Oops. I got so buried in a couple of games that arrived yesterday that I forgot to add a post! Eh, it happens. I’ll be back with some reviews I started for some other games as well as some other posts later today. Now, I’m headed to sleep to rest my weary eyeballs. In the meantime, here’s a trailer for Scribblenauts Remix to ogle, now that it’s coming to iOS after all this time… good night!
Playing a build of TEKKEN Tag Tournament 2 at Namco Bandai’s recent NYC press event made for one of those ridiculously comfortable experiences where even after a long time away from the series, everything clicked into place and flowed as it should. The dev team is clearly keeping everything that makes the fighting game franchise a ton of fun intact while adding elements today’s fighting game fan expects in an online enabled brawler. The addition of a Snopp Dogg, er, Snoop LION (sorry, I forgot) stage and music doesn’t muck up the gameplay in any way at all, although the spinning low riders and other flashy background elements may make some players’ eyeballs cross thanks to so much going on.
What works about the game is what’s always worked about TEKKEN for me: accessibility, action, and amusement, as all of the characters have their movement moments that are guaranteed to bring grins when certain moves are successfully pulled off. TTT2 allows for some great dynamic tag-in combos where grab and throw or multi-hit action moments flow from the game pad with ease, no matter which characters are played. Even better using certain fighters (such as Anna and Nina Williams) allows for specific combo animations exclusive to that team. There’s a ton of content to explore in the final version, as well as some amazing new online features that look to turn the fighting game world on its collective ear, but let’s save that for the review. That World Tekken Federation deal looks and sounds pretty wild with all the stat tracking for anyone who joins up, that’s for sure.
There’s really not a lot to say about the game except for it’s going to be one of the best entries in the franchise when it kicks its way into North American stores on September 11th. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go exercise my fingers and maybe buy a new controller (just in case).
It’s quite cool how the folks at Junction Point Studios and Blitz Games are making a mascot game relevant and engaging by taking a bunch of already established characters, adding a heft amount of storytelling and allowing players to cut loose and play in two different styles that change up the tale you end up with in the final product. Granted, the element of “choice” is the toughest thing to pull off in any game genre (as there’s always going to be players not satisfied with the amount of freedom they end up with), but the dev teams here are making their game quite a ride for those who are Disney fans with long memories and a willingness to experiment with nostalgia.
Codemasters has been tinkering with its F1 game more and more since they’ve had the license and the latest installment is looking like it could be pretty stellar stuff for fans of the genre. Granted, there are those who will want 100% accuracy and every sort of simulation element possible on whatever platform the game appears on, but I’d bet half of those people couldn’t squeeze into a F1 car (let alone a seat on the subway) and just want one of those games that no one can play but a select few (which means it won’t sell to casual race fans at all, a sort of no-no these days.
Someone will strike some sort of common ground within the next few years, I’d bet. But until then, it’s going to be a game for the masses who watch the sport as well as those who want to play as if they’re IN that sport. Go, Codies!
Platform: PlayStation 3 (also on Xbox 360, PC)
Developer: High Moon Studios
Publisher: Activision
# of Players: 1 (Online 2 – 12)
ESRB Rating; T (Teen)
Score: B+ (85%)
High Moon Studios swings hard for the fences with Transformers: Fall of Cybertron, and while not quite a clean home run (it’s more of a hard rocket shot that clangs off the correct side of the foul pole into the stands), the game manages to be a fantastic follow up to Transformers: War on Cybertron, despite the loss of co-op play and the twin campaign structure. Previous experience with the last game isn’t really necessary for any player to hop in and have a blast, but A true Transformers fan will tell you that you’ll need to know where the story began before tackling what’s here. It’s definitely going to help in terms of understanding what’s going on in all the chaos, as the game assumes you’re playing it because you’ve been around for the first installment. FoC is also packed with fan service in the form of in-jokes, references to the cartoons and the animated movie and more hidden goodies than you can shake a Minicron at.
(Although, shaking a Minicron would probably not be a good thing to do unless you were really mad at it for knocking over a vase onto that napping cat by “accident” or something…)
Well, well well. I lost that bet with myself after all about one big thing that occurred last week, so chalk up another one for Vince Gilligan pulling the rug out from under me. That said, given this season opened with Walter White in the near future having his yearly birthday breakfast (in a roadside diner this time) with no one we know around, the last few episodes are going to be quite interesting indeed. Still, I did predict that Walt and Skyler would be even more on the rocks this season, so that sort of evens things out. On the other hand (spoiler, unless you’ve been watching the show), I thought Mike would be around until the very end just to put an interesting cap to things (pun absolutely intended, more on that next year when the show is finally over).
As for this episode and in fact, this first arc that’s going to lead into the final eight shows? Well, as a drug kingpin… Walt is either really smart or really stupid… and I’m going for more of the latter based on some of his decisions this half-season…
Outland was and is one of those films that never quite got the recognition it deserved and yes, still deserves. “Was” in terms of its at the time quietly groundbreaking visual effects and initially successful (but eventually disappointing) run at the box office back in 1981, and “Is” for the fact that it’s suffered through some pretty lousy transitions to home video over the years.
The recent (and thankfully, mostly excellent) Blu-Ray release makes up for the terrible DVDs from 1997 and the much better (but still not quite perfect) 2007 DVD reissue from a few years back, but for some reason, the “making of” feature found on the DVD is missing in action on the Blu-Ray version. OK, “Who didn’t want to pay whom for what and why?” I have to ask (nicely, though… nicely).
It’s almost as if Warner Bros. Home Video is just getting the film out as a bare minimum budget release with as little bells and whistles as possible (and a terribly misleading tagline on the cover art) just to get it out of the way and move on. Granted, the film isn’t as “important” to the sci-fi genre as Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner was (a film that’s gotten a few major VHS and disc releases over the yers including some impressive collector’s editions). But it sure deserves a hell of a lot better preservation job than to be dumped into stores with zero fanfare and no other special features than a trailer and director’s commentary.
(Thanks, 0Lostboy0!)
Hell, I remember the film getting a pretty rousing reception when it was introduced at the comic book and sci-fi convention I went to here in NYC over 30 years ago…
While I truly miss the days of beating feet to the arcades every weekend with a roll of quarters to check out the latest pinball (and arcade) games, a few very dedicated developers who were also fans of the old school such as the mighty Zen Studios have been keeping the flame alive digitally. Thanks to some incredible simulations that take up a hell of a lot less space than an actual Pinball machine, yet manage to pack in all the thrills, you whippersnappers can play to your hearts content in the comfort of your living room and get the same thrills. Well, save for the flat out cool factor an actual hefty hunk of American made metal, glass and well-wired circuit boards brings to your living room. Hell, I bet that damn 60″ HD setup you have is where that pinball table WOULD be. Wait, what? You have a 90″ TV? Eeek. Well, good for you.
Anyway, Zen Pinball 2 (or Pinball FX2 for you Xbox 360 owners) has been getting some AMAZING updates. Here’s the latest one coming your way next week: Plants vs. Zombies Pinball, based on the popular and hilarious PopCap games. Three bucks for your PS3 or Vita (yes!), 240 MS Points for your 360. That’s a recommendation right there if I’ve ever written one. Poke around PSN or mosey around Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade in a few days, whip out that wallet and add PvZP to your collection.
OK, I’ll bite (and hard, at that) – a new Metal Gear Solid game coming from Kojima Productions? With that proprietary Fox Engine making sure the game looks even more amazing as an anniversary present for fans of the long-running series, this one’s a no-brainer even if it was a Metal Gear tsuguroku. Fortunately, it’s not, as you’ll see in this almost 11 minute jaw-dropper. I’m in all the way on this one, feet first. Hell, I’ll even post the trailer twice here (one is English subtitled) just to show my love for the series. Hey, I’m still buying Revengeance, Konami – I’m not some fair weather fan who only wants the same thing over and over. Thankfully, Hideo Kojima seems to be the same in that each Metal Gear experience has some truly excellent reasons to play through multiple times…
As for the proposed Metal Gear Solid movie everyone seems to be raving about (n one way or another)? I’m really, really on the fence here. Why? Well, young’uns… the joke goes something like this: in every Metal Gear Solid game, there’s that loooooooooooooong cut scene where unless you’re prepared for it, will go on and on (and on), forcing you to commit to playing around with camera angles with your controller just to kill time as an important plot point is explained. At some point (if you haven’t fallen asleep), you can et up and go make dinner, go to the bathroom or even go outside to check the mailbox (sometimes all of the above) before things get back to being playable.
You can’t expect a modern movie audience to be in on this at all (maybe the art house crowd will go for it, though), so hopefully, the folks writing it will go light on the exposition. On the other hand, I don’t want a stupid action flick with explosions and Meryl boobing out all over and a story that’s thinner than the edge of a katana. If this isn’t in The Dark Knight territory in terms of tone and execution, I’ll be a sad clown indeed. But let’s see what happens with this project. With a Solid Script (ha ha), perhaps Solid Snake can rake in the green with a big surprising smash of a summer flick.
That said, success or failure at the box office, I’ll still respect you in the morning Mr. Kojima!
Wow – 25 years is a pretty good run for any game, but Capcom’s long-running Street Fighter series was and is a key point in quite a few people’s gaming lives. Me, I’ve always been terrible at fighters like this, but that’s probably because I always seemed to have to play against people who were training to be competitive fighting game players, had more quarters than I did or were just plain good at mastering even the worst characters. Eh, I’m a bit of a passy-fist (ha ha) anyway… and a bit of a voyeur as well, as I like watching people play a good fighting game more than I do playing them. That said, I can play a BAD fighting game all day for some reason. There’s something about a busted combat system or super-cheap moves anyone can pull off that’s oddly appealing.
Or maybe I just suck in reverse at this whole fighting game thing… Anyway, happy anniversary, Street Fighter!
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