December 2007

Smackdown vs. RAW is back yet again for the 2008 incarnation featuring a bunch of new icing on an otherwise bland cake; for a wrestling simulator, SvR 2008 takes all of the flashy drive and determination of WWE but never feels authentic just like its TV counterpart.

Many of the previous years’ modes have returned, with the addition of the 24/7 mode. This year also adds some ECW personalities to the roster as well as two notable updates to the control scheme; the first is the addition of Superstar Fighting Styles, where each fighter has two different fighting styles to choose from depending upon their particular fighting stances. Whether you choose Grappler, Brawler, Showman, High-flyer, the power-up finishing moves are different and help switch up the gameplay to keep things fresh as you can try to master the hardcore finishing style. Where this breaks down though is that each style is not balanced against the others; a good example of this would be the brawler who gets immunity to body shots once his power up has been activated, which seems extremely unfair in multiplayer matches.

The second control enhancement is the Struggle Submission System, where grappling moves take on a completely different form as you have to balance the amount of pressure that you apply to your opponent; give too much and your grip weakens, give too little and they can break free. This proves to be a very nice addition as you constantly have to pay attention to what you are doing, and can’t just take submission holds for granted. But beyond that, the controls remain hit-or-miss as getting the awe-inspiring moves to work is just as difficult as setting your opponent up for the actual move. Overall the animations for the moves took precedence over the fluid control of movement making for a very slow action game. True when you can pull off a nice rope dive it is beautiful, but getting to that position is just as frustratingly tedious.

In addition to the regular matches and tournament fights you have the option to play legendary battles from wrestling’s past. These are actually quite entertaining as you are given the role of the underdog attempting take down the superstar, often given a certain criteria to meet. Completing such matches unlock additional players in the WWE shop. And if that isn’t up your alley then the next is sure not to be: 24/7. Possibly a good concept that just completely fails in the end, this mode cripples you for being prudent. As you set your player up for the year, you have several options designed to enhance your popularity and physical condition, but while doing one, you are getting punished for not doing the others. If your player gets hurt in a match then you are forced to take days off, therefore not getting paid, or suffer another round where you might be hurt beyond finishing the season and therefore not being able to meet your goals for the year.

On the PSP the graphics are pretty good although, as in the other versions of the game, there are some clipping issues with body parts as they melded into other players and into the canvas. On the PSP it just isn’t as noticeable. Sound with the intros really gets you hyped for the matches with each superstar’s defined songs, but after entering the ring the crowd and announcers become monotonous, with the blow-by-blow analysis frankly not being pertinent to anything occurring in the ring.

Overall SvR 2008 will fill that burning need you have to play a wrestling game although it doesn’t bring the full power and intensity to the game that it should have.

Smackdown vs. RAW is back yet again for the 2008 incarnation featuring a bunch of new icing on an otherwise bland cake; for a wrestling simulator, SvR 2008 takes all of the flashy drive and determination of WWE but never feels authentic just like its TV counterpart.

Many of the previous years’ modes have returned, with the addition of the 24/7 mode. This year also adds some ECW personalities to the roster as well as two notable updates to the control scheme; the first is the addition of Superstar Fighting Styles, where each fighter has two different fighting styles to choose from depending upon their particular fighting stances. Whether you choose Grappler, Brawler, Showman, High-flyer, the power-up finishing moves are different and help switch up the gameplay to keep things fresh as you can try to master the hardcore finishing style. Where this breaks down though is that each style is not balanced against the others; a good example of this would be the brawler who gets immunity to body shots once his power up has been activated, which seems extremely unfair in multiplayer matches.

The second control enhancement is the Struggle Submission System, where grappling moves take on a completely different form as you have to balance the amount of pressure that you apply to your opponent; give too much and your grip weakens, give too little and they can break free. This proves to be a very nice addition as you constantly have to pay attention to what you are doing, and can’t just take submission holds for granted. But beyond that, the controls remain hit-or-miss as getting the awe-inspiring moves to work is just as difficult as setting your opponent up for the actual move. Overall the animations for the moves took precedence over the fluid control of movement making for a very slow action game. True when you can pull off a nice rope dive it is beautiful, but getting to that position is just as frustratingly tedious.

In addition to the regular matches and tournament fights you have the option to play legendary battles from wrestling’s past. These are actually quite entertaining as you are given the role of the underdog attempting take down the superstar, often given a certain criteria to meet. Completing such matches unlock additional players in the WWE shop. And if that isn’t up your alley then the next is sure not to be: 24/7. Possibly a good concept that just completely fails in the end, this mode cripples you for being prudent. As you set your player up for the year, you have several options designed to enhance your popularity and physical condition, but while doing one, you are getting punished for not doing the others. If your player gets hurt in a match then you are forced to take days off, therefore not getting paid, or suffer another round where you might be hurt beyond finishing the season and therefore not being able to meet your goals for the year.

On the PS2 the graphics are pretty good although, as in the other versions of the game, there are some clipping issues with body parts as they melded into other players and into the canvas. Sound with the intros really gets you hyped for the matches with each superstar’s defined songs, but after entering the ring the crowd and announcers become monotonous, with the blow-by-blow analysis frankly not being pertinent to anything occurring in the ring. Load times are bearable but seem unnecessary as you have to wait for three load screens just to enter a match, namely each of the player’s intro scenes and the load for the match itself.

Overall SvR 2008 will fill that burning need you have to play a wrestling game although it doesn’t bring the full power and intensity to the game that it should have.

Smackdown vs. RAW is back yet again for the 2008 incarnation featuring a bunch of new icing on an otherwise bland cake; for a wrestling simulator, SvR 2008 takes all of the flashy drive and determination of WWE but never feels authentic just like its TV counterpart.

Many of the previous years’ modes have returned, with the addition of the 24/7 mode. This year also adds some ECW personalities to the roster as well as two notable updates to the control scheme; the first is the addition of Superstar Fighting Styles, where each fighter has two different fighting styles to choose from depending upon their particular fighting stances. Whether you choose Grappler, Brawler, Showman, High-flyer, the power-up finishing moves are different and help switch up the gameplay to keep things fresh as you can try to master the hardcore finishing style. Where this breaks down though is that each style is not balanced against the others; a good example of this would be the brawler who gets immunity to body shots once his power up has been activated, which seems extremely unfair in multiplayer matches.

The second control enhancement is the Struggle Submission System, where grappling moves take on a completely different form as you have to balance the amount of pressure that you apply to your opponent; give too much and your grip weakens, give too little and they can break free. This proves to be a very nice addition as you constantly have to pay attention to what you are doing, and can’t just take submission holds for granted. But beyond that, the controls remain hit-or-miss as getting the awe-inspiring moves to work is just as difficult as setting your opponent up for the actual move. Overall the animations for the moves took precedence over the fluid control of movement making for a very slow action game. True when you can pull off a nice rope dive it is beautiful, but getting to that position is just as frustratingly tedious.

In addition to the regular matches and tournament fights you have the option to play legendary battles from wrestling’s past. These are actually quite entertaining as you are given the role of the underdog attempting take down the superstar, often given a certain criteria to meet. Completing such matches unlock additional players in the WWE shop. And if that isn’t up your alley then the next is sure not to be: 24/7. Possibly a good concept that just completely fails in the end, this mode cripples you for being prudent. As you set your player up for the year, you have several options designed to enhance your popularity and physical condition, but while doing one, you are getting punished for not doing the others. If your player gets hurt in a match then you are forced to take days off, therefore not getting paid, or suffer another round where you might be hurt beyond finishing the season and therefore not being able to meet your goals for the year.

On the Playstation 3 you can tell that the game is a multiplatform release as the graphics just don’t reach the system standard. In addition to that they suffer from some serious clipping issues as the superstar’s hair always looks funky and half the time body parts were melding between players and into the canvas. Sound with the intros really gets you hyped for the matches with each superstar’s defined songs, but after entering the ring the crowd and announcers become monotonous, with the blow-by-blow analysis frankly not being pertinent to anything occurring in the ring. Load times border on ridiculous considering for a single match you have three loads, one for each player’s entrance and finally for the match.

Overall SvR 2008 will fill that burning need you have to play a wrestling game although it doesn’t bring the full power and intensity to the game that it should have.

This year’s edition of Smackdown vs. RAW is all about customizability and options, options, options. This game needs no introduction. The music, the names, the moves, the arenas, the 100+ match types, the announcersA

Nathan Drake, a modern day fortune hunter, raises the sarcophagus of his famous ancestor Sir Francis Drake from the bottom of the ocean only to find a coffin with a journal in it where a body should be. This discovery starts off a series of events that will go through the jungles of South America to an uncharted island in the Pacific Ocean in search of the legendary gold of El Dorado. But as Nathan gets closer to his goal more questions arise as to what happened to the once populated island and whether it has anything to do with the curse of El Dorado.

Playing out almost perfectly, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune looks and feels like a well-conceived action adventure movie complete with memorable characters and enemies, and showcasing the production team who spared no expense to create a polished, good-looking game. Part of the draw of the game is the leading character, the archetype “everyman”, Nathan Drake strikes the right level of charisma, bravado and klutziness to make you identify with and ultimately root for him. Combine that with well written dialogue and crazy situations and you can’t not want to be this guy.

Gameplay focuses on two separate phases with exploration/puzzle solving and gun battles. Looking at the exploration you can’t help but compare the game to Tomb Raider as you enter a room and try to find the best path towards your exit. Usually this is accomplished with manipulation of levers, or by scaling around the room on hand ledges to get to your goal. The puzzles don’t ever get to the hard level, although there are a couple that will have you scratching your head. The true challenge of the game comes from the frequent gun fights, luckily you can always tell one is about to begin by all the extra ammo and cover scattered around the room. Here U:DF really shines with an involved third-person shooting system with effective duck-and-cover mechanics that can really turn the tide if used properly. Or if you choose, you can take a run-and-gun mentality by getting closer to your targets and shooting from the hip without holding the L1 aiming button while using more ammunition. Either way the battles are a high point of the game and the most dramatic difference between the optional difficulty levels.

The controls are mostly intuitive for the situations but took a little time for me to master, especially the duck and cover routine which left you exposed as you lined up your shot. Many times in the later levels this was the death of me as the enemy snipers didn’t take as long as I did to find my target. Interspersed throughout the game there are random cut-scene button prompt sections and vehicle levels that require different coordination as you pilot your jet ski and try to take aim and shoot at objects. Beyond that, there are a few interesting uses of the SIXAXIS motion sensing to ward off attacking enemies and throwing of grenades to get good use out of the controller.

Graphics are some of the best that the Playstation 3 has to offer; the maps are gorgeous and lighting effects are almost perfect. From the open jungle where the sun filters through the canopy and the grass sways in the breeze to the dark underground tombs where all you have to light the way is your flashlight, the graphics perfectly capture the details of the environment heightening the sense of realism in the game. Add superb voice acting and an orchestra score and you have a solid game all around.

Looking at U:DF you can almost tell that production team of Naughty Dog set out to prove something as they stepped up from cartoony games to more serious fare. And proved it they did, creating a fully formed and detail rich game that really makes you feel like you are playing a Hollywood blockbuster movie with all the fun, excitement and wit thrown in. In fact, I believe Naughty Dog has done the impossible to create the first must-have PS3 game that isn’t just necessary for PS3 consumers to buy, but rather, people without must buy the system to experience.