The Buzz

As the New Year approaches, some of us look back at this year and remember the good and the bad. Well I look at the some of best this year had to offer.

Imagine waking up and you don’t know where you, you look down to find your side is bleeding. You take a look through the window to see a snowy mountainside; soon you figure out that you are on a train perched on the edge of a mountain. With a small amount of time left, you have to escape the train before it plummet to your absolute death but how exactly did I get here, why am I bleeding on him and what is this mysterious dagger I finds in the snow. Well my friends I believe you just stepped in the shoes of Nathan Drake in the action-adventure sequel Uncharted 2: Among Thieves.

It’s been two years since we took the first adventure with Drake, so how will it fare compared to his first adventure? Quite amazing. This game really puts everything together that makes the Uncharted series one of the best. Like the first Uncharted, the story isn’t exactly new but the way it’s told is riveting, through excellent cinematic and seamless cut scenes, engaging gameplay, and characters that are likable and realistic with a villain you actually want to hate. Once again you play as Nathan Drake, treasure hunter. Drake is offered a job by Harry Flynn, an old friend alongside Chloe Frazer, an old love interest to help steal an ancient artifact for his employer. Drake figures that the artifact somehow contains the location of Marco Polo’s missing ships of treasure. So Drake, Flynn and Chloe opt to break into a museum and claim it for themselves. So what can go wrong? Of course, when you say that a lot can go wrong especially when your friend Flynn double crosses you. Leaving you to be locked up in prison, to be finally recued by ol reliable Sully. Sully has also brought along Chloe who reveal to you that they still haven’t found the missing fleet. There is still is time, so it a race though the many dangers and obstacle reuniting ol and new, to reach the treasure they have been looking for or what they thought they was looking for.

From start to finish all you will find yourself doing is sitting on the edge of your seat wanting more and more. It has been said that this is not a game, but more like an interactive movie experience. The way the story rolls with sequences that take control for seconds at a time and are so fluid you don’t even realize you’re back in control of the character are amazing to watch. The level of detail from a murky jungle to the mountain of the Himalaya would be done no justice by explaining them with nothing but simple words. The character designs, not just the way they look, but their demeanor, the way they act and the things they do, all will leave you loving, hating, laughing and mourning with everything they do and say. There are moments where you’re hurt or where you’ll be dragging someone around and you feel it in the wayyou walk, you feel the tense moments of trying to shoot someone with your one free hand.

The pacing of the game is much better than the first. The action hardly slows down, but most of all the twists and turns in the story don’t feel so awkward. There’s great balance of gunplay, plat forming and puzzle solving and transitioning from one part of the game to another. As far as the gameplay is concerned they have only improved what was already great. Uncharted 2 offers a lot more variety and options in how the the gun battles can play out thanks to the fantastic level design. Rather than fighting on flat ground, almost every battle scene features multiple levels and areas to use to your advantage. If you want to stay on the ground and take guys out the old fashioned way, you’re more than welcome to. But you can also climb to higher ground and use height to your advantage, or flank the enemy by moving from cover to cover and changing your tactics as the battle unfolds around you. While the game is still very much a linear tale, taking you from point to specific point, you’re offered many more options in how you approach and deal with battles. The platforming throughout the game is great and gives you a sense of survival as you scale throughout vast terrain. The puzzles within the game are great and have a great deal of mass. At times you’ll be presented with a room where the entire room is a puzzle which makes for some memorable moments.

Certain aspects have also been improved. In the first game, for example, throwing grenades and walking across certain ledges you used the tilting controls which felt gimmicky. Throwing grenades is much easier and can used more effectively during the gun fights. The Stealth gameplay adds a whole new level of flair to the game. At times, stealth is the best way to take out a group of enemies, and your success with stealth usually aids in making some situations more bearable. Melee combos are much more forgiving, so that you can mostly get away with mashing the punch button instead of needing split-second timing. Enemies also absorb fewer bullets than before and are now susceptible to stealthy attacks from behind.

I can’t argue enough that this is a beautiful experience. The environments are absorbing and incredible to behold. This quest will take you from a lush rainforest to a war torn Nepal and then up into the Himalayas. Nothing is more beautiful than being up on top of a building in Nepal and viewing the Himalayas. To say the least the environments are awe inspiring. The original game brought the PS3 graphics that hadn’t been seen and now this game only improves the formula. Character model detail is remarkable, and never before have there been such a believable cast of characters. Character animation is unprecedented and so surreal that at times it’s hard to believe that you’re playing a video game. Sound effects and environmental audio make for some very realistic scenarios. The sound of rain falling overhead with lightning shouting from the skies heats up the environment with a genuine level of believability. . The soundtrack itself captivates the setting beautifully, with each of the tracks pertaining to scenarios and provoking the feeling of human emotion.

Uncharted 2 to featured a new online multiplayer mode which turned out to be a solid piece of work that surprised a lot of people. It’s fun; it’s addicting, easy and captures the essence of the single player experience amazingly well. There’s your standard Deathmatch, Plunder (Capture the Flag), Elimination and a cool variation on King of the Hill where they have to take over certain parts of the map in a specific order to win the game. The 10 player (5 vs 5) limit fits well with the smaller maps, and, quite impressively, Naughty Dog was able to work the platforming aspects of the campaign into the multiplayer.There’s also a co-op mode where you and 2 others play in sections reminiscent of the storyline though it’s way more action-oriented. While none of them are very original, there are plenty of modes, but disappointingly, there aren’t a whole lot of maps. Still, that’s one minor gripe for an all around great multiplayer experience.

This game provides the most engaging and rich cinematic experience of any game I have ever played. It manages to remain highly entertaining throughout, and the story’s development is terrific in presentation and delivery. Very rarely does a game come around that impresses you on so many levels, and Uncharted 2 manages to do that without a hitch. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves has set the new bar for both the action-adventure genre and games in general.

Happy New Year & Happy Gaming

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Genre: Third-Person Action Adventure
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developer: Naughty Dog Software
Exclusively on: PlayStation 3
ESRB Rating: T
Single Player

Did Tomb Raider or Indiana Jones have a make-over? Nope, it’s Nathan Drake in Naughty Dog’s Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. This is a 3d plat forming, third-person shooting action adventure experience. You will be completely immerses you into the story as starts off more like a movie with the quote from the late Drake. You are put in the shoes of Nate, a young treasure hunter who has just uncovered to coffin of his believe to be ancestor Drake. In the coffin, Nate doesn’t find a body but diary from the deceased Sir Drake.

Nate is accompanied by the Elena Fisher, a journalist recording the findings for a TV documentary. As you are about to relax you are attacked by pirates who seem to want what you just found. They blow up your ship but don’t worry Sully; Nate’s friend has come to your rescue. Once you reach to a safe location, you discover that the diary has map and clues pointing to the lost city of gold El Dorado. You go to explore the ruins where El Dorado was supposedly located to realize that it’s not a city of gold but something else and also you aren’t the only one looking for only looking for the treasure.

There’s nothing original about the storyline however this story is incredibly well written and will have you hooked from the beginning. The cinematic approach is so seamless it makes it hard to separate game play from movie watching. The numerous cut-scenes is where the majority of the plot unfolds, which not only move the game along at a good pace, which are often genuinely funny, with charming but somewhat cliché characters and banter. No huge twists or breath-taking surprises, but the game is at least consistent and never boring. But the characters are incredibly unbelievably in particularly Nate himself. As you progress along, Nate will also give his own commentary which can be sometimes humorous. It’s a game that knows it’s clever but is careful not to rub your face in its wit. It makes this quest all the more enjoyable.

The game play divides up nicely between gun fighting, vehicular action, and platforming. They all work extremely well together, creating a compelling series of challenges as you advance. The platforming aspects of the game take every opportunity to show off the gorgeous visuals and intuitive controls. Nate can jump, swim, grab, climb and move along ledges, swing from rope or vines and other acrobatic actions to forge ahead through various terrain. There are points when enemies pop up unexpectedly which add a little challenge. Still, the cliff-hanging is often a welcome break from the tense firefights, and at times is inventive enough to give you a real sense of accomplishment when you reach a place that no human in his right mind would try to.

Firefights are plentiful, and well executed. Your arsenal is comprised of a pistol, rifle, grenades and you fist. Yes I said it; your fists can be used as deadly weapons. The responsive and well balance combat system allows you to unleash a series of punches in combination. It also features a simple “Gears of War” like cover system that allows you to take cover in various locales, perfectly laid-out topography including loads of pillars, stone walls and crates. This makes it that you aren’t an easy target as you attract attention from increasingly armed pirates along the way. Enemies move fairly cleverly and realistically, not simply waiting for you to walk up and pop one in their ears. On the contrary they will approach you from different angles, darting from one station to the next as they try to flank you and flush you out of your cover. This ensures that the battle are challenging and don’t get old.

Last but not least, the vehicular action sequences. Early on, you’ll get to ride in the back of a military-style jeep, firing off an endless stream of ammo and launching the occasional – no, check that, frequent – rocket at your pursuers. It’s simply awesome to watch as your automatic rounds mow down not only the thugs, exploding in their vehicles but also the foliage around you. And later, there are two memorable jet-ski piloting stages, the second being easily the most visually and aurally enthralling river rapids.

Everything about this is simply stunning. Visually you will be amaze by the scenery around you, and the bright palate of color presented to. The animations are fluent and realistic as the lighting and shadow casted by objects in your area, how leaves move in the wind. By the way, the water rendering in the game as a whole, including waterfalls, trickling streams, and the aforementioned raging rapids, is superb. You might just find yourself just waiting to see a dead body float by you. The excellent musical score assist in setting and maintaining the ambiance through-out this adventure.
Sir Francis Drake quoted “There must be a beginning of any great matter, but the continuing unto the end until it be thoroughly finished yields the true glory”. Those words could not be any further from the truth. Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune is truly a rewarding affair from start to finish.

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I was finally able to dive into Mario’s latest adventure with a few friends over the weekend. After a

few hours of game play I walked away satisfied yet with a strange new resentment for my friends.

Yes New Super Mario Bros. Wii (NSMBWii) is a great game filled with all the charm and appeal that Mario

has come to known, yet I feel the multiplayer component has forever changed the way his sidescrolling

games will be played. The basic idea is you take Mario, add in one to three other characters ala Mario

Bros. 2 and instead of making them take turns to play or making the player select from one of the four

optional characters you simply make them all play at once.  On paper this sounds like an awesome idea.

In practice, not so much. Don’t get me wrong I had a blast playing this game with my friends but anytime

we felt the need to actually finish a stage and not just laugh and joke or assassinate and torment one

another, we found ourselves frustrated and often soloing the more difficult stages while others waited.

The game is full of hectic moments like this!

Aside from this gripe everything else was flawless. NSMBWii is easily one of the better Mario games to

ever be released.  As a fan of the series with Super Mario World being my fav side scroller Mario game

I would have to say this game is second only to that game.  While this is not an official review I can

highly recommend this game to anyone who loves Mario or is simply looking for some good multiplayer

action on their Wii. Just remember you may have to solo some parts of this game to actually beat it. In

all I am loving this game. I think you will too.

Sky World Action

New Super Mario Bros. Wii gameplay

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Tetsuya Nomurahas stated that Versus XIII’s gameplay will be a realistic derivation of Kingdom Hearts’s battle system with some elements of a third-person shooter aspect {GASP!}. Nomura has also stated that the game will depart from the light and magical aesthetic of his previous directorial games (WHAAAT??)  (i.e. Kingdom Hearts) and opt for a darker, bleaker world that is intended to counter previous Final Fantasy installments.

In formulating a realistic world, Nomura has stated that he wants the characters to be “believable” and thus realistic. As a testament towards his desire for realism, in the PlayStation Premier trailer, in contrast to previous Final Fantasy titles, Versus XIII had a greater display of graphic violence with an instance of blood.

Trailer

Nomura has also stated in Dengeki PlayStation that he aims to create previously unseen “tricky” battle sequences, reminiscent of the CGI film, Final Fantasy VII Advent Children.*FAINTS*

I cant imagine playing a game with a fight system that mimics the battle scenes from FF Advent Children That would be bannanas!!!

It sounds to me like this just might put FF back on top on the gaming world. Not that I dont like the battle systems before. This sounds really good so far. I always hear the FF haters asking: Why cant the game be more like the movie?   Well youre getting what you asked for.

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