Reviews

Rush’n Attack: Ex-Patriot

April 7, 2011

Rush’n Attack: Ex-Patriot scratches the same itch that Bionic Commando Rearmed does. It’s a nostalgia trip with beautiful visuals and the same classic gameplay scheme you’re already used to. Set after the Cold War, you play as Morrow, a Harvest operative. You’re sent to Russia to discover the secrets of Ulyssium – a rare element that can be used to create high-yield nuclear weapons, rescue captured operatives, knife Russians in the back, and crawl through the most dilapidated prison known to man.

Morrow is, and I’m quoting the game’s opening scene here, a “sneaky ninja badass.” There are a number of things wrong with this statement. One: Morrow is not sneaky. He’s loud, and he got captured. You start the game in a jail cell. Sure, he relies on stealth to knife guys, but he is given that knife by the operative who breaks him out of the Russian prison. In true video game fashion, this mysterious friend then sneaks away and communicates only by radio leaving you to take up the reins, but without him Rush‘n Attack would be a lot less exciting – unless you like simulations of the boredom that comes with spending your time in an eight-by-eight room with nothing to do – then I guess you’re disappointed at nearly every turn. Two: Morrow is not a ninja. No smoke bombs, no sword, no fancy black pajamas. Just one angry dude hiding in a darkened room slitting Russians throats as they walk by. Three: They got this one right. Anybody who can take out a rocket-launcher-wielding enemy with a comically-oversized knife is most certainly badass.

Rush’n Attack gets compared to Shadow Complex a lot, and that’s because both use the Unreal engine and both feature a grid map. Do not be fooled. Rush’n Attack is not a Metroidvania game. There are no missile expansions to find, no sword that can only be found in the upside-down clock tower, and there is very little focus on exploration. You will have to find your way to your objective, but things are fairly linear. If you veer off of the beaten path, you may find a health kit or a dose of Ulyssium (which can make Morrow stronger), but the impetus is always placed on moving forward to the next objective. Combat also is handled differently. In other games, the protagonist is some kind of Superman able to take on wave after wave of enemy soldier. That isn’t the case here. You’re outnumbered, outgunned, and if you want to see the end of the level you’re going to hide a lot and follow guys around while crouched down. The point is to not be seen, to not trip the intruder alarms, and to not get stuck fighting multiple opponents.

Rush’n Attack controls well, but true to its NES-era roots, movements are very deliberate. You won’t be changing directions mid-jump or just hammering on the square key during a fight, because it won’t work. Despite the word “rush” in the title, Morrow moves a little slowly, which makes sense considering he’s constantly on guard and trying not to be spotted by search lights or patrolling guards. While walking upright, Morrow is loud, and you’ll be the first (though only barely) to know when you’re on a grate and too close to a guard. While crouched, Morrow is a bit slower but much quieter. You’ll be crouching a lot, if for no other reason than because it is very rewarding to sneak up on a guy and kill him with one button press. For a game with such a heavy emphasis on stealth, I can’t for the life of me find a quiet way to descend from a ledge. You’d think that crouching near a ledge would make Morrow grab said ledge, and then another button press would make him fall silently below. That doesn’t happen. Your only option is to walk off the side and alert the guard forcing you into a direct confrontation when a stealthy alternative is preferred.

Rush’n Attack is exactly what you want out of a revival game – it is true to the original in terms of gameplay mechanics but decidedly modern in terms of visual and sound design. Run-down Russian facilities have never looked better than they do in Rush’n Attack: Ex-Patriot.

Pros: Stealth and stealth combat are well-thought-out and well-implemented

Cons: …Except for when you want to silently drop from one platform to another

Chime Super Deluxe

April 7, 2011

PS3 / Reviews / by Andrew Passafiume /

The original Chime was a huge success for developer Zoe Mode, successfully blending together a music and puzzle game not unlike Q? Entertainment’s Lumines series. Chime Super Deluxe is an updated version of the original that adds six new songs and a multiplayer component, making it the best version of Chime to date.

The basic concept of Chime is rather simple: to cover a large grid with 3-by-3 (or larger) quads created from different irregularly shaped blocks. A line passes over the grid which converts the created quads into coverage. As you add more blocks and create more quads, more music begins to play, allowing you to create your own “remix” of the particular song you choose.

It is somewhat similar to Lumines, yes, but what sets Chime apart from most puzzle games is how stress-free it is. You never really feel pressured to accomplish any major goal and you never have to worry about failing. Combine this with a remarkable selection of songs and you have a fairly varied and stress-free experience. It would have been nice to have more than ten songs available, but the selection included supply plenty of variety and offer the perfect balance of both addictive beats and ambience.

There is a time play mode which has you trying to fill in as much of the grid under a certain time limit, but even that feels relaxing compared to a lot of high-pressure puzzle games. The second main mode is free play, which allows you to take your time to fill the grid before it is replaced by a new one. This mode is all about trying to accumulate as high a score as possible.

The addition of multiplayer is a welcome one. It provides you with two new modes: co-op, which has you working with up to three other players to fill in the grid, and versus, which has you competing to gain the most coverage of the grid. It’s pretty basic stuff, and it’s local only, but it adds a lot of replayability to an already addictive game.

Chime Super Deluxe is the best and most up-to-date version of Chime available. It proves, above anything else, that this fairly basic formula is still just as fun as it was one year ago. Even if you already own another version of Chime, you’ll be missing out if you skip this.

Pros: Excellent music, addictive gameplay, multiplayer is a great addition

Cons: Would have liked to see a few more songs

Back to the Future: Citizen Brown

April 6, 2011

PC / Reviews / by Graham Russell /

“Okay, Doc, let’s see what kind of nightmare alternate timeline I’ve landed in this time.”

That, one of the opening lines of Back to the Future: The Game‘s third episode, basically sums up the plot arc of this installment.

Note: we’ll try not to spoil the plot of the third installment, but don’t read further unless you’ve played the first two. Rest assured, it’s not a good jumping-in point and there’s no reason to play it before the initial episodes.

Marty has crash-landed in this alternate 1986, into a world where Edna Strickland changed Doc’s life from that of an eccentric scientist to one full of, in true Strickland tradition, discipline. He’s the man behind the curtain, and you spend most of the installment trying to gain an audience with him in this locked-down police state.

If you’re looking for technical observations like visuals, controls or structure, this is the wrong place. It’s clearly just another chapter of the game, so we won’t cover all that again.

In Citizen Brown, the writing team seems to be transitioning from the earlier episodes’ awkward placement of movie quotes and new character dialogue to a more cohesive flow of lines that are variations on themes from the films. The alternate timeline has wiped out Marty and Doc’s film adventures, so there are a lot of items reminiscent of the world found at the beginning of the first film. That’s interesting, as while we still find the first episode’s immersion to be more fun, it could only reference the altered world with successful McFlys and such.

In reviews of previous episodes, we had talked about the awkward inclusion of original characters, particularly Edna. While this one makes the others no less awkward, you can see where they were going with the inclusion, and that’s helpful.

While the story finds a rhythm, the game does too, but in a not-so-great way. Each little problem to solve seems like something we’ve done before, whether it’s the “move left or right” action scenes or the “here’s the time when we give you a list of three things to do and let you wander around until you stumble upon a new conversation” structure before the big plot point. The game throws in more dialogue options that do absolutely nothing, but what we really like are the ones that seem like they could help if part of a big chain. That’s what the genre’s for! We’d at least get more movie references stuck in here and there, and it’s a big reason people are playing this. It’s a good thing the story’s compensating for the tedium of progressing through it, but we hope there’s a bit more variation in the last two parts.

Ultimately, people who think Back to the Future Part 2 is the best film in the series will enjoy the story’s turn in Citizen Brown. We say stick it out and keep going. At least for now.

Pros: Story becoming more cohesive, still the same game

Cons: Gameplay becoming more stagnant, still the same game

Body and Brain Connection

April 6, 2011

Reviews / Xbox 360 / by Graham Russell /

Many of the Kinect’s successes have come from games mimicking hit games for the Wii. Kinect Sports was clearly inspired by Wii Sports. Dance Central certainly marketed to the Just Dance crowd. Your Shape went after the market championed by Wii Fit. Body and Brain Connection goes in a slightly different direction: trying to follow in the footsteps of a DS title, Brain Age.

It’s not subtle, either. Namco Bandai even used Dr. Kawashima, Brain Age‘s mascot and generally-creepy laughing floating face, as its centerpiece. (Sure, now he looks like a rather-normal-seeming Xbox Avatar, but it’s still him.) The game tracks your “age” on the same scale, features daily tests and challenges your reasoning skills with little challenges.

What sets Body and Brain Connection apart is clearly its control scheme. It’s a Kinect title, after all, so you’ll be moving your body into various positions to indicate answers, kick right choices into goals and such. It’s a fun way to pick these choices, but we can’t help but feel that it doesn’t lead to a result that really says anything. It’s training something, to be sure, but sometimes we’re judged on when the system realizes we’ve gotten our arms into position.

There are twenty exercises in five categories, and each is supposed to test your mental quickness. They seem like things you do with Brain Age, just with enough difference to not get sued and enough Kinect gimmicks to make it seem like it’s taking advantage of the platform. You can also look at these as body-controlled minigames with a veneer of something brain-related, as that’s sometimes what it is too. After all, are you dumber if your arm moves an inch or two in a direction while you’re swinging your other arm around?

Ultimately, it’s the execution that makes the game falter. The game’s grading system seems a bit harsh, and unlike Brain Age, it just doesn’t feel like you’re getting any better at them as time goes on. There’s a multiplayer mode, but what activities happen to come up usually determine the winner before you even do them.

If you love Brain Age and want something just a bit different, Body and Brain Connection may fit the bill. But it’s not something you’ll want to play for very long, and the nature of the Kinect means you’re not precisely training much of anything.

Pros: Basically like Brain Age, lower-than-average price

Cons: Arbitrarily on Kinect, harsh progression

MLB 11: The Show

April 5, 2011

PS3 / Reviews / by Shawn Vermette /

This year, Sony mixed things up by making more changes to the MLB The Show series than they’d done before. An entirely new control scheme, a new game mode, 3D enabled graphics, and a revamped Road to the Show all pull together for what is arguably the best and most realistic baseball simulator to date.

This year, Sony decided to try its luck with thumbstick based batting and throwing, and they did a far better job with it than the MLB 2K series ever has. Rather than vary the movement required based on the pitch, they simply made speed and accuracy vary based on speed and straightness of your stick movement. It also factors in the rating of the player when determining how accurate and fast the pitch is. As for batting, simply pull back on the thumbstick to rear back and release it to swing. Pushing it forward gives the swing more power, though, and the angle at which you push it will help determine any pull the ball has. For those who don’t prefer the new control scheme, Sony has thankfully included both of their older button-based options.

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 and 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 and waiver wires. Anything you can associate with professional baseball is in the franchise mode (except for the steroids and work stoppages). All of this is great and amazing to find in a baseball game, but none of it is new.

The Road to the Show mode is back, this time with more customization than ever, along with a new training point system. 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. After each at-bat, you’ll be given points based on how “good” your performance was. For a pitcher, you’ll want to either strike out the batter or get them out with as few pitches as possible for the best scores, while as a batter you want to make the pitcher throw as many pitches as possible, and preferably get on base. Additionally, your stats have changed to allow 60 days of not being worked on before they start declining instead of just 30.

As far as online gaming is concerned, it is largely the same as it was last year. Connectivity and lag will always be a problem for games like this that require such precise timing. A new competitive online mode called Challenge of the Week has been added though, which is quite enjoyable. In this mode, a challenge is posed each week, and players compete in the same challenge for top scores. Real prizes are up for grabs each week and everyone gets one free chance to compete, with extra chances available for 25 cents.

The Home Run Derby is back again, this time with move support. This is a nice added feature for players who’ve been looking forward to showing how good, or bad, they are at actually swinging a bat at major league pitching.

Graphically, MLB 11 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. This year Sony went an extra step and added 3D support as well, for those of who you own a 3D TV. They also added a third commentator, Eric Karros. Unfortunately, his lines are very sparse, with nearly all the commentary recycled from last year.

While it may not seem like it on the surface, MLB 11: The Show has a number of significant changes and additions that make it worth a purchase for any fan of baseball games.

Pros: Road to the Show is better than ever, franchise mode is very deep and detailed,

Cons: Online play is still laggy, commentary is largely recycled

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →