Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe Review: Bloody Fun

At first glance, “Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe” seems like it should have come out around 1998, to go head-to-head with the wildly popular “Marvel vs. Capcom” series, but, for whatever reason, it didn’t. Fast forward to today, and, through some wild twist of fate, or, possibly the will of the Elder Gods, 10 years after the game should have been released, gamers finally have the chance to kick Scorpion’s ass with Batman. On the plus side, waiting may have paid off; after a string of less-than-awesome “MK” games “MK vs. DC” may put the franchise back on track.

“Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe” isn’t the best “MK” game ever released (that honor goes to “Mortal Kombat 2”), but there are some redeeming factors that might make fans that soured on the series years ago think twice about this iteration. A good deal of the game has been revamped, since “Armageddon” was released, taking full advantage of this generation of consoles. The controls, gameplay, graphics, and characters were all treated to a much-needed upgrade, and the improvements show over the course of the game. [Read more]

Fallout 3 Review: Boom Goes The Nuclear Blast

“Oblivion” with guns; those three words have been repeated across the vast ocean of the internet ever since Bethesda announced “Fallout 3.” After beating the game, and working through my second play through, I am going to have to agree with those three words. The quick traveling, interface, and even the way you sleep are all elements borrowed from “Oblivion.” However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the game is bad; on its’ own, it’s jammed with content that places heavy emphasis on exploration and morale decisions. It’s just too bad that while the ideas of “Fallout 3” sound good on paper, a lot of it falls apart in the end due to bugs, and shoddy execution.

“Fallout 3” starts out with your 21-year-old character on the verge of escaping Vault 101, where he has lived for his entire life. He was born and raised in Vault 101, got his Pip-Boy at age 10, took his G.O.A.T test at age 18, and, at age 21, his old man escapes the Vault. The Overseer (the guy who runs this particular Vault) gets pissed off, and begins searching for you. Don’t worry though; his daughter wakes you up in your room to and informs you of the ordeal. After nabbing a pistol, some medical supplies, and a baseball bat, you’re on your merry way to follow in your Papa’s footsteps and escape the Vault - by beating up some highly trained security officers, as a level 1 character. [Read more]

Resistance 2 Review: Bigger and Badder

Everything about “Resistance 2″ screams bigger and badder. The one thing that was missing from “R2″ was a device that makes the Chimera dance and boogie while we blew them to kingdom-come with my LARRK. In other words, this isn’t “Ratchet and Clank.”  With very complex foot soldiers’ AI and slow bosses, the end of chapter boss fights seemed a little laid back; perhaps “R&C” also has a One-Up in this arena as well, but it doesn’t mean that the game was a total loss.

Like its predecessor, “R2″ is presented with a very involved DTS soundtrack. A lot of the effort from the first game shows up in this sequel, particularly with regards to the audio work. Perhaps there is more emphasis on mechanical sound effects, but my sub-woofer enjoyed being tickled as I played this game from start to finish. The last game that surprised my sub-woofer was D3’s “darkSector” and before that, everything is a harsh motion-blur.

Not long after the prologue stage, returning frontman Nathan Hale is forced to make his way to the top portion of your base, all the while enduring the deep bass melody of a Kracken-style beast ramming its’ giant Chimera forehead into your headquarters. A lot more games need to take advantage of sound effects like this; rarely do we even find one that goes nice and deep into the L.F.E. (Low Frequency Effect) range. [Read more]

Mega Man 9 Review: Better Late Than Never

For some reason game companies feel compelled to stay on the cutting edge of technology, mostly because they assume that’s what their consumers want. However, on certain occasions that mentality ends of destroying beloved franchises. For years now, Mega Man has been one of those casualties. A franchise that has been around for 25 years or so Mega Man has “evolved” into something completely different from where it started. Fortunately for long time fans of the series, as well as an entirely new generation, the newest iteration of Mega Man has the potential to become a classic of a new kind – hopefully setting the industry down a new path where they embrace their roots. “Mega Man 9” truly kicks it old school.

The first thing that everyone noticed about “Mega Man 9” was the distinct choice of art style that the developers decided to go with. A true throwback to the 8-bit style of the NES, “Mega Man 9” is pixel perfect, and it continues the style of the original, creating an overwhelming sense of nostalgia for anyone that has ever died repeatedly on a disappearing brick. To complete the experience of playing an old NES cartridge Capcom even included an option to turn on or off flicker that was always present in the originals. Well played Inafune-san, well played. [Read more]

Review:NBA Live 09 & NBA2k9- Fight!

Hi Ho the Ballers are back! Baseball is winding down, and we’ve all been busting heads on the gridiron in Madden and now comes the bright lights of the NBA. The two heavyweights of the division are back with their 09’ editions and we are about to hit you with the down low on NBA Live 09’ featuring Tony Parker and NBA2k9 anchored by the now “certified” Kevin Garnett.

First I have to let you know right now. This isn’t really a fair fight. NBA2k9 is the better game… PERIOD.
[Read more]

WipEout HD Review (Updated)

Every now and then a sequel like WipEOut comes along forcing its way through the demonic denizes of gamedom to shine far above the idea of an upgrade. WipEout HD, if anything, is an upgrade and a damn good one. 

Whether it was the first incarnation of the series, the PS version, or the newer PSP versions, everyone has a soft spot for this title.  In my eyes, HD takes the best of Pure and Pulse, and amps up everything (minus a few tracks here and there).

Visually this game speaks for itself.  Only one other title comes close to the level of presentation on the PS3. That title is Ridge Racer.  The title employs an interesting technique called Frame rate Buffering to handle those intense fire fights that occur these days in the series.  Colors are lively, strong, punchy, and always crisp and clear. So what? This technique makes it possible for the game to run at 1080p 60 frames per second … all the time off-line and online.

This makes work put in by artist like Rita Linsley shine even more. She was responsible for putting together the most amazing race stages ever seen by these eyes.  Her approach to the Zone Mode races cannot be appreciated in any image posted on the internet.  Nicely done.

The UI in WipeOut has always been clean, and carried that uber techno feel that no other title can do well.  One complaint I have about the interface is that it’s hard to read at first; especially when you go online for the first time. Several times I created my Phantom class room and even though the UI tells you the class, stage, and details for the room, it seems to be down right hard to read (especially for New Comers).  People kept coming into my room and promptly left after they experienced the amazing speed of Phantom on Sol 2. HUD wise, the new version is not bad but for those of us were picky about that during the demo version, SCEE went in an added some of the classic HUDs from previous series.

The default soundtrack for the title is made up of a select few of those titles that appeared in the Pure and Pulse series.  Fans knew ahead of time what was going to happen; there favorite tracks would probably be left out and in some cases weren’t included to begin with.  Who’s to blame you if you think that Young Jezzy should be played with WipEout; heck I run Elephant Man, Capleton, Thievery Corporation, and several others with mines.  The ability to select your own music is a thing that all games should have.  Gamers enjoy the effort that music directors put into game OSTs but sometimes a complete track list customized by yours truly fits the bill even better.

In addition to the music, all the weapons, clicks, beeps, weeps, and meeps are timed great. I’ll never get tired of hearing Caroline Bersteins’ or Nicholas Jones voices.  That little reminder of a perfect lap, or the “gold medal awarded” announcement never gets old.  These two should be made the defactor voiceover team for the series. 

If there was one thing I was concerned about was the online component.  With the past announcement that only 8 players would make it for online bouts, you couldn’t help but wonder if the lag whore would show her ugly face. Fear not, the game runs just as smooth online as it does off.  However, a few users here and there with exceedingly large friends lists (over 100) seem to be experiencing crashes during online play.  No word on the friends list being the direct cause of the problem though.  Since day one, I have not experienced any problems. 

Some gamers are torn between getting this title and Burnout Paradise.  My opinion, get both.  Both of these titles are very good at what they do. The only thing that is missing from WipEout at this time is Downloadable Content; a staple of the PSP series given to gamers for FREE.  However, at the rate at which this title is selling on PSN, I’m sure Buckley and crew would visit the scene a few more times for a price. Additions like the camera mode are great and the $19.99 price tag almost seem unfair … to SCEE.

FaceBreaker Review: Something’s Gonna Break Soon

You know them, and you love them, even if you don’t like boxing, arcade boxing games. Titles like “Punch-Out!!,” “Ready to Rumble” bubble very quickly to the top of the list of the greatest boxing games of all time, rising above many, much more advanced and realistic fighting games. It’s a tough genre for games to break into and in comparison to those games “FaceBreaker” does fall short, but that’s because everyone’s expectations were so high, but that doesn’t make it a bad game.

At a very basic level, “FaceBreaker” is a fun game, as long as you’re up for the challenge. It’s definitely not a sim, like the “Fight Night” series, but it’s a lot more challenging than other arcade boxers. Even on easy, it’s going to take a lot of practice just to get past your first opponent. The game forces you to master not only the offensive techniques, but also the much more important defensive techniques - dodging and parring are supremely important in “FaceBreaker” if you want to make it anywhere. Needless to say, when playing against the computer, “FaceBreaker” is brutal unless you know what you’re doing, it’s not a pick up and play game. However, if you’re looking to mangle your best friend’s face, that’s a whole different story.

“FaceBreaker” may be one of the best party games to come out this year if you’re looking for something to play with a bunch of your friends that isn’t a mini-game compilation. It’s casual enough for all your buddies to enjoy, but not so casual that you feel like it’s too dumb or easy to play to the point where you feel like it’s a waste of time. There is even a built in local tournament mode set up for more than just two people so that everyone can be a part of the fun. Besides, it’s boxing, everyone likes to beat the snot out of their friends… virtually at least. [Read more]

Hellboy: Science of evil, reviewed in 60 sec

Whut up folks! Unit here, bringing you our latest review of Hellboy: Science of evil. I’ll be giving you the lowdown on this game in 60 sec. Is it good? utter crap? a waste of money? Find out in this video review below!

Journey Back… Soul Calibur IV

Into this stage of history…

Soul Calibur IV is upon us. The game has long been a staple to fighting came fans. This version is actually the Fifth in the series. (Let’s not count Legends on the Wii) Getting it start on the PsOne as Soul Edge, this game from Namco could’ve easily become Tekken with swords. As we all know it became so much more.

Starting with the stellar Soul Calibur on the good for its time Sega Dreamcast. Namco redefined what a fighting game could be. Full of graphical flare and animation, this game immediately became the killer app no one thought it could be. It kept legends of fans happy until the sequel came out with a new quirk.

The original “Next-Gen” was upon us and Soul Calibur 2 saw release on all three major consoles. R.I.P. Dreamcast. But with it, came more fuel to the console war fire. Namco decided to include three special characters for each console. That announcement sent the Internets ablaze with fury about which console had the best character. PS2 got Heihachi Mishima of Tekken fame, GameCube got Link, and the XBOX got Spawn?

The first two made sense as they were tenants of said consoles, but the XBOX wasthe fledgling new kid on the block and hadn’t benefited from having a star character to include. I personally liked playing with Al but I had to concede that Nintendo’s Link was probably the most worthwhile inclusion. I mean Heihachi didn’t even have a weapon!

Soul Calibur 3 suffered from the fact that part 2 was so great. It went largely overlooked, not to mention the fact that it came out exclusively for the PS2 when everyone was anticipating the new “Next-Gen” consoles. So lets skip over that.

Which brings us to the newest iteration. Soul Calibur Eye Vee. Again Namco reached down into it’s bag of tricks and decided to give the consoles an “exclusive” character, with Darth Vader!?!?!?! for PS3 and Yoda!?!?!?!?! for XBOX360. Now, how two Jedi (technically three but we’ll talk about that lata) ended up on this stage of history is anyone’s guess. We can pretty much expect anyone who can fight to be open season for entry.

Now. First things First. The game looks beautiful on both systems. The animation is top notch, and the vistas are great. I’ve always felt that this series couldn’t look better and then it does. But I have to ask… It must be some sort of tradition or something, but how come fighting games don’t have deep character interaction and fully fleshed out endings and stories? I don’t want to read about it, I want to SEE it.

Namco first teased us with the original TEKKEN with these non-sensical CG endings. Damn right we beat the game with every character just to see those beautiful 10 sec endings. Even if they didn’t make any damn sense. But this part of the fighting game experience has not been updated. This is unacceptable, especially when the Soul Calibur series goes as far as giving you paragraphs to read about each characters personal journey and interactions. I know it may be a budget thing, but damn it, that would be NEXT GEN. Other than that you aren’t really luring me into connecting with a character other than I just like their moves. This isn’t the arcade (yes I know it’s there too) give me a reason for beating that boss who kicked my ass 32 times.

End rant… The game is still beautiful ya’ll!

The gameplay on Soul Calibur is a mixed bag. Like any fighting game ever created, there are imbalances between certain characters. To this day, Mitsurugi is too powerful and the majority of his attacks connect no matter what you do. Maxi is great for pulling out a win with constant barrage and girls (all 2,000 of them) are annoying as hell. But the game is still fun, because its beautiful to see the distinctive fighting styles collide.

Too often an important hit just misses or even worse connects but doesn’t register, but it’s often forgotten at the beginning of the next round when you release a combo straight from a Shaw Bros flick.

In this stage of history, Namco introduces a visual guard break, consisting of head, torso, and legs. When broken your character becomes more vulnerable to attack of that area and is disrobed! This is where 2,000 women is a good thing ;-). Fighting women in their skivvies may give some heart attacks and the uninitiated to sit back down after unleashing their wrath for fear of their mums or sisters questioning their playtime.

Speaking of control, I have no idea how the game works on a normal controller. Purchase of a new SC game, for me, also includes a purchase of the official arcade stick from Hori. 60 beans? That’s a steal for comfort and memories of the arcade machine in the Pizza shop. (Damn I have to many video game accessories) The Hori stick gets my full endorsement, with its metal plate for a bottom, official 8-way arcade joystick and authentic buttons with microswitches. You just can’t get a better feel. I suggest copping it, and for you trash talkers you can plug your XBL headset in as well.

As for the included characters I have to say XBOX has gotten the short end (pun intended) of the lightsaber once again. Yoda may be the most revered Jedi in history and made people wet their pants when he fought Dooku in Ep 2, but playing with him has the unduly effect of feeling cheesy on both sides.

He is too short to grab, so no grabbing Yoda. Nope, Yoda can’t even grab Yoda. I guess he got the Teflon force! Plus almost ever attack causes him to launch himself in the air and swing around like a gnat. I totally wouldn’t want to fight him in real life, much less the game. Its fun to watch Asteroth bring down the axe on him. But I guess I’m just sadistic.

Vader on the other hand, is balanced well and fights like a Zen master. Errrm Jedi Master. His attacks aren’t too powerful and it’s generally fun to fight with him. I’ll do a separate review on Vader.

But all in all they don’t stick out, but I doubt many people will rank them as their favorite SC fighters.

Who is your favorite fighter? Well now I get the chance to create my own (I know it was in SC3 but we’re not gonna talk about that, are we? Right) and take him online and vanquish the world. Although I don’t like the fact that your characters moves are identical to the character they are based on, I respect the limitation, but it would be great to add some flare to the style. Like err a drunken monk with a staff. How cool would that be?

I also wish that they included a screen capture and upload system in the game similar to Halo 3. People have made all sorts of creations online Hulk, Snake, Raiden, Altair and many many many more. It would be cool if you could legitimately send your creations to yourself and make galleries, come on “Next Next-Gen” let’s go with the simple features already.

When you create your character you get to take them online for the first time. Yippee! I get to bust some ass with my Afro Shoalin Monk Hells Wind Staff dude! I wish you could see! I played dozens of games without the dreaded lag that has plagued the one-to-one input necessary for the precision of fighting games. EVERY FRAME COUNTS! This bodes well for the upcoming Street Fighter Eye Vee! Fighting fans rejoice the time may come where we don’t have to be in the same room with each other and can really claim supremacy due to the ability to take on many more challengers.

The ranking system isn’t as robust as it could be, but it’ll suffice.

Yup that’s Soul Calibur IV in a nutshell. If you are a fan of the series, pick it up. You will definitively melt away the hours when you have friends over.

DaveDaGamer OUT!!!

DarkSector … is it worth it?

I know a few of you, like myself, went ahead and picked up Darksector to bide your time till other more substantial games like MGS, or even Borne Identity and Haze, come out, or perhaps you are thinking of getting it. Here are some of my thoughts on the game to help you on your purchase or rental.

I finished DarkSector after 4 days of playing, each about 2 hours a day … really didn’t take that long and I never got stuck … well except on those damn mobile gun turret guys … those were a little tough at first. After completing the game, my verdict was: this was okay. It had some cool moments, and the camera system reminds me of gears .. but I don’t think that all of the gameplay mechanics does IMO. The pop stop shoot and move mechanics are there .. but the CQC Fatalities and powerups are a very cool addition to the gameplay … though I felt at the end of the game that they could have done even more with this to move the game even further away from Gears. This also implies that the random sticking to wall is present in this, and many other games that implement that feature: something I particularly find annoying.

One of the cooler things about the game is the elemental power ups and how you use it on enemies, and on the environment … its a little repetitive but the puzzles were reasonable enough to keep you thinking but nothing that required you to have Steven Hawkins powers.

Several people told me they got stuck on stage 4 and in the grave yard … my recommendation: brighten up the game in the display settings. The default setting for the game is hella-black. You can’t see shit … don’t brighten it too much but enough for you to see item boxes from a far. This helps with the puzzles as well. Trust me.

The ending in a word was corny. However, you could tell that the game wasn’t trying to be a MGS CutScene Orgy Killer from the get go, so you’re happy that its over when its over so you could go play online. You do actually beat your games before you play them online … right??? *tsk tsk*

Online is fun but only if you’re not expecting a Call of Duty4 killer. If you are, after you beat this game, sell it or trade it in for something else, or put it on the side for Haze, or better yet, get Condemned 2, which you can also sell/trade for Haze/MGS/Bourne.

Overall, a reasonable purchase … nice effects and visuals to watch … the CQC Fatalities never get old, Glave powers remind you of Krull … wish there was a auto-center camera though … it can get crazy sometimes …. I mean, did they forget about R3 for camera fix; sheesh. That’s my biggest complaint.

Other than that … this is a slightly above average game IMO and is only difficult if you’re reckless: the enemy has a knack for punishing your stupidity but you learn this quick on the early stages and then its your turn to abuse them: fun fun fun.