Recent Reviews
UFC Undisputed 2009
UFC Undisputed 2009 finally provides UFC fans the type of game they want to see. You get to play as all of your favorite fighters and you'll experience one of the most in depth and fluid control systems in any fighting game.
Hydrotilt XL
There are a few oddities in Hydrotilt that detract from its overall enjoyability, like the ability to only access one new level at a time and the timer not stopping when you look at the map (fine, then: I'll look at the map and then restart). For $5, the price may be a little steep for something this unforgiving, but there's quite a lot of content to be had.
Wallace and Gromit’s Grand Adventures Episode 3: Muzzled!
Did I really want to play another episode of Wallace and Gromit right now? Was I adventured out? Click click, cheese cheese, walkies. Was this going to be a grueling task? No, it turns out. Wallace and Gromit are still awesome.
House of the Dead 2 & 3 Return
House of the Dead 2 & 3 for the Wii is a lot of like an ex-girlfriend that you haven't seen in a long time. At first you're so happy to see her and all the feelings you used to have for her come rushing back but as time goes on you start to remember why she's an ex to begin with.
You’re in the Movies
The crux of the problem with You're in the Movies is that it's not unfun, per se, but the number of hoops you have to jump through for the moderate fun at the end of the road means that your time could almost always be better spent on another party game.
Excitebots: Trick Racing
The game certainly is strange on paper, but it's fantastic in action. Excitebots turned out to be an awesome follow-up to its criminally overlooked predecessor.
Bubblehead
Stylistically, Bubblehead is at two very different extremes: the visuals are fun and charming while the audio is intolerable. Luckily, the latter can be muted while you play through the occasionally mediocre Arcade and strangely addictive Random modes.
Crystal Defenders
Crystal Defenders is a strategic and fun attempt at a tower defense game by SquareEnix, but at times the action can feel slow and uneventful. The game features a decent selection of content, but sometimes it feels like the player is given more than is needed, and the unnecessary components tend to drag the gameplay down
Tatsunoko vs. Capcom screens
Posted by Dan on July 2, 2009
Have you heard about this game it’s called Tatsunoko vs. Capcom? I hear it’s kind of a big deal if you like fighting games. Well, there are some new screens out for you to enjoy, so, uh, enjoy!
UFC Undisputed 2009
Posted by Dave on July 2, 2009
Genre: Fighting
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Yukes
Players: 1-2
Retail Price: $60
Availability: Xbox 360, PS3
Yukes is probably best know for their work on the WWE Smackdown series of games, so it seems like a likely fit for them to develop a fighting game that combines a lot of grappling elements. With that said, though, if there’s one thing that you shouldn’t expect out of UFC, it’s anything remotely similar to any of the Smackdown titles. Yukes has built a brand new fighting system for UFC Undisputed, and it does an amazing job of helping to recreate the action you’d expect to encounter in a real UFC fight.
Fighting in the game happens in what can roughly be broken up into two different categories, striking and grappling, and if you want to be successful you’ll need to master both. Striking is performed through the four face buttons on the controller with high and low modifiers mapped to the left shoulder buttons. Grappling takes place mostly when the fight has been taken to the ground, and involves transitioning to different positions trying to set up your opponent for that fight ending strike or submissions attempt. The grappling portion of the game is handled through rotations on the right analog stick, and is probably the hardest part of the game to learn.
Since the game does have a pretty elaborate set of controls to master, there is a useful tutorial mode that you should go through. The game will walk you through how to perform different strikes and mount transitions as well as other information you’ll need to get yourself up and ready to go. I actually went through most of the tutorial twice due to the massive amount of content it throws at you. Once you’ll completed the tutorial, there is also a training mode you can use to test some of the skills you’ve learned. This mode allows you to set what your opponent is allowed to do, and it also shows you how much damage your strikes do depending on where and how far away you are from your opponent.
The diversity in the gameplay is what really sets this title apart from other fighting or wrestling games. Some fights never make to the ground and are basically boxing matches, while other times you’ll spend most of your time on the mat looking for the right opportunity to take your opponent out. Each fighter has two different styles they fight in, one for striking and one for grappling. There are three unique striking styles to choose from — Boxing, Kickboxing and Muay Thai — as well as three different grapple styles — Wrestling, Judo and BJJ. Each fighting style has its own unique maneuvers and strengths which helps to broaden the variety of different fights you’ll encounter.
Career mode allows you to create a custom fighter and take them up the rankings all the way up to champion of your weight division. There are five different divisions to choose from and a variety of custom elements you can add to your fighter. Like the Smakdown games, Yukes has put together an impressive create a character mode for UFC Undisputed so there are no shortage of options for how your character looks. During the career mode you’ll progress through calendar weeks with each week allowing you to train your character, participate in scheduled events or take on your opponent in your next fight. Depending on how well you perform in the various training modes, you’ll be given more or less points to add to your characters attributes in a variety of categories.
If you’ve made your way through the career mode and are looking for something else to occupy your time, you can always take on some real life opponents in either online or offline multiplayer. Since there really aren’t that many game options you have the same set of options for playing with a bunch of friends in the same room or a complete stranger online. Local multiplayer to me is where this game really shines. Having a room full of people and passing the controllers around is a ton of fun since anyone really has a chance to make something happen. As with real fighting, it only takes one good punch to take a fighter out, and on more than one occasion I just didn’t anticipate that punch or kick coming in.
UFC Undisputed 2009 finally provides UFC fans the type of game they want to see. You get to play as all of your favorite fighters and you’ll experience one of the most in depth and fluid control systems in any fighting game. If you are a fan of the UFC, or just fighting games in general, there is really no reason not to pick this game up.
Stubborn Sega Makes Hardcore Happy
Posted by Anthony on July 1, 2009
Hardcore games (i.e. anything with an “M” rating, blood, serious undertones) on the Wii, much less any Nintendo system in the last 15 years, have largely met with apathy when it comes to the sales charts. The most recent example of this is MadWorld. The game sold 66,000 copies in its debut week, then disappeared almost completely (despite the 5 star rating we gave it. That didn’t stop Sega from going on to release House of the Dead: Overkill, and more recently The Conduit last month. While its too early for The Conduit’s sales to have come in, House of the Dead apparently had legs. It’s because of this that Sega will continue to release hardcore games on the Wii. That’s what they’re saying right now, at least, and the hardcore crowd should be pleased with this decision.
Sega Europe’s Gary Dunn had a conversation with Gamesindsutry.biz, where he pretty much said that the company will be staying the path at this point, and they have House of the Dead to thank. “…Overkill was a profitable title for us. Whilst it had a rather sharp tail at full price, they do bubble away at a lower price point for a long time,” Dunn said. “You get your money back and a bit on full price, but over the years, if we do a final product return on investment, profits come back from the lower price point.”
One has to wonder how well a game like Overkill would have sold had it been initially released at a lower price. Gamers are always looking for deals and $30 always looks better than $50. Even still, it’s comforting to know that Sega is making a profit from titles geared toward a larger audience. After all the years filled with jokes about monkeys running Sega, it’s nice to see the company finally hit a successful chord. The question is whether they can repeat it or not. The Conduit is the first test as to whether Sega has found a niche or simply hit a one-time home run. The Conduit will be the company’s first test. Granted, it’s a completely different type of game, but the online component is a big selling point for the game and many involved in the Call of Duty: World at War community were looking forward to the game.
The company may have recognized a potentially successful market, but they’re not going in head-over-heels. A few repeated failures may push them back toward the Sonic and Mario at the Olympic Games crowd. “We’re just taking a look at the resources we have now. We’ve got money to invest in development, we’re just considering where to invest it next,” said Dunn. “You have to push boundaries and explore. I think whilst MadWorld commercially didn’t sell what we were expecting, I wouldn’t say it’s game over for mature Wii titles from Sega.”
MadWorld might not be the final nail in the coffin, but it could be the first plank of pine if the hardcore crowd fails to support Sega’s mature Wii efforts. Either way, it’s nice to see Sega trying to capitalize on a largely neglected market. They may rediscover some of their former glory yet.
Avatars, Outpost Kaloki coming to Band of Bugs
Posted by Dan on June 30, 2009
Remember Band of Bugs, the NinjaBee title that came out for Xbox Live Arcade a while back? Well, it’s about to get one hell of an update. To begin with, Avatars are coming to the eight player Spider Hunter mode on July 8. You can also play as your Avatar in the story mode instead of the default character Maal.
What I think is more interesting, though, is that they’re also releasing DLC for 240 points called Tales of Kaloki, which merges characters from Band of Bugs with NinjaBee’s Outpost Kaloki X, and involves turn-based space combat that seems almost like an entirely new game.
I missed Band of Bugs when it first came out, but this new content sounds interesting, and I’ll try to take a look at the game to see what I’ve been missing out on.
The Shenanicast #153
Posted by Dan on June 29, 2009
Episode #153: In which we forget to talk about muffin tops
A tad on the short side, but apparently the business side of gaming went crazy this week. We also wax rhapsodically on Rock Band (yes, still), among other games. Dan’s still on about Prototype, and Dave’s pushing through Mirror’s Edge to spite the world. We also forget to talk about a very important topic at the end of the show: muffin tops. We understand that they’re good and all, but you can’t sell just the top. How can you have a top without a bottom, we ask? You can sooner have shadow without light, good without evil.
Weekend Deal Roundup: 6/26
Posted by Dan on June 26, 2009
Back again, back again!
Steam’s offering what I hear is a very excellent game, Zeno Clash, for 50%off, or $10. For those of you who already have the game, there’s a free DLC pack out now with three new levels.
Good Old Games’ current deal is to bundle SpellForce and The Guild (no, not the licensed Felicia Day MMO I’m waiting for) for $14. You need to buy them in the same order, but if you have one already then the other will receive a $3 discount.
Amazon’s deal of the day is Star Ocean: The Last Hope for the 360 for $40, which is $20 off the normal price.
Microsoft’s deal of the week is finally not DLC, and they’re giving you Gaming Shenanigans’ winner of Longest Title of 2008, Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix, for $5/400 points off, making it sit at $10/800.
And finally, not a deal per se, but if you’re an Xbox Live Silver member (oft forgotten about in these posts), you can play 1vs100 for free this weekend.
Edit: Not content with just one game, Steam’s also giving you 50% off one of the Heroes of Might and Magic V games or Dark Messiah Might and Magic.
Warped Tour, Foreigner coming to Rock Band
Posted by Dan on June 25, 2009
Coming the week of 6/30, Rock Banders (Rock Bandees? Rock Banditos?) will be able to get their grubby little paws on both some Foreigner and, if you prefer something a little more domesticer (that’s a pun, and I don’t even know how accurate it is), selected tracks from Warped Tour artists.
Foreigner Pack
Blue Morning Blue Day
Feels Like the First Time
Headknocker
Warped Tour 3 Pack
Dear and the Headlights - Sweet Talk
The Devil Wears Prada - Hey John, What’s Your Name Again?
Thrice - Image of the Invisible
Digital Ensemble #107: Back in the saddle
Posted by Anthony on June 25, 2009
Season 1 - Episode #7: Back in the saddle
Here’s this week’s episode, as promised! Inside we discuss all sorts of fun things, like Activision and their recent questionable ways, and as always, we kinda talk about video games. We also play some fantastic remixes from the venerable OCRemix crowd.
Digital Ensemble #106: A week late, a dollar short
Posted by Anthony on June 24, 2009
Season 1 - Episode #6: A week late, a dollar short
Episode 6 is here! It’s actually last week’s episode, but hey, an episode is an episode! We’ll be putting up this week’s tomorrow, so catch up with this one today and come back tomorrow for another full podcast!
GTA China Town Wars Coming To PSP
Posted by Dave on June 23, 2009
Rockstar announced yesterday that Grand Theft Auto China Town Wars would be making its way to the Playstation Portable this fall. The game was originally released for the Nintendo DS with some touch screen mechanics so it will be interesting to see how the team at Rockstar Leeds manages that aspect of the game. In addition to the standard UMD release, the game will also be made available digitally over the Playstation Network. Stay tuned for more details as they are announced, and in the meantime you can check out our review of the DS version of the game.