Bionic Commando PS3 Review

     With my current backlog of games I have been plowing through a stack of old games that I'd like to get through.  Some of them are great, and some are not so great.  Bionic Commando is definitely one of the not so great games.

     Capcom began with Developer Grin updating the old NES Bionic Commando for the modern era.  At first glance the game appears to have a lot going for it- decent graphics, a cliched but tolerable story, and a cool bionic arm that allows players to fulfill their Spider-Man dreams of swinging through a city.  What we got was unfortunately a muddled mess of a game.

     Back in the old NES days games were tough but playable.  I think they really focused on that aspect because pretty much anything can kill you here.  The most intolerable are the radiation zones.  If the bombed city you are progressing through has high radiation on one side of the street and on the other side of the street also contains said radiation as well, there's a damn good chance you should be roasted in the middle of the street as well.  What makes this even more problematic is the fact that about half the enemies can send you flying into these instant death zones- sending you in all probability to the last check point- which is often times the beginning of the level.  Extremely irritating.  And seriously- who puts a single level checkpoint 10 feet from the end of the level?!?
     Death also happens if you are in water.  The logic is if you fall in water, the bionics would pull you under and you'll drown.  That's a fair assumption, but when the character continually "drowns" in waist deep water it's absolutely infuriating.
     Then there's the combat.  It isn't too awful on its own.  What makes it bad, is the fact all enemies are far faster than you and they have perfect accuracy.  Snipers know exactly where you are in every level.  There is no way you can skirt them or stealthily sneak up and dispatch them.  Their rifles are always trained on you and their shot speed is far too fast.  The heavy enemies can only be damaged by a weak spot on their backs, but since they always keep their back away from you getting behind them is an issue made worse by the sluggish camera and motion control.
     Making matters even worse Grin thought it perfectly acceptable to throw in a multitude of enemies.  So instead of fighting a couple at a time, you often face 2-3 heavies while snipers take potshots at you and the the grunts and machine gunners unload into your body.  Unfair is the first thing that comes to mind.  There isn't a good balance here.  Especially when your weapon selection and choices are severely limited (mostly your handgun) because they want players to rely on the arm which is a very poor idea as the range is ultimately melee, leaving you exposed for all to shoot.

     Speaking of the arm controls, more often than not the swinging wouldn't open the reticle to grab or leave me slamming into invisible walls mid-swing.  The swinging isn't remotely fluid at all- there is a constant failure to find things that you can latch onto which inevitably leads to death and restarting at- you guessed it- the last checkpoint.  I also found a huge issue with grabbing objects.  Many times the color of the reticle would change while I was targeting a throwable object and the bionic arm would latch onto the ground under the object.  Not fun while you are being gunned down.
     Another thing to note is that sometimes I made it to the end of an area and had no idea how to proceed.  After a bit of frustration I broke down and looked it up.  Somehow I had missed, multiple times, groups of enemies that I needed to kill and they didn't spawn- necessitating the replay of the level again.

     When it comes to story Bionic Commando is some of the most cliched storytelling ever.  Nathan "Rad" Spencer was a soldier that got turned on by the government.  He got imprisoned and lost his lady.  He is needed so they secretly re-enlist him and in exchange he gets his arm back and information on his missing lady.

     What happened here is sad.  There isn't an open world that you may explore.  All the trailers and things I saw had me thinking it would be an open area to roam and play in, but alas it was not.  That was a huge mistake for this game.  Honestly- the best part of the game is some of the locations, they are stunning.  But the gorgeous vistas are not open- the result is the world they've placed you in is constricted.
     It is a shame really.  I think if Grin had more money and better designers, I think Bionic Commando might've done well really- as it stands it's merely a massively flawed and forgettable experience.  All the best sections were the non-combative ones where you could just roam around and look at stuff.  This is a game that you can judge by the last "Boss" encounter- relegated to the biggest cliche in a game comprised of cliches and topped off with a QTE.  Not even a real fight.  A QTE.  What an embarrassment.
     But then again, that's most of the game.
   

Escape Dead Island: New Unraveled Trailer and Release Date

     Deep Silver's upcoming game, Escape Dead Island, has gotten a nice new trailer and a release date.  We get a wonderfully new distinct and vibrant color palette filled with oceans of blood spraying everywhere.

     Escape Dead Island serves as a bridge between the two previous games, telling the tale of Cliff Calo- who winds up stranded on the island after being disowned and heading out to shoot a documentary but ends up crashing his boat on the island.  He sets out to unravel the mystery of the infection and document the things going on.  What sets this apart from the other games is manifold- in looks, and in gameplay- the creators have altered the way things are experienced.

     Right off the bat- Escape has a new look.  A bright and colorful cell-shaded world.  The third person play (a departure from the first-person perspective of the first two games) and the new art style have really caught my eye.  They've even added a stealth element to the game- allowing you to sneak up and silently kill zombies- as Cliff isn't immune to the infection sweeping the island.  That may account for the strange cerebral hallucination-like episodes from the trailers.

     One other thing that really caught my attention was the fact inventory items don't degrade.  They'll stay in your inventory.  It always bothered me that cracking a few skulls with a crowbar would cause it to break in the earlier games.  I could hammer away with a real crowbar on concrete and steel and it wouldn't have that effect, let alone on some much-softer zombie skulls.  This addition will work like old adventure games where each new item will unlock a potential new explorable area on the island.

     Escape Dead Island will be available on Nov. 18th for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.

Donald Glover is Finally the Ultimate Spider-Man (Miles Morales)... Kind of...

     Lifelong Spider-Man fan Donald Glover will finally be able to put his favorite superhero on his list of official jobs.  Next year he'll be voicing Miles Morales, the mixed race Ultimate Spider-Man from the comics in 2011, in a dimension hopping episode of Disney XD's Ultimate Spider-Man: Web Warriors.  He'll come into contact with a parallel world trekking Peter Parker and both characters might be moved by the encounter.

At least it's a start.  It's about time.  

     It'll be a big occurrence for Miles as he'll be meeting his hero, who has died in his own universe.  Maybe he'll learn a thing or two about balancing his school life, being a kid, and the new-found responsibility of being a superhero.

     While Glover knows this isn't the same as playing him on film- he still hasn't given up hope.  Many of us fans are pulling for him to get something like a slightly older version of Morales in a film of some sort, I mean he already gets it- he knows what makes Spider-Man both relatable and timeless:

      "I never liked Superman that much, because I was like, 'Yo, this dude can't die. It's too easy,' " Glover says. "Batman is pretty fly. He's a close second, just because he doesn't really have powers. He's just a justice-driven vigilante.

     "Spider-Man is the best because you just don't know who he is, and he's funny and he's poor. I understand Spider-Man a lot on that level. He's just trying to make it."

     We need some more diversity in our superhero stuff.  Come on Marvel and Disney, we need this.  Here's another post I did quite a while ago about the subject of "No Miles Morales Coming to Film."  We need a live action Spider-Man without James Garfield constantly pursing his lips.  It's annoying and Peter Parker has gotten a bit cocky in the current movies.  We could use something new and interesting like Morales' story.

     #DonaldGlover4SpiderMan
   

     Source [ USA Today ]

The Regular Show: Best Park in the Universe Review (Android)

     As a Regular Show fan, I consistently find myself drawn to things with the name attached, and of course video games for the show are aplenty.  With The Regular Show: Best Park in the Universe we get something quite good actually, unlike most mobile and browser games.

     In Best Park in the Universe, perpetual slackers Mordecai and Rigby are left in charge after manager Benson heads to a conference.  In an effort to get some get some days off they want to clean the entire park and end up embroiled in a plot with a space cowboy to make their park the titular best in the universe.  Like most of their exploits they end up being idiots and attempt to save their park for the most selfish of reasons, and much hilarity ensues.

     The game itself is mainly comprised of a straightforward beat-em-up with a very, VERY light RPG leveling system in the form of a small skill tree.  For characters you get to choose a tag-team from the main Mordecai and Rigby, but you can also play as Muscle Man and Pops (any combination of the 4 choices), which adds an entire new realm of humor to the battling.

     Over the course of 3 maps (5 levels each) you must battle your way through swarms of various enemies such as space bikers, zombie businessmen, and robots.  The difficulty curve is decent until the last couple levels of the 3rd map where it skyrockets.  All the enemies seem programmed to surround you and attack until you are dead.  Simple enough.  This wouldn't be much of a problem with the leveling system, but it's the controls that make it a problem.  you can't always be sure who you'll be hitting, if anyone at all- sometimes the characters will just swing at air even though you're right on top of the enemies.

Just Flexing Some Pecs as Muscle Man!

     Honestly, an on-screen D-pad could've helped this game immensely.  When trying to evade attacks you'll find yourself tapping or holding parts of the screen and the character just stands there immobile, which opens you up to being surrounded and beaten to death swiftly in the later levels.  It is very frustrating with how it fails to function when you need it the most.  The attacks are all swipe based in the various directions and combinations to create a nicely natural feel.  Only the movement part of the controls feel lacking and I believe a D-pad would've solved most of the issue.

     As for graphics and sound- Best Park in the Universe has top notch in both areas.  They are clean and crisp- graphics are vibrant and wonderful, and the sounds have great voice-overs for the characters.  Hearing Pops ask during his "special attack" if anyone wants to wrestle never loses it's touch, consider his highly effeminate and crazy old man-voice.  I have to be honest here and say I saw a ton of screen tearing (see my Muscle Man Pec Flexing screencap above) and the app crashed at least 15 times over the course of a few days.  There are problems, but since the game was only 99 cents it wasn't much of an issue, more of an annoyance.

     In addition to the main 15 total levels, there are a few minigames to play.  The first is an enemy horde wave mode to defeat as many enemies as possible before you die.  Simple and fun.  The second mode "Epic Destruction" is a destroy-as-many-circuit-towers-in-two-minutes-mode.  Another nice and small challenge- nothing special, but a nice little distraction.  The third mode is "Speed Search Mode" a duck collecting mode.  This mode is the worst part as a result of the poor movement control.  You have to time your movements for maneuvering through many series of lasers- which is made much more difficult because of shoddy movement controls.
     Update:  Just found out the 4th lock is a "Boss Rush Mode."  You get to fight all the bosses back to back.

     The look and feel of this game is something that I believe has actually done some justice for the series, which is open to an entire world of games- they just aren't quite getting most of them right.  I really hope the game makers for any future Regular Show games take note and learn from this and go from there.  This sets up a decent foundation, but that's about it.  This reminds me of the Nintendo 3DS's Regular Show: Mordecai and Rigby in 8-Bit Land, they had a solid base, and just didn't get it right.  Fun for what time I played, but not really memorable.
     Overall- if you are a fan of either brawler beat-em-ups or The Regular Show, Best Park in the Universe is worth your time.

The Legend of Korra (Platinum Games) Release Date and New Pro-Bending Mode

     Hot on the tails of The Legend of Korra's Book 3 TV show finale, we get some new information for Activision and Platinum Games' game-of-the-same-name including a new mode, release date, and a bit of potential for future Korra games.

Are you ready for some Pro-BENDIIIIIINNNGGG!?!?!?!

     The newly announced Pro-Bending Mode allows players to compete in 3 versus 3 matches of the game from the show.  It will be a mode that unlocks after completing the main game for the first time.  You'll get to play as Korra (Water), Mako (Fire), and Bolin (Earth).  They'll even including the tie-breakers and Face Off's on the small raised platforms that will heighten the importance of countering opponents moves.

     It doesn't appear to be a ton, but an extra mini-game of sorts, and that's all right by me.  Pro-Bending mode will add just a little bit more to keep me interested in the game after I've beaten the main game.

     In addition to that, during the IGN with Activision's Robert Conkey, he states that they love Korra when asked about the future of the game series, but they are currently focused on making this the best possible game they can make it.
     Sadly, there is no mention of the Nintendo 3DS Korra strategy game from previous articles.

     The Legend of Korra is set to be released on Oct. 21 for Playstation Network and PC, then on the following day (Oct. 22) on the Xbox Marketplace.

     Source [ IGN ]

Penguins of Madagascar Movie: Trailer 2

     The second trailer for the best part of all the Madagascar movies has arrived (well, ok- it arrived a couple weeks ago, but I've been super busy)!!!

     Of course they kept the best part of the first trailer- the cheese doodles scene- and they've added a nice bit of the penguins when they were children.  This film is looking unbelievably amazing.

     The Penguins of Madagascar Movie hits theaters November 26th.

     On a side note- where did Rico's scar go?  I don't recall seeing it in the Madagascar films, but it was readily apparent in all the television show episodes- so maybe they got rid of it...  

     ...but it was such a nice and subtle touch to the team's infinite-stomach-storage member.

Toren: An Intriguing Game of Growth

     Swordtales, an independent developer from Brazil, and publisher Versus Evil have come together to create a wonderful game called Toren.  They are calling it a dark fantasy adventure, and the visuals have taken many cues and inspiration from games like Ico, Journey, and the soon to be released Rime- creating a place of wonder and danger.  Just watch the trailer, this game appears to be much more than what it first appears to be.

     "Toren is a 3D adventure game with beautiful graphics, immersive gameplay, which leads the player through an introspective and captivating journey using the deep concepts like time, religion and mortality.

     Built around an epic poem, the game takes the audience in an torrent of discoveries about the greatest myth of all. 

     A game to be experienced, in which the player will grow and change along with the tower and its heroes."

     Swordtales seem to have struck something amazing here- the progression of time.  The character, Moonchild (Could that be a call back to Bastion's Mother's name in the NeverEnding Story???), even appears to age through the trailer while she is scaling the titular tower, and that sounds amazing.  Think of the ramifications of that small act in game.  Aging and mortality.

     The "timeless world of Toren" might have more meaning than the texts from the site let on- and it draws my attention when the character ages in a timeless place.  Moonchild grows enough to attack a small dragon and that is something to think about.  This game has a lot of potential and I fully look forward to trying it out when it hits PS4.  In fact- this, along with Rime, look to be the perfect filler while we all wait for The Last Guardian's re-introduction.

     Toren will be available on PS4, PC, Mac, and Linux in early 2015.

     Source [ Toren ]

Gravity Duck: Review

     Noodlecake Studios with Woblyware and Ravenous Games have produced another simple 2D platformer that manages to be both interesting and consistently mundane.  That isn't to say it isn't worth playing though.

     The premise is that a massive Easter Island looking stone head wants you, a duck, to collect all his golden eggs.  But this plot is barely given much thought- the chief draw here is the ability that the head bestows upon the duck- to flip gravity.  You can't jump at all, you simply reverse gravity and fall in the opposite direction.

A giant stone head and a duck.  What more could you ask for?

     This simple new power is used in conjunction with some gravity rotating yellow orbs to solve roughly 100 levels of short puzzles.  There is nothing to strenuous in terms of puzzles- nothing to rack your brain with- but the concept does prove to be fun enough to want to keep playing.  The lack of challenge is low enough that you can nearly always tell what to do as soon as the level begins.

     The downsides are the controls were occasionally unresponsive leaving players slightly frustrated when a lack of response movement leads directly to death.  In addition, sometimes you need to dive blindly into areas and die because your view is severely limited in places (no camera movement).  Once in a while the enemy laden areas need a bit of trial and error to figure out due to their swiftness, but it isn't too awful.

A fashionable top-hat is the reward for collecting all the golden eggs.

     For only a dollar, Gravity Duck provides plenty of simple, cute, and pixely puzzling entertainment.  Perhaps the gravity manipulation and level design for the coming "City" DLC will prove to add a little more variety for our entertainment.  I hope they add some more progression, balance, and flow to the levels and challenge to come- I would like more of a sense of achievement from the puzzles- something a little more like a 2D version of the phenomenal PS Vita game Gravity Rush.  There is a wide range with the concept they've used, if only they'd take it to the next level of its potential.

FEZ 2: Never Going to Happen," BECAUSE... "You Don't Deserve it."

     FEZ Developer Phil Fish is producing some highly inflammatory remarks again.  This time he's actually posted one of my favorites and it's directly concerning the sequel to the game that gained him both loads of money and notoriety:

seriously, shut the fuck up about FEZ 2. never going to happen. you don't deserve it.
— PHIL FISH (@PHIL_FISH) August 17, 2014

     This is actually sad for many reasons- first, I just finished playing the brilliantly created FEZ since it was free on the Playstation Network (it is a tremendous game) and secondly, it's comments like these that will prevent him from any future work.  He's alienating gamers by callously attacking the people that got him where he is.  A very unfortunate circumstance indeed.

     There's levels of professionalism and things like this only serve to "feed the trolls."  So he's kind of burning bridges to any new fans that might be made.  Even with the following Tweet- a gamer asks with genuine sincerity and Fish's response is exactly what's become quite typical to his character:

@NickCarucci entitled gamer much?
— PHIL FISH (@PHIL_FISH) August 17, 2014

     Sure, we may not deserve a sequel, but there are better ways of saying it.  But then, does he deserve the money from all the people that supported him?  The gaming market goes both ways.

     What makes this extra terrible is Fish does post some informative and insightful things, such as this Tweet about the #Ferguson situation and how we need to demilitarize the police and start with real life accountability- too bad he isn't taking it to heart for himself:

funfact: the use of teargas in war is considered a war crime. they're using it on kids right now. #ferguson
— PHIL FISH (@PHIL_FISH) August 18, 2014

R.I.P.D.: The Game: PS3 Review

     Much like the movie this is very loosely based on, R.I.P.D.: The Game has a terrible charm about it.  It is not a good game, but it's not even close to the worst movie tie-in game either.  I picked this up on a whim about a week ago on the Sony Playstation Network because it was only $2.99 and decided to give it a chance.

The graphics really aren't too bad.  Having no witty banter to listen to is quite unfortunate.

     What I found instead of the typical dismal story game with a series of simple levels, ended up being a 2 player co-op horde mode story game.  Oddly enough I found I actually enjoyed it as well.  Being limited to the 2 main characters from the film- Roy (Jeff Bridges- in the film, he's just his character from True Grit) and Nick (Ryan Reynolds playing himself in the movie as always).  Sadly there are no other choices, not even their alternate looks from the film- James Hong and Marissa Miller- which would've added a nice dash of fun and hilarity to the game, I mean the weapons these 2 avatar versions use in the film are both unlockable (a Banana and a Hair Dryer), so why did they exclude the 2 extra skin options?

Playing as James Hong would've been hilarious.

     Another major thing lacking is here the voice acting- neither Reynolds nor Bridges were used.  There is barely any dialog and the story is through comic-booky art and text.  Where is all the witty repartee from the characters from the movie?

     The gist of the game is similar to the film in that it is essentially a supernatural ripoff of Men in Black.  You are tasked with hunting down a Deado named Hayes and to do so you must fight through 5 encounter waves of Deados over and over at the handful of locations.  When you've done it enough a last level appears that has a few minor things to complete before taking on Hayes himself.  Incidentally the difficulty on the last level is roughly 10 notches above the rest of the game.

     Since none of my friends had the game I couldn't play with a second person- and there are no bots to help you through- so it got a bit tedious towards the end.  The lightly progressing weapon system was a nice, albeit a very minuscule, addition.  There are mini challenges in levels and a betting system (I couldn't use because there were no 2nd players encountered) as well.  But that is about it.  All the trimmings that may have been added were somehow forgotten.

     There is a lot wrong with this game- hit detection is horrendous, no instructions so everything is trial and error, no way to crouch or cover, and it all-around fails to really explain anything- BUT- I found I still really liked playing the game.  There is something about this stupid, plain-old horde-shooter that I can appreciate.  Being that this game is essentially a knockoff game, being God Mode same maker Old School Games, of a knockoff movie I am surprised it turned out to be remotely entertaining.  If only they spent a little longer- adding things like random multiplayer matchmaking, more locations, more skins, and more variety in general and much, much more content- this game may have been able to rise above its lackluster quality.