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

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

 

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