Gamesugar

July 12, 2010

Check Your Enthusiasm – Crackdown 2

Filed under: Editorial Rants — Tags: , , , — Jamie Love @ 5:24 pm

Crackdown 2
It would be easy to suggest that Pacific City is one of the harder urban spaces on the videogame map for citizens to inhabit, but more accurate to paint it as a battle zone on the losing side of regaining any measure of sanity – aptly demonstrated by an obligatory introduction cinematic that invites the eyes to feast on an ultra-violent spectacle.

Ruffian’s Crackdown 2 plagues Pacific City with the tightly organized violence of the terrorist group Cell fighting against the authoritarian fist of The Agency players work for, flavored further by a setting sun that brings hordes of mutant zombie “Freaks” to the streets to infect the remaining citizens.

Continuing with the straightforward agenda of desperate times calling for desperate measures, it takes a new breed of genetically engineered enforcer to retake such streets, and players fill the heavy boots of The Agency’s human RoboCop – with the added agility needed to patrol Pacific City by street and roof top equally.

With all the turmoil immediately awaiting players in this sandbox, the most surprising aspect is how little is offered to merit the sequel. Crackdown 2 creates a vortex where time becomes meaningless not because it has no value, but rather because of just how much time is wasted in the mix of tedium and monotony that provides damning evidence that this revisit is, at best, a first draft toward a game worth a second of the player’s attention.

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Review – Transformers: War for Cybertron


My familiarity with High Moon Studios is only through my unpleasant collision with the demo for their previous effort, The Bourne Conspiracy. With that product failing to resonate with me in any way despite my almost physical yearning for a Bourne game (later satisfied by Splinter Cell: Conviction), the discovery that these were the minds behind War for Cybertron was somewhat ominous.

It was encouraging to hear them speak on that game; it filled me with confidence and finally made the reality of the product that much more bitter. If you’ve followed the material released for War for Cybertron, then you may have experienced a similar swell of confidence: they speak as fans, and as you fire up the disc (or immaterial Steam delivery, as the case may be) there is no doubt as to their honesty. To my infinite relief, this release has been calibrated with great care for the Transformers follower, much in the way Arkham Asylum was a love letter to Batman adherents. While War for Cybertron does not quite reach the heights of the latter effort, it represents the game Transfans have long deserved.

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July 8, 2010

Your Recommended Dose of Otomedius Excellent

Filed under: News Feed — Tags: , , , — Jamie Love @ 1:56 pm

Otomedius Excellent
At some point since E3 Konami has added a few precious art assets into their E3 press offerings for the Xbox 360 shmup surprise Otomedius Excellent – I know they weren’t there at the time because there’s simply no way I wouldn’t have posted them.

Anyway, since this will not stand, you can catch your semi-inappropriate dose for a game I’m exceedingly stoked about after the break, along with a video glimpse that has been around since E3 proper, just for good measure.

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June 26, 2010

Review – Alpha Protocol

Filed under: Reviews — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , — Brad Johnson @ 9:04 am


With Alpha Protocol, Obsidian Entertainment has opted to take a break from their usual routine of producing sequels to established high-profile franchises in the hopes of establishing a lucrative IP all their own. Despite drawing quick comparisons to Bioware’s Mass Effect, Alpha Protocol is clearly it’s own game, though this is as often to its detriment as it is to its credit.

You control Michael Thorton, agent of the eponymous Alpha Protocol, who quickly becomes embroiled in an international mystery that’s equal parts deep and deeply confusing. You’ll be required to employ stealth and brute force to complete your missions, while, more uniquely, using your wit to navigate the conspiracy in which you’re entwined. The game offers a number of intriguing innovations designed to immerse players in the espionage experience, and many of these are admirable attempts—but a critical lack of development and numerous design flaws leave the experience awkward and unsatisfying.

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June 18, 2010

Review – Mass Effect 2 “Overlord” DLC

Filed under: Reviews — Tags: , , , , , , , , — Brad Johnson @ 3:31 am


Latest in the ongoing series of DLC releases for Mass Effect 2 is the Overlord add-on, which has Commander Shepard battling a rogue Virtual Intelligence. Bioware has again approached their downloadable content with an eye to quality, including an excellent new soundtrack and some great visuals—but this package seems to have also been designed to test new designs for planet exploration following the demise of the Mako and the revision of galaxy exploration in Mass Effect 2.

Each DLC pack has offered a gameplay experience unique from the retail release, if often a brief one—the Stolen Memory DLC presented a sharply designed adventure mission, with Sherpard infiltrating the home of a prominent crime boss, and the Firewalker pack introduced Hammerhead vehicle sequences. Overlord provides a much less combat-intense experience, focusing on the reintroduction of vehicle exploration and the delivery of the dark science-fiction elements that have helped make the Mass Effect universe distinct.

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June 14, 2010

Microsoft’s Summer of Arcade 2010

Filed under: News Feed — Tags: , , , , — Jamie Love @ 7:39 pm

Summer of Arcade
Microsoft is once again grouping together some key XBLA titles this summer under their “summer of arcade” theme. This year’s titles include Lara Croft’s new venue in The Guardian of Light, reborn water racer Hydro Thunder Hurricane, Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, Indie title Limbo, and the death sport reality show themed Monday Night Combat.

Of those titles mentioned, I know Lara Croft will set you back 1200 MS Points so far – we’ll get more info on the others to you as it comes in.

In the meantime I can offer you a montage trailer after the break, if you’re interested.

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June 12, 2010

Review – Lost Planet 2

Filed under: Reviews — Tags: , , , , , , , , , — Brad Johnson @ 6:16 pm


Whether you’re a fan from Lost Planet: Extreme Condition or a new player drawn in by videos of clashing mechs and monsters, response to Lost Planet 2 probably has left you hesitant to render any sort of purchasing decision. I am here to offer you some relief: I can tell you that the calculation can be refined to one variable. That is, precisely how much suffering are you prepared to endure for tremendous action?

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