E3 2011: Sony Conference

Compilation trailer opens the show… features NGP, no PSP in sight. Nevermind, PSP shows up late to the show…

Jack Tretton gives out an apology regarding the PSN. Much appreciated.

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
- Live demo shown, somehow looks better than Uncharted 2
- Multiplayer begins June 28
- Will support 3DTV, another trailer shown
- Releases 11-1-11

Resistance 3
- Live demo shown, also supports 3D
- Bundled with Sharpshooter controller, PS Move, PS Eye, Analog controller for $150

God of War: Origins Collection
- Remakes of PSP God of War games: Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta
- Both game remastered in HD and 3D
- Releases September

ICO and Shadow of the Colossus Collection
- Both game remastered in HD and 3D
- Releases September

PlayStation 3D Monitor
- $499 gets you a 24" 3D monitor, with glasses and HDMI cable, and Resistance 3
- 2 Players can see 2 different images instead of split-screen somehow.
- Releases in Fall

NBA 2K12
- Uses PS Move
- Kobe claims it's realistic, he's also a rapist…
- Releases October 4th, 2011

Medieval Moves
- PS Move title played from sort of first person/third person hack n slash adventure
- Will probably have the same fate as Sorcery the PS Move game we saw last year
- Claims to be releasing in Fall 2011

InFamous 2
- New trailer despite it releasing tomorrow
- User created features coming in Fall

LittleBigPlanet 2
- Update coming to heavily feature PS Move

Starhawk
- Sort of sequel to Warhawk

Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time
- Pre-rendered trailer shown
- Coming 2012

DUST 514
- Connects with EVE Online
- Supports PS Move and NGP
- Beta in Fall, releases Spring 2012

BioShock Infinite
- New gameplay trailer shown
- Will support PS Move
- Comes with BioShock 1 on PS3 (weird)

BioShock for NGP
- Only mentioned, no footage or screens

Saints Row 3
- Launches November with PS Move support

Star Trek
- Trailer shown, co-op based gameplay
- Based on next Star Trek film
- Will support PS Move and 3D, with a Phaser controller coming out
- Coming 2012

SSX, Need for Speed: the Run, and Battlefield 3 all support extra context exclusive to PS3

PlayStation Suite
- Service for non-PlayStation devices like Android phones and tablets

PlayStation Vita
- Final name for the NGP
- Two analog stick, 2 cameras, SIXAXIS, 2 touch panels
- Will have 3G and WiFi models
- AT&T exclusive 3G carrier for PSVita in North America
- PartyRoom allows cross game voice chat
- Near, allows you to play games and see trophies of nearby Vita users
- More than 80 titles in development
- Releasing Holiday 2011
- WiFi model costs $249
- 3G model costs $299

Uncharted: Golden Abyss
- Live demo shown
- Can use traditional controls, or touch/motion based controls

Ruin
- Top-down fantasy combat game
- PS3 version will be compatible with Vita version, cloud saves.

ModNation Racers
- Entirely new version developed exclusively for PSVita
- Use both touch screen and rear touch panel to raise/drop elevations
- PSVita version will be able to access content from the PS3 version's community

WipeOut 2048
- Compete via PSVita or PS3 at launch

LittleBigPlanet
- Touch controls
- Carries over LBP2's design tools
- Horizontal or vertical levels
- Share costumes/content with PS3 version

Street Fighter X Tekken
- PSVita version, live demo shown
- Will feature Cole from InFamous

No PSP new for obvious reasons, and seriously, where was The Last Guardian??

E3 2011: Ubisoft Conference

What a... weird presentation, no James Cameron boring people to death, but... yeah.

Rayman Origins
- Live demo shown, has co-op
- Looks fun!

Driver: San Francisco
- Hyperactive man says dick jokes on stage
- New trailer shown

FarCry 3
- They didn't even say what this was for the first 5 minutes of this trailer/gameplay
- Doesn't seem that exciting…
- "THE surprise of the show" I beg to differ

Brothers in Arms: Furious 4
- Looks a bit cartoony
- Oddly doesn't show swastikas despite calling the bad guys Nazis
- Probably has Left 4 Dead inspired gameplay

The Adventures of Tintin: The Game
- Spielberg and Jackson talk about the game based on their film (in a trailer of course)
- Trailer shown, 2D/3D gameplay

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier
- Live demo shown, with a controller this time

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Online
- Free to play web version of the franchise

ManiaPlanet
- Trackmania 2 for PC releases in September
- Shootmania and Questmania also coming

Rabbids: Alive & Kicking
- I can't believe this franchise is successful…
- Exclusive for Kinect
- Share photos from the game on Facebook
- Comes out November 8, 2011

Just Dance 3
- Another franchise I don't get why its popular
- Not only on Wii, now on Kinect and PS Move

Rocksmith
- Another use-a-real-guitar music game
- Coming Fall 2011

Your Shape Fitness Evolved 2012
- I'm just bored now

Assassin's Creed Revelations
- New trailer shown
- Features Ezio and Altaïr
- Live demo shown
- Releases November, like every other big game...

E3 2011: EA Conference

No major reveals, but I did this anyways...

Mass Effect 3
- Releases March 6th, 2012 on 360, PS3, and PC
- Live demo shown, looks amazing

Origin
- EAs new Steam-like service, "Go check it out!"…
- No really, its after EVERY TRAILER

Need for Speed: the Run
- Super stat-tracking
- Out of car gameplay, a.k.a. running from the cops

Star Wars: The Old Republic
- New trailer shown, all pre-rendered footage we've seen…
- No date

SSX
- No more serious look or subtitle
- Comes next January

FIFA 12
- Yup, they still make it.
- EA Sports Football Club connects you through all versions of FIFA regardless of platform.

Madden 12
- Holy Crap!! I cannot believe they're bringing this franchise back!
- Really, they used Inception music for this??
- Enough of the meat-heads please.

The Sims: Social
- Facebook is not a gaming platform, get out of my face.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
- First game from 38 Studios
- Open world fantasy game

OverStrike
- First multi-platform title from Insomniac Games
- Weird off-portioned realistic characters, I'm scared.

Battlefield 3
- New graphics engine is … astonishing
- Beta in September
- Free stat tracking, coughActivisioncough
- Releases October 25, 2011

A Thought on Box Art

This awesome and official minimalist box art by Olly Moss for Resistance 3 almost makes me want to buy the game just for that reason... but then I remembered it's Resistance 3.*

Either way, if it sells well, I hope more publishers go with 'Criterion' box art like this instead of the usual guy/girl front and center with big guns and/or muscles/boobs.

Class it up, game industry, class it up.

*I'm aware that Resistance has its fans, and that the games are well made. But from what I've experience from demos of the game, it's just not for me. And let's be honest, the boxart for Resistance 2 was pretty crap/generic when compared to the need-no-explanation photo cover used for the first game.

Singularity Review

After observing a spike in radiation levels over the Russian island of Katorga-12, US troops are sent in to infiltrate and investigate the island. After a strange occurrence of incidents, including time travel, it turns out that you have drastically altered the timeline, throwing the world into Russian rule. Using the help of newly acquired "friends" and weaponry, can you revert things to normal? Do you even want to?

The story starts out plainly enough, until you’ve crashed landed on Katorga-12 and start running into some interesting creatures. They are human-like in nature, but with very decayed and mutated bodies. Oh, and they are super aggressive and out to eat you. In a hurry to meet back up with your squad mates, you run into an old building, where you are thrust back in time, to when the building was burning down in 1955. You happen across an individual who is clinging on for his life, and decide to save him. Unfortunately, that kind of altered the time line, and now the man you saved is the man you are trying to kill to set things right.

You return to your time, in 2010, shortly after rescuing this man, Demichev. He then captures you in 2010, and wants to know about your time traveling powers, which you are unaware of, but you escape with the help of Mir-12, some underground group trying to figure out this time traveling thing. From then on, you are running around the island, both in 2010 and in 1955, trying to get the time line back to the way it was and correct all of your mistakes. You’ll find out a lot about the happenings on Katorga-12 and how all of these things came to pass, with the help of various notes and recordings scattered around the island. Mir-12 agent Kathryn, and 1955 scientist Barisov will also help you try to solve this mystery.

Katorga-12 was first discovered as the only place that contained a super rare and powerful element, E-99. Once found, the Russians built all sorts of facilities on the island to research its unique characteristics and capabilities, including weapons research and time travel. Unfortunately, a terrible accident occurred, killing most of the island’s inhabitants, and mutating the rest into horrifying creatures who you must now battle.

Some of these enemies are pretty cool, while others are quite annoying. Most take a humanoid appearance, with special powers, such as teleporting through time and space, making them worthy adversaries. Other enemies are little exploding kamikaze bugs, which are bothersome and attack in swarms, and another is similar to a giant, acid-spitting spider. So, there is a decent variety of enemies, but you’ll usually face the humanoid opponents, as well as Demichev’s soldiers who have guns, so you can’t go running around all willy nilly.

Aside from a range of standard guns, like a pistol, machine gun, and shotgun, you also have more advanced weaponry, like a spike gun, remote controllable grenade launcher, or sniper rifle that allows you to slow time. There is even this sweet rifle where you can control the bullet after firing, so you can wind it around cover and obstacles and still hit your target in the face, delivering a satisfying explosion. You also have the help of your Time Manipulation Device, or TMD. This little guy is very useful in both puzzle solving and combat. You gain abilities as you progress, but eventually, you can move objects, age objects into their 1955/2010 counterpart, to decay/fix items, create a protective bubble that stops time, use it as a melee attack, and more. The time altering abilities are pretty cool, especially when a pesky adversary is all in your face; just send them to 1955, bwahahaha.

The game isn’t too puzzle heavy, but it has its fair share, and they are pretty inventive. Unfortunately, they are redone again and again, so once you solve it the first time, it’s a no-brainer when you come across it again. However, the first time you come across a puzzle, you will probably be stuck thinking about it for a minute or two, so I was impressed with the inventiveness of the puzzle, and how it doesn’t simply throw the answer in your face. You have to use your powers and the items around you to figure it out.

Singularity does do a good job of setting the mood though. 2010 is pretty disheveled and everything is overgrown, while everything is nice and new in 1955. There are a handful of very atmospheric, and scary moments in the game, where things pop out at you, or the overall environment is truly creepy. There are even messages you can find on walls that have been left by a mysterious person, possibly yourself, which make you question your mission, what you are doing, and who you can trust. To further bring you into the story and what all was going on back in 1955, you can find and read an assortment of notes and listen to audio logs left behind by scientists and other inhabitants. These are left on desks and tables and all over the place. They slow the pacing of the game a bit, as you can stop to read or listen to each one, but if you get really into the story, then it’ll be worth it to investigate as much as possible to learn about what went on on Katorga-12. Obviously though, you can skip right by these and continue on to the action.

Exploration is also beneficial to more action-oriented players, as you can find many, many E-99 tech pieces, which can be used to upgrade powers and weapons. These can be used to increase health and energy, as well as increase your sprint distance, gain more ammo per pickup, and other perks. There are also weapon upgrades which can be used to upgrade each weapon in various stats, like power, reload time, and clip size. There is a problem though, in the way the game limits your movements. If you go through a door to a new section of the map, that door will close off and you won’t be able to go back. So, if there was some stock pile of E-99 tech in one room, but you decide to explore this other room first, which happens to be the main path to the new section, you may get screwed and not be able to back-track to that E-99 horde. This happened to me a few times….quite annoying.

Naturally, Singularity also has a multiplayer mode or two. It features a relatively standard Creatures vs Soldiers deathmatch mode, as well as an Extermination mode, akin to territories. Each mode features humans versus creatures. Humans have multiple class options, each of which has a different perk, such as the ability to teleport short distances, melee, or other such skill. You can also choose a weapon independently of class, like a standard rifle, shotgun, or sniper. The creatures’ classes are a bit more diverse. Each creature class is a different creature, all of which act and move very differently, so many play styles can be used here. One is that large ass spider that can shoot bombs at you, while another creature can place proximity mines. The little tick creature can run up and explode near an enemy, or jump on him, kill him, and inhabit his body, giving you access to his weapon and confuse opponents.

The Creatures vs. Soldiers mode is a standard deathmatch mode and is self-explanatory, but Extermination is more team-based. Here, the humans have to work together to bring three terminals back online. Once online, their spawn gets moved up to that terminal. Of course, the creatures are there to stop you from doing this, so it’s a constant battle to see who can get the upper hand. Once the time limit is reached, or all three terminals get brought online, you switch sides. The team with the most terminals online at the end wins.

Overall, Singularity does a good job of bringing you into the world of Katorga-12 and the E-99 experiments, with the various artifacts you can find and there are cool time manipulation elements to play around with. One downfall is that the NPCs don’t look at you when they talk, which breaks down the immersion, but aside from that, the single player experience is nicely crafted to bring the player into its world. There is then multiplayer which you can delve into, with ranks and leveling up, which could keep you busy for awhile.

Overall Score: 7/10

This review was based on the PlayStation 3 version of the game, however, most of which has been stated should also be applied to the Xbox 360 and PC versions of the game.

Transformers: War for Cybertron Review

Transformers: War for Cybertron brings the war home for the Autobots and Decepticons, with Megatron trying to take over and control the planet for himself, while Optimus and the Autobots must try to thwart his efforts and save their home planet. We see a lot of familiar faces in this title, and can even take the role of almost all of them, as the campaign is split between playing as both the Decepticons and Autobots. There is even a healthy dose of multiplayer, so the only thing you have to ask yourself is, which side will you choose?

The first talking point is the campaign itself. It features 10 chapters, each of which, aside from the final two, have 10 sections each. These chapters are split up, 5 for the Decepticons, and 5 for the Autobots, but the entire story is cohesive and follows a linear path. The game starts with the Decepticon chapters, but you can choose to skip ahead to the Autobot sections, although doing so will have you missing out on all of the Decepticon happenings, which could easily confuse you, story wise. Because of this, pacing is a bit weird, because, obviously, the starting chapter(s) are a bit easier, and then it gets harder, but when you start the Autobot chapters, it's easy again. Also, the stories kind of mirror each other, at least with the final boss in each major section, so you'll be seeing some familiar sites, although both stray from each other, so each feel fresh. For instance, the main boss in each story line is a huge robot, but both are fought in completely different ways, and require different strategies.

The story starts out with Megatron, who plots to obtain Dark Energon, infect the core of Cybertron, and then rule the planet, and restore it to its past glory. I'm not the biggest Transformer fan, but apparently this is somewhere near the beginning of the timeline, at least with the civil war between the Autobots and Decepticons. Anyways, Megatron proves to be a fairly competent foe, and is successful, leading Optimus and crew to clean up what Megatron has done. Anyways...

At the beginning of each chapter, you can choose from 3 or 4 characters to play as. Each character has a unique class, like Scientist, Leader, Soldier, has unique abilities, and starts with a different weapon. Overall, the character selection doesn't really change gameplay up that much, and I didn't notice any diverse differences between classes, but it is still an incentive to replay chapters as a different character.

The entire campaign can actually be played in co-op as well; up to 3 players can join, but I didn't test it out myself. Without co-op, you have two guys backing you up, who act more as a distraction to enemies rather than kicking some ass, so you're still responsible for blowing those robots away.

Graphically, the game looks nice, but everything is a little too shiny, and most of the environments look the same. It all looks mechanical and metal and gets a bit stale, but the gameplay mechanics themselves are solid, which is good.

The perspective is third-person, slightly over the shoulder look, which I wish would just have been pure third-person. You can hold two weapons at a time, and the variety is pretty nice. There are machine guns, a scoped pistol, sniper rifle, rocket launcher, remote detonated grenade launcher, and some other fun tools. You can also melee with a giant axe, and cut robots in half, which is pretty satisfying. You also have a variety of grenades at your disposal, like frag, EMP, and ironically enough, healing grenades. Your character of choice has two special abilities, which can help him move around or deal some damage. And naturally, each character can transform into either a car or jet, depending on the scenario, which is done quite quickly, on the fly, and doesn't take you out of the action. As a vehicle, you can move around quicker, boost, and use a couple of extra weapons. The necessity of flight in certain levels helps to relieve the monotony, and handles quite well.

While the campaign is solid, and will last you at least 10 hours, especially if you want to find all of the hidden tokens, the game really shines in multiplayer. There are various team verse team modes, like deathmatch and zones, as well as Escalation. The game play is exactly the same as campaign, so you are still running around as a robot and can still transform into a vehicle, so fire fights can get pretty crazy, and you can get back into the battle quickly. There are a ton of challenges you can get, so you'll always see something flash up on screen to announce an extra 100 XP, which is always exciting. There are also kill streaks, so if you get a 3 kill streak, or 5, etc, you'll get a little bonus to use, like a radar to detect enemies, or health regenerator, or other useful item, so strategic combat is important.

Obviously, you can rank up your character, but a cool thing is that there are multiple classes to play as, like Solider, Scientist, Scout, and each of these are ranked up as you use them. So, you'll have to go from one class to another to rank each one up, so you can unlock new abilities and starting weapons. This will keep you playing for some time.

And if that weren't enough, there is another mode called Escalation, which is almost exactly like Nazi Zombies from Call of Duty: World at War. You can play with 4 guys total, and you battle wave after wave of transformers. The first rounds are pretty easy, but the higher you go, the harder and bigger the enemies are. As you take out baddies, you earn points, which you can spend on opening new rooms and purchasing new weapons, ammo, and health. If you take too much damage, you go down, but can be revived by team mates, if they get to you fast enough. Also, unlike Nazi Zombies, you can put some points down for, say, opening a door to a new room, but not spend the full points. For instance, if a door costs 400 points, you can put 100 towards the door, and have your teammates put in the other 300 and fill the meter. This way, you never have to force one player to spend all of his points on getting the next door, which is pretty cool. Unfortunately, there are only two maps for this mode, but it's still killer and something that will have you playing again and again. Heck, I still play Nazi Zombies.

Transformers: War for Cybertron is an all around fun game. I felt the campaign got a little repetitive, but whacking robots to death and playing with some of those weapons was pretty awesome, and the bosses got pretty difficult and felt fresh. The multiplayer ranks up there, with fun standard modes, and Escalation is great and will definitely keep you coming back. Don't think this is some lame, shovelware, movie, kiddy crap that gets built in a month and thrown out on every system, because it is much more than that, and definitely worth a look. If you're a fan of Transformers, or just like shoot-em ups, check this game out. If you need another game to throw hours upon hours away at with multiplayer, then you might have found a winner.

Overall Score: 7.5/10

This review was based on the PlayStation 3 version of the game, however, most of which has been stated should also be applied to the Xbox 360 and PC versions of the game. However, the Wii and DS versions of the game are different and should not apply to this review.

Blur Review

Blur, one of the newest action-packed racing games, takes the Mario Kart formula, and adds in a dose of adrenaline and realism to turn things up a bit for kart battling fans. Instead of cartoony graphics and racing karts, you have realistic environments and real, licensed vehicles. Blur kicks things up a notch, and it’s a pretty killer ride.

Blur doesn’t feature too much of a storyline, aside from the fact that you are some new racer on the scene, and must fight for fans and reputation. Through the campaign, there are 9 sections, each of which feature a head racer whom you must compete against in the end. Each of these sections houses 7 events, through which you can gain lights, fans, and new cars. The game is fairly streamlined, so there is no driving around a huge map to find the next event. You simply select it and you’re there.

Lights are the main unit of points, through which you can unlock new sections to play through. You can gain 5 lights from placing first, 4 for second, and 3 for third. You can gain two additional lights by getting enough fans and by completing the fan run. The fan run is triggered by driving through a special item and then going through numerous gates. If you miss a single gate, you fail the fan run, but can try again the next lap. Fans can be gained by driving well, and using your weapons in a variety of ways. Do enough tricks, and you can gain some serious fans, which are also used to unlock new vehicles.

Luckily, Blur keeps things fresh, and you aren’t simply racing again and again, exactly. The first obvious deviation is the fact that there are race, checkpoint, and destruction events. Races are self explanatory, while checkpoint pits you against the clock alone. Get those boosts and time additions, and see if you have the skill and speed to finish fast enough. Destruction is a bit different, and has you racing around a track, taking out cars with bolts as best you can. The more cars you destroy, the higher your score.

Another way in which the game keeps you engaged, is by having a different set of requirements for duking it out with a section’s main “boss”. These are one-on-one races, in which you can either beat your opponent, or destroy him. Doing so, will net you 8 lights, as well as his car and mod, which is a special power-up. To be able to race these guys, you have to satisfy multiple requirements, which change each section. These could be “get 5 backwards shunts,” or “dodge 3 lighting strikes”. They are all different, but add a nice variety to the game and give you something different to try to achieve each section.

One final little addition, is in fan demands. These are triggered the same as fan runs, by driving through a small indicator. When acquired, you are given a little prompt and an item to achieve the request. These range from “get a long-range bolt hit,” to “get a reverse shunt hit while drifting”. The faster you complete the request, the more fans you’ll net.

The weapon set in Blur covers all the basics. You have a homing missile, non-tracking bolts, mines, super lighting to attack the head of the pack, a shield, a repair, boost, and one or two more. Most of the weapons, at least the ones that make sense, can be fired both forward and backward, and they can even be used to block incoming attacks. You can hold three at a time, and use or dispose of them as you wish. Figuring out how to use these weapons is key to success, especially on harder difficulties as the AI is relentless. You will have to use all of your skills to stay in first, and it is by far, no easy task. By the third section in campaign, I had to scale back the difficulty to easy because I couldn’t win any events. Those guys are ridiculous, but luckily, easy will still give you some challenge further down the road. Overall though, I think medium is a bit too hard, and easy is a bit too easy. I wish there was something in between.

Multiplayer is another big factor in Blur. Like so many other games, Blur features a fully fledged ranking system, complete with 50 ranks, as well as a “prestige” mode, where you can reset your rank to 1 and get a bonus in a Legend car. You rank up by getting fans, which is done in the same way, by using weapons well and getting a good placing. Luckily, even if you don’t do too well in a race, you’ll still net some fans, so you progress no matter what. As you rank up, you unlock new cars and mods, which will make you more successful. With multiplayer, the variety of mods is increased dramatically, and you can set up to 3 mods, which give you a variety of perks, so playing around with them and finding a good set is important.

Multiplayer also features a variety of lobbies to play in, some with 10 or so cars, while others can support up to 20, which can get pretty crazy, with bombs flying all over the place. Staying in first will definitely be a challenge. And like old school FPSs, you can even get a cool little award after the race, for most weapons used, or best accuracy, etc, so it’s always neat to see if you’ll be spotlighted for your skill, or lack thereof.

Another interesting feature Blur has is its connectivity. Not only is there online multiplayer and 4-player split-screen, but you can even post your progress on Twitter or Facebook. Personally, I find such things a bit pointless, but its definitely a cool thing to have for those interested. You can even pause a single player game at any time and take a picture, changing colors and tints, with a free roaming camera. Something I find a bit cooler, is that you can have a rival, which is a selected friend whom you can compete with. Once selected, you’ll get updates on your rival’s scores and times in campaign and all of their progress, so you can try to beat their times. It’s pretty nifty, and something that will keep you coming back and trying to get better scores.

Overall, Blur is a solid package. There are over 50 licensed vehicles to unlock and drive, from BMWs to Hummers, which you can paint and customize, to an extent. The single player campaign is fun and challenging, and the multiplayer will keep you busy for a long time, with 50 ranks and 10 Legend prestiges to go through. There are even a ton of challenges to achieve, for you completionists. This is by no means a simulation racer, but if you like Mario Kart and other weaponized racers, then you’ll enjoy this one. The driving is solid and requires skill, but is basic enough for a less hardcore crowd. Those looking for a challenge though, will definitely find it in Hard mode and with the online competitors.

Overall Score: 7.7/10

This review was based on the PlayStation 3 version of the game, however, most of which has been stated should also be applied to the Xbox 360 and PC versions of the game.

E3 10: Sony Conference

And the last major company conference recap is here. Microsoft was lack-luster, Nintendo impressed... so how did Sony fair?

Gameplay montage shown to start the show

Killzone 3
- Live demo shown in 3D
- Graphically it's still ridiculously amazing
- Coming February 2011
- Functional with PlayStation Move at launch

Other 3D games
- MotorStorm Apocalypse
- Gran Turismo 5
- The Sly Collection
- Crysis 2
- Mortal Kombat
- Tron: Evolution
- amongst other 1st and 3rd Party games

PlayStation Move
- Available in Europe September 15
- Available in North America September 19
- Available in Eapan October 21
- Move controller alone for $49.99
- Analog controller for $29.99
- Move with PSEye and Sports Champions for $99
- Move, PSEye, Sports Champions, and 120 GB PS3 for $399

Sorcery
- 3rd Person Action/Adventure game
- 1:1 wand control
- Move's bulb changes color to indicate actions
- Coming Spring 2011

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11
- Yawn... show more exclusives please
- Wii golf in HD basically
- Update available via PSN at launch

Heroes on the Move
- Combines Jak & Daxter, Ratchet & Clank, and Sly Cooper
- Action/Avdenture game featuring Move control

Kevin Butler just appeared on stage, talking trash about Cirque du Soleil and Kinect; gives a speech about Move and PS3.

Montage of Move games shown, but I lost track. And a reveal of PSP's new, Kevin Butler-esque "Step Your Game Up." ad campaign.

God of War: Ghost of Sparta
- For PSP from Ready At Down Studios
- Releasing "later this year"

Another game montage shown, this time of recently released and coming soon PSP titles.

PlayStation Network
- Season 2 of The Tester starts casting today for a premiere this fall
- Entire E3 2010 booth has been recreated for Home

LittleBigPlanet 2
- Able to make games from nearly every genre
- Looks pretty damn fantastic
- But, we saw the trailer already, so it's not anything shocking anymore

PlayStation Plus
- New subscription service, on top of all the already free features
- Early access to demos and betas, and 'free' PSN games (PSN games, Minis, and PSone titles) and PSN discounts
- Full year for $49.99 or 3-Months for $17.99
- First three months free for a limited time
- Will include Qore subscription
- All content lasts for the duration of your subscription

Medal of Honor
- Releases October 12, 2010
- PS3 limited edition includes HD remake of Medal of Honor: Frontline

Dead Space 2
- Live demo shown, continuing from last night's EA conference
- PS3 exclusive comes with Dead Space: Extraction, now with Move support

Portal 2
- Notable PS3 hater Gabe Newell appears!
- Utilizes Steam Cloud and automatic updates, making it 'the best version' for consoles
- New trailer shown
- Coming 2011
- Now I regret getting excited about Steam for Mac, since it runs poorly

Final Fantasy XIV Online
- New trailer shown

Mafia II
- PS3 exclusive content available free at launch

Assassin's Creed Brotherhood
- PS3 version will have exclusive mission pack and multiplayer beta
- New trailer shown
- Releases November 16th, 2010

Yet another gameplay montage is shown.

Gran Turismo 5
- New trailer shown
- Releases November 2, 2010
- Fully 3D at launch

inFAMOUS 2
- New trailer shown
- Character has hair now, congrats
- And ice power in addition to electricity

Twisted Metal
- Sweettooth and his truck are on-stage
- From David Jaffe's Eat.Sleep.Play. studio
- Releasing next year
- Live demo shown
- Adds flight to the series

And... that's it, I guess.

The Move pricing seems somewhat reasonable considering the functionality it adds, and considering a standard DualShock 3 runs for $50. But, asking $30 for the analog controller seems excessive... and that's $30 on top of $99 if you don't already have a PSEye, which is basically everyone, making it a $130 investment for a complete 1 player package. But hey, at least they gave us a price and release date, which can't be said for Microsoft and Kinect.

Not a bad conference, but it dragged on a lot, and I could've done without all the montages. Plus, aside from Portal 2, there weren't any big surprises. I'm just really mad that The Last Guardian wasn't even shown or mentioned. Like, that's really the one PS3 title I've wanted to see more of, and it wasn't even muttered...

LittleBigPlanet 2

It's not often that we post news anymore, but I got a hold of the trailer and uploaded it to VFHvideo, so... why not, right?



Yes, LittleBigPlanet 2. I would have never thought that a game with so many updates and frequent user-generated and other downloadable content would get a proper sequel, but it looks like it's happening, and it surprisingly looks awesome without looking like more of what I've already payed to play for the last year and a half. And even better, it looks like any of your content, including created levels, will transfer over to the new game, which is a really nice touch.

I'm sure we'll hear and see more of LBP2 at this year's E3.

God of War III Review

God of War III has arrived on the PlayStation 3, to tie up lose ends for the third installment in the series. I never really got into the PlayStation’s business, but I got myself a PS3 Slim when they were first released and have heard good things of the GoW series, so before the release of GoW3, I picked up the GoW Collection and beat the first two games in the trilogy. I found them a bit boring and repetitive, but GoW3 came out during Spring Break and I was bored, so figured what the hey. Does the final game of the trilogy stick to the same old same old, or reinvent itself into a true spectacle? Read on, dear viewers, to find out.

As this is a true sequel to the previous games, the story picks up right after the second left off. You are on top of Gaia, a titan, scaling Mount Olympus on your way to kick Zeus’ ass with the rest of your ginormous friends. Kratos has a bone to pick with Zeus and the other gods, and he’s not gonna stop until they are all dead. I was completely blown away from the beginning, as the graphics and cinematics are simply stunning. This is by far one of the best looking games I’ve ever played. Everything pops, and it’s just incredible. The game starts with a bang as well. Not only are you climbing all over a friggin’ titan, but GoW3 wastes no time with giving you a challenge, in the form of the god Poseidon. He is your first boss encounter, and it happens within ten minutes of actually starting the game.

One of the things that bothered me from the previous GoW games, was that there weren’t really any boss battles. I have a bad memory, but I think there were like, two in the first game, and maybe a handful more in the second. You are just stuck in a giant temple the entire time, and don’t face many bosses. God of War III remedies that quite a bit, by taking you from location to location, and pitting you up against five gods, and another two or three bosses and epic enemies. These fights are pretty amazing, and brutal. Some of the things Kratos does…..damn. You do visit the same locations a couple times, and do that damned flying through a tunnel a bit, but overall, the variety is good and you’ll keep playing until you reach the end.

The gameplay itself is almost identical to previous iterations. You run through environments, solving little puzzles here and there, cutting up enemies as you go. Your main weapon is still the Blades of Chaos, I mean, the Blades of Athena, no, wait, that’s not right, they are the Blades of Exile, yeah, that’s it. The game hasn’t changed too much, so yeah, you’re still wielding those dual blades chained to your arms, although there is an extra move or two. The main addition is that of the combat grapple, where you can be guarding and press Circle to grab an enemy, and then do a sweet move with him, like pressing Square to use him as a meat-shield and run other enemies over, which is pretty awesome. Other than that, your light attack is still Square, heavy attack is Triangle, and you jump with X. You can hold L1 to block, and then press a face button to do a special move.

Quick-time events are also back, naturally, as they were a major feature of the first games. They’ve slightly been enhanced, with the button to press on the side of the screen that matches with the controller. This definitely threw me off the first time I saw it, as I didn’t know where the friggin’ icon was, as it moved around the screen basically, but once you figure it out, it’s easy, and an extra queue to let you know which button to press. However, it makes enjoying the cinematic moments a lot harder, as you want to be able to look directly at the action, but you can’t if you have a wide screen TV. You instead have to be looking out of your peripherals the entire time and looking at all sides of your screen install of a central location.

There are multiple weapons you can pick up in the game, as well as the ability to use magic and items. There are a total of four main weapons, and while each behaves slightly different, they are essentially the same, aside from perhaps the gauntlets. Each are dual-blades, so no single swords or anything this time around. Each definitely has different attacks which do different things to enemies and will have Kratos moving slightly differently, but overall, same thing. Each weapon also has a unique magic, so if you want to use a particular magic, you have to have that weapon equipped, although changing weapons is as simple as a tap of the d-pad. The magics more so determined which weapon I wanted to have out, although like the weapons, they are also fairly similar, so using any magic when there are numerous enemies on screen will have the relatively same effect. The coolest magic, aside from the awesome tornado you lose after the prologue, is the Army of Sparta, where you surround yourself with Spartan shields, in a phalanx, and kill everyone in your radius.

Aside from the weapons’ and their magic, you can also wield a few items, such as a bow, an annoying head, and another ability or two. These are activated by holding the L2 button and pressing a face button. You have to use the head a lot, if you want those blasted treasure chests, and the others I only used when necessary, so they don’t add too much to the game.

Those treasure chests are the same as those in the previous games as well, except there is a third item you can get from them this time around, the minotaur horn, along with the usual gorgon eye and phoenix feather. While there are three collectibles, you only need to find three of each to upgrade each unit, with the third being for use with the aforementioned items. Unfortunately, most of these chests are hidden from view, so you’ll have to use a certain someone’s head to uncover them, which means you’ll be pulling out the head every where you go in search of these chests, if you so choose, and every time you pull it out, it belts out an annoying scream.

Aside from those valuables, there are also godly items scattered throughout the world, which you’ll most definitely want to seek out. These don’t do anything until after you’ve beaten the game, but once you’ve done that, they act as cheats, which you can turn on and off, such as infinite magic, decreased damage, health meter slowly drains, and other such effects, which can be fun to play around with.

Once you’ve beaten the game, you also unlock a harder difficulty, for a total of four, as well as a costume for Kratos, which is pretty awesome looking and has an effect or two. Unfortunately, that is the only real extra costume in the game, which is disappointing. There were others, but you had to get those through pre-orders, slurpee drinking, and what not. And of course, GoW3 takes from the previous games again with other extras it offers, including extensive making-of videos, which are definitely worth a watch, and a handful of challenges and an arena. The challenges are sort of fun, but nothing that will add hours of gameplay.


I beat the game on my first play through on normal, in a little over 8 hours. So, if you’re playing on easy or normal, I wouldn’t expect it to take you too much longer than that; around the 10 hour range; hard may take longer. So, while the game isn’t the longest in the world, it gets the job done. In fact, I felt it dragged itself along at times, but that’s mainly due to the story construction and how it’s a little weird at times if you really think about it. Either way, the game is packed with plenty of variety, with more than a few crazy awesome moments that keep the game fresh. There are a handful of truly epic moments and some super brutality. The power of the PS3 does allow for some incredible experiences and you’ll definitely be playing more and more in hopes of getting to another one.

Kratos sticks with his character, in being a complete bad-ass and brutal mother f’er and there are some times where you just laugh, or maybe get sick, at the things he does. Definitely not a game for kids. Along with this, I found GoW3 to be a bit more focused on the combat and fighting, as opposed to the puzzle solving, which was a bit more laid back this time around. While the games have never been super puzzle heavy, the ones they did include weren’t exactly trivial. There are some puzzling moments in the game, but not quite as many as there have been in the past.

Overall, God of War III definitely repeats what it’s done in the past, but brings with it amazing graphics and some spectacular moments. If you’ve played the first two games, don’t expect anything really new, in terms of gameplay, which remains a bit of a hack-and-slash. However, if you’re already invested in the story, then you’ll definitely want to see its conclusion, and experience the shear awesomeness that is GoW3. Don’t be scared off either, if you haven’t played the first two games. Their stories aren’t incredibly important, and GoW3 can most definitely be enjoyed without playing the others. Kratos’ story is replayed a few times during GoW3, so you can play catch up, although you may be a bit lost at times, but it’s nothing you can’t google. If you didn’t like the previous games, you won’t like this one, but if you thought they were decent enough, you may want to just rent this bad boy to check out the graphics; they’re pretty awesome.

Overall Score: 9.2/10

BioShock 2 PS3 Review

It's one of those rare times that I actually buy a multi-platform title at release time, but after liking the late-to-the-party, PlayStation 3 version of the first BioShock (and the extra downloadable content), I felt somewhat obligated to pick up this long awaited, for some, sequel. Did it exceed my expectations from the first game? Or could we all have done without this sequel? Read on to find out!

Note, while this review is based solely on my playthrough of the PS3 version, it's content should pretty much apply to the Xbox 360 and PC versions of the game as well.

Story
The story of BioShock 2 is quite a bit different from that of the first game. Where the first game had you playing as an unnamed man in 1960 who eventually turns out to be a puppet in a much bigger plot, the sequel opens up in a somewhat horrifying scene in 1958, and soon starts gameplay in 1968, but this time you play as a 'prototype' Big Daddy name Subject Delta. And because it's set eight years after the first game, the Rapture you once knew is different this time around; for one, you don't go back to any of the first game's areas, which is nice (Rapture is a full-blown city after all), and the place is much more beat up than it used be, and two, since Andrew Ryan's death it's now run by Sophia Lamb, a woman with a much different view than Ryan's.

At first, I felt the game was playing bit like the first game, except all the supporting characters were women, but then it all changed. To put it the best way, if the first game started great but had a so-so ending, BioShock 2 does the opposite by starting out so-so, but finishing in a stellar fashion. If you play this game, and you're just not 'feeling it' at first, I highly suggest you go all the way regardless, because you would be missing out on one of the few thought-provoking, well written, and touching first-person games out there.

Gameplay
Much as Rapture is different, so is the gameplay, mainly in part due to the fact that you're now playing as a prototype Big Daddy. Now, I want to get something out of the way here first; in a lot of the reviews I've read from the 'big sites' there's been complaining that despite being a Big Daddy, it doesn't feel like you're playing as a Big Daddy, what with the swift movement and easy damage. After finishing the game, I feel that those other reviewers didn't even finish the game, because there was similar Big Daddies like yours that you'll fight towards the end of the game that are just as agile as the Splicers.

Anyways, since you're a Big Daddy, much of the weapons from the first game won't return; which bothered me because I really missed the pistol... but once I had this game's shotgun I was happy. Instead you'll have the infamous drill for melee combat, rivet guns, and more heavy weapons, and now you can even dual-wield weapons with plasmids, for a much more satisfying combat system. The way you upgrade these is also different too, as instead of just making the weapons/plasmids stronger, you'll also add new capabilities to them, i.e. the occassional rivet will set Splicers ablaze, or the freezing plasmid lets you turn Splicers into ice cubes. It really makes the game all the much more fun.

New actions like adopting Little Sisters to collect ADAM while you fend off Splicers, a much better research camera (now video), streamlined hacking, and even the overall impact of your choices to not harvest Little Sisters or kill/leave certain people in the game makes the overall experience of the sequel a bit more satisfying, even if everything else isn't as 'new' feeling.

Multiplayer
Here's another part that wasn't in the first game at all, online multiplayer. Oddly enough, this part of the game has it's own story separate from the single player game. Here, it's 1959, and there's a civil war between Team Atlus and Team Ryan, and you are a citizen of Rapture recruited for Plasmid Testing. So, because you're human, there's no dual-wielding of guns and plasmids like in the single player, but otherwise it's still BioShock. But, there's a slim chance you can find a Big Daddy suit, and then it will play similarly to 2, until you're killed.

There are seven game modes here, which range from death matches, to king of the hill, and capture the flag, but they're adapted to the world of Rapture, i.e. Capture the Little Sister, etc. At least on the PSN I found most players were in the team deathmatch mode, as it was much harder to find a game to play otherwise. I've already put in a few hours in the multiplayer, and I have to say it's surprisingly really fun. But if you have games like Uncharted 2 or Modern Warfare, chances are you won't come back to Rapture's multiplayer very often.

Graphics
Graphically BioShock 2 is pretty much exactly like the first game. The style may not seem as fresh, since you've seen it before, and because you're not playing as a human, there are no well-rendered man-hands constantly in view. But otherwise the game still looks great, the textures are nice, there's nice damage effects, and the character models, especially on the Big Sisters is really nice. My most favorite parts of the games are where you get to walk underwater, or when a place you're in floods, as the water effects and change in physics are really nice, and being alone underwater is beautifully desolate.

Sound
The sound aspect of BioShock 2 is interesting... interesting in that I can't remember any of the game's original score, however, the old-timey licensed tracks that were used at parts in the game I remember quite well, and somehow I even enjoyed them. Otherwise, the Little Sisters still sound creepily innocent, the Big Daddies (and the new Brute Splicers) are broodingly scary, and the new Big Sisters might make you shit yourself when they show up, and you have the great sound design of Rapture to thank for that new lump in the back of your pants,

Final Thoughts
As an overall experience, I think people are going to remember the first BioShock over this sequel, not because this game is bad (because it definitely is not) but because it's just not as fresh. It really bothered me in other reviews how people complained that this game returned to Rapture, and I honestly don't get that complaint, because if you took the underwater element away from BioShock, it wouldn't be BioShock anymore. Sure, it's not as unique/memorable as the first game, that's ultimately the fate of any sequel set in the same setting as its predecessor; but BioShock 2 is a fantastic game with a fantastic ending that shouldn't be missed by any self-respecting gamer.

Overall Score: 9/10

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Review

Call this delayed, but at least it will be worth it. We're going to start off a new type of review today with a very special game, Naughty Dog's Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, sequel to 2007's Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, and considered by many publications to be 2009's Game of the Year. But what make's this review different, you ask? This is VFH's first ever two-person game review!

Much like certain This Week In features, two-person game reviews will be divided into categories, with each reviewer giving their thoughts. To differentiate, my (JDW's) text will be default black, while Zach's parts will be in red. Let's get to it!

Story
Uncharted 2 brings us back to the story of adventurer and smart talker, Nathan Drake, who has just woken up, bleeding, in a train hanging off of a cliff. What a way to start the game! You'll soon find out why, meeting both new and familiar faces along the way. Personally, I think the story of Uncharted 2 was really nice, it seemed a little more thought out than the first game, and thanks to the cinematic experience, was aided by the use of flashbacks and proper chapter cuts, making it feel more like a lengthy TV series or a movie, rather than just an adventure game.

Among Thieves delivers a similar story to its predecessor. It is filled with exploration, discovery, and twists. You start out with Drake and a couple of compatriots pulling a routine heist, but it soon evolves into something much more; an epic quest. The story flows fairly well from one environment to the next, where you may meet some familiar faces. However, I felt that it started to drag on towards the end, where the same thing kept happening again and again. You explore a new area/puzzle, and then the enemy finds you and you have to fight and run away. It was starting to get dull.

Gameplay
Among Thieves plays just like Drake's Fortune, only better. But how do you make it better? Well for one, Sixaxis controls are optional now; so if you weren't a fan of angling the controller to toss grenades, turn it off (I was used to it, so I left it on), and the parts where you had to cross logs or other beams no longer makes you balance Drake out, which cuts the frustration level. Also great is that a lot of the game plays out in a cinematic fashion, like when you're being gunned down by a helicopter while trying to navigate through a train, not getting through certain parts on time will result in you blowing up. It's a not a time limit, per say, but I felt it made the game much more immersive.

What I also appreciated was the improved Medals system. While the first game had Medals (which eventually were patched to earn Trophies), the ones this time around are a bit better. Not only do some of them earn Trophies, but there's some non-Trophy ones as well that make you play in a way you wouldn't have thought of. Granted, it'd be nice to get Trophies for all the goals, but, whatever, at least I can still earn unlockables from it all.

If you played the first Uncharted, then you will be ready for Among Thieves, as the gameplay is nearly identical. It is a third-person cover-shooter with a little puzzle solving on the side. There are plenty of moments for stealth, as it is better to attempt to take down a room of soldiers without anyone noticing, rather than going in shooting, however, when one enemy does happen to see you, the game isn’t over. You simply need to stay behind cover and take out the remaining opponents. They will lob grenades at you from time to time to get you to move around, but it isn’t too difficult. However, if you plan to run around without taking cover into a swarm of guards, you’ll be restarting very often.

Aside from the shooting, you’ll be doing a ton of climbing around buildings and solving relatively simple puzzles in order to continue on your path. Most climbable objects are highlighted in an obvious yellow or other bright color, but others aren’t. After playing the game for an hour, you’ll start to pick up on what is climbable and what is not, although there will be times when you run around aimlessly trying to figure out where you’re supposed to go or how you’re supposed to get there. There is a hint system, although it isn’t the most helpful.


Multiplayer
Most of the time I spent in Uncharted 2's online multiplayer was actually during the beta test, but I can say from what I've experienced now that it's very much improved. You have your stan deathmatch, team deathmatch, king of the hill, and a few other modes that I'd rather not deal with explaining; there's even a machinima mode for creating custom movies! But the most fun I've had online is the co-op, which allows up to three players to cooperatively play through adjusted parts of the story mode. Adjusted as in, the map's basically the same, but the scenarios are adjusted to fit 2-3 players. Only issue is that a good percentage of PSN gamers lack a headset (I'm guilty of this) and communication may be an issue.

I have only played team deathmatch so far, but it plays just like the single player. You have a gun, with others scattered around the map, and you try to kill people. It takes a minute to learn each map, but finding out where the good guns are placed takes longer. Playing against more experienced players will obviously put you at a disadvantage, as they will quickly pick up the shotguns and RPGs and leave you empty handed, waiting to be pulverized. You also have two perk slots, where you can purchase and then equip a perk. You unlock more as you rank up and they do an assortment of different things, like giving you more accuracy, or the ability to see through walls.


Graphics
Back in 2007, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune showcased the PlayStation 3's graphical power, two years later Uncharted 2 isn't that much different. There's a bit more detail and particle effects to the environments, and it's still lush with color, which isn't something you see often this generation. What I also really enjoyed was the level variety, unlike the first game, where you spent all game in the jungle... until the very end. This time around you go from the sewers in Istanbul, Burmese jungles, a Nepalese city, the snowy mountains of Tibet and more, which really makes the game's graphical engine shine, instead of just showing the same place.

The graphics in this game are very similar to the first game, but that isn't a bad thing. The environments are lush and vibrant, and the character models are very good. The animation is pretty top notch, and you are slowed by piles of snow or deep water, and the effects, like a wet shirt, are noticeable and a good little touch. The graphics alone won't completely blow you away, but coupled with the storytelling and score, it all comes together for a great package.

Sound
The sound design in Uncharted 2 is pretty fantastic. It's got a great cast that fit's the characters they're portraying, the emotion feels real, and the soundtrack rivals many a Hollywood feature. Put all of that together with the great cinematic look and feel of the game, and you've got an experience more fitting of a TV drama than what you'd expect to see and hear in a video game.

The story is presented via cut scenes which are voiced very well. All of the characters are believable and their voices match. I can’t complain about anything in there, but outside of the cut scenes, enemy exclamations are repetitive. And Nolan North’s voice is becoming more and more apparent to me in other video games….it’s odd.

Final Thoughts
I finally played the first Uncharted right before Uncharted 2 released this past November, which explains why this is a bit late. I loved the first one enough to want to play the second, and I was glad to see that the whole experience was very much improved, from the gameplay, to the graphics, to the score, all better. Sure, not everything is overly improved, but the game is definitely a step above the first, and certainly one of the best releases on PS3 and one of the best games released in the last decade. The online multiplayer adds to the experience once you finish the single player, but it may not be for everyone.

Overall, Uncharted 2 is a great sequel. It has everything the first game had, and a bit more. If you enjoyed the original, then this is simply another adventure that you will get to explore with familiar characters. However, if you didn't like the first, then this one wouldn't change your mind, as I believe it to be very, very similar to its predecessor. Granted, I haven't played the first in a very long time, so ask Jared what you think, but I believe they didn't add much to it, aside from the multiplayer, which has the possibility of hooking players in, assuming you don't already play something like Modern Warfare 2...

JDW's Score: 9.5/10
Zach's Score: 9/10

Overall Score: 9.3/10

Well this one's a bit delayed, but it wouldn't be the first time we've given out a VFH Seal of Approval a couple months late. Personally, I can't say I've thoroughly enjoyed another PlayStation 3 game this generation as much as Uncharted 2, except for Metal Gear Solid 4. I mean, other exclusives like the first Uncharted, LittleBigPlanet, and others I really enjoyed, but at the same time there would be things in those games I really didn't like. Uncharted 2 really is a near perfect game, and should be experienced!

PixelJunk Shooter Review

I bought Monsters far too late to review it, and Eden I bought at release but never got around to reviewing it. But I'm not going to let that happen to Q-Games' latest entry into the PixelJunk series, PixelJunk Shooter, and perhaps my most favorite game in the series yet.

Just a slight note, the screens SCEA had available are from what seems to be a really early build of the game. For a better reflection of how the game actually looks, check the video I recorded and included in this review.

Story
Because of the nature of the PixelJunk games, story has never been a huge factor. In this sense, Shooter is no different, although there's actually some sort of back story this time around that deals with a group of scientists investigating a mysterious planet, and it's up to you to rescue them. Nothing inventive, but something that gives the player motivation and something that gives the game a point.

Gameplay
The gameplay of PixelJunk Shooter relies not only on the titular shooting mechanics, but also puzzle solving with elements. The game itself is divided into three 'episodes,' each with their own levels, and each level is divided into sections. With each episode comes new elements and mechanics to deal with; so while the games first chapter only deals with lava and water, come the game's second chapter you'll be dealing with lava, ice, water, and gas, and figuring out how they all interact. But you're not just going around messing with elements, and fighting off enemies, but you'll also be rescuing scientists and collecting treasure. Come the end of each episode there's a huge boss battle, but they rely as much of the elemental features as they do with shooting... making the name more fitting.


Control-wise the game is quite simple. L1 and L2 (you're choice) are used to pick up scientists and items, and R1 and R2 (once again, it's preference) are used to shoot; flight is controlled with the left stick, and the angle at which you shoot is on the right stick, and it seems to work with ease. If anything, I found the gameplay and the progression of Shooter to be much more user friendly than that of Monsters and Eden. It really bothered me that for games that relied on simplicity would become so frustrating/unforgiving at early points in the game; Shooter has seemingly remedied that issue by having no time restraints, brutal enemies, or life limits. These may put off gamers looking for a challenge, but if I'm going to spend $10+ on a game, I should at least be able to enjoy it instead of being enraged by it, so I'm happy. Heck, it's the first PixelJunk game I've not only been able to beat, but actually earn a Trophies in.

The game also includes a two-player mode and a Remote Play mode. Since I still don't have a second DualShock 3, I wasn't able to try out the multiplayer (it's local only, the only online feature is leaderboards like in Monsters and Eden). But, I have a PSP, so I tried out Remote Play. While the game still looks decent, minus the compression from streaming, it plays a bit differently, mainly due to the PSP's lack of a second analog stick/nub which is crucial to the regular gameplay. Instead, when you move the nub, the ship will fly and shoot in the same direction, meaning when you're aiming you'll still be flying towards the enemy... which defeats the purpose of avoiding the enemy.

Graphics
Graphically PixelJunk Shooter is much more like Eden than it is Monsters or the flat-3D Racers. The game features an outline-less 2D style, with a unique color-scheme, that all together just looks fantastic when you're playing it in 1080p. The liquid elements, despite being flat, flow like liquid should, and the varying environments and elements between each episode are a treat to see in HD. It's not as much variation as Eden's levels, but at least Shooter offers unique levels in each environment instead of just making you replay the same map for longer. I also appreciated that this is the first game in the PixelJunk series to not use the annoying 'black bar' HUD, instead using a display that feels like it's part of the game. (The screenshot here is from an early version, but you can check the video to see the game's much improved HUD).

Sound
Not the most enticing soundtrack of the PixelJunk series, but the music in Shooter works really well at giving the game the right mood for exploring the depths of a planet. But as I said before, unlike Eden, which had 10+ different environments, Shooter only has you playing in 3 majorly different settings, and because of that a lot of the music repeats. Sound effect wise... the monsters in the game don't have unique cries or noises when they attack, and the ship can't really make much noise. If there's any sound that amusing to hear it's the sound of the scientists being killed, sure it indicates that you won't get a 100% score, but it's the cutest death cry ever!

Final Thoughts
I definitely enjoyed playing through PixelJunk Shooter, and I have all the intention of completely the game 100%, which is something I can't say about Eden and Monsters despite enjoying them a lot. Maybe it's because the Trophies are actually achievable without getting angry or having to change a difficulty setting (which doesn't exist in Shooter, but the other two games had them patched in). Or maybe it's the fact that the game is the first I've bough that has PlayStation Home rewards for completing certain (though I have no clue) objectives. But regardless, PixelJunk Shooter is definitely my most favorite in the series so far, and I'm looking forward to the inevitable Encore expansion.

Overall Score: 9.2/10

For more gameplay footage visit VFHvideo on YouTube.

PixelJunk Shooter Footage

It's been a couple of weeks since this fantasticly fun game release, and while I've yet to review it (I will soon!), I did manage to get my PS3 hooked up to an HDTV today so that I could record some proper footage from the game's three episodes.

Note, each of the game's "episodes" feature multiple levels, and each level contains its own areas. So the footage I have is just the first levels of each episode. Enjoy! [As of posting this, the videos were not fully processed. If the quality looks like crap, check back later. Sorry]







My review for PixelJunk Shooter should be up sometime later this week.

Noby Noby Boy reaches Jupiter

Call this oddly coincidental, but the day after I randomly decided to buy Noby Noby Boy from the PlayStation Store, the in-game GIRL reached Jupiter, unlocking a whole new planet to play with. And thanks to the game's YouTube recording feature, I can show it off to you now.



For those who don't know, Noby Noby Boy is a sandbox title for the PSN from Keita Takahashi, best known as the creator of Katamari Damacy. There's no real goal other than to just screw around with the character, BOY, and the environment. And, by stretching and uploading your length, every player contributes to the length of GIRL, who stretches across the Solar System. The 2D aspect that pops up in the middle of the video is a hidden mini-game.

Not much else to say, but a decent waste of $5 regardless. I may even review it in the coming week... maybe.

Braid (PSN) review

While Zach may have reviewed the original Xbox Live Arcade version of Braid way back when VFH Classic was still used, it's taken over a year for the title to finally reach the PlayStation Network (thanks to a port job from Hothead Games),so it's time for a fresh take on this well-received downloadable game.

Story
The story of Braid is peculiar; there's an overbearing idea that there is a missing "Princess" who has been kidnapped by a "Monster," and you, Tim, must rescue her, but nothing concrete is ever really revealed. Instead what you're left with are allusions via books that precede each World's levels, which change in tone from a tale of lost love, to a story of a broken home... it's strange, unexpected, but it may make you think a bit if you choose to look into it. Otherwise you could easily play this without ever paying attention to the story.

Gameplay
At heart, Braid is a standard run-of-the-mill platformer; you have Worlds with sub-levels, enemies to stop on, and goals to reach. But what sets the game apart from anything else I've ever played is the ability to manipulate time. The game really only has 4 button commands, there's the d-pad or left analog stick to move, X to jump, Circle to activate doors and switches, and Square to manipulate time; eventually Triangle is used for another command, but... spoilers? Maybe?

The game is divided into five Worlds, 2-6; why start at 2? I assume it's because the overworld is 1, but I could be wrong. Each World has a series of doors, each it's own level, but the levels are all connected so that if you enter through the third door you can play back to 1, or go all the way to 6. The main goal of each level is to find puzzle pieces, which can then be arranged into a painting (you'll earn a bronze Trophy for just going through each World, and silver for completing each of the paintings). What gives the game some variety, other than changing architecture and design of each World is a new gameplay addition. While the first World may be standard platforming with some time-manipulation, the fourth will introduce harder puzzles that involve reversing time and interacting with a ghost version of yourself. It's a nice change of pace, and makes the game more fresh and especially more challenging as you progress along.

Graphics
If graphics were designed by classic artists, then Braid would have been Vincent Van Gogh's creation. The artwork of the game has the look of classic impressionistic paintings, and while flat, still looks quite gorgeous in motion, especially when you're running it in HD. Everything from the start screen (which is actually part of the gameplay) to the actual levels and characters ooze of this classic style, and it's really something to behold. By far one of the most unique graphical choices I've seen in gaming.

Sound
But, all is not over, accompanying the peculiar gameplay and brilliantly rustic graphical style, is the haunting, moody, and oh so fitting orchestrated (I believe, it sounds like it for the most part) soundtrack to the game. It's not the upbeat chiptunes you expect to hear from a platformer, but the tone of the game set by the artwork and story isn't exactly your average platformer either, and I feel the music does a great job of keeping that all together.

Final Thoughts
Braid is a great game, and if you haven't already purchased this game for Xbox 360, PC, or Mac, and you have an internet connected PlayStation 3, then you should probably do yourself a favor and download this game. If there's any gripe I have about this game, it's the price. For a downloadable title that launched for 1200 Microsoft points (roughly $15) back in August of last year, there's kind of no reason for it to launch for the same price one year later on the PlayStation Store, especially when you consider that there's no added features and the game is somewhat short. But pricing aside, Braid is certainly something to experience if you haven't already.

Overall Score: 9/10

Blur join LEGO Rock Band

Damnit, why did my favorite band have to go and mix with my favorite childhood toy?!

Announced via Rolling Stone, the Brit-pop pioneers will be appearing in full mini-fig form as part of LEGO Rock Band, joining both Iggy Pop and David Bowie as LEGO-tized musicians for the game.

I have to say, I'm suprised, pleased, and somewhat distraught over the band's inclusion. One, they only reunited this year, and subsequently said they wouldn't be doing anything more. Two, compared to Iggy Pop and David Bowie, they don't exactly have the same impact on the music industry. And then there's the fact that their only song in the game is the over-played and un-Blur like track, "Song 2". Otherwise, I definitely can see the resemblance, more so in Alex James.

LEGO Rock Band releases this November.

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 Review

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 follows the same design as its predecessor, while of course tweaking a few things here and there. You still control four heroes from the Marvel universe, powering them up as you go through a new story that harks to the Civil War comic series. If you like the Marvel line-up, then there is plenty to enjoy, but if not, then you won’t see more than a button masher here.

The story starts with Nick Fury calling four heroes to his side to help out on a special mission to stop the Latverian prime minister, Lucia von Bardas from supplying weapons to super villains. Their mission is successful, but it brings trouble a year later when Lucia returns for revenge and destroys a major US city. Awkwardly though, the story quickly shifts to the super heroes themselves, as a registration act is put in place by the US government. Some heroes decide to register, while others believe it an outrage. This pits the two groups against each other, and the previous storyline is all but forgotten.

From that point though, you can choose which side to take; anti- or pro-registration, which will slightly change the storyline and missions, until later in the game where it comes together again. While this does allow for multiple play-throughs, each path actually plays almost identically, which I found to be very disappointing. However, there are some super heroes that are distinct to each side of the conflict, so you have to be on their side to use them in battle, which could sway your initial decision one way or the other, but the heroes I ended up going with; Wolverine, Gambit, Spider-Man, and Deadpool; could be on either side.

You can choose from a list of 24 heroes to play as, although many have to be unlocked as you progress. Most of them are simply unlocked as you advance, but some of the stronger characters, like Thor and Jean Grey, are unlocked by collecting various items. You can swap out characters at any time you like via the pause menu, as well as amp up your characters’ stats or assign boosts.

One of the collectibles you’ll find hidden away in levels or earn after defeating bosses are boosts. You can assign three boosts at a time to your entire team, and they do a variety of things. Some boosts up your defense against things like fire or lighting, while others increase the percentage of damage you do, or give you special abilities, like restore health for melee attacks. There are tons of these to find and experiment with to make them the most beneficial and complimentary to your style and characters. Another option at your disposal is upgrading each character. You earn XP by fighting and gain power orbs by breaking objects or defeating foes, and these can be used to power-up a character, making him or her stronger or use new abilities. By default, this is all done automatically, but you can change it so you can upgrade the abilities you want.

The actual gameplay is fairly simple to grasp. For starters, you run around with four characters at once, with direct control over one at a time, with the other three keeping up with you fairly well. You can switch between the four on the fly via the d-pad, while the left thumbstick controls movement and right controls the camera. Quick attacks, for the PS3, are performed via the X button, while strong attacks are done by the O, holding it for a charged attack. You can jump and double jump with Triangle, and grab with Square. The shoulder buttons are used to toggle special attacks and options. Hold R2 and press X, O, Triangle, or Square to perform a power, or R1 and a button to use a health pack on a character. A power would consist of the super hero’s power, for instance, with Spider-Man, you can shoot out webbing projectiles with X, do a spin move with O, and other such things. In fact, these type of attacks correspond with almost every character, with projectiles assigned to the X and a wide radial attack with O. The other two must be unlocked via leveling up and do a number of different things. There is a meter that depletes when you use power moves, so you can’t constantly use these special abilities, but the meter refills automatically and fairly quickly, so don’t be scared off by it.

Holding L1 will allow you to block, while tapping it will give you the ability to dodge incoming attacks. L2 works like the R’s and requires you to hold it and press another button, this time allowing your current character and the other one you select to perform a fusion attack. These are massive attacks that come in three varieties; guided, clearing, and targeted. Each hero pairing is assigned one of these types, and they appear with the button needed to press to perform it, so you know what will happen. While each pair does generate a unique visual effect, each type is relatively the same. Clearing dispatching 10 or so nearby enemies, while guided allows you to run around the map and take out as many enemies as you can for 10 or so seconds. Targeted is particularly useful during boss battles, as you can only target one enemy, and then do massive damage to him or her.

These fusion attacks can only be performed when you fill a special meter, which is done by attacking enemies. Once the meter is full, you earn a star, which allows you to do a fusion attack, and you can hold two stars at a time, or three if you have a special boost equipped. Each fusion attack has a special requirement, which if met, will earn you a health pack, two of which can be held at once.

The two health packs are fairly limited, and you’ll find yourself leaving a lot more behind, as you simply don’t have to use them very often, at least not on normal difficulty during the first 2/3 of the game. While it is easy to see which hero is badly injured, by their icon flashing red, you’ll be required to cycle through all of them to see which one needs a health pack otherwise, which is annoying. Heroes can also faint if their health meter gets depleted, but they can just as easily be revived with a health pack. And if you have young kids or you’re just not good at video games, you can play on easy, where your heroes can’t faint at all.

The game is split up into a variety of missions, which will have you beating down a ton of enemies and a couple of bosses until you get to the end. You just follow the path they put in front of you, destroy a few objectives, and continue forward. If you aren’t sure where to go, you can click on the R3 button to flash a directional arrow in the way you need to go. There are a few types of enemies, but aside from that, they are all the same. You’ll have to fight wave after wave of the exact same enemies, and then take on a couple cool super villains, or other heroes later on. Some areas will require a bit of strategy, and some enemies have shields and the like which must be taken away before you can damage them, but there is no real skill required. This game is a button masher, and while you can choose your fusion attacks and powers, you’re going to be doing the same attacking again and again, so it gets a bit repetitive.

Outside of the missions, you can explore your base, which will change throughout the game. Here, you can talk to other super heroes, pick up art bundles, and replay old missions. The demo center, aside from allowing you to replay the old missions, also lets you play through challenges. The challenges are pretty cool in that you can earn medals depending on how well you do, which net you XP or special boosts and other such goodies. There is also a trivia game you can play, which isn’t too difficult, but another nice distraction for those wanting to brush up on their Marvel knowledge.

The game doesn’t offer too much else. It’s fun while it lasts, if you like the characters. I beat the game in about 6 hours, but it could take you considerably longer if you choose to talk with every character you can, do all the challenges, collect everything there is, and answer all of the trivia questions. Each character also has an alternate costume, which is pretty cool. However, there aren’t any amazing puzzles or anything and you just beat up on the same few enemies again and again, so it gets a bit stale, although playing with all of the famous heroes is fun.
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 does a fairly good job at pleasing fans, with presenting a ton of characters, some of which are some what obscure, and letting gamers play as their favorite heroes. Each characters' powers are really cool and there are a ton of collectibles and art to pick up to expand the gameplay, but at its core, this title is a button masher which can get repetitive for gamers.

Overall Score: 7/10

Posted in collaboration with GamersPlatform