E.G. Review: Uncharted 2

I think it might be unfair for me to judge AAA, big budget titles on a higher scale of expectation.  However, I feel that, if you have the budget and resources, you should be able to churn out a higher quality product. 

What am I expecting?  Interestingly enough, it’s not what I see or even hear.  Visual and auditory aesthetics are not what is important.  A AAA title should feel like one.  It should deliver an experience unlike and unavailable elsewhere.  It should leave a lasting impression on me for years to come.  It should be memorable and, dare I say, monumental.        

Uncharted 2 (U2) delivers a very good experience.  Notice that I didn’t say, “fantastic,” “fabulous,” or even the rarely used but sometimes apt, “fantabulous.”  Although I’m not singing it’s praises like the rest of the world, I will tell you that I really enjoyed the experience despite feeling like everything was a little too familiar.  

Uncharted 2 stars an intrepid, wise-cracking adventure/thief named Nathan Drake.  Knowing this, you could correctly assume that the experience would be action-packed, full of guns blazing, high jumping antics, dangerous climbing, and lots, lots, lots of running.  You could also correctly assume that treasure hunting would entail some puzzle solving.  Bingo.  I will say that the puzzles were accessible.  However, some were a little cumbersome and one was downright pointless.

These puzzles are just a small example of the slight imperfections found in this otherwise brilliant masterpiece.  What makes it a masterpiece?  It’s the execution.  From the visuals to the controls, everything is masterfully done.

The visuals are quite breath taking.  Literally.  When you stop playing the game just to admire the beauty, you definitely know you have some delicious eye candy.  There was a sequence in the game that was completely action packed, leaving very little room or time to admire the scenery.  I actually would have preferred a nice scenic walk instead of a hectic gun fight.  Yeah, it was that good.  Oddly enough, U2 doesn’t support 1080p; however, this doesn’t stop it from being completely gorgeous.  Add in the most impressive and realistic mocap to date and you truly have a treat for the eyes.

The audio is just as impressive.  I’m not even talking about the soundtrack or music.  The true star here is the voice acting.  All the characters portray a realistic tone.  Aside from the psychopathic villain, all the rest of the characters have a relaxed style of talking that truly mimics normal conversation.  Add some witting and clever writing and you have incredibly entertaining dialogue worth listening too. 

Another high point for U2 is the pacing.  Simply put, there were really no dull moments.  Everything is fast paced and difficulty curved nicely.  I never experienced a moment of incredible annoyance at any point of the game and nothing seemed too easy that would cause extreme boredom.  Bottom line is that the game was thrilling and thoroughly entertaining.  Is there a problem then?  Yes.

The experience was very much deja vu.  It was apparent that Naughty Dog took inspiration from Resident Evil, Tomb Raider, and of course, Gears of War.  The wall scaling, high jumping, pop and stop gun play, etc.  all felt very familiar, yet masterfully done.  U2 doesn’t do anything new but does it all well.  Normally, this isn’t a bad thing but I expected more. 

Am I wrong?  Are my high expectations for novelty and creativity unreasonable?  Being a AAA, I expected U2 to set  new standards and new watermarks.  To be fair, it had done so on a technology stand point.  However, gameplay wise, U2 fell short in innovation.  With such a high budget, I was expecting Naughty Dog to create something not played or experienced before.  On the other hand, with so much invested already, I can see why they would be conservative on innovation; cater to as many people as possible to sell as many copies as possible.   

U2 didn’t blow me away.  However, it did give a ride worth talking about.  Almost every second was entertaining and that is quite hard to do nowadays.  Although not all being innovative, every piece of this work comes together nicely to give you an experiece akin to a thrilling, interactive, summer blockbuster.  Add in some very entertaing and stable multiplayer and unlockable game tweaks such as skin changing and mirror mode and you have a value package for sure. 

Every PS3 owner needs play this game.  Despite my criticism, U2 is certainly above average and worth trying at least once.  There are very few PS3 exclusive titles worth mentioning and U2 is among those few in number.  If you can get past the familiarity unlike myself, you will have a blast with U2.

E.G. Podcast 028: New Directions

This week, we introduce a new member of the team and talk about the new directions of the blog and podcast.

Games: Batman: Arkham Asylum, Disgaea, Half Minute Hero, Uncharted 2, Tekken 6, GeoDefense Swarm (iPhone).

E.G. Podcast 027: Batman and PAX 2009

A Call for Writers and Contributers

When I started this blog, I had a dream that I would create a site where more intelligent discourse on interactive media can take place. I wanted a site where insightful articles on gaming could be read and discussed.

But Bones and I can’t do this ourselves. We need help.

There is so much potential in this blog and podcast but we need extra talent to get it off the ground. This is a call for writers and contributors for the Existential Gamer blog. Are you passionate about gaming? Are you a competent writer? Do you like talking about complicated subjects within the scope of video gaming? Do you want to be a part of something big that can impact the gaming community? Then you will fit just fine.

If this interests you, send us an email at

existentialgamer@gmail.com

Give us a short description of yourself and why you want to be a part of EG.  A short writing sample would also be appreciated.  We’ll contact you and go from there.  And if we click, we would want you on the show!

We need to build a team that can take EG to new places.  Hope to hear from you soon.

-jj & Bones

E.G. Review: Batman Arkham Asylum

Licensed IP’s have had a sordid history. Most games based on a movie, comic book, or other medium have a tendency to suffer from a deficiency in playability to put it politely. Why is it that a seamless transition from visual or literary media to interactive media seems impossible to accomplish? It’s a baffling mystery that has been unsolved throughout the lifespan of video gaming. That is until now thanks to Rock Steady.

To put it simply, Batman Arkham Asylum (BAA) is the establishment of truly competent, dare I say, even good licensed IP gaming. BAA truly captures the essence of the Dark Knight and translates it into interactive form expertly. The key to Rock Steady’s success is fidelity to the source material. As the moniker suggests, the Dark Knight is a warrior, defender that waits in the shadows. He is a detective, a smart hero, that relies mostly on stealth and cunning rather than brute strength. Of course, this doesn’t mean Batman can’t defend himself. The Man of the Shadows is master of martial arts and can take out even the biggest of thugs. However, it isn’t the thugs that are dangerous in Batman’s world. The canon of the Dark Knight is filled with the most psychotic, vile, evil beings from a two-faced, violent multiple personality to a fear-mongering, twisted scientist to a maniacal sociopath genius by the name of Joker.

Speaking of which, the BAA begins with the capture and return of Joker by the Dark Knight himself. However, things go awry once Joker escapes and hatches his well laid plan to take over the Asylum. Batman must explore the grounds of a recently-commandeered Arkham in order to stop the Joker and other familar, super-villain faces. BAA works very much like Metroid in the sense that you are equipped minimally but will gain access to more equipment later and also in that many areas within the asylum are accessible only once equipped properly.

As you explore the grounds, you will find two things: thugs and puzzles. The thugs are a great way to test your bat-fu or whatever Batman uses. BAA features a very intuitive battle system that relies heavily on parries and counters which makes sense for a crime fighter that likes to use his enemy’s strength against them. Pressing the “Y” or “Triangle” button at the right time will allow Batman to either counter or parry. From there, you can unleash some devastating combos. Although the counter/parry system is quite intuitive and well executed, it can’t save a beat ‘em up from it’s worse habit: being repetitive. The fights get a little dull after awhile. However, to its credit, BAA does allow you utilize your gadgets within the fight to spice things up a bit.

Thankfully, your encounters with the thugs are not all brawls. Batman will often find himself in scenarios where he must take out thugs one at a time to complete his mission. Stealth and cunning are necessary for these missions. You can hide on top of high-perched gargoyles, underneath floor grates, or other shadowy places to wait for the perfect moment to strike. BAA offers the opportunity for strategy and depth not seen in other titles starring a Snake and a Fisher.

As for the puzzles, the Riddler has scattered trophies and riddles across the island of Arkham. Once you solved a riddle or find a trophies, you unlock secret stages and game modes outside of the main campaign. The riddles are pretty interesting and worth finding to earn valuable experience points. Although you can earn experience points through combat, it is through the solving Riddler’s mysteries that you can earn the most points. These points allow you to upgrade your equipment and yourself. Upgrades include but not limited to multiple batarangs, combo throws, deadlier explosives, etc.

Visually speaking, BAA offers a very dark atmosphere in Arkham, beautifully bathed in full moonlight. Character modeling is superb and fluid despite a tad sluggishness for the Dark Knight himself (his bat suit must weigh a ton). What is most impressive would be the facial modeling of each major character. From the aging lines in Commissioner Gordon to the grizzled look of the Dark Knight to even the oddly-shaped, ghastly appearance of the Joker. Everyone looks stunning in their own way.

In fact, all the characters sound stunning as well. The voice acting is quite good in BAA and shows the dedication of each voice actor to the role. Most voices from the animated show have made a return including Hamill as Joker who, by the way, gives a truly funny and scary performance. As for Batman, the voice work is a little clumsy here and there, overall, it works quite well. All the characters are so visually and audibly stunning that you would wish to actually play as those characters. Thankfully, on the PS3, you can play as the Joker in Challenge Mode where you try to take out as many guards as possible using cunning and an array of interesting Joker gadgets. Why should Bats have all the fun?

Speaking of Challenge Mode is a nice way to add a little more life to the game once you finished. You can unlock different levels and modes by solving the Riddler’s games. You can test your fighting skills or your hunting skills in Challenge Mode and pit yourself against other players.

Although I would have liked a longer campaign, BAA offers a lot of game for the money. Every minute was entertaining thanks to terrific presentation and perfect pacing. There are flaws to note such as some sporadic screen tearing, sluggish Batman, invisible walls, repetitiveness, etc. but these are minors quips compared to how good the game is overall. The game offers many instances of true creativity and brilliance that most games today lack. A good example of this would be Scarecrow. Play the game and you’ll understand what I’m saying.

What’s important to note here is that Rock Steady understood the true essence of Batman and, as a result, was able to deliver a truly great Dark Knight experience. They understood that Batman was an intelligent crime stopper with a traumatic childhood that drives him to be an immovable object in the fight against an unstoppable force. They understand that Joker is completely maniacal, crazy, psychotic, and a genius all rolled into one person, chaos in a purple suit. Rock Steady decided to start with the true essence and build the game from that foundation. It’s a smart idea that earned them a truly fantastic gaming experience and the best licensed IP game to date. Congrats, Rock Steady. All the fans give you a bow of respect.

-jj

PAX 2009 was AWESOME.

PAX (Penny Arcade Expo) is a convention geared toward your average gaming enthusiast. Since the inception of E3, many a gamer have been wishing for a more public event for the masses to enjoy. Simply put, it was amazing to see so many gamers converge in one spot. It was truly breath taking for me. The lights, the sounds, and the infectious excitement was all over the place. This post is to simply share some videos of the event. Bones and I will be back next week with a more in depth review of this past weekend events and a renewed vigor to take this blog to new places. The changes are going to be great. I can’t wait to share them with you.

E.G. Podcast 026: Gaming Icons

This week, the characters that made gaming memorable.

Games: ‘Splosion Man, Tales of Monkey Island, Droplitz, Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hour Glass, Mirror’s Edge, House of Dead Overkill, iPhone: Mega Man II, Radial 50, Ragdoll.

E.G. Podcast 025: Summer Slump

This week, I fly solo again with a brief discussion on Ghost Busters, more iPhone games, and the problem with  the summer slump.

Games: Ghostbusters, iPhone: GeoDefense, Sally’s Spa, Assassin’s Creed

E.G. Podcast 024: Mobile Gaming

This week, we talk about mobile phone gaming in honor of the new iPhone 3GS

Games: Persona 4, Lost Odyssey, Dead Space, Infamous, Sly 1-3, iPhone games: geoDefense, Amateur Surgeon, Cooking Mama, MGS Touch, Rolando, Van Guard Storm, GoldRush, Flight Control

E.G. Review: Infamous

 

Lightning Strikes on the PS3

What I find interesting with this generation is the trend of choosing between good versus evil.  Although not an entirely new concept, morality has made a distinct presence in interactive entertainment. 

The problem is that “good versus evil” is a very simplistic way of presenting morality in gaming.  The Bell Curve Theory teaches us that few things are ever in the opposite extremes, and normality often occurs in between.  I like games that pay respect to that theory and honors the choice of choosing the normal path or the extremes.  Fallout 3 did an excellent job presenting morality by offering varying degrees of good, neutral, and evil. 

The core of Sucker Punch’s Infamous is morality but presented in binary choice-fashion.  This is where I find issues with the game.  As stated before, I find morality to be a complex issue of humanity that cannot be encompassed by “either this or that.”  There are plenty of gray areas.  I say that if you see the world in black and white, you are color blind.

In Infamous, you have to choose a path: good or evil.  You cannot stay neutral in Infamous’ world.  If you can, it must be a difficult task for sure, since I was unable to do so.  In Sucker Punch’s defense, Infamous is a game about a comic-like hero and a villain, a concept that rarely treads the gray area.

To quickly overview, Infamous stars an everyday Joe named Cole, a courier, who delivers, unknowingly, a bomb-like device that levels a good chunk of the fictional city of Empire and gives him super powers.  These powers grant him the ability to manipulate electrical currents and the inability to practice good hygiene.  His aversion to water certainly makes him the smelliest hero ever.

Infamous can be summed simply as an “open world platformer.”  You are free to explore the world; however, exploration will involve wall-climbing, jumping from ledges, etc.  If you have played Sucker Punch’s previous effort, the Sly Cooper series, you will see the evolution of acrobatic mobility in Cole.

The meat of the gameplay in Infamous is really how you move Cole throughout Empire City.  Cole often reminds me of classic super heroes who expertly roam the roof tops at night in search of evil doers.  To Sucker Punch’s credit, controlling Cole is a breeze.  Jumping is accurate, wall climbing is easy, and his overall movement is smooth.  What adds to the ease of control is the “stickiness” factor of Cole; Cole will automatically grab the nearest ledge, pipe, wall, etc.  The movement system is summed as “intuitive” and user friendly. 

There are some problems with system.  First, it’s almost too “sticky.”  There were times when I wanted Cole to jump over a ledge and ended up having him hang from it from the other side.  Second, sometimes Cole doesn’t register to grab a ledge, wall, pipe, etc. for whatever reason.  I understand the system isn’t perfect.  It certainly works more often than it doesn’t.  I would also note that it’s a system I would like to see in future platformers. 

Cole’s powers are interesting and very utilitarian.  His electrical powers are used in creative ways such as weaponry, travel, shielding, etc.  It seems that the only thing he can’t do is take a shower.  One an interesting note, I have been wondering what would happen if it rained; however, it never rains in Empire City.  I smell a conspiracy.

Many of his powers are very cool; however, many of them cannot be unlocked until much later.  As a result, although you may want to feel like a badass, you’ll have to wait much later to do so.  Once you do get all the powers, you get the feeling of being unlimited and completely awesome.  How you choose to play your character will have an affect on how you feel at that point. 

As stated before, Infamous works on a binary choice system.  You can work to be a Hero or be on the other side of the coin as Infamous.  If you play as a Hero, the people of Empire City will cheer you on, rise against the baddies, and respect and honor you.  If you play as Infamous, the people will fear you, hate you, police will gun you down, and to top it off, you will also look darker and more creepy.  Movies and dialogue will also change depending on how you play.  There are also special missions that are geared toward being good or evil.  As a result of these differences between playing as a Hero or Infamous, the game encourages a second play through and, as a result, it offers more game for your dollar.

Being an open world game, you get to choose what missions you will do and in what order.  One great thing about the missions is that there are plenty of check points, eliminating needless retries.  I thank you, Sucker Punch.  The problem with the missions is that some are copies of other missions.  As a result, there will be some repetition.  Overall, there isn’t a large variety of missions.  Thankfully, however, there are other distractions such as finding satellites through signal location and hunting for blast shards, energized pieces of earth that will earn you more “battery life.”

Visually, you won’t find amazing eye candy in Infamous.  It doesn’t help that it can only be viewed in 720p.  However, this doesn’t mean Infamous is ugly.  Simply put, Infamous looks good but not great.  Auditory-wise, the sound effects are what you would expect it to be, but the big winner is the score.  Very reminiscent of The Dark Knight, the score really adds to the ambiance of the game.

Story-wise, although not completely original, Infamous is interesting and engaging.  Bits of info are spread across the game, and things won’t really come together and make sense until the end where it throws in a cool plot twist.  Was it worth it?  I would say “yes.”  As for Cole himself, he is somewhat disinteresting as the protagonist.  If it weren’t for his powers, Cole would be a banal character.  Nothing about him screams special or interesting aside from the fact that he can shoot lightning from his fingers.  And that he can’t take a shower.  Again, hygiene is important people.  Cole is ultimately forgettable.      

The truth is that Infamous will not be winning Game of the Year from me.  The problem is that it doesn’t do anything revolutionary or new.  However, it does a lot of things right and a lot of things well.  When I wasn’t playing it, I wanted to play it more.  Although fatigue will set in during the second play through, the first time will be fun and well worth it.  It’s one of the rare PS3 exclusives certainly worth owning.

-jj