The Kinectabilities await us
The other night, my daughter and I watched the GameTrailers.Com worldwide reveal for Kinect on the Xbox 360, as presented by Cirque du Soleil, before a premiere audience that included various Hollywood stars, VIPs and media from all around the world. This program showcased a highlighted version of the June 13thlive performance, that was held this past Sunday and featured live performances from dancers, musicians and acrobats of Cirque du Soleil. (more…)
Hard to say Goodbye to Halo 2
Its not personal here, strictly business a business decision and a move that was bound to come someday. At least we have about 10 weeks notice, before things will finally shut down. For HaloFan boys, its still shocking news for some of us hear… to know that on April 15th 2010, the Xbox Live services for Original Xbox consoles, Xbox v1 Games & their Original On Demand titles, and those that are playable on the Xbox 360 will be no more.
My first time on Xbox Live came from borrowing my friends Original Halo edition Xbox Console and the first game I played on Live was none other than Halo 2. For the months to follow, that’s all I would play until I purchased my Xbox 360 Elite and would the have a chance to try out some other games. Even still, I would play more an more Halo 2 until the launch of Halo 3 would come. I’ve only returned once really since to Halo 2, but now over the next few weeks I plan to return a few more times.
This marks the end of a milestone for Halo 2, Xbox Live, and for Bungie as the decision to end one of the most popular online Xbox titles approaches. Its hard to think that a number of people might only have an original console to play online, but that very well is the case. Some might own both and still enjoy playing these old titles or the console still. I can say from my experience I was really surprised at how well that old console worked and really enjoyed those first experiences on Xbox Live.
So when I first heard the news I was shocked and thought that it couldn’t include those games you play on the Xbox 360 and Halo 2 would be safe still. The shock lead only to deeper shock to see that Halo 2 would not survive the chopping block after all here. You’ll still be able to pick the old games and play through their campaigns and do some split screen action, but going online and playing friends around the world will be no more sadly.
Bungie is already planing on some big game action for April 14th and for one last send off to their title that really launched Xbox Live and made it what it is today. If you have a copy of the game, then dust it off and head on back to make some lasting memories while you can. This also goes for the other original Xbox titles as well. If your an original Xbox console gamer only, we really hope to see you move on up to an Xbox 360 soon.
Mass Effect 2 DLC from Dr Pepper, 7-11 & EA Games
From Dr Pepper, 7-Eleven & EA Games, comes some of the latest in DLC game content for Mass Effect 2, Spore, Sims 3, Medal of Honor, Skate 3, and many more. What’s really cool about all of this is you get to select from the list of games you prefer for your DLC items. Now with Mass Effect 2 being so hot now, its a given that fans of the game and Dr Pepper will love winning these three DLC items for Commander Sheppard to use in the game. Some of them are also exclusive from 7-Eleven alone.
To claim the under the cap codes, simply enter them at DrPepper.Com, where each code will earn you a Dr Pepper Point. These points can currently be claimed for some EA Games DLC items. The Mass Effect 2 DLC comes in the form of head gear for Commander Sheppard to wear. You may select either the Umbra Visor, Recon Hood, or Sentry Interface items for each point you’ve earned. Not only do these items look really cool with your armor, they’ll also enhance some of the features of your Armor choices. Details for each of the item appears below and outlines the added perk enhancements available for your character.
Umbra Visor (7-Elven Exclusive) - A next-generation night-vision device that assists targeting. By detecting the focal point of the wearer’s eyes and enhancing the image at that location, the visor helps direct a biotic power or a shot from an omni-tool exactl where the wearer is looking. Increases power damage by 5%.
Recon Hood (7-Elven Exclusive) - A hood issued to covert action teams, this models optic display interfaces with most small arm’s auto-targeting software, linking hand and eye for improved accuracy and increased weapon damage. Ballistic-mesh fabric and composite ceramic plating provide necessary armor, and the integral air filter helps in hostile environments. Increases weapon damage by 5%.
Sentry Interface- This visor works with the Sentry system, a software application that optimizes an armor suits microframe computer. When the Sentry system is running, more power can be devoted to shield management. Increases shield strength by 5%.
After you’ve claimed your items, simply fire up the game and you’ll see them available via the Cerberus Network for download. Its nice to see items like this become available and at such a small price of only $1.5o per Dr. Pepper. I also like that you can select form a limited number of DLC titles you prefer. I just might have to get some of the other game items… after all, I am a fan of Dr Pepper too.
ME2 could be next GOTY
We are now hours away from the midnight release of Mass Effect 2 and fans are getting ready to head on out and pick up their reserved copies and find out what is in store for Commander Sheppard next. All this hype and build up from Bioware is about to be revealed at last in what could very well be their best RPG to date.
In fact this could very well stake a claim for Game of the Year perhaps. The buzz from those who have gained early access to the game is helping fuel the hype machine and keep the fans pumped and excited. So if your new to the Mass Effect world, what should you expect and is all this hype what its cracked up to be then?
To start with you can expect a really great story. I think from both books and the first game, you have a must buy game for any RPG fan. If you love to read at all, then I think you should start out with the book Mass Effect: Revelation by Drew Karpyshyn and learn all about the Universe that makes up Mass Effect and sets the ground work of things to come down the road. This prequel for the game is a very good read and will have you wanting to finish the book and dive right on into the game.
The Mass Effect game continues the story of Humanities quest for for a place in the Universe and furthering on the story. You’ll play as a new character known as Commander Sheppard and learn what has been going on our hero Anderson that was introduced in the first book. I loved the first games story and really enjoyed playing through it. I’m not going to give a full review on the first game and will simply say that its by far one of the best game stories I’ve ever experienced.
Once I finished the game I dove straight on into Mass Effect: Ascension and began to learn more about what has happened with Kahlee Sanders since the first book and about a new force known as Cerberus, and their very own plans for Humanity. Not much is mentioned here about Commander Sheppard in this prequel to Mass Effect 2.
So from these great stories and setup so far, its only natural to expect something amazing from Bioware in their latest effort here. Commercials have been airing some pretty amazing clips and scenes and fans are dying to import their original character from the first game on into ME2 and get started with the new story lines.
Do you have to play the first one to play ME2? Not at all, but I think you’ll be missing out quite a bit. Thankfully Bioware has provided a way for those jumping into this new to still experience a great story. I’m just not big on skipping the beginning of a story or a line of movies and the same goes with games for me. If you need an extra push towards the first game, the price is very reasonable for both new and used copies of the game.
What should you expect in the game play and visuals? If the trailers are any indication, your going to be amazed and fall in love with this RPG. The developers have done a lot more than pour a sequel into a skinned version of Mass Effect. I’ve heard where some people have spent about 25 hours in initial play through and still have tons of things to explore in this game. Clearly not a short quick game and those who beat the first game will have any number of possibilities, depending on the choices they made in the first game and in importing a saved character into ME2.
The 360 version of the game will have two discs and you will need to swap the discs out from time to time. Its been said that this experience will not be a bad one for those on the 360. I just hope we don’t run into any situations of dialog load screens on one disc, followed by a switch to the 2nd disc and then loosing a battle and having to swap back to disc one and repeat the process.
If I had any hang up at all in the first game it was situations of load like I stated above, but the Devs have said that a lot of that has been improved in ME2 now. My only suggestion is to not go far with auto saves alone and from time to time check your menu options and do saves on your own. You’ll thank yourself later for sure and take my word if you’ve never played the first game.
Loyal fans and first time owners will gain access to some free DLC at the launch of the game in the form of the Cerberus Network. Sounds like they might have setup a really cool interface to entertain and provide us with DLC for sure. Now if you happen to loan your game out to a friend, they’ll experience the main game fine, but will not have access to the Cerberus Network unless they purchase this extra access content.
The FPS portions of the game have been improved by leaps and bounds and you can now do more with your team that goes out with you. No longer do you simply say advance or fall back to your members, you can actually split them up and move them into to various locations to help draw out enemy targets or take out enemy targets.
How about Alien Sex? Sounds like that is all back if you really fancy that. One of the biggest scandals from ME came from this and I was shocked at how silly people got over all of this. I’ve clearly seen a lot worse in other titles, that didn’t draw anywhere near the amount of “Oh my and how dare you put that in a game,” comments. If ME2 has anything close to this, I’m sure it will be ultra tame and artistic to further the story on only. I think Mass Effect: Ascension painted much more in words for sure in the area of steamy scenes.
Still not sure if this is for you, well if your not much on story lines and games that take time and just want some quick shooter action and play with friends. Then this is not for you at all, but if you want to see something really amazing and experience a great story like none other, then join the Masses in full Effect and buy this game. Like I’ve said, this could very well be the Game of the Year for 2010.
Indie Games – Pilot Test
I can’t help but imagine the Air Force actually creating something like this… way back in the day of course and then asking their would be Fighter Jocks to give this a go. Pilot Test has a very old school Military look an feel and then mixes in a story line about some Top Secret, Pilot Test Program, to see if you have the skills it takes to fly with the best of them; in this Indie game you have all the makings of something potentially very interesting to say the least.
Developer: Holographic Dreams
Publisher: Holographic Dreams
Genre: Other
Price: 80 MS Points ($1)
Rating: Unrated
Now the game has nothing to do with any flight simulations for Dog Fights or missions in launching a payload of Missiles at various targets. So what you have left is one of the very basic aspect of gaming, dealing in the area of collision detection. Your task is to attempt and safely move your Red Square around very limited flight area, as you avoid the Green Squares darting all around and at you. The longer you survive in the air, the better and higher your score will be in the end.
Simple… only each time your Red Fighter (Square) collides with any Green Enemy (Square) on the screen, you’ll take on some damage and start to loose portions of your Jet powered Square. Take on to much damage or end up colliding head on with an Enemy, then its game over for that flight session. This game also tests out your memory, as the flight paths of Enemy Squares are the same every time and thus allows you to try and remember what happened the last time you were tested.
The game is easy to play from the control stand point, I mean you simply move the left or right analog sticks around to dart your Square like no other Pilot has ever flown before. When you first start the flying test, you’ll think its going to be easy and will quickly learn its not as easy as it looks. One thing for sure is this game is very challenging and it will push you to try and score higher on the list of Pilots.
For me it brought back memories of those very old school console games from those early days of Atari, only with some bumped up graphics in some areas of course. The game is priced at only at 80ms points and is worth that I feel. Holographic Dreams has really set a mood here and I feel Pilot Test has provided a challenge in such a basic game that uses Collision Detection.
Would it have been nice to see some other Test exercises in this Pilot program or at least some other flight paths perhaps? Sure it would have, but for what this game is, I think they did a pretty good job in setting the mood and creating a game that is a challenge. I’d say you should at least give it a try and see if you can come close to scoring higher on the charts. (B+)
Syndicated from IndieGameBlog - Robert Owens
Indie Games – Gerbil Physics
Its Gerbil Physics and that pretty much says it all in this physics-based Gerbil demolition game from Pencel Games. Available on Xbox Live and for only 80 ms points, you get a great little physics puzzler to solve here, filled with a total of 24 fun packed and challenging levels of game-play physics fun.
Developer: Beringela
Publisher: Pencel Games
Genre: Puzzle & Trivia
Price: 80 MS Points ($1)
Rating: Unrated
The game level settings are very pleasant to the eyes and finished out with very enjoyable soundtracks and sound effects. The controls are very simple and straight forward, making this a very easy game to pick up and enjoy for all. This game is suitable for all ages to play even with the very mild terror that is forced upon the games only captives, the Gerbils trapped in various blocks.
No one is really sure how or why these Gerbils have been placed in the variety of blocks and used to create any number of buildings for you to demolish later. Bringing down the houses takes place through the use of bombs, ropes and disintegrators, all depending on what is available for any of the 24 puzzle levels your currently playing.
The rest is then all up to you and the physics you will unleash upon the various Gerbil filled blocks. The more you play it the more this game will draw you in and drive you to reach that next level of game play. I think the physics here work really well and you can’t help but smile a little as you place a bomb next to one of the blocks or use a rope to bring down a section of wall and see the looks on the surrounding Gerbils.
If your looking for a nice change of pace from your normal gaming action or simply a title to play with the whole family or something to do while your chatting in a Party on Xbox Live, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with all of the fun explosive action Gerbil Physics delivers here. I recommend you buy Gerbil Physics and help support Indie Game development on Xbox Live. (A)
Syndicated from IndieGameBlog - Robert Owens
PC Review: Tales of Monkey Island – Ch4
It’s The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood in the latest installment from Telltale Games Chapter 4 of Tales of Monkey Island episodic content. Guybrush now finds himself back on Flotsam Island, the one place he wasn’t looking to see anytime soon and by the hands of none other than Morgan LeFlay,who has turned him over to the evil clutches of De Singe, only to find himself seized by an angry bunch of Pirates who have invoked the Pirate Code and charged him with various crimes.
Developer: Telltale Games
Publisher: Lucas Arts
Genre: 3D Graphic Adventure
Price: $34.95 (Complete Series)
Guybrush is once again in a mess of trouble and must rely on himself and of course you to get him through another wild an wacky adventure. Some of the old characters make return appearances as you get to explore more of Flotsam Island, learn about Pirate Law and this time you’ll actually get to see the inside of the famous Club 41. Once again the writers have cleverly created a fun filled tale for our hero pirate and you to enjoy. Chapter 4 has becomemy favorite of all the releases so far to date and basd solely on the story line.
As with their earlier chapters in the series, the game has the same great visuals and play that you’ve come to enjoy. You get the same controls and features to make your way through thisgame and by the time you’ve reached Chapter 4, you should be really comfortable with all these game controls. This episode is filled with funny and entertaining dialog for the story line and has a great voice acting cast returning. The game has more zany puzzles to solve in order to progress the game along. Chapter 4 gives us even more and more details about some of the characters and I really couldn’t see playing these chapters out of order.
But its not all fun and you need to prepare yourself for some very shocking turns in this chapter. I personally found a small portion of the game to even pay a slight tribute to the ABC show Lost, if an ever so simple tribute it was at that. The final tale in the end is set up really nicely I think, once you make it to the end of Chapter 4 and you’ll be dying for sure to play the final release in the end.
TellTale Games and Lucas Arts has provided a very entertaining tale with Tales of Monkey Island series and the final chapter Rise of the Pirate God is set to release on December 8thnow. Looking back over the past four episodes I clearly thing they’ve provided a very fun and entertaining game think the whole series is worthy of the rating I’m giving this current chapter. (A+)
Robert Owens
Ready for more Monkeys in Chapter four?
This Friday, October 3oth marks the launch of chapter 4 in the Tales of Monkey Island series. In The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood, Guybrush is double-crossed by the pirate hunter Morgan LeFlay and returned to Flotsam Island against his will. Facing an angry mob of poxed pirates with a long list of grievances, Guybrush must defend himself in court against a smooth-talking prosecutor and absolve himself of the false accusations in order to continue his quest to rid the Caribbean of the insidious pox of LeChuck!
Telltale Games is closing in on the remaining chapters in this 5 chapter Adventure Game series. After the first three chapters, we now find Guybrush returning back to where it all started pretty much. If I know anything about Telltale Games and this series, I’m sure they’ll have enough fresh places for us to explore and new puzzles to solve in spite of returning to Flotsam Island. Still it will be a joy to see some of the old castaways on Flotsam again.
If you’ve already purchased the full collection and played through from the start, you should be ready for what happens next in this point and click adventure. But if your wondering what might be ahead in the game, then take a look at some of the latest screen shots.
PC Review: Tales of Monkey Island – Ch3
Guybrush finds himself once again in the deep end of trouble in Lair of the Leviathan (Chapter 3 Tales of Monkey Island) and teamed up with none other than the assassin Morgan LeFlay now. The search continues for the La Esponja Grande and to gain back his wife Elaine from the recently reformed LeChuck and for a means to an end of the evil spread of the Pox.
Developer: Telltale Games
Publisher: Lucas Arts
Genre:3D Graphic Adventure
Price: $34.95 (Complete Series)
Telltale Games has raised their Sails once again and set a course for another great episode in the Tales of Monkey Island series. Its great to see that they are staying true to the first two episodes and able to continue with another great story arch here, filled with great acting as always and ending with wonderful moments of laughter that we’ve grown to expect.
We are at the halfway point in the five part series and all signs are pointing to a great ending for this series of adventure games. Once again we have an interactive tale that is revealed as we point and click our way through this adventure game. Filled with that same level of fun and challenging puzzles, only set in an all new set of locations to explore. Telltale Games has produced a perfect package from visual, sound, and storyline here in chapter 3. The story starts where we left off in chapter 2 and does a nice job of refreshing our memories of the events that have already taken place.
Guybrush has found himself meeting the famous De Cava and now a new order of Pirates in our latest adventure. Just like the other chapters, its up to Guybrush to solve the problems at hand in his rare style and get himself out of the mess his suddenly in. Only this time he’ll have to seek the aid of none other than Morgan LeFlay to help him pull it all off.
The graphics and all of the visuals are great as expected with chapter 3 and they help make this game a real joy to experience. The great thing about each chapter is the worlds you explore tend to be different each time and you don’t find yourself going over the same locations from chapter to chapter at least. I have yet to become board with any of these chapters and I love the visuals as each of these stories unfold.
Now from what you’ve seen to what you will hear comes a variety of new sounds in Lair of the Leviathan. I think TellTale has nailed the mood of this game for any situation that pops up during the course of play in the sound department. Then you bring in the voice acting and find they haven’t skipped a beat from one chapter to the next here.
I still think you really need to play the first two chapters in this series to really grasp all that is going on in this adventure game. After completing chapter 3, your going to want the next chapters as well I think. Telltale games really knows how to do episodic content games and draws their fans into their worlds over and over.
I find enjoyment as always from Telltale Games and If you are hooked with the first two chapters, then you’ll be on board for this whole adventure series and I can’t wait to see what happens next to Guybrush. Oh and the game has lots of Monkeys in it as well… gotta love a game with Monkeys in it right? (A)
Robert Owens
Abbey Road DLC For The Beatles™: Rock Band™
The remaining songs to make up the full Abbey Road album have started showing up as DLC this week for The Beatles: Rock Band. Pretty impressive to see them waste no time on releasing these songs for such a great game. Now some people might think that most of these should have been part of the initial release, but I for one think its fine the way that they’ve done these.
If your a fan of this game then you are more and likely wanting to keep adding to your collection of Beatles songs and Abbey Road is not a bad album to start with. Two additional albums will become available later in the forms of Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band and Rubber Soul. So fire up those consoles and start downloading and playing some of those favorites that didn’t make the initial release. For more information, check out the press release from Harmonix now.
Available For Download For The Beatles™: Rock Band™
New York – October 19, 2009 – Apple Corps, Ltd., MTV Games and Harmonix, the world’s leading developer of music-based games and a part of Viacom’s MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), today announced the launch of Abbey Road (1969) as the first Beatles album to be available for purchase and playable as downloadable content in The Beatles™: Rock Band™ Music Store.
With “Come Together,” “Something,” “Octopus’s Garden,” “I Want You (She’s So Heavy),” “Here Comes The Sun” and “The End” already included on The Beatles: Rock Band game disc, players will now be able to play songs from and complete the entire Abbey Road album.
Available for Xbox 360 (Oct. 20) and PlayStation 3 System (Oct. 22)[1]:
Individual Abbey Road singles: “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer,” “Oh! Darling,” and “Because”
Price: $1.99 USD, £.99 UK, €1.49 EU (160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) per each individual track
The “Complete The Album Pack” features:
· Abbey Road singles: “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer,” “Oh! Darling,” and “Because”
· The entire Abbey Road B-side 16 minute medley that includes: “You Never Give Me Your Money,” “Sun King,” “Mean Mr. Mustard,” “Polythene Pam,” “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window,” “Golden Slumbers,” “Carry That Weight” and “The End”
· Additionally, the following songs from Abbey Road can also be played as 1-to-3-song sets, based on how they were recorded / composed:
o “You Never Give Me Your Money”
o “Sun King”/ “Mean Mr. Mustard”
o “Polythene Pam”/ “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window”
o “Golden Slumbers”/ “Carry That Weight”/ “The End”*
o “Her Majesty”
Price: $16.99 USD, £10.46 UK, €11.37 EU (1360 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360) for “Complete The Album Pack”
Available for Wii (Oct. 20):
Individual Abbey Road singles: “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer, ” “Oh! Darling,” “Because,” and “You Never Give Me Your Money,” *“Her Majesty
Price: $2.00 USD (200 Wii Points™) per each individual track
*$1.00 USD (100 Wii Points) for “Her Majesty”
Multi-track sets:
· “Sun King”/ “Mean Mr. Mustard”
· “Polythene Pam”/ “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window”
· “Golden Slumbers”/ “Carry That Weight”/ “The End”*
Price: $3.50 USD (350 Wii Points) per 2-Pack /
* No additional cost for 3rd song “The End” as it is already included on game disc
Additional Beatles albums that have been announced as upcoming downloadable content include Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967) in November and Rubber Soul (1965) in December. The Beatles: Rock Band downloadable content will be available for purchase on the Xbox®LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360, PlayStation®Network and via the in-game The Beatles: Rock Band Music Store for Wii™ using Wii points purchased through the Wii Shop Channel.
The Beatles: Rock Band offers players an unprecedented, experiential progression through the music and artistry of The Beatles and is available for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Wii™ console from Nintendo. The game is compatible with all The Beatles: Rock Band and Rock Band™ instrument controllers, as well as most Guitar Hero® and other authorized third-party music video game peripherals and microphones.
The Beatles: Rock Band marks the first time that Apple Corps, along with EMI Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Harrisongs Ltd and Startling Music Ltd has presented The Beatles music in an interactive video game format. The Beatles: Rock Band is published by MTV Games and developed by Harmonix, the world’s premier music video game company and creators of the best-selling Rock Band. Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) serves as distribution partner for the game. In addition, Giles Martin, coproducer of The Beatles’ innovative LOVE album project, provided his expertise and served as Music Producer for this groundbreaking Beatles project.
The Beatles: Rock Band is rated “T” for Teen with the descriptors “Mild Lyrics” and “Tobacco Reference” by the ESRB.
For more information on The Beatles: Rock Band, as well as art and video assets, please visit http://www.thebeatlesrockband.com/press.
Xbox Live Update Preview
XBOX Live Update Preview Sign-Up is now active for those wanting a crack at it. I for one love social networking features and use Twitter and Facebook a lot, so having access to this via the console is going to be cool. I’ve also enjoyed Last.fm from time to time and I’m a Zune user as well. So all of these features should go over well with me and hopefully others will enjoy this as well. Here is what you need to know and do in order to try and get in on the Preview. As with all updates, sooner or later we’ll all have this as well.
Before they approve you for the Preview, you need to take a brief survey first. The signup survey requires the following information -
- Your 12 digit Console ID and 12 digit console serial number.
NOTE: For instructions on how to obtain your Console ID, read this article. - Your Xbox LIVE Gamertag.
- Your Windows LIVE ID associated with your Gamertag.
Once you have this information, please complete the survey by clicking the Sign Up Survey link.
- If your Console ID is not correct, you will not be chosen to participate.
- We can only enroll participants from regions where Xbox LIVE is officially supported. Please do not sign up unless Xbox LIVE is officially available and supported in your region.
- Completing the survey does not automatically enroll you in the Preview Program. To ensure a good cross section of LIVE members, we’ll review completed surveys and make our selections based on variables such as region and connection type.
- Do not apply more than once. It will not increase your chances of being registered into the preview program.
Show us your NFL colors
Finally hitting the Xbox Live Marketplace for the latest in Avatar clothing is a collection of NFL team jerseys.
Oh it would have been cool to see these for free, just like the World Cup Soccer jerseys, but at only 320 ms points… its not to bad to pick one of these up to show your love for a local or favorite NFL team.
Be careful that you buy the right jersey for either a Male or Female, unless you want to buy them both of course and start showing which team you support now.
X360 Review: Halo 3:ODST
After eight straight years of only Halo and the Master Chief, Bungie has now stretched beyond their normal scope of gaming and sprung back with yet another winner in Halo 3: ODST. To think of a game created by Bungie without their trusted Master Chief hero is hard to imagine, but not only did they pull off this project, they also did it really well in the end too.
Developer: Bungie
Publisher: Microsoft
Genre: Shooter
Price: $59.99
So what is Halo 3: ODST and how does it fit in with the rest of the Halo series of games? If your a longtime fan of Bungie’s games, one of the Halo Nation and a fan boy… then you’ve more and likely played all of their games and read their books too. ODST takes place between parts of Halo 2 action and that of Halo 3, opening up where the Master Chief has done an exit stage left and is hunting down the Covenant. What is left in the wake of this turning point of events, is an Earth that is still under siege by some of the Covenant forces and some unanswered questions from Halo fans of what happened after Master Chief left Earth.
If you’ve read some of the books, then you know that its the ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Troopers) who move in on the first wave of attacks when any battle begins. They drop right down into battle from above the surface of an orbiting planet, via their HEV pods in what is described as one hell of ride down to their landing zone. Its this part of their job where they actually get their Hell Jumper nicknames. ODST tells us the story of one squad as they are heading down to defend Earth from attacks and also under the command of an ONI officer, who has a particular side mission to accomplish.
On the way down to New Mombasa is when we see the Covenant Ship making its jump away (from Halo 2) using Slip Space from with in the Earths atmosphere and what is left after is the havoc this created from being so close to the surface. The ODST squad is caught in the wake effects from this jump and it makes their drop all the more dangerous now. In a flash of light its all over and now daylight has turned into night for our new hero known as the Rookie. Six hours has passed when the Rookie finally awakes up inside of his crashed pod and he begins to asses his surroundings and drops on down to the streets of New Mombasa.
This is where we first get a taste of what this game really has in store for us after he drops out of his HEV pod. He’s been cut off from his squad and its a dark and deserted looking city, with no signs of life and only the aftermath of destruction that the Covenant ground forces has left behind. It doesn’t take long for you to get the feeling that you better start moving and it might be best to creep along and remain hidden. Traveling the streets alone, with no back up support and in a war zone with out a clue as to what you might run into next, the tone is set for ODST and is unlike anything Bungie has ever created for us.
With earlier games in the series, you would already have the aid of the UNSC Command or Cortana to give you the locations to move into next, but that’s not the case with ODST. You pretty much have a sandbox city to explore and learn your on your own as you search for them. You do gain access to the cities Super Intendant computer network and here is where you’ll find the maps of the city and gain access to certain buildings in New Mombasa. The rest of the game now unfolds through a series of flashbacks and is told in the eyes of the rest of your squad.
I think the story Bungie has created here is one of the best and their way of presenting it to us works really well. Instead of sticking with just the Rookie from start to finish and only seeing his point of view, you start to see parts of New Mombasa first at night and as you find certain items, you’ll see what unfolded earlier in the day before you arrived to that location in the eyes of squad members. The course of the game does jump back and forth between night and day because of this, but I think it gives you a better feel as to what each member went through while away from the rookie.
Visually this game is also better than any of the earlier games as well. Still built on the Halo 3 game engine, but its been tweaked and enhanced some what, giving us some better graphics to experience. The city at night is unlike the older games and the ODST VISR helmet helps light up a good portion of this game and identify hostile targets. I did find some of the areas inside various buildings to still be very dark, inspite of the support from the VISR helmet. I think some of these darker areas also add to the tension and fear factor of not knowing what might pop out next from around a corner.
The music and sounds in ODST have set a differnt mood than previous works and gives you a feeling of being alone at times in a dark city, it also gives this game more of a movie feel and works well with all of the visuals and story. You creep along in the dark at times and suddenly hear various terminals near you go off as you get closer, its enough to make you jump a bit andlook around to see if anyone else has heard this or seen you in the area. From the soundeffects of various weapons, terminals, Covenant troops, and supporting background music, Bungie has certainly done one of the best jobs ever in the sound department.
Gameplay is very familar to those who’ve played any of the Halo game in the past, only you don’t have the super jumps and shields to help you now. The Battle rifle is no longer in this game and has been replaced with an improved SMG with a suppressor. It handles really well and sounds cool when you fire it, plus it has a nice little scope too. The ODST pistol is also nice and is equipped with a suppressor and scope, making it a blast to take out some targets from far away.
The game is different than the others and ODST allows you to choose which battles you want to engage in or perhaps it would be better to work at sneaking through a location and avoiding a fight instead. During the course of play, I also enjoyed that I wasn’t expected to travel in only one direction or stick to a certain path only. I felt like I had more options as to which routes I could take at times with this game. Just another way Bungie has changed the formula up a bit and trying to provide us something different.
The games story is around a total of six hours of gameplay, depending on the level of difficulty selected and if your going at this solo. Yes you can play this game in up to four person Co-Op if you like, but I strongly recommend that you play through this story on solo for the first time through. When and if you do select to play some of this in Co-op, it will simply add more Rookies to control is all. I think Co-Op can be fun later on as a second time through and after you’ve experienced all that ODST and what New Mombasa has to offer you alone.
In addition to the campaign for ODST, the game comes with an online or split screen Firefight mode that allows you and friends to face wave after wave of Covenant forces. It also comes with a 2nd disc that includes all of the original Halo 3 multiplayer, as well as forge, the theater mode, all of the DLC maps so far to date and now the final three Mythic Maps. As much as I wished that ODST had its own versus mode and allowed us to battle ODST against Covenant Brutes, this would not happen for what ever reason in the end. Just the same I think playing ODST either on Solo, Co-Op, or in Firefight mode will provide hours and hours of fun.
For all that ODST offers in this package here, I think its well worth the $60 and it can stand up with what other solo games have to offer. I think ODST tells a great story and finally answers some of the questions that Halo 2 left us with and turns out to be the best campaign game I’ve played from Bungie so far to date. I loved the ending of this one and I didn’t feel let down like some of the others did for me in the end. I could even see where they perhaps left some room for an expansion or sequel to ODST if they wanted too. The game might come in a bit shorter than earlier Halo games, but its a lot longer than what would have been offered in just an expansion to Halo 3.
I think its really nice to see Bungie deliever something different and fresh for a change and I’m looking forward to seeing what they might have in store for Halo Reach next year. I sure hope they continue thinking differently now with what is expected to be their last Halogame and I look forward to seeing what else Bungie might be working on outside of Halo. If your a fan of any of the Halo games, then your going to love ODST and all that it offers and I think you’ll find it to be the best game Bungie has created so far to date. (A)
Robert Owens
X360 Review: Dirt 2
Off Road and Rally Racing at its finest, coming at you in the form of Colin McRae: Dirt 2 or simply Dirt 2. This is the first game released under the Colin McRae series of games since the passing away of Colin McRae back in September 2007 and I have to say this one looks simply great. From the menu system up to the actual game play here, this game is an immersive blast to play for all racing fans.
Developer: Codemasters
Publisher: Codemasters
Genre: Racing
Price: $59.99
The first thing you’ll notice when starting up Dirt 2 is the menu system or perhaps it might feel like your watching something more like a cut scene unfolding before your eyes. What you really have here is a great way to present the games menu system and a very immersive experience all around. You appear to wake up (first person view) in the resting quarters of your traveling RV and begin to make your way out into the main quarters of the RV. This will be your starting point for all racing sessions, as your travel the world to take part in races all over the world. It makes me wonder what it might cost to ship this traveling RV and Cars all around the globe for every race.
From the main quarters of the RV your able to look around inside by moving the left analog stick around. You first notice the world map located on a desk to your right and this shows the Racing Circuit your about to embark on. Later on in the game you’ll even unlock some of the X-Game races and these will become available via their posters hanging on the wall. Moving around the RV cabin to your left is your collectiom of Racing Items and this is used to check on game achievements and stats. As you continue moving to the left, you’ll notice the Bulletin Board with various flyers, giving you access to all the live action racing for Xbox Live or Local races. One of the last areas in the RV is the sitting area behind you and where you’ll find the Extras like video tips and any DLC stuff for Dirt 2.
When your ready to go on and race, simple exit your RV and step out to experience all the sights and sounds of the area track you’ve stopped at. Here in your Pit area is where you’ll find access to all of your cars & trucks and where you can make changes to your paint schemes for the most part. Before you start racing, you need to get registered and I recommend that you use your real name for this. The games AI will talk to you during each of the races and it always sounds good when they use your real name and tell you great race. In the racing pit is where you can also access some Dirt 2 Racing News and any additional stats pertaining to Live Races.
The great visuals from this menu system continue on into the actual game play and are spectacular to say the least. You get a great feel for this game from the various locations… wether running on dirt and sliding around those curves of a track or climbing up a hilly mountain tree side area. Dirt 2 gives you a lot of terrains and conditions to experience and all in a wide variety of race types. The game does offers a little more in the area of Off Road racing than it does in the timed point to point Rally Races, but the additional game race modes make this game fun and provide different experience all around.
Dirt 2 tends to be more of an arcade style racer and skips out on a lot of the very detailed customizations you might get in games like Forza 2. Just the same, you do have some basic setups for each car, allowing you to play with the suspension, gearing, downforce, brakes, and differentials on your car before each race. At least your not forced to earn a bunch of money and buy all sorts of upgrades for your cars. For the most part I really enjoyed just selecting a car or truck and running stock with the default setups and I can see going back and playing with some of these custom settings later and see what I can get out of them.
As for the game play, I really got a nice feel of what Off Road or Rally Racing was after playing this game and find myself addicted to playing Dirt 2 now. This is a game where you have to really work at times to get around some of these tracks and use just the right amounts of braking and gas or you’ll find yourself off the course really quick and then at the back of the pack. After a few laps though, you’ll find your self drifting around these corners and bumping with the best of the racers in the pack in no time. The game does have various levels of difficulty and you can choose different levels before each race if you like. So if your having a harder time on a particular track, simply kick it down a notch and work on those skills. You can always go back and race the same tracks and races over if you like and move up in the higher difficulty levels.
I love the interaction you get with the AI during these races, it doesn’t count against you for bumping the other racers and knocking them off the track. They’ll tell you to take it easy perhaps after bumping them, but in the end its all about who crosses the finish line and you’ll find that the other racers will still like you after each race is over no matter how much bumping you do. Its also a feature with in the game, allowing you to gain the respect and become friends with the various AI racers like Ken Block or Dave Mirra. You’ll soon find them even throwing down some challenges at you, I think it would have been a cool feature if you could have actually throwndown some of your very own challenges and initiate some of the in game friendships this way, perhaps something for Codemaster to add in a Dirt 3.
The game includes a flashback system similar to other racing games these days and depending on the difficulty of the race you’ve selected, you might be able to perform a few of these with in a single race. Flashback allows you to rewind parts of a race in the event of a crash for example and start back at a previous spot before an impact occurs. This comes in real handy and hopefully lets you make a correction to your racing line, saving yourself from perhaps a crash in the first place. After each race and depending on how you finish, you’ll gain XP points then and can level up as well. You also gain cash to buy more Cars & Trucks as well as added performance packages for your vehicles and access to the higher level races.
In addition to all of the solo racing, you can take part in some Xbox Live racing in either the Pro Area for Ranked races or the Jam Sessions for more of a custom rules race that you can set up. You can even form some online teams and then setup some team racing events if you like for online communities. So if you’ve had your feel of the story mode and racing tours, fire on up that RV and look for some live races to take part in and hopefully you’ll find the real racers to be just as cool as the AI have been when you bump an trade paint with them.
Dirt 2 is a sure fire winner and successor to its older brother in the series and I can only hope this is the beginning of many more for the Colin McRae racing series as well. I really wasn’t sure what to expect from the game at first and after only a short time… I can’t seem to get enough of Dirt 2. (A)
Robert Owens
Prepare to drop ODST
Only 24 hours until we drop in on New Mombasa now. Its up to the Hell Jumpers to make the first contact now. Are you ready for the midnight release of ODST?
I’ll be checking things out at the local PlayNTrade and see how they handle their midnight release parties. Should make it home to check at an hour or two of the campaign action at least then. So post up if your getting the game and we can try out some Co-op gaming sessions or perhaps some Firefight soon.