So it is that the fierce Xenomorphs must clash with the mighty Predators once more, and once more, leave a gruesome wake of Colonial Marines behind them. Which leads me into my first issue I took with this game. I don’t want to sound like I’m criticising milk for being a dairy product, but from the outset I had a bad sense of deja vu. Humans, in their infinite hubris, are yet again attempting to harness, train, or otherwise domesticate the Xenomorphs to further their own cause. Unsurprisingly, this goes south, and to further accentuate the level of this human folly, the Predators show up to ruin everyone’s day. I’ve more or less reached the point where I feel like humans need to learn from their mistakes, or finally succeed at some warped experiment that changes the playing field. I know it’s not likely to be within the scope of a videogame to go messing around with some fundamental parts of the universe, but goddamn it, it’s crying out for an injection of progress.

The whole product is by and large what you’d expect, for all the good and bad reasons. The campaign, when the play time across all three species is tallied up, is short, but almost blessedly so, because around about the point when I could feel the arcs wrapping up, there was some relief that the developers had the foresight not to let it run overlong and overstay their welcome. All told, you could probably finish all three on a long, lonely Saturday afternoon (not speaking from experience here though, to be clear).

Melee combat is a significant focus to the gameplay, and I’m not going to lie to you, it’s a little bit weird. I want to be absolutely clear that I’m not some sort of snob that baulks at the idea of games that try something drastically different from the popular convention. I really liked Unreal Champtionship 2. Loved it, even. AvP has a blocking mechanic, first of all, so there’s this idea that everyone can go toe-to-toe with each other (that’s not strictly true, but I’ll get to that) provided they play it smart. There’s a standard tripartite relationship between quick melee, strong melee, and blocking. Blocking a quick melee will grant you your opportunity to counter attack, strong melee will break a guard and cause a stun, and obviously quick melee is faster than a strong one. Now, as far as going toe to toe, Marines definitely have an arsenal of ranged weaponry, so when it comes to the nasty scrapping, they don’t actually have a strong attack. Ultimately that just means you’re shooting when you get the chance, and using block and melee when necessary. When the marine gets surprised however, they’re pretty much screwed, insta-kill grab moves at the back will ruin your bug-hunting days. On the ranged side of things, marines make up for their up-close vulnerabilities, but there’s certainly mitigating factors like the Xeno’s sheer speed and wall-crawling, and the Predators cloaking ability and selection of ranged curiousities. Talking about how it all works together make me come to terms with how carefully considered it all is, and I really appreciate it on that level, but at the same time it’s quite strange to close the gap as an alien, only to have your attack blocked and to be forced into a game of rock paper scissors. Though if that’s a frequent occurrence, you’re probably playing them wrong, as the pounce moves that both non-human races have definitely place emphasis on surprise attacks.

Graphically it looks nice, nothing ground breaking, but I did get the feeling that there’s a flatness and dustiness which is true to the source material, but at the same time not doing the experience any favours. Given that the minimalistic-with-fog-and-dirt look was probably a necessity born out of budgetary constraints, it feels like the universe as a whole has maybe been bled dry, both narratively and stylistically.

Multiplayer is probably the most substantial, or probably worthwhile part of the product, given that there’s not a big market for first person action games with vastly varying playable species. The balance is pretty tight, as covered above, and you’ll need to play to their strengths in order to leverage victory. Of course player base is always an issue, and in my own trials I could never find a ranked match to join. Player matches were abundant enough though, and while I was ready to write it off as a lag fest after the first few frustrating deaths, once I became acclimated to the ebb and flow of the entanglements of an interspecies team deathmatch, I was surprised to find myself embroiled in a tense and close match more than once. There’s also a survival mode which you might be tempted to chalk up to the “gamemode flavour of the year” with all the Horde clones popping up, except that the original AvP had a survival mode in it. I was a little disappointed that it had succumbed to the wave-based nature of its contemporaries though, but it’s difficult to fault it; players need goals and objectives. Still, I will probably continue to have nostalgic thoughts about the free form infinite killing field of the old school survival.

AvP seems like the kind of big-budget franchise release where they underfund a project in order to get the best return out of an ignorant fanbase, and from time to time that becomes abundantly clear, via an AI Xenomorph not quite able to take the shortest path between two points, or marines telling each other “don’t let your guard down” exactly the same way twice, or the quite unimpressive speech work in the audiologs, but for my money, I think Rebellion allocated the resources they had access to in probably the best way, play testing and balancing the species interaction and the basic nuts and bolts of play making this a fun experience at its core. Certainly not for those happy with the modern conventions as they have developed, but fans of the franchise will likely be able to overlook the flaws.

Closing Comments:

The reboot of Aliens Vs Predator is not without its flaws, but a large number of these (or at least the ones I considered significant) are rooted in genre preconceptions, and franchise baggage. AvP is not a great game. There’s definitely a case to be made that it’s not even a good game. But if you’re not bogged down with how you think a modern FPS should look and feel, and you can’t get enough of ripping a mans head off his shoulders in order to caress his bare spine (or other excellent gory hallmark moments), then there’s probably just enough content and reverence to satisfy you in this package.

The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition was a runaway success, so it’s no surprise that Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge would get its turn for the spotlight. According to LucasArts, the game will feature new graphics (with the ability to switch back to the originals), voiceovers, a hint system, and re-mastered music. Commentaries are also on the cards as well as an interesting control method that foregoes the traditional point & click.

MI2 is coming to a ton of devices including PC, PSN, XBLA and iPhone. It’s launching sometime within June-August. Just be prepared, it’s one heck of a hard game!

The trilogy of God of War now spans the two latest PlayStation consoles, the first being a smash success and the second having people declaring that there was still plenty of life left in the PS2. Episode three comes to us in full HD with the grunt of a few cell processors behind the technology in the black box. You’d be among good company if you already had high expectations for God of War 3, most people that seem to be drawn to this particular action hack and slash game like flies to the proverbial. So the scene is set for a rather monumental release, expectations to be dashed or dreams to be fulfilled?

Once you’ve killed a God or two, massacred your own family and slashed your way out of hell a time or two there isn’t much left in life other than some strong feelings of betrayal, hate, and self loathing. Kratos was a man, the empty shell filled with muscles and aggression, don’t expect pros from him, a few subtle one liners that indicate an intend to murder everything after having already knifed out the eyes of your victim.

If you aren’t aware of the back story it might pay to either check out a detailed explanation on Wikipedia/GiantBomb or perhaps investigate the remade edition for the PS3 (the God of War Collection). You will probably be able to piece it all together as you go along, as it does have a rather retrospective dialogue, but more enjoyment would be garnered by those that actually appreciate what Kratos has gone through to arrive at the current position in the world of gods, men and titans. I can’t decide if this is a feature or to the games detriment, I’ve always felt that a trilogy should make use of the entire story arch to tell a tale. Conversely I can also appreciate when a single unit can be enjoyed as a stand alone product while simultaneously enjoying the richness of a well established universe.

Combat is very similar to that found in the other two games, various weapons are collected which have their own benefits and drawbacks. I’m not sure about the dynamics of how Kratos manages to cart them all around the under/overworlds on his person while only sporting a skirt and some shin armour. But the over muscled ex spartan probably has a few tricks up his “sleeves” that he just doesn’t want to share with people because it might ruin the illusion.

One incredible change from past titles is that quick time events are now mapped out on screen with the aid of position based markers. Need to cut off the serpent tail of a Chimera? The X button appears at the bottom of the screen as it appears on the face of your controller. A triangle to rip out the eye of a cyclops? That’s right up the top in the middle, again, how it is mapped in real life. This is far more intuitive and means that I don’t have to look away from the action, unless of course the live gutting of a Centaur makes me turn my head in revulsion. Also, sex mini games, I no longer fail at them!!!! How’s that for video games mirroring real life.

Parts of the story are told in a mosiac theme that is actually incredibly smart, little effects and animations to help convey a history of violence that makes it all feel very greek. Probably one of my favourite visual elements of a game that is very well polished in this respect. There is a lot of blood and glowing aura effects, the enemies have plenty of detail on them and the environment is very pretty is not at times a little depressing. The scale of battle can change very suddenly with the camera panning back to show a massive area with Kratos still controllable, it’s effective and shows you how far the tech has come that drives these games.

Closing Comments

There is really only one aspect that lets the entire experience down for me, and that is that Kratos is a bit of an cock. I don’t want him to succeed, not because I don’t understand his motives, but because I want someone to punch his arrogant mouth so hard that it comes out of his asshole. Seriously, cheer up a bit, doom, gloom an retribution gets a little old after 7 hours. It is probably intentional and the conclusion to the story backs this up, but I can’t say I enjoyed the fact that there was a complete void of humour. Also the balance of ugly breasts to normal is also a little out of kilter, unless, you find the harpies attractive….

Game play wise, it is almost faultless, lots of combos, weapon upgrades, awesome puzzles. It’s pretty much everything anyone could hope from the genre. The conclusion is definite and the trilogy complete, one would hope that this is where the franchise takes its curtain call and that the story is not cheapened with a further instalment.

When you do get to play it, and once you have finished it, I would like to know how long you pushed the button for……..  you’ll know what I mean when the time comes.

It’s a full house again this week, GaR returns from the netherworld of riding his bike, Wugga gets cornered at his own house, and well, I remembered.

Podcast Go!

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Harmonix/EA has announced to the world that Rock Band 3 will be coming out this holiday season as a worldwide release. Though can we really trust EA seeing what happened with the last two games? Perhaps they’ve learned the errors of their ways; Lego Rock Band and The Beatles: Rock Band have all turned up on time.

Not much else has been revealed but there has been rumours about Harmonix working on something educational, as in teaching music. With the Rock Band Network unavailable in New Zealand, I guess a new Rock Band is what we’ll have to take.

Getting delayed can often times mean a death sentence for a game, the hype dies down, people look else where for their fix. Battlefield’s move back to releasing this week was either due to the developer needing more time or EA deciding that they might prefer to avoid going head to head against MW2. Either way, the time is here, so what is the final result?

First up, if you haven’t already tried it, the first one had some incredible sound design, when I say incredible, I mean it kicks every other games audio over to the middle east and then back onto a plane for the return trip home. The second game doesn’t do that, as the destination is south america, but it is still a pleasure to listen to. The final effect is an immersive effect that leaves most other shooters for dead. Modern Warfare 2 certainly has more going on than BFBC2 but the clarity of the gunfire and the shouts from opposing forces is stunning. If games like M.A.G managed to implement sound like BFBC2 we would be looking at a far more compelling offering in the current market.

Stories for modern day FPSing excursions are often excusatory, in that they are purely offering an often laughable motive to go ahead and shoot stuff. Nothing trend breaking really found here, enjoyable, but perhaps too run of the mill, bad guys vs good guys looking for secret weapon. Where it does buck the trend is the scripting and voice acting, the characters really come alive in their respective rolls. It’s a well rounded cast of personalities, and funny.

Along with the feeling of empowerment from the audio comes the accuracy of the weapons and the way that bullets interact with the environment. See it + Shoot it = Hit it. Not silly clipping of bullets off of invisible obstacles, it’s a refreshing case of what you see is what you get.

Multiplayer is, as often seems to be the case with the Battlefield franchise, a huge draw card. Fans of the first won’t be disappointed with a massive upheaval, but by the same token it really doesn’t offer a large point of difference, there are improvements I am sure, but the nitty gritty of it goes right over my head. The bi-annual instalment scenario for popular shooters just seems to be a cross platform console vice for milking money.

How do I rate the experience as a whole? Damn good, there is plenty for both single and multi player, very enjoyable and easy (not arduous) to play. You can sit back, have a laugh, and shot some ethnic people, it’s what every seems to really want in a violent gaming experience. Sometimes I think I should worry that I enjoy being part of this pack.

More ranting about why I am looking forward to this game can be found here.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Valve have updated the Steam version of Portal with a ton of secrets, hinting at the inevitable Portal sequel/Half-Life Episode 3 mash up. Steam forum goers discovered that the new Achievement, “Transmission Received” tasks players with carrying the radios around the game to uncover 26 secrets.

While most of the secrets are complicated SSTV pictures and morse code, there is an extended ending which you can find after the break. It’s pretty incredible how they went in and added all this stuff to a three year-old game. A great publicity stunt if I ever saw one. Now the big question is, how long do we have to wait Valve?

Update: Did I speak too soon? Portal 2 was announced today by Valve as coming “this holiday season”. Guess we can finally put aside those Half-Life mash up rumours now. Game Informer magazine has an exclusive 12 page article along with a pretty snazzy cover.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Shooting people is one of my favourite gaming pass times, in the face, groin or rather often the knee. I’m usually not to bothered by where as long as some damage is inflicted and I feel like I am at least getting my kicks in before the other guy (who is overly proficient at online shooters) gets some lead through my head. So you would think that a game dedicated only to the online shooting, with massive teams and large battle fields, would be right up my barrel. MAG, it seems, might not have been my cup of tea right from the start.

The collaboration between Zipper Studios and Sony resulted in a fairly ambitious announcement 2 years ago, 256 players in the same game, battling it out on in an online arena all created by the all powerful 4th dimension creating PS3. Fanboys howled with glee while the PR machine went into overdrive trying to convince the gaming public that bigger, in terms of scale, is most assuredly better.

When you fire up MAG you will be greeted with the option of choosing your faction, the team that you will be fighting with to assert PMC supremacy. After which there is a quick control familiarisation tutorial that teaches you the ropes. Once completed there is then a series of less than full size training skirmishes that include up to 64 people.

Once level 8 is reached your character will be able to join in the full sized skirmishes, 128 players on each side, that’s a lot of people, if you have every seen a mass of ants scrambling you might get an idea of what happens. People moving across the entire battle field towards the various objectives, trying to gain a little ground, destroy one fixed utility, revive a fallen comrade. The partitioning of squads is a good start to organising the mess, the voice coms become more important than any other game available.

My main problem with the game came from the slow build up, not just slow, but almost totourous. The limitation of weapons, the inability to keep pace with heavily armed enemies, it’s just not fun. At some point in development the focus moved away from fun and towards the grind of what you might expect from an RPG. Some of the blame for this may well be placed on the shoulders of the popular Modern Warfare, unlocking extra abilities and guns seems to have carried over to being the norm, if not, an expectation.

The thing is, I don’t want to have to play a game for 5 hours before a get something resembling an accurate weapon. This seems to be what Zipper think will add longevity to the online experience, it however shortened mine. It is also why this review might be a little shorter than I might have hoped, I just couldn’t bring myself to play it any longer than I did. There are games far more interesting that are waiting for me to thrash at the moment.

Closing Comments

If you have plenty of disposable time then perhaps this is something that you might not have an issue with, but as it is, I do not feel the pavlovian response to continue when drip fed pieces of a game.

Metro 2033 gets some airtime this week as we celebrate not being Russian. The conclusive post review summary of Bioshock 2 and plenty more Heavy Rain including a spoilatious section which you might want to avoid if still playing the game (we do give a fair warning in the pod)

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