Reviews Archive

Sam and Max: The City that Dares Not Sleep Review (PC)

By
VeRKK
 – August 31, 2010Posted in: PC, PC Reviews
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Sam and Max, the crazy duo is back once again, to finish the chapter of their lives, well, at least for Season 3. With the crazy premise that Max is now a big creature trashing and tearing New York apart, can Sam turn this predicament into a fun and enjoyable ride? Yes!

Presentation:

The grainy film design to the narration, and partially in the cut-scenes, makes S&M an interesting experience. The highly focused conversations and interaction with the characters expose the great script that was built in this chapter The on-going banter and jokes just add to great story overall; with only a few hitches in the dialogue.

Visuals:
The character models look good but nothing beyond that. Some of the facial expressions and animations do not go well with the semi-realistic, semi-cartoony look of the characters, but the great level design makes up for this and everything else shines in regards to style and detail.

Sound:

Just like the script, beyond a few hitches with the delivery, and perhaps it is specific to some characters, the voice-overs are really good. The personalization and character development that I even encountered in this episode is just astounding! Also the music is superb! Even if it is focused on one specific area or moment, the music is still fitting to the local you are at.

Gameplay:

As a point-and-click adventure game S&M works really well. There were some sections when controlling Max where the camera is a bit of a problem and the actual movement is clunky. Maneuvering between items, selecting to interact and even moving from one “body” to another works well; especially when it comes to the fantastic level design, Even though I used the hint system a few times, most of the clues were not as crazy as Season 2 had, at least from my experience.

I had a few minor glitches and technical issues, but that could be because of my PC setup and not the game.

Replay Value:

Five hours or so to finish the chapter is not bad. It did feel a bit short, but considering it’s an individual episode that is quite good.

Conclusion:

9.5
Another great episode from Telltale Games! Even though I did not have any experience with Season 3, I learned a few things about it with this episdoe. The puzzles were challenging but not hard to the point I wanted to stop the game. The pace and the level design made this episode a great ending to Season 3!
Should you get it? Probably, unless you hate funny and good scripted games with solid voice-overs!


TellTale Games did provide a review copy for our review and we are very appreciative to them!

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Mafia II Review (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

By
VeRKK
 – August 24, 2010Posted in: Headline, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 3 Reviews, Xbox 360, Xbox 360 Reviews
MAFIA II LOGO BLACK

Mafia II is the story of Vito Scaletta and his family immigrating from Sicily, growing up in Empire Bay, serving in the American army, getting beat up by mobsters, and killing a substantial amount of people on his own. This results in Vito Scaletta becoming the ultimate mobster! But is it really that good that he did? Well…

Presentation:

While the setting is different then most open world games, the 40′s & 50′s theme does not work in many aspects of the narrative. First the script and the characters are not deep or interesting on any level. The story itself is good for what it tries to do but a lot of writing quirks made some of the dialogue awkward. While the story or the characters are not that compelling, the weapons, cars and outfits really do make you feel like you are in the 40′s & 50′s time period.

Visuals:

Great particles and visual effects are a plus, especially since you can use it to your advantage in the actual gameplay as well. It is a really good engine for physics, but sadly, everything else is rough. Some of the environments look like a proper current generation game, but most look really un-inspired and bland. On top of that, the facial models and lip syncing both in-game and in the cut-scenes are just horrendous.

Sound:

Going with the 50′s vibe, the background music in the action sequences is really good and fitting. Unfortunately though the music that is played in the radio is also from that time period and really not my thing. Even though I recognized a few songs most of them were just not interesting to me. The voice-overs are good but inconsistent at points and with the theme of the narrative, it is a big campy at points.

Gameplay:

As an open world game, with cover based shooting, the game fails at everything it tried to do gameplay wise. Initially the game was designed as a narrative driven game, but because of the style of the story and missions, it would be quite weird. On the other hand the mission design is absolutely abysmal! There are fetch missions, timed missions, and some horrible driving missions (not racing) that just take forever to go through and most of it was not streamlined at all.

Which leads me to my other problem. The checkpoint system is just appalling! There is nothing to do sometimes since the game fails to let you know exactly what you need to do and that leads to constant deaths. Also the decent, at best, gunplay is only making everything even worse! Its in-accurate, clunky and I would say the same for the un-fluid cover system that is in the game.

Then there is the driving in the game which feels really stiff and un-intuitive. It makes some of the missions really frustrating as they are timed missions.

On top of all that there is some good on paper fighting mechanics that were not implemented well into the game. There are quite a few fighting scenes and the odd choice to force the player to hold the button to counter, is just baffling! Especially since it is fun and challenging at with the harder enemies. Sadly though some camera issues make the fighting frustrating.

Even though its a small thing, the font size for the objectives and subtitles really make the game problematic. Also the game has a weird mechanic that regards the cops and enforcing the law against you.

Replay Value:

It takes about 11-12 hours to finish the game, which is quite disappointing for an open world game; especially since there is nothing do it in the world (besides a few side missions). The biggest problem is the fact that at least 40% of the game is you just driving from X to Y with no real explanation. It’s the consequence of making a linear chapter based game in an empty open world game.

Conclusion:

Mafia 2 failed to deliver a good story; it failed to provide a good narrative; and it failed big time with all the odd and frustrating design choices that were in the game. In the end Mafia 2 is everything you do not want to be: a shallow game and story with horrible design on top of a decent shooter.
5

Watch Denby Grace (Sr. Producer) and Dan Schmittou (Production) Play the First Hour of Mafia II:

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Review: Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days (Xbox360, PS3, PC)

By
VeRKK
 – August 17, 2010Posted in: Headline, PC, PC Reviews, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 3 Reviews, Xbox 360, Xbox 360 Reviews
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The crazy duo is back once again to our lives, and with the first bump to the series, can Dog Days be the right track for the series? Well… No.

*This game was played on the Xbox360 version and it was only played in the Offline modes, the game was installed to the hard-drive as well*.

Presentation:

I have good memories from the story and characters that were built in the first Kane and Lynch game. Surprisingly, the characterization of the two in the second is not really that interesting. Since the story and the entire premise of the first game was the only good thing in that game; you would think the second would at least be on the same level. Also the main motivation of the characters are just not interesting at all, especially after the big “mid-game reveal”.

A major new thing that was implemented into the game is the documentary esque art style and camera shots; that to be honest, did not thing at all to attract or to differ from the really bland and simple story, even if it did some things later on with the new style, it’s still not enough.

Visuals:

The semi-realistic  art style can work, but the big inconsistency regarding quality is just too much. At points the game looks almost life like, but at most times, it looks really rough, especially character models and visual effects. But the in-game cut-scenes are still pretty good for the engine. Repetitive design to the enemies also hurt the big action moments when there are a lot of enemies on screen.

Sound:

The voice-overs are really in the middle. The delivery at points is really impressive, but at other points, it’s just plain bad. The weapon design sound wise, and are not bad at all to be honest, as goes the same for explosions. 

Gameplay:

As a 3rd person cover based shooter, Kane and Lynch 2 does not function well with its mechanics. 1st, the shooting mechanics are very in-accurate and the hit detection is horrifyingly bad. 2nd, the cover system is clunky and not fluid at all,and when a game like this, that tries to have big epic set-pieces loaded with enemies and action, frustration is only inevitable; even if the actual set-pieces are designed well, for the most part.

Along with the story mode, Kane and Lynch 2 comes with an Arcade Mode. And just like its name the mode is supposed to be more fun and light headed, but there is no true incentive to play it over and over like the mode wants you to. The game comes with nine maps and three of those maps are only for are for the limited edition or as DLC,. The problem goes for weapons in this mode as well. A nice chunk of the weapons are for the DLC\limited editions only and not for the people who only want to play the game and don’t want to invest in extra, or the pre-order to get the extras.
Speaking on actual gameplay, the mode is 10 rounds; where each round you and A.I. are robbing and interacting with looting money. The more money you get the better you do and when you finish each round you can purchase weapons. With that comes the un- necessary leveling up since there is nothing beyond unlocking the weapons, and since even the lower tier weapons are decent; the mode does not makes sense at all. It is a fun mode but 10 rounds of the exact same gameplay is just weird. The fact that this mode is not available with an Offline partner it is just tedious and eventually boring.

Replay Value:

With a really short campaign (around 5 hours), Offline Arcade Mode and a few interesting multiplayer modes it’s hard to see a lot of replay value with Kane & Lynch 2. Even with the fact that the game features Online\Offline cooperative play for the campaign; and even if you will play it twice, it’s still just not enough!

Conclusion:

Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days has failed with everything it tried to do! The narrative is not as interesting as the first game and the gameplay is very sub-par. With the specific genre and the length of the campaign the replay value is really not there at all. And on top of all that Arcade Mode is really repetitive and boring.

5.5

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Castlevania: Harmony of Despair Review (XBLA)

By
VeRKK
 – August 17, 2010Posted in: Headline, Xbox 360 Reviews, Xbox Live Arcade
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The classic series has taken a new design shift! While some of the ideas are great can the new concepts of Castlevania: Harmony of Despair (HoD) become the standard for future games? Well… maybe.

Presentation:

The gothic art style along with the very dark and moody environments makes the atmosphere and the feel of Castlevania: HoD to be unique and very cool. Add a unique approach to the mission structure, I believe that at least presentation wise, Castlevania: HoD great.

Visuals:

While the art design of the environments and character models are great, visually they do not hold up very well. Dealing with existing assets from hand held games and placing them on a big screen TV is not working, sadly. But not at all points, even while stretched, the environment still lash out with a great moody style and detail.

Sound:

Absolutely superb! Great sound effects and background music are rocking through the entire game.

Gameplay:

As a 3rd person brawler and platformer, Castlevania: HoD works at most points when its coming to basic gameplay. Using mainly two buttons to attack and while using the others to use magic\skills. This is also where the major problems are coming from. The game is very vague with explaining how and when to use your skills, and with the ability to choose five characters, it can be a big problem.

While its not necessarily a negative to just play through the game and test to see who your favorite character is to play with; some odd design choices for example: the set time of 30 minutes to get to the main boss at the beginning of the game; or the lack of any proper checkpoint system; makes Castlevania: HoD a big hassle to go through multiple times. Also the inconsistency with the difficulty can be a big problem for novice Castlevania players like myself.

There are three modes to play Castvania: HoD in:

Single-player campaign:
this offers basically the same features as the Online cooperative gameplay, just offline, making it definitely harder and more challenging. At points even more tedious since the core gameplay can involve some puzzling or lever interaction that will make the backtracking hard and useless.

Online cooperative mode::
which features up to 6 players at once. From the experience I have with this type of mode, I can definitely say it is the best way to play! The puzzling is much easier to cope with a few people more people around. Even if they do not understand (as myself) some of the design ideas that were implemented in the game.

Versus mode:
which is basically a deathmatch type match that have all members going against each other. While it may be fun for some, I couldn’t get into it to be honest.

Replay Value:

With a $15 price tag Castlevania: HoD can be a bit pricey for what it asks. Even if the game is constantly rewarding you with more experience that leads to play the basic 6 chapters over and over again. There is no true incentive to do it besides having fun with the game, which leads me to my biggest point:

Castlevania: HoD is a fun game, despite the design issues I have with it. Add the vagueness of the characters and their skills and in the end it is just a fun game to play online with other 5 people. The fact that the net code is stable (server connection is a bit problematic) makes Castlevania: HoD well worth game to play, whether its worth the money? You decide.

Final Score:

7.5

Review Code was provided by publisher and we thank them for it!

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Red Dead Redemption “Legends and Killers” Review

By
WouldYouKindly
 – August 16, 2010Posted in: Headline, Network, Reviews, WouldYouKindly
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Back in June, Rockstar Games released the first expansion pack for Red Dead Redemption, titled “Outlaws to the End”. A free DLC that offered co-op missions, new challenges, and a handful of new achievements/trophies to unlock. It was very well received, and added some variety to the multiplayer component of the game and extending its [...]
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Monday Night Combat Review (XBLA)

By
FrustratedFury
 – August 14, 2010Posted in: Featured, Headline, News, Platforms, Reviews, Xbox 360, Xbox 360 Reviews, Xbox Live Arcade
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You ever wonder what sports will be like in the future? Well the guys over at Uber Entertainment have an idea. It’s called Monday Night Combat! Monday Night Combat is a class based third person shooter mixed with a tower defense game. A lot of people would compare it to DoTA and League of Legends. The object of the game is to protect your team’s moneyball from being destroyed.

There are 3 modes of play, Local Blitz, Xbox Live Blitz, and Crossfire. Blitz mode is a hoard mode of sorts where you and 3 of your buddies take on waves of bots that try to get to your moneyball. There are different tiers for this mode that range from easy, to insanely difficult. It will take a lot of teamwork to survive some of these games. Crossfire is where you’ll find the meat of the game. In Crossfire, you are placed in 6 on 6 matches where you must escort your bots to the enemy’s moneyball, let them take down its shields, and then attack it. Of course, the other team is trying to do the exact same thing so you need to balance out both offense and defense. The game does offer split screen for both Blitz and Crossfire.

There are six classes to choose from each with their own unique abilities and weapons. For a more detailed look on the individual classes, check out my preview of the game right here: Monday Night Combat Preview Each class compliments each other very nicely. I’m more of a Tank player myself, but every character has its own weaknesses and strengths. Each character has three special abilities that differ from class to class each used with a corresponding button on the controller. It’s color-coded so you won’t forget. Yes, I know it’s a small touch, but it is a nice one as well.

One feature that I really enjoyed was the custom classes. You can create your own personal combatant using one of the classes and adding perks to them a la Modern Warfare. You can choose a gold, silver, and bronze perks that boost your stats. Some perks include higher critical hits, faster speed, larger clip size, and many others, all in the form of futuristic commercial brand products. You can also purchase extra custom class slots with your overall earnings.

During the game, you will earn money by making kills, and assisting others in combat. You can then use that money to upgrade your character’s weapons, stats, and abilities. You can also use that money to build and upgrade turrets, spawn more bots, activate jump pads, and many other things that are around the environment.

The game boasts a very colorful and comical design in character models, dialog, and overall aesthetic. The announcer for the game is actually pretty funny. Everything feels very polished and balanced in both gameplay and visuals.

The game offers a decent tutorial that helps the player learn the ends and outs of the controls and rules of the game. There is also a full menu that gives descriptions in detail for each character and their weapons and abilities. It is actually very extensive and well done.

One of the really cool things about the game is the collecting of ProTags. A ProTag is much like the labels in Modern Warfare 2 and Super Street Fighter IV. They pop up on your screen when you are killed by someone or if you kill another player. There’s a ton of them to collect for doing specific things in game. It’s a nice feature that will add some replay value to the game.

The only problem I had with the game is during heavy firefights, I experienced a good amount of slowdown and frame rate drops, but for the most part, the games I had were lag-free. It also suffers for the ever present Unreal Engine 3 texture pop-in.

There is a lack of maps for Crossfire mode. You are allowed to veto to the next map if you wish, but with only 4 to choose from, you’re kind of limited. Of course, all that can be remedied with a little DLC which, I believe, is in the works for MNC.

The battles themselves can get pretty hectic especially in Crossfire mode. Most of the games I got into all went into overtime. When this happens, both team’s moneyballs are vulnerable and both teams have an army of bots release. It’s like a go-for-broke moment that last 2 minutes. It really is a blast.

All in all, this Summer of Arcade title is just pure fun. Even with the minor issues I had with the game, I can’t suggest it enough to Xbox Live players. I’d go as far as to say this is one of the best Arcade games to date. There’s a little bit of everything for everyone in Monday Night Combat.

The Good: Tons of customization, Entertaining premise and dialog, Good variety in matches, Pure fun gameplay

The Bad: Some frame rate issues, Texture pop in, I wish there was more maps

Bottom Line: If you like 3rd person shooters, tower defense games, or class based arena games, you will love this game. This is definitely a game that’s worth your $15 hands down. Plus, with the thought of extra content through DLC, I can see this game being played for a very long time.

Final Grade: 9.0

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