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]

Gears of War 2 Review: Well Whaddaya Know?

It’s that time of year again. Gamers are among a slew of high quality games as the holiday season approaches.  We’re infected with sequelitis around this time of the year; which is no different than last year, and the game at the top of most 360 owners must play list is the sequel to 2006’s epic release, “Gears of War 2.” The first “Gears” game really put the Xbox 360 on the map, and cemented its reputation as the console of choice for action/shooter games, but can the sequel follow it up with the same intensity?

“Gears of War 2″ brings us right back into the thick of things with Marcus Fenix and his trusted partner Dom. We quickly find out that the events from the first game hadn’t turned out quite like the humans had hoped, and they are now forced into a corner by the ever ferocious locusts. Humanity must now go on the offensive, if they don’t want to end up extinct. [Read more]

Tom Clancy’s EndWar Review: Voices Of The Battlefield

Once in a while, a game comes along that changes people minds’ about an entire genre of gaming, and, when that happens, it really speaks to the quality of the game. Few titles in the past have been so expertly crafted, with such a broad appeal, that they have actually convinced gamers to make the jump into unknown territory. In recent memory; “Advance Wars” showed gamers that turn-based strategy games were as addictive as they were complex, and “Guitar Hero” proved that rhythm games can be more than just dancing on a mat. Over the last few years, these games have not only defined their respective genres, but they’ve refined gaming as a whole. There’s now another title worthy of adding to that list, “Tom Clancy’s EndWar.”

“EndWar” takes the normally very complex, very niche genre of real-time strategy games and actually makes it accessible for your standard gamer – make that standard console games. Fortunately, Ubisoft Shanghai’s definition of accessible doesn’t mean dumbing the game down, or making it easier just to sell more copies. Their way of making the game accessible actually makes the concept, gameplay, and controls of the game less intimidating, while still retaining the crux of the RTS experience. In other words, “EndWar”’s appeal is unique enough that it should cross the line and appeal to gamers that have never before tried an RTS game, as well as longtime fans of the genre.

[Read more]

Dead Space Review: The Final Frontier

What’s going on peoples? DaveDaGamer here giving you a little dirt on “Dead Space.”

First and foremost I want to say, EA glad you are back, we’ve dearly missed you. You may or not know this, but back in the last gen, EA put out an impressive list of quality titles that had graphics and ambiance that were far above and beyond what other studios offered. I’m not talking about the EA Sports brand either, there have been such gems as “The Lord of the Rings,” “Harry Potters,” some of the “James Bond” games, “Medal of Honor,” et al.

But along the way they began to buy out a lot of smaller developers and started putting out crap. (”Catwoman” need I say more?) Fortunately, it looks like they might have gotten their act together with “Dead Space.” [Read more]

Saints Row 2 Review: Headin’ Back To The ‘Hood

“Saints Row 2.” The very words will automatically make the inevitable comparison to the sandbox genre’s father, “Grand Theft Auto.” It’s not really a surprise though, as both games deal with the criminal lifestyle, offer a wide variety of activities in a metropolitan environment, and involve hijacking vehicles.

Fortunately, the comparisons end there. “Grand Theft Auto 4” showed the world that Rockstar wants a Hollywood contract, whereas “Saints Row 2” shoved players down into an alternative universe filled with shit spraying trucks, chainsaw wielding cop impersonators, and purple ninjas. So how does this game pan out with all the lowbrow humor and novelty? Surprisingly enough, it’s still a good game beneath all the glitter.

The storyline starts off several years after the events of the first “Saints Row.” You were involved in a Yacht explosion in a political assassination attempt. But since you are equipped with plot armor, you survive the ordeal, and are in major surgery inside a prison. Your character in the first “Saints Row” was forced to be a guy, but you’re allowed to pick your gender in the sequel. After picking a gender, you’re off to get yourself out of prison and rebuild your gang to take over Stillwater while facing off against three other gangs. [Read more]

Rock Band 2 Review: Keep On A Rockin’

“Rock Band” may have not been the most innovative rhythm game on the market, since it basically was just a combination of three other games, but, the end product was truly something special. Once the game was released, one of the questions that was on a lot of gamers’ minds was whether or not there was going to be a sequel, since the game was described as a “platform.” Well, with the release of “Rock Band 2” there’s little doubt about how the series will be continuing on, but a very different question remains - is “RB2” a worthy successor, or will we be rocking out to a sophomore slump?

A quick look at “Rock Band 2” will reveal that not a whole lot has changed. The basic gameplay, graphics, and music styles, are all pretty much the same. However, when you dig a little deeper, you see that there are a lot of changes that needed to happen, as well as, and more importantly, changes that fans wanted to see happen. Fortunately, the team up at Harmonix listened very closely to their audience (they had to after all that loud music and little ear protection) and put the polish on “Rock Band 2″ that it deserved. [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]

Fracture Review: Earth Shattering Fun

Sometimes, all you need to do is add one extra element to an already tried and true genre to make something stale feel new again, and that’s exactly what LucusArts’ new action game “Fracture” does. The added element of terrain deformation (T.D.) adds enough of a new twist on the action genre that “Fracture” makes running and gunning fun again. T.D. does for the 3rd person shooter, what “Gears of War”’s active reload did for … the 3rd person shooter.

While it may appear to be a gimmick, the ability to control the lay of the land to your advantage ups the ante as you progress through the game. From the outset, your gun is equipped with the ability to raise or lower the ground in front of you with just a single shot. This kind of godlike control factors into both your offensive, and defensive attacks, as well as puzzles found throughout the world. Knowing that you have this kind of control separates this game apart from the numerous other, similar titles on the market, because it alters the way that you stage your attacks, and essentially play the game. In other words, if it is a gimmick, it’s a damn good one. [Read more]

Review: Lego Batman

Holy Lego Blocks Batman! Yup it’s DaveDaGamer dropping a review on you for Lego Batman from Traveller’s Tales.

These boys are on quite a roll with their on the surface “kiddie” franchise. I say on the surface, because there is a polish to these games that are usually not found in games targeted for your lil brother or sister. These games consistently rank in the high 8’s or 9’s for review scores. That tells you they toe the delicate balance between accessibility and fun factor.

Granted these Lego games are all based on the simple premise of everything in the worlds is made up of blocks from Lego playsets. Already the game strikes a chord with us because most of us have played with Lego’s growing up and I at least imagined creating vast worlds until I ran out of blocks. Famous stores like F.A.O. Schwartz and Toy’s R Us began building huge statues of King Kong and Godzilla out of Lego’s to attract users.

Traveler’s Tales looked at this lovingly and have honed their craft to bring us their latest attraction Lego Batman. Coming off the high that was Lego Indiana Jones, coincidentally the caped crusader killed at the box office and people were all excited about Batmania once again.

The first problem for me was the story. Now I’m a fan of the Batman comics and movies (yes even the first series). But where I feel that the previous Lego games connected with us, watching the familiar scenes from movies we adored played out in silent scenes, this title is missing. You see, this game isn’t based on any particular movie, comic, or cartoon series. It is an original story that manages to get as many of the characters in as possible. While still fun I think that this title would’ve been bolstered by picking from one of the more well recognized stories of the Batman.

What further brings us away is the epic score of Danny Elfman blasting through my speakers as my lil Lego men scamper throughout unfamiliar terrain.

All in all, I think that if you’ve enjoyed the previous Lego iterations you’ll like this one as well. There are some serious laughs, and there are a multitude of gadgetry to work with. One of the coolest features of this game is being able to play the game from the villain side after you unlock the missions with Batman and the Boy Wonder. Playing as a villain is almost universally cooler and this game doesn’t disappoint.

Lego Batman is the first Lego game made for the Next Gen console and it shows. TT definitely gets a lot of expression out of their fairly simple models. That shows the genius of the animation.

One thing this game is not is short. It will take you about 15 - 20 hrs to complete 100% and you will definitely enjoy re-playing levels with new abilities.

Check out Lego Batman for your quick fix of goodness.

DaveDaGamer

Castle Crashers Review: River City Remembered

In a few years, “Castle Crashers” won’t be remembered for its amazing story, or its ground breaking controls. No, the reason “Castle Crashers” will be remembered, and it’s perhaps the best possible reason for people to remember a game, is because it’s smashtastically fun. It’s a great game to play alone, with friends, or online, and you can keep playing it over and over. Add to that a persistent sense of homage to one of the greatest games of all time, “River City Ransom” and “Castle Crashers” is a quality follow-up to “Alien Hominid.”

Some people have complained that “Alien Hominid” was too hard, but those people just forgot how grueling great games used to be (go play the original “Ninja Gaiden” for 20 minutes and you’ll remember). Just because a game is hard doesn’t mean it’s not good. Fortunately, (or unfortunately, depending on your stance on challenging games) “Castle Crashers” doesn’t suffer from the punishing level of difficulty that “Alien Hominid” made so memorable. It’s a bit more accessible, partially due to the fact that you have the ability to level up your character. However, that doesn’t mean the game is a cakewalk. [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!

Go for Gold! : Beijing 2008 Olympics Review

What up peoples. I know you must be in the thick of patriotic pride with Michael Phelps record breaking 8 Gold Medals in a single Olympics, or even amazed at Jamaica’s Usain Bolt’s unbelievable runs in the 100m and 200m World Record setting time.

The light from the global games usually means that there’s a videogame tie in as well. This year is no different as Sega does the honors and gives us a double dip. With the Wii’s Mario & Sonic at the Olympics and the more grown up fare of Beijing 2008 for the XBOX 360 and PS3.

This title packs in a whopping 38 events in 10 categories.

Most of the Olympic standby’s are here, but I would’ve liked to see the relays in. While the glamor sport of the Olympics are usually the track races, the level of difficulty for running the races in the game may turn some people off. For years Olympic games have been hindered by basic mash the buttons alternately control this year’s title is no difference.

Sega aims to add a little suspense to the start of races by having users time holding down the trigger to fill up a meter to coincide with the gun. Too bad it is more of a hindrance than a fun tool, because if you don’t hit the top of the bar your runner won’t leave the blocks. Causing you to immediately start at a disadvantage.

Because I’m an old school gamer, I know how to “beat” the system. You see, if you try to press the buttons as fast as possible, you will definitely catch carpal syndrome or snap your fingers off. What you gotta do is wrap the end of your shirt around your pointer finger and “slide” it back and forth as quick as possible.

Your character will be flying like Usain in no time

I can’t for the life of me understand how in this age of pack in peripherals, that publishers don’t take advantage of the occasion and include Track mats! Ever since the original Track and Field for NES that came with the original Power Pad, it seemed like the best input for a game such as this.

Just think people actually getting off the coach and exercising during this game. (Nintendo how could you not do this?)

Either way, there are a lot of other none finger snapping events to compete in.
My personal favorites include the high jump, floor exercise, and balance beam.

Each one of these feature DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) esque inputs but with a slight twist. In the high jump you have to tap exceedingly fast to build up strenght and then tap again to jump.

For the Floor exercise you have to tap the corresponding button when your character’s foot makes contact with it. This is trickier than it sounds because the athlete is completing a dance routine and has start and stops are different intervals and can throw you off.

The balance beam is similar in that you have to have “Rhythm” with your character in order to succeed.

I keep referring to character because there are no licensed athletes in this game. That’s sort of a bummer because at this time of year people really want to be Michael Phelps or Shawn Johnson, but will have to settle for a hopeful look a like. (You get a random character for every event, may be white, black, or mixed) But I guess it helps to generalize the sport.

All in all this is a fun game to play and even more so if you have friends over. It should keep you busy till London comes around check it out!

-DaveDaGamer

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