Nukezilla » Will

Modern Warfare 2â€™s Campaign Will Be Short, And You Will Like It

Will — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 22:00:53 +0000

Following this week’s revelation that the PC version of Modern Warfare 2 be seriously crippled in comparison to its predecessor, Infinity Ward have now also confirmed that the game’s single player mode will be fairly short. When asked by IGN if any of the criticisms of Call of Duty 4 had been taken into consideration (specifically its short campaign), Infinity Ward’s Robert Bowling claimed that the game focuses ‘˜on the experience’ allowing ‘˜the story [to] dictate how long the game is’.

Bowling continues:

We never go into development saying ‘œWe’re going to make a 20 hour game because people want a 20 hour game’ ‘“ we want to deliver an intense experience where you walk away and go ‘œwow, I want to play more’.

Here’s a thought, why not make a game that combines intensity with a well crafted story? That could easily last for around 20 hours of gameplay and satisfy almost all gamers. As a means of justifying the short campaign, Bowling goes on to highlight the ability to participate in multiplayer matches if you want to play more of the game. I’m sorry, but for me that just does not cut it.

Personally, I am not a very active online gamer, generally preferring single player game modes over multiplayer. Just because games like Call of Duty have a massive online player base doesn’t mean that the single player scenarios can be treated as something of an extra. Call of Duty 4′s multiplayer is seriously overrated and I do not doubt that Modern Warfare 2 will receive similar (seemingly unending) praise, allowing the issue of a short campaign to be quickly forgotten by most.

Image: Giant Bomb

Yet Another Overpriced Modern Warfare 2 Bundle Announced

Will — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:38:02 +0000

UK retailer, GAME, have today announced their own exclusive, ‘˜limited edition’ Modern Warfare 2 Veteran Package. It’s basically the same as the Prestige Edition only the night-vision goggles have been replaced with a 12-inch statue of Captain Soap MacTavish. Also like the Prestige Edition, this new bundle will cost £119.99.

With this new configuration, I believe that there are now five different ways to buy Modern Warfare 2, all of which are overpriced. What’s more, the statue that you get with this new bundle isn’t even particularly attractive and standing at a foot tall it’s going to take up a fair amount of space whether you choose to display it somewhere or put it in storage. (And if you do choose to display it, I’d recommend placing it somewhere out of general sight.)

I know I shouldn’t really be surprised that Activision are trying to find as many ways as possible to make as much money as they can from the game. All this overpriced, over hyped crap annoys me. Publishers should get back to just releasing games, in cases, at a reasonable price. Stop flooding the market with useless and valueless limited editions. If you do have to release a limited edition follow Uncharted 2‘s strategy and make it both worthwhile and actually limited!

Via: Eurogamer

More Stupidity From EAâ€™s Marketing Of Danteâ€™s Inferno. Sends Reviewers Money

Will — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:59:41 +0000

EA have continued with their insane advertising campaign for their upcoming Dante’s Inferno game. Earlier this year EA held controversial marketing campaigns with fake Christian protestors and the ‘˜molest a booth babe’ competition at E3 and Comic-Con respectively. Now though, EA has turned its attention to U.S. games journalists.

In another attempt to spark interest in the game, EA have attempted to create controversy by sending potential reviewers $200 cheques. The idea here is to test the principles of those in the industry with what seems to be ‘˜free’ money. Perhaps if EA were stipulating a specific review score in return for this cheque then maybe they would have created something controversial.

Personally, if EA were to send me a no strings attached cheque for $200 I would have no problem with cashing it. It’s free money, right? The one interesting thing that could come from this would be if EA were to publish which companies accepted their money. This is highly unlikely though. Whilst EA does want to create interest in Dante’s Inferno they probably wouldn’t want to actually damage any lucrative business arrangements they already have.

Via: CVG

Europe Not Getting God of War Collection Until 2010

Will — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 22:27:15 +0000

Earlier this week the God of War Collection was announced for PS3 and is expected to hit stores in the US later this year. The compilation consists of the first two God of War games originally released for the PS2 and adds some updates to the games’ original graphics. However, Europeans have been told not to expect a release until next year.

The statement given from Sony Europe offers little in the way of explanation as to why the game is going to be delayed outside of the US. Once again, Europe is being regarded as a secondary market by the gaming industry. The statement from SCEE is as follows:

We are currently looking into options to bring God of War I and II to SCEE consumers on PS3; however it will not be possible to release the games this calendar year. We will provide further information in due course.

Not possible to release the games this calendar year? It’s ridiculous! God of War is a first-party Sony franchise so it’s not like they have different publishers or licensees to deal with. Not only that but the release is essentially just porting two PS2 games so they can’t even use the usual excuse of translation to legitimize a later European release.

Can it really be that difficult for companies such as Sony to organize a simultaneous international release? I for one am beginning to get seriously fed-up with waiting around for delayed releases outside of the US. These giant corporations need to stop treating Europe as a supplementary market and start unifying their global release dates.

Via: Destructoid

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UK PSPGo Price Justified With Free Game

Will — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 21:52:06 +0000

Since the announcement of the PSPGo at E3 earlier this year, there has been controversy surrounding the platform’s UK RRP of £224.99 (approx. $370). A few days ago, to try and counter the high price of the system, Sony announced that early adopters would receive a free copy of Gran Turismo PSP.

There are a few problems with those though. The game itself was first announced at 2004′s E3. It’s more than likely that anyone interested in the game already owns a PSP and will have a fair number of other UMD based games. (Sony have still yet to clarify how UMD libraries will be transferred to the UMD-free PSPGo.) Secondly, Sony are not offering this as a long-running bundle. In order to get a free copy of GT you must register your console between 1st and 10th October. After that, the offer expires and the console will be sold as a standalone platform.

To me, this offer doesn’t seem to be all that amazing. If there is anyone excited for Gran Turismo PSP, without a console to play it on, it’s still going to be released in UMD form. Currently, a PSP 3000 and a copy of the game will cost you roughly £155. My advice would be to save £70 and buy the older hardware.

Via: GamesIndustry.biz

Lack of PS3 Stock = Price Cut?

Will — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 20:37:39 +0000

With little change in demand for the console the most plausible reason for decreased stock is an upcoming price cut.

Many rumours claim that Sony are likely to announce a price cut and (possibly) the PS3 slim at Gamescom next week. Despite vast decreases in production costs Sony haven’t cut the price of the PS3 since 2007.

Anonymous spokesmen, representing two of the UK’s leading games retailers, have claimed not to expect new PS3s to replace the already drying up stock until September.

Sourcing PS3 stock has been a challenge for the last two to three weeks. There are obviously lots of rumours flying about as to why that might be. I don’t think it’s to do with demand, though. Sales are low at the moment and have been for a while. We’ve been told not to expect any further hardware deliveries until September.

Personally, I think that if we see anything from Sony regarding price it will go hand-in-hand with the announcement of a revised console. I also suspect that when we do see the PS3 Slim it will be ridiculously overpriced, as per the PSP Go, seen earlier this year. As someone that still does not own a PS3 a price cut may make me consider purchasing a console. However, unless we see a substantial decrease in price I think there will still be many gamers who refuse to buy Sony’s current console.

Via: MCV

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Bobby Kotick Earned $15million in 2008

Will — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 22:39:30 +0000

Bobby Kotick, president and CEO of Activision Blizzard, has been revealed to have earned almost $15million ($14 950 102 to be exact) during 2008. The details of Kotick’s earnings were posted by business website Forbes and gives a detailed breakdown of his income from 2008. Not only does it show his salary to be almost $900 000 but he also received a bonus of $5million and nearly $6million in option awards.

Kotick’s own comments on the ‘˜low’ price of games and Activision’s inexcusable price hike of Modern Warfare 2 really goes to show how greedy the company is. When a single person is earning this much and still wants to charge more for games, it really makes me question purchasing anything Activision put out.

Via: GamesIndustry.biz

Crytek Threaten To Leave Germany

Will — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 22:15:19 +0000

Germany’s stance on violent games has been becoming more aggressive over the past months. In response to the government’s plans to ban production and distribution of violent games, over 50,000 gamers signed an official petition, forcing the issue to be discussed in the German Parliament. Now, president and co-founder of Crytek, Cevat Yerli, has issued the following threat:

A ban on action games in Germany is concerning us because it is essentially like banning the German artists that create them. If the German creative community can’t effectively participate in one of the most important cultural mediums of our future, we will be forced to relocate to other countries.
The current political discussion will deprive German talent of its place on the global game development stage, and deprive German consumers of entertainment that is considered safe and fun around the world.

As one of Germany’s largest developers, if Crytek were to follow through with this threat, I am sure that there would be a significant impact on the German economy. Hopefully, the German government will come to its senses, but if necessary I hope that Crytek do relocate. Maybe once Germany realises the impact that the lack of a videogames industry will have on its economy it will grow up and stop trying to control the public’s access to social media.

Via: Destructoid

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60% Price Increase For UK Version Of Tekken 6 Arcade Stick Edition

Will — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 21:25:59 +0000

Set to be released on 27th October in North America, followed by a UK release on 30th October, Tekken 6 will be the first game of the series to hit the current generation of home consoles. Naturally, alongside the standard edition there is a collector’s edition, containing a 100-page art book and a wireless Hori fighting stick. Also, not surprisingly, the UK release of the arcade stick bundle is massively overpriced compared to the rest of the world.

The RRP for the American version is listed at $149.99, which seems fairly reasonable considering what is included in the bundle. The Japanese release also stays fairly near to the US price with an RRP of ¥17,829 ($188). However, the UK release is set at £149.99 ($250), 60% higher than the US price! Having already seen a massive increase in the price of Modern Warfare 2: Prestige Edition, Namco Bandai seem to be following Activistion’s example, believing they can charge whatever they like to British customers.

Image source

WoW Addicts to Receive In-Game Therapy

Will — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 20:03:10 +0000

London-based consultant psychiatrist, Dr. Richard Graham, is planning to give out therapy, in-game, to addicted World of Warcraft players. Hoping to launch his project by the end of this year, Graham and a team of therapists are aiming to provide addiction counselling to ‘˜at-risk players’ by interacting with them within the confines of the game.

Whilst this seems like a nice idea, when you start to think about the logistics, certain problems begin to arise. For example, imagine the stereotypical WoW addict, they are playing for over ten hours a day, unemployed, forgoing social interaction and ignoring basic hygiene. They are also going to have multiple high-level characters. If a therapist approaches them, telling them they are playing too much etc. the immediate reaction will probably be to kill their character, insult them and run away.

This will be helped by the fact that therapists won’t necessarily be avid gamers. Graham has thought of this problem though and is considering the use of ‘˜peer mentors’ to access more addicted players. However, I can easily imagine both the therapists and their affiliates becoming targets for griefing and trolling, constantly being hounded by the ‘˜addicts’ they are trying to help.

Unsurprisingly, Graham seems to be a little naÃ¯ve, believing most WoW addicts to be teenagers whilst a significant number will probably be much older than this. And he thinks that Activision-Blizzard will waive or discount the subscription fees for his team.

Via: GamePolitics, image source

Mass Effect Comic Forthcoming

Will — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:16:53 +0000

Mass Effect publisher, BioWare, has partnered with Dark Horse Comics to create Mass Effect: Redemption. Set to launch on 6 Janurary, 2010 the four-part comic series aims to bridge the gap between the end of Mass Effect’s story and the beginning of Mass Effect 2′s.

Lead Writer at BioWare, Mac Walter has also said that ‘œReading the series won’t just add to your experience of the universe, it will change the way you look at Mass Effect 2′. This statement does not sit well with me. As someone who is looking forward to the release of Mass Effect 2 next year, I would like to experience everything that is canon in the series up to that point, and whilst there is a large crossover between gamers and comic fans I am not one of them.

Since Mass Effect’s launch in 2007 there have been discussions of episodic content or DLC expansions for the game. Although there has been one additional DLC content pack released so far, there are still rumours of an upcoming announcement. I would personally much prefer Mass Effect: Redemption to have been made available as additional gameplay, and I imagine many other fans of the game would too.

Via: CVG, press release

Death In Videogames, Should There Be More?

Will — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 10:03:17 +0000

[SPOILER WARNING: The following article directly references major plot elements of Chrono Trigger, Half Life 2: Episode Two, Bioshock and Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.]

On the surface videogames are full of death. Whether it’s losing a life in Mario or slaying aliens in Halo almost every game has some element of death. But, how many games actually include meaningful deaths? Killing a character can be an extremely effective element of narrative yet few games seem to realise its potential.

In most cases, death is reserved for punishing the player, implementing limitations upon the gameplay and adding a level of challenge. Failure to meet the game’s requirements results in the death of the player but this simply means that the failed section of game has to be replayed until it’s completed successfully. In the end this has very little emotive impact, creating a sense of frustration at most.

Another common use of death is to remove enemies. As a regular feature of most games, they act as an obstacle for the player. Killing them allows the player to progress through the game but they rarely have a strong impact on the game’s narrative, or elicit an emotional response from the player (with the exception of some ‘˜boss’ characters).

Whilst these types of death are commonplace, ‘˜real’ death is rarely featured. There are few examples of games where characters are permanently removed from the storyline, and the majority of the instances I could think of were from RPGs. The fact that RPGs tend to focus more on story than other games though is likely to have impacted on the number of deaths found within the genre.

For RPGs, character deaths can be dated back to 1989 with Phantasy Star II. Nei’s death within the game is possibly the earliest example of a playable character being permanently removed from a game. However, one of the most effective character deaths I have experienced from an RPG is Crono’s from Chrono Trigger.

For me, the death of Crono not only radically altered the plot of the game but also evoked a strong emotional response. Part of this can be linked to the fact that Crono is the character that you have constantly had control of from the start of the game, he can’t be moved from the head of the party and is the overall protagonist. To suddenly have him completely removed from the game comes as a great shock and from a practical viewpoint, you have lost a strong character from battle along with all his equipment.

Although the game does provide the opportunity to resurrect Crono, it is more of a side quest and it is possible to beat the game without reviving him. By allowing the player freedom to decide whether or not Crono should return to the party, it allows you to become much more involved with the game’s story. Without Crono’s death, Chrono Trigger would be simply another generic JRPG. Having him killed results in a less linear gameplay experience for the remainder of the game, ultimately giving the player more freedom of choice and control over the ending.

Although character deaths are more easily identifiable within the RPG genre (with other notable cases found in Final Fantasy VII, most strategy RPGs and, more recently, Mass Effect) effective character deaths are present in other genres. Whilst it is arguably easier to implement character death into RPGs, thanks to the player’s access to a number of characters and the genre’s focus on story, there are cases of emotive deaths elsewhere.

For example, the end of Half Life 2: Episode Two uses the death of a character to completely change the tone of the game. After beating the game you are left with a relieved and jubilant mood until just before the credits begin. As Gordon Freeman and Alyx Vance are about to leave they are ambushed and immobilised along with Alyx’s father Eli Vance.

As the scene ends, Eli is killed but Alyx and Gordon are rescued. However, by this point the sense of achievement and relief felt after completing the final mission are totally replaced by shock and outrage. Considering that Eli only appears for short periods throughout the game, I believe that this somehow intensified the reaction to his death. Although he can be considered a main character, his sporadic involvement with the game’s main narrative, and distance from most combat, does not make him an obvious candidate to be killed. It is this perceived invulnerability and the presumption of safety and a ‘˜happy ending’ that make his death so effective. I find it unlikely that people could have predicted his death, and without it, HL2E2′s ending would ultimately have been much more generic and forgettable than it actually was.

Another FPS to include the effective death of a character was Bioshock with Andrew Ryan. Unlike most deaths I have mentioned, Andrew Ryan is portrayed as the enemy. It also differs in that he orders you, the player, to kill him, effectively committing suicide. In doing so a major part of Bioshock’s plot is revealed. The revelations gained from killing Ryan are greatly intensified through his death, leaving the player feeling used and helpless. Although it would have been possible to convey these elements of the plot without murdering Ryan, by ensuring that the player is responsible for his death, the information that is revealed has a deeper emotional impact as well as grounding it within the reality of the game.

As these games have shown, character death can have a vast impact within the realms of videogame narrative. Some of my most memorable moments of gaming have resulted out of these deaths but as a narrative device, death is still somewhat unused in games. For the death to actually have an impact though, a game needs to have a strong focus on story, as shown by the higher number of deaths in the RPG genre. Obviously, this means that any genre could potentially have a meaningful death providing that the story was strong enough. For example, death in a Zelda game could be very interesting. Given the slightly darker nature of Twilight Princess, there were plenty of opportunities for a character to be removed from the game. Killing Ilia, rather than kidnapping her for instance, would have had a much greater emotional impact, especially if it remained at the same point in the game’s plot.

With the current lack of ‘˜real’ deaths in games when a character is killed it is generally unexpected and shocking. I only hope that as videogame narrative continues to evolve that death does not become yet another clichÃ©.

Nukezilla Review: Dragon Age II (PC)

Sony Plans For PlayStation Phone

Will — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 18:48:50 +0000

It has been reported in Japan’s Nikkei Business Daily (via Reuters) that Sony are planning to establish a new development team in order to create a gaming phone. Having already incorporated the company’s Walkman and Cybershot brands into various Sony Ericsson phones, it’s unsurprising that they may now be about to include the PlayStation brand as well.

Considering how mobile gaming has exploded thanks to Apple’s iPhone the possibility of a PlayStation enabled phone does seem plausible. With both the iPod and iPhone proving highly popular devices, Sony are sure to want to compete for some of the market share. Whether or not a PlayStation enabled phone would be a product that consumers would want is debatable though.

Sony Ericsson’s incorporation of both the Cybershot and Walkman brands into their phones hasn’t been without problems, including poor functionality and build quality. Not only that but Sony phones come with all the trappings of a Sony product, lacking SD support and requiring a headphone adapter in Walkman phones to name a few. Unless Sony can overcome the popularity of the iPhone and create an incredible product, I can’t see them gaining much of the market share. The only way I can see this being remotely successful would be to include phone functionality into the next generation of PSP, after the PSP Go.

Via: EDGE

Why The UK’s Turn To PEGI Is Not Necessary

Will — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 10:26:58 +0000

Earlier this week, the UK government announced that PEGI would replace the BBFC later this year, giving the European organisation control of videogame ratings in Britain. Whilst this decision has been widely supported throughout the gaming industry, I do not think it was something that needed changing.

Amongst the gaming community, the BBFC is best known for the decision to ban Manhunt 2 in 2007. The controversy that followed this has meant that for many gamers it is impossible to disassociate the BBFC’s ban from any other news involving them. You need only look through GamePolitics.com’s BBFC section to realise how often the Manhunt 2 debacle is referenced in relation to other topics involving the ratings board.

Given that the animosity directed at the BBFC stemmed from their audacity to use the powers given to them is somewhat ludicrous. Admittedly, I do have my own issues with Rockstar, but the gaming community’s outcry in defence of a game that is mindlessly violent for the sake of mindless violence is objectionable. This reaction has led many to accuse the BBFC of treating videogames differently to films or DVDs, arguing that they were not qualified to rate games and were unfairly discriminating against them. Unfortunately, it is this viewpoint that was also adopted by the gaming industry and has been reflected through their support of the PEGI system used across Europe and the recent decision to implement it within the UK.

The first point I would like to address regarding the PEGI switch are the BBFC’s rating practices and whether they were fit to handle the position they held. It is commonly argued that those in charge of rating games were not ‘˜qualified’ to do so. In reality, the people rating the games were likely to be avid gamers with a strong background in them. I have just finished an A-level in Film Studies, which for part of the course involved studying the BBFC and its role. In doing so we had to watch a documentary produced by the BBFC, part of which dealt specifically with how it approached videogames. One of the chief officers dealing with videogame ratings had a gaming history dating back to the ZX Spectrum. If having around 25 years of gaming experience doesn’t qualify you to rate games then what does?

Secondly, regarding their supposed ‘˜discrimination’ against videogames, when the board certifies a film for release in Britain, a highly detailed report will be created justifying the rating. This also occurs for games. In the case of higher ratings (specifically 18s or above) they will contact those involved with the production in case they wish to make changes. Again, this also happens with games. It is fairly common for film companies to take the board’s advice and make a number of changes to the final product before it is released. However, linking once again to the Manhunt 2 controversy, the BBFC’s request that changes be made led to a lawsuit from Rockstar and cemented gamers’ hatred for the board. Even if the majority of those protesting the BBFC’s decision had no intention of actually buying or playing the game.

To further discredit the claim that the BBFC is biased against games I will use Mass Effect as an example. The BBFC rated Mass Effect as a 12 compared to the 18 and M awarded by PEGI and the ESRB respectively. If the BBFC truly were discriminating against games wouldn’t it be more likely for them to follow suit with the other major ratings boards and prevent more people from playing it?

This brings me to my next point. When the switch is implemented all ratings in the UK will correspond with the other European countries in which PEGI operates. The problem with this is that Britain tends to differ greatly from mainland Europe both culturally and socially. For example, what may be considered an 18 rated game on the continent could well translate to a much lower classification in the UK, as seen with Mass Effect. With the BBFC in control ratings were tailored to fit the tolerances of society in Britain, not the perceived views of the entire continent.

Given that the aim of both ratings boards is to prevent children from accessing unsuitable content, why is a change needed anyway? The BBFC functions already. Considering that many parents are already confused and ignorant of game ratings, the introduction of new symbols will undoubtedly lead to greater confusion. The symbols used by the BBFC are synonymous with UK residents but the proposed PEGI symbols look much less authoritarian. It’s almost certain that children will be able to use the excuse of ‘˜it’s a difficulty rating’ with greater ease once the PEGI system comes into effect.

The switch in rating boards also brings with it an issue of cost. It will require a number of legislative measures to allow for nationwide enforcement, which will be costly for the government. There will undoubtedly be an impact for retailers, especially with regards to existing stock and used games. This is a major area that will need to be addressed before the switch. Whatever the decision, the possibility of having stickers to indicate the PEGI rating or removal of existing stock from stores will be of high cost to retailers. This will inevitably be passed on to us in the form of price increases.

In essence though, the attempts to strengthen measures to prevent children playing adult oriented games isn’t going to have an effect unless the parents are educated. Until the outdated idea that games are solely for kids is disbanded parents are going to continue buying inappropriate games for their children regardless of the rating system in place. Turning to the PEGI system won’t stop children getting hold of 18 rated games. If the government and the gaming industry really want to keep kids away from adult content then they need to educate the parents. That’s the only way I can see that will have true success in tackling the problem.

Keith Vaz Tables Early Day Motion to Complain About Call of Duty. Tom Watson to the Rescue.

Negative Gamer Retro Review: Golden Axe

Will — Wed, 27 May 2009 21:38:51 +0000

Golden Axe was originally released in arcades and became both popular and successful extremely quickly. This resulted in the game being ported to almost all systems available at the time but the Mega Drive version has become the most well known and reproduced.

The game itself is a side-scrolling hack and slash. You have a choice of three characters, either the Barbarian, the Amazon or the Dwarf. Regardless of which character is selected the basic gameplay remains the same. You battle your way through a variety of enemy laden levels culminating in a boss battle.

Along with using your sword or axe, each character also has the ability to use magic attacks. Throughout the game thieves appear which can be hit to gain magic pots. When the player has collected magic, it can be used as a special attack. The more pots that have been collected, the stronger the attack becomes.

There are also beasts that appear throughout the game that can be controlled by the player. The player rides these creatures, which are then used to attack enemies with. In most cases, the creatures deal a great deal more damage than regular attacks so they can become extremely useful.

As for plot, the game takes the typical approach of having the player save the kidnapped king and princess, avenging their fallen comrades along the way. However, the game’s story is not all that significant and only serves as a means for moving the player from one area to the next.

Goddamn enemies.

One of my biggest grievances with the game are the enemies. Considering that the game heralds from the hack and slash genre, the enemies are possibly the most important feature for success. Unfortunately for Golden Axe, the enemies do little to aid the game or create an enjoyable experience.

In general, hack and slash games follow the principle of increasing both the number and strength of enemies as the game progresses in order to increase the game’s difficulty. Golden Axe is no exception to this. However, it does so in a manner that quickly overwhelms the player. Especially when playing alone.

For a hack and slash game to be successful it is vital that whilst the enemy strength increases, the challenge presented to the player should still be possible. Games of this genre should also ensure that the player is not going to be continually subjected to long bouts of enemy attacks without the possibility of escape. Golden Axe though does not adhere to these ideals.

As early as the second level, it becomes apparent that whichever character the player has chosen, they are significantly weaker than most of the enemies facing them. This is especially noticeable through the introduction of enemies mounted on dragons that deal high amounts of damage to the player. While an enemy can quickly whittle down the health of your own character, it seems to take much longer for them to take on a similar level of damage.

One way I have found to deal with this is to repeatedly use my chosen character’s running attack, as it appears to do more damage. The problem with this though is that the enemies tend to mirror your movements. The result is a constant stream of quick time events. Obviously, this has inherent problems as failure to initiate an attack at the correct time means you get hit. This then leaves you open to attacks from other enemies.

Another problem with the enemies is their tendency to move in groups of three. This leads to regular instances of being surrounded and trapped by groups of enemies. The problem with this is that once an enemy begins hitting you it is impossible to issue any commands until they either move away or finish their series of attacks. Usually, this leaves the player with a significantly decreased health bar, which is severely worsened in later levels when large enemy groups all attack at the same time.

Following from this, if you are using standard attacks against an enemy, there’s rarely anything stopping them from cancelling your moves with their own attacks. Again, this is especially irritating when enemies appear in groups, usually preventing the player from issuing any attacks.

The game also has problems with boss-level enemies. As the game progresses, enemies that were at first boss characters reappear as regular enemies. In most cases though they have had their strength dramatically increased and there will likely be more than one of them.

My complaint with reusing boss characters in this way is that they will generally have a group of fairly high-powered enemies with them plus having their own inherent ability to deal a whole bar of damage in a single hit. This makes it increasingly problematic to ensure that they will be despatched before your own character is.

One way in which the player can approach these boss level characters is to use magic attacks. The game provides each character with a series of magical attacks that are increased in strength by the number of magical pots collected. Similarly to regular attacks though, magic attacks again seem severely underpowered compared to the enemies.

The game also implements an ‘˜all or nothing’ policy with regards to magic usage. This means you must use all the magic you have stored or none at all. For example, if you have enough magic for a level four spell but are only battling a small group of enemies you can’t use a lower level attack. But, considering that magic attacks seem to have little affect on bosses anyway maybe this isn’t so much of a bad thing.

I should also note that I have based this mainly from playing single player. When you are playing with a friend, it does lessen the problems caused by enemies to an extent. Having a second player allows you to cause damage much more easily although it still has its problems.

Enemies continue to be able to surround the players and prevent them from moving or attacking. Plus, higher-powered enemies are able to attack both players at once, dealing significant amounts of damage. Playing multiplayer then adds the problem of competing for both magic and health items. In neither case do the number of items increase and considering the sporadic placement of health items, both players still die a lot. Although the game’s design is based around playing together, it improves the game very little.

I’m falling off the edge of the world’¦

Another major problem I found with the game was the ease at which you could fall off the screen and die. In some cases this was a deliberate part of the game’s design such as pits or broken bridges but in other places it’s just a case of not having boundaries programmed.

As the game progresses, the lack of environmental boundaries increases. This obviously means the chance of player death also increases. This coupled with the much stronger enemies that are present and their increased frequency makes it almost impossible to survive. Admittedly this is typical of arcade ports, whereby the original game was designed to make as much money as possible from repeated attempts to continue. However, this does not excuse the difficulty of the console version.

Whilst it is necessary to maintain the general feel of the arcade game, the necessity for unforgiving difficulty is not required. Although it is included as a means of enforcing replayability, completion is based more on luck than increasing the player’s skill at the game.

A few other points worth mentioning:

The alternative modes offered by the game (Beginner and The Duel) do little to add to the gameplay experience. The Duel is insanely difficult and Beginner mode is just a watered down version of the main game.
Enemies are differentiated through alternate colours rather than introducing new foes.
The collection of magic and health at the end of each level is annoying. Rather than just having each regenerate by a set amount you have to chase after little men and kick them to receive items.
Two players are almost essential to complete the game. Although it is possible to play through by yourself it is much less frustrating if you have someone else there to help.

Golden Axe is one of those games that seemed amazing when you first played it back in the early 90s. Unfortunately, it doesn’t hold up when you return to it in 2009. As a part of the hack and slash genre, the enemies are key in creating a successful game. With Golden Axe though, they are severely flawed and detrimentally affect the gaming experience for the majority of the game. The main characters are severely underpowered, both in physical and magical attacks, whilst enemies (especially bosses) can rapidly deplete your entire health bar. There are also issues with environmental boundaries and as the game gets nearer the end it becomes much easier to simply fall to your death.

As the series continued through Golden Axe II and III, some of the game’s issues were fixed (such as the use of magic) but the series is still sub-standard when played today. Having also now experienced the original arcade version of the game, the lower level graphics of the Mega Drive port also negatively impact on my experience with the game.

You should play this game if’¦
…you want to reminisce on memories from when you first played the game in the early 90s.

Score:
An unforgivingly poor game that will kill you before you even get a chance to rage quit. If you must play it try and find a copy of the original arcade version.

(What does this score mean?)

Release info/availability:
Original release: Sega Mega Drive, 1989, ported from arcade, also released on Sega Master System, PC, Wonderswan Color
Currently available on: Wii Virtual Console, XBOX 360* and PS3* (the original arcade version is also available on XBLA)

*(through Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection)

Negative Gamer Retro Review: Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Will — Tue, 19 May 2009 00:47:26 +0000

Originally released in 1992 for the Sega Mega Drive, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (or just Sonic 2) is the extremely successful follow-up to Sonic the Hedgehog. It is arguably one of the best games of the entire Sonic series and is often held as one of the Mega Drive’s pinnacle titles.

In general, Sonic 2 continues with the gameplay of the original game. You play as Sonic who is trying to stop Dr Robotnik from stealing the Chaos Emeralds and taking over the world. On the way, you free creatures trapped by Robotnik inside his robots and ultimately come face to face with the villain at the end of the game.

The game itself is split into eleven zones, each of which is usually separated by two or three acts. Each act is made up of some fairly simple platforming that’s complimented by sections focussing on Sonic’s famous speed. At the end of each zone you generally face a boss that must be defeated in order to progress to the next area.

Sonic 2 does add new elements to the core gameplay of the original game. These include the spin dash, allowing the player to charge a speed attack, the addition of Tails the fox and an overhaul of the Special Stages. Sonic’s speed has also been increased significantly.

Enemies? Spikes? Lava? There go my rings then.

Throughout the game you will collect gold rings. For every 100 you collect you gain an extra life and if you pass a checkpoint with 50 or more, you can enter one of the Special Stages.

Unfortunately, it is all too easy to lose your rings from the slightest touch. This can be from enemies, spikes or even lava. And when you do get hit you don’t just lose a percentage of your rings, you lose all of them.

This can become especially frustrating when you have collected a lot of rings. Regardless of how many rings you are holding when you get hit, only around 30 will appear on screen for you to try and recollect. Considering the hardware limitations this is somewhat understandable, as 100+ rings suddenly appearing on-screen would probably crash the game.

This could easily have been solved though by allowing only a portion of your rings to be dropped each time Sonic is hit. The frustration I have felt in the Metropolis and Sky Chase Zones would be significantly less if I didn’t always lose 100% of my rings. Especially as towards the end of the game it feels as if the frequency of enemies and spikes increase whilst the opportunity to collect rings decreases.

Not only that but around the game’s halfway point the level design takes a turn for the worse. It becomes possible to be hit by an enemy, lose your rings and as a result of Sonic’s recoil fall into a pit of spikes or lava, and die. In the case of Wing Fortress Zone though, you can just fall into nothingness. In any case, death becomes much more frequent.

Metal Sonic and Robotnik, in a giant mech?
Surely you jest.

Like most games, as Sonic 2 progresses the difficulty of the levels increases. In itself, this is fine. But, by the end of the game the difficulty extends to an extreme level. In specific Death Egg Zone.

The level itself basically acts as an extended boss battle with Sonic facing Metal Sonic, immediately followed by Robotnik himself. However, there are no rings. This means that you must survive the entirety of the level without even being hit once.

I find this a tad harsh. The game suddenly becomes much more hostile than at any point previously. The gameplay too acts in a way to make it nearly impossible to survive. Remember as well that the game is from 1992, so there is no save system. Reaching the final boss means sitting down and playing continuously from the start of the game, hoping that you save up enough lives and continues to make it that far. This again incites frustration, as the sudden requirement for precision is vastly different from the rest of the game.

To some extent this is reflects the game design of the period. At the time, most games were designed to have infinite replayability. Unlike the games of today where it is commonplace to play and enjoy a game once, videogames of the late 80s and early 90s focussed on precision. This forces the player to play repetitively and memorise timings and level design in order to progress.

The penultimate level (Wing Fortress Zone) exemplifies this with some of the most challenging platforming in the game. But, unlike the final level, it doesn’t go out of its way to punish the player. Whilst I agree that the final boss should be challenging it isn’t necessary to introduce a one-hit kill scenario simply to make it harder to complete the game.

Damn tubes.

One element of the game that has been completely overhauled from Sonic 1 is the Special Stages. These are activated by passing a checkpoint with 50 or more rings. The stages themselves act as a way to collect the game’s seven Chaos Emeralds allowing the player to transform into Super Sonic. Whilst the game’s plot is based on stopping Dr. Robotnik from obtaining the Chaos Emeralds, the game itself treats it as more of a side quest.

In the original game, the Chaos Emeralds were located in a sort of maze-like level. In Sonic 2 though, you run down a 3D tube collecting a set number of rings before reaching each checkpoint. This becomes extremely annoying for a number of reasons. Firstly, the controls are terrible compared to the regular gameplay. Sonic has no precision in his movements and will regularly miss vital rings.

Secondly, Tails worsens the situation, mirroring Sonic’s sloppy movements and frequently getting hit by bombs. The bombs themselves are also irritating. Although you do only lose a portion of your rings in the Special Stages, it is almost impossible to collect enough rings to meet the goal if you get hit even once. Given the lax controls and Tails’ incompetence this happens more frequently than not.

Also with Special Stages, when you return to the main game, you have no rings. This means that the further on in the game you are, the more likely it is that you can finish a Special Stage and then be killed by a nearby enemy. Sadly, all of this means that I rarely bother attempting to collect the Chaos Emeralds to try and prevent myself from rage quitting!

A few other points worth mentioning:

The inclusion of Tails is pretty much useless when playing alone. He does little more than follow Sonic around and will usually be flying in from off screen having been killed or not been able to keep up with Sonic’s speed.
The sprites are pretty.
You should expect to run into occasional graphics glitches and frame rate slow down. When there are a lot of enemies or you lose a lot of rings there is a noticeable loss in speed.
Metropolis Zone has some of the worst level design of the series. There are enemies that explode from inside walls, enemies with homing attacks and an excessive amount of spikes and lava. It’s also the only level in the game to have three acts.
You can play two-player co-op with the second player helping out as Tails but this has little real purpose other than novelty value.
Multiplayer Mode is terrible. There is little need for Sonic 2 to have a race mode especially when Tails is significantly slower. The entirety of the multiplayer feels tacked on at the last minute.

Sonic 2 is without doubt an amazing Mega Drive game. It perfectly combines platforming and speed to create a very enjoyable experience. However, it does have some irritating features that can become frustrating. Issues with the loss of rings and difficulty of the final level are likely to cause problems for the player. The Special Stages also do little to help the game. Looking at the series as a whole, for me Sonic 2 is only beaten by 1994′s Sonic and Knuckles which changes how Special Stages work, removes Tails and adds new shields and special attacks.

You should play this game if’¦
… you want to play a proper Sonic game.

Score:
A classic Mega Drive title, but expect to become frustrated at points.

(What does this score mean?)

Release info/availability:
Original release: Sega Mega Drive, 1992, also ported to Sega Game Gear
Currently available on: XBLA, Wii Virtual Console, XBOX 360* and PS3*

*(through Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection)

BBC Radio 1 to Have ‘Big Gaming Weekend’

Will — Sun, 17 May 2009 22:29:21 +0000

From 22-25 May, BBC Radio 1 and Radio 1Xtra are holding the ‘˜Big Gaming Weekend’. How exciting! So, what can we except from the media giant? Well, there will be game tunes played on air, leaderboards for the station’s DJs and game reviews. Not only that but the BBC have compiled a list of the top 100 games of all time from ‘˜industry experts’. Listeners will then be able to vote for their top three through the station’s website.

In seriousness though, this event does not sound particularly amazing. Who honestly cares about which Radio 1 DJ is the best ‘˜gamer’? My main problem with this though is that it’s being held on Radio 1. As a station best known for featuring the likes of Chris Moyles and Fearne Cotton, hopes for well thought out gaming discussion should be fairly low from the outset. If they discuss anything more than the Wii I will be quite shocked.

Also, considering the station’s emphasis is on ultra popular and urban music, I can only see a small selection of games being covered. Namely: FIFA, Halo, Call of Duty and various Wii releases. Granted, this is probably more for the casual gamer than the hardcore but I can’t see gamers being put into a particularly good light. I already imagine that a slew of 12 year olds, fresh from screaming at someone over Xbox Live, will be the sole representation of gamers. I’ll be truly surprised if Radio 1 does anything that doesn’t perpetuate the gaming stereotype. But, with that being said, this can’t be any worse than Microsoft’s legendary Xtival, can it?

Via: CVG

No related posts.

Will — Fri, 08 May 2009 19:40:05 +0000

It has been announced that there will be remakes of PÃ³kemon Gold and Silver for the DS titled PokÃ©mon Heart Gold and Soul Silver respectively. They’re currently set for a Japanese release later this year. That means that we’ll probably see an English translation sometime in 2010.

Do we really need a remake of these games though? It was nice to see Red/Blue remade into Fire Red/Leaf Green for the GBA but they were in keeping with the other PokÃ©mon games of that generation. This meant that Fire Red and Leaf Green had amazing sprite work and a solidly designed overworld. The current DS games however are no where near as good as their predecessors. The sprite work isn’t great, the faux 3D buildings are awful and the battle animations are poor.

If the remakes follow the formula of the current generation games then I think that they will be disappointing. But, I doubt that these will be little more than a graphical overhaul of the original games with some horrendous 3D buildings thrown in for good measure. With that being said, Nintendo have already been set a high standard with the fan-made remake (PokÃ©mon Shiny Gold), which has already given the original games a makeover.

Via: Destructoid

Street Fighter IV DLC – Tournaments and Replays

Will — Sun, 03 May 2009 17:56:32 +0000

Capcom recently released the free Power Up Pack DLC for Street Fighter IV. This adds a Replay Mode to the game as well as the long awaited Championship Mode, but neither really fulfils what many fans had hoped for.

I’ll begin with the Championship Mode as this was the more anticipated feature among fans of the game. In essence, Championship Mode adds the option to compete in a tournament with other players. Considering that the Street Fighter franchise is famous for its competitive scene you would assume that Championship Mode would be designed to mirror the professional tournaments that take place around the world. It doesn’t.

What Championship Mode does do, is place you into a match with someone in the same tournament tier as you, but, the game then acts very similarly to standard multiplayer. Firstly, there is no new lobby system for tournaments. Rather than selecting Ranked or Player Match you choose Championship and either wait for an opponent or select a match, depending on if you want to host or not. Note how this bypasses a traditional tournament layout. This is because you are not required to fight continuously.

After each round, you are thrown back to the lobby screen to wait for a new opponent. One of the biggest problems with this is that you can end up fighting the same person twice in the same tournament. This happened to me multiple times. After having beaten someone in the first round, I then had to fight them again as between my victory and the network finding a new opponent, the first round loser had secured a win. Obviously, this would be infeasible if the tournament had been structured from the beginning.

Secondly, it is impossible to create a custom tournament. Unlike like regular multiplayer where the person hosting is able to change the length and number of rounds in each battle, Championship Mode sets the rules depending on what tier you are in. Whilst this is understandable for the ranked tournaments, it would have been nice to have some customisation available for the free matches. To remove the ability to customise tournaments even further, you are also unable to play against friends or create a tournament locally, Championship Mode is only playable online.

Both of these problems can be directly linked to the lack of a new lobby system for Championship Mode. By forcing people playing tournaments into what are essentially random battles, there is little difference between Championship Mode and the regular multiplayer. The ability to wait for as long as you want between matches also greatly lessens the reality of what a tournament is.

With all that being said, one positive of Championship Mode is that you can’t see what character your opponent has picked meaning that people are no longer able to take advantage of character match-ups as they can in regular multiplayer.

As well as Championship Mode, the DLC also adds Replay Mode. What this does is allow the winner of each championship to decide whether or not they upload the replay of the victory onto the network. This can then be watched and downloaded (on 360) or voted on (on PS3). Although you can watch, download, or vote on as many replays as you want to, the replays themselves are limited only to championship winners. Who are then only allowed to have one replay uploaded at a time. Whilst this isn’t a major issue, it would be nice to have the opportunity for others to upload replays or for champions with multiple victories to have more than one replay available at a time.

To summarise, the new DLC does not live up expectations. Championship Mode is extremely flawed in its execution and the Replay Mode is somewhat unnecessary. But, it is free so you may as well download it.

No related posts.

A Legend of Dragoon Remake?

Will — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:35:43 +0000

Before last month’s GDC, Playstation Insider posted a list of rumours regarding Sony’s upcoming announcements. One of these claimed that a remake of The Legend of Dragoon was under development pending a Japanese release later this year. Thankfully, Sony made no mention of the game at GDC, although if this remake is underway then there’s still plenty of time for an announcement to come.

Considering that Sony have lost exclusivity for upcoming Final Fantasy games, an exclusive PS3 JRPG would fill the gap left by Square-Enix’s withdrawal. This gives the rumour some degree of credibility, as a Japanese release later this year would create direct competition with Final Fantasy XIII. Whilst this makes sense from a business perspective, choosing to remake The Legend of Dragoon puzzles me.

When the game was first released for the Playstation it failed to make an impact with JRPG fans. Established RPG players who had gained experience from series such as Breath of Fire, Phantasy Star and the early Final Fantasies showed little interest in a new IP. Even less interest came from more casual gamers, whose RPG experience was limited to Final Fantasy VII and VIII. The result of this was a game with an undeservingly small fan base, which has barely grown even after the explosion of internet gaming sites.

This lack of popularity wasn’t helped by negativity from both the gaming media and internet users of the time. The predominant view was that The Legend of Dragoon was simply trying to imitate Final Fantasy. Rarely were unique elements of the game taken into consideration and when they were it was in order to criticise its slightly untraditional approach.

One of the most common attacks focussed on the battle system. Unlike traditional RPGs where an attack command would result in immediate action, the Legend of Dragoon employed the use of quick time events to allow the user to perform Additions. This allowed for more powerful attacks and the collection of SP for Dragoon transformation later in the game. The complaint from most gamers was that too much accuracy was required to successfully complete an addition. For me, the battle system is a refreshing change from just issuing an attack command, giving the player direct involvement with the game’s combat.

Along with the battle system, the story of the game came under fire. Whilst the main storyline does begin with the JRPG clichÃ© of the hero setting out on a mission to rescue the heroine, it quickly transforms itself by the halfway point of Disc One. By the end of the game the plot has developed into a unique and interesting story with over 10,000 years of history and a fair number of plot twists. Unfortunately, most people give up before they can become fully engaged with the story due to its traditional beginnings.

If we are to see a remake of The Legend of Dragoon I doubt that Sony would keep the individuality of the original game to help appeal to a wider audience. The most obvious change would be to overhaul the battle system. Given that quick time events are becoming evermore unpopular and did little to add to the game’s appeal ten years ago, it would be foolish for Sony to include them in a remake. To disregard the main mechanic of the battle system though would be ignorant of what differentiates the game from other JRPGs. Also, with the increasing popularity of real-time battles it’s probable that the turn-based system of the original game will be lost, again to help drawn in cotemporary RPG audiences.

I can see alterations being made to characters and story elements as well, simply to maintain the standards of ‘˜modern’ RPGs. Whilst the original game did have some generic character types and clichÃ©d elements, I worry that these would be exaggerated to appeal to today’s perceived RPG-playing audience. On the other hand, Sony could surprise us and recreate the characters in a way unfamiliar to RPG fans. In either event, character changes would detrimentally affect the plot, but Sony has been known to do it before. Medievil: Resurrection (a 2005 PSP remake of the original Medievil for the Playstation) featured drastic story changes. Sony replaced the dark tone of the original game with desperate attempts at humour, destroying the feel of the original. With the Legend of Dragoon lasting for around 80 hours (excluding a few side quests) the game centred on story. If changes were made here then it would bring into question why Sony would choose a remake and not a new franchise.

To remake a generally unpopular and unsuccessful game seems a highly questionable decision. If Sony are trying to compete with the upcoming Final Fantasy, surely they would be better off creating something new than allowing this rumour to become reality.

Haiku Impressions: The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Nukezilla » Will

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Negative Gamer Retro Review: Golden Axe

Negative Gamer Retro Review: Sonic the Hedgehog 2

BBC Radio 1 to Have ‘Big Gaming Weekend’

PokÃ©mon Gold/Silver Remakes Announced

Street Fighter IV DLC – Tournaments and Replays

A Legend of Dragoon Remake?