New Games |
- Review: Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
- Classes, War of the Immortals, and YOU!
- King of all Cosmos struts his stuff for Touch My Katamari
- The great Zelda musical tribute celebration! Day two!
- Duck dragons and other weirdness in Tiny Plumbers
- Keep on milking Robin Williams, Nintendo!
- Penny Arcade is making a Skyward Sword comic
- DCUO launches The Deadly Double Cross update
- 'Ancestors' DLC coming to Assassin's Creed: Revelations
- Graffiti-centric platformer Sideway New York hits Steam
- Live show: Spoiler-free Ass Creed: Rev on Mash Tactics
- Review: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Wii)
- Amazon's buy one, get one 50% off: Skyrim, MW3, more
- The magic of The Legend of Zelda
- Skyrim mod adds Google Maps-style zoom
- Review: Metal Gear Solid HD Collection
- PSA: Rayman Origins is out in stores today!
- Review: GoldenEye 007: Reloaded
- Activision cannot guarantee Call of Duty Elite on PC
| Review: Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Posted: 15 Nov 2011 03:00 PM PST When Marvel vs. Capcom 3 was released, fans jumped for joy at the long awaited return of the Marvel Vs. series. With the addition of brand new characters, a new mechanic called "X-factor," and the promise of even more characters in the form of DLC, this appeared to be the fighting game to get. However, not even a year later, amidst complaints of how "broken" X-factor was and how certain characters were overpowered, Capcom responded with the announcement of Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. As a budgeted upgrade to the "vanilla" version, there was some hostility towards Capcom's releasing this game to cash in on the flaws of the first installment. Now that the game has launched, I've been fortunate to spend enough time with it to form an opinion on how it stacks up as a new installment in this franchise. Is this game a legitimate update that is worth your money, or should this have been an optional DLC purchase as many people were demanding? Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 [reviewed]) I'm going to start out by saying that I am a HUGE fan of Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Whereas most of the other people on staff have probably played this game casually, or got into it at launch but tapered off as other big releases hit, I have been playing it non-stop since its release. From my experience with the first installment, while the roster was plentiful, in order to play the game competitively, there were only a few characters I had to choose from -- Wekser, Dormammu, and Spencer was my team, and those are all characters quite familiar in high-level play. You can imagine my excitement that Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 now boasts 12 new characters to try and incorporate into my team -- six from the Capcom universe (Frank West, Strider, Nemesis, Firebrand, Phoenix Wright, and Vergil) and six from Marvel (Nova, Rocket Raccoon, Iron Fist, Hawkeye, Dr. Strange, and Ghost Rider). Characters such as Phoenix Wright, Strider, and Frank West, were highly anticipated, while others like Nova, Iron Fist, and Rocket Raccoon seemed obscure but blend in perfectly. The first observation about these new characters is that they are all very unique, which I see as a major plus. None of them play alike and they have very unique styles of combat. Phoenix Wright needs to collect evidence during battle in order to become a useful character, but just like in his games, Wright's expert use of evidence can completely destroy an opponent when used at the right time. Frank West, previously seen in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, must take pictures to raise his level and allow access to certain moves and more powerful weapons. On the Marvel side, Iron Fist is a highly grounded character who relies on "rekka"-style motions to perform combos (think Fei Long), while Dr. Strange is all about luring his opponents into a false sense of security, zoning them, then catching them in an trap. Each character is so different that it makes discovering how to play them a game in itself, which is something that I feel was slightly lacking in the original cast of characters. I found myself spending hours in training mode, playing with each character and learning how to fully utilize each one. If Capcom's goal was to add some variety in gameplay, then they definitely succeeded. They also decided to revisit the old roster to give them much needed balancing. Certain characters who went largely un-played received new attributes that made them viable on any team. Captain America in particular seems like someone I definitely want to use now that he has a double jump and an "off the ground" (OTG) Shield Slash that lets him maximize his damage potential. Ryu has been powered up with new types of Hadoukens in invisible and multi-hit flavors as well as a new hyper that definitely allows for new styles of play. Felicia is a character that I would have loved to see used more, and now with an added ground bounce to her Air Delta Kick and OTG Sand Splash, I can't wait to see how she fares against the rest of the cast. As far as the more popular cast goes, none of them seem to have been completely nerfed. While Capcom did fix certain aspects like invincibility on some characters' assist types, those characters who were used often in the vanilla version are still just as good. In fact, some of them like Storm and Magneto even got new tricks to play with. It remains to be seen how the old characters will match up with the new cast once people start playing the game competitively, but from my time with the game, it seems like Capcom made an effort to buff under-powered characters just enough to give them a chance against those who were already good. Concerning the game modes, there isn't much here even compared to the original version. A welcome addition is spectator mode, which was admittedly lacking in MvC3. There is also the promise of a post-launch game mode titled "Heroes and Heralds" which allows for attaching attributes to your team such as parries, invincible assists, and projectile invincibility via collectible upgrade cards. Unfortunately, that mode isn't on disc, so I haven't had as much time with it as I'd have hoped. In fact, what comes on disc is slightly disappointing. The post-launch "Event Mode" that was a part of MvC3 is nowhere to be found, and while I didn't play it as much, the game still feels lacking without it. The only mode on disc besides Arcade, Versus, and Online is a Mission mode meant to train your in how to play each character. However, this mode only scratches the surface of each character; Capcom should take a few hints from the BlazBlue series in how to create a useful training mode that is more educational and intuitive to use. Finally, for those who have an MvC3 save file, you get a non-competitive Galactus mode unlocked at the start that's fun for about five minutes. Then there are the changes that Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 brings to the combat engine. First off, the Delayed Hyper Combo (DHC) glitch has been removed, so if you were one to rely on that tactic, get ready to rethink your technique a bit. The other big change involves the highly controversial X-factor. Many in the fighting game scene disliked the presence of X-factor, since it allowed for one character to take out a whole team if played correctly. In Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, it seems like the damage done by characters in X-factor has been toned down a bit, and the length of time spent in X-factor shortened. On the other hand, X-Factor can now be let off in the air, which will surely encourage experimentation and subsequent innovation in use of the technique. So while it remains to be seen how much these changes to X-factor will affect high-level play, at first glance, it seems like things have been adjusted accordingly. For those who have yet to play Marvel vs. Capcom 3, seeing as how this game is being sold for $40, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 offers a budget entry into a fast-paced fighting game full of unique characters and fun gameplay. There is no better time than now to give the series a try. For those who have been playing the game since launch, the new characters will rejuvenate your interest in this game and challenge your imagination in trying to incorporate them into your established gameplay. The only downside to this game is that what comes on disc seems lacking. In making the inevitable comparison with Super Street Fighter 4, things don't look too good for UMvC3. Super Street Fighter 4 offered much more content, such as team battles and a replay channel, for a reduced price, while Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 doesn't do the same. Whereas SSF4 seemed like a bargain to most, UMvC3 definitely feels like a $40 game. With only a couple of modes to choose from and a less than stellar training mode, I had hoped Capcom would have stepped up their game and given us just a little more. Still, at this price, it's hard to complain. Regardless, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 represents a new age of heroes that will take you for a ride if you choose to make the investment. My greatest joy with the Marvel series is discovering new combinations of fighters and designing teams such as the "Raccoon City," "Devil May Cry," and "Guys with Swords" teams. With this extended cast of highly viable characters, the only thing holding you back from picking a group of characters you enjoy is your imagination. While this hastily released upgrade definitely has some room for improvement, there is absolutely enough new content to warrant the purchase. |
| Classes, War of the Immortals, and YOU! Posted: 15 Nov 2011 02:00 PM PST
War of the Immortals is a free-to-play action MMORPG from Perfect World Entertainment that recently launched into a closed beta. While information was somewhat sparse leading up to this, Perfect World has released a trailer showing off the eight classes in the game. With this comes a glimpse at some of the equipment. Not a lot is revealed, though each class is thankfully associated with a role in the video, giving an idea of how each one should function. Aesthetically, the game's characters seem to remind me of something out of Monster Hunter at times. So far, I feel it seems to lack something compared to Perfect World's other recent releases such as Rusty Hearts, or the upcoming Blacklight: Retribution. You can keep track of War of the Immortals as more information comes out on the official website. |
| King of all Cosmos struts his stuff for Touch My Katamari Posted: 15 Nov 2011 01:30 PM PST Namco Bandai released the opening cinematic for Katamari Damacy No-Vita (Touch My Katamari in the US and Europe), coming to PlayStation Vita. You can watch it. The King of all Cosmos has some serious moves. It's easy to forget that after years of him laying about, relying on the forced labor of his child to rebuild the universe. It's so weird to think about the day I had to call three local stores to find one that had actually ordered a copy of the game to sell in contrast with today, as the game prepares to be a launch title for Sony's big comeback in the handheld market. Amazing. |
| The great Zelda musical tribute celebration! Day two! Posted: 15 Nov 2011 01:00 PM PST The great Zelda musical tribute celebration continues! Yesterday, we listened to what was quite possibly the origins of Zelda fan music. From those humble beginnings, there was nowhere to go but up! We lead the night with the classic "Zelda with Lyrics" by brentalfloss. Donning some robes and becoming Old Man, he cheers on Link in his first adventure (or is it? *cough*timelineconfusion*cough*). After the jump, we've got Brent's thrilling follow-up, a Ganondorf show tune, and the best thing to ever come out of the dreaded Zelda CD-i games. "Zelda II with Lyrics" by brentalfloss! As Old Man would say, "Well, DUH!" This time around, we get to see Brent in a really, really short skirt... err... tunic. Did anybody need to see that? Really? We posted "The Legend of Ganondorf" by Random Encounter earlier this year, and now I'm posting it again. Why not? Ganon deserves a little love and attention too, doesn't he? You gotta admit, the man's got some killer tap dancing skills! Though, it's ironic that he would wish to forget the Zelda CD-i trilogy... ... 'cause this song ensures that will never happen! The Zelda CD-i games were, for lack of a better word, shit, but damn it if those hilariously bad animated cutscenes weren't the greatest things ever! How can those cartoon abortions be made even better? Why, with the remix "Drop the Dodongo" by Verix, of course! That's it for now, folks! Catch you tomorrow! ["Octorawk" artwork by Glen Brogan] |
| Duck dragons and other weirdness in Tiny Plumbers Posted: 15 Nov 2011 12:30 PM PST Independent developer Robot<3Kitty is in the process of designing Tiny Plumbers, a game heavily inspired by the continuing adventures of Mario. Five bucks gets you can early version for PC and Mac, with the finished product looking at a launch price of $10. The art style is exactly the kind I would mentally attach to the word "indie." Despite some familiar elements, this game delves into alternate-history territory with its oddball enemies (Reptar, is that you? With a cowboy hat?), quirky sound effects, and whatever the hell that was at the end with those flying dudes. Tiny Plumbers: A Bloodier, Pixel-ier Super Mario Bros. [GameSetWatch] |
| Keep on milking Robin Williams, Nintendo! Posted: 15 Nov 2011 12:00 PM PST Okay, Nintendo. We get it. Robin Williams is a total videogame nerd who named his daughter after Princess Zelda. One thing, though... Zelda Williams isn't in this commercial! I don't want extreme closeups of Robin's creepy old man lips! The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword: Robin Williams "Origins" Commerical [YouTube] |
| Penny Arcade is making a Skyward Sword comic Posted: 15 Nov 2011 11:30 AM PST If you visited Penny Arcade today, you would have learned that the boys were tapped by Nintendo to do a special five-page Skyward Sword comic. I've enjoyed Mike Krahulik's artwork as it developed over the years, and I am really excited to see his take on Skyward Sword's watercolor style. Understandably, Mike was excited but nervous -- the Zelda team of course had to approve of his designs. Never fear, though! Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma himself gave Mike's work a big thumbs up! I'm thinking good things are about to unfold! Starting today, one page will be released per day on the official Zelda homepage. You really ought to bookmark it and check in on it throughout the week! Penny Arcade Presents The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword [Zelda.com] |
| DCUO launches The Deadly Double Cross update Posted: 15 Nov 2011 11:00 AM PST If you're among the one million people who jumped into DC Universe Online since it went free-to-play, SOE has some new content for you. In the game's sixth update, titled The Deadly Double Cross, players will battle together with Superman and Lex Luthor against that double-crossing jerk General Zod. This will continue where the last update, The Fate of the Fortress, left off, bringing an end to DCUO's Fortress of Solitude raid series. The update will also introduces more gear like the Kryptonian Military weapons forged from Sunstone crystals. The Deadly Double Cross update is currently live as a free download for all players, regardless of membership level. |
| 'Ancestors' DLC coming to Assassin's Creed: Revelations Posted: 15 Nov 2011 10:30 AM PST Looks like everyone's favorite Italian wall crawler will have more friends join in on the multiplayer action on December 13. To coincide with the release of Assassin's Creed: Revelations, Ubisoft has just released new information regarding the first piece of downloadable content. "Ancestors" will offer players four new characters to play in Assassin's Creed: Revelations multiplayer modes. Players can choose from the roguish Privateer, the beautiful but deadly Corsair, the war hardened Brigand or the battle hungry Gladiator. These new characters will also have their own unique sets of weapons and assassination maneuvers; on top of their own personalized taunts. I have been burned on Ubisoft DLC in the past, especially from the Assassin's Creed series. That being said, considering that this is a multiplayer character expansion pack at the fair price of 320 Microsoft Points or $3.99 on the PSN, it's not a bad deal. So, if you have an urge to increase your Assassin's Creed: Revelations multiplayer options and you have some spare credit on PSN or XBLA kicking around in December, this might be something worth your while. |
| Graffiti-centric platformer Sideway New York hits Steam Posted: 15 Nov 2011 10:00 AM PST Fuel Entertainment and Playbrains' previously PlayStation Network-only urban platformer Sideway New York has come to Steam. The game will regularly go for $9.99, but currently, a 15% price reduction for early buyers has been adopted. Having played much of the PlayStation 3 version cooperatively with Conrad, I feel pretty good about calling Sideway a solid title. The enjoyment you get from traversing a 3D world as a 2D character inevitably starts to diminish after a few hours, though the areas prior to that point are worth experiencing. |
| Live show: Spoiler-free Ass Creed: Rev on Mash Tactics Posted: 15 Nov 2011 09:30 AM PST Mash Tactics is jumping forward in time, to flash back in time, to play with dudes on the Internet today. Chronological weaving aside, the guys are playing some Assassin's Creed: Revelations today at 4pm Pacific. Always mindful of our viewers, Carnage and Wesley will be avoiding spoilers entirely by devoting all their time to that Ass Creed multiplayer. Mash Tactics airs Monday through Friday at 4pm Pacific. Watch Jon Carnage and Wesley Ruscher down energy drinks and freestyle rap about perineums on Destructoid's Twitch TV channel. Also, there are videogames being played. Join us for your chance to win prizes, talk to industry guests, and witness all of the glorious antics. |
| Review: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Wii) Posted: 15 Nov 2011 09:00 AM PST Since Internet winner Jim Sterling has already published Destructoid's official review of Modern Warfare 3, this article is strictly looking at how successfully the game has been ported to the Wii. Assessment of the game's content is therefore off the menu, except when differences to the 360/PS3/PC versions alter the gameplay in some noticeable fashion. There are a few such cases, making the Wii iteration slightly distinct from its HD counterpart not only in how it looks but also in how it plays. You will also notice that every image contained in this review is a generic screenshot from the HD version. Activision has had some success in quietly releasing Wii versions of their previous Call of Duty games, with each comfortably selling over a million copies despite being downports with zero marketing presence. "Quietly," in this case, might be exaggeration of the decade. Screenshots of the game are virtually impossible to find, and I lack the equipment to grab my own from my console. Nevertheless, after Treyarch did respectable work porting Black Ops to the Wii last year, can they pull the same trick with Infinity Ward's game this time around? Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Wii) The good news is that Treyarch has once again produced a solid port of what must have been a difficult game to fit onto Nintendo's underpowered console. The campaign is here in full (albeit with a fairly significant chunk of backstory missing, due to Modern Warfare 2's never getting a Wii port), even if you can hear the poor Wii straining at the bit to keep up, chugging away as though a miniature Montgomery Scott were hard at work behind that glowing disc drive, screaming, "She cannae take it no more, cap'n!" In visual terms, anyone coming over from the HD versions will admittedly have good reason to raise a Shatnerian eyebrow. Keeping the scale of the spectacle intact on a console significantly weaker than those for which the game was designed is a notable achievement, but a significant amount of detail has had to be sacrificed in the process. At its best, the game looks like a high-end PS2 game, putting it somewhere in the middle ground of the Wii's most visually appealing titles in the genre (Metroid Prime 3 and GoldenEye 007 representing the genre's graphical top tier, for points of reference). Some of the levels look terrific -- the New York set opener, despite not being recreated as fully as on the HD versions, captures the required size and spectacle to sell the scale of the conflict. The "Goalpost" mission is similarly effective, throwing enough action at the screen to distract from the visual cutbacks more apparent in slower-paced missions such as "Hunter Kill" and "Back on the Grid." Although the visual inconsistency can be jarring (especially since the game seems to have been made noticeably darker to compensate, with no option to increase the brightness), it allows the framerate to be kept at a manageable level, dipping only occasionally and slightly below its 30 fps target. This is particularly important for the Wii, because the question of whether or not to pick up this version of the game over the HD ones boils down to your willingness to sacrifice graphical prowess in favor of a control system whose excellence depends on that stability. Following the otherwise lackluster The Conduit, the Wii Call of Duty games took some of the biggest leaps in getting pointer aiming from its nascent teething problems in Red Steel to the dual analog-annihilating powerhouse it is now. That isn't empty hyperbole -- Modern Warfare 3 is compatible with the Classic Controller Pro, and despite Treyarch's adding copious quantities of auto-aim to compensate for its shortcomings, it is immediately apparent when taking the game online who the dual analog players are by their slower turning and inability to match the precision and dexterity of those using the Wii Remote. That isn't to slight people who prefer analogs over the pointer nor that there isn't room for both, but to suggest that once a player is used to its idiosyncrasies, pointer aiming can be devastatingly effective. Modern Warfare 3 once again isn't at the top of the pile in terms of Wii FPS controls -- Red Steel 2 and Conduit 2 both used Motion Plus to gain a little extra smoothness that made all the difference, while Metroid Prime 3 was locked at 60 fps. Regardless, anyone who has played a Wii COD before will immediately feel at home, where everything is as customizable as it needs to be for newcomers to make the transition as comfortable as possible, even if it means adapting to a new control vocabulary. There are a few niggles that need to be pointed out (pun intended), however. Controlling turrets can be frustrating, as each seems to have its own sensitivity, despite the existence of a dedicated slider in the control options. Mounted guns tend to be stiff, meaning the slider needs to be pushed right up, yet a mortar in one mission is ridiculously over-reactive and near impossible to control unless the slider is pulled right back down again. For the gunplay that forms the bulk of the campaign, though, the pointer works superbly. The online modes are where most players will be spending the majority of their time, and it is unfortunately mixed news on that front. On the plus side, "Spec Ops" makes its debut on the console. On the downside, "Survival" is the only mode available, with anyone hoping for "Missions" set to be disappointed. The standard online deathmatches have everything included, with the exception of some of the most intensive kill... sorry, pointstreaks -- the AC-130, Predator missile, and Osprey are all kept in the hangar once again. Before you roll your eyes, consider that their absence slightly changes the texture of the game, giving players less fear of the outdoors and making for a more run-and-gun experience than its HD counterpart (where combatants, in my experience, tend to move between indoor hiding places rather than roam constantly). The slightly lower player count also contributes to this, as it means even the best players take just a little longer to notch up the required number of kills to access the more powerful options. My personal view is that it also balances two of the pointstreak packages slightly better, with those choosing Support over Assault not having to endure three of the rewards that are most difficult to defend against. Another downside is that, at present, the game suffers from some noticeable lag and graphical issues. If your internet connection isn't too strong -- I tested the game at my provider's peak time (early evening) and then way off-peak (around 4am) -- you have to anticipate where players will move in order to hit them, leading to entire magazines' being emptied into thin air, even though your red dot sight was aimed squarely down an opponent's nose. This was never a problem with Black Ops, even with weak internet speeds. There is also a fair bit of pop-up and rare instances where graphics and subsequently clipping fail to load altogether, giving you the strange -- though helpful -- advantage of being able to wander through walls until the game gets its act together. Although it has yet to happen to me in about eight hours of play, there have also been reports of freezing and even data corruption in the worst cases. Fortunately, the game is patchable (not always a given on the Wii), and Treyarch has confirmed that it is aware of these issues and is actively working on a fix. The first Black Ops patch came after two weeks, so you should perhaps wait on handing over your cash until the update has been applied. And for the record, voice chat is included only for the Headbanger Headset (no Wii Speak compatibility), there is no COD Elite integration, and the ability to instantaneously exchange Ally/Friend Codes with people you have just played against appears to have been inexplicably removed. When the online multiplayer works, though, it is fantastically compelling and has a strong claim to being among the best of its kind on the console. That sums up the Modern Warfare 3 Wii package perfectly -- rough around the edges and often trying to bite off more than it can chew, but with a solid enough core experience that few could have imagined on a console frequently written off as unable to provide the same spectacular experiences as its HD cousins. Yes, you have to put up with missing Spec Ops missions, a lack of refinement in the online modes for now (add a point onto the final score should the lag issues be properly fixed), and some textures that look like they might have been drawn in Paint. On the other hand, you gain the thrilling speed and fluidity of pointer-based aiming (PlayStation owners ought to start petitioning Activision ASAP for Move integration in the next patch) and a slightly different, possibly better balanced, version of the acclaimed online multiplayer modes. Activision may be treating the Wii port as the bastard child of the Modern Warfare 3 family, but I give the company credit for releasing the game at all, making it one of the few third-party publishers to show Wii gamers even that modicum of respect (sucks to be you, Capcom and Ubisoft). Even during this busy holiday software surge, Treyarch deserves some respect for doing a creditable job in bringing the series to an unlikely home. [Xander Markham's MW3 'Ally Code' is 5167-4762-0921. Put yours in the comments if you own the game! When not playing with his Wii *cough*, he writes news and reviews for Flixist, the best goddamn film site in the universe, as well as television and game reviews on his personal blog.] |
| Amazon's buy one, get one 50% off: Skyrim, MW3, more Posted: 15 Nov 2011 08:30 AM PST Ah yes, here we are -- deals for those wanting to save on recent game releases without having to endure the madness of Black Friday in person. Amazon has a "buy one, get one 50% off" promotion on titles like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, Batman: Arkham City, RAGE, and more. For Wii and 3DS owners, there's a similar thing going on where second purchases are 40% off. This might not be a bad way to build up your 3DS library with games such as Star Fox 64 3D, Cave Story 3D, Bit.Trip Saga, and Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D. |
| The magic of The Legend of Zelda Posted: 15 Nov 2011 08:00 AM PST All this week, Destructoid will be posting Zelda-themed features to celebrate this weekend's release of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. It's Zelda week! Your stomach is full of butterflies. You can’t get the smile off of your face. The memories of your childhood start rushing through your body. The anticipation is almost unbearable. For many people, these are the common feelings experienced before playing a brand new Zelda game for the first time. It is an event. New console Zelda games don’t come around very often, so when they do, playing them is a momentous occasion. But why is this? What makes playing a new Zelda game so special? What makes it so exciting? What makes it so beautiful? With my excitement for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword nearing unheard of levels, I think I have finally figured it out. I think I finally now understand what makes playing a Zelda game so magical. A brand new world No series in the history of videogames has created a more inviting, wonderful, fantastical world than the Legend of Zelda series. Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Zelda, has always said he was inspired to create the now legendary series after wandering through the woods as a child and discovering a hidden cave. This sense of exploration and discovery comes through in every Zelda game ever released. Whether the game takes place in the lush kingdom of Hyrule, the mysterious, haunting island of Koholint, or the doomed land of Termina, each world in every Zelda game is full of amazing characters, stunning environments, and numerous secrets. Every world is thriving with life. Every place has a history. Every character has a story. When playing a Zelda game, the world feels like it exists even when the game is turned off. From humble beginnings Nowadays, many videogames like to start with a bang. Whether the train crash of Uncharted 2 or the battle with the hydra in God of War, most modern videogames like to open with a loud, over-the-top set piece to get the action started. With Zelda, there is no rush to overwhelm the player’s senses with any kind of visual fireworks. The games just quietly start, most of the time with Link waking up in a small village, going about his normal day. Instead of forcing anything on the player, Zelda games awaken and let the player awaken with them. The worlds in Zelda games slowly start to expand as the player explores more and more. There is no need to reveal everything right away. If the player wants to explore a new, hidden village, the game goes along with them. If the player wants to stop and take some time to fish in a beautiful, serene lake, the game stops and waits with them. Instead of the game dictating what to do and where to go, the player makes all the decisions. Or, at least, the game makes them believe they are. And that is something quite special. The holiday factor For me, there is nothing better than holiday gaming. Nothing. The feeling of playing a videogame, wrapped in a blanket, as the rain, snow, and general chill of the late fall season whirls around outside. It is pretty much perfect. Every single console Zelda game since A Link to the Past (excluding Wind Waker) has been released in November. So that means that every single console Zelda game can be played when the weather is just right. I have such incredible memories of playing A Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, and Twilight Princess over the long Thanksgiving weekend, the fireplace crackling and covering the room in a warm, nostalgic glow. Four long, lazy days of nothing but Zelda. Heaven. And this amazing feeling lasts throughout the rest of the holiday season, as I dive deeper into my magnificent Zelda adventure. As the turkey leftovers disappear, they are replaced with the soft twinkling of Christmas lights reflecting off my controller. The perfect combination of all these factors makes playing a Zelda game such a unique, unequaled experience. In fact, I have tried to play other videogames during the holidays and never got the same feeling. No game has come close. Playing Zelda is truly something special.
That little gold cartridge Sadly, Nintendo hasn’t released a Zelda cartridge in years with that same golden shine like they did on the original NES. But the disappointment people feel from not having this same gold cartridge says something. Fans were so moved and impressed by the original gold cartridge, that they want that same feeling of wonder again. Even the cartridge of a Zelda game means something to people. That is pretty incredible. To be fair, Nintendo has at least released more recent Zelda games in gold boxes or with gold-colored labels, but nothing will ever top the feeling of opening the original Legend of Zelda for the first time and seeing that sparkling gold beauty shining up at you. That memory will stick with me for the rest of my life. The adventure of a lifetime When I was young, I used to go on tons of adventures with my friends. We used to fight dragons in the woods behind my house. We used to climb massive trees to retrieve golden treasure from the nests of massive snow eagles. We used to fear for our lives as we climbed from precarious ledge to precarious ledge, trying our best not to fall into the lava right below us. Of course, all of this happened in the confines of our own backyards. And there were obviously no dragons. No treasures. No snow eagles. No lava. But in our imaginations, it all existed. With Zelda, this same sense of glorious adventure returns every time I play it. I don't care how old I am, I know for a fact that I will always play a Zelda game and be able to lose myself in Link's fantastic, epic adventure. I am Link as he finds the Master Sword. I am Link as he scales the sides of Death Mountain. I am Link as he triumphantly holds the Triforce above his head. Every time I play a new Zelda game, I embark on the adventure of a lifetime. When Miyamoto was a child, he discovered a cave in the woods. The moment was so special for him, that he remembered it for the rest of his life, transforming his memories into The Legend of Zelda. Every time I play a new Zelda game, I discover that cave. A cave full of magic beyond my wildest dreams. |
| Skyrim mod adds Google Maps-style zoom Posted: 15 Nov 2011 07:30 AM PST Skyrim hasn't even been out for a week yet, and we are already seeing some mods for it. One worth noting isn't really even a mod, but it changes the way that you view the map in game. The map in Skyrim is an actual 3D version of the game world, and if you add a few lines to an .ini file, you can zoom in all the way, and move around the world. This is actually amazing, and it lets you see and find things ridiculously easy. Complete directions on how to do this can be found on Skyrim Nexus. Skyrim map mod provides in-game street views [PC Gamer] |
| Review: Metal Gear Solid HD Collection Posted: 15 Nov 2011 07:00 AM PST Metal Gear Solid is very much a love it/hate it series. Those that become absorbed in its shifting narrative, stealthy gameplay and unapologetically eccentric nature become obsessed, while those who find the series convoluted and confusing will likely never regard it with anything more than contempt. For those in the former category, the purchase of Metal Gear Solid HD Collection simply is not in question. Nevertheless, one still has to wonder how well Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty have aged, and whether the inclusion of PSP title Peace Walker makes for a valuable package overall. Then again, when one of those titles is worth the price of admission alone, it is perhaps not a question that needs to be asked. Metal Gear Solid HD Collection (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 [reviewed]) Metal Gear Solid HD Collection brings together the series' two PlayStation 2 outings and adds the console version of former PSP-exclusive Peace Walker. As is the case with similar HD remasters, the games have been preserved faithfully, with no major changes added outside of a fresh coat of paint to make the titles look more attractive on HDTVs. Each game comes with its own digital manual and a brief summary of what that particular chapter is all about. Its game selection screen is glossily presented, complete with the sketch-like artwork that has become a series trademark. The Xbox 360 version ships on two discs -- one containing the PS2 titles, the other containing Peace Walker -- and whatever version you get, Snake Eater is presented as the first title, with its narrative representing the earliest chronological point in MGS' overall story. Playing Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater feels just as fresh today as it did back in 2004, remaining one of the few games to truly stand the test of time. Graphically, it has aged incredibly well so the HD enhancement feels like a true compliment to the already superb animation and outstanding art direction. Only the relative simplicity of the game's textures indicate Snake Eater's age, and playing the game on an HDTV only reinforces just how terrific the title looked for its time. In fact, it could give a few modern titles a run for their money, as far as I'm concerned. Thanks to a range of unique features that are yet to be replicated even in successive Metal Gear Solid installments, Snake Eater's gameplay seems just as fresh as the visuals. The open-ended approach to stealth combat with bosses that present multiple tactical options, the range of animals to capture and eat, as well as the in-depth camouflage system, are still brilliant additions that no other title has exploited since. That said, the game's innovations definitely go a bit far at times, with the constant need to open menus and tend to Naked Snake's injuries proving particularly frustrating. Nevertheless, this is still one of the greatest videogames ever made, with its beautiful story, enriched gameplay and incentive for multiple playthroughs. Not to mention, it is one of the last bastions of legitimately brilliant boss encounters, and that fact alone secures its place as a memorable, remarkable experience. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty is one of the most controversial sequels of all time and may still be regarded by fans as the "worst" chapter in the series. Nevertheless, it remains one of my favorites in several ways. The introduction of Raiden as protagonist was a crucial element in the development of Solid Snake's character, while Solidus is a tremendous example of a villain with noble intentions condemned by irredeemable actions. Even the sub-plot involving Revolver Ocelot's spooky arm is delightful in its bizarre campness (it was often maligned for jumping the shark, but in a series with telekinetic freaks and ghost rivers, can we really single it out?). While I still have a distinct fondness for the game, there's no denying that MGS2 has aged considerably. Lacking the depth of Snake Eater, Liberty's simple environments and inflexible stealth gameplay doesn't hold up anywhere near as well as the game that would follow, and playing it so soon after beating Snake Eater, its flaws are magnified to a capacious degree. That's not to say the game is bad. As an experience, at least, it's still got a lot of merit. The "Big Shell" environment is unlike anything else seen in games, and one grows quite attached to it the same way PSX players did with Metal Gear Solid's Shadow Moses. While its boss fights aren't as engaging as Snake Eater's, there are still quite a few ambitious encounters, and there are plenty of easter eggs and extras to uncover. My advice would be to give it a week or two between games if you plan on playing Snake Eater first. Both Snake Eater and Sons of Liberty come packaged with their "Subsistence" and "Substance" extras, respectively. These special edition versions come with extra content and options, meaning that Snake Eater gets the incredibly welcome camera movement addition, as well as playable MSX versions of Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. The "Substance" iteration of MGS2 comes packed with a huge range of VR missions and the story-based "Snake Tales" chapters that show Snake's perspective of the Big Shell Incident. The only alteration to these editions is the removal of Metal Gear Online and the Snake vs. Monkey mode from Snake Eater. While MGO isn't something worth missing, it's certainly a shame to be without the rather fun Monkey missions. It should also be noted that the Xbox 360 controller doesn't feature the pressure-sensitive input that were a big part of the combat in these two games. However, aiming and relaxing guns are handled quite adequately with a click of the movement stick, which I actually find more manageable than dealing with varying degress of button pressure. Rounding out the package is Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. I can't say I'm the biggest fan of Peace Walker, and I am less so of its console version, mostly because it was so clearly designed for the PSP. Peace Walker's segmented mission-based gameplay and focus on army building and micro-management make for a game best left in the portable realm, where fiddling around with menus and smaller, bite-sized slices of action work best. The lack of a suitable control scheme replicating MGS3 and MGS2 is quite a noticeable omission as well, as the game still feels like it has a PSP's control scheme, no matter what input mode is selected. Once again, it's not a bad game, it just doesn't quite feel at home in the same package as MGS2 and MGS3. The HD visuals are far less of a step up and the game would just look and feel better on a handheld. Played sequentially as presented, Metal Gear Solid HD Collection is a product that gradually decreases in entertainment value, starting with a sublime HD version of an already inspiring game and ending with an unnecessary port of an awkward handheld title. The lack of the original Metal Gear Solid leads to a collection that cannot help feeling incomplete. As the most iconic and important game in the franchise, its exclusion is hugely noticeable and remains somewhat disappointing. Despite its availability elsewhere, it would have been the perfect addition. All told, however, one must take note of a very simple fact -- Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is so damn good that it single-handedly justifies the $49.99 asking price. I would happily pay that for the game on its own, so the fact that it comes with the still-engrossing Sons of Liberty and an extraneous Peace Walker is pure gravy. All told, this is a package that manages to feel like it went over and above despite a handful of glaring omissions, and creates a package that Metal Gear Solid fans won't regret picking up. While one cannot call this the ultimate tribute to the Metal Gear Solid series, it is still a glorious production indeed. At the end of the day, I'm still in a dream ... Snake Eater. |
| PSA: Rayman Origins is out in stores today! Posted: 15 Nov 2011 06:30 AM PST Usually we don't do these kind of "PSA" posts for retail games, but with Ubisoft sending the poor game out the same week as Saints Row: The Third, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Halo: Anniversary and even its own Assassin's Creed: Revelations, I figured the poor game could use some help. Whatever big-name game you're planning on buying this month, don't forget about this one. By all accounts, is absolutely fantastic and a joy to behold, so at least consider it, or download the demo to see how it feels. Well, this is my good deed done for the day. |
| Review: GoldenEye 007: Reloaded Posted: 15 Nov 2011 06:00 AM PST Last year, James Bond returned to videogames in both GoldenEye 007 for the Wii and Blood Stone for the PS3 and 360. In a change from the standard outcome when a franchise hits multiple platforms, the Wii game was the one that was more polished and more fun to play. Even more surprising is the fact that GoldenEye 007 was a perfectly satisfactory follow-up to its namesake and by far one of the best FPS experiences on the Wii. Of course, even before GoldenEye 007 came out, people were crying foul that it was a Wii exclusive, mostly because people like to cry fowl whenever they get the chance. All those fowl criers can stop now that the game has come to both the PS3 and the 360 in glorious hi-def with a new engine, extra content, and a more robust online component. Is it worth picking up if you've played the Wii version? Or if you didn't, is it worth picking up in a holiday market crowded with other shooters? GoldenEye 007: Reloaded (PlayStation 3 [reviewed], Xbox 360) This review is going to feel a little bit like a DLC review; in all honesty, the single-player aspect of this game is exactly the same except for the graphical improvements and new hidden medallions to collect. The new stuff, the MI6 challenge mode and multiplayer content, could easily be considered robust DLC if they were delivered digitally post release. That explained, if you really want to read a full review on the single-player, just head on over to my original Wii review because most of what is in there still stands. This is the exact same game reworked for more powerful systems. There are, obviously, some changes in the single-player experience. This isn't just a straight port with "upgraded" graphics that don't actually look any better, but the same game based on a much more powerful game engine. While I thought the game looked perfectly fine on the Wii, and I'm no graphics whore, I must say that playing through the exact same only much prettier levels is not something I'm going to complain about. The new engine and more powerful platforms not only make the graphics more "hi-defier," but also make the levels feel more alive. Details like rain, water effects, and improved lighting just make levels pop in ways they couldn't on the Wii. In fact, the night club section I raved about in the Wii's review looks absolutely fantastic thanks to the fact that the engine can handle more things on screen at once. So when the entire scene slows down and the debris starts flying like in a John Woo action scene, it looks really, really good. Compared to the Wii, that is. Graphically, the game is no slump, but it isn't stand-out either. As I said, this isn't a Wii game polished up, but that doesn't mean it's one of the best looking games out now. The graphics are definitely middle of the road overall, and while they look fine, you won't be blown away by anything. This is especially apparent in the textures, which don't seem to have gotten as much love as the lighting and other aspects. Now, on to the new part. The major addition to the game is the MI6 Ops mode, which is basically a bunch of challenges for the player to try to complete in the fastest time they can. There are three types of challenges (and an extra one that unlocks): stealth, defense, and elimination. All of them take place in slightly varied sections of single-player levels or in multiplayer levels. The modes are all pretty much exactly what they sound like. "Stealth" involves getting through levels without alerting any guards. "Defense" tasks the player with downloading information from three computer terminals while waves of enemies attack; each terminal takes three minutes to download from while enemies flood in at set time intervals during. Finally, "elimination" has the player attempting to kill every bad guy in the level as quickly as possible. By completing challenges fast enough or on high enough difficulties, you're awarded with a higher score which gets you more stars which in turn unlock more challenge levels. It's pretty standard stuff as far as challenge modes go, but what sets it apart from most others is in how adjustable the challenges are. Instead of simply having easy, medium, and hard settings, difficulty is set by a plethora of variables the player can adjust before jumping into the challenge. You can pretty much adjust everything from enemy damage to rag doll physics. Bump up the enemies strength and you'll get more points as you start the level off. Remove your radar capabilities and your score will go up. Increase your own life and your starting score will go down. Implement paintball mode and... well, nothing happens, but it's way more fun. Thus, to get the best score, you have to balance out challenge and time. Make it too hard and you won't be able to complete it in any decent amount of time, too easy and you won't start off with a high enough score. In theory, it's a great idea, but from my play, it seemed like completion time outweighed challenge points by too much. Thus, beating the game on a really difficult collection of settings wasn't as good as speeding through it on an easier setting. There's no way of really knowing this ahead of time since it's unclear how the time scores work; believe me, it's incredibly annoying to redo a level over and over on a difficult settings just to have it not pay off in as many stars as you thought it would. I suppose the online leaderboards help to assuage this annoyance since you're competing against others, but I'd rather have a better idea of what I'm going to score ahead of time. MI6 Ops isn't the only new stuff in the game. Multiplayer has not only gotten a graphical overhaul, but also four new maps and a plethora of new game modes have been added. Some we've seen before, like Elimination where players progress through a pre-set series of guns each time they take someone out, but with a Bond twist since slappers melee is the final weapon. Others are a bit fresher, like Data Miner, where one player has to download data while he fights off all the others, and every kill he makes increases his download speed. I have to say the online multiplayer is quite fun, and thanks to the fact that more of the random multiplayer options are present in this version, it feels a whole lot more old-school GoldenEye when you're online. Of course, all of the random fun settings (paintball, golden gun, etc.) are back in multiplayer in this version, but Eurocom has also included some other random stuff, like a mode where Jaws' metal teeth can deflect bullets or Dr. No's metal arms prevent him from taking damage from shots to the arm. The game also features more Bond villains to choose from, including Tee Hee, Max Zorin, Auric Goldfinger, Dr. Kananga, and Hugo Drax (exclusive to the PS3). All these definitely make the game a bit more fun, but again, they can't be considered much more than DLC to an already complete game. I should note that the PS3 version has full Move support (in fact, there's a special edition that comes with that big gun thing and all the Move accouterments) and, well, it works. I played most of the game with a standard controller since I don't own a Move and had to borrow one. Just like the Wii, though, the Move controls function and are fun to play with. So yeah, Move works. The question then becomes (if you haven't already played the game on the Wii) why would you pick this up over the plethora of other FPS out there that are admittedly better in almost every aspect. Do me a favor and walk over to your game collection to check the back of all your FPSes for how many players can play at once on one console. I'll put good money that the majority of your FPSes don't allow you and three other friends to sit around in the same room and shoot each other. Four-player split screen just doesn't show up on the PS3 and 360 anymore, but it's here in GoldenEye 007: Reloaded; just like the Wii version, it's plain fun to play with your friends in the room. Yes, the same flaws exist in the rest of the game, but with the ability to split your screen into four equal parts and shoot your friends in the same room being such a rarity on both systems these days, I would argue that Reloaded sets itself apart from the pack in a major way by actually having what should be a standard feature. With Reloaded, you're basically getting GoldenEye 007 plus a bit more. This leaves me in a bit of a quandary when scoring the game. Technically, it should get a higher score than its Wii counterpart since its graphics are better, it has more content, and its online is more robust. However, I can't say that any of this actually makes the game any better, it just makes for more of it. More of an 8.5 is still an 8.5. What it comes down to is that, if you own this on the Wii, I can't really see that big a reason to pick up this version. If you don't own it, however, this will be a great acquisition to actually get some split screen action on your hi-def console while also getting a really solid game at the same time. I understand it's the holiday season and there are a plethora of other games to pick up, but if you come across GoldenEye 007: Reloaded a little down the road when the influx of games has passed, and if the price has dropped a bit, you (and your friends who can finally play videogames with you when they come over) won't regret it one bit. |
| Activision cannot guarantee Call of Duty Elite on PC Posted: 15 Nov 2011 05:30 AM PST Despite assurances that Call of Duty Elite would come to all platforms, Activision has now stated that it cannot guarantee a PC release for the social networking service. The company Tweeted a brief statement on the issue, saying it could provide no details on Elite's PC status. "We are working towards a universal Elite experience but we cannot guarantee if or when a version will be available for the PC," said the COD Twitter page. Would it truly be a Call of Duty release if it didn't piss off PC gamers? While I am still struggling to see the point of Elite, I am in a minority as millions upon millions have signed up for it. Clearly, it's a popular service so it would be a shame for Modern Warfare 3 obsessives if it never hit computers. Activision can't guarantee Call of Duty Elite will launch on PC [Eurogamer] |
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