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...

No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle Review

This has been a couple weeks in the making (and sorry for the delay), but this two-person review is finally here! No More Heroes, one of our favorite Wii games, finally got a sequel. Being a Suda51 game, there was no doubt the game would be crazy and entertaining from a style standpoint, but the actual gameplay itself? That was a little more up in the air. Read on good friend, find out what we thought of No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle. My parts are in black, JDW's are in red.

Story
The story of No More Heroes 2 is not one to be taken as seriously as say, Mass Effect 2. It has a crazy kind of off the wall value to it, that some will appreciate and some will hate. I personally, loved the style. The game cops you out of so much that you expect in it's progression, and jokes about it later, pouring salt in your wounds. I thought it was hilarious, I know others were angry about this, but if you can approach it with an open mind and take it as lightly as the game takes itself, you will love the story that is told. Sure the bosses may be less interesting as a whole, but that's not to say they are all bad. There are a few select fights that will stick with me for quite a while, I'll say that much. Just do yourself a favor and don't spoil anything with videos or screens, the surprises are half the fun.

I have to agree here. No More Heroes 2 is classic Suda51, off-beat characters, unusual gameplay, and jokes throughout the game pointing it all out. Also, considering this is Suda51's first ever sequel, it was interesting to see how he handle returning to Santa Destroy. But, even though you'll be going from rank 51 (get it?) to the top, as opposed to starting from 10... don't expect the game to last much longer. And with that in mind, I can't say all the bosses were as memorable as the first game's 10 assassins, but some were certainly stand-outs.

Gameplay
The gameplay is practically identical to the first game, par a few details here and there. It's a straight up hack-n-slash, somewhat of a dying genre, so I say take it while you can. The fighting is broken up with mini-games that help you power up Travis, shape up your cat, or earn money. Most of these mini-games have a retro, 8-bit style to them, and are hands down an improvement over the approach the first game had of "fight tons of enemies to farm money so you can get to the interesting boss battle." You can blow through NMH2 in a little less than 10 hours, boss fight after boss fight, if you wish. This is a very welcome option, and outside of a few rough patches it keeps the pacing right where you want it the whole way through. Also, unlike the first game, NMH2 has Classic Controller support. I was really excited for this addition, but in the end it really disappointed, the satisfaction of the finishing move just wasn't there. I'd recommend sticking with the tried and true.

The gameplay additions, while a nice inclusion to the already awesome combat system, I felt didn't really do much for NMH2. For instance, the two beam katanas? You won't actually get those till later in the game, and even then they play just like you were using one. Not that it's a bad thing, as you should fix what isn't broken, but the teasing leading up to the release made it seem like so much more. Same thing with playing as Shinobu and Henry, you'll only use them 1-2 times, and I honestly hated platforming with Shinobu because the camera system stinks. The 8-bit side missions were fun though, at first, but you'll eventually find yourself sticking to 1 or 2 of them for when you need cash.

Graphics
The graphics were are a massive step up. This has got to be the most stylish game on the Wii, and if you aren't afraid to spill a little blood, I'm sure you'll like what they've done overall. It has a very clean, very distinct look to it. More detail than the first game, and just a more well thought out overall style.

Agreed, NMH2 really is a showcase of what developers should be doing on the Wii. If you can't do ultra-realism like the beefier 360 and PS3, and then surely ultimate-style is the way to go, and this game reeks of it. I was a bit unsettled when I saw that this game ditched the first's distinct, heavy black shading, but in motion all my worries were gone. Definitely a graphical showcase, but I just wish there was more variety to the grunt enemies.

Sound
The sound is the only area which I would say had a major dip from the first. The music in NMH1 was just so awesome and memorable, while in 2, it's either something rehashed from 1, or just kind of there. A bit of a let down.

Agreed again, while the No More Heroes theme-song is catchy, I kind of which I didn't have to just hear remixes of it throughout all the levels. There is an occasional new song here and there, but these fights go by so fast that you probably won't even realize it.

Final Thoughts
No More Heroes 2 is in my opinion, an improvement. Yes, some it does seem as if some style was lost, yes, the music isn't as good, and yes, the bosses on a whole are not as interesting. But the game is more streamlined, packed with fun mini-games, and just refined all around. When the game shines, it shines pretty damn bright. Honestly, I do expect that the soon-to-be port of the original game to the HD consoles will take the place as my favorite NMH game, but as of now, that honor rests on 2.

I have mixed feelings about No More Heroes 2, I loved it (as I do with most of Suda51's work), but I can't help but feel this game was less memorable than the first game. What made the first game so great was the brilliant use of the Wiimote in combat, great character/battle design, and the style. While NMH2 captures most of that, I think it's a definite drop in the character department. While Travis and Sylvia both get more developed, Henry and Shinobu fall flat, and the bosses have such little screen-time for you to care about them. It's still a great game, albeit a short one, but there's just some things from the first game I missed this time around.

Nick's Score: 8.5/10
JDW's Score: 8.8/10

Overall Score: 8.7/10

No More ... T-Shirts?

I know it's early (or late?) but I wanted to put it out there that I've encountered a glitch in No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle (which we'll have reviewed soon enough). The glitch removes t-shirts (so far, at least) from my wardrobe and puts them back in the AirPort 51 shop, forcing them to re-buy shirts I've already purchased.

And I know I'm not just imagining this, because the other day I was wearing the "Portable Saving!" t-shirt, and when I went to change into it today, it was gone. So I went to AirPort 51, and there it was. Kind of a bullshit glitch if you ask me...

Anyone else experiencing this? Is there any Ubisoft could do, i.e. disc replacement/patch?

After Thoughts: E3 2009 - Day 0

For my complete coverage of E3 from LA, be sure to check out my articles and photos on Gamers Platform, as well as my GP Twitter updates.

Well hello hello there. I'm here in Los Angeles, in the trenches, soaking in all that E3 has to offer. Although E3 hasn't officially started yet, some major stuff has gone down. What I've had the pleasure to see today are the Microsoft and Ubisoft conferences. I also got to see the city a bit, as I walked around to pick up my Nintendo pass for their conference tomorrow, and got rejected for the Sony event, sadness. Also, last night I went to Kotaku's Pre-E3 party, which was decent.

To start off, Microsoft's conference was pretty epic. They showcased a ton of great games, in my opinion, even though none of them were super shockers, but it seemed like they had a lot of good content. I wasn't too impressed with the entertainment-like features, with Facebook and Twitter and the like, but I guess it's good to have such things available. The main thing they showed off was their new peripheral/controller, codenamed Natal. It's definitely still in the works and won't be available for awhile I don't think, but something that will be interesting to follow and see how Microsoft uses it. I think they could make it their main input device in their next console, which will be interesting.

Ubisoft also showed off a lot of good stuff too. The beginning of their conference was pretty boring, unfortunately, with James Cameron going on and on about Avatar, but then they got into the games and they had a lot of good stuff to show off. Now, it wasn't all good, but they had some good titles.

Tomorrow is going to be a huge day. I get to go to Nintendo's conference, and then there's Sony's, not to mention the show floor opens and it is just going to be crazy. I'm not sure exactly what to expect, but I don't think I'm prepared. Get ready.

Prince of Persia: Epilogue review

Those of us who played and beat Prince of Persia (click to see the original review) earlier this year were left feeling somewhat unfulfilled at the end of the game. Thankfully, Ubisoft has delivered some sort of ailment, albeit a $10 one. Question is, does fix the problem or just cause more?

For those not in the mood for riddles, I'll say it much easier in a spoiler free manner; when most gamers finished Prince of Persia, the ending left much to be desired as far as closure is concerned. Therefore, Ubisoft heard the cries of gamers and released "Epilogue" a new chapter in the game's story that takes place directly after the ending, so as far as story is concerned, that's all I can tell you. However, I think it should be noted that due to the way Prince of Persia saves after you beat the game, a.k.a. it doesn't, you don't need to have beaten the game in order to play the Epilogue, as it saves in its own separate file within the game. But, if you're buying this expansion, chances are you've beaten the game anyways.

But what exactly does Epilogue give you for its $10 price tag? First off, the game takes place in an entirely new setting, The Underground Palace, which sadly, doesn't contain the lush colorful environments of a Fertile Ground in the main game, instead opting for heavy use of Corruption. Don't get me wrong, it's the same game and still looks beautiful, but I personally would've liked to see more of that rich color that made the rest of the game stand out for me. To add to this new environment is a new Power Plate, which in addition to 3/4 of the ones from the main game add for some neat visuals and gameplay mechanics.

Also included is a new battle technique, which allows you or an enemy to trigger a charge sequence which can end in your favor or not, its a neat addition, but one that does not exist in the main game. On that topic, it should also be noted, there are no new characters, which means sadly, you'll have to deal with familiar bosses all over again, which can be a pain when you have to fight the same annoying boss six times just to get him in the right spot for defeat. "Epilogue" also adds two character skins to unlock once the chapter is beaten, as well as 10 new Trophies for you to try to unlock within the expansion, which adds some nice replayability for those looking to ride the Trophy Train to Platinumsville.

My biggest gripes about "Epilogue" though are: 1) the length of the title, and 2) the price. While I understand it's not a whole new game, and there's not much Ubisoft can add without making it another game entirely, I think even $10 may be steep when the experience only lasts for about three hours. A three hour experience, mind you, that in the end still leaves gamers with a cliffhanger, presumably meaning we'll have to shill out another $10 for an experience that should've been included in the $60 game to begin with. Yes, "Epilogue" is certainly a fun, worthwhile buy if you enjoyed Prince of Persia that much, which I did, but I can't help but feel slightly cheated when I expected closure and was once again given the short stick.

Overall Score: 7.5/10

"Epilogue" is also available on the Xbox Live Marketplace for 800 Microsoft Points.

Prince of Persia review

What's this? A relevant review?! Anyways, Ubisoft has re-reinvented the classic Prince of Persia franchise for the new generation. Does it leap forward or does it take a step back?

Funny thing about that last sentence. The only other Prince of Persia game I've ever played is the original one on NES, so I can't even compare this game to the Sands of Time trilogy. In fact, the closest game I could compare this to is Shadow of the Colossus and/or ICO, as both games feature vast open lands, a companion, and 1:1 battles. Not that it's a bad thing, since both of those Team ICO titles are pure works of art, but the real question is: Does Ubisoft create a new PoP that is accessible to even a gamer that hasn't played a previous game in the franchise.

Story
To start a-new in the current generation of gaming, Ubisoft decided to re-revamp this franchise from the Sands of Time trilogy of the last generation. That means a new Prince, a new setting, and a new world entirely. The game starts out with our unnamed hero traversing through the desert after losing his donkey; he stumbles upon a girl, Elika, being chased by some guards and quickly steps in to save her. He soon finds out that he's entered into something much bigger than himself, and now must stop the dark lord Ahriman from corrupting the land. The game explains it much better than I ever will, but in short: The land is corrupted, and you and Elika are the only ones that can stop it. It's not the greatest of tales, but it will give you some reason to keep playing.

Gameplay
What can't I say about this? Unlike most people picking this title up, as stated before, I haven't played the previous Prince of Persia games, so there was no adjusting from an old style for me. I was able to pick up this game like any other "new" game and get into the action right away with simple on screen prompts saying what to do. Sure, those of you thinking you're too good for tutorials will complain, as there's no difficulty settings, but I think the game works well as is.

The entire game is set upon one large map, and the only time you'll encounter a load screen is when you enter the Temple, an area only entered five or so times within the game. Otherwise you can think of the game as Shadow of the Colossus, in that you have your big map, and Elika, who can be used to point your way (think of the light beam reflecting off the sword) after you have selected your destination. The pointer system works well, especially when you encounter a fork in your path or can't spot the ledge you need jump off of. It may seem a bit "noobish" but unlike Zelda's Navi, this is all accessed voluntarily, so if you don't want a hint, don't press the button.

The game overall takes on a minimalistic approach to platforming. There are no NPCs or rounds of enemies, it's just the Prince, Elika, and the land. Of course that's not all, as you'll have to square off against Soldiers of Ahriman in 1 on 1 battles, actually 2 on 1 if you include Elika; as well as boss battles between four main antagonists, of whom you will face multiple times. Platforming wise, the game is quite simple, you can run along the walls, climb on vines and swing from poles, the usual. But with the aid of the Prince's gauntlet, you can now scale down cliffs by digging your mitt into them, and even climb while upside down; both admittedly cool techniques when seen in motion. There are more techniques used by accessing special plates, but it'd be somewhat of a spoiler for me to tell you about those.

The main thing players will notice is the lack of death. Falling down a cliff, or falling to a boss will not detract your life meter or make you lose a life, nothing like that. Instead you'll see a quick scene of Elika grabbing your hand and you'll return to the last surface you stood upon. In battle, falling to a foe will just let you get back up while the enemy regains a bit of health. Some will say this detracts from the difficulty of the game, but personally it made the game more enjoyable because I knew I wouldn't have to replay an entire level if I didn't make a jump or fight a boss all over again just because I couldn't find a weak point.

As for the levels, each will start out in a "Corrupted" state, requiring you to access the Fertile Grounds and heal the land. Corrupted areas will have anywhere from black and white, to dirty green appearance, and will be littered with black "corruption" that will be ready to swallow you in. However, when healed, the newly lush area will be filled with 'Light Seeds', little orbs required to access the next set of areas. The levels may feel a bit linear to some, as there are no two ways to get to a specific point, however the order in which you play levels is entirely up to the player, so its nonlinear in that sense.

One fault, if you see it that way, is that the gameplay never changes. There's no new weapons to acquire, nor new moves to learn. How you fight in your first battle will be the way you fight your last. It worked for me, as I was able to get comfortable with certain combos and techniques without worrying about how to change that up with the introduction of a new weapon. But that system just won't be for everyone, especially those too stuck in the mode of the previous games.

Graphics
This game is a graphics masterpiece. Not so much for a power to produce realism, but just for the fact that this game reeks of style. It's a mix of cel-shaded characters and props, with a stylized, but vast environment. Corrupted areas will have their washed out, gross appearance, and yet they're still as striking as the rest of the game. In fact, once healed, the game utilizes something almost unheard of in this generation of games, COLOR. The first time you heal a land you will be reminded of lifting Orochi's curse in Okami or ridding Hyrule of twilight in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess; it's gorgeous, especially when seen in full high-definition. If Wind Waker and/or Okami were the epitomes of cel-shading last generation, then Prince of Persia has set a new benchmark.

Sound
The soundtrack fits the game. That's really all there is to it, it's not a game you'll be humming to yourself during the day, but it works. Also, not sure if this effects all versions of the game, or maybe it's just my PS3, but a few times I found the game would sometimes go silent for a few seconds before the music came back. As for the voice over, I found each character's voice to be fitting of who they are. Not everyone's going to like the Prince's (Nolan North) comedic personality and tone, as I'll agree, there are parts where it's just unnecessary, but it does make him stand out from the other characters of the game.

Final Thoughts
For the first modern Prince of Persia game that I've played, I will say, this game makes me want more. The game only takes about 12 hours to beat, but the addition of Trophies adds some replayability, even if a bulk of them are easily unlocked. Personally, it was the visual style that actually attracted me to this title, the fact that it played well was just an added bonus. And with the lack of platformers this generation, it's nice to know someone can create create something new and unique, even if it does have the familar taste of Shadow of the Colossus or Okami in it. So if you want something visually brilliant, colorful, and lacking in the guns and meat men department, this game is for you. As for fans of the series, all I ask of you is to be accepting of the series' new direction, as a squeal is inevitable, and I hope they stick to the style of this game.

Overall Score: 9.4/10

Far Cry 2

This is a video presentation for Far Cry 2, which I have to say looks pretty impressive. Reminiscent of Crysis. While the announcer did get on my nerves a little it's still very much worth the watch. The destructible environment mixed with the open world that itself is in a new setting for the genre would be enough to merit a buy from me, missions are bound to take a backseat to exploration for me, as it does in the Elder Scrolls games. Although I wish buildings could be completely destroyed the precision of destruction you can wreak on trees keeps me in a happy place.


Far Cry 2 will hit PCs, 360s, and PS3s everywhere October 2nd. We'll keep you updated as it approaches!

Via Kotaku

Beyond Good and Evil 2 Confirmed

At Ubidays, which runs today and tomorrow, there was this video shown that confirms that Beyond Good and Evil 2 is in the works. Not much of anything is shown, but it is very realistic looking, which is nice.

I for one am super excited, as I'm sure the gaming community as a whole is, as we've been wanting a sequel ever since we played the first game. It should be pretty friggin' awesome.

New Raving Rabbids Game Confirmed

Announced in the latest issue of Nintendo Power, a new Rabbid game is heading our way, sub-titled TV Party, the game will feature over 65 mini-games, most of which utilize the Wii's Balance Board.

I'm pretty psyched about this game as it uses the Balance Board, so hopefully Ubisoft will come up with some awesome ways to use it. I'm looking forward to seeing what they come up with. Apparently, some of the mini-games have you sitting on the board and using your...rump, so going off of that, I can imagine some pretty crazy stuff.

New Prince of Persia!

Holy crap, I love the art style. This is a screen from the new Prince of Persia. Not much info on this one yet, but this screen alone has me excited. You'll know as soon as we do.

Via Joystiq