The Buzz

Well, it certainly has been a longtime since I wrote an article for the page. You can blame Macy’s and World of Warcraft for that. However, were not going to get to into it right? I am now going to bless you with the grace of my presence and drop some a review on you.

Before I begin I’m going to show you all my rating system. If you read my many reviews on the otaku site before it got hacked, then you may know my system. For those who don’t this is the system:

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, here is my Review on a game that many of you may have turned the other cheek on. However, being a sucker for rock music and all I am giving it a try. People of MCG, I present to you the review for Brutal Legend…

Now for those who don’t know fiddly squat about Brutal Legend, don’t be alarm this is what I am here for. Brutal Legend is a game found on the PS3 and Xbox 360 which features Jack Black doing the voice of Eddie Riggs. A pretty kick ass roadie; who’s pretty awesome at the job he does and who also believes that metal music is dead. (That’s not the only music that’s dead) Anyway, to keep from spoiling the story I won’t put too much of the story here. All you need to know that Eddie is transported to another world in which he is the savior of the human race who have fall victim to a higher (or lower) power so to speak. So, it’s up to Eddie to free the human race from this higher (or lower) force.

The storyline for the game is pretty awesome. It’s doesn’t go off into the deep end and leaves you with this “What the hell?” like some other games (cough…x-blades….cough) It genuinely has a good storyline that carries it’s weight. Another cool thing about the game is even before the game gets well under way; in the opening scenes you are actually given the choice on whether you want strong adult language and gore in your game or not.

I like to say that this is a good feature for the chitterlings. If you actually have parents who will sit there and make sure their child chooses to be noble. I mean let’s face it a rated M game isn’t a rated M game because it had little lizards and fat Italian (or Japanese) plumbers in it trying to save a princess that he’s never going to get it from. So, if you are against gore and strong language just know it can be turned off at the beginning of the game.

The game play in my opinion is pretty straight forward and the movements of the game are pretty good. The only thing I didn’t like was the car; which has terrible handle and you have to do so much to drive it. Sometimes, the control of the car can get a bit tricky; as you find yourself hitting the L2 button instead of R2. I imagine on X-box it’s the LT button for brake and RT to drive.  Also, I had an issue with not being able to bring the map up to view as your playing the game; you know kind of put the map in the corner as a mini map. They ask you to follow the white beacon to get to your next destination but in yet, I can’t drive with the map on my screen. So, more often then not you may find yourself lost.

Other then those few minor problems, the game is not relatively as bad as some other games I played recently (again cough…x-blades…cough) and I would at least give it a try as a rental if not by purchasing it GameStop is selling it for both PS3 and X-Box 360 for $19.99 new and $17.99 pre-owned.

Final Verdict

Remedy Entertainment announced Alan Wake all the way back in 2005 during the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo. Since then it’s popped on and off of people’s radars at sparing intervals, and now that it’s finally been released, it seems as if Duke Nukem Forever should be only just around the corner. It can then only be described as fortunate that with such a long development period, Alan Wake has turned out to be a compelling and rewarding title to experience.

Having written multiple bestselling novels, Alan Wake has spent the last two years suffering through a severe case of writer’s block. With his mind stumped for ideas, he and his wife Alice head to the small logging town of Bright Falls. After setting up their cabin, things take a turn for the worse as Wake finds himself waking up after a car crash, with no recollection of how he got there. He’s missing a week of his life, Alice has mysteriously gone missing and members of the town have turned into shadow axe wielding maniacs, controlled by malevolent darkness intent on stopping Wake and his efforts to find Alice.

Alan Wake is not an open world game. What you do have though is a linear game that for the most part, gives you quite a bit of breathing room to explore. The game is structured like a TV show/novel in episodic fashion with recaps at the beginning of each episode. This serves as a great formula as the game become more story driven and allowing gamers to play through an episode take a break, pick it up again and still have an idea of what’s going on in the story.

Alan’s primary enemy is the darkness which embodies all of his enemies. Generally, if it’s daytime, you’re safe as safe can be. At night however, the ghouls come out. In order to properly combat these foes, you’ll need to first melt away that darkness through various means of light, then blast away at them with your standard firearms. The primary tool to do this is a flashlight that you’re rarely without, but you’ll also get to use spotlights, shop lights, and street lights as a method to deter your enemies. Flashbangs, flares, and flare guns are also present and provide some nice crowd control for those sticky situations. While it doesn’t really evolve much, the combination of darkness melting and gunplay is entertaining enough that it holds up fairly well throughout the game. The driving seems pretty solid when the game calls for it or when you have the option to, resulting in you mowing down those same pain inflicting enemies with glee. One problem with the driving system was the way the camera would somewhat whiplash back to the center.

Interspersed between Alan’s nights hikes are daylight sequences in Bright Falls. Daytime in Bright Falls reveals a rustic Pacific Northwestern town that has been exquisitely detailed and constructed.  It’s in these sequences that you feel the greatest weight of Remedy’s development period. Every towns-person and character is distinct and feels alive, their personalities all painted with a careful brush. It’s extremely immersive, unlike like say Oblivion’s town’s people with the same 5 faces and the same 4 voice actors. Rose, the Tor brothers, Barry. All of them have their own heart and soul in the story

In-game, the graphics are beautiful and solid. A brilliant soundtrack gives an ambient feel throughout every level within Alan Wake. The voice acting is also nice. The developers make the best use of motion blur and focus. The use of dark and light is almost perfect and the atmosphere is even enhanced by swirling, mist-like darkness that envelopes the world throughout the game. However the quality of the cinematic movies is erratic from start to finish. Lips fail to sync with dialogue and characters fall in and out of low resolution textures. It’s almost as if Remedy forgot to go back and touch up older cut scenes to ensure proper continuity. The lighting is so mesmerizing in Alan Wake it practically becomes a character in itself. The way it represents not only the spark of inspiration but also as a safe zone against “the taken” creates a profound sense of comfort in the gamer whenever they encounter pools of light.

The game should take most players about ten to twelve hours to complete their first playthrough, not exactly a long time but at the same time it doesn’t overstay its welcome. As far as replayability goes, Alan Wake has collectibles like Coffee Thermos, Manuscript, TVs & radio and hidden supply chest scattered throughout the level. An unlockable Nightmare difficulty upon completing the game which contains a small portion of exclusive manuscript collectibles to be discovered. There is no multiplayer, which is understandable as trying to incorporate the unique combat into a competitive setting would probably not work

Remedy said they spent so long developing Alan Wake because they wanted it to be as perfect as possible. While it may not reach the realms of perfection, it’s still a stunning title that’s almost worth the long wait. The Finnish developers have built a believable universe surrounded by a strong narrative, impressive storytelling techniques and enjoyable combat with a unique twist. It has its flaws with repetition, linearity and some poor presentational issues, but this is a world ripe for a sequel to improve upon every single aspect. It might take another five years, but you can guarantee it will probably be worth it.

Last year’s Street Fighter IV was a re-invigorating entry into the fighting genre. The fighters are back for another round in Super Street Fighter IV. Yes I said it. But didn’t they just release Street fighter 4 about a year ago. True but now this has a lot of additions and tweaks that should satisfy almost any fan or new comer to the series.

All the fighters from Street Fighter IV are here and are joined 10 new characters bringing the total roster count to 35. Some characters from previous games in the series such as Cody and Guy from Final Fight, Dudley, Ibuki and Makoto return from the Street Fighter III series. Then there are 2 new brand new faces to the mix, Hakan, a Turkish oil wrestler who seeks to prove that Turkish oil wrestling is the greatest fighting style. Secondly Juri who is a young South Korean female Taekwondo fighter who works for S.I.N. Juri has an energy-boosting device implanted inside her left eye called the “Feng Shui Engine”, which provides her with time-warping abilities. The best thing about it all the characters are unlocked from the start

SSF has a wide array of modes to choose from. The arcade mode has new story lines, cut scenes and rivalries. Though the story may not be the best it doesn’t take away much from the overall experience. In addition to the arcade the barrel buster and car crusher bonus stages make their 3D debut/return. The challenge trial mode has been modified, so instead of having to perform 3 or 4 sets of combos, you have to just perform just one set combo/move to progress to the next level.

The online component has been enhanced. Connecting to players is faster and easier. A new point system was created, where you can earn battle point (BP) and player points (PP) from winning fights. The game features a few additional to the online modes, including Team Battle where you are divided up into two teams and battle in tournament style. Replay Channel, which allows players to view and save replays from around the world, and Endless Battle, in which the winner stays and plays against a rotating group. With those additions championship mode and 1 on 1 player match (where the fights were fought more casually) have been removed.

With a lot of people you can dish out some pain with and a wide variation of game modes, quality game-play is essential. It delivers as the controls are very solid and responsive. The game play remains on a traditional 2D format. Characters are more balanced then the previous game. Weaker characters like Vega now have a slightly more level playing field to work with, while beasts like Ryu and Sagat are less dominant. so you have more of a fighting chance. The timing of the moves is different; you can connect with combos I couldn’t connect before. Everyone have two Ultra Combos, but only one can be selected to be used in a fight. Though most of the new Ultra they threw in the game is uninspired, they do present you with new possibilities for a comeback.

The fighters are designed with a hand-drawn cell shading style which gives them both the cartoonish image, whilst maintaining a 3D appearance. The fighting backgrounds are entirely 3D and are immensely detailed. Showcasing stages from Street fighter IV also 5 new stages, one being a revision of Seth boss stage.

Could they have just easily made this into downloadable content instead of re-releasing another version? Hmmmm nope. This game is too much for DLC. It contains ten new characters, new stages, tweaks to all existing characters, new modes, and a new engine. In the end, this is an excellent update to an already incredible fighting game. So get ready and FIGHT!!!

Back in November of 2007, we were given a game that was said to be innovative, monumental, and one of the first “true next-gen experiences.” Instead, to the majority of gamers who picked it up, it turned out to be bogged down by repetition and an open world that wasn’t quite as open as one would like, and slowly paced title. Assassin’s Creed II is here and accomplishes everything the original tried so hard to do, and does it perfectly. It is executed in a way that leaves you with the sense of wanting and needing more in the end.

This third person action-adventure was developed by Ubisoft Montreal as the second installment of the Assassin’s Creed series. The game begins exactly where the pervious game ended as you take control of Desmond Miles who is escaping from Abstergo Industries with the assintance of Lucy Stillman. But before you escape you retrieve the genetic memory of the birth of Ezio Auditore da Firenze from the Animus. Why is this importance? You are later thown into the Renaissance-era Italy where you play as Enzio, the son of an Italian banker who is on the pursuit of the Templars of Italy when he is betrayed and his family is killed. You don the robes of an assassin to take your revenge.

While the basics are the same of the pervious game, there’s been so many improvements it might be hard to replay the previous game since you don’t get access to the new parts. For one the combat has been totally refined adding things like swords, knives, bombs, and the hidden (dual) assassin blades of course, plus you can steal enemies’ weapons and use it against them too. The combat has a more over all intelligent flow from the first game, althought it builds on that idea.
Don’t want to fight anyone and slip by unnoticed? Blending in the crowd is made easier as a gray circle will indicate that you are hidden. You could hire courtesans to distract them, thieves to lure them away or mercs to fight for you. Do more killing and bad stuff than the city can tolerate (which isn’t much) and the guards will be more suspicious of you so while before they’re a bit more suspect of you, at full notoreity they’ll practically want to kill you on sight. How do you bring it down? Find posters that no guard would see, kill officials that don’t exactly run that fast or bribe heralds and naysayers instead of…I don’t know, roughing them up mafia-style and threatening to break their knees?

Another added element is the idea of money. It can be spent on upgrades such as better armor, better weapons, replenish your poison blades, smoke bombs, buy paintings or tint your cape. Buying paintings or upgrading your villa, a sort of central base of operation.
Not to mention there’s a lot more added missions with the familiar races but also there’s assassination contracts, courier missions, beat-em-up parts where you pummel cheaters and many others. As far as collecting is concerned, there is some of that found in the feathers but there’s only 100 as opposed to 100 in each city but then we have glyphs. Uncover a building and find an icon and you’ll see somewhere on the building is a glyph, strange markings easily found by using Eagle Vision and scanning them prompts a really intriguing story about Subject 16 where you decode messages, find clues embedded in photographs are doing some riddle solving.

The world feels much more open now because of the lack of redundancy. Every city you visit has random assassination missions, races against thieves, guards to lure away with mercenaries or the local brothel, and so on, but even though it’s the same in every city, they are not required so you can do these little side quests or ignore them. As for main story missions, there are a few that repeat. but missions like these are spaced out and done in ways that they don’t feel repetitive, which is a big plus and a lesson learned. The overall pacing of the story is so well done and intriguing in ways that are so natural you don’t think about it at all.

The graphic are simply impressive as you look over the Italian cityscape. Ubisoft took their time in recreating many landmarks and capturing the renaissance atmosphere, culture, and city layout of Italy. There are moments in the game where I just stopped to admire the view, mainly in the temples and viewpoints. The animations are lifelike. An absolutely stellar soundtrack with some really haunting and peaceful themes playing throughout and the more dramatic or action moments are nicely done. Voice acting as well is spot-on with many voice actors actually sounding like they’re from the era and place.

Assassin’s Creed II comes back revamped, improved, and flawless in everyway imaginable. Enzio feels like more compelling protagonist. His personality, back-story, and his progression from young misfit to skilled assassin is very gripping. The supporting characters, including family and friends your meet along the way, provide some interesting plot points that will keep you inclined to progress with as much of your free time as possible. ASSASSIN’S CREED II not only redeems its predecessor’s many follies, but it is most definitely one of the best games out there.

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