By Aaron N
When I first decided to purchase an Xbox360 I inquired about which game I should buy with it. I was told to buy the Orange box which consisted of Halflife 2, Halflife episodes 1 and 2, Team Fortress, and a little puzzle game called Portal. Naturally I first started playing Halflife 2 when I bought it. But then I started hearing more and more about Portal. It was a short puzzle game where you utilized a portal gun to create portals in the walls to move from one place to another. The goal was to get to the end of the test center. When I finally played the game I was astounded at how fantastic the game was even though it was based on such a simple concept. It's wit and complexity amazed me and had me play over and over again. Now we come to it's sequel Portal 2. Portal 2 promised to be longer and harder than the first one with more complex puzzles. Portal would be a competitor for game of the year. With all the hype and expectations surrounding this game, it would be hard not to disappoint.
Graphics:
The graphics are up-to-date for Portal 2. They are very realistic and the universe is very rich looking. The objects and concepts brought over from the first game are updated. The rooms look realistic and the portal gun effects are cooler looking than the first game. They add a few nuances to the effects. The concepts created for this game like the slimes were done very well. There isn't much more to say for the graphics as what makes the game are the other categories.
Story:
You play as Chell who is the testing woman at Aperature Laboratories. You wake up and are once again back in the testing facilities. You are led by a british robot named Wheatley who leads you around the testing facility trying to help you escape. He is not too bright though as he leads you right to the sleeping GLaDOS who is awakened and continues her quest to kill you. You stop her but in the process Wheatley takes control over her body and mind and becomes drunk with power. Since, as stated before he is not too bright, he can not handle so much power so it corrupts him. You are sent to the depths of the laboratory deep underground where you team up with GLaDOS who is now imbedded in a potato and must be carried around by you. As you make your way back up to Wheatley, you travel through a history lesson of Aperature Laboratories. You are taught about Cave Johnson by listening to PA announcements he made to the previous employees. Cave Johnson was the founder and orchestrator of Aperature Laboratories, he basically created everything. You must solve the puzzles on your way back up to the current laboratories where Wheatley is still in control and thinks he is running things better than ever before. The story is gripping and witty. It keeps you glued to the screen and engaged. I do not want to ruin the ending but it, just like the rest, is brilliant.
Gameplay:
The gameplay is virtually identical to the first game. The only differences are that they added some new elements to the puzzles and the puzzles are much more complex. Instead of playing through just test sites within the facility, you use buildings and old testing facilities. The puzzles are more disguised than in the previous game. It is remarkable how much smarter I felt as I advanced through the game. The puzzles increased in difficulty as you progressed and some of them naturally felt impossible to solve. But that is the brilliance of this game, you felt like you were solving the impossible. None of the puzzles feel tedious, they all are made with a point in mind. It is cliche to say but you actually do have to think outside of the box and think in ways you never thought possible. It was a very, very fun game.
Sound:
The music in this game was miniscule but what was important was the sounds. The sounds from the portal gun and the actions were crisp and unique. All of them sounded different and unlike anything. The most important aspect of the sound in this game was the voice acting. Wheatley was a funny and likeable robot at the beginning of the game, and while you start to have disdain for him when he turns bad, he can still find a way to make you laugh at his idiosy. GLaDOS continues to have a dry sense of humor and even as you are partnering with her she continues to want you dead. She never stops mentioning how you burned her in the first game. Finally Cave Johnson and his PA announcements are witty and intelligent. The humor in this game is intelligent and you can tell that they took time and effort into thinking of the universe and the history behind it. The sound in this game is the most memorable in a long time.
Overall:
Portal 2 is a perfect game. It combines intelligence, humor, and complexity like never before. It improved upon every aspect of gameplay of the first game and made it unique at the same time. It is my favorite game of 2011, and one of the best in a while.
Portal 2 gets a 10/10
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Monday, August 20, 2012
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Video: Dark Knight Rises Game
I saw this video on Kotaku. It is a walkthrough from the IOS game created for "The Dark Knight Rises." I feel it is a great video that shows how vastly different games can be from their movie counterpart. If you have seen the movie you will understand how different it is.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Review: Lost Planet 2 (2010)
By Aaron N
The first Lost Planet really took me by surprised. I was not expecting what I played and it was an enjoyable concept. The idea of a sci-fi shooter that combined military with giant monsters and mechs were any sci-fi fans dream. While it wasn't the greatest game ever made, it still was a good all around game that seemed like it could be the potential starting point for a quality franchise. This came true when they released a sequel in 2010. This game boasted bigger monsters and more mechs than in the first game. So then it could only be better right?
Graphics:
The graphics for "Lost Planet 2" were quality but inconsistent. The cut scenes were tremendously done and looked very realistic and smooth. The cut scenes looked and played out like scenes out of a movie and they were the most impressive aspect of this game. The gameplay, which still looked good, lacked the smoothness and clarity that the cut scenes had. In some levels it was too dark to even see yourself, this really turned me off. Also at times there was too much on the screen to see yourself and it just become a mass of colors and flashes from your gun. The inconsistency reminded me of older Gamecube and Xbox games where the cut scenes looked drastically different than gameplay. This is a problem that most games no longer have and to stay up with modern gaming you can not have this problem. I wish that they could have stayed more consistent in this department.
Story:
The events of "Lost Planet 2" take place ten years after the first game. There is now civil war on the planet known as E.D.N III. While this war is going on you have to take on monstrous monsters known as akrids who inhabit the planet. Also the villainous group from the first game, NEVEC, are back to try to destroy the planet for their own gain. The game is broken up into six episodes, each one seemingly disconnected to the prior ones. This confused me very much and took away from gameplay. It would feel like the game would be missing a key cut scene in between. It would be revealed in the end that you were playing as different characters in each episode and they would all connect during the final episode, which was a great "wow" moment, but besides that moment I could not generally connect to any of the characters. Besides some of the oddly acting Spanish sounding characters I did not really care about any of the characters. I wish I could have played as them the whole time. Anyway, the plot that ends up being explained towards the end is that you must stop NEVEC from creating an even bigger monster that will make the planet go into an ice age and kill everybody on the planet. The plot makes sense in the end and when the entire picture is revealed I finally saw what they were trying to do. They wanted you to play as all the different characters in order to get more into the universe. But I feel like they could have done away with most of the confusion for almost the entire game if they explained the events better.
Gameplay:
The controls for "Lost Planet 2" are similar to most third person shooters. The addition of the mechs, known as VS's, give it a different dynamic and make it unique. Although I had some problems with controls on one of the mechs, I largely understood how to control the characters. As I mentioned earlier the game is broken up into six episodes. Each episode is then broken up into three or four chapters, which are then further broken up into areas. They stop gameplay after each area in order to tally up points. This doesn't allow gameplay to be smooth and seamless. It takes you away from the game a little. Also, the game is geared
towards four player co-op. There is a way to play as only one player with three computer players along side of you. But when I did this I ran into one problem in a boss level that was obviously made for multiple players and I found it impossible to beat with only one player so I had to move the difficulty down to easy. I did not like this. I like the idea of a four person online co-op but I feel like they could have done it and still made it possible for someone to beat it single player.
Sound:
Something was off about the sound in this game. Some moments would have no music in the background, then other moments would have epic music that seemed out of place. The music felt displaced and it seemed like it didn't know what it wanted to be. The voice acting was also off. Most of the characters, besides the aforementioned spanish sounding ones, lacked character. The characters all sounded the same and, coupled with the fact that they were all wearing masks, helped in the confusion of not knowing one character from the next. I wish more characters had a presence to them.
Overall:
The key thing that I feel was missing from "Lost Planet 2" was consistency. The game had some moments where everything clicked and I had a fantastic time playing, but it also had some dull moments that seemed to be just missing something. It was still a fun experience that had some memorable moments. But it felt like it just fell short of what it could have been.
Lost Planet 2 gets a 7.5/10
The first Lost Planet really took me by surprised. I was not expecting what I played and it was an enjoyable concept. The idea of a sci-fi shooter that combined military with giant monsters and mechs were any sci-fi fans dream. While it wasn't the greatest game ever made, it still was a good all around game that seemed like it could be the potential starting point for a quality franchise. This came true when they released a sequel in 2010. This game boasted bigger monsters and more mechs than in the first game. So then it could only be better right?
Graphics:
The graphics for "Lost Planet 2" were quality but inconsistent. The cut scenes were tremendously done and looked very realistic and smooth. The cut scenes looked and played out like scenes out of a movie and they were the most impressive aspect of this game. The gameplay, which still looked good, lacked the smoothness and clarity that the cut scenes had. In some levels it was too dark to even see yourself, this really turned me off. Also at times there was too much on the screen to see yourself and it just become a mass of colors and flashes from your gun. The inconsistency reminded me of older Gamecube and Xbox games where the cut scenes looked drastically different than gameplay. This is a problem that most games no longer have and to stay up with modern gaming you can not have this problem. I wish that they could have stayed more consistent in this department.
Story:
The events of "Lost Planet 2" take place ten years after the first game. There is now civil war on the planet known as E.D.N III. While this war is going on you have to take on monstrous monsters known as akrids who inhabit the planet. Also the villainous group from the first game, NEVEC, are back to try to destroy the planet for their own gain. The game is broken up into six episodes, each one seemingly disconnected to the prior ones. This confused me very much and took away from gameplay. It would feel like the game would be missing a key cut scene in between. It would be revealed in the end that you were playing as different characters in each episode and they would all connect during the final episode, which was a great "wow" moment, but besides that moment I could not generally connect to any of the characters. Besides some of the oddly acting Spanish sounding characters I did not really care about any of the characters. I wish I could have played as them the whole time. Anyway, the plot that ends up being explained towards the end is that you must stop NEVEC from creating an even bigger monster that will make the planet go into an ice age and kill everybody on the planet. The plot makes sense in the end and when the entire picture is revealed I finally saw what they were trying to do. They wanted you to play as all the different characters in order to get more into the universe. But I feel like they could have done away with most of the confusion for almost the entire game if they explained the events better.
Gameplay:
The controls for "Lost Planet 2" are similar to most third person shooters. The addition of the mechs, known as VS's, give it a different dynamic and make it unique. Although I had some problems with controls on one of the mechs, I largely understood how to control the characters. As I mentioned earlier the game is broken up into six episodes. Each episode is then broken up into three or four chapters, which are then further broken up into areas. They stop gameplay after each area in order to tally up points. This doesn't allow gameplay to be smooth and seamless. It takes you away from the game a little. Also, the game is geared
towards four player co-op. There is a way to play as only one player with three computer players along side of you. But when I did this I ran into one problem in a boss level that was obviously made for multiple players and I found it impossible to beat with only one player so I had to move the difficulty down to easy. I did not like this. I like the idea of a four person online co-op but I feel like they could have done it and still made it possible for someone to beat it single player.
Sound:
Something was off about the sound in this game. Some moments would have no music in the background, then other moments would have epic music that seemed out of place. The music felt displaced and it seemed like it didn't know what it wanted to be. The voice acting was also off. Most of the characters, besides the aforementioned spanish sounding ones, lacked character. The characters all sounded the same and, coupled with the fact that they were all wearing masks, helped in the confusion of not knowing one character from the next. I wish more characters had a presence to them.
Overall:
The key thing that I feel was missing from "Lost Planet 2" was consistency. The game had some moments where everything clicked and I had a fantastic time playing, but it also had some dull moments that seemed to be just missing something. It was still a fun experience that had some memorable moments. But it felt like it just fell short of what it could have been.
Lost Planet 2 gets a 7.5/10
Thursday, August 9, 2012
A Good Walkthrough Poster
This video was done by a friend of mine at work, so I thought I would help promote his stuff. He does some good walkthroughs on games like Bastion, Diablo 3, and more. Check it out if you need help with a game and he is still posting more so keep an eye out for more.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Retro Review: Ultraman:Towards the Future (SNES)
By Aaron N
It if wasn't obvious from my column that was all about Godzilla games, I love everything and anything dealing with kaiju and the tokusatsu genre. Basically anything dealing with giant monsters. My favorite character outside of the Godzilla series is Ultraman. There have been many Ultramen throughout the series. When I was younger the one game I always wanted but never owned was "Ultraman: Towards the Future" for the Super Nintendo. "Ultraman: Towards the Future" was based on the television series of the same name. I remember enjoying the game when I borrowed it from my friend. I recently finally acquired this game. So let's see if the game has stood the test of time, or if it is a product of nostalgia.
Graphics:
"Ultraman: TTF" is a sprite-based combat game. The sprites do not look too bad but they lack in comparison to similar games on the Super Nintendo. The movements of the sprites are minimal and when you do a move like jumping, the graphics are awkward and they look poor. Each level is set in a different place and the background changes to account for that. Although it still looks like a still picture in the background, it is very good looking. But you must compare it to other fighting games like Mortal Kombat. Mortal Kombat had moving parts in the background such as people cheering and moving. "Ultraman: TTF" lacks that movement. Although they are good looking backgrounds, they can be dull. For example, the Mars level is basically dust and red. They lack detail. The graphics aren't too much of a hinderance, but they are lacking compared to what games were capable of.
Story:
To understand the story to this game, I must explain the concept of Ultraman. Ultraman is a giant cosmic being from a planet consisting of ultras. He came to Earth and inhabits a human. When a giant monster threatens the Earth, the human changes into Ultraman to combat it. The problem is that Ultraman can only stay in Earth's atmosphere for three minutes. So you are basically playing through episodes of the show, although only the climactic fight scenes. Each level is three minutes long. The cutscenes in "Ultraman: TTF" are only of Ultraman looking up and flying away as he does in the show after each battle. They don't explain the plot in the game. I wish they did a better job with the cutscenes as newcomers to the franchise will not fully understand what us ocurring.
Gameplay:
"Ultraman: TTF" plays very similarly to other 2D fighting games. The only difference is that you can only play as Ultraman. You can punch, kick, jump, and block. As you use an attack, your special attack meter increases. There are four different special attacks, each increasing in power. But the only way you can defeat an enemy is by bringing its health meter all the way down and then hitting it with your most powerful special move. There are nine levels varying in difficulty, but I found that I could get pretty far by basically just using jump kicks and special attacks. As I said before there is a three minute time limit on each level because of the limit set in the television show. It is very simplistic in gameplay and it doesn't have much variety upon replaying it. I wish it wasn't so simplistic but I'm not sure there was much more it could have done.
Sound:
The sound in "Ultraman: TTF" is simplistic. The only vocal sounds are monster roars and Ultraman screams. He yells when he kicks or punches. The sounds are taken directly from the show, but they work because the simplistic sounds matches exactly with the shows portrayal of Ultraman. Each stage has a different theme song to go with it. They aren't very memorable but they do the trick. Once again I wish they tried harder in this category but it does a good job matching the feel of the show.
Overall:
Upon playback "Ultraman: Towards the Future" does not live up to my nostalgic expectations, but it is still an enjoyable game. It feels lacking in every category. It feels just good enough to enjoy, but not good enough to be great. They had a great concept so with a little more effort it could have been great. I still enjoy this game, but unfortunately not as much as I remember.
Ultraman: Towards the Future gets a 7/10
It if wasn't obvious from my column that was all about Godzilla games, I love everything and anything dealing with kaiju and the tokusatsu genre. Basically anything dealing with giant monsters. My favorite character outside of the Godzilla series is Ultraman. There have been many Ultramen throughout the series. When I was younger the one game I always wanted but never owned was "Ultraman: Towards the Future" for the Super Nintendo. "Ultraman: Towards the Future" was based on the television series of the same name. I remember enjoying the game when I borrowed it from my friend. I recently finally acquired this game. So let's see if the game has stood the test of time, or if it is a product of nostalgia.
Graphics:
"Ultraman: TTF" is a sprite-based combat game. The sprites do not look too bad but they lack in comparison to similar games on the Super Nintendo. The movements of the sprites are minimal and when you do a move like jumping, the graphics are awkward and they look poor. Each level is set in a different place and the background changes to account for that. Although it still looks like a still picture in the background, it is very good looking. But you must compare it to other fighting games like Mortal Kombat. Mortal Kombat had moving parts in the background such as people cheering and moving. "Ultraman: TTF" lacks that movement. Although they are good looking backgrounds, they can be dull. For example, the Mars level is basically dust and red. They lack detail. The graphics aren't too much of a hinderance, but they are lacking compared to what games were capable of.
Story:
To understand the story to this game, I must explain the concept of Ultraman. Ultraman is a giant cosmic being from a planet consisting of ultras. He came to Earth and inhabits a human. When a giant monster threatens the Earth, the human changes into Ultraman to combat it. The problem is that Ultraman can only stay in Earth's atmosphere for three minutes. So you are basically playing through episodes of the show, although only the climactic fight scenes. Each level is three minutes long. The cutscenes in "Ultraman: TTF" are only of Ultraman looking up and flying away as he does in the show after each battle. They don't explain the plot in the game. I wish they did a better job with the cutscenes as newcomers to the franchise will not fully understand what us ocurring.
Gameplay:
"Ultraman: TTF" plays very similarly to other 2D fighting games. The only difference is that you can only play as Ultraman. You can punch, kick, jump, and block. As you use an attack, your special attack meter increases. There are four different special attacks, each increasing in power. But the only way you can defeat an enemy is by bringing its health meter all the way down and then hitting it with your most powerful special move. There are nine levels varying in difficulty, but I found that I could get pretty far by basically just using jump kicks and special attacks. As I said before there is a three minute time limit on each level because of the limit set in the television show. It is very simplistic in gameplay and it doesn't have much variety upon replaying it. I wish it wasn't so simplistic but I'm not sure there was much more it could have done.
Sound:
The sound in "Ultraman: TTF" is simplistic. The only vocal sounds are monster roars and Ultraman screams. He yells when he kicks or punches. The sounds are taken directly from the show, but they work because the simplistic sounds matches exactly with the shows portrayal of Ultraman. Each stage has a different theme song to go with it. They aren't very memorable but they do the trick. Once again I wish they tried harder in this category but it does a good job matching the feel of the show.
Overall:
Upon playback "Ultraman: Towards the Future" does not live up to my nostalgic expectations, but it is still an enjoyable game. It feels lacking in every category. It feels just good enough to enjoy, but not good enough to be great. They had a great concept so with a little more effort it could have been great. I still enjoy this game, but unfortunately not as much as I remember.
Ultraman: Towards the Future gets a 7/10
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Video: Jonathan Coulton's "Still Alive"
Here is Jonathan Coulton singing the famous song "Still Alive" from the original Portal game. Jonathan wrote the song and played the background music in the game's version. He is a very talented musician who is known in the gaming community for his entertaining, yet different music. Check this out and enjoy, I guarantee the song will be stuck in your head soon.
Also, this is a hint at the column I am currently working on that will be posted in the near future. Try to figure it out.
Also also, if you haven't already go to Time Out's new facebook page http://www.facebook.com/TimeOutVideoGames. Please enjoy, "like", and share.
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