Playing Cards is a serious business

I’ve never played Magic:The Gathering before. I know this means I’ve lost the little bit of “Geek Cred” that I may have earned, but I have played a number of Trading card games (what most people refer to as TCG’s) in the past (of which will remain unnamed for reputation’s sake). With Stainless Games and Wizards of the Coast’s (creator of the original card game) newest release on the XBLA, I figured that now was a good time to get familiar with what is seemingly one of the most popular card battling games to exist. I can honestly say that, after entirely too many hours playing this game,  I have definitely missed out on a great franchise.

While the game itself is littered with small lags and a confusing Xbox Live  multi-player element, it is still a great introduction into the series. Beautifully crafted cards, an ongoing tutorial as you get deeper into the game (you can turn it off if it gets annoying), and a really simple interface make this probably one of the best “teaching” programs for learning the game. While it won’t teach you the finer points of a traditional TCG since it does not allow for deck-building or a deeper customization of the pre-existing decks (all you can do is add new cards that you win for being victorious in your duels either through the story or online), it does give you a sense of the grand scale of play that this game offers. With multiple colored decks that each have their own strengths and weaknesses that can also be combined with one another into some pretty deadly combinations, there’s a lot to the game at hand. But don’t think that after you’ve mastered this game you can walk into any hobby shop and master the tables because this game is only a slice of what actual players experience out in the world of reality.

One of the main problems with this game is a problem I mentioned earlier and is one that sets it apart from the traditional card game as both a positive and a negative: the inability to build and customize your decks. While it’s been rumored that the developers will eventually allow for players to build decks and buy different booster packs, until that happens the game really doesn’t have the same sense that makes games like this so great and that is actually learning what works and what doesn’t within a deck. These games are more than anything else games of trial and error mixed in with a little bit of luck and while this offering does show you that luck of the draw is an important piece of the game the decks are still built mostly like they should be for optimal playing which means you don’t have the feeling that most players get when they finally realize they’ve built the right deck for their play styles and crush their opponents. This does mean though that the game remains a relatively inexpensive ten dollars and that you don’t have to drop hundreds of dollars in order to be a worthy opponent online. This is one of the catch-22’s of all TCGs: those who spend the most money have a better ability to build better and more powerful decks and makes them seemingly inaccessible to a “casual” player unless they’re surrounded by others who are just like them. This is where the 360 title shines; in the fact that it gives the casual player (at least for now) a chance to learn and enjoy the game without spending an entire paycheck or maxing out a credit card in order to build a playable deck.

One other problem that both hardcore and casual players will find is the online offering. It does work but takes some getting used to and is quite limited in its offering. The games can be slow (much slower and laid back than playing an actual game) and the only offering that seems to be over XBox Live is the 2-4 player duel. Cooperative mode and “Two-Headed Giant” mode (which seems to be like a double co-op duel between two teams) seem to be limited to offline multi-player (though if I’m wrong please let me know as I just couldn’t figure out how to play either of those over the Internet), which does make sense with the nature of both of these modes. It would be nice if they could make it work as the Two-Headed Giant mode seems, after it being explained to me by a veteran magic player, like it would be a lot of fun (its quite difficult for me, a casual player of this game, to really explain it in-depth so I’ll refer you to Laura Mills and Anthony Alongi of Wizards to explain it a bit better: it’s old but it gets the job done).

While hardcore Magic players will find the game’s few limitations frustrating , new and casual players will find a game that is quite addictive and a good learning experience that really makes the game itself seem more accessible and not nearly as scary as looking at row upon row of magic cards and books that one would find if they were attempting to get involved in the actual game. Stainless Games and Wizards of the Coast have created a game that could quite possibly hook more players (and their wallets) and it almost seems as if making this offering a full magic game might take away from the subtle introduction that it is into the vast world of Magic: The Gathering. Both companies really need to pick their path wisely as they may end up doing what the actual game seems to do: scare off casual and new players with having so much to learn and do before you can actually play a game. To me it seems like this idea works better as an interactive, basic instruction manual and should remain that way (deck-building or not) as both casual and hardcore players can still find tons of enjoyment from the game without it being a full experience.

The idea, which is nothing new, seems to be a popular topic these days as more online distributors rise up and vie for your gaming and entertainment dollar. While companies like Netflix and Gamefly have been around since the late 90’s and the early turn of the century (Netflix was founded in ‘97 while the latter in ‘02) many more companies and even publishers have begun to toss their hat into the digital distribution arena. This means that, while we lose physical media, we have a faster and more readily available resource for our gaming purchases. But what does that mean for us, the consumers, as physical, real life competition begins to drop and soon all we’re left with is a computer screen and a “buy it now!” button?  But to what extent will it affect us? Will the industry be buffeted by it or will it collapse in on itself?

Let’s look at a few major concerns that have cropped up around the industry:

1) Pricing/Competition: With fewer competitors who are selling you that shiny new copy of  “Modern Warfare 2″ or “Final Fantasy XIII” it would be a wise choice to be worried about the future of pricing. With lack of competition comes a lack of price cuts, of specials, and of waiting for a used copy to hit the shelf because there really is no reason to cut prices when no other companies are around to do it as well. But digital distribution companies like Steam, Impulse, and a slew of developers on the iPhone have shown that the idea of the “sale” will not go away.  Almost every weekend and usually right before a new game comes out both Steam and Impulse will either throw in free games with purchase/reservation or drastically drop prices in an attempt to keep you interested in their services. Impulse even goes the extra mile and with some games allows you to purchase (for an additional fee) an actual hard copy and box of the game. Even when physical video game stores do crumble there will always be competition for your entertainment dollars. One good thing about publishers getting involved with allowing you to directly purchase your games from them would be that with no middle man to pay off to sell their games it is possible that companies, in an attempt to sell more copies, could easily drop the prices much lower than your local Game Stop or Best Buy can since they lack the overhead that physical stores would have. Competition and pricing is something that you certainly should not worry about as they’re both always going to be around.

2) Actual downloads/ connection speeds: This is one that could cause some problems in the future unless things are changed by the time digital distribution does become a mainstream thing. One of the benefits of being able to get in your car, drive to a store, and buy a game is that you don’t have to rely on much (except your income and a car) in order to get it. In many rural country areas internet speeds are still struggling with dialup connections so even if you did want to download that shiny new copy of Gears of War 2 it would take a few seconds short of forever. Even those with cable or DSL connections could be facing some bad times as, in an attempt to stop pirating, many ISPs have started to enact download caps, which means once you’ve downloaded this amount (usually anywhere from 3 – 10 GB’s) your company will actually start to throttle and slow your speed down. If we become a nation reliant on downloading our entertainment, and most games run anywhere from 2 – 12 gigs, it would seem that unless something changes and the throttling stops becoming a popular prevention method, and if the expansion of DSL and Cable connections don’t begin to spread out into more country areas that many people will be limited in their purchases or may not be able to purchase games at all. This problem could be the achilles heel of digital distribution and may end up being the reason why stores like Game Stop will remain open indefinitely in order to service those who have been neglected by service providers.

3) Rentals: This is one of the major things happening right now. Companies like Hollywood video and Blockbuster are bleeding money as they attempt to find a way to compete with companies like Netflix and Gamefly. The truth is that their demise, unless they find some way to adapt, is almost a certainty. Blockbuster has tried with having its own Netflix-like service that allows you to return them through the mail or in the store but the stores seem to have been neglected by the corporation these days. I know personally that when I try and rent something from Blockbuster, be it a game or a movie, I can almost never find what I am looking for or very little of anything else: this makes returning it in the store in order to rent a new game essentially useless. Keeping one or two copies, while saving them money, means there are less people who are renting the games at one time. They seem to have a rein on this with the movies, especially since they give a guarantee that if its not in stock you get to rent something for free if its a new release, but it still means that you have to wait for someone to actually bring the movie back before you can check it out, free or not. While this does happen with Netflix its not near as often as with blockbuster and turn around time (depending on where you are) is usually a day or two. Unless these companies begin to evolve into a more modern and affordable business plan they’ve really got no chance at competing with online distributors or even the “RedBox” business plan that allows for one dollar a night rentals at kiosks in front of popular locations such as Target, Walmart, and many grocery stores where you’ll be anyway which means that if you get there and there’s nothing to rent, it isn’t as big of a deal as making a special trip to Blockbuster only to find nothing and have wasted your time.

4) Collectibles: Collector’s editions that have been coming out, with a few exceptions, have been horrible. Spending an extra 10 – 30 dollars to get a tin case instead of a plastic one to me just isn’t worth the money. A few games have put additional things that could be worth it or have made the case extremely nice and packed in enough goodies to warrant the cost (Fallout 3’s collector’s edition, which came in a cool lunch box, also came with a bobblehead and an art book for only $10 more). These collector’s editions will most likely never go away and will hopefully become better deals than just the aesthetics that they usually are. Steam, when a sequel comes out or a new game by an older developer is about to be released, will actually give you the first in a series or will give you another game by that same developer if you order the game early. Keep in mind that you aren’t even paying extra but getting it completely free which, in my opinion, is better than a tin clamshell any day. As far as those who do love that you can keep a physical collection, hopefully Microsoft and Sony with their new ideas (the PSP Go which is an all digital system and Microsoft’s new Downloadable games service which is coming soon) will still allow you the option, either in store or like impulse does online, of getting a physical copy. This could also allow gaming stores to keep their doors open as it is another crowd it could cater to. There will always be those people who buy two copies of a game: one to play and one to keep and if they take the ability for them to do that away you may just lose a lifelong customer who used to spend double the amount most people do on the same games.

5) Hard Drives / Data Backup: With Microsoft charging an arm and a leg for its hard-drives and the possible chance of corruption and loss of data, digitally downloading those hard earned $60 worth of game becomes kind of a crap shot but one that can be easily fixed. We already see it with the major consoles, if you purchase something and end up deleting it later on you can re-download it at no extra charge. The problem with this is who wants to sit there and re-download for an hour or so to play a game again? While Sony allows you a massive hard drive in comparison to Nintendo and Microsoft you can also switch it out with any 3.5″ hard drive without any type of repercussions, with the other two companies it takes modifying the systems which is something that casual gamers really don’t know how to do and also voids your warranty as well as having the ability (on the 360) to allow you not to play online. This presents a problem for the casual gaming crowd as it becomes a chore to play older games that you have a craving to play again if you’ve already deleted them off of your 360 or your Wii.

The bottom line is that, while Game stop and other places will be hurting, they will most likely never go out of business and even if they do it won’t be for a long time. Until we can get fast, uninhibited internet access for everyone the idea of gaming going completely digital won’t ever happen and even then, you’ll still have droves of people who would rather a physical copy over a downloaded one.

Hippies? Check. Weapons and psychic powers with which to beat them? Double check.

In the heyday of the Super Nintendo, there were many games that surfaced with the status of a “triple A” title. While there was still a lot of shovel-ware on Nintendo’s second try at a true system it was not to the extent that we have now with the Wii and had with the Gamecube. This also meant, with so many great games coming out so quickly, that if a game was not marketed correctly it would immediately get looked over and tossed into the junk category.

Earthbound truly was one of those poorly marketed games that came and went as a thief in the night. Those who were lucky enough to snag a copy of this gem (and the still foul-smelling Earthbound “Scratch-n-Sniff” strategy guide) were rewarded with a quirky adventure, memorable characters, and oddball humor that just wouldn’t stop. Earthbound was a role playing game for those who wanted something different than the traditional fantasy setting and it delivered in wave after goofy wave.

Released the same year as Chrono Trigger (Squaresoft’s crowned king of RPG goodness that is still to this day usually at the top of almost everyone’s favorite RPG lists), Super Mario World 2, Donkey Kong Country 2, and Killer Instinct. Earthbound ,which in Japan was already a top-selling game series with its first iteration that came out years before on the NES being one of the most popular games on the system, had a lot to compete with. Within the states the game was released by a company that was more known for its adventure games than for RPGs within North America (HAL Laboratory, which is famously known for the creation of the Kirby and Adventures of Lolo) and also with very little marketing behind it. The game was released with little gusto and fell towards the wayside, selling less than half a million copies worldwide (in comparison, Chrono Trigger sold over three million copies).

The story revolves around Ness who, after being warned by a powerful fly from the future named Buzz Buzz that the world is in danger, begins a journey that will take him all across the world in an attempt to stop a hostile alien, Giygas, from taking over and dominating the future. Throughout the game you’ll encounter blues brother lookalikes, geeky inventors named after fruit, and a cult completely obsessed with the color blue, all while forging friendships and developing your psychic powers in order to save the day.

The battle system is a traditional Dragon Quest first-person experience while the rest of the game is played as a birds-eye view. The graphics, while slightly dated now, worked wonderfully for their day and gave the game a quirky, modern feel to it that is wonderfully strange yet appealing to the eyes. A well-written storyline and constant humor keep the pace of the game lively and will keep you wondering what will come next throughout an adventure full of NPCs and enemies that will keep you entertained and coming back for more.

That Earthbound has built up a cult following that, to this day, is still fervently loyal to it is a testament to how good the game actually is. At its release it received high scores from multiple gaming publications within North America but the multiple re-releases and the sequel have still not reached the states. Many people have devoted years of their time to translating the sequel for English-speaking audiences and even constantly petitioning Nintendo of America for an official release here to no avail. Also in the June and July 2008 issues of Nintendo Power, it was voted as the #1 most requested game for the Wii’s Virtual Console (with the original game that was never released here close behind in the #4 and #2 spots consecutively).

This game is definitely one that should be on anyone’s list who is looking for a good RPG and is definitely worth the effort to find a copy. The game could have had such a better success in the past if not released the same year as one of the most highly anticipated titles on the system as it was one of the diamonds in the rough of the mid-nineties. Poor marketing and bad release time both went hand in hand to doom this game and its sequel from never seeing a stateside release again and frankly, the American gaming world is a slightly more blue place without it.

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!

I figured today I might step down from this soapbox and actually take a look at what I and many others attempt to do within this world: critique things. There are many of us who wear this hat: movie buffs, book critics, political pundits, even the lowly video game journalist sits among them.

But why do we feel that we are privileged enough that our opinion should matter to those who do not take up the mantle and put their thoughts and writing skill on the line? What even makes us think that you care about our opinion in the first place? In a world where opinions on whether someone likes or hates something and why are a dime a dozen these days. This especially comes with the ease and anonymity the internet gives us that anyone now can be John Q. Reviewer and start standing up for what they believe to be…L33t. (I think that God kills a puppy every time that word is used)

What it seems to boil down to is little more than 3 things: articulation, experience, and popularity. Today we’re going to break these down and why they actually matter in hopes of shedding some light on how exactly this industry seems to garner such popularity and such hatred at the same time while also managing to stay profitable enough to keep people employed within it.

The first point is an interesting one and is quite a relative term. The style in which someone writes, as long as it follows the general rules of grammar, of punctuation, and of spelling can be molded and enjoyed by different people in different ways. This point builds on to the popularity section as well since those who enjoy how you write will want to read more. How you write though, as long as it follows those standard guidelines, will not make your opinion any more or less valid than another but may mean that you cater more to specific crowds. I won’t critique my own writing and say “well I cater to those people and everyone else” because I most likely don’t. A twelve-year-old will probably find my reviews boring whereas an older teen to adult might be able to settle in a bit more with the language, ideas, and references I make. Going higher up the age ladder most older readers would most likely find the topics I discuss here shallow and immature and really not holding any relevance to the world at hand. These are three very different groups of people that will never all be pleased at one time and all that I or any other writer can hope to do is at least make the topics informative and interesting enough to grab one of those demographics and maybe a little bit from the other two. So in that aspect writing and articulation, while helpful at becoming a successful writer in the long run because you can adapt to certain crowds and environments, will not make you a successful or even popular “opinion-slinger”.

Experience, our second point, is one that I think falls into that all-important “have to have it” section. While anyone can write, not just anyone can write about video games in a way that makes them sound like they know what they are talking about. A lot of “famous” (and I use that term very loosely) writers in the industry have years upon years of being in the middle of it all. Contacts with developers, all-access passes to early releases of a game and to a slew of other perks can make someone seem like their opinion should be the end-all be-all when it comes to gaming but how does that matter on a game-by-game basis or even to those who only care to know about a game and not about the industry itself? Also, with gaming experience can come biases and an overall hatred of certain development companies, publishers, even consoles and game franchises themselves. I wouldn’t expect someone who gives nines and tens to Final Fantasy games to also be reviewing Madden 2010 and take him seriously when he gives it a four because it “just doesn’t have enough depth to the game”. This brings up the question: “if you’ve beaten the game why wouldn’t your opinion be just as valid as someone else who beat it as well?” That does boil down to the experience factor: those who have been not only playing games for a long time but have been playing them specifically to find something wrong with them will be able to look for if a game is good or not with better accuracy than those who are new to the business or those who just play games for enjoyment. This can be a double-edged sword as those who are so used to picking out little flaws and mistakes can become entirely too picky or forget that gaming is a hobby that is supposed to be fun more than a serious sport (although don’t tell anyone that in South Korea where gaming is their unofficial  national sport). The good of that can be that they know how the industry and its fans works and can appeal to them more with their reviews: they know what people like and know what to look for in games that appeal to the crowd. They understand the trends and know to an extent what will be considered a “good game” at the time. Experience, if handled right, can be a valuable tool to the video game journalist but can also be a person’s biggest albatross.

The third and final point that we’ll talk about is one that wraps the other two points together: Popularity. Reviewing and critiquing games (and anything else) boils down to appeal and sounding like you know what you’re talking about whether involved within the industry or not. Many people would venture that reviewers are unnecessary weights upon the industry and that people should form their own opinions without someone else influencing them. This, in all honesty, is true but those who have advanced access to games, get to play them for free, and can deliver you news that you care about is a great resource because let’s face it: it sucks to drop 60 dollars on a game that you were hoping is good and then turns out to be one of the biggest piles you’ve ever played (we’ve all been there). Finding a reviewer who your tastes meld with and who seems to like the same things that you like is a very great help to making those tough gaming decisions. Chances are that if you both like the same things and he hates this new game you will probably hate it too. This means that as a reviewer biases will be made and should be slightly adhered to: if you review a game that is completely out of left field for you and that you have no experience in you may find yourself quickly losing the audience you’ve worked so hard to gain. While there are some people who can keep their ideas and opinions in a strictly professional manner those are few and far between in the gaming industry.

To sum it all up, anyone can give their opinion on video games, but the fact that reviewers such as myself and a myriad of others are willing to put themselves and their skills on the line (and not hide behind anonymity on a forum page) is what makes us who and what we are within the industry. This does not and should not make us famous but instead should make us humble servants of the industry and its consumers. We work for both the suits and the public in order to get the good games out and rolling and also to let people know they can’t release a bad game without some repercussions or someone noticing. So next time you agree with a reviewer, next time you see a magazine that you like don’t shun it but instead pick it up and use the tools that are given to help make your gaming experience the best one possible. This does not mean you have to agree with everything we say (and you should let us know when you don’t and why) nor does it make our opinions any more important than yours but the fact that we are doing this because we enjoy it and because we want to help you enjoy it as much as we always have means that you should take advantage of it before you too become an old salt of the gaming industry and start to go numb from the bad games that will always be released. Becoming popular, even when you can consider yourself a great writer who is experienced with playing games or who is involved within the industry is still more than anything a lucky break. It takes being noticed by the crowd you’re pandering to and even then falls to nothing more than pure, absolute luck. This should not be a deterrent to people who are attempting to get into the industry but is definitely one hurdle that they should be aware of.

Alright, I’m climbing back up on my box.

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.

For those who love gardening and are interested in the Zombie Apocalypse

So as I was looking for a break from the free-roaming mayhem of Infamous and Red Faction: Guerrilla (which I’ll post my thoughts on next week when I’ve played some more of the multiplayer) I remembered that Popcap games (makers of insanely popular games such as Bejeweled and Peggle) had released a new tower defense game (well, they termed it a “Flower-Defense” Game) that I had been dying to get my hands on.

The game I’m talking about is Plants Vs. Zombies which is an interesting little combination of puzzle game and tower defense that offers loads of quirky characters and dialogue (the Michael Jackson zombie is, by far, my favorite thing to kill and see on the screen at the same time) as well as delivering an amazing experience for the price ($20 through Popcap for the PC and Mac systems, but oddly enough only $10 on Steam as of writing this article). Throughout the game you’ll go through different “house” locations (front yard, backyard, rooftop) and will plant different flowers,nuts, and fruits that will help save your precious lawnmowers (and yourself) from the zombie horde.

The game, surprisingly enough, offers a ton of different ways to play with the regular story mode (that boasts 50 levels) and then a ton of mini-games that will keep your interest once you do complete the story. On that note, don’t go into the game expecting an epic tale of zombies versus plants, it is still your typical tower defense game with a purpose and very little more ( which is perfectly fine because most people go into these games expecting entertainment and challenge over some great story line).

The style and characters presented within the game will give it a memorable flair throughout your playing. The second you meet your neighbor, Crazy Dave,  you’re going to quickly remember him and enjoy every second you get to see of him. Beyond that, the zombies all come off as interesting and unique enemy types that will sometimes leave you scrambling when there is a huge wave of them and the little notes they leave you at times are amusing in a “we’re coming eat your brains” sort of way (yeah, I’m sticking with that thought).

This is the first game of Popcap’s that I actually feel confident in recommending on this website. While Bejeweled and Peggle are interesting asides they are definitely something I haven’t gone beyond playing the free online versions of. Plants Vs. Zombies is something I strongly recommend buying but if you’re still wary you can, as per the usual with Popcap Games, play a demo of it before making your final decision and laying down the cash.

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

So it’s been a while (most likely too long) since a post has been made on this website. For a while it seemed I lost the desire to actually write anything and then was overwhelmed with school, work, and the sliver of a social life that I do have. This all makes for a very difficult chance to actually write something that I want to.

Well Summer has come and a well needed vacation has reinvigorated me to write again. After a weekend of burning on the beach I’m back home and ready to get back to work on this website.  So without further ado, let the show go on!

Landscape Keyboard now available on all applications: This isn’t such a big deal to me but seems that a lot of people have been asking for it. This means that, just like on the Safari application for the iPhone, you’ll be able to use the accelerometer and turn the phone sideways and type on a bigger keyboard on the mail and SMS applications as well as others.

Text Messaging Improvements: Mass forward/delete as well as MMS capabilities have been huge demands for this phone and Apple has finally delivered. My only question is, why did it take so long?

1,000 new APIs/ Application enhancements: The ability to add in-game chat, in-application downloads/updates for new content either on a one-time basis or even on a subscription-fee service, integrate maps into their applications or make turn by turn applications, and many more enhancements were given to developers in order to make their applications much easier to use and worth more of the money that the users have been paying for them. One big thing is that developers can now have their applications work with devices h0oked through the dock connector (Examples include an FM Transmitter or a blood pressure monitor but the possibilities are endless)

A2DP (Stereo Bluetooth): With the 3.0 update also comes the ability to use stereo bluetooth headsets, this means that all of the wireless headphones and bluetooth headpieces that double as bluetooth headphones will now have full functionality on the iPhone.

Spotlight search: The 3.0 update will also add an additional homescreen to the iPhone and iTouch’s desktop that will have a global search on the phone. Song titles, applications, contacts, calendars, and anything else on the device can be found through this.

And the big two:

Push Notification: While giving a good explanation on why background processes won’t be used (lower battery life being the main point), they also introduced (again!) the arrival of push notifications to your device. This means that messaging applications as well as any other programs on the device will be able to take advantage of using a webcloud server through Apple to send notifications of new messages and new updates available to you. This is the one I’m most excited about and as long as Apple allows it to run correctly (such as quick and reliable fetch times) this will bring about better and more efficient applications as well as happier and new customers.

Copy and Paste: Pretty self explanatory and from the video (which can be found on Apple’s website) looks like it will be very easy to use on the device. With this comes multiple picture selection to send in e-mails as well as being able to copy and past not just on the web but across all applications both first and third party.

These updates for the phone are huge. With growing competition from other devices (Palm-Pre, Blackberry Storm, etc..) Apple needed to step it up in this update and definitely delivered. Also, these were just the main points and Apple said that they also had much more in store for their devices. The update will be available for free to iPhone users (both 3G and 2G, but certain things like A2DP will not be available on the first-gen phone) and will be $9.95 to iTouch users.

Here are my (hopeful) predictions:

• Background applications/push notifications  (and make them work, whichever you decide to use)
• Copy/paste
• Further improved safari stability
• Maybe some bug fixes?
• There’s also a rumor for a premium application store for the more expensive games. I like this idea and it seems like a good one so I’m going to throw my hat in this pile.

Things that probably won’t happen but would be nice:

• iPhone 3.0 (2.0 came out with the 2.0 operating system, so it’s a possibility)
• Some form of flash player
• The ability to see youtube videos without having to close Safari and then open up the youtube application (this one they’ve talked about before just like push notifications but then never brought it to fruition)

Cooperative is definitely the way to go with this game but even in single player mode I’m still enjoying it and feel as if it gives the game more challenge since you have to manage both inventories (which means giving each character health, weapons, and adequate ammo) and you have to struggle to keep her alive (as well as yourself since the game is tailored to two people) through the game. This then gives you more things to think about and forces you to make some tougher decisions on how you want Chris and Sheva to act.

I think the problem is that games like Dead Space and Gears of War have spoiled me on the whole third-person shooter concept. I’ve gotten so used to being able to run and shoot at the same time that I find that I have to force myself not to try in Resident Evil. Dead Space just proved that you don’t have to be a slow game to keep it scary and that is constantly running through the back of my mind. I mean, the main character of Resident Evil is a hardened military soldier who has been through these situations time and time again but can’t aim accurately while moving any more than he could in 1996 while an engineer wearing a massive metal suit in space can without even flinching? The numbers and the reality of the situations don’t add up. Of course, we are talking about killing zombies in Haiti and hellspawn in space so reality doesn’t really have precedence here.

The storyline, as stated earlier, seems to be really stale so far. I can’t decide on if it’s because I’m slowly getting tired hearing about Umbrella and all of its evil deeds or because it just doesn’t seem to have the same flair that previous installments did. It doesn’t make the game unplayable but can make it painful to hear the conversations between all the characters. That could change since I’m only about halfway through but if it sounds and looks like a bad storyline halfway through the game chances are the second half will be just as cliche. I look at it like a horror movie; you can’t expect award-winning performances and seeing the heads pop off of zombies always brings a smile to my face so it’s a fair compromise.

Back when the internet first started it was simply there. No graphics (No graphical user interface, either) just command lines that were mostly used by businesses and universities in simple processes and were more difficult to comprehend than more recent versions so people never took the time to learn it. Those that did were coveted for their abilities (and then laughed at behind their backs because they were learning something that wasn’t necessary back then).

These days, unless you were an adult back then, you grew up within the system. There are very few people who don’t know what a computer, and subsequently the internet, are. Kids are basing their lives around facebook, myspace, and online video games. Adults both young and old are using it in their jobs, their daily lives, and fueling their shopping habits with it. One of my older brothers who, until recently, couldn’t even turn a computer on now has an E-mail account, an Itunes account, and buys clothes,electronics, and items for his horses online. It amazes me that even people who once shunned technology as the downfall of our existence and wouldn’t even go near a computer also have it integrated into their lives and now are learning to use it more and more.

..I would love to talk to the creater of the internet (Tim Berners-Lee, who is credited with inventing it in 1992) and ask him what he thinks about his creation. I wonder if he ever thought it would grow into such a monster that involves creatures such as pornography, 4chan, and social networking sites. I wonder if he shakes his head at the thought or if he feels accomplished that he’s brought so many people together? Does he look at Chocolate Rain, Numa-Numa guy, ”What What, in the Butt” and feel a sense of pride or shame that he inevitably brought this upon the world as being a part of modern pop-culture?

I bring this up because I’ve recently taken what seems to be the next trendy step in internet usage: “Twittering”. The website (and in essence, me) now has it’s own twitter account at twitter.com/MarkWhitney. This is something that friends of mine have been using for years and that I have been, in all honesty, too confused about the exact purpose of. Many different websites like Facebook and Myspace already have the same features that Twitter has built into them.A simple “What are you up to now?” is all that Twitter contains but celebrities (both real and made up), journalists, musicians, and even the President have been introduced to and repeatedly updating what is referred to as “the Twitterverse”. This seems to be something that is gaining rapidly in popularity and definitely an idea that doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon. I find so far that I’m enjoying this social experiment and am attempting to keep up with it as best as possible.

I shouldn’t have to say this but WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

Jackie Earle Haley, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Billy Crudup as Rorschach, The Comedian, and Dr. Manhattan –
Zack Snyder, in picking actors for this movie, had a tough choice: How do you cast someone in a role that they will most likely forever be remembered for? Like being cast as Superman or Batman, being cast in any super hero role forever dooms you to being remembered for those movies which could mean a great lift in one’s career (such as Christopher Reeve as Superman, who started as an unknown and after the first movie became a massive celebrity) or complete failure in the role (George Clooney, while a fine actor, will be remembered more jokingly as Batman instead of admirably). These three actors performed their jobs amazingly, bringing to life their drawn models with believable personalities and the look and feel that these characters should have had within a movie. Haley and Morgan, as Rorschach and The Comedian respectively, were the epitome of those characters come to life: they embodied and made me believe that they were the perfect choices for these characters and alone would be a good reason to see the movie for fans of the comic. All three characters (Crudup included, who did a great job as Dr. Manhattan, but still falls short of the other two actors and their roles) provide great stories and entertainment not only within the book but on the screen as well. These three characters are pivotal roles within the story and the hardships they face shape the mood of the story. If the actors would have failed at their job the entire movie would have been ruined but instead they all gave stellar performances that had me mesmerized.

The Ending, while different, gets the job done and still has the same ideals behind it –
In order to have it make a bit more sense and to make it a bit more mainstream, the ending was changed from the comic book version of Watchmen to its film adaptation. The ending, while giving a completely different way of crumbling the world and halting the oncoming nuclear war, still gets the job done of uniting the world in fear of a “greater evil” than one another. The ending of the comic made sense to those who understand Ozymandias and his ideals but would have been next to impossible to pull off not only well on screen but to have it make sense with the time allotted for the movie to those who do not have a prior background of reading the original.  With his background in genetic research, Ozymandias blowing up an alien being with a psychic mind is believable and does fit into the storyline but being heralded as “The smartest man in the world” opens up vast ideas for different ways to do that. You have the ability to harness the power of what the world considers to be a god and unleash it upon the world in order to fulfill your goals of sacrificing the few to save the many, why wouldn’t you do that instead of summoning something wholly new that the world does not understand? It also fits because the world knows about Dr. Manhattan and setting up America’s greatest hero to be the world’s downfall would be incredibly more frightening. If the comic had ended this way I wouldn’t have complained at all and while I do understand the importance of the original ending, both of them get the same job done with one being an easier to grasp subject than the other.  Also, if it pisses you off that much, its already been announced that there will be an “Ultimate Edition” version of the movie once it comes out to buy that will have extra scenes, “The Tale of the Black Freighter” (which comes out on DVD/ Blu-Ray the 26th of March), and the original ending all mixed into it. The ultimate edition will come in at over four hours in length (from the theatrical release’s 2 hour and 44 minute mark) and contain all of the extras that didn’t make it to theatres.

The music is not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. –
Ok, yes, playing Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” during Night-Owl and Silk Spectre’s sex scene is quite cheesy and sometimes the music makes the ideas that are being shown on screen a bit redundant but other than that the musical choices for the movie are very time and theme appropriate. The introduction being Bob Dylan’s “The Times they are a-changing” could quite possibly be one of the best introductory scenes I’ve ever seen. Also, playing “Boogey-Man” while the Comedian threatens the rioting citizens is probably one of the best uses of that song I’ve ever seen in a movie. Yes, the music does get a bit loud at times and can almost snap you out of the daze the movie puts you in but it never gets to the point that its obnoxious or annoying.

Matthew Goode does a better job than anyone is giving him credit for –
I don’t quite know what people were expecting out of this. You have a character that is the smartest man in the world, a bit of a pompous ass, presumably homosexual, has a genetically engineered lynx, and who wore a, well, purple half dress as a superhero costume. You can’t exactly make this guy out to be a badass (and the comic doesn’t at all) even though he very well should be. This guy can dodge bullets, kill the Comedian, and set up mastermind plots without anyone suspecting a single thing and get away with all of it! The problem is that I guess people were expecting some sort of amazing actor to play this part but that is the exact opposite of what should have happened. Finding someone who is small, looks like he could go toe to toe with Steve Jobs in an elitism contest, and could quite possibly pass for at least a metrosexual if not a full blown homosexual was essential and Matthew Goode pulled this role off. The only problem that I had is that the costume itself (which in the movie seems to look more like body armor straight out of The Dark Knight instead of something regal), obviously did not translate correctly onto the silver screen and looks a little weird (but, come on, so did the original). All things considered Goode’s performance as the genius Adrian Veidt is spot on personality and mannerism-wise and he plays the character as well as anyone else could. He should be commended instead of bashed for his performance since really I don’t think anyone else could have done a better job given what he had to work with.

Zack Snyder, while as usual going a bit over the top, does in fact stay quite true to the film –
When early interviews were coming out with Snyder about the film and he said he was a huge fan and was sticking as close to the comic’s vision as he possibly could I didn’t believe it. Everyone says they are keeping the spirit of the book/comic/cartoon alive and then ninety-percent of the time end up butchering it ( I am Legend, anyone?). Snyder kept true to his word though and many of the things that I thought would never make it into the film (big blue penis and all) surprisingly did. Though a lot of the scenes and characters had to be edited/removed for time’s sake, they still kept or gave cameos to them to let fans of the book know that they weren’t completely scratched off. The pacing of the film follows very closely to the comic, a lot better than I had expected with the cut scenes, and keeps the spirit and the point that the story wanted to make there.

(It’s my opinion that this movie could not have been made better by anyone else. The actors, the music, the director, the effects all came strongly together into one masterpiece that does one of the greatest graphic novels ever written justice. Dave Gibbons and Alan Moore should be proud of this adaptation and all of the critics and fans of the original who are tearing this movie apart should appreciate it for what it is: not exactly the same as the original but the closest and best thing we’ll ever get to a movie adaptation of it. No one can expect perfection in any movie, much less one that so many people are so passionately obcessed with.)