Terminal Reality, a company with very few hits under its belt, recently released Ghostbusters: The Video Game on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC systems (Red Fly Studios, a different company, produces the game for the rest of the consoles). The game is an entirely new story line written by none other than the original team of Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd who had been working on and penning an idea for a new Ghostbusters movie already and decided to merge the two ideas.

The story follows the Ghostbusters two years after the events of the second movie. The player takes on the role of a man simply known as “Rookie”; a new recruit added to the team as an experimental weapons tester. With this role comes certain hazardous duties and so as to not garner any type of affection for you, the team never refers to you by your real name. Because of your job title though, you’ll receive upgrades to the trusty proton pack that would make even the statue of liberty dance to an upbeat 80’s tune: a stasis beam that allows you to freeze or slow down your enemies, a Meson Collider that allows for homing shots and a rocket-launcher like expulsion of energy towards your ghostly antagonists, and a slime weapon that allows for the dispersal of positively-charged slime and a “slime-tether” system that can be used to trap ghosts or fix broken landscapes. Throughout the game as you receive these you’ll be able to upgrade each weapon type (as well as your proton pack itself which is the standard weapon) a total of four times each upgrading cool down, damage, rate of fire and the like to make your ghost busting that much more enjoyable. Throughout the game’s events, you’ll also be given some more insight into the franchise’s two previous story lines, further fleshing out the characters (both bad and good) from the previous two stories.

There are a number of things to talk about with this game. I am a huge fan of the franchise and so this game, which honestly is one of the first good Ghostbusters games, does hold a bit of a special place in my heart. Almost the entire original cast is there in all of its voicing glory (minus Louis Tully, the accountant played by Rick Moranis) and the characters sound spot on. Its what I would imagine the ghostbusters would sound like after their claim to fame especially Venkman (voiced by Bill Murray) who sounds more like a pompous ass than ever.

The game also looks and plays great with only a few minor exceptions. While the PKE meter (the item you use to find hidden ghosts, cursed artifacts (the collectible in the game), and sometimes even just your way around the map) works well it’s almost slightly annoying how it does work. While it will track items and enemies sometimes it does so a bit too well especially with the often hard to find cursed artifacts throughout the game. Half the time when it said there was supposed to be an artifact right at my feet I could still never find it. Another small problem came with the HUD, or at least the lack of one. All of your energy and your life bars lie along the right side of your proton pack and while it worked in a game like Dead Space (where your health was seen on your spinal chord in a big bright blue bar) to me it just seems to be a bit too small and lost while you’re concentrating on so much going on around you in fights. These two complaints are small in comparison to the dreaded loading screen you will experience if you don’t install this game. While hearing the theme song and seeing some of the franchise’s classic items is cool, hearing it every time you die for a few minutes a piece can become painfully annoying and if you plan on playing on a difficulty above normal (which in this game is Professional) prepare to have the song stuck in your head for weeks on end because you’re going to be hearing it a lot.

These are really the only three complaints I’ve had about the game. It looks great and the weapon effects on the landscape look wonderful. There’s nothing better than running your proton pack through a room and seeing the char marks along the walls and ceiling, as well as the destroyed items within. That’s right, the majority of the landscapes throughout the game are quite destructible and on the PS3 and 360 versions you’re awarded for either being completely destructive or attempting to be as careful as possible (the destructive being slightly difficult, with the conservative path being insanely hard). The pacing is what you would expect from such great writers and works well with the story, mixing humor and seriousness throughout your ghost wrangling career to deliver a great experience that will be worth playing even for those not familiar with the movies. The multiplayer also works great, intermixing cooperative ghost hunts with a survival mode that is a lot like horde mode in Gears of War or Nazi Zombies in Call of Duty: World at War.

While the 360, PS3, Wii, and PS2 titles all have the same story, the latter two consoles drop the realism and instead go for a more cartoon look to them. Looking a lot more like the Ghostbusters cartoon that came out years back, they also have replaced the proton pack life/energy system for an actual HUD that sits at the top left of your screen. They also dropped the upgrade system for the proton pack and instead Egon just gives you the new weapons (with no chance to upgrade those weapons later on). The animated games look great even without the realism and the Wii even boasts (on top of its usual motion control offering) two-player co-op on the same system.

While the story line is fairly short (8 – 10 hours) the multiplayer and co-op (depending on which system you get it for) definitely make this game a purchase if not at least a rental. Now don your proton pack, jump in the Ecto and remember, when someone asks you if you’re a god, you say yes!

So, we’ll start with the little white box that is really the only option if you want to spike someone’s head with a yield sign and then go groom a dog with “real petting motions!”™. I’ve been a bit confused by Nintendo’s Wii Motion-Plus accessory and the reasoning behind it. If I remember correctly when the company was first touting this system around as the ultimate in entertainment they were showing off the responsiveness of the motion sensor and how accurately movement was tracked. The accessory, which supposedly allows for a true 1:1 tracking experience, is really only meant to appease to sports games and third-party titles since Nintendo has proven with titles like Metroid Prime and Mario Galaxy that proper use of the hardware is possible. The product just seems pointless this late in the game and honestly seems like something that should have been built into the system all along with how strongly their ad-campaign was for it in the first place. I also don’t see this being an accessory people will buy for all four of their controllers and I’m almost afraid that this technology will go the way of some of Nintendo’s other current ideas on improving your Wii experience where there will be very few games that use it correctly or even at all. On that note is there another game other than Animal Crossing utilizing the Wii Speak yet? No? Fantastic. It also makes a full controller (Wii remote, nunchuk, and now motion+ add-on) $80 so for a full set plus the system you’re looking at a more expensive console than the PS3 with an extra controller and an HDMI cable. Of course, all of the accessories that don’t come as a default are completely optional for both systems so that makes it a bit of a moot point.

Moving on down the line we come to Microsoft and its motion sensing little creation that is rumored to be due out next year – Project Natal. While this project seems like an interesting take on motion controls I feel like it could have such better promise outside of the entertainment world. The videos showing them moving through menu screens and the 360’s dashboard seem like the best use of the technology so far. Could you imagine class rooms, board rooms, and presentations with this technology available to use? That seems like a better way to use it then giving me a Burnout game where all I can do is move my foot up and down for forward and reverse and steer with an imaginary wheel. In comparison with the other motion projects it also looks a bit pricier: multiple webcams, independent processors, this thing seems like a console in itself (which may be fueling the fires on certain rumors that Microsoft is releasing an improved console). If I have to spend as much money as I do on the system in order to have motion controls, I’m really just not going to be interested and probably neither will casual gamers who aren’t looking to drop a couple hundred extra dollars on something for their system. Also, unlike the Wii and the Playstation 3’s ideas on game play Microsoft has chosen to completely remove the controller and instead allows you to be the controller yourself. This idea seems like it could cause problems if not for the hardware or software then for the players themselves. It’s going to be interesting to see the evolution of this piece and see just how well it will actually track you when a lot more is involved than just driving motions or swipes.

The last in line is Sony’s with the inventive name of “Sony Motion Controller” which, by the way, just screams innovation in the name alone. When I see this offering, which is comprised of two wands that work with the Playstation Eye, I can’t help but feel a little sad and anxious at the same time at the comic possibilities. I mean when I see the two wands I immediately picture the video of the kid with the light saber flailing about. The idea that it can re-pixel the wands to look like whatever it needs to on screen is an interesting idea but just doesn’t seem as horribly innovative since the Wii came out. I wish I could talk more about it and what it does but there really wasn’t much more to say. It seems like it will work as a kind of combination of both Nintendo and Microsoft’s ideas in a sense except that you’ll be on screen as the main character and instead of a wand in your hand it will be a gun or something else along those lines that further ruins a child’s chance to build their imagination. Also, I can’t wait to see the Japanese game offerings for their new “dating” simulations that they seem to enjoy so very much.

Actually, yeah, I can wait for that one because frankly it’s scary.

Blowing things up has never been this much fun

“Better Red than Dead” is an occurring theme throughout the Red Faction series but in none of the other games have you been able to see it and feel it as well as you can in Volition’s (makers of the previous Red Faction games and Saints Row) newest installment Red Faction:Guerrilla.

After the death of his brother at the hands of the EDF (the Earth Defense Force, which is currently the corrupt government upon Mars after liberating it from its previous corrupt government) Alec Mason, the game’s protagonist, gets thrown in to the liberation of Mars and the newly found “Red Faction” group. Throughout the game, Mason will encounter the EDF and the Marauders (a group of martians turned thug) as he begins to liberate Mars from its oppressors by bringing up the morale of the citizens and lowering the influence the government has upon the five sections that are currently inhabited upon the red planet.

This is, unfortunately, where the story stops. While there are still some major points within the game that I won’t spoil for you the cookie-cutter storyline that Red Faction employs is most likely going to be its lowest point throughout your play experience but one that should not deter you from purchasing and enjoying this game. You see, the wonders of Red Faction don’t lie within the storyline but within the great multiplayer and physics aspects of the gameplay. It looks exactly how a game in the middle of a console’s lifespan should look with rich graphics and textures that show very little if any pop ins for all of the action that goes on while you’re smashing away at buildings which is both a positive and a negative towards it: it looks exactly how you expect it to look, nothing special but nothing horrible either.

The physics play a major part within the game, allowing you to smash and destroy literally anything that stands within your way (people, buildings, walls). A ton of enemies within a building that you want to kill? No problem, just set charges on the major infrastructure points (something you will quickly learn through playing the game) and take down the entire building, killing your victims in the process. While most games with destructible environments just allow you to massacre a building or blow a hole in it, on Mars every piece of the building can be destroyed and if you don’t blow it up just right you’ll find half of a house still standing or even worse, that second half of the house falling backwards right on top of you which has the ability to seriously injure and/or take you out of the fight.

While the physics are great fun and definitely carry the single player campaign from becoming too boring with monotonous missions and a bland storyline, the multiplayer aspects of the game are a beast all its own offering a hot seat mode called “wrecking crew” (which pits players in timed destruction modes and, well, that’s about it. The wrecking crew probably shouldn’t have even been included as there really just isn’t much there) and then a full on XBox live component that offers a number of different play styles all revolving around, you guessed it, death and destruction. From the usual free for all deathmatch modes to the insanely fun destructor mode (which pits two teams, each with one selected person as its designated “destroyer” that gets points for their teams by destroying buildings while the rest of the two teams have to defend them/ kill the other) there is a ton of replay value as with each kill, victory, and match played you net valuable experience points that allow you to level up and unlock new multiplayer modes, character models, and other minutia for you to have fun with. Within the multiplayer mode, players can also switch it up by donning the various “packs” that are placed all around the maps. Each pack will give you different abilities and power ups that allow you to take on a different role for your team. From the jet pack which, that’s right, allows you to fly temporarily to get on to some of those harder to reach places to the healer pack, which allows you to heal yourself and your team mates around you the packs can quickly turn the tide on a multiplayer game and bring about a completely different spin on the same match types you’ve played time and time again. The whole multiplayer aspect has, for those who have played it, a kind of Tribes aspect to it which is definitely a great thing. So far there has been nothing more fun than a game of jet packs and rocket launchers and seeing everyone flying into the air and attempting to rocket someone in the face.

While I don’t usually enjoy games that are more focused on the multiplayer than the single player for one reason or another (either that the single player just plain sucks or its like every other game that comes out around the same time (I.E what’s up with three open-world games coming out less than a month apart from one another: Infamous, Red Faction, and Prototype?) ) but I really did enjoy this game. Even the single player has its moments and certainly never becomes so boring that I turn off the game after playing for 20 minutes. The fact is that the physics, the weapon selection, and the pacing of the single player keep you coming back for more to complete it and the multiplayer, with its robust selection of features and still throwing in the destruction found in the single player, both offer a ton of playability and fun and while the multiplayer will keep you coming back for way longer than the single player will both should definitely be given a chance as they combine to make a really great game.

He’s so famous, he’s INfamous!

So I finally blew the dust off of my Playstation 3 and tried out Infamous. I’m a fan ofthe Sly Cooper series (which came from the same developers, Sucker Punch) and definitely am having a good time with the game so far. If you liked Crackdown or are a fan of super-powered sandbox games in general then Infamous will be a game for you. The graphics are a nice, dark shade and the controls work pretty well even with all of the options the different abilities give you.

One of the big things I’ve enjoyed about the game is that you’re never so powerful that you don’t have to worry about dying. It’s not a game you can play like Grand Theft Auto even though it lies in the same general genre of gameplay. You constantly have to hide and attack from a distance or the enemies (which can become painfully annoying at times) will very quickly gun you down. This makes you think a bit differently about how to play the game and gives a different spin on a superhero that doesn’t involve invulnerability or bullet-proof skin. The story line could use a bit of work but still comes off as an entertaining, albeit cheesy, chunk of the overall fun of the game. The bottom line is that its just an entertaining game where it becomes fun to shock criminals and grind along power lines and train tracks.

Probably one of the main turn-offs is something that a ton of different reviews have already touched upon and that’s the climbing itself. While in 98% of the areas you can scale and climb to any point on the game’s three islands if there is a fence (of any type it seems, whether its chain link or a picket fence lining a ramp) Cole (the game’s protagonist) seems to just not be able to grasp it and climb. The idea of this is baffling since we see someone that can scale a building with nothing less than some water pipes and window-sills but can’t climb something that I could jump up when I was 10. It wouldn’t be such a problem if the majority of the game didn’t center around this concept. Another problem for me is that the array of powers that they do give you just really aren’t terribly necessary. As fun as they are to use and as great as they look I still spammed the default lightning power more than anything else I got throughout the game’s progress. This isn’t a horrible thing, and probably my fault more than the developer’s fault, but just something that irritated me a bit as I realized it more and more.

The game also suffers a bit of the same problem that Assassin’s Creed had, the side missions that you have to do while attempting to “liberate” the town get increasingly repetitive as you progress but th

Street Fighter, a game that brings smiles of nostalgia and clenched hands around controllers for most gamers who haven’t been living under a rock since the late 80’s and early 90’s of gaming, is a fighting game that has finally brought in the fourth installment of the series. Taking many of the series classic styles and keeping true to them, Capcom has also modified and revived the game-play to bring it into this next generation.

Street Fighter has always been a game that I’ve been on the fence about. While I enjoy the occasional round of Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 or Soul Calibur, Street Fighter has always been a series that I’ve held at arm’s length for the sheer fact that I’ve never been very good at it. Picking up the newest one was actually a difficult decision but one that I have yet to regret. While the game brings back all of the original characters from Street Fighter II it also brings back some fan favorites and introduces new characters for players to try their hand at.

The balancing of characters is the same as any other fighting games with “tiered” fighters who are supposed to have an equalizer or a major challenge for each and every character on the roster but can still be overcome by changing your skills or mastering some of the more advanced tactics the game provides such as “Focus Attacks” and “Focus Cancels”. These two new ideas have been introduced to the series and are a slight replacement for the previous “tech hit” system that required an insane ability to time your movements in comparison to the attacks of your opponent in order to completely nullify the damage they may have dished out. While tech hits were more advanced and you were considered a god if you could master the ability, the focus moves bring in an easier interface with a greater ability to mix them up into your routine and conquer. Also added, in place of the multiple level supers in earlier titles, is the revenge system. The revenge gauge builds as you take damage (unlike your super gauge, which builds from both giving and receiving damage) and once you reach the line about 75% through the bar you can unleash an “Ultra” move. These ultras, when they connect with your opponent, have the ability to do some pretty devastating amounts of damage and can quickly turn the tide of battle in your favor if you are in a pinch, these are actually a lot more dangerous (though harder to pull off) than the super moves because the gauge seems to fill up insanely quick compared to the super meter, so fast that in some matches I’ve actually had a player hit me twice in one round with Ultra moves.

The game itself brings in some new innovations to the look and feel of the franchise. A new art style colors and animates characters in a realistic but at the same time very “anime” way. Kicking someone in the stomach and seeing their eyes bulge out has never been so entertaining but at the same time seem to be a natural look and feel to how a fighting game should act when you play it. While the action does seem to have been slowed down to an extent the pacing is more natural and allows for games to play out based more on the skill of both players instead of the ridiculous speed that comes with previous “turbo” games.  The levels have even been given a shine and provide great, entertaining places to pummel your friends to death while not presenting too much “noise” to where it would distract you from the game at hand.

Unfortunately, while I would love to give this game a thumbs-up for everything it brings to the genre, the two biggest problems with the game are some of the most crippling I have yet to see for a game and only one is the fault of the actual developer. The first problems are the controls itself: Microsoft and Sony just did not seem to have fighting games in mind when they created their controllers for the new systems. The joysticks, as well as the d-pads, are horribly loose and unresponsive and make performing some of the more advanced ideas of Street Fighter IV not only next to impossible but painfully frustrating. While there are some remedies for this problem (from modifying your controllers to shelling out $150 for a an arcade stick) it makes it really difficult to fully take advantage of the game’s super and ultra moves and can make beating the harder difficulty levels as well as online play (against people who have either bought the arcade stick, gotten used to the horrible controllers, or modified them) next to impossible. This blocks out the ability to climb the leader boards and unlock some of the more advanced titles, icons, and characters. Unfortunately on this point both systems suffer from the problem of bad controllers but the PS3 seems to have a slight advantage with a bit firmer and slightly more responsive gamepad than its Microsoft competition.

The second problem lies within the online play and really the lack of a major piece (at least in my opinion) that makes playing Street Fighter with other people the experience that it is within an arcade. Though Capcom has added in the ability to turn on and off “Fight Requests” (where Xbox Live players can challenge you while you’re going through the Arcade Mode) which is very true to the arcade fashion of the game, the lack of a lobby means that really there isn’t much talking going on before and after a match and, while understandable, takes away from a lot of the multiplayer promise that Street Fighter IV has and can be a large downside to the feel of it. Other than that the stability seems to be solid for the network (something that is rare within the first few months of launch when everyone is playing) and the lack of slowdown during a game is a welcome surprise (though can change depending on you and your opponent’s internet connection).

Overall, admirers of the fighting genre as well as those who have been aching for a chance to get in the series will enjoy it. While the controls can be frustrating and take away from the enjoyment of the game you can still do and learn enough of the techniques to hold your own and can also make initiating an ultra and super move more of an accomplishment for the hard work you’ve taken to master the controller’s problems (even if its just luck).  The online play, while quiet since no one really talks while fighting (which is both a huge pro and a con at the same time, sadly enough, since having twelve-year-olds curse me out has never been a wonderful experience) is an enjoyable experience with fast connection times and at this point plenty of people aching to tear into you and climb the leader boards to the top of the list. There is also a lot of life within the game with hundreds of unlockables and a multitude of characters to unlock and try your hand at.

The Bottom Line:

Presentation: Presented in a new art-style with a mix of traditional 2D-fighting scenery and 3D character models as well as attacks that utilize a mix of cell-shading and high-resolution graphics, this fighting game is definitely delivered in a beautiful packaging that sets a new standard for the “traditional” fighting game style.

Sound: Typical street fighter soundtracks bring you cheesy rock/rap songs meant to pump you up and get ready to destroy your opponents. The soundtrack for Street Fighter IV doesn’t fail to deliver in this category with songs that definitely are not orchestrated ballads but get the job done of being good fighting songs that don’t deter you from slamming your heel into someone’s skull.

Replay Value: With all of the bells and whistles that most fighting games come equipped with, Street Fighter IV bring plenty of replay value. Unlockable characters, new costumes, personal actions, icons, titles, and the multiplayer (both on Xbox Live in ranked and unranked as well as on one system) the game offers many different reasons to keep coming back and playing the game, both in single and multi-player, again and again for as long as you can stand it.

Difficulty: Though the game brings a lot of the old-school Street Fighter feel for veterans it is also easily accessible by newcomers to the series. The removal of “tech hits” (a more advanced form of block/parry that relies on timing) that was present in some of the more recent iterations of the series and the addition of the revenge meter and focus hits takes away some of the more advanced techniques but ushers in new and innovative ways that advanced players can master their characters.  The problem with this is that (especially as far as the Xbox 360 is concerned) that the controller itself with its poor d-pad as well as analog stick make it considerably more difficult to master and manipulate some of the more advanced maneuvers that many veteran fighting game players are used to. The PS3 version suffers less, but only slightly, with a marginally better control scheme and layout.

Street Fighter IV is now available for both the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3 for $59.99 and was published by Capcom and developed by Dimps and Capcom

Capcom’s newest addition to its Survival-horror/Zombie action game franchise, Resident Evil 5, finally had its demo released on American shores (This week for Xbox 360 owners, Next week for PS3). Though it only shows two of the games levels it showcases a familiar feel to veterans of the game’s previous installment, Resident Evil 4, as well as impressing with upgraded graphics

The control scheme that was applauded in 2005 as being a revolutionary new change to the Resident Evil franchise returns in the fifth installment with very few (if any) changes to the style. There is still no “running and gunning” or even aiming while you’re moving. This is something that some reviewers have voiced complaints about but seems to work for bringing up the tension in what is supposed to be a horror game. Running and 180 degree quick turns also make a return as well as laser-sighting on certain weapons which allows for precision aiming even through the third-person “over-the-shoulder” perspective. Though new IP’s in the genre like Dead Space have used certain elements from this series’ control scehemes they have also brought about extreme improvements on it as well showing that you don’t have to have a slow, paced shooting game in order to keep the tension high. The RE5 control scheme works but could have taken a lesson or two from the newer games in order to vastly improve game play. This is a minor annoyance to veterans of the series that are used to the gameplay but may turn off newcomers to the series who have become accustomed to faster shooting and quicker gameplay.

The levels shown in the demo showcase what seems to be a new improvement in the game, pulling roots from some of the genre’s newest up and comers “Left 4 Dead” and “Dead Space” these levels showcase Infinite Re-spawns of enemies as you wait for something specific to happen within the game. This means that as long as you’re alive and the timer is still going zombies will continue to appear and attack you until you either kill the boss or the objective is completed. This shows that the series is in fact capable of evolving to new industry standards while also keeping to its own roots. Each level also comes with different weapons to try out for each character as well as a mini-boss; a familiar sack-wearing, chainsaw wielding character in one and a new mini-boss with a giant axe in the other.  The game also features one very important feature which will certainly make the game more enjoyable for players as now you can play in 2-player Co-Op on a single system or over Xbox Live and the Playstation Network. This is possible with Capcom now having two main characters who are actually playable in the game: Chris Redfield from previous Resident Evil Games and a new character named Sheva Alomar who not much is known about at this point except that she is a member of the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA)’s African branch and is assisting Chris on his investigations into Africa and the tri-cell corporation.

The only downside that has really been seen so far, like the installment before it, is that the game never seems to become truly terrifying. Though you may die there never seems to be a point in the demo in which you are genuinely frightened. This could also be attributed to the fact that this series, which was made popular in the 90’s with the first installment, has used many of the same tricks it still uses to scare players and most (me included) have probably come to expect when something will actually happen in the games.  This may also be attributed to being a demo and Capcom not wanting to spoil any of the storyline fragments within the game while still showcasing the game itself but the series has seemed to lose a lot of its “horror” aspects and shift more towards an action game that just happens to involve angry zombies, diseased Spaniards, or raging Africans.

The game, while not really bringing anything new to the genre showcases what next-generation graphics should look like with these games. Polished graphics, great-looking locales, and truly realistic looking enemies bring this game to a new level and could easily make it a contender for Game of the Year 2009. If Capcom brings the same passion they have been known for in previous Resident Evil titles and make this game a winner it will easily be worth the $60 price tag this March.

There is also a confirmed collector’s edition through Gamestop (and other stores as well) that will sport a $90 price tag and come with:

• Chris Redfield Figurine
• Tricell Messenger Bag
• BSAA Patch
• Kijuju Keychain
• Bonus Disc including a making-of featurette, a digital art gallery and a trailer for Resident Evil Degeneration
• The game and bonus disc in a Special Collector’s Steel Book Case (Much in the same style as the Gears of War 2 collector’s edition case)

As well as a limited edition strategy guide ($29.99) that comes with:

• Strategy Guide in hardcover casing with exclusive behind-the-scenes content
• Resident Evil 5 calendar that starts in March to coincide with the game’s release and goes until March 2010
• The strategy-guide itself, other than the behind-the-scenes content, will be the exact same as the regular strategy guide.