Shawn Vermette

MLB 2K10

March 21, 2010

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 cash-in.

To be fair, 2K Sports did fix many of the gameplay imbalances rom 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. 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 effects 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 is ugly. Everything looks like it could have been done as a first-gen Xbox 360 title or a last-gen Xbox game. The character models are blocky and unrealistic which is a huge contrast to even last year’s MLB ’09 game.

The one redeeming quality of MLB 2K10 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.

If you want a baseball game but don’t want to spend $60 for it, you can grab MLB ’09 for less than thirty bucks. If you want a new one with updated rosters and modes, pick up MLB ’10. It is light-years ahead of 2K10.

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

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

Plays Like: MLB 2K9

ESRB: Rated E for everyone

Snackbar Speculator: Latest Developments

March 18, 2010

Features / Speculator / by Shawn Vermette /

The Game Developers Conference ran from March 9-14. As far as game conferences go, the GDC didn’t provide a lot of rumors for the mill, but what it did provide was very interesting.

Current scores:

Andrew Passafiume: 5

Graham Russell: 5

Shawn Vermette: 40

PlayStation Move will sell more units this year than Project Natal

Sony used the Game Developers Conference to announce the name and launch window of their motion controller- the PlayStation Move will be released this fall. So as part of our GDC-centric edition of the Speculator, we’re bringing you our thoughts on whether the PlayStation Move will outsell Microsoft’s Project Natal.

Andrew: I really can’t see this happening. Microsoft has a larger install base and they seem to have a lot more going for them with Natal than Sony does with the Move. However, if the Move does launch first, I could see them taking the slight advantage, but I doubt it. 30%

Graham: Guys, I think you’re forgetting a major thing. You only need one Natal to play Natal titles. Move titles need one per player (and sometimes two), so the numbers will be inflated. Sure, it’ll top Natal like Wii Play topped game sales charts, but it’ll still do it. 70%

Shawn: I think that if Microsoft can be competitive on price then Project Natal will outsell the Move, simply due to the fact that they’ve got a much larger installed base. 35%

Project Natal to launch before PlayStation Move

After the Sony announcement of the PlayStation Move, Project Natal was very conspicuous in its absence from the GDC. We here at Snackbar Games feel it was because Microsoft might be planning to release Project Natal before the PlayStation Move and are biding their time for a big announcement- perhaps at E3.

Andrew: This is a tough one, but it seems like the Move is almost ready to launch, while we haven’t heard a thing about Natal since last year’s E3 (besides more rumors and speculations, of course). I really think this one can go either way, because Microsoft could have Natal all ready to launch right after E3 for all we know, but at this moment it seems more likely the Move will come first. 50%

Graham: Microsoft has been known to pull this kind of surprise, but…Natal is something the company is incredibly invested in. Will they launch in the same general time? Sure, but I think Microsoft will give itself a few extra weeks. They’re the favorite in a hardware launch battle for the first time in their gaming history. 75%

Shawn: This is, I think, something that would surprise many people. Since the original announcements of Project Natal and the Move at last year’s E3, it has been assumed that the Move would release first. My opinion? Microsoft surprises people again and gets Natal released before the Move. 70%

‘DS2’ will have GameCube-level graphics; otherwise be similar to DS

We’ve discussed when we felt the next DS would be released, but nothing else about it. During GDC, Joystiq bloggers went around talking to developers regarding a new DS system and the answers they got were somewhat surprising. Most said they were already at work on titles for the ‘DS2’, but more interestingly, they said it had two screens and a touch screen just like the DS does, but with unprecedented graphics for a handheld. Reportedly it is as powerful as the GameCube, and nearly capable of Wii-quality graphics due to the smaller, but high resolution screens. Does this sound like the type of system you’d be willing to replace your DS with?

Andrew: I can definitely see this happening, although I think true successor to the DS would need more than just being “another DS with better graphics.” I’m going to say I definitely see the first part happening more so than the second part of this rumor, but overall it could happen. 60%

Graham: Nintendo’s handhelds have jumped in horsepower pretty consistently. The whole “third pillar” strategy didn’t work out, and the Big N knows backwards compatibility with DS games is important, so it’s a safe bet the two screens will return. They probably have something up their sleeve with it, but those two specs seem likely. 85%

Shawn: A DS with GameCube-level graphics? Sign me up for a preorder! The DS is my most played system, I love the games on it…and having the same system just with better graphics would be like a dream come true. More importantly, I hope Nintendo realizes that this is what most people want out of a new handheld. 75%

GDC: Sony announces PlayStation Move

March 11, 2010

News / by Shawn Vermette /

During their Game Developers Conference press conference yesterday, Sony finally announced the name of their PlayStation 3 motion controller. Contrary to many reports, it will not be called the Arc or the Wand- it is called the PlayStation Move. READ MORE

Tropico 3

March 10, 2010

Reviews / Xbox 360 / by Shawn Vermette /

Tropico 3 is almost exactly what I’ve always wanted out of a city building game. It takes the city building of SimCity and mixes it with the strategic balancing of Civilization. The result is an addictive real-time strategy game that plays better than I ever expected.

The over-arching objective of Tropico 3 is to become a successful dictator of the Caribbean island of Tropico. You have a huge variety of choices and ways of going about this task though, ranging from being a paranoid, militaristic dictator to a libertarian, enlightened despot.

The meat of Tropico 3 is definitely the campaign. In the campaign you rule over a series of islands, each with its own set of goals and restrictions. Before each mission you are given the option of picking from a select group of real-life dictators, such as Augost Pinochet or Fidel Castro, or creating your own ‘El Presidente.’ If you go this route, you get to customize your look, background, and personality traits. Everything you choose will have benefits and drawbacks, so it pays to recustomize your dictator before each mission based on the overall objective. No matter whether you are charged with exporting a certain amount of goods, courting tourists, or simply staying in power, everything will require you to build a good economy and keep your people happy.

Keeping your people happy is dependent upon making sure they have enough jobs and food, along with courting the various factions that your populace belongs to. These will vary from intellectuals, who want to prioritize liberty and education, to the religious, who only care about how many churches and cathedrals you build for them, to the nationalists, who prefer you block immigration and tourism. This balancing act is what adds a large amount of the strategy to Tropico 3.

Graphically, Tropico 3 looks stunning on the Xbox 360. Everything is very vibrant and detailed, even when you zoom in as far as you can. Additionally, each island has its own look and feel, further adding to the humorous mood it projects from every facet of the game.

Unfortunately, the audio doesn’t stack up to the rest of the game. DJ Juanito seems to only have three or four tracks to play, so you’ll quickly mute the soundtrack and listen to your own music instead. His public service announcements, though, add a lot to the general feel of the game. His amusing spin and delivery are a great addition to the game.

Tropico 3 has the standard sandbox mode for this type of game, made somewhat unique thanks to the game’s tongue-in-cheek humor; however, from the start you’ll know that your main focus of the game will be the campaign.

The only downside I found with the 360 version of Tropico 3 is the present of a weird bug that causes a status screen to freeze on the screen. Once it does this, the game is entirely unplayable until you turn off the game and restart it. It happens very rarely, but because of its severity, it is still a black mark against an otherwise superb game.

Tropico 3 has a long campaign and a great sandbox mode, and with the complete lack of any game on the 360 to compare with, Tropico 3 is a must buy for any fan of the genre.

Plays Like: Tropico, SimCity

Pros: Long campaign, great visuals, humor fits the game like a glove

Cons: Music gets grating quickly, weird bug that makes the game unplayable

Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce

March 6, 2010

Reviews / Xbox 360 / by Shawn Vermette /

Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce is the latest in a long series of action games based on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms strategy games. Unfortunately, it doesn’t play any better than any of its forbearers. In fact, it’s quite possibly the worst of this generation.

In Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce, you are tasked once again with selecting a faction and then attempting to unite China under your rule. The story has been told many times over, and really is nothing more than an excuse to slaughter thousands of enemies by this point in time.

At first, Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce is a very enjoyable game. It’s a blast hacking and slashing through dozens of enemies at a time as you work your way through the first couple missions. Unfortunately, that’s where the fun ends. The next few missions ramp up the difficulty to ridiculous proportions. Rather than mowing through dozens of basic soldiers then facing a couple bosses, you’ll be faced with dozens of troops almost as strong as the first few bosses, and a boss several times stronger than you are used to. By itself, this isn’t a problem because one would expect the difficulty to get higher as you continue. However, ramping up the difficulty as fast as Strikeforce does and leaving you no way of beating a level other than luck is not fun. The only way I beat the rest of the missions I played was by button mashing and lots of trial and error. I eventually just ran through the levels, past anyone that wasn’t a required kill.

Visually, Strikeforce looks every bit the PSP port that it is. There’s a ton of clipping, the characters anad landscapes are bland and there’s very bad hit detection. This only serves to make an already frustrating game even worse.

Koei added multiplayer co-op for this venture but it doesn’t add anything useful to the game other than to provide some company for your misery.

Unless you are a die-hard fan of the series, this is not a game you should consider picking up. If you’ve got an appetite for hack and slash games, there are plenty of other games for you to whet your appetite with.

Plays like: All other Dynasty Warriors games

Pros: It’s fun for a little while, before you get to the meat of the game

Cons: Visuals are low quality; combat is tedious and shallow; difficulty is frustrating; clipping issues and bad hit detection ruin whatever fun you could get out of the combat

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