Level 99 - Comic Updates Mondays and Fridays...hopefully

Review: Gears of War 2 (Xbox 360)

Wed, 5 Nov 2008 08:42:59 -0800

"We wanted to make Gears 2 bigger, better, and more badassed." Those are the words spoken by Cliff B, director for Gears of War 2, when describing how they were going to approach making the sequel to one of the best games of 2006. After selling over five million copies world wide, can Epic Games strike again with this sequel? The answer is yes, a bloody, gory, chainsawed yes... but not without some issues along the way.

Screenshots

Story:

The story picks up right after the first Gears of War left off, with the lightmass bomb being set off, and the COG thinking the war was over. What the humans did not know, is that the Horde actually grew stronger, and are now able to sink entire cities with a single blow. Losing cities and the war at a startling pace, the COG decide to launch an all out assault on the Locust homeworld, in order to make a last stand for the human race. The set up is very simple, but the story continues on to spawn more moments that really leave a lasting impression on you as a player. There were multiple times in the story where I was expecting one thing, and then the story took the other direction to blow my mind a bit. The story drives the game at a much better pace than the first, and feels more cohesive in general. While it still has some moments tacked on which don't explain things again (similar to how they talked about Marcus' dad in the first game), the story continues to be top caliber despite this small set back.

All the characters, the ones that survived anyways, all make a return in Gears 2. While the story tends to gravitate towards Marcus and Dom again, there are some new characters introduced on both the human and locust side of things. Some of these new characters are interesting, while others aren't around very long for you to care much. In general, Marcus, Dom, Cole and Baird are going to make up the core group and advance the story. It would be nice if the developers would have gave you some face time with Baird and Cole, but hey, maybe in the next game. Speaking of Cole, he's hands down my favorite character. His opening sequence is just pure awesomeness, and he just has a lot of memorable moments in the game similar to how he stole the show in the first Gears.

One of the most glaring things that not many other reviews touched on, deals directly with how the single-player game ends. I'll say flat out, that this is one of the worst endings I've ever seen in a videogame, and really pisses me off that Epic Games decided that this was the correct way to end the game. It's been stated many times that the ending to Gears 1 was pretty sloppy, but the ending to Gears 2 makes the original look flawless. After all the insanely good story moments that this game brings, the ending is just a straight kick to the balls (or to the baby maker for all the girls out there), and I would be doing a disservice to anyone reading this if I did not mention it.

Gameplay:

With any sequel, the general question for most buyers is about what was changed and what stayed the same. The general singleplayer set up that was in the previous game is back, allowing you to play through the main game solo styles, or hop online to play through the campaign cooperatively. New additions to the single player which also translate over into multiplayer are the new weapons, and the ability to pick people up and use them as shields when they are down on the ground. The design team knew that the original Gears nearly perfected the third person shooter and cover mechanics, so in Gears 2, there is nothing changed to the core mechanics at all outside of refinements to the cover system. Shooting, reloading, and the rest are all the same and if you have played the original, it will take you only a matter of minutes for you to get yourself back into form. This could sound like a negative thing to some people, but the developers knew that new mechanics and modes into the game to make it be the bigger, better, and more badass sequel they were looking for.

As far as new game modes, there is a new multiplayer mode called "The Horde" and before I go on and explain it, I just want to say that this thing is fucking awesome. That said, it is a multiplayer game type that can be played on or offline with up to five people, or just even by yourself (if you're that crazy). The premise is that you and your buddies pick any map, and try to survive wave after wave of locust. Kill one wave, get points, stock up on any ammo, and get ready for the next wave. The fun here is that each wave gets progressively harder and harder, with more enemies coming after you too. When you get past ten waves, the Locust swarm resets back to a smaller swarm, but attributes (such as health) for the swarm go up. By the time you get to level 50, the Horde is mighty mighty strong. Hands down no doubt in my mind, this is the best part of Gears 2. The computer isn't any slouch either in this mode, giving me and my initial buddy an extremely hard time on level 30... in casual mode. While hard, the mode is fun and tactical at the same time. Going in balls out works some of the time, but it's working with your friends that will get you through the hard times. While somewhat repetitive, it is easily the best mode included on the disk, and worth the purchase alone.

Other multiplayer modes from the original game are back, alongside of a host of new ones to boot. You have a capture the flag mode, VIP mode, 2-man squad mode, and they all work really well. The multiplayer is as good as it ever was (and while I'll get to the changes in a moment) I want to mention that you can play the multiplayer maps offline with bots. If anyone has played Unreal 3 or any of the other Unreal games, you'll know that you can populate an Unreal game with bots to fill the empty void. In Gears 2, you can fill all the slots with bots, and just play without having to even have an internet connection. This is a big big deal, because I know people who owned the original Gears, but were not able to see the fun of multiplayer, because of not having Xbox Live. Now those same people can experience the fun which many have been having for the past two years. It also gives a player the option to play multiplayer without having to deal with people cheating, or just being plain annoying.

Since the guys over at Epic Games have had the time to really play around with this version of Gears, they have balanced a lot of the mutiplayer problems that were associated with the first game. For those who may not know, the terms "shotgun match" and "host lag" where coined from the first game, and were one of the first areas to be changed. The lag has been significantly cut down during my play sessions, and most of the time when I died, it was because of how I was playing and not the lag. Next was the shotgun. In the first Gears, players would run, roll, whip the shotgun out and just destroy you with one shot. This would happen even if they were shooting you, which was pure bullshit. To combat this, they shortened the range of the shotgun, and introduced stopping power to bullets. If you are running at someone who is shooting at you, you will slow down, similar to how it would really be. You can still move/roll during this time, but it makes it so people can't get those cheap kills in. Shotgun is still one hit one kill up close, so watch out for that. Other balancing issues with the sniper rifle have been fixed as well, making it so that a user can't rush the gun, reload, and then instantly down you. Again, headshots are one hit kills, so watch out. The chainsaw lancer was even balanced by adding in a button mini game if two people come at each other at the same time. The users will need to press the B button as fast as they can for three seconds, whoever has the most presses wins, the other is fodder. While many issues were fixed, there was a new mechanic that was introduced, which I know is going to be abused to no end. Users now have the ability to stick grenades into the wall on any map, and set traps. You can shoot the grenade off the wall if you see it, but you're going to be leaving yourself open for getting hit, and there is nothing you can do if you can't see it. I got nailed quite a few times by the same guy who would just sit in a single spot with frag grenades in the wall, to the point where I would either get shot and die, or get hit by the grenade while playing online. Since this will not be patched anytime soon, one should really watch how they navigate the corners. In all, the multiplayer is just as strong as it was in the first Gears, except that there is just more here to keep you online and blowing stuff up with your buddies.

Taking the bad with the good, I did run into my fair share of bugs and issues while playing through the single player and multiplayer. One of the issues I had with the game, is that the developers really like to shake the camera a lot during the single player when things are going on. While this is minor, it really gets in the way of being able to see what the hell you are doing when the screen is going ape shit. In terms of bugs, I got stuck on a box during a boss fight, to the point where I couldn't beat the boss until the game decided that it would finally let me go. I also ran into a few floating enemies during single player and during Horde, which resulted in the enemy character falling through the ground before completing the objective. These could have just been random things that have happened, but it's still what I experienced during my playthrough.

Graphics and Sound:

For the better part of a few years now, the Unreal 3 engine has seen its share of work throughout the industry, but Gears 2 really shows off what this engine can really do. The first game was, and still is, one of the best looking console games on the market today. From the textures, to the character modes, everything just looked amazing. With Gears 2, you might not notice the changes right out the gate, but it's when you hit some of the other areas in the game or get to see some of the new lighting tech that is in there, you really see how great the game looks. Epic also made the choice to include some real colors in the game, instead of just keeping it brown, brown, and then more brown.

During the play through, I did notice that there was some screen tearing at parts, some of which happened when the screen would shake like a mad man. The terrible fade in textures make a comeback, but unlike in the last version, they fade into the character/setting with a lot more ease so that it's not as noticeable. Even though it's not as "poppy" as in the original, it's still an issue in my eyes since the rest of the game is almost flawless.

The sound track has a lot of new music, but it carries the same tone of the original version. Music picks up and gets very big during firefights, and then there are lower tones and emotional music types playing during off beat moments and story segments. The voice acting is less cheesy this time around, with all the actors hitting their lines with the proper tone for the setting they are in. There is much more chatter during the fire fights as well, which keeps the player in the game, and is a nice touch. The sound effects are just as good as the first, and you're not going to hear much you haven't already heard in other shooters, or from the first Gears of War.

Yaaaaaaaays

-Good voice acting
-Slick graphics
-Great gameplay (unchanged from the first)
-HORDE MODE!
-More multiplayer options and modes
-More balanced multiplayer

Boooooooos

-The single player ending

Final Verdict

Buy It

Game of the Year? It's pretty damn possible at this point. The game is a ton of fun, with the exception of the ending (HATE HATE HATE) really just putting a small sour patch on a good game. It should be stated that a good chunk of the enjoyment to Gears is going to be in some sort of multiplayer mode, and this may be an issue with some. If you're going to play the game just for the story you might want to rethink the purchase just a bit. For everyone else, it's a full complete package that should not be missed. I'll see you online.

-Justin

Call of Duty: World at War Beta... FREE ACCESS

Tue, 4 Nov 2008 15:56:54 -0800

Word on the street is that the Xbox 360 Call of Duty: World at War beta currently going on (and wrapping up in the next few days), is now open to who ever wants to download it for some multiplayer fun. I gotta stress that the game releases next Tuesday, meaning the beta is gonna wrap pretty damn quick, SO GET TO IT!

Also, review will be up sometime next week...

-J

Speed Run Sundays: Super Metroid

Sun, 2 Nov 2008 08:37:00 -0800

Hey out there. Since Level 99 doesn't really have much movement for new stuff over the weekend, I figured I would change that by adding in something that I've been doing for awhile over with the other Digital Soldiers crew. Dubbed Speed Run Sundays, each week I post up a speed run of any game for your viewing pleasure. I try to find videos where people don't use hacks/cheats to complete speed runs, so that the experience is a little more entertaining to watch.

For this week, we have Super Metroid on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Super Metroid arguably created the speed run culture as we know it, so it's a great first entry for any speed running segment.

If you want to see a specific speed run for Speed Run Sundays, hit the forums with the game of your choice, and I'll do my best to dig it up. If you have links to your favorite speed runs, or even have speed runs of your own, be sure to put that in the forums too, so that you can be part of Speed Run Sundays. All that aside, hit the jump to enjoy another classic game, and I'll be back next week for another Speed Run Sunday.

-Justin

Prince of Persia Impressions

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:28:54 -0700

I had the opportunity about a month and a half ago to see a demonstration of the new Prince of Persia in action. We weren't supposed to touch it. It was just a demonstration.

My friend Rich and I got talking to one of the developers (the one with the controller) about the series. Rich voiced our previously discussed concerns (perfectly expressed here): the first game was almost perfectly amazing, but the fighting was labored; the second game fixed the fighting, but ruined absolutely everything else that made the first so charming; the third tried so hard to meld the two, but seemed so broken and a step down technically. How are you guys dealing with these hurdles?

"Well, here..." He handed us the controller. "Why don't you try it and see for yourself?"

Let me get this out of the way: this new game might, MIGHT, end up being as good as the first.

The build didn't deal much with the story, so I can't speak to that, but the visual style and motion lives up to the charm of Sands of Time and almost wipes Warrior Within's metal g-strings and emo hairdos from my mind. The cel-shaded (did you cringe?) environments and characters really lend themselves easily to the franchise Everything is much smoother and more crisp than Two Thrones.

The animation, which plays heavily in the combat, too, helps the platforming perpetuate that feeling of real but still fantastical free-running that the earlier entries in the series helped to popularize. This part of the game feels unchanged for the most part, and that is a good thing. The addition of a second, magical, helper-type person does pull the platforming away from realism, but since when has Prince of Persia been afraid of fantasy?

The mention of the second character leads me to something very controversial but important to bring up: no dying. Whenever you fall, since there are no Sands of Time in this new alternate universe, you just get pulled back to the last location you had your feet planted firmly on the ground.

I'm going to say this proudly: the idea of death as a challenge in every single game is antiquated and it's time is at an end. It works in most games, but not all, and very much not this one. Certain games require death to create tension (such as the RE series, Dead Space, and basically any FPS out there, among others), where each encounter is heightened by the fear of death. That is not the case with this game and for many other games. The challenges in Prince of Persia are the platforming, puzzle-solving, and overcoming a particularly tough foe. The tension here is figuring these things out, and every time the gameplay in a PoP game annoyed me, it was either a broken mechanic or death. I argue that, as far as this franchise and many others are concerned, death IS a broken mechanic.

Anyway... Instead of forcing you to budget sand orbs or sending you back half an hour if you run out, your side-kick (forgive me as I'm writing this on my phone and can't remember her name) will come to your aid, take you a step back, and allow you to try that obstacle that kicked your ass all over again. This was a long time coming and I, for one, am relieved.

Now, combat. Combat is one-on-one and this works well in creating a cinematic experience. You have a control mechanic similar to Assassin's Creed with block, attack, feet (jump and dodge), and head (magic girl). The combination of these buttons is extremely fluid and satisfying. Pressing the Y Button on the 360 controller swings your partner into action for a quick magic attack (which your enemy might be vulnerable to) and you're right back into the action. You essentially chain these commands into a quick into a swift combo, the action keeping a steady exhilerating pace.

This impression report ended up sounding more like a review, but I have to stress that this was only a preview build of one part of the psuedo open-world environment of the new Prince of Persia. However, if the rest of the game (and the story, of which I saw nothing) lives up to my playthrough, the horror of Warrior Within may just be deader than the death mechanic.

-Arlo

P.S. Come back soon for my impressions of Resident Evil 5, which I assure you will be much shorter and please you greatly.

Review: Fallout 3 (Xbox 360)

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 07:22:57 -0700

War. War never changes. It's been years in the making, but Fallout 3 is finally here for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC. While some would be quick to call the game an Oblivion clone from Bethesda, there is enough changed and added to the gameplay to make Fallout 3 worthy successor to the name. Screenshots

Story:

Set in a post-apocalyptic Washington DC, your character is literally born into the world of Fallout, which sets up brief tutorials and character customization for you to partake in. Cut into a series of specific meaningful times in your life, you will learn about your father, life in Vault 101, and watch yourself grow up into the character you'll become. Your "life as you know it" will be thrown to the way side when your father mysteriously disappears from Vault 101 one day, which has sent the entire place into a ravaging death trap. You eventually decide to try to find your father, which means leaving the Vault, and exploring the world. What comes after this opening story section, would be littered with spoilers, so it would be best to leave it at that.

The story is pretty straight froward as far as RPGs go, but how you want to tackle it, is 100% up to you. In the playthrough that I completed initially for this review, I actually skipped over a HUGE story point, just because of how I explored the game. In the end, it didn't leave me with a gapping hole in the story, and allowed me to come back to the mission later on with points being somewhat relevant to the events that I had already completed. Similar to the story that was in Oblivion, if you decide to plow through the story and not take any time to do anything else, you can probably finish the game in about 20 hours or so. While not great, the plot keeps you interested to complete story sections to finish the game, and just see what happens. Unfortunately, the endings pale in comparison to the game that you will put the time into completing, but they do allow for some closure depending on if you played the game as a good, bad, or neutral character.

Gameplay:

Fallout 3 is set up just like Oblivion, which is why most people make the immediate comparison for the two games. You are in a gigantic open world, have a main story quest, and then are also aided by side quests that are at your leasure to complete... just like in Oblivion. Generally, if you are a good character, you're going to try to stick to the positive outcomes for missions in order to not lose karma in the game. The Karma system is set up so that if you do things like save a person in the Wasteland by giving him water, you'll gain good karma. Randomly kill a woman who just said hello to you, will obviously gain you negative karma. The karma does not have an immediate impact to most things, but it will affect the dialog tree's that appear, as well as other quests that you might take. While you can be good and bad, you can also be neutral in most cases, by just not doing something that would be considered good or bad. The outcomes... well I'll leave you to find out what happens at neutral karma to not spoil the fun. Side missions are generally the way to level up your character, but the main issue here is that they don't provide a variety of fun things to do most of the time. The Megaton "Power of the Atom" mission was great because it gave you an option... ok, that's spoilers, so lets just say that the outcome is pretty neat depending on how you beat it. Other missions just don't live up to what you just completed in Megaton, and then just drop off to "go here, get this, bring it back, fin" structure that has been present in too many games recently.

So while there is a giant world to explore, you're going to have a different variety of enemies hunting you down to kill you (it is a wasteland after all), and you're going to have to dispose of them in some sort of way. Enter once again, the similarities to Oblivion in terms of how combat is played out. Your basic set up is that you are in first person mode or third person mode to take on an enemy on screen. You can use the first person mechanics, but a first person shooter this is not, and one should not go into this game thinking you're going to get a Halo or Call of Duty style of play out of it. The first person aspects are very clunky, and result in using the RPG element called VATS. While in VATS, you go into a type of freeze mode to where you can take aim at specific body parts on enemies. This helps you cripple enemies, knock guns out of their hands, or straight up shoot 'em dead in the face (which is the best course of action at all times). Immediate thought that would come to mind is that one would just use VATS all the time, but it has a certain amount of ability points that need to recharge before you can use it again. So a good 50-50 relationship from real time fighting to using the VATS system is how it plays out, and for the most part it works pretty well. The hang up with the combat system is that you always just aim for the head in VATS, because it hurts the enemy the most of course. This leads to lots of running up to an enemy dead to their face, turn on VATS, aim for head, and then INSTADEATH. The third person aspect of the game is completely and utterly useless. Not only is it terrible for battle, but you can't properly see what you are doing because of the angle of the camera whenever you go into third person. It's just something that is just there which adds nothing to the game, and I advise to not even bother trying it.

While the review probably sounds like it has a very negative tone to it, I should talk about some of the great parts of the gameplay. Easily the best thing about the game is the sheer scope of the world that you are in. Once you leave Vault 101, and get that first look at the Wasteland with DC off in the distance, the size of the game really hits you. I don't know what it was, but I always seemed to gravitate towards where people were in the game, and when you were alone, you felt alone. There were also a ton of moments within my two playthroughs of the game, which made me actually think to kill someone or not, and more so than how it was in Bioshock when you had to save or destroy the little sisters. I knew that taking out that one person may have an impact later on in the game, and I always had to think out things, which was an interesting morale issue with ones self. The choices may be limited in what you can do, but doing things have repercussions, which doesn't happen in some games with similar "choices" you can make. The perks that you get when you level up, always added a new way of playing the game depending on what your choices were. During my first play through I was a fairly balanced character, which made it harder and easier in some spots. During playthrough two, I poured all of my abilities into weapons and talking, and just completely dominated everyone I talked to. The leveling system leaves the door open to your own style of play, while leaving the door open for replayabilty.

Graphics and Sound:

If someone said that Fallout 3 looked like Oblivion, it would be hard to disagree with them. Reason being is that Fallout 3 is using the same engine from Oblivion, bugs in tow and all. This is not to say that the game looks bad in any sense, in fact, it is one of the best looking games that I have seen. The sheer scope alone really puts other games to shame. Looking out over DC to see everything in ruins, while still making out famous landmarks, it's really just a sight to be hold. Unfortunately with all that massiveness going on, the game does some weird things at random. I experienced frame rate skipping from the moment I turned the game on, until the credits rolled. I also experienced a couple of freezing issues, all of which were random, and I contributed to the game just freaking out due to everything that was going on while I was playing.The color pallet in the game is brown, brown, and then a darker shade of brown. With a setting like this, it's hard to move away from anything but dirty colors, so get use to sitting there and looking at brown textures, muddy water, and other items of that nature. Character models are straight out of Oblivion with a new coat of paint, so don't expect anything new there.

The voice acting in the game is top notch, with all the main characters and side characters giving their lines perfectly to you, as if you really were the character. You have the occasional person who is alittle to over happy for the character, but it still fits (and boy is it great to shoot them in the face when you don't need them anymore). The sound effects are pretty standard, with gun shots and lasers sounding just like the should. I will mention that the game doesn't have any real "music", with the exception of when you come upon enemies, or if you're listening to the Pipboy 3000's radio. There is more of an overtone which fits with the setting very well, and after hearing some of the radio songs for an extended period of time, you'll be happy you can turn it off and listen to nothing at all.

Yaaaaaaaays

-Massive open world for you to explore
-Great voice acting
-Combat Shotgun (oh yeah)
-Replayability out the ass

Boooooooos

-Shares many of the same aspects to Oblivion
-Interior levels can get confusing at times
-Ending is kind of a bummer

Final Verdict:

Buy it.

War. It never changes, but Fallout has. This is easily one of the best games that I have played in a long time, and while there are some gameplay issues and bugs, the amount of things to do and sheer scope of the world make it easily recommendable. Stop what you're doing, and go pick it up now.

-Justin

Whimsical Wednesday - This is why you don't have a comic.

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 23:16:54 -0700

My workspace is a mess, and I show it to you. Oh, and I blab a lot.

Top 10 Horror Films in the 21 Century

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 21:22:13 -0700

I love when Halloween comes around because I am a huge fan of horror films. This is the time when I dust off my horror movie collection and pop in a few to watch. I love being scared and not knowing who is going to die next. The thing with scary movies, now a days, is that they have become a joke. The movie industry does not care to create horror films that are interesting and scary. Most horror films are just torture porn flicks, and I have to say that I am not a huge fan of torture porn. I love the suspense and not knowing what is behind the door or what is beyond that corner, so I decided to create a list that showcases my favorite horror films in the 21st century (so far):

1) The Descent
One of the best horror films in the past 20 years. I watch this movie about twice a year still, so go see this film people.
2) Orfanato, El (The Orphanage)
One of my favorite del Toro movies. Unlike any horror film you will ever see.
3) 28 Days Later
I am a sucker for zombie films, and this one is no exception.
4) The Hills Have Eyes
I thought I would never say this, but the The Hills Have Eyes remake is better than the original movie.
5) Shaun of the Dead
I know people will say that this is a comedy, not a horror movie, but this film does such a great job at creating horror elements and making fun of the genre.
6) Final Destination
A movie with a cool concept and fun to watch. Has some pretty neat death scenes as well.
7) The Others
The ending to this movie is a trip and I love me some Nicole Kidman.
8) Saw
I know I wrote that I am not a huge fan of torture porn films, but I really do like the first Saw movie. I also liked Saw 2, but the rest of the Saw series has gone down hill and has become a joke.
9) The Ring
I believe that the Japaneses version is better but when I saw this film in theaters I was very surprised, because it turned out to be pretty good. The best part is in the last scene of the film. I will not give it away, but it spooked the hell out of me.
10) Dawn of the Dead
Like I said before, I am a sucker for zombie movies, and if Romero is behind it then count me in. This is another remake that was well done, but not better than the first one.

In my spare time...

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 17:43:00 -0700

I'm on a manager's conference call right now at work and I suppose I'll take the free time to discuss a couple of things:

FALLOUT 3:
Holy shit. This game is fantastic. Getting the Oblivion+Fallout analogy out of the way, this is yet another great installment in the franchise and another tick in the positive box for Bethesda. No frame drops from loading, seemingly huge universe, and mature as (to keep the theme) fuck.

For those of you worried about the V.A.T.S. system being over-powered, once you've chosen your targets, the action progresses in a slow-mo representation of real-time. You WILL take damage. However, this system contributes to the tactical backdrop of the Fallout franchise. Plus, you get the most amazing deaths this way. Just like Oblivion, though, don't bother using the third-person perspective for anything but looking at your kick-ass sheriff's duster. It just doesn't work that well.

Character customization, freedom of action, and choice of gameplay style ensure your game will be different in some way from your friends'. I've been talking with other people that have played the game and I can't tell you how many times I've heard in response to one of my excited stories, "I didn't go that way," or "Oh, I killed that guy," or "Really? Because I can drink blood now and regenerate limbs. Can't you?"

If you only kinda want this game, I've made up your mind for you. You want it If you already want it, call off work tomorrow.

GUITAR HERO WORLD TOUR:
Don't mind IGN, I was very impressed by this game especially the track list and note-blueprint. I'm a Harmonix fan all the way and was very let down by Guitar Hero after they left, but Neversoft really stepped it up with World Tour.

The new features like the extended sustains, tap sections, and open-hand bass notes are satisfying and fun. Character creation outshines Rock Band by a country mile, to mix metaphors.

The Instruments--
Drums: Bouncy, quiet, and well-placed. The pedal is cheap like the old RB set.
Guitar: Feels slick, but I still like the RB one better. The slide bar is interesting and useful, but VERY hard to master. You probably won't be using it as much as intended.

The music creation is way too complicated for what piddly little sounds it produces. The ones you get from other users may be interesting, but in no way will they ever compare to what's on offer on the disc.

It should be noted: I have experienced just about every problem with the peripherals that you have heard: sticking buttons, sensitive drum pads, and the slide bar registering strums when I'm not doing anything. Activision is replacing everything for me, and you, too if it happens with your stuff.

I know a lot of this sounds bad, but trust me when I say it definitely rivals Rock Band. I'm not going to complain about two great band games that have different things too offer, though it won't be long until they end up just blending together.

For arcade purists, Konami came out with their game and it's not that great. So, grit your teeth and pick up a GH or RB.

CASTLEVANIA: This is simple-- better than any of the 3D iterations, but very much the worst Symphony-Clone.

LITTLEBIGPLANET: If you own a PS3, there is absolutely no reason not to own this game. It comes into stores for general sale Wednesday, so if you haven't picked up an early copy this weekend, snag one up like your life depended on it.

This ended up being a long conference call.

-Arlo

Gaming News: E For All Canceled... Long live E3

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:57:15 -0700

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I have been one of the many people out there who knew that E For All, which was suppose to be the successor to E3 after the big cut back in 2007, was and has been a complete joke. With E3 coming back to it's previous form last seen at E3 2006, I knew it was a matter of time before E For All was done for good. Today was the nail in the coffin as a press release from IDG World Expo, the group who ran E For All, said that they were closing down E For All.

In the release, CEO Mary Dolaher states: "We want to thank all of our E for All partners for their support, and we encourage E for All exhibitors to participate in the E3 new event, which we believe will meet their needs as well as those of the industry at large." "IDG World Expo is very pleased to be partnering with the ESA on E3 and continuing to play a central role in that important industry event. We look forward to furthering our contribution to the success of the video game community."

With 2008's E For All reminding us how much we really missed E3, no one is going to miss this. So what are your thoughts on the closing of E For All, and E3's return to the big stage? Hit the forums to discuss.

-Justin

Whimsical Wednesday: Race's Top 5 Video Game Time Wasters

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 17:47:50 -0700

Tired but surprisingly alert from unexplained insomnia, I got up at 5:30 his morning and recorded this video blog. Oi...didn't even bother putting my contacts in. -_- Anyway, I know it's kind of a cop-out because it's a "list," but hey, people love lists! And I couldn't really think of anything, so I figured I just go for it, just to get the ball rolling. So yeah, it's me being boring for five minutes, talking about boring games. Enjoy!