Whoa, haven't posted in a long while.

I have finally remembered to updated this blog. Here are some scans of my articles in out schools newspaper.

Lightning Review: Ninja Gaiden 2

The Path of the Ninja is a Hard One

Before I get into the main review, I would like to give a quick overview of what a lighting review is. Basically, I don't always have the time to write a full review and when I do it is usually when I have beaten the game. Well, a lighting review is either a shorter review, or a review based off as much as the game I feel needs to be played to understand it fully. Now that's out of the way, so let the review begin!

When Ninja Gaiden came out for the Xbox, it was seen as a return to the past. It was super difficult, had little story, and was packed with action all the way through. At the time it was also one of the best looking games on the system and was a huge technical leap in the genre. The problem is that Ninja Gaiden 2 is not only a small leap in innovation, but barely anything changed from the first game at all.

The combat is as good as ever, but it is now the sole reason that Ninja Gaiden 2 is a good game. The graphics, while nice looking, are not even close to other games on the system. While the game runs at 60 FPS most of the time, there are dips that can really screw up your timing in a tough fight. Not only that, but every once in a while the game will actually load while in a fight. 

The camera is terrible especially compared to other games in the genre, such as Devil May Cry 4, that did such a good job of making sure that the camera was just controlled enough that it never really frustrated you. The camera, coupled with annoying enemies that you may sometimes think know of these camera problem and will attack you from off screen, make for a somewhat frustrating game experience.

At its best, NG 2 is a fun game. You get to cut up enemies in a bunch of different ways, there is a large variety of weapons to use, and for the most part the game is technically solid. But once you start looking for something deeper, you find there really is nothing to do but slice and dice. The shallow story, bad camera, and lack of reason to go through the game again (outside of achievements) really destroys any reason to play it again. If you are a fan of action games, I would suggest to rent first, and only buy if you really like it.

Verdict: C+

by Nicolas Perez

Well...

Just bought another 360. Too human and geo wars 2 here I come!

Hello Again

I know I haven't updated in a while, things have been busy for me. Chances are that if anything gets written anytime soon it will be a Soul Calibur 4 review when I get that. But school is starting soon so I really won't have the same sort of time I do now. But be watching the site when PAX rolls around, I have figured out how to do plenty of awesome things to get content to you ASAP from PAX, so expect lots of updates then :)

Test

LTTP: Diablo 2

A new type of article huh?

I have realized that I do a lot of reviews of older games. Doing so is basically useless seeing how no one is going to read a review of a game that has been out for a year or so. This is why I am creating a new series of articles called LTTP (Late to the Party) this way I can write my impressions for when I play older games. These will be shorter than a review, and I may possibly also do follow ups to them. Now on to the actual article!

Since the announcement of Diablo 3, I had been wanting to revisit Diablo since I really never played it when it first came out. The only real experience I had was playing a demo of Diablo 1 and playing a couple of minutes of Diablo 2 at a friends house. I decided to go out and get a copy of Diablo 2 and the Lord of Destruction expansion, and I am really glad I did.

Diablo 2 is very much a dungeon hack, the story stays mostly out of the way and your primary goal is to kill stuff, which in turn gives you items so you can kill more stuff. I am usually not a huge fan of this type of game, but for some reason it really seems like the loot here is cool enough right off the bat that I want to continue playing to see what sort of crazy stuff I can get. It also helps that the gameplay is very easy to get into and is is easy to understand what is going on at any moment.

The game itself isn't the most amazing looking game, but it does hold up surprisinglt well for being a 2D isometric game. The spell effects all look good, and if you play in a window, everything looks crisp and clear as it should. While the graphics aren't a stand out, the audio is. The music, whether you be in a town or a dungeon, adds a lot to the atmosphere. Not only that, but most (if not all) of the characters are fully voice acted and don't sound too cheesy.

Above is a picture of my character and his stats. I haven't played too long but I hope to dig in more soon. I hope you enjoyed this new style of article. Stay tuned for more of the LTTP series in the future.

by Nicolas Perez

Review: Guitar Hero Aerosmith

Walk This Way? Possibly.

Guitar Hero Aerosmith is in a weird position, it seems Neversoft didn't quite know what the audience was for the game. The game is loaded with a lot of Aerosmith's older guitar heavy tracks as opposed to their newer stuff, so people who know the tracks in the game most likely aren't the people who are going to be playing it. Besides that, the second major audience they would want to hit, the "Hardcore" Guitar Hero players find the game too easy compared to Guitar Hero 3.

The game is based off the Guitar Hero 3 engine, so it is no surprise that the game plays almost exactly the same with the notable difference being that the timing window has been made smaller for this version of the game. As usual, gameplay consists of hitting notes at the right time using the guitar controller and the gameplay remains fun and solid as ever. New venues, guitars, and UI changes all help to make the game feel more complete than the previous GH spinoff "Rocks The 80's" which was obviously just a reskinned Guitar Hero 2 with little effort put into it.

The game itself looks great and animates tremendously well. There are a lot of really cool song specific tweaks as well. Things such as Joe Perry using a talkbox, and Steven Tyler shaking maracas at the beginning of "Sweet Emotion." This really brings the feeling that Neversoft wanted to make sure that the game had a lot of real life authenticity. The audio is slightly better than GH 3, the most notable difference being that the mix on the songs is more even than the songs in GH 3.

The major deal breaker here is the setlist. If you are an Aerosmith fan you undeniably are gonna want to pick this up simply on the merit of how well the band is represented in the game. But what if you aren't a big Aerosmith fan? I personally only had a limited knowledge of Aerosmith prior to playing the game and still found it enjoyable. The game has some of their well known hits such as Sweet Emotion, Walk This Way, and Toys in the Attic and also has a lot more of their back catalog of songs as well. It really just comes down to what your taste in music is.

So, when it comes down to it your enjoyment level of the game will come down to two factors. 1) Are you a big Aerosmith Fan? 2) Are you a serious Guitar Hero player? If both of those apply to you, you probably have already been playing the game. If you fall into category one, than I would bump my score up to a B, but if you are only number 2 than you should take a look at my score below.

Verdict: C+

by Nicolas Perez

Review: Guitar Hero On Tour

Better Stock Up On Screen Protectors

When it was first announced that Activision was bringing Guitar Hero to the DS, there was a lot of speculation as to how it might work. Would they make a mini guitar, make it touch screen only, maybe even change the game up a bit? Well the solution that is presented in Guitar Hero On Tour is actually quite elegant and shows that the developer, Vicarious Visions, really put a lot of though into making this a faithful recreation of Guitar Hero to take with you on the go.

The game comes bundled with the aptly named "Guitar Grip" which has four fret buttons instead of the usual five found on the standard Guitar Hero controller. The grip itself is comfortable, but should only be used in about 30 minute increments with breaks in between (unless you would like your hand to cramp up.) The grip plugs into the GBA slot on the DS Lite, and is compatible with the old DS using an included adapter.

The game itself is surprisingly good. The setlist sounds a little offputting at first thanks to the inclusion of bands such as Maroon 5, Smashmouth, and OK Go. Even though they don't exactly scream Guitar Hero, the songs themselves are very fun to play thanks to so good decisions by the charting team. Thankfully there are harder songs though, my favorite being "I Don't Wanna Stop" by Ozzy, which has a crazy solo and will take even seasoned Guitar Hero players a couple of tries to pass the song.

Visually, the game is surprisingly crisp for a DS title. The characters and venues are impressive and the note highway itself is easily readable. Since sound is easily one of the most important parts of the game, it is a huge relief that the music sounds phenomenal for a DS game. It is a bit compressed, but not so much that the music is unrecognizable.

All in all, Vicarious Vision did a great job of doing the unthinkable and bringing Guitar Hero over to the DS. It captures the look and feel of playing Guitar Hero, has a good setlist, and is a technical feat on the DS. I do recommend buying some screen protectors, since the touch screen is used for stumming. Even if you are a diehard GH fan, I recommend giving this a shot. You might end up liking more than you though.

Verdict: B

by Nicolas Perez

PS: Stay tuned next week for the review of GH: On Tour's big brother, Guitar Hero Aerosmith.

Another Update

I haven't really gotten around to writing anything lately, but I have been playing stuff. I have already finished Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, but I am waiting until I can get my hands on a PS3 copy because the PS2 one is not what I would call an amazing port. I am also getting Guitar Hero: On Tour and will have a video of that up soon. I still don't know what I want to write about MGS4 so I am holding off on that for a while. If all goes well then GH: A will also have a video review with it.

A small update

I know I haven't posted in a while, I really haven't done a whole lot gaming wise lately. I DID finish MGS 4 but I am giving myself some time to go back and play more and give myself some time to really think about what I want to write in the review. Finally, I sent Neversoft an email about the prospect of a Guitar Hero: Aerosmith demo on PSN and XBLM, so when I get a response I will put it up here.

Two Quick Impressions

Lost Planet: Colonies and The Club

So, I haven't really got a whole lot accomplished game wise in the last couple of days (you can thank Rock Band for that). But, I do have a couple of games I played over the week that I can do some rapid fire impressions on. Keep in mind that I have probably only put about an 1 to 1 1/2 hours into each of these.

First up, Lost Planet: Colonies. I had missed the game when it came out back in 2007 so I thought I would catch up and play it now with Colonies. Colonies is a re-release of the original game with some more multiplayer stuff and a couple new single player modes. I haven't played multiplayer yet so this will be a single player focused impression and it also I would like to say that I am playing this on PC (and my PC ain't really a powerhouse by any means but I will keep technical issues out of this impression). The first thing I noticed, is that even on my lousy PC the game still looks pretty good, and I imagine that the 360 version looks better seeing as how is was mostly made for that system. The storyline is easily forgettable and I skipped the cutscenes due to some really terrible voice acting. The game itself plays fine but I am not seeing a whole lot here to keep me interested over a while. Full review will probably be coming soon once I finish it.

Second, The Club. I have the PS3 version of this one and am a little late to the party here seeing as how it came out in February. The premise of the game is basically that you are killing guys and are trying to do that as fast and accurately as you can so you can keep a combo. The rudimentary story has each of the characters in the game having a reason to join The Club and that is really about it, that is the premise. The gameplay more than makes up for the almost non-existent story. The game is incredibly addictive and all the modes are score based and focused on racking up points, almost like Geometry Wars but with more guns. You keep your combo by killing guys quickly and in fast succession and you get bonuses by using more stylish moves such as killing someone after rolling across the ground. I think this one will probably get a full review before Lost Planet.

Hopefully, I will get full reviews up for both games soon. I am expecting to the review for The Club up first just because I am not enjoying Lost Planet as much.

by Nicolas Perez

A note about MGS 4

Yes, I will review it.

No, it probably won't be anytime soon after the game.

Metal Gear Online will get a separate review because I already expect the MGS 4 one to get lengthy.

That is all.

Edit: Meh, not gonna review it after all

Guitar Hero: Aerosmith Awesomeness

So, I am a huge music game fan. I can play everything on Rock Band, and Guitar Hero on expert. But I just got very excited about Guitar Hero: Aerosmith. Why, you ask? Because freaking Run DMC songs are on the setlist! Both King of Rock (with awesome new solos) and Walk This Way are in. Not only that but DMC himself comes out to rap for both songs.

The setlist so far is looking good, and it seems like it will be a bigger game that the other Guitar Hero spin off (Rocks The 80's) Either way I am pretty excited about it and can't wait for it to come out in June.

Preview: Battlefield Bad Company Demo Impressions

If you can't beat them, blow them up.

So, as you know a little while back I put up my impressions of the Bad Company Multiplayer Beta. My thoughts on the game were mostly positive and felt they only needed to fix a few things. Notably, the balance in the Goldrush mode and a few bugs they needed to clean up.

So, since I already wrote about the Multiplayer I will focus on the single player part of the demo. The mission in the demo is called "Welcome to Bad Company" and it is pretty obvious that it is the first mission in the game. The cutscenes in the game easily have some of the best character models and lighting I have seen in a game. Once you get into the action there isn't a whole lot of hand holding. There are control tips that pop up, but there is no real tutorial and the game realizes that you are probably a at least decently intelligent person.

Now, there is a story here, but in all honesty I just skipped most of the cutscenes to get to the action. The basic gist if the story is that your character would've been sent to prison, but instead was sent to work with the Army's "B-Company" who is a ragtag group of tough guys blah, blah, blah. All you need to know is that a lot of stuff explodes. The game plays very well, although I did have to turn down the sensitivity a bit because at the default I couldn't control my aim very much at all.

Now, the major problem I saw in the demo is that, at times, there is WAY too much going on at one time. The final sequence of the demo is especially chaotic, often leading to times where I had no idea where I was going or where I was being shot from. Thankfully, at no time did the framerate drop during times where I would be taking out buildings with an RPG while bullets flew by me. There is some screen tearing so if that bothers you, just know that it is there.

A quick aside about multiplayer. I only played two games of it but did notice a few new things. It definitely feels more polished than the beta which was expected. They tweaked some of the UI to make it a little easier to use, and it seems like they did go back and balance Goldrush so that the better team was always winning. Now, like I said, this is from only two 30 minute games so impressions may change in the future, but all in all it seems like Bad Company it going to be a solid FPS with really fun multiplayer and plenty of destruction.

by Nicolas Perez

New Look for the Blog

I felt I needed a change, that blue was getting boring. Hope you like the new look.

Review: Penny Arcade Adventures: On The Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode 1

Otherwise known as PAA:OTR-SPoD

I promise I will never use that acronym again. Rain-slick is the first of four episodes in the Penny Arcade Adventures series. The game is developed and published by Hothead Games and was a joint effort with the folks over at Penny Arcade.

The writing and art style were obviously created by the Penny Arcade, and this results in one of the coolest looking, and funniest games I have played. The main story of the game revolves around your character's (who you create at the beginning of the game) house being stepped on by a giant robot. You soon meet up with Tycho and Gabe (who, if you read PA, you should know) and you party up to go figure out the mystery behind this robot.

The gameplay is almost like a mashup between a point-and-click adventure game and an RPG, although heavily leaning toward RPG gameplay. All movement is handled by the mouse, and most combat, except for blocking and special moves, is handled by the mouse as well. You also get "summons" including a seemingly useless cat. The combat is functional but not amazing, it is fast enough to keep from being a chore.

There are four environments to look around, but only one of them really has any extra things to do. There is a collection of NPCs in each area to give you small sub quests and once again the writing for these characters is very good.

The biggest problem with the game is that too many of the quests are just fetch missions. These start to get old quick, but since this is an episodic game it is fairly short (probably will take you about 5-6 hours.) The game wraps up how you expect for an episodic game, with a lot of questions unanswered.

Overall, if you are a fan of Penny Arcade, there is no reason for you not to at least try the game. There is a demo for every platform it is on (360, PC, Mac, Linux) so there is no excuse not to try it. If you aren't a fan of Penny Arcade, there is a lot of enjoyment here for you too but you may have to try the demo before you drop the slightly steep amount of $20 for the game.

Verdict: B

by Nicolas Perez

Also, an update.

So beside the Boom Blox review, I am going to try and write up MLB Power Pros, No More Heroes (A little late to the party on these two) and Final Fantasy Crytal Chronicles: My Life As A King. I was going to try and write up GTA4, but it is proving to be longer than expected so that may have to take a back seat for a while. Next month, expect reviews of Metal Gear Solid 4, and Guitar Hero: Aerosmith (maybe a few others too). I am also going to try and put something up on the blog every week at least, now that I have some more free time (yay Summer!) 

Review: Boom Blox

Welcome To The Party, Explosions Are Over There

Lately I have been on a bit of a Wii kick. Starting with my purchase of No More Heroes. So lately I have been focusing a little more on the little Nintendo console. So looking at recent reviews I decided to give EA's Boom Blox a try as it seemed like a nice break from constant shooters and action games.

Boom Blox is a game that was designed by Steven Spielberg, which is a shock to most people because there really isn't much of a story here or really anything that needs writing. But he took more of a design position and it makes the outlook for his other EA games much more positive.

Boom Blox is a puzzle game at its heart. You will either be throwing a ball at blocks, or grabing blocks from a stack Jenga style. The better part of the two is the throwing mechanic. You have to swing the Wiimote pretty hard if you are trying to nock over a lot of the blocks in game. This is a game where wearing your Wii wrist strap is a REALLY good idea. 

The throwing portion slowly introduces you to the different types of blocks in the game. There are Gem blocks (shown above) which don't do much except make sparkles when they hit the ground. There are also Bomb blocks which explode when you hit them, and Chemical blocks which explode when you knock them together. Point blocks are very prominent in the game and many of the goals are centered around them, such as trying to knock them into a multiplier zone to get points.

The throwing is great and is fun even when you are failing. This brings us to the other part of the game though, the grabbing portion. For the first couple of levels these all work OK, you aren't pressured too much and you can take your time. But quickly things such as timers are added and bring about some truly frustrating moments. I had to shut the game off at one point because of a particular puzzle that frustrated me so much.

There is a story mode, although the story is pretty rudimentary and involves the different block characters such as gorillas, sheep, dogs, etc. The characters actually add a bit of charm to game that would've been pretty sterile without them. The art style used in the game is very bright and cartoony, a huge shift away from what we have been seeing with games lately going darker. The sound is pretty good and the music is OK but it isn't anything to write home about.

The game really is great, and the visuals keep up for sure. Is is so unusual seeing a physics based game on the Wii and it seems like a huge technical achievement for the system. There is even an edit mode for making your own levels, which you can then share online. The games largest downfall are the grabbing levels, too many of them are simply too frustrating to be fun and could turn some people off from the game. Overall, this is a great effort for the Wii and shows that a "casual" game done right can be fun for everyone.

Verdict: A-

by Nicolas Perez

 

Preview: Battlefield Bad Company

Battlefield is becoming destructive.

I have been wanting to write this preview up for a while now, but I wasn't sure what exactly I should say. The game is in beta so there are still a few problems that need to be sorted out, and I was thinking about how I should handle them in the context of a preview. So I will first talk about the game itself then at the end I will go into what needs to be fixed.

The first thing I noticed about BF:BC was how clean the in-game interface was. It allows you to see much more of the screen than a game such as Halo 3 where your HUD components take up much of the screen. Your HUD shows health and ammo in the bottom right and your gold crate damage (I will get into this later) and number of reinforcements at the top. It is simple to see important info at a glance.


I mentioned the gold crates earlier, these come into play on the one game mode in the beta "Gold Rush". The point of Gold Rush is to get into the enemies base and destroy two gold crates, which you do by planting explosives on the crate and defending it till it explodes. The attackers have to repeat this a few times and each time the gold crates get blown up the defenders base moves back and the attackers base moves up. There are a few issues with the mode that I will go into later.

The beta has two maps, Oasis and Ascension. Oasis is a very large outdoor desert map which starts out in a wide open area and ends up in a small town. Ascension is a smaller map focused on infantry, and the map has a ton of cover. Ascension really shows off the big feature of BF:BC, destructible environments. See a few people inside a house but can't get to them? Blow out the side of the house. The destruction works well and adds another layer of intensity to the game because you can't really hide anywhere without being in danger.


There is also a rank and unlock system in the game. It doesn't have the depth of something like COD 4 or Vegas 2 but it works. Every time you rank up you get an unlock point which you can use to get upgrades like a health recharger or tank mines. One issue that has been brought up since the beta is the fact that EA plans to charge for weapons in the game. They say they offer no competitive advantage, but I am doubting it till I see it.

Now is the part where I complain about all the problems I have had so far. The first one, and the one that bothers me the the most, is how hard it is for the Attackers to win a round of Gold Rush. The last gold crate is usually in such an easily defended area that it is impossible to blow it up. In about 20 rounds the attackers won once. Second, there is no party system implemented yet. I know that this is probably just an issue with the devs not wanting to put it in the beta, but if I don't see a party system in the full game then I don't think I will be buying it. Third, there are just a lot of weird bugs and glitches. They are all things that should be cleaned up by the time the game comes out, but I have had the game freeze on me about 3 times so far.

So, the game shows a lot of promise and looks like they really will be using this feedback in the real game. If the DICE can get the game polished up by release this could be one to look for.

by Nicolas Perez

Review: Rainbow Six Vegas 2

More than just an expansion pack?

Rainbow Six Vegas 2 is the unimaginatively titled sequel to the 2006 hit, Rainbow Six Vegas. The first game received high praise for it cover system and refined gameplay. The second game further refines gameplay and makes for an even more enjoyable experience.

I personally never played the first Vegas much, not that it was a bad game but it just never pulled me in as much as it did for most people. Things have changed quite a bit here, over the last two days I have played around 27 hours of Vegas 2. The first thing I tackled was the campaign.



The story in Vegas 2 is a not just a sequel. It tells the story of another Rainbow operative named Bishop as opposed to Logan Keller from the first game. The events of Vegas 2 take place before, during, and after the events of the first game. In an attempt to show the grittier side of Vegas, the game loses some of the amazing set pieces from the first game, with one of the stand out locales in this one being a large convention center.

The gameplay it self has been tweaked just a little but it feels much more streamlined than the first game. Commanding your squad mates feels easier than in the first game. Unfortunately although it is easier to command your squad, it seems like they don’t want to listen as often. Commanding them to a door sometimes produces little effect and you have to make them take baby steps to the door. The biggest advancement in the core gameplay is the decision to bring the P.E.C. system from the first games multiplayer, over to all game modes in Vegas 2.



Bishop is a blank slate, you can make him (or her), into any likeness you would like. You can even make Bishop have your face if you own an Xbox Vision Camera. The P.E.C. system allows you to outfit your character with different armor and camouflage to make your own unique avatar. As you play you gain XP for every kill you get in the Campaign, Terrorist Hunt, and Multiplayer. Once you earn enough XP you gain a rank, which unlocks new items to equip you character with. Another new feature is the A.C.E.S. system. In the first game, when you advanced rank you would get new weapons. In this one you get points towards your weapons when you do certain things. Get a headshot? Marksman points. Kill some one up close? CQB points. Kill some on with explosives? Assault points. Each class unlocks different weapons and also gives XP rewards too.


The graphics aren’t a huge improvement over the first. The game feels cleaner and smoother than the first and is enough of an improvement to keep up with current releases.


So, while Vegas 2 isn’t the quantum leap from the first game that most people were hoping for, it still feels fresh and the pace and feel of gameplay hasn’t been replicated by any other game. The new additions in the A.C.E.S. and P.E.C. systems, are a welcome addition and add an addictive layer to the game. The multiplayer is still fantastic and in order to keep the length of the review down I won’t go into detail about it, but there are two new modes, which are OK but not great. Even if you weren’t a fan of the first game you will find plenty of enjoyment in this game to warrant the purchase. And no, it isn't just an expansion pack.

Verdict: A-

Review by Nicolas Perez