May 18, 2010 by Ian M. Bagley
In all my years, I’ve never been much of a racing game fan. Quitehonestly, the idea of doing the same thing over and over feels tediousto me. While some games, like Need for Speed Underground and GranTurismo have offered vehicle customization to try and keep thingsfresh, they still seem to fall into a slump of painful repetition.
ButBlack Rock Studios, the creators of Pure, have strived to come up to asolution to this plague, and that is massive destruction and a gamepremise unique from any other racing game I’ve ever laid my eyes on.This solution is called Split/Second.
The premise of the game isthat you’re a stunt driver in a reality television series calledSplit/Second, that has these stunt drivers racing against each other incities manufactured by the television show. While stunts, inthemselves, are not entirely new, the massive chaos is extremelyrefreshing.
We’ve all played Mario Kart, and we’ve shot koopashells at our enemies and laughed as they were rendered motionlesswhile we passed them into first place, and it’s relatively satisfyingto a point, but this is different.
But where Mario Kart is setto stun, Split/Second is set to kill. From gas station explosions andhelicopters dropping explosive barrels to air planes crashing on theraceway, this game delivers a completely original adrenaline rush thatdelivers over and over again.
You’re in control of these beautifuldisasters with power plays, which are your weapons in this dog-eat-dogracing world. The way to activate them is to accumulate energy. You canaccomplish this by drifting around corners, drafting behind youropponents, and jumping with your vehicle. You also receive a bonusamount of energy by passing opponents while drifting, jumping pastopponents and dodging power plays set off in your path.
Read moreMay 17, 2010 by Mike in Omaha
Sequels. Comic franchises converted to video games. Movie tie-ins.Studios closing their doors. Needless to say, there are a lot ofbarriers that can narrow the odds of producing a high quality title. Itwould seem that Iron Man 2 was forced to hurdle all of them. As Imentioned in my recent First Hour review of Iron Man 2, its predecessorwas critically panned. But did it deserve it? Or did it fall prey tothe echo chamber of hate that often befalls licensed products and spinoffs? The truth is, Iron Man had it’s problems. From unwieldy controlsto frame rate issues, it seemed like it stumbled each time it wouldjust get up to speed. But it had moments of fun, high intensity superhero action that carried one through to each subsequent mission. Goinginto a sequel, one assumes that Sega Studios San Francisco, thedeveloper behind both titles would make an effort to improve thefailings of the original while trying to maintain those things they gotright the first time. The question is, did they pull it off?
After sitting in on the developer conference call for Iron Man 2, I washopeful that things were looking good. They talked about a dedicationto listening to fans, and to implementing those lessons they learnedfrom user feedback on the first game. They talked about simplifiedcontrols, vast levels, destructible environments and deepcustomization. They touted a boss that is “bigger than any boss in anygame ever”. And War Machine. War Machine sounded like a perfectaddition to the Iron Man gaming universe. Yes, it sounded like it hadreally come together. And so I eagerly anticipated my review copy,thinking back to the flawed but fun experience I had with the firstgame.
May 14, 2010 by Greg Noe
Today's my birthday so I thought I'd build my ego up a bit and tell the world how I was once featured in Nintendo Power magazine. No, I wasn't one of those dopey kids holding his Game Boy in a ziploc bag in front of Niagara Falls (though I did submit one just like that, sad). And no, I never had the pleasure of winning one of their contests to be featured as a background extra on the show Seaquest DSV (worst contest ever?).
No, I won an Arena Challenge. I was featured on their high score list. There was my name, in lights and on glossy paper: Greg Noe.
Everyone, quickly grab Nintendo Power issue number 85 page 93 and read on...
Read moreMay 13, 2010 by Nate
Some games are unforgettable. After forking over our birthday money at K-Mart, we bounce all the way home in the backseat of the station wagon, wrestle the plastic wrap away from the box, gingerly place the game in the system, and steady our feverishly shaking hands with an anaconda grip on the controller. We don't let go for hours. And when the credits roll, we tear up a little, knowing we'll always cherish that first time through.
And then there are games that are largely forgotten weeks after release. Niche appeal, scathing reviews, or even just lack of hype can doom a game to obscurity and the Target bargain bin. But even these games deserve a second look...sometimes. Every once in a while, a kernel of brilliance can be found within these steaming piles of mediocrity. The purpose of this feature is to sift out some of these conceptual gems and put them under the microscope.
Today we'll take a look at how the Checklist Grids in last generation's Kirby Air Ride add a special something to one of the current generation's biggest innovations: the Achievement.
Read moreMay 12, 2010 by Greg Noe
I recently had the chance to sit down and play some Heavy Rain while my brother-in-law (who had already beaten the game) provided some running commentary. Heavy Rain is one of a handful of games on the PlayStation 3 that makes me jealous of those who own one. In 2007, I played the first hour of Indigo Prophecy (the fourth first hour review ever!), also by developer Quantic Dream. I really enjoyed it and went on to beat the game within a few days. While the game had plenty of flaws, I thought it was still a fun experience that brought me on a slightly hilly ride of emotions (that basement level in the precinct was so creepy!).
Without knowing anything about Heavy Rain I wanted to play it. I guess that's the most any developer could ask for, Heavy Rain isn't a sequel to Indigo Prophecy (commonly known as Fahrenheit outside the U.S.), it's not even on the same set of consoles, but I still counted down the weeks until it would arrive.
Heavy Rain's arrival came and went though and it wasn't until last weekend that I finally sat down and played it. I wish I could have set aside a solid hour along with a notepad or voice recorder to do a proper first hour review, but alas, sometimes you just take an opportunity when given it.
Read moreMay 11, 2010 by Nate
Picross 3D is the latest brain-teaser game for the Nintendo DS. If you're not familiar with the concept of Picross,it's a simple puzzle game: a grid of squares is presented, and numbersnext to the rows or columns indicate how many squares in that column orrow should be colored in. As squares are colored in, they clue theplayer in on what other squares should be colored in. The end result isa crude object, like a person or a clock. It's simple enough that itcould be done on graph paper, but Nintendo has made millions of dollarscollecting these puzzles and putting them in videogames, most recently Picross DS a few years ago.
Picross 3D takes the concept in threedimensions, giving the player a large cube or rectangular prism made upof blocks. Remove the right blocks and an object appears. The conceptis almost as simple in 3D as it is on graph paper, though it would benigh-impossible to do with physical objects. It's well-suited forvideogames, however, where virtual representations can easily becreated.
As someone who enjoys brain-teasers and puzzle games, I have a feeling I'll enjoy Picross3D as long as I'm sufficiently challenged. But this is one of thosenew-fangled "Casual games" that seem to be popping up everywherenowadays and trying to appeal to everybody, so it may be oversimplifiedor very slow to start. Let's find out.
May 10, 2010 by Mike in Omaha
You may have seen our recent article covering a conference call presented by Iron Man 2 developer: Sega San Francisco. The First Hour was invited to take part in a small pre-release Q&A with two of the people involved with the production of the game. I sat in on the call and submitted a few questions. It was a good conversation and lots of aspects of the game were touched on, so if you’d like some more insight into what went into making this game what it is, please check it out here.
Ok, now that that’s out of the way, I recently sat down with a copy of Iron Man 2. To state the obvious, Iron Man 2 is the sequel to Iron Man. Both games were released to coincide with the movies of the same name. As most people know, releasing a game on a movies timeline can be... problematic. It often leads to rushed development schedules and lots of cut corners in the final product. Despite this situation, the first game was commercially successful. However, it struggled to win over most critics. With an aggregate score of 45 on Metacritic, that’s probably an understatement. However, I was one of the people who enjoyed the first game (while recognizing it’s many flaws), which is why I was chosen/volunteered to review the sequel.
Much like Greg’s recent review of Saboteur, this game is the final release of a studio before it gets shut down. Sega San Fancisco, formerly Secret Level Games will close shortly after the release of Iron Man 2. This does not bode well for the 3 other gamers besides me crossing their fingers for a Golden Axe: Beast Rider sequel.
I went into this first hour with an open mind and reasonable expectations. Having enjoyed the first game, more of the same with increased graphical performance, control tweaks and mission diversity would be a good start. Let’s see if they were able to squeeze any of that into the first 60 minutes of Iron Man 2.
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May 07, 2010 by Nate
The first third-party Wii game was revealed in the May 2006 issue ofGame Informer. It promised intuitive swordfighting controls andunmatched precision in gunplay, all in a stylish Yakuza setting. In thesix months between reveal and launch, Red Steel hype built tounattainable levels. Disappointment was inevitable. But even withtempered expectations, Red Steel is barely an average game, and thecase for motion controls in action games took a serious blow when itfailed to impress.
That said, the game rode the launch hype into some pretty decentsales, eventually crossing the million mark. A sequel was rumoredalmost as soon as the original appeared on store shelves. It took threeand a half years, but the sequel did eventually arrive in March 2010.Barring the focus on guns and swords, Red Steel 2 is nothing like theoriginal: the realistic visuals are switched out for a cel-shadedstyle, the Yakuza setting and characters are changed to anotherworldly-mix of Samurai and Western trappings, and the hopes dashedby waggle at launch are replaced with renewed fervor for precise motioncontrols, which are provided by the Wii Motion Plus controllerattachment that Red Steel 2 requires.
Even if you made the mistake of purchasing Red Steel back in 2006, don't make the mistake of ignoring Red Steel 2 now.
May 06, 2010 by Greg Noe
A few months ago I reviewed the first hour of Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction. I enjoyed it, but had issues with the controls which really hampered myexperience. Fast forward to... now, and I'm about to tackle PandemicStudio's final game, The Saboteur. It's disappointing when a studio is closed down, and definitely scaryconsidering EA bought them out at the same time as they did BioWare(can you imagine EA shutting them down?). While I never reallyplayed any of Pandemic's games, the Mercenaries and Destroy All Humansseries were always popular, sad to see them go.
Anyways, thegame! You came here for some World War II open world action set inParis, right? Well, this is what you're going to get. The Saboteurwas released late last year on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, andWindows, and has you killing lots and lots of Nazis. Everyone hatesNazis, and The Saboteur features a ton of different ways to executethat hate into physical violence.
There's more to this game thanjust beating up baddies, but a city to save by raising their morale andwill to fight. If you're looking for a World War II game that isn't aderivative first person shooter, well this might be it. Let's get intothe first hour of The Saboteur.
May 05, 2010 by Greg Noe
There's an absolutely stunning deal running right now that can net you five great indie games for whatever price you want to pay. Similar to the pay what you want World of Goo deal that was running last year, the Humble Indie Bundle can be grabbed for as much as you feel like handing over. They even allow you to split your contribution up between the developers, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and the Child's Play charity. All great programs that do good work and need money.
World of Goo is honestly worth the $20 I originally paid for it (plus the $3 I tossed to them last year during their promotion), so go get that game. GO! The other games are Aquaria, Gish, Lugara, and Penumbra Overture. While I know next to nothing about these titles, supporting the independent developer is always a great cause. The best part: all the games are available for Windows, Mac, and Linux and are DRM free. No excuses now!
Buy the Humble Indie Bundle, it's running for six more days!
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