Shawn Vermette

Snackbar Speculator: Thinking with Portals

April 15, 2010

Features / Speculator / by Shawn Vermette Make a comment! / Tweet it!

We’ve finally got some results on some of the rumors we’ve posted in previous editions, so before getting to this week’s rumors we’ll give you a rundown of the results along with our hits or misses.

Current score

Andrew Passafiume: +85

Graham Russell: +5

Shawn Vermette: +100

Results

Gears of War 3 to be released in April 2011

It didn’t take long for this rumor to be confirmed. Microsoft announced on Jimmy Fallon Monday night that Gears of War 3 would come out on April 5, 2011.

Andrew 95% = +45

Graham 50% = +0

Shawn 95% = +45

 

Saint’s Row 3 to be released in 2010

True, Saint’s Row 3 hasn’t even been officially announced, but the head of Volition Studios stated soon after the release of Saint’s Row 2 that they were already at work on the third installment in the series. Additionally, Saint’s Row was released in 2006 and Saint’s Row 2 was released in 2008. The timing is right, the commercial and critical success is there, and the desire appears to be there…but will it happen?

Andrew: I can see this happening, and THQ will probably make a big splash with this at E3 if it is true. Although I do find it strange that it was never really announced, and yet sequels to Darksiders and Red Faction Guerrilla were. And considering Volition, the guys behind Saint’s Row, also made Red Faction, I’m unsure which one we’ll actually see first (seeing as only one of them has already been announced). 65%

Graham: Saint’s Row 3 is scheduled to be revealed at E3 2010 and released in fiscal 2012 (the year starting April 2011). There have been official statements to this effect. Games typically don’t get released earlier…usually it goes the other way.  1%


Shawn: Honestly, I’d be surprised if the next Saint’s Row came out in 2010. It seems like fall 2010 is starting to fill up with other big titles already. Early 2011 seems more realistic to me. 40%


MVP Baseball series to return for 2011

With the release of this year’s baseball games, the exclusivity agreement between Major League Baseball and 2K Sports expires after a 5 year drought of decent baseball games on any non-Sony system. Considering the resounding disappointment of the 2K baseball games in recent years, one would think that EA would get back into the mix by re-launching its MVP Baseball series next year. However, is it even possible to bring back what was once considered the best baseball series after such a long layoff?

Andrew: EA loves to make money and they probably see the potential in bringing back their beloved baseball franchise. I really see no reason for them to start working on a new title, but I doubt that it will happen right away. 2011 seems like a nice estimate for the rebirth of the franchise. 80%

Graham: Shawn, you need to hone your ear. 2K’s agreement was seven years long, and goes through 2012. So no, MVP can’t come back in 2011. I have nothing else to say. 0%


Shawn: I really hope that EA does bring back the MVP series next year, but I half suspect EA may just stay out of the baseball genre. They’ve lost most of their MVP team, and 2K recently said they were losing $30 million a year on it. I hope it comes back though, and will support it with my vote. 65%


Portal 2 to open on PS3 after all

When Portal 2 was announced last month, it was only announced for the Xbox 360, PC, and Mac. No surprise given Valve’s outspoken dislike of the PS3. However, rumors are now swirling that Portal 2 will indeed be released on the PS3, and that it will be outsourced to the same studio that handled the Orange Box port for the PS3.

Andrew: I was willing to buy this rumor up until the point where it was said that the same team that ported The Orange Box to the PS3 would be handling this port. Valve was unhappy with EA’s port of The Orange Box onto Sony’s console, and I doubt they would rely on the same team again. And considering rumors are swirling they are releasing the original Left 4 Dead on the PS3 themselves, I cannot see them turning to another company to do the same for Portal 2. So yes to Portal 2 coming out to the PS3, but it’s probably going to be Valve who ports it. 10%

Graham: The only thing stronger than Valve’s dislike of the PS3 is our dislike of their PS3 Orange Box port. This is completely possible, but I don’t think too many people with PS3s don’t have at least one of the other systems, and Portal: Still Alive never made it over there either. I can totally see them passing. 5% 

Shawn: While I’m normally all for games coming out on as many systems as possible, the PS3 port of Orange Box was abysmal. On the other hand, more systems at release means more sales, so I think that Valve will overcome their dislike of the PS3 in time to release Portal 2 on it as well. 75%

MLB ’10 The Show

April 7, 2010

PS3 / Reviews / by Shawn Vermette Make a comment! / Tweet it!

Last year, Sony took baseball games to new heights with MLB ’09 The Show. It was by far the best baseball game available on the market, and I eagerly awaited this year’s installment to see how they would improve on the tried and true formula that was so much fun last year. Unfortunately, MLB ’10 is something of a mixed bag. It does improve upon last year’s game, but only by a fraction.

The gameplay was already spot on, so it was nice to see that rather than try to tinker with something that already was working very well they tried to improve the aspects of the game that didn’t work as well. In order to hit or throw the ball, all you need to do is simply press the X button. The longer you hold it down, the harder you throw it. This old, yet simple mechanism is far more enjoyable than trying to hit or throw the ball by flailing the right thumbstick (I’m looking at you, MLB 2K10).

The franchise mode is one of the deepest I’ve ever seen in a sports game, and should satisfy almost any fan of sports simulations. You can control everything from the players on your 40-man roster to the regular season draft. You can control what kind of advertising your team has; how much you spend on scouting, training, and medicine; even what stalls and vendors you have in your stadium and how much they charge! There’s a rule 5 draft you can participate in, salary arbitration, waiver wires, anything you can associate with professional baseball is in the Franchise Mode (except for the steroids and work stoppages, they left those out). All of this is great and amazing to find in a baseball game, but none of it is new.

The next mode you should check out is the Road to the Show mode. This is where you create your own rookie player, customizing everything about him you could ever imagine, and then enter the draft. After being drafted by a team, you’ll get sent to AA with the goal of improving both your in-game stats, and your overall stats. Each game you’ll get points to upgrade your player based on how well you played. All of this is old hat for The Show series, the only real addition to this mode is the ability to play as a catcher and call the games for your team. Sony claims that you’ll get points based on how well you call the game, but from my time with it, I never noticed any penalty for calling a bad game, or a benefit for calling a good one. If you’ve been wanting to play as a catcher, then this is there for you, but I preferred not being held responsible for every pitch in the game.

As far as playing MLB ’10 online, it definitely plays better than MLB 2K10 does, largely due to the better controls. It does have a little bit of lag, but it is noticeably better than MLB ’09 was. MLB ’09 was unplayable online, while MLB ’10 is easily playable, you’ll just need to get used to a little bit of lag between pressing a button and the action happening on screen.

This year, they also added a Home Run Derby to the mix. In the Home Run Derby, you can select almost as many competitors as you want, then duke it out elimination style. The top half of the field will advance every round until a winner is crowned. It’s not a huge addition, but it’s the only mode that more than 2 people can play at the same time.

Graphically, MLB ’10 is the best looking baseball game available. The players are very detailed and the stadiums look exactly like the real ones, right down to the smallest detail. However, the commentary isn’t as good as it is for the 2K series. I like the voices better in The Show, but the variety of comments just isn’t there.

In the end, MLB ’10 The Show is the best baseball game out right now. It may not make a lot of changes or additions to last year’s model, but sometimes improving a proven concept is a better idea than making changes for the sake of change.  

Pros: Graphics are gorgeous and almost realistic; Controls are responsive and simple; Road to the Show is addictive; Franchise mode is best out there

Cons: Online play is still laggy

Plays Like: MLB ‘09

 

MLB 2K10

April 7, 2010

Reviews / Xbox 360 / by Shawn Vermette Make a comment! / Tweet it!

Last year’s baseball offering from 2K Sports was disappointing, to say the least. However, since then Take Two brought in some of the people who worked on the MVP series for EA and promised to revamp the next iteration of the 2K baseball series to make it more enjoyable. Unfortunately, their improvements don’t deal with the biggest problems from last year, making MLB 2K10 feel like just another licensed game cash-in.

To be fair, 2K Sports did fix many of the gameplay imbalances from last year. It is now easier to pitch and to hit than it was in years past, and games no longer devolve into either pitchers duels or home run derbies as regularly as they did last year. Unfortunately, there is no way to change the way you hit or pitch the ball- you are required to move the thumbsticks in specific ways and at specific speeds to pitch and hit this year. The lack of an option to use the easiest and simplest control method- hitting a button- is a huge oversight because it would make the game much more enjoyable. The thumbstick control has never been precise enough, and this year is no exception. Even upon completing a difficult maneuver with the thumbsticks perfectly fine, I often found it telling me I either did so too quickly or that I wasn’t precise enough. Perhaps the trouble with the controls isn’t imprecision, but too much precision. Either way, pitching is not very enjoyable when you are told pitch after pitch that you are doing it wrong. Eventually I simply threw fastballs, but even those I was told I did incorrectly fairly often.

The biggest addition to the 2K series is the My Player mode. This mode was present in NBA 2K10, and greatly enhanced the enjoyment of that game, and it does the same for MLB 2K10. While the franchise mode wasn’t much fun because of the controls, My Player mode added a new dimension to the game, making it a little more enjoyable to play the game. It adds a little RPG flavor to the otherwise frustrating game. Every time your created player does something good, he gets experience points in baserunning, fielding, or batting. It is then up to you how you allocate those points. You can turn your double-AA batter into the next Babe Ruth, or make him the next Rickie Henderson. You could even swing for the fences and try to become a combination of the two. Want to be the next Nolan Ryan or Greg Maddux? You can customize your pitcher’s improvement just as much as you can your batter. The only down side to the My Player mode is again the controls. The My Player mode could be an addictive addition to the game, but the controls drag it down like they do everything else in MLB 2K10.

The final mode in MLB 2K10 is the online mode. In this, you can play ranked or quick games against anyone else who likewise picked 2K10 instead of MLB ’10. This time the controls aren’t a hindrance because your opponent has the same problem you do with the controls. This mode is done in by lag, a large amount of it. The lag isn’t as bad on the 360 as it is on the PS3, but there’s still way too much. In order to reliably hit the ball when batting, you have to swing almost as soon as the pitcher throws the ball. This means you have no chance of deciding whether it will be a ball or strike and you simply have to swing at everything. When pitching, the lag affects the timing of your pitching as well, so you’ll never throw that perfect put-away pitch. You’ll be lucky to throw anything other than a fastball near the plate, even with the best pitchers.

Graphically, 2K10 looks fine. Surprisingly it looks much better than last year’s version. The players are fairly detailed, and the crowds are actually 3D models this year, rather than 2D sprites which greatly adds to the feeling of playing in an actual stadium.

One redeeming quality of the MLB 2K10 game is the wonderful commentators. Yes, I said they were wonderful. They have a large repertoire of comments to make, and all of them are placed correctly and timed well enough that the commentary almost felt like it was covering a real baseball game. Unfortunately the soundtrack is more of the same, annoying music that 2K has licensed for the last decade.

Unfortunately, on the 360, this series is your only option for baseball right now. This game does represent a fairly impressive improvement over last year; however, it still isn’t worth the full price tag.

Pros: The gameplay is much improved over last year; The balance is much better; My Player mode is fun

Cons: Soundtrack is annoying; Batting and pitching controls are imprecise and frustrating; Online play is laggy

Plays Like: MLB 2K9

 

Snackbar Speculator: F.E.A.R. Itself

March 28, 2010

Features / Speculator / by Shawn Vermette Make a comment! / Tweet it!

We’ve finally got some results on some of the rumors we’ve posted in previous editions, so before getting to this week’s rumors we’ll give you a rundown of the results along with our hits or misses.

Current score

Andrew Passafiume: +40

Graham Russell: +5

Shawn Vermette: +55

Results

Take Two cancelling its NHL 2K series

Anyone this rumor wanting this rumor to be true is out of luck, as Take Two has announced that NHL 2K11 will be released on the Wii this year, with the series returning to other consoles for 2K12.

Andrew 15% = +35

Graham 50% = +0

Shawn 35% = +15

 

Gears of War 3 to be released in April 2011

At first glance, Gears of War 3 coming out next April really doesn’t make much sense. After all, Gears of War is a system selling franchise, thus why it has always been released in November. However, with the release of Halo: Reach and Project Natal both likely to happen this fall, it makes sense for Microsoft to push back Gears of War 3 to give themselves a boost in a different quarter. Additionally, April has recently proven to be a great month for releases, with Grand Theft Auto IV and Mario Kart Wii leading the way.

Andrew: Seeing as publishers now realize that the Spring is just as good of a time to release games as the Fall, this seems incredibly likely. Microsoft clearly does not want to release two of their biggest games in the same month or even the same quarter. Also, if Natal does not take off like Microsoft expects it to, then they will have a huge game to fall back on a few months later. 95%

Graham: Guys, I’m just not sold on the “here’s a random month” stuff. It could be March 30 or May 2 and you’d be wrong, and those dates have the same advantages. I just don’t see it being more likely to be April. I can see it as a first-half 2011 title, though. 50%


Shawn: It actually makes sense to me to release big games in April. Hardly any other games for your product to compete against, and everyone has recovered from their holiday shopping binges by that point. Plus, with Halo: Reach likely coming out in September, and Natal coming out soon after, Microsoft already has a full holiday slate to focus on. 95%


Microsoft to announce Xbox 360 ‘Slim’ at E3

Microsoft has revised the hardware inside the Xbox 360 a number of times already this generation, but it has never changed the form factor of its nearly 5 year old console. According to rumor though, that could change later this year. Leaked photos of a revised motherboard claiming to be for an Xbox 360 would require a change in the form factor of the system. A slimline version of the 360 would allow Microsoft to distance themselves from their launch troubles, but is this something they are considering?

Andrew: Rumors like these about upcoming hardware always seem to prove true, and perhaps the success of the PS3 Slim (and other similar systems) as well as a way for them to bounce back from all of the hardware failures, I could see this happening. I think the problem with the original system was that it was rushed, and although a lot of the hardware problems seemed to have been corrected, there are still a lot of improvements to be made. I can definitely see this system being announced at E3, and even released by the Holiday to go with the launch of Natal. 70%

Graham: They’re changing demographics with this system, originally designed to look like a powerful behemoth, to appeal to a casual, Wii-friendly audience. A slimming down would go with the Natal and NXE/Avatar decisions, and the PS3’s redesign and subsequent success can’t have gone unnoticed. 70%


Shawn: It does seem like these hardware leaks are always true, and it makes sense for Microsoft to do this. A new form factor for their system would help them get past all the hard feelings left over from their RRoD struggles, and would also allow them to rebrand their system. Perhaps they are planning it as a simultaneous launch with Natal? They have said they are treating Natal as a console launch. Regardless of the details, I believe this is simply a matter of when, not if. 85%


F.E.A.R. 3 to be released in 2010

The F.E.A.R. series has been very quiet ever since the release of F.E.A.R. 2 in early 2009, but rumor has it that silence will soon be broken with the announcement that F.E.A.R. 3 will be released this holiday season. Warner Brothers bought the rights to the franchise just before F.E.A.R. 2 came out so it’s an important series for them, but is roughly 20 months enough time develop a new game for the series?

Andrew: I don’t see this happening, as it seems like such a short time period between games. I think we will probably hear about F.E.A.R. 3 this year, most likely at E3, but it will probably not be released the same year it is announced. If anything, we will see it early next year, around the same time F.E.A.R. 2 was released. 40%

Graham: There have been some promotional materials leaked for the game, so it’s coming. I also think it’ll be announced at E3. Like Andrew and Shawn, I also think it’ll be an early 2011 release. But we could be surprised with a late-October release or something…the slate’s pretty clean for Q4 at the moment. 50% 


Shawn: I agree with Andrew that it seems too soon for us to get a new F.E.A.R. game, unless it is being developed by someone other than Monolith Games. Spring 2011 seems a more likely release date either way, as I would think F.E.A.R. would get lost amidst the holiday craze. 30%

Star Ocean: The Last Hope International

March 21, 2010

PS3 / Reviews / by Shawn Vermette Make a comment! / Tweet it!

Nearly a year after it was released on the Xbox 360, Star Ocean: The Last Hope International finally makes its debut on the PlayStation 3. It was received fairly well on the 360, but how does the new version stack up?

For those unfamiliar with the Star Ocean games, The Last Hope is a prequel to the entire series, so there’s no need to have played any of the other games to enjoy this one. The game begins after a nuclear war has destroyed much of the habitable areas of Earth and humanity begins looking to space for survival. Upon developing a warp drive that will let them explore space at speeds faster than light, mankind embarks on an exploratory mission for new worlds to colonize, hopefully ensuring the survival of our race. You are Edge Maverick, a crewman on the Calnus, one of the ships set to begin the first manned exploration of planets outside our solar system. Unfortunately, things go wrong from the very beginning, resulting in your armada crash-landing on a planet inhabited by big, ferocious bugs. From here you’ll embark on a journey across the cosmos, attempting to make the galaxy a safer place for humanity to expand. 

The story of Star Ocean is interesting and fairly unconventional for the JRPG genre. This adds to the game’s appeal, but the main reason to play Star Ocean: The Last Hope is the complex and enjoyable battle system that it employs.

Upon encountering an enemy, you will enter the battle screen with your party mixed in amongst the enemy’s party. All battles play out in real time, similar to the way Tales games work. It would seem at first that the way to victory is to simply mash the attack button until you beat the enemy. However, if you do this, you will die…a lot. I did this at first during the beginning of the game and I rarely survived for more than 9 or 10 battles before dying. The key to victory is to take advantage of two aspects of the battle system that will take time to utilize properly- Blindsides and Rush Mode. A blindside is performed by allowing an enemy to lock onto your character, then hitting the jump button to quickly move out of the line-of-sight of the enemy. This will allow you to perform a few critical hits on an enemy, greatly increasing the amount of damage you can do along with avoiding taking damage yourself. Rush Mode, on the other hand, is a result of taking and giving a lot of damage in battle. After giving and taking enough damage to fill up your Rush Mode meter, you’ll need to hit the square button to activate Rush Mode. Once you do, you’ll be immune to knockbacks from being attacked, benefit from increased critical hit chances, and you’ll also be able to chain together your special attacks and even combine your attacks with those of your other party members for even more damage. Learning to employ and take advantage of these benefits will make combat easier and more enjoyable.

In addition to Blindsides and Rush Mode, you’ll have a bonus board that you can fill with tiles by performing different action in battle, thus giving you bonuses to various areas. For instance, killing an enemy with a critical hit will net you a bonus of +10% to your experience and killing multiple enemies with a single attack will give you a bonus of +10% to the money you earn at the end of battles. These bonuses carry over from battle to battle, so it is possible to amass huge bonuses and keep them for long periods of time.

Unfortunately, the difficulty in The Last Hope International is very uneven. It starts off almost impossibly difficult, then becomes almost too easy for awhile, then gets impossibly difficult again. Additionally, in order for your party’s strength to keep pace with the increase in difficulty you’ll need to keep your bonus board almost entirely full of experience bonuses, doubling or more the amount of experience you get for each victory.

Graphically, The Last Hope International is a mixed bag. The environments and enemies all look great, but the characters look wooden and almost doll-like. They show almost no emotion and the character models just feel a little off.

As far as the audio is concerned, again the problem is with the characters. The sound effects and music sound great, but the voice-overs for the characters just don’t match with the rest of the game. They aren’t horrible, they just feel off.

Overall, Star Ocean: The Last Hope International is a worthwhile game for PS3 owners to pick up. If you’ve been waiting for a good action JRPG to play, this will definitely fit the bill. It does have some rough spots, but it is well worth a purchase for fans of the genre.

Plays Like: Tales games, previous Star Ocean games

Pros: Combat system is enjoyable, once you get the hang of it; Story is interesting and unconventional; Environments look great

Cons: Characters look like emotionless dolls; Voice over work needs some improvement; Difficulty needs smoothing out; Save points are few and far between

 

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