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Street Fighter IV Review

Linda — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 22:39:23 +0000

Street Fighter IV Review. Capcom has brought one of their best franchises back with Street Fighter IV and it packs a punch, kick, and much more. Advances like high speed internet and awesome online console support via Xbox Live and the Playstation Network have elevated fighting games from being fanboy favorites to mainstream monoliths of gaming today. Capcom has managed to cater to the hardcore fans and make the game very accessible to new players. If you have not traditionally played many fighting games, now is the time to start.

One of my favorite features of SFIV is the trial mode in which players perform moves and combos. The trials for each character get harder as you continue to unlock them. This is a great way to familiarize yourself with each characters normal moves, specials, and combo mechanics. For the more serious fighter there is a training mode that allows you to display attack data such as damage and your controller inputs. In this mode you can practice against a dummy, CPU controller opponent, or even against a 10 second recording that you can make and playback. Other challenge modes include survival mode, and timed attack. In survival you keep fighting in stages without regenerating health, or regenerating a small % of health. In the timed attack mode you have to try to finish your opponents against the clock.

If you want to forego any training or challenge modes, no matter what your skill level is you can hop right into the game and have fun. There are 8 different difficulty levels in the arcade mode ranging from easiest to hardest. Each character has their own little hand-drawn anime story that includes an intro and ending, but to be honest they are my least favorite part of the game. Most of the stories hardly make any sense and they are super corny. There is a portion of the game where they use the in game engine for some story telling right before you fight your “rival”, right before the final boss fight. In my opinion the whole game’s story telling should have been in this manner. The single player mode offers up a good amount of challenge, but there is not much to keep you coming back in terms of storytelling. However, you do have to beat the game with varying characters to unlock the 9/25 hidden characters. If you want to unlock them as soon as possible you can set the difficulty to easiest, rounds to best out of 1, and time limit to 30 seconds. Personally, I don’t mind having to unlock characters, but it becomes a problem when you want to play the game at a friend’s place. If you bring your copy of SFIV to your friend’s apartment you will probably find that your favorite character has not been unlocked yet! The unlocks are linked to your specific console and cannot be copied over on a flash drive.

There are some new gameplay mechanics in SFIV that have not been in the previous titles. There are two meters at bottom of the HUD. The EX meter fills up as you attack and can be used to perform your character’s super move when it is full, or EX moves for ¼ of the full meter. EX moves are stronger forms of normal special moves performed by hitting two or more of the attack inputs while performing the same joystick movement. These moves perform more damage and some generate armor that can absorb one attack from your opponent and still come out. Super moves are unique attacks that do a lot of damage. It is fun to try to strike a balance between using the EX moves and when to save for your super. There is also the revenge meter which fills up as you get hit and can be used to perform the very cool looking ultra combos. These are unique attacks that have amazing animations that can rotate the camera angle and inflict loads of damage if pulled off correctly. The presence of the revenge meter means that the tides of battle can turn very quickly, but if you miss your ultra you leave yourself wide open for counterattacks. In addition to the meters SFIV also implements focus attacks. In order to perform a focus attack you hold down medium punch and medium kick. Your character begins to glow with a shadowy aura and you can release the buttons when you want the attack to come out. What is unique about the focus attack is that it can absorb one of your opponent’s hits, similar to certain EX moves. Landing a fully charged focus attack crumples your opponent and leaves them open to a big combo or an ultra/super attack. You can also cancel the focus attack by dashing out of it. This technique is used to absorb fireballs, fake out your opponent, and perform more complicated combos.

After unlocking your characters and getting used to the new gameplay mechanics you can hop into online play. You can play in non-ranked matches called player matches or you can play ranked matches. The ranked matches award battle points. When you beat an opponent with more battle points than you, they lose points and you gain points. The greater the disparity of battle points, the more is transferred. Capcom has also patched in championship mode, which is basically a tournament mode. There are different tier levels that you can work your way up as you continue to win. Sometimes it is hard to find a game in championship mode because you have to wait for someone who has also won x amount of previous matches and is in the same position as you in the tournament. Fortunately SFIV has a feature where you can play in the single player while still waiting for an online game. When a game becomes available you are pulled out of the singleplayer straight into the online lobby just like in the arcades. One of the things lacking is support for group lobbies. You can’t join a room with your friends and play your own little tournament. You are limited to playing with one friend at a time, and you cannot watch other people fight online. The netcode for SFIV is done very well and provides for a smooth online experience, but there can be some lag during peak hours if you are playing someone that is located far away from you. There are players of all different skill levels online and the challenge will keep you coming back for more. If you like the game and are looking to improve your skill the online portion of this game offers near endless lasting appeal.

Street Fighter IV is dubbed as the first 3D street fighter experience because the characters are rendered in 3D as well as the backgrounds. However, with the exception of the ultra combos the gameplay is limited to a 2D fighting field. At heart it is still a 2D fighter, except it is animated in 3D. Still, the character models and backgrounds in SFIV are brilliant and bring a fresh new face to a classic game franchise. One gripe I have with the character models is that some of them are just too buff! Half of them look like body builders that can barely scratch their own heads. The game has a lot of style and each character is unique. The ultra combo animations are very cool and allow you time to take in the beauty of the game.

Some say the only way to truly enjoy a fighting game is to play it on an arcade stick. Not everyone is going to dump the extra cash on a Madcatz Tournament Edition Fightstick, but there are cheaper alternatives such as the Hori Fighting Stick 3 that pack a lot of bang for their buck. With all that said, the game is perfectly playable with a normal PS3 or Xbox360 controller. It is all about personal preference. No matter what you use to play this game it is going to be fun.

One of the great things about this game is the devoted online community. There are several websites and forums such as Eventhubs and Shoryuken dedicated to Street Fighter games that you can use to learn and explore the true depth of this fantastic fighting game. Street Fighter IV is one of the best games this generation and is a must own for any fighting game fan, or casual gamer.

This game scores a 4.5 out of 5 in my book.

Guest Blogger: Oliver K.

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UFC Undisputed 2009 Review for Playstation 3

Linda — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 16:36:09 +0000

UFC Undisputed 2009 Review. Mixed Martial Arts is one of the fastest growing sports in the world today and the positive reception of Yukes and THQ’s UFC Undisputed 2009 for PS3 and Xbox360 shows that it is here to stay. 2009 is the year of arcade fighting games, with the console releases of Street Fighter 4, Blazblue: Calamity Trigger, King of Fighters XII, and Tekken 6. While you can’t play UFC Undisputed 2009 on your brand new Madcatz Tournament Edition Fightstick, you will find that it is a unique and rewarding fighting experience with a surprising amount of depth.

THQ is known for developing and publishing wrestling games, which in my opinion have clunky control schemes and cheesy animations. Needless to say my expectations for UFC Undisputed 2009 were not very high, but this game has been a pleasant surprise. The first thing you should do if you play this game is go through the tutorial. There are a lot of actions that you can do in this game and it can all seem confusing, but once you go through the tutorial it is pretty intuitive.

One of the best things about this game is the versatility of the control scheme. In the PS3 version the four face buttons control the strikes of your four limbs respectively. The R1 and R2 buttons are used to block high and low strikes, while the L1 and L2 buttons are used to direct in combination with the face buttons to direct your strikes high or low. You can even throw feints. Movement is controlled by the left analog stick while most of the grappling portion of the game is controlled by the right stick. The right stick is used to clinch with an opponent, take them down, and to perform ground transitions/reversals. Submissions can be attempted from certain positions by pressing R3. Both the fighter performing and defending the submission can opt to either button mash the face buttons, or rotate the right stick really quickly to sink in the submission or escape. I prefer to button mash to preserve the longevity of my dualshock 3 controller because the buttons are designed to be pressed over and over again, while the stick is designed for recognizing light and controlled movement. If the control scheme sounds a bit complicated, trust me it is not that bad once you get into a few fights and get the hang of it.

The game has a pretty extensive single player career mode. You must play as your own created character; you cannot fight as a young Chuck Liddell looking to establish yourself. The customization of your characters appearance is fairly weak. While you can achieve a fair amount of variability with the presets they have, I wish they had something like the sliders in Saints Row 2, so that you could truly customize your appearance, instead of putting together a strange Mr. Potato head fighter with preset pieces. However, the UFC roster characters have a lot of detail and really do resemble their real life models. There are 3 striking styles and 3 grappling styles you can choose from and each has their own benefits, but they were not all that different. The game would be better if the styles were more unique and you could mix and match your move set from varying styles. Once you create your fighter you move onto fighting on the undercard of UFC events against lesser known fighters. UFC president Dana White and match maker Joe Silva contact you via the games email interface to offer you fights.

One of the things you will notice as you play is that the commentary by Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan is spot on, and they even provide background information on many of the fighters, which adds to the effect of the game. Much of the game will be spent on your calendar where you decide whether to train, spar, attend other camps, or attend publicity events. Training your attributes like strength, speed, and stamina occur with the click of button and take up one week of your calendar. Skill points are earned by sparring, where the goal is to inflict as much damage as possible. These skill points are used to increase your fighter’s skills such as standing kicks offense, clinch striking defense, ground grappling offense and more. Attending training camps allows you to learn new moves if you can perform a set number of combos, or specific moves. The combo system is fairly limited when compared to games like street fighter, but you can string together 2-4 strikes together in quick succession before your opponent can block again.

The career mode lasts 7 years and once your fighter retires you can bring him into the online world to fight against the game’s roster of over 80 UFC fighters. The problem is that there are 5 weight classes in the game, and you can’t fight people outside of your weight class, which is no fun at all. Everybody wants to settle the pound for pound ranking debate right there in their living rooms. Playing the game online is much more rewarding because human players are more unpredictable than the game’s AI, and often times much more challenging. There are ranked matches where you gain “fans” by defeating other opponents which are used to level up for notoriety. There are weekly standings as well as overall standings for you high score junkies. I like to play in the player matches because you can request rematches with your opponents, unlike in the ranked mode. In most fighting games, once you finish the match online, you and your opponent go back to the character selection screen, but in this game, you have to request a rematch each time, and you can’t even change weight classes without starting a new session. I am a big fan of arcade fighters like Street Fighter 4, but I find playing a game like UFC Undisputed 2009 more rewarding when I win. In this game the fights last a lot longer which gives you time to feel out your opponent’s style and weaknesses. There is also the threat of flash knockouts or flash submissions, meaning the match could end at any moment if you are not careful.

One of the things I like to do is try to emulate the style of the fighter I am using. If I am Lyoto Machida, I try to stay on the outside and pick my shots. The game even has a mode called classic fights where you try to reenact the result of historic UFC fight, in order to unlock fight footage. The problem is that many of the fights they chose for the game are not even classics and it shows a disconnect between the developers and their subject matter. I still find myself coming back to this game every time there is a big UFC event to try to simulate the fights online; choosing the fighter I want to win. All in all this game may lack some polish but it is super fun to play and especially with friends at your place or online. This game is a good first outing for what will hopefully become an ongoing franchise. The UFC first approached major developer EA sports for their game, but EA turned them away. The UFC eventually went with THQ and Yukes, and the game has had great commercial success. EA Sports is now working on their own MMA video game to compete with the UFC. Iron sharpens iron in the world of combat sports and hopefully the same principles apply when it comes to developing video games.

UFC Undisputed 2009 gets an 80/100 in my book.

Guest Blogger: Oliver K.

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Killzone 2 Review for Playstation 3

Linda — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 09:00:46 +0000

Killzone 2 Review. After four years in development, Killzone 2 hit the shelves and did not disappoint. Not even a game crafted by a modern day Michelangelo could live up to the hype generated by Killzone 2. However, those of us that can get past our unreasonably high expectations will find that Killzone 2 is a very complete and enjoyable game.

The story mode is fairly generic, but it is engaging enough to keep you from skipping straight to the multiplayer portion of the game. There are some boss fights, but it won’t remind you of the epic battles you had in Shadows of Colossus or God of War. The campaign will take you around 6-10 hours to complete depending on your personal pace. Beating the game on the hard difficulty will also on unlock the very challenging elite difficulty, which has already claimed the spirits of even the most seasoned gamers. The singleplayer mode of the game has a cover system that you can use to avoid damage, similar to the Gears of War series, but this feature cannot be found in the multiplayer.

The style of this game’s multiplayer can be described as a mix between the ultra popular Call of Duty 4 and Team Fortress 2 (available on Orange Box). There are seven classes in Killzone 2. You can play whatever class suits your style such as a medic, engineer, sniper, and you can even combine the skills of two classes for further customization. There is also a ranking system that allows you to unlock different guns and perks to keep you coming back for more. Killzone 2 has its own version of all your classic multiplayer game modes, such as team deathmatch, capture the flag, assassination and more. You can play all these modes during the same match, as the modes alternate after certain objectives are met or you can join servers with the more traditional approach where the match runs the same mode throughout. Call of Duty 4 put first person shooters on the console map, and set the standard for all other shooters after it.

The aiming in Killzone 2 is sluggish compared to other shooters, but it is not a deal breaker. Guerilla Games has even released a patch to smooth out the aiming, however it will still take some adaptation on your part. Strafe aiming works well in this game. The default controller scheme is different than the Call of Duty 4 layout, but the alternative layout is almost identical. It is a lot more effective to fire from the hip and not the sights in close to medium range in Killzone 2 than in Call of Duty 4.

The graphics of Killzone 2 are some of the best this console generation has to offer. The character models and settings are very detailed. Killzone 2 manages to capture the feeling of battle, because there are so many things happening on your screen at once. The audio is equally engaging and the gunshots flying by, explosions at your feet, and squad mates yelling at you really draws you into the experience. I even get disoriented sometimes because there is so much going on; that’s how intense the game can be at times. The graphics of the multiplayer mode are not any competent than the singleplayer mode, unlike in games such as Resistance 2 where there is a noticeable drop in graphical quality. Killzone 2 is a unique experience and deserves to be played if you are interested in the first person shooter genre.

Killzone 2 scores a 85/100 in my book.

Guest Blogger: Oliver K.

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Video Games and Agression

Linda — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 17:30:32 +0000

The current contenders in this generation’s console wars are now Sony’s PS3, Microsoft’s Xbox 360, and the Nintendo Wii. But don’t count computers out! Now with online capabilities, gamers all across the world now have the option of playing online with each other. With the desire for entertainment to quench boredom, many people all over the world have invested much time and money into the world of video game entertainment. Now with more realistic gameplay and graphics, many parents are worries that their children may be getting the wrong idea. With popular games such as Halo, Bioshock, and Call of Duty flying off the shelves, it’s no wonder that America is worried about our youth.

The effects of video games and aggression have been a major topic of discussion since the 1990’s. While it is easy to blame violent media such as video games, music and movies, few take the time to see that the majority of gamers out there are capable of suspending their disbelief when playing violent games such as Half-Life 2 and Grand Theft Auto 4. A few gamers do view these game as an outlet for real life frustrations, but many more play these games simply because they are fun. If you are still worried about video games causing aggression in your kids, here are a few suggestions for getting more in tune with your child’s world:

Why not sit down and play the game with them? You don’t have to be good at the game; simply spending time with your child to understand why he or she finds these games so fascinating may open up some doors for you. Hey, you may even have fun while you’re at it!
Designate specific times when your child can play games so you can monitor their on and offline gaming behavior. Your child may be display different traits when playing co-op games that reflect the views and emotions of the entire group.
Talk to your child about your concerns.

Guest Blogger: Mark Casino
cares about your children.

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Day 3: The Final Day of E3 2009

Linda — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 17:02:05 +0000

E3 2009 Final Day: June 4th marked the final day of E3 2009. By that time, people were allowed to take pictures of the gigantic, 14 feet LED screen in the Square Enix booth. Thus, I would be removed from the duty of preventing picturing taking of the LED screen and placed to monitor the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers demo site. Allow me to inform you about the playable demos!

Final Fantasy Dissidia: This is Square Enix’s epic fighting game consisting of all the protagonists and antagonists of Final Fantasies I-X. In essence, this is every Final Fantasy fangirl/boy’s dream. Do you want to see a match up between Squall and Sephiroth or a battle between Zidane and Tidus? This game makes all of that a reality. The fighting is fast-paced and all the classic moves such as Cecil’s Darkness to Cloud’s Omnislash are present in this game. This game is slated to come out in late August. There is an exclusive Gamestop Dissidia bundle which features a silver PSP, a 2GB memory stick, Final Fantasy Dissidia, and Final Fantasy Advent Children. This is a must buy for all Final Fantasy fans!
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles The Crystal Bearers: This Wii game takes place 1,000 years after the original Crystal Chronicles game. The demo features a single player campaign where you take on the role of Layle, the impetuous crystal bearer of the game. The crystal embedded into his body gives him the ability to manipulate objects and created force fields. Crystal bearers are eschewed and frowned upon in the game’s society. You essentially possess Jedi force powers in which you can use the Wii-mote to target and pick up objects or people and fling them with the flick of a wrist. In the demo, there is a scene where Layle is chased by chocobo knights. In the Final Fantasy universe, chocobos are large turkeys that are generally used as mounts. During the chase, you have to target the riders with the Wii-mote and throw them off their mounts. The game is action-packed, simple, and fun; and is to be released in late 2009 or early 2010.
Order of War: Square Enix, the king of RPG’s, is releasing a real time strategy game for the PC. Order of War is a World War II game and the demo places you in the position of the Allies. Take the position of the commander and plow your way through German forces. A neat feature is the cinematic button that allows the player to see close-ups of the actions that are currently in progress. Order of War is expected to be released in September of this year.
Final Fantasy IV: The After Years: This game’s 16-bit graphics are redolent of the pre-FF VII era. The game takes place 17 years later where a second moon appears in the sky which causes the Crystals to emit a soft light. The protagonist is the son of FF IV’s Cecil and Rosa, Ceodore. The game plays in an episodic manner in which you download parts of the story via WiiWare. Most of the chapters are already available for download and the final chapters will be available sometime in September, 2009.
Project Cube: Square Enix surprised me with this X-Box exclusive twin-stick shooter which is reminiscent of games such as Robotron. The left control stick is for movements while the right is for shooting. The right trigger is used for dashing and when timed right, it will temporarily stun your enemies, allowing you to reach another vantage point. Dashing is also used to defeat enemies that only become vulnerable stunned. Holding the left trigger brings up a shield that corrals incoming bullets and allows you to reflect them all at will. One of the more interesting features of the game is red splatter on the floor left by defeated enemies. Upon first glance, one would assume it is blood. According to Square Enix, it is actually “robot machine oil.” The game will also feature a multiplayer that was not shown at E3. The release date is still to be announced.
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days – Just to clear the confusion, this DS title is pronounced “Three Five Eight Over 2.” The star of the show is Roxas, a character familiar to those who have played Kingdom Hearts 2. Here, you will learn more about the egregrious Organization XIII and the mysterious 14th member, Shion. The demo is very reminiscent of the mission-based system of Final Fantasy X-2. A multiplayer feature has been added that allows players to choose from any of the Organization XIII members. For those eager to delve into Roxas’ story, this game is expected to come out in fall of 2009.
Final Fantasy VII – Yes, this is the game that revolutionized RPG’s with its intricate story and extravagant CG graphics. What more do I need to say? If you are not tired of Square Enix re-releasing their Final Fantasy games, go download this for the Playstation 3. If you have no other RPG to play while waiting for Final Fantasy XIII, I recommend playing the good memories all over again.

There you have it folks! That is the demo line-up for Square Enix at E3 2009. The games that were previewed but not playable include: Final Fantasy XIII, Front Mission Evolved, Supreme Commander 2, Nier, and Final Fantasy XIV. A simple internet search will allow you to find more information about these games. Square Enix has once again proven itself to be a major powerhouse in the video game industry by appealing to both western and eastern audiences. I envisage a very auspicious future for Square Enix.

I want to make a final comment that the people I worked with were great and fun to interact with. I felt that my fellow workers helped contribute to the convivial atmosphere that permeated throughout E3 2009. E3 is a wonderful experience that I hope all gamers can enjoy at least once in their lifetimes. For those interested, E3 2010 will take place from June 15-17! Mark those calendars for the 2010 E3 expo!

E3’s final day ranks a 4 out of 5 for me!

Guest Blogger: Mark Casino (LA RPG Examiner)

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Video Game Console Evolution

Will — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 23:20:06 +0000

Xbox 360

I love video games, and one of the most popular games out right now is Grand Theft Auto IV. The latest incarnation of the long running Grand Theft Auto series, the game has amazing graphics and an immersive storyline.

Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned Official Strategy Guide

Although I play mine on an Xbox 360, the game is also available for the Playstation 3 and even on your desktop PC. What is exciting to me is that on the Xbox 360 they are releasing a new expansion pack for the game called The Lost and the Damned. There’s no disk to buy for this, you simply order it online (exclusively) through your Xbox 360. Now you don’t have to drive out to a store to buy it or worry if the local gaming franchise might run out of copies, you can download this game from the comfort of your living room. This could be the future of games, and it reminds me of fairly similar way to buy things… Become!

Will

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Congratulations PS3 owners

kris — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 20:34:21 +0000

It’s a crazy week here at Become, with lots of new things coming to the main site in the next few weeks. However, with all of this excitement it’s becoming harder and harder to get time to work out a real article on Pocketchange. Fear not loyal readers, we’ll be doing what we can.

Well, this week marks a very important day in the life of those people who’ve spent far too much money on their Playstation 3’s. This is the week that Heavenly Sword comes out. Sure, it may be “Goddess of War,” but do you remember how cool God of War 2 was? If it comes even to 50% of the awesome that is God of War it will be well worth the playtime.

So grats to the PS3 owners, you now own at least one (maybe 2) quality game. Go bake yourself a cake, pretty soon Sony won’t even have to edit the competition’s Wikipedia articles.

Also: kittens

Kris

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The Darkness Review (aka OMG a game worth playing on the PS3!)

kris — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 17:50:12 +0000

Before I get into the review, I should mention that today marks the first day of what used to be the single greatest week in a gamers life. E3 used to be the time for gamers to gather together and drool over the coming year’s goodness. It is now a elite club of media types of which you are not cool enough to join. That doesn’t mean that some pretty big announcements won’t come out this week, and if you want to stay up on whats happening might I suggest:

http://www.G4tv.com – G4 is covering the events, and if you can wade your way through their mess of a website you could find out some pretty juicy information.

http://www.E3insider.com – What used to be the premiere E3 website is now no more than a collection of videos. However, it is a very well done collection of videos. And everyone loves videos.

Also, if you happen to have picked up a PS3 you can watch all the big events (especially those Sony related) right from the Playstation Network.

On with the review.

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I Want That! 2007 Video Games Edition

kris — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 16:47:43 +0000

The folks over at IGN released their “Most anticipated games of 2007” list {PS3, DS, Wii} yesterday, and it has made me start thinking about which games I will drop my hard earned 50 bucks for. There is very little doubt in my mind that this will be the year of the amazing game. With 3 new consoles on the market, every developer and their little sister is trying to rush their best products to the market in order to be the “killer app” for their respective system. So which games are really worth looking forward to?

5) Super Mario Galaxy – Nintendo Wii – Release date: “when there is snow on the ground”
- Super Mario games have always been a love-hate relationship for me. Super Mario Brothers is the first video game I ever played and the game that launched me into my obsession. Mario also brought us the greatness that was Mario 64, one of the best games to be released on the Nintendo 64 other than Mario Kart (another point entirely) and Zelda: Ocarina of Time. However, Mario has also given us some of the worst atrocities in movie and video game history (see: Super Mario Brothers the Movie, and Mario Sunshine. Since this is a Mario stand-alone title in the vein of the other Super Mario titles I just cannot be sure if this one will be a Mario 64 or a Mario Sunshine). It is still worth looking forward to none-the-less.

4) Legend of Zelda: The Phantom Hourglass – Nintendo DS – Release date: Late 2007
- I am a Zelda fan, but I’ve never been a fan of the Zelda titles for the handheld systems. I remember picking up the old Link’s Awakening and only finishing about 1/3 of the game before getting bored with it and putting it down. The same occurred with Four Swords, Ages/Seasons, and so on. I really think that the epic story and masterpiece that is the Zelda franchise needs to be experienced in its full console glory to truly excel. That being said, I think The Phantom Hourglass actually has quite a bit of potential. A lot has changed in the hand held market since the monochrome Game boy. These new system are fully capable of producing that “grand experience” that a game like this needs. With The Phantom Hourglass being inspired by Wind waker; it’s all the better. This has a very good chance to be the handheld Zelda game that will finally keep me interested until the end.

3) God of War II – Playstation 2 – March 2007
- We all love bald headed action heroes (Vin Diesel), and Kratos is one of the best. God of War may have been one of the best games to come out on the Playstation 2, period. From the word that is coming out of the reviewers, this game is going to be even bigger and more fun than the last. We can expect more story, more moves, better graphics, and more skills and content to unlock. Sure this game is being released for a “last gen” console, but with the PS3’s backwards compatibility fixed in the latest patch you won’t even have to go dig around in the dumpster for your old Playstation 2.
2) Spore (maybe) – PC – Release Date: Who knows!?!?!
- This one is a long shot because we just don’t know if this is actually going to be a 2007 release title. Will Wright (the brilliant mind that gave us The Sims) is creating Spore to be the next generation in player generated world games. Everything in Spore will be able to be modified by the player. You will play a species all the way through its development from one-celled organism to space travel. The content in the game is constantly being added to by other players around the world as their create their creatures. Eventually your race will be able to travel to other player-created planets to visit and trade. I just can’t do this game justice in the small space I have the write here so I’ll just point you to the Spore website, and this video.

1)Super Smash Brothers: Brawl – Nintendo Wii – Release Date: 2nd Quarter 2007
- I was a junior in high school when I first learned of the glory that was the original Super Smash Brothers on Nintendo 64. The Super Smash Brothers franchise could very well include the two best games ever created. I have played the Gamecube version for over 5 years now and I still learn something new every time I play it. So now the next generation console has the next generation Smash and all I have to say is that I am ecstatic. Imagine taking your favorite Nintendo characters (Mario, Link, Zelda, Donkey Kong) and putting them into a ring to do righteous battle for no apparent reason. This is truly a recipe for a masterpiece in gaming. Super Smash Brothers: Brawl brings us a a host of new features that promise to bring the game from greatness to legendary status. Let’s begin with online play. Finally I can once again connect with my old high school friends and relive being savagely beaten with a controller after beating a friend using a particularly devious tactic. The Super Smash Brothers community is huge, and tournaments are being held all over the country throughout the year. With the addition of online play, the possibility for some truly epic battles is nothing short of thrilling. Also Smash: Brawl will include tons of new playable characters (Pit, Solid Snake, Zero-Suit Samus, and Meta-Knight to name a few), new levels, new moves using the Wii’s controller, and a larger single player mode than both of the other games combined. This is the game that keeps me up at night wondering when the good folks at Nintendo will bring me this glorious masterpiece. I just can’t wait.

So those are the top 5 games that I am looking forward to for 2007. Notice that there are no Playstation 3 of Xbox 360 titles in that batch, because I still do not own either a Playstation 3, or an Xbox 360. Someone send the folks at Sony and Microsoft a memo that their systems cost about 200 bucks too much. So, what games are the good readers of Pocket Change looking to drop your hard earned cash on this year?

Top 5 Over-hyped games for 2007 coming next week…

Kris

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Console Wars

kris — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 23:49:29 +0000

So the next generation of consoles is here, and it’s an all out war out there. Fighting in the streets, smashing of rare and expensive equipment just to prove a point, and aggressive marketing campaigns that fall just short of direct attacks. The good news is that unlike an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, we get to choose who wins this war of the machines.

The Challengers:

Sony’s PlayStation 3

Pro: An absolute powerhouse of technology. This wins the graphics and capability battle hands down. Neither of the other next-gen systems come close in terms of sheer power, and the addition of a built in blu-ray player is really nice. Also, the free Internet play and tons of downloadable content really pushes the bar into PS3’s favor

Con: Like all power, this system comes at a cost and a hefty one at that. Models with 60 gigs of storage are retailing at near $600, while the 20 gig model is selling just near $400. This alone has caused many (myself included) to wait for a large price drop before picking up a PS3. Also, the game selection which has been released with the PS3 has been getting extremely disappointing reviews for a system that claims so much.

Microsoft’s Xbox 360

Pro: This is the next-gen unit that’s been sitting around waiting for someone to compete with for nearly a year. It isn’t quite a powerful as the PS3, but it can still produce some stunning graphics. Of course, the fact that it has been on the market for over a year gives it a very big boost in the “fun out of the box” factor. If you pick up an Xbox 360 today there is a very good chance that you’ll be able to find at least five games which will keep you interested.

Con: Internet play is limited by the fact that you have to pay for it. They are the only company of the three that charges a monthly fee in order to play online. This is unfortunate as games become more and more about playing with friends over the Internet. Like the PS3, there is nothing innovative or new about the the Xbox 360. It is really just a new and shinier version of the original Xbox.

The Nintendo Wii

Pro: The only system this year that really shakes things up. The Nintendo Wii is the game system that makes everyone rethink how they play video games, or at least that’s what Nintendo wants us to believe. The control style (utilizing motion sensing and accurate remote-style pointing) is like nothing we have seen before, and opens up doors for a new level of immersion that isn’t possible in classic gaming. If Nintendo wins this fight, the gaming world as we know it may change forever. It is also the cheapest of the 3 units, coming in at only $260.

Con: The system is significantly less powerful than its opponents. The raw power of the PS3 absolutely dwarfs the Wii. There have also been reports of wrist bands breaking and wii-motes (the Wii’s controller) smashing through windows and TV sets. While the Internet play is free, the current game selection doesn’t offer much in the way of online features.

Breakdown

The only system that I have extensive hands on experience with is the Wii. So I admit, I am biased towards Nintendo. However, I have had a chance to play both the PS3 and the Xbox 360 in the past month so I can speak a bit to their power and capability. Both the PS3 and the Xbox 360 provide some impressive visuals, and I really enjoyed seeing every detail present on the screen. Seeing these games in near perfect clarity was quite an experience. However, I still believe that it isn’t impressive graphics that will move this industry further. The Wii’s innovative controls and focus on game play over graphics will give them the leverage needed to bring more people into gaming, and actually grow the market rather than appeal to those who are already hooked. I have spent the past 2 weeks playing The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and I can say that I am amazed at how much more I’m enjoying the experience than former traditional systems.

So for me, the winner is…Nintendo’s Wii.

Kris Belau
Product Specialist

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