisfaction that each achievement brings, but it doesn’t stop it from being satisfying. And now that you can level up your guns, you will have to get used to hearing that level-up tune more often.    There’s a reason why the Call of Duty franchise is so popular – it’s consistent. You don’t need to read a review or play a demo to know what you’re getting out of the box. A Call of Duty game is a Call of Duty game. But it’s that same consistency that is a bit of a letdown. Less than a half hour in and I can’t shake the feeling that I’m playing an expansion pack rather than a new game in a series. Everything looks the same, everything sounds the same, everything is just … well … the same. Post continues after video ...     The game’s aging engine is another problem. Many recent releases have reached new heights in graphics and presentation. Call of Duty isn’t ugly, but next to some of those new releases ( Uncharted 3 and arch-FPS rival Battlefield 3 are two examples that come to mind ) it adds to the feeling that you’ve just purchased an expensive expansion. Call of Duty haters call this Modern Warfare 2.1. While their criticisms are born out of fanboy hate, Modern Warfare 3 does little to combat the title they’ve been slapped it with.  It would be unfair to not talk about some of the new features you can find in MW3. Call of Duty has seen a few small adjustments to its competitive multiplayer and the most significant I found was the Kill Confirmed mode.  This is a team death match with a twist. When anyone is killed they leave behind a dog tag. By physically collecting enemy dog tags you earn points toward your team’s victory. You can also collect the dog tags of your fallen comrades, denying your opponents the points they need to win the match. This is barely a significant change from a regular team death match. However, the added element does leave players with an exciting new task to complete in what would otherwise be the same old, same old. An enemy has died, so do I run to collect the dog tag? Or maybe I aim down my sight and gun down his friend running to collect it? Is that too risky? Maybe I should collect while I have the chance? But what if someone already has their sights on that dog tag? They’ll gun me down as I try and collect? You can’t dwell on these questions. You have to make a decision, and quickly. That quick thinking is what makes this game mode, despite it being a repackaged team death match, so exhilarating. This was the only significant “adjustment” I found, but I am aware of a couple more like this in other games modes. If co-operative multiplayer is your forte, then there is reason to be excited about spec ops. If you were a fan of other Call of Duty games’ zombie modes, or have a special place in your heart for the Gears of War Horde mode then a survival game may be just what you’re looking for. Post continues after video ...     By the end of my 75 minutes with MW3, I felt more conflicted than anything. The competitive multiplayer did get me excited, but behind all that excitement was a been-there-done-that feeling that could be the seeds of boredom. And boredom isn’t something that should be planted within the first 75 minutes. When it comes to a Call of Duty game, you know what you’re going to get. It’s the game’s greatest asset, but as more and more Call of Duty titles are released it is also becoming a great flaw.   Game Facts Genre: First Person Shooter Played on: Xbox360 Also available on: PS3, PC, Wii Meta critic rating: 90/ 100 Note to readers: I promised you my next 75 minutes with would feature Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Well, I mismanaged my release dates. I’ll be heading out for the midnight launch Thursday, Nov. 10 (which at midnight will make it officially Friday, Nov.11) and get my hands on a copy of Skyrim (for PC). If all goes according to plan, my 75 minutes with Skyrim will be posted sometime Friday. Wed, 09 Nov 2011 13:58:15 GMT http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/173283/Out-Of-Control/75-Minutes-With-Modern-Warfare-3 http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/172589/Out-Of-Control/GTA-V-is-happening Rock Star Games will be bringing back its most successful franchise sometime in the near future. The controversial, yet oh-so mega popular, Grand Theft Auto series continues in Grand Theft Auto Five, or what non-n00bs know better as GTA: V. Rockstar Games recently released the first trailer for the game, which appears to take place in a fictitious Hollywood of sorts. Anyway, if you haven’t seen the trailer …. Behold!       Fri, 04 Nov 2011 12:16:21 GMT http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/172589/Out-Of-Control/GTA-V-is-happening http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/172189/Out-Of-Control/75-minutes-with-Uncharted-3 If I said a game’s greatest asset was its pace, you probably wouldn’t believe that’s a big compliment. Meet Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. The third-person action adventure series developed by Naughty Dog puts you in the shoes of treasure hunter Nathan Drake. I’ll spare you the long ramble about his character. If you haven’t played these games, think of him as a modern day Indiana Jones minus one whip and a hat. The greatest thing going for this game is its pace, and that’s a huge compliment. The third game of the Uncharted series, Drake’s Deception, was released Tuesday, Nov. 1. After 75 minutes I was hooked … again.  Most action-adventure games present their story in kind of a stutter. There’s a predictable formula– a cut scene presents story, then it’s on to a combat round, perhaps there is a puzzle or two, then the combat comes to a climax (maybe a boss fight) and the screen fades before the next story-driven cinematic to begin. The problem with this model is the abrupt start-and-stop of story development. The action stops to allow story to develop, while story takes a coffee break so players can get their game on. Uncharted 3 doesn’t subscribe to this formula. Story never stops. Meanwhile, believing that action has been put on pause could be a fatal assumption (see video: Cargo Plane... for more detailed example). Article continues after video ...     When a cinematic begins you never know when you might be thrown into hand-to-hand combat or a gun battle. So you can’t put the controller down. This makes cut scenes much more exciting and intense– you never know when you are expected to join in the action.  The game’s cinematic delivery even takes place during gameplay. There were at least two times in the first 75 minutes that I controlled Drake through a chase scene that seemed as if it could have easily been out of the gamer’s control. There are even moments that I’m still not sure were scripted. Drake runs by a refrigerator during a chase and swings the door open violently, hitting his pursuer in the face before the scene continues. Did I do that? Or was it pre-programmed by Naughty Dog? Drake slides down the slope of a rooftop and leaps into the room of another building with all the dramatic flair expected from a Hollywood blockbuster action flick. Wait! I’m pretty sure my hitting X on the controller led to this moment. But, I can’t be sure. It’s these moments that are really special in Drake’s Deception. You might not have control over Drake during these sequences, but the only way to know for sure if to put the control down.  But that’s hard to do as the consequence of being wrong is death, and starting the sequence over. This is why I say pace is Uncharted 3’s most valuable asset. Article continues after video ...   But pace doesn’t just help the game deliver an exciting story. It also deflects another problem common among action-adventure games – repetitiveness. Let me be honest, you will perform several tasks in Uncharted 3 that are similar to one another. You’ll be thrown into a gun battle that is not unlike one you’ve already encountered; you’ll work on a puzzle that, like the one before it, requests you to refer to Drake’s journal; and often you’ll have to navigate through an obstacle course to scale a building and get to the next checkpoint. So how does this not feel repetitive? Again, it’s all about pace. When a gun battle concludes, you’ll wish it hadn’t. When you reach the rooftop after climbing that obstacle-filled building, you’ll wish that building was one or two storeys taller. When you solve a puzzle, you’ll be instantly craving the next one. Nothing ever drags, and you’re always left wanting more. And remember that whole ‘story not stuttering’ thing I mentioned earlier? Well during all of these gameplay moments, characters are conversing with one another. This helps to continue developing both the characters and plot while not putting gameplay on pause. Graphically, I haven’t seen what all the fuss is about in the first 75 minutes. It’s a nice looking game, but I have heard that Naughty Dog has done something truly special with Uncharted 3. I suspect some brighter scenes are on the way (yeah, I looked at the back of the game box and saw a couple trailers), which will show off more visual muscle. There is one small issue I have encountered in the first 75. The AI during gun fights can be downright silly. I’ve caught an enemy taking a creative route toward my area of cover during one fight. But that creative AI was eclipsed by the sheer stupidity of this enemy looking around for cover that didn’t exist when he clearly could have been shooting at a vulnerable me. He’s now dead, and Drake doesn’t have a scratch to show for it. These AI moments happen more often than they should. Thanks to the pace of this game, however, it’s hard to dwell on this. I don’t have time to roll my eyes at the AI because this building I’m in is burning and I have to get out before the whole thing comes down. So after the first 75, only one thing got in my way from enjoying the next 75 – this first impression review. So now that I’m, I think I’ll go ahead and enjoy this game for many more minutes to come. Next week I'll have another 75 minute first impression review. I'll be plugging in with Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.    Fri, 04 Nov 2011 16:23:42 GMT http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/172189/Out-Of-Control/75-minutes-with-Uncharted-3 http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/169967/Out-Of-Control/Mr.-Jones,-meet-Mr.-Drake Yes, this happened!   Harrison Ford (that guy who played the part of Indiana Jones in those movies of the same name) picks up a PS3 controller to play the game that features today’s Indiana Jones – Nathan Drake of the Uncharted videogame series. While Mr. Ford does have to peer down at the controller from time to time, he seems to understand his way around the modern-day game controller. As the subtitles indicate, this was shot in Japan. It is part of a commercial that is expected to run in that country. The video below is about seven minutes of footage shot for that commercial. Under that video is a 30 second version, which may be the actual 30-second commercial spot. Enjoy. 7 minute footage:     30-second commercial:       Thu, 20 Oct 2011 17:15:17 GMT http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/169967/Out-Of-Control/Mr.-Jones,-meet-Mr.-Drake http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/169849/Out-Of-Control/Enjoying-Dark-Souls’-sadistic-journey There are seven stages of grief. Or so they say. Who are they? I think I may have heard it on one of those day-time television programs that feature a doctor. Doctor Phil, maybe? Doctor Oz? OK, who cares? The point is there are seven stages: Shock; denial; bargaining; anger; guilt; depression; acceptance. Now, you’ve probably heard a lot about Dark Souls. The dark action-adventure RPG by From Software has a lot of things going for it. If you’ve read a review or heard about the game from a friend there’s one defining feature you’ve no doubt heard about – its bright and colourful level design soul crushing difficulty . Post continues after video …     Dark Souls is difficult. Some people fall naturally in love with this. Those are the kind of people who play games on its difficult setting only to unlock what they’re really after – nightmare, hell or hardcore settings. Most of us, however, can’t handle those kinds of features. So we stick to the normal difficulty and wonder why someone would crave the pain of the hardcore mode. But if you are one of those gamers, it doesn’t mean that Dark Souls is hands off to you. It just takes a special mindset to enjoy this game. So here is where that whole grief thing comes in, just in case you’re still wondering why I brought it up in the first place.  When you put the Dark Souls game disk into your Xbox360 or PlayStation3 you can approach it with one of two mindsets. You can choose denial, or acceptance. The other stages of grief will come and go during your play through, but whether or not you enjoy it depends on whether you are willing to accept Dark Souls for what it is. When I play this game, it brings me back to old school NES titles like Megaman, Castlevania or Super Mario Bros. 2. Each of those games was intensely difficult, or at least that’s how I remember them. Dying was a natural and expected occurrence. When you died you learned something. You learned that you needed to make a better running jump before the cliff; you learned that you couldn’t go near a certain trap or enemy. And when you learned those things, it helped you get a little bit farther in the game the next time you made an attempt. That’s what Dark Souls is about. You die, you learn, you go a bit farther and then you die again. (In some cases you die x 15, learn less than you should have, die x four more times, finally learn what you should have the first time around and then, FINALLY, go a bit farther … but now I’m just nitpicking) Go into this game denying its challenges, and your frustration will take over. You’re going to get angry and possibly need to purchase a new controller to replace the one you just tossed into a living room wall for the 11th time. Go into this game accepting its challenges, well then, now you just might have one of the most rewarding experiences a modern video game can provide. So skip to the seven stages of grief. Accept it and let Dark Souls crush your spirits. With that mindset, you should fall in love with this game’s sadistic journey. Wed, 19 Oct 2011 17:09:34 GMT http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/169849/Out-Of-Control/Enjoying-Dark-Souls’-sadistic-journey http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/169795/Out-Of-Control/Review-delay!-What-does-it-say? According to Gamespot.com, their review for Battlefield 3 will not be ready by the time the game launches Tuesday, Oct. 25. The reason? Apparently BF3 will release with a game-day patch, and developers didn’t want a copy reviewed that didn’t include the fixed bugs and glitches content the game-day patch is meant to provide. Game publisher Electronic Arts obviously had a tough decision to make – release a review copy of the game with some (minor or major) bugs and hope reviewers look beyond them, or have post-release reviews. They went with the latter. And already there are countless blogs and forum posts speculating on the quality of the overall game based on this decision. But what does a delayed review and a game-day patch mean about the likely quality of BF3? Honestly, not much. Or at least, it could mean so many things that speculating what it means just isn’t worth it. Some believe EA has rushed the game; that it isn’t ready and will suffer incredibly as a result. Others believe EA is making last minute improvements to a game that’s already solid. It is probably fair to speculate that a delay is out of the question, as BF3 is already dangerously close to another blockbuster first-person shooter you may have heard about – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Post continues after vide ...     Some even speculate that EA is expecting BF3 to collect a terrible metacritic rating. Thus, the game-day patch is a rouse to delay the inevitable bad reviews that would likely lead to canceled pre-orders. Is that possible? Sure. Is it likely? Heck no. Given all the praise the game demos have received during conventions like E3, it just doesn’t make sense that the game developer would create a game-day patch specifically to delay possible negative reviews. By the way, EA recently announced that those pre-orders are now being measured with seven figures, so yes you can argue that there is a lot at stake. So what does the review delay and game-day patch mean? Game-day patches, for one, are a tad controversial. While it could be a great way to ensure the game is bug free and still on store shelves when originally intended, it could also lead developers to launch a game before it’s ready. What side of the fence you are on probably has to do with your experience. When I first started playing Fall Out New Vegas, the countless errors, bugs and glitches had me praying for an immediate update. Meanwhile, I also remember the frustration of having to download a huge game-day patch for Heavy Rain. The fact that it just happened to be a day when I was having Internet hiccups only added to that frustration. So back to the headline: What does this delay and game-day patch mean for BF3? The answer doesn’t appear to be all that clear. Hypothesize all you want, but we will have to wait until Tuesday, Oct. 25 to find out for certain. The only thing we do know for sure is that EA and DICE have a guaranteed blemish on the otherwise very positive hype that surrounds this soon-to-be-released game.     Wed, 19 Oct 2011 17:25:04 GMT http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/169795/Out-Of-Control/Review-delay!-What-does-it-say? http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/102723/Out-Of-Control/Sony's-Show-a-grand-slam In real life, I can’t throw a ball into a strike zone to save my life. There’s an alternate universe, however, where I’m the starting ace pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks and the foundation for that club’s championship hopes. I’m making oodles of money and making some of the league’s batters look outright silly with a world-class change up and a nasty slider. This is the world of MLB 10 The Show, a Sony PlayStation exclusive that calls itself the most realistic Major League Baseball title. MLB 10 wasn’t released too recently – March 2010. But with Thunder Bay hosting World Junior Baseball Championships starting this Friday, I figured it is the perfect time to talk about a baseball game. There are several game modes in The Show. Players can play a quick exhibition game, control an entire franchise for multiple seasons or spend time practicing their batting. For this review I’ll look specifically at the Road to the Show Mode, which is a career mode that allows players to control a single character and guide them through the minor leagues to an eventual big league start. It is within this mode that Sony’s claim of making the most realistic baseball game ever made becomes fact. My career started as a drafted rookie pitcher for the Angels. Stuck on a AA team for a season, it seemed my career wasn’t going anywhere with a team that already had a solid foundation. A trip to AAA before the end of the first season was nice, but it still felt as if this career was in neutral. Then came the trades, and the Angels were making a lot of them as they prepared for a championship run. The pitcher I created went to Arizona, a struggling team that appeared to be in the midst of a rebuild. My pitcher tasted the major leagues as a reliever sometime late in his second season. He finally received his starter status within his third season. While the Road to the Show is long, possibly too long for many gamers, it is easily the most satisfying career mode in any sports game today. Of course, this long journey wouldn’t be worth it if it wasn’t for the near perfect game play and stunning visuals. The game play is easy to learn and doesn’t take a lot to get used to. The pitching, hitting and fielding is all fairly basic and that’s what makes it so enjoyable. Visually the game relies on more than just graphics. The little things are what makes MLB 10 look so good. An umpire makes a questionable call and the batter stares coldly at him before walking back to the dug out; a relief pitcher drops his glove clumsily as he approaches the mound. These are the moments of the game that make you really feel as if you are watching a live broadcast of a real MLB game. Oddly enough, one of the best things about the Road to the Show is the rare bad call. As a starting pitcher, it isn’t all that rare to see a changeup just make it into the strike zone only to be called a ball. During an at bat, it is possible to see a ball a bit outside get called a strike. Bad calls sometimes work against you, but they sometimes work in your favour. These moments can be frustrating or exciting and only add to the realism. If there’s one blemish on MLB 10, it would come from its difficulty. If you’re a player that doesn’t believe sports games are challenging enough, you won’t see difficulty as an issue. But if you like to play on a medium-type difficulty setting than you may have issues. The fix is to adjust the difficulty setting to one step below what you would normally choose on other sports games. This may hurt a gamer’s ego, but not as much as a 0.097 batting average or 8.3 ERA will. If you’re a baseball fan then MLB 10 The Show is likely a must have. The overall presentation combined with polished game play makes this installment of the popular sports franchise an 8.5/10 and one of the best yet. There is no World Junior Baseball Championship mode but luckily for Sony, Thunder Bay gamers don’t need it this year. Thu, 22 Jul 2010 17:21:17 GMT http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/102723/Out-Of-Control/Sony's-Show-a-grand-slam http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/98378/Out-Of-Control/Creative-explosion-Modnation-delivers-the-fun If Nintendo’s Mario Kart fell in love, married and had a child with Sony’s Little Big Planet, they would have given birth to Modnation. The creativity explosion that is Modnation Racers, a PlayStation 3 exclusive, brings gamers the best of cart racing and couples it with the play-create-share model that made Little Big Planet a success. The result is a great racing game that allows users to do more than just race. Modnation looks and plays like most cart-racing games. Players accelerate through an entire race, drift through corners and collect weapons to dispose of competitors. Drifting, stunts and other activities give players points toward their power meter that can be used as a shield against oncoming attacks, generate turbo-boost acceleration or side swipe opponents. The game’s single-player campaign introduces users to Tag, a graffiti artist who might just be the next great cart racer. The career mode takes the player through a variety of different tracks, advancing to the next one only by placing third or better in the previous race. Completing these tracks and the challenges associated with them allows players to unlock goodies that will help them create their own custom racers, carts and tracks. Be warned the career mode can be frustratingly difficult at times. No difficulty selection means there’s no easy way out of a jam. On the other hand, if you’re an expert cart racer there’s no way to boost the challenge. Game at a Glance Score : 8/ 10 Rated : E (Everyone) Genre : Racing Reviewed on : PlayStation 3 Also available for : PSP The career mode can easily be seen as a training ground for what the game is really about – its online features. Players will visit the various game modes through the game’s Mod Spot, which is a large game menu that presented in the form of a playable gaming area. Instead of scrolling down a list of game options via up and down buttons, a player can drive to those game modes and crash into other players on the way. Ranked and unranked online races allow players to go head-to-head against the other Modnation user. While load times are a bit of an issue – especially after having to wait a more than a minute to allow players to join and get ready for the race – players can easily move from one race to another without much frustration. The online races are great no matter what your skill level is. Many races had me, a terrible-to-mediocre cart racer, well behind my opponents while other races had me in a comfortable lead from first lap to last. The variety of tracks are limited for ranked races. Not being able to select the track you want, or at least giving you only limited control, means racing on the same track several times in a row is a possibility. Modnation allows players to flex their creative muscles through the Creation Station. Don’t have a lot of creative muscles? That shouldn’t matter. I found it amazing how easy it was to custom make a race cart, racer and even a track without the help of game tutorials. With limited creativity I was able to make an Edward Scissorhands and Danny Zuko from Grease racer that won accolades from fellow racers. Creating a track, unlike building a level in Little Big Planet, is easy and user friendly. If you can drive around a track, you can make your own. Using an auto populate feature will give the PlayStation control over the finer details, but you are never forced into accepting that option. The Modnation community is relatively mature and kind, so sharing your creations will result mostly in positive feedback. I must put emphasis on the term ‘relatively’ when I say the community is mature, as you will always meet the odd player that has to be muted, ignored or even reported. Overall the flaws of Modnation Racer are few and insignificant, giving it a well-earned 8/10. If you enjoyed Mario Kart but haven’t found a decent racing game since, this is definitely the game for you. If, however, you are a racing-game fan who doesn’t see the value of creating and sharing than there are probably better options out there.  Mon, 28 Jun 2010 16:27:51 GMT http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/98378/Out-Of-Control/Creative-explosion-Modnation-delivers-the-fun http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/95939/Out-Of-Control/UFC-Undisputed-an-online-flop The UFC Undisputed franchise returns for a second round and once again retains its title of MMA video-game champion of the world. Unfortunately for game developer Yuke’s and publisher THQ, the championship title comes with a footnote – acquired via forfeit. As the only serious MMA title available, UFC Undisputed 2010 shows gamers what a sports title without competition looks like in its infancy. There were high hopes for Undisputed 2010 and to be fair there are some improvements over the 2009 title. Unfortunately the game isn’t improved where it counts – its career and online modes. If you’re looking for exhibition fights against computer controlled MMA stars, or want to go toe-to-toe with friends using same-screen multiplayer modes, than consider this game a huge hit. If, however, you want a sports game that features a solid career or franchise mode along with a well put together online experience, than this hit is more of a gigantic flop. Before detailing the career- and multiplayer-modes issues, it’s time to give this game some well-deserved credit. The game play is nearly flawless and that’s worth something. Whether your strategy is to strike, grapple, submit or ground and pound, the controls are as good as most could expect. These controls might be a bit complicated at first, but once a player understands the basic positions and strategy they should be ready for a trip down beginner or even experienced difficulty settings. Game at a Glance Score: 5.5/ 10 Rated : T (Teen) Reviewed on : PlayStation3 Also available on : XBox360 Players inexperienced with this UFC franchise may be a bit taken aback as the complex controls are accompanied by a tutorial that leaves a lot to be desired. Players familiar with UFC Undisputed will instantly notice the game’s new sway feature, which allows fighters to adopt counter punching as a legitimate strategy. A player can make bob-and-weave like motions to avoid an opponent’s striking attempts and deliver and deliver a punch of t heir own with a lot more thump. Players can also use the cage of the Octagon in Undisputed 2010, which allows for more depth for grappling and ground-and-pound strategies. While the gameplay is excellent, the game modes offered outside of exhibition-type matches are flawed at best and broken at worst. Online, at least on the PlayStation Network, is nearly unusable. Attempting to get into a game is difficult and usually results in a frustrating game message that states: "That game is no longer available." Games that do connect are almost always accompanied by an unplayable amount of lag. It’s disappointing because the game publisher had put heavy promotion behind some of its online features, such as leader boards and fight camps. Being unable to connect is one problem, but it isn’t the only one. The Internet is already filled with how-to videos that let players know how they can ditch a game they are losing without recording an infamous did-not-finish on their record. XboxLive users might be having more success at getting online. After two weeks of failed attempts of reviewing the game’s online features for the PlayStation3, Undisputed 2010’s online mode was handed a 0 /10. As for what should be the game’s centerpiece single-player feature, Undisputed 2010 does offer a much improved career mode. Right off the bat players are given more options for customization this year. As the created fighter progresses the player can also make choices, like respecting or disrespecting a fellow fighter, to help develop a personality. Eroding stats and abilities also forces players to use a bit of strategy as they develop and progress through their career, which is a great addition. Despite those improvements, the game mode is still tedious and boring once the novelty wears off. It isn’t as menu-heavy as 2009’s version, but it still isn’t worth the time and effort. The career mini-games, which are introduced by a large-breasted MMA broadcaster, are also annoying and unimaginative. One mini-game in particular has the player guess the results of fights for an upcoming UFC card and then gives that player the option to watch the computer’s AI fight each of the eight fights on that card. The mini-game itself is terrible and made worse by the fact that your created fighter has to skip a week of training to participate in it. The game’s flaws aren’t exclusive to these two game modes. Small issues are sprinkled throughout this entire title. The voice acting is terrible and nearly embarrassing at times. Most sport games offer repetitive commentary, but the banter of UFC commentators Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg bring repetitiveness to a whole new level. Corner men are just as repetitive and at times even odd. During one fight, in which the game plan was to ground and pound, my corner scolded me for using fancy striking techniques like the superman punch. Problem was that I didn’t’ use that punch, nor did I even have the strike in my action list for that fighter. Inside the Octogan the game looks amazing, but outside the presentation and graphics look dated. Something as simple as a fighter’s still photo looks odd, unpolished and in some cases creepy. Overall, this is a great title for the gamer who enjoys consequence-free battles against AI. For the player looking for a sports title with a variety of game-types and a competitive online mode, this game is an unfortunate 5.5 / 10. With EA Sports set to release its own MMA title sometime this year, perhaps UFC Undisputed will respond in 2011 and deliver something amazing. Until then, MMA fans will have to settle for something that’s arguably better than nothing.    Thu, 10 Jun 2010 15:07:27 GMT http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/95939/Out-Of-Control/UFC-Undisputed-an-online-flop http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/94610/Out-Of-Control/New-Mario-out-of-this-Galaxy Nintendo has packed in a galaxy’s worth of imagination and creativity to give us what is without argument the best game available for the Wii today. Super Mario Galaxy 2, the second installment of the 3D platform for the Nintendo Wii, is a reminder that the Mario franchise is one of the consistently best offered on any video game console. The game play controls of the first Galaxy are nearly identical to its sequel, and the story takes place without continuation between the two games. That could lead some to criticize that Galaxy 2 is a repackaged Super Mario Galaxy. Although it is hard to really consider that a criticism. The story in Galaxy 2 is familiar: Mario, the Mushroom Kingdom’s lovable hero plumber, has a date with Princess Peach. The couple is scheduled to meet at the Star Festival to watch star bits fall from the sky. It’s an occasion that happens once a century. Unfortunately, and to the shock of the Mushroom Kingdom’s security detail, a planet-sized Bowser crashes the party. The King Koopa kidnaps the princess, which forces Mario away from clogged sinks and into another adventure. At this point players will realize how incredible the look and feel of Super Mario Galaxy 2 really is.   Game at a Glance Score : 10/ 10 Rated : E (everyone) Genre : 3D Platform Reviewed on : Exclusive to the Nintendo Wii Using a Super Mario Bros. 3 and New Super Mario Bros. Wii-like map system, players travel through different worlds on Mario’s star ship. In each world Mario encounters a variety of levels in his ongoing effort to collect power stars, which allows him to travel closer to the end of his rescue mission. Players will get a chance to navigate through 3D and 2D levels and encounter a variety of challenges as they collect power stars and other goodies. Mario has a variety of new tools to help overcome these challenges. The rock suit allows the hero to transform into a boulder and smash obstacles and enemies in his way. The cloud suit allows the plumber to create cloud platforms, which is useful for reaching goodies too high for a regular Mario to catch. Yoshi also offers help. Hot peppers allow Yoshi to dash, while blue fruit-like plants temporarily turn the dinosaur into a blimp. Super Mario Galaxy 2 doesn’t offer ground-breaking graphics, but the incredible and wildly imaginative game design ensures players are still visually stunned. What is truly amazing about Galaxy 2 has nothing to do with its look or feel, but rather its appeal. Nintendo has created a game that challenges experienced gamers without pushing away casual players, something few games can boast. Many levels have moments that can challenge some of the most experienced gamers, but these moments aren’t game breakers for the less experienced. In worst-case scenarios a cosmic princess will offer to take control of Mario and send him through the level. This comes at a price – a computer-controlled Mario will miss many of the goodies that a human-controlled Mario could easily pick up, and a bronze star is rewarded instead of the power star. The casual player will likely be forced to take the cosmic princess’ offer every now and thenn while the more experienced player can simply ignore the feature and continue fighting forward. The game also has the ability to offer satisfying rewards no matter how long you intend to play. The player who sits down for a 20-minute game sessions, or less, can still feel as if they’ve accomplished something. The basic story and simple world navigation also allows players to turn off the Wii indefinitely without feeling lost when they finally turn the console back on. Overall Super Mario Galaxy 2 is perfect. Its polished design, incredible creativity and ability to entertain both the casual and hardcore gamers make a 10/ 10 score much deserved.   Wed, 02 Jun 2010 11:55:46 GMT http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/94610/Out-Of-Control/New-Mario-out-of-this-Galaxy http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/93761/Out-Of-Control/Rockstar-delivers-Red-Dead-addiction A scorching hot sun, the threat of violence and death at every turn, bandits robbing stage coaches while cougars threaten to maul and kill your favorite horses; this old west is truly wild. This is the world of Red Dead Redemption, an open-world western game brought to us by Rockstar Games, makers of Grand Theft Auto. Welcome to the fictitious old American Western state of New Austin in 1911. Technology is advancing in the bigger eastern cities and that now threatens the way of life of the old Wild West. Red Dead’s story is viewed through the perspective of John Marston, a former outlaw who is forced into another confrontation with his dark past. The story’s premise isn’t new, but there’s nothing cliché about it. The plot is packaged and delivered in a way that makes Red Dead Redemption a unique experience. The story combined with a huge cast of colourful characters, wonderful scenery and thrilling action makes this easily the best western game ever made. The game also features some fantastic voice acting, which surprisingly never falters even when small and relatively unimportant characters show up for brief side missions. The game runs on an updated Grand Theft Auto engine. This makes the game play familiar but it doesn’t mean we are dealing with a Wild West version of GTA. Players are able to explore an open world and enter in and out of the game’s main story at their leisure. While in between main plot points players can accept small side quests from strangers, complete game challenges, search for buried treasure, play a variety of mini games and hunt animals to trade their skins. This isn’t a complete list of what players can do. In fact, it is just a small fraction of the options players will be given as they travel through the story. Game at a Glance Score: 9.6 / 10 Rating : M (17+) Genre: Western/ open world Reviewed on: Xbox360 Also available on: PlayStation 3 Random events, which act as flash quests, will also occur during the adventure. Players can choose to ignore these events or participate in them in order to add to their collection of honour, fame and fortune If you enjoy flying through a game’s story without paying attention to its side content, you should still feel satisfied by the end of Red Dead Redemption. If completion is your style and you are driven to explore every inch of the game, then call your family and friends and tell them you won’t be around for a while. This game has the potential to go well beyond 100 hours of game time in a single play through. Players will experience numerous visual glitches and bugs as they make their way through the campaign. These bugs can be annoying, but rarely stop the game from progressing. On rare occasions a bug may lead to a player reloading a saved-game file, which is a very rare but unfortunate flaw in a game that dances with perfection. In the end, Red Dead Redemption is a 9.6/ 10. It’s a solid piece of story telling packaged with wonderfully addictive and fun game play. If you’ve been looking for a game that gives you freedom without sacrificing great story - here it is, partner. Thu, 27 May 2010 08:58:03 GMT http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/93761/Out-Of-Control/Rockstar-delivers-Red-Dead-addiction http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/93006/Out-Of-Control/Convictions-convinces Mental note: Avoid any and all confrontations with daughters of special agents. It is a lesson Jack Bauer taught us years ago, and something being reinforced now by Splinter Cell: Convictions’ protagonist Sam Fisher. Game developer Ubisoft Montreal delivers a gem with Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Convictions . It is a game that looks good, feels great and will be difficult for any player to put down. Convictions puts you back in Fisher’s boots. Three years after the death of his daughter, Sarah, Sam finds himself seemingly relaxed in a market place. Suddenly Fisher is contacted by a former colleague and warned about the hit men heading toward his location. A series of events quickly leads Fisher to find out who killed his daughter, thus pushing him into a deep sea of pixilated conflict. Game at a glance Score : 8/ 10 Rated : M (mature) Genre : Action/ stealth Reviewed on : Xbox360 Overall the premise is a bit of a cliché – Special agent loses daughter, wants revenge. The plot is also a bit complicated and at times it’s partnered with weak storytelling. That might make for a game that has you scratching your head more than you should. There are twists and turns, however, which are exciting and require only a basic understanding of what is going on around you. This means you will have a solid appreciation for the game’s most important story elements, even if you find yourself a bit lost during some of the missions. Characters, outside of the story’s protagonist, are hallow and underdeveloped. That makes it difficult for the player to care about any character who isn’t Sam of Sarah Fisher. Where the story fails, game play delivers. Convictions will have most players hooked from the first scene to last. This isn’t a game about running in guns a blazing. Using stealth, your surroundings, tools and gadgets, Fisher will have to take out his enemies with strategy. An execute feature allows you to mark multiple enemies and unload a single-button slow motion kill on all of them. This feature does a great job at making the player feel like an invincible action-movie hero. Don’t mistake the executions as a cheesy god-like ability. The feature has to be earned by taking out an enemy via close range combat. The ability to execute enemies also adds balance between weapon types. A big powerful weapon is exactly that – big and powerful. But it is loud, which makes playing t he stealthy agent difficult. You also can’t mark as many enemies with these larger weapons. The pistols are silent but weak. The lack of firepower doesn’t matter during executions as you can mark more enemies that most other weapons. Overall, Splinter Cell: Convictions offers gamers a short-but-sweet eight-hour campaign. It may not be as charming as some of the top action games out there, but it is a solid 8/ 10. The story’s delivery and its characters are weak, but that is just as forgivable in a great action video game as it is for a great action movie. Thu, 20 May 2010 10:35:27 GMT http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/93006/Out-Of-Control/Convictions-convinces http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/91805/Out-Of-Control/Bad-Company-2-delivers-the-fire-power In most first-shooter action games, standing behind a brick wall ensures safety. In Battlefield Bad Company 2 that theory holds true, until someone with enough firepower rains on your parade. In this game, terrain is destructible and brick walls can’t stand up against tanks. If you’re still hiding behind that wall there’s a good chance you’ll go from being safe to looking silly. Battlefield Bad Company 2 , developed by EA DICE, is essentially an imitation of the popular Call of Duty Modern Warfare franchise. Don’t let that criticism fool you, its replica feel combined with some small unique features makes this a t op-rated game that could easily become the envy of the genre. The single-player campaign is a fast-paced adventure that rushes you and your computer-controlled squad through a variety of geographical landscapes. The action is fast, furious and always exciting. Players venture through the single-player campaign looking for a powerful, and very fictional, weapon used by the Japanese in the Second World War. That weapon appears to be in the hands of the Russians now, and it is the job of a small special ops squad to retrieve it. Characters are cartoonish and stereotyped. This may be annoying to some players, but overall it adds colour and personality to the game’s presentation. If you’re in the market for only a solid single-player adventure, don’t give serious consideration to Bad Company 2. Like the game its imitating, Bad Company 2’s campaign is short with a plot that is fun but hardly the most satisfying of the genre. Instead, the single-player campaign serves as the training grounds for the game’s true focus and strength– its multi-player mode. This is where destructible terrain and the ability to user vehicle separates Bad Company 2 from Call of Duty. It’s nice to know that if the assault riffle isn’t working out, jumping in a tank, helicopter, ATV, or stationary anti-aircraft missile launcher is always an option. The multi-player mode presentation is a bit different from Call of Duty, but the general concept is the same – kill enemies and complete objectives to gain points to increase your character’s level. At higher levels earn different, and often better, equipment to improve your multi-player gaming success rate. There are four different game modes to experiment with, and each one requires a slightly different team strategy. While modes might be different by objective strategy descriptions, all of them can feel the same when teammates ignore those objectives to rack up kill streaks. The rewards for winning games are rather small too, which only encourages people to ignore these objects and make every game a death match. This might be annoying at times, but it barely hurts the overall game experience. Battlefield Bad Company 2 is a solid 9.5 / 10. Its single-player campaign leaves much to be desired, but its multi-player modes have few flaws and are terribly addictive. It is also a good Call of Duty replacement if you’ve grown tired with that franchise, but have had trouble finding a suitable replacement for your video game library. Tue, 18 May 2010 12:50:55 GMT http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/91805/Out-Of-Control/Bad-Company-2-delivers-the-fire-power http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/91802/Out-Of-Control/Cowboy-ninjas-rule-the-living-room Swinging a pretend sword around in your living room while battling make-believe ninja cowboys now looks only half as ridiculous as it normally would. Red Steel 2, developed by Ubisoft Paris, gives Nintendo Wii users the chance to experience what the game boasts as one of the best motion-control experiences available to date. The claim is bold, but Red Steel 2 delivers. Players begin this adventure as an unnamed protagonist who is said to be the last of a Kusagari Clan, an ancient group meant to protect the city of Caldera. The squad of murderers and thieves known as the Jackals makes protecting the city, which looks like a rundown town from an old Clint Eastwood movie, difficult. East meets west in this action packed first-person shooter that seems to have a perfect mix of kung fu fighting and western shoot-‘em ups. Players use the Wii Motion Plus to switch between a gun and Samari sword. Training sessions throughout the early stages of the game will introduce the players to the different kinds of sword attacks they can use, which are triggered by swinging the sword in a variety of different ways. The sword attacks are probably the best part of Red Steel 2, and unlike many Wii games that depend on the motion controls misreads are few and far between. The gun fighting is even more polished than the game’s swordplay. Sick of flailing your arms around? Attack far away enemies by simply pointing at the screen and pulling the Wii controller’s trigger. Going back to the sword is as easy as engaging in another swinging attack. The action is fierce, fun and easily gets players through the 12-hour story. Crisp stylized graphics of Red Steel 2 easily makes this the best looking game available on the Wii. It also serves as an unfortunate reminder that the Wii has still failed to launch a high-definition console, meaning Red Steel 2’s full graphic potential will likely never be realized. If you haven’t played the original title of this franchise, don’t worry because you will never feel lost in Red Steel 2’s story. Also, Red Steel was a terrible and unpolished game that exaggerated all the weaknesses of the Wii. There are balance issues in the second half of the Red Steel 2 campaign. The player continues to grow stronger as the game progresses. New attacks and weapons make the unnamed hero a killing machine that the villains can’t seem to keep up with. Any challenge a player may have at the beginning of Red Steel 2 is all but gone by the sixth hour of game play. This leads to a rather boring final push to the game’s conclusion. Voice acting is also a weak point. The saving grace is that the stylized comic-like graphics of Red Steel 2 makes the poor voice acting almost appear intentional. Red Steel 2 is a 7.5/ 10. The first half of the game flirts with a much higher rating, but the balance issues of the second half can’t keep the excitement going. Rating aside Red Steel 2 still gives you an excuse to battle fictitious cowboy ninjas in your living room, and that’s a good thing. Tue, 11 May 2010 10:34:17 GMT http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/91802/Out-Of-Control/Cowboy-ninjas-rule-the-living-room http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/86765/Out-Of-Control/Metro-2033-tense-times-in-the-tunnels Welcome to Moscow, Russia in 2033, where mutants infest subway tunnels, the war torn surface is uninhabitable and everyone speaks English. This is the eerie and desperate landscape of Metro 2033 , a first person shooter action game based on the novel by Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky. Developer 4A Games took the literature and adapted it to give gamers a horrifying glimpse of fictitious Russian future. Players are introduced to this crumbling society through the eyes of Artyom, a young man born in pre-war times but raised in the dank tunnels where small pockets of humans survive. Impoverished humans share tunnels with bloodthirsty mutants and criminal bandits. It’s not a great place to live, but it is much better than the poisonous surface. From the beginning of this ride to its end, Metro 2033 provides gamers with both horrifying story and satisfying game play. Unfortunately the title fails to deliver true greatness as it is bogged down by a collection of small flaws. Minor issues are visible from the game’s first minute, and continue to add up as you move through the 10-plus hours of story. Had publisher THQ and developer 4A Games only applied a bit more polish, these minor problems would be barely worth mentioning. Metro 2033 is graphically weak compared to many recent releases. Much of the player’s time is spent in dark tunnels and this helps hide some of the game’s visual challenges. The game also suffers from terrible artificial intelligence. Human enemies often duck on the wrong side of cover during gun battles turning moments of tense combat into a silly game of shooting fish in a barrel. Monsters and mutants don’t suffer from the same AI issues as they simply charge and attack. Animation problems, lack of weapon variety and controls in need of polishing hurt the overall experience of Metro 2033 as it reaches the halfway mark. The story’s premise is solid, although its delivery is lacking. The main character moves the plot forward through narratives during loading screens between chapters, but story movement slows considerably between these load screens. There are things the game does well and one area where Metro 2033 succeeds is in its use of sound. Echoes of distant mutants may or may not mean a battle is about to ensue. Rustling nearby could be a bandit ambush, or just the harmless scurrying of rats. The sound, combined with the darkness of the tunnels, adds tension to an already suspenseful and sometimes frightening experience. Sound is also a vital part of the game play. As you lead Artyom to the poisonous surface you are forced to put on a gas mask, which have filters that will eventually need replacing. Flashing warnings will not appear on screen when your gas mask filter needs changing. Instead, players must listen to the laboured breathing of Artyom. There is another way to check the quality of your gas mask filter, but players will have more success if they listen carefully instead of repeatedly checking the game menu. Metro 2033 is a great overall experience and with a bit of work it could have easily been an A+ title. But a lack of TLC to the small details traps it at a seemingly unfair 6.5/10 rating. There’s nothing stopping this game from being an enjoyable ride through a post-apocalyptic Russia, but there’s a lot stopping it from becoming a memorable title like Fallout 3 or Borderlands . Tue, 18 May 2010 12:45:32 GMT http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/86765/Out-Of-Control/Metro-2033-tense-times-in-the-tunnels http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/85986/Out-Of-Control/Blood,-sweat-and-button-mashing Somewhere between the several-kilometre trek up a titan’s arm and the casual swim through the river of Styxx it hits me – this isn’t the Greek mythology they teach in college. God of War III delivers what the series always has, a solid button-mashing good time wrapped in a pretty package. The only difference this time is the system used to present that package is the PlayStation 3, which allows for something spectacular. God of War III follows Kratos as he moves closer toward his goal of vengeance against Zeus. The game’s action is immediate as Kratos rides on the shoulder of an enormous titan climbing toward the top of Mount Olympus in an offensive strike against the gods. The story begins where God of War II ended and moves at a furious pace through the roughly 15-hour story. This Sony Computer Entertainment PlayStation 3 exclusive is a visual masterpiece, but graphics alone isn’t what makes the look of this game so note worthy. Scale is a big part of God of War III, and the game world can grow or shrink immensely and suddenly as the camera pans and zooms. The game’s main and only playable character, Kratos, feels like a giant of a man as he fights a seemingly endless army of foes. The camera then zooms out to reveal Kratos’ next challenge is a mountain-sized titan and suddenly this character seems no bigger than an ant. The battle-heavy action game is able to keep the fun alive despite its repetitive button tapping style. The franchise has been succeeding in this formula for years but that doesn’t mean it’s ever been easy. Just look at the many games that copy the God of War formula only to fail at maintaining interest beyond two hours of game play. Between these button-mashing battles and challenging boss fights, players are faced with mini puzzles. These puzzles are simple, yet require just enough brainpower to give the player a rewarding feeling upon completion. These puzzles, combined with short cinematic cut scenes and loads of battles, make for a game that always seems to move at just the right pace. The game’s flaws are few and far between and easy to ignore. Gore is part of the appeal of the God of War series, but there are times when the game could have scaled back the blood and guts just a smidgen. The story is satisfying but not memorable, and Kratos is an unfortunately hallow character who is hard to like, which makes it difficult for the player to care about his quest for vengeance. From start to finish, God of War III is a solid 9 /10 and a great instalment to a series that has earned its popularity. It is a game that can easily get by solely on looks, yet offers so much more. Tue, 18 May 2010 12:56:26 GMT http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/85986/Out-Of-Control/Blood,-sweat-and-button-mashing http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/85565/Out-Of-Control/Final-Fantasy-is-restrictive,-yet-satisfying With the release of a new Final Fantasy, game developer Square Enix proves that 13 is anything but unlucky. From the moment the disc is loaded into your console, whether that’s a PlayStation 3 or Xbox360, you’re assured of at least one thing – a great looking game. Final Fantasy XIII delivers stunning and polished visuals that compete graphically with most games now available. The 65-hour story is a bit of an RPG cliché – several misfits come together to save the world. These characters are first introduced on the futuristic world of Cocoon, which floats above the more primal landscapes of Pulse. Branded by god-like forces called the fal’Cie our collection of mostly likeable, although sometimes annoying, characters must complete their “focus” or face dire consequences. Characters aren’t sure what that “focus” is, although saving Cocoon is likely a good guess. The graphics and story have a familiar Final Fantasy feel, but the game progression of XIII is unique. Final Fantasy XIII is more linear than most Japanese RPGs, and extremely restrictive compared to most western-style RPGs. The linear progression gives the game an action adventure feel. That feeling is enhanced as you move through levels filled with tight corridors that force you from one objective to the next without straying from the main story’s path. The journey between objectives is interrupted by battles and cinematic cut scenes that are both satisfying and rewarding. The game eventually opens up, although never as much as RPG fans might expect. There are moments where I found myself personally frustrated with the linear progression. This frustration always faded as a new piece of the story’s puzzle was revealed. Combat mechanics in Final Fantasy XIII are also unlike the games that precede it. Players take control of one character and AI is responsible for the other party members. While players only control one character’s actions during these active-time battles, they direct the entire party to follow strategies by assigning roles. During the combat encounter a player can, and often must, shift the party’s strategy to suit specific situations. This combat system is easily the best of the entire franchise. The slow and steady introduction also means players new to the series can feel just as confident as well-versed gamers within 10 hours of play. Overall, Final Fantasy is an 8.8/10. The only significant flaw would be its linear progression, which does feel a bit out of place in an RPG. This is hardly worth getting too upset about, and considering it’s the game’s only real issue it would be difficult to fault it too much. If you’re a fan exclusively of the open-world western RPGs and find restrictions of any kind unacceptable, than this single flaw might be reason enough to stay away. Final Fantasy fans, on the other hand, will likely be impressed with another solid installment of the always-popular series. Players inexperienced with Japanese RPGs shouldn’t have much trouble getting hooked either. Thu, 25 Mar 2010 16:57:36 GMT http://www.tbnewswatch.com/Columns/136/85565/Out-Of-Control/Final-Fantasy-is-restrictive,-yet-satisfying