first published in The Hindustan Times, 7th August 2010. You can read the edited article here.

Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty released last week. All gamers can stop now, and just go buy/play the game. For everyone else: the first Starcraft game was released in March 1998, and has gone on to become the most enduring Real Time Strategy Game, the de facto national sport of South Korea and one of the most popular video games in Sri Lanka. Twelve years have passed, and the world is a very different place.

In 1998 Titanic was rising again, on a wave of Academy Awards. We were testing our nukes and Pakistan theirs. Cell phones were horribly expensive bricks which didn’t send text messages, and had monochrome screens. Windows 98 was very new, and very awesome. And the internet was still heralded by the jangling clangs of 14.4 kbps dial up connections squawking at each other.

The developer, Blizzard (now ActivisionBlizzard) was and remains one of the most respected names in game development. They have always taken a long time to develop games, releasing them only when satisfied, trusting quality over a good launch window. It has paid off for them, making them the biggest video game company in the world. In 1998, they were riding the wave created by Warcraft 1 and 2, both highly successful RTSes (a military management genre, where you collect resources, build armies, and conquer other players territories), and their fantasy adventure game Diablo. While the Warcraft games were shallow and simplistic, they helped define the emerging genre, and the fantasy setting of a battle between humans and orcs generated a powerful mythology which would eventually culminate in the billion dollar enterprise that is World of Warcraft.

When Starcraft was announced, many expected it to be Warcraft… IN SPACE! And in a sense, they were right. The basics of the genre were already well defined and needed little to change. However, in Warcraft there were only two factions to choose from, humans and orcs, and both sides had armies composed of the same basic units, just with different names and animations. The result was a very symmetrical matchup with little flexibility and limited scope for tactics. In Starcraft, Blizzard created one of the most beautifully balanced RTS games ever created.

Starcraft featured a careful mix of units in three seperate factions. There are the humans (Terrans), space colonialists fleeing an overpopulated Earth, these Terrans establish one of their colonies in a planet they do not realise is already populated by the brutal and seemingly primitive Zerg. Before they get to learn more about the Zerg the shadowy and technoligically advanced Protoss appear, incinerate the planet, and quickly leave before the Terrans can react. Soon we learn the Zerg are part of a collective organism called the overmind, and are a formidable threat in their own right, and that the Protoss were acting in self defence.

No side has any obvious advantages but each supports very different playstyles, and the fine balancing of units created a fast paced game where the players have to think on their feet. Flexibility in planning and strategic management are key to winning at Starcraft, and this continues in the newly launched sequel, with every gambit is vulnerable to counterattacks by an intelligent opponent, teaching the player to play with a dozen backup plans behind every feint. Whether you are a defensive Terran player building up bunkers to control chokepoints on the map or a Zerg building up a swarm to rush the enemy base, or a Protoss researching technology to make sure that your military has all the tactical options it needs, you need to keep an eye on the borders of your own territory for the first clues of what the other side is upto, because you might have to change your entire campaign strategy in minutes.

Blizzards reputation in the gaming world matches that of Pixar in animation, and their trademark attention to quality and quirky sense of humor which underpins stories of great tragedies continues to shine. With Starcraft, and its later expansion Brood War, Blizzard didn’t just create a great game, and one which would endure through endless multiplayer skirmishes, but also created a gripping story which many players struggled through the levels to see.

For many gamers, it used to be the ‘showcase’ game for a long time – the game you’d show people (mostly non-gamers) how pretty and amazing games could be. The game required strategic play, and rewarded you not with points but with an unfolding story of heroic sacrifice and betrayal. Twelve years ago when I first experienced Starcraft, I was horrified by the scene where Kerrigan was abandoned by her fellow humans to the Zerg horde, and the scene where Tassadar sacrifices himself to the overmind left me shattered.

But there is more to Starcraft than just the single player element. The balancing of the three armies makes for a game which embraces tactical play and lateral thinking, something humans are still better at than computers (we hope) and the game allows two humans to skirmish against each other, through a LAN network or the internet, via Battle.net which matches you against players at your own skill level around the world. In this Starcraft really shines, and strategies are codified and discarded as new moves emerge, much like in chess. But unlike chess, you don’t get a chance to sit down and think your move through. Some of the most skilled progamers (in Korea, naturally) have been measured at issuing upto 300 Actions Per Minute. These APM are commands you issue to the units in your army, moving them, ordering them on patrol, ordering production at your factories and training at your barracks or the harvesting of resources from your “civilian” units. A professional player in Korea can earn as much as any athelete, with huge televised audiences watching skirmishes between top level players and a betting scandal in 2008 which is wholly reminiscent of the betting scandal in cricket which ended careers in disgrace. Here too, several top gamers have been made to retire, for the good of the game.

In many ways, Starcraft 2 lives up to the hype. From the cinematics we have seen so far, it brings along the narrative established in the original, and continues to do so with  a deft touch and the quality that Blizzard is known for. At the same time, the gameplay does not move far from its predecessor, which many would argue was inescapable considering the fan following the game has.

At the same time, a number of new units turn up in this game and the quality of the missions in the single player campaign remain is good too, if not particularly challenging. To many though that has long been the charm of the game – that you can have an engaging but not impossible game followed by a healthy dose of cinema and exposition, before you start the cycle again.

The multiplayer follows a similar template too. There are changes from the original but all is minimal, and the game will feel both fresh and familiar to people who have played the original. The real question though is, that in a world so different from that of 1998, does the game have a chance to find a new audience, beyond its existing fanbase? Arguably the game does not need to, but the genre has moved on since 1998, and the focus is now less on resource collection and base building and more on resource management and how you deploy the units at your disposal. In that sense, Starcraft uses more micromanagement than people may be used to today, but in doing so also provides a great deal of more flexibility to players who take the time to learn its mechanics.

Perhaps best described as an HD update of the original, the game justifies itself for any number of reasons – for nostalgia, for a return to a genre in an industry dominated by first person shooters, and for a pretty good game, which looks good and sounds great. And maybe for a piece of history too.

In 1998, I didn’t have a cellphone, my internet connection was unreliable, and nuclear hysteria gripped the nation. And I played Starcraft. In 2010, I’ve a phone that’s almost as powerful as my computer, an unlimited broadband internet connection and okay, jingoism is still very high. But I’m playing Starcraft 2, so I guess that’s all right.

Ratings:
Gameplay : 9/10
Revisits classic RTS gameplay with elan, but loses a point for not heeding modern innovations about terrain providing cover and other small tweaks.
Visual : 8/10
The game is a beautiful facelift to a very old series and as such deserves great plaudits, but like all Blizzard games, the visuals are intentionally a little restrained to allow it to perform smoothly on average PCs.
Writing : 7/10
While it stays faithful to the original, we have to admit – writing in games is cheesy. Still, the game is moving and has many moments which will strike a chord in the player. The game is also injected with many of the trademark quirks of its predecessors, which keeps it from losing more points.

Review: Red Dead Redemption (XBOX 360 version)

Gopal Sathe

John Marston is a man on a mission. He was an outlaw, but he’s given up that life. All he wanted was to settle down with his wife, and raise his son. But the world is filled with change in 1911, and the government in the East can’t let people in the Old West remain lawless and wild anymore. The railways have changed everything, and tamed the lawless land.

Marston is taken in by the government and told that if he doesn’t want to spend the rest of his life in jail away from his family, he will go into New Austin (a fictional state entirely like Old Texas) and kill his one-time friend Bill Williamson. This might sound like an old Eastwood movie, but it is the world of Red Dead Redemption, the latest game from Rockstar Games, the same banner that made Grand Theft Auto a household name.

It’s a sandbox game – an open world for you to explore and do what you want, when you want. You’re given a vibrant world to explore, and John Marston is a real living person whom you will care about.

It’s so real, I now fear cougars. An early optional mission had me look for a missing person. I followed the trail to the Hanging Rock, a few miles north of the town of Armadillo. I got of my horse to investigate some blood on the ground and there was a heart stopping sound behind me! Suddenly this monstrous creature was charging at me!

I ran as quickly as I could but it took a swipe at me and I fell down. Luckily my horse panicked at that point and ran between me and the cougar, giving me a few seconds to pull my gun and kill it. I knew then that I was never getting off my horse outside the cities again.

The modelling of all the animals, and the various pistols and rifles you use through the game, has been done with tremendous care and is extremely realistic, though people and faces are a little less so. The game stands as a wonderful technical achievement, with almost no load screens to speak of, and an enormously detailed game-world.

Red Dead Redemption is definitely fun. Games don’t _have_ to make sense, they have to be enjoyable. The mechanics themselves are not as important as the enjoyment they provide, and Redemption definitely delivers.

But at the same time, it also gives you a cohesive world to explore. You could do the side quests given by people around the world, or roam the countryside hunting animals for fun and profit, or pick up bounties and arrest gang members. Just riding your horse, with no objective in mind, is enjoyable.

Despite these distractions, you keep coming back to the main storyline because of the great writing. John Marston is no cardboard cut-out, and before long you will actually care about this man, and want things to work out for him.

Like most open world games, RDR also dabbles in creating moral choices for the player. For instance, in an early optional mission, you have to convince an old man to sell you his property. You can put up your own money, or point a gun at him and make him give it to you.

There’s no real consequence to either choice – ‘good’ choices raise your honor and ‘evil’ lowers it, and all this does is change the discounts you get in stores – but while I normally play as the bad guy in any game that lets me, here, I found myself ponying up the cash myself because I knew that Marston would have.

He’s a good guy and while he’s done a lot of bad stuff, he’s clearly trying to atone for it. He might be here as a government assassin, but he’s not happy about that, and he’s not going to rebel by becoming a gun toting outlaw either.

At least that’s how I felt about the character, although perhaps the developers see things differently – the game hardly penalises evil characters and there’s a few things you can do as a bad guy which actually sound like a lot of fun, and would probably warrant a second playthrough of the game for me.

There were some gameplay issues in the game, a number of glitches as often happens in such huge games, but nothing gamebreaking. Some people are complaining about the control scheme and the shooting mechanics to which I must say – the shooting is fun! It’s a game, not a simulator! The control scheme is a little complicated but the game takes you through a thorough tutorial, and the end result is great control over the horse, which is half the fun of this game.

It’s possible to finish the game within around 10 hours, with no side quests, fast travel everywhere, and skipping all the cutscenes. If you’re like me and don’t go for 100 per cent completion, picking up only interesting challenges and missions, focussing largely on the main storyline, the game should take around 4 – 5 days to complete. To compare, I finished all of Modern Warfare 2 in one day. Also, even when you’re done with the story, riding around saving strangers and hunting bears is so much fun that the game represents tremendous value for money.

Haze is one of those shooters that had a lot of potential, but never was really able to capitalize on it. This “gem” is brought to you by Free Radical Design, a company that was formed from a splinter group of the Goldeneye/Perfect Dark team. Also, this team designed the Time Splitters game. The bulk of the aforementioned games were great. Knowing that, you would think that a something they created on a current gen system would be just as outstanding. Unfortunately, that is far from the case.

Haze follows Sgt. Shane Carpenter, a soldier in “Mantle”, a sort of PMC of the future. You are sent into South America to help stop the rebels known as the “The Promise Hand”, led by a man calling himself Gabriel “Skin Coat” Merino… seriously. Over the course of the game you are able to dose yourself with Mantel’s super elixir called “Nectar.” Basically it is just a drug that heightens your awareness, skill level, and generally makes you a giant douche bag (but more on that later).

Over time, Shane’s Nectar administration system starts to fail. Only then does he begin to see Mantel for what it really is, a giant smash and grab corporation. He’s shown the true repercussions of prolonged exposure to Nectar, that being death. Naturally, Shane then joins forces with the rebels to try and put a stop to Mantel. Free Radical tries hard to put a big morale lesson in Haze, but honestly, by the end of the game I didn’t care enough anymore to bother paying attention.

Getting down to the game itself, visually, Haze looks atrocious. Seriously… The textures, are just flat out ugly. It’s chock full of glitches and bugs, not to mention that at points I would get stuck in different parts of the map, because the collision detection was so spotty. Controls were run of the mill shooter and let’s be honest, kinda hard to screw up. The weapons of Haze brought nothing new really to the table, and sitting here thinking about the game I couldn’t list a single one to you.

I guess it doesn’t sound all that bad. There is a lot of spoken audio, seeing as how most of the game is told through verbal exposition. Which brings me to my biggest gripe with this game. I will start by saying that I understand what and why they were trying to do with the soldiers of Mantel. When you first meet the other guys in your squad, I was seriously surprised they weren’t wearing pink polo’s with the collar popped. There was more high-fiving and “dude bro” moments in the first section of the game than in the entirety of the beer-pong world championships. It was annoying to the point of being painful. Again, I understand why they did this though. They were making the point that the Nectar alters your sense of right and wrong, as well as making you a team player in your squad. I just don’t think they had to do it to such a nauseating degree. I was so happy later on in the game that I was given the chance to shoot the Mantel guys. I found myself unloading clip-after-clip into them, just to release stress.

Given the pedigree of it’s creators, and the potential graphical upgrade offered by the PlayStation 3’s cell processor, I was hopeful that this game was going to be something I would initially like and continue to enjoy over time. Much to my disappointment, Haze didn’t deliver on any of it’s promises. I have played much worse games in my life, however this one ranks high on the list because of the sheer disappointment it brought with it.

Sharing: It’s Win/Win

Game: Samurai Showdown SEN

With the recent revitalization of the fighting genre, more and more people are picking up the newest titles, ready to dive into the button mashing experience. After getting a fight stick for Christmas and a copy of SFIV, I was ready to dive into this title with abandon. Unfortunately, not even a fight stick could help this horrible entry in the Samurai Showdown series.

Once praised for it’s options and added weaponry, it’s now clouded by shoddy graphics and horrible controls. I have very faded memories of playing a Samurai title on Neo Geo but am still an absolute newcomer to the series and SEN provided no tutorial or even an inkling of assistance in learning how to play at all. I really can’t think of a worse idea as it’s a given most fans of the series will eventually pick up this title but the added people that are just now getting into fighting games that have no background on your series? You just left a lot of people and money in the dust.

While the character selection is vast it doesn’t make up for the fact that they aren’t exciting to play with. Not one stood out as better or worse than another, they are all pretty average when it comes to the fighting genre and all of the nuances seen in most other fighters are right here too. It’s just done so poorly that playing this game felt like pulling teeth.

The control scheme is closest to Soul Caliber with similar combos and inputs. It doesn’t feel even half as good as that title though because it’s turned into a button masher, with whoever hits them fast enough winning the fight. This series is known for it’s unique style of gameplay so venturing far from that is a risk I wouldn’t have taken. The game has stiff controls and the most awkward mechanics I’ve ever experienced. AI opponents that take days of patience not practice to overcome, make it all the more frustrating. It only takes two good hits to down an opponent so strategy doesn’t even come into play here. That’s a sad state of affairs when there are so many other options on the table and that the series used to stand on it’s own unique platform.

Gamers are becoming more and more resentful against the atrocious loading times we have in games as of late, and this title is just as guilty. It’s understandable in a story heavy game but with SEN, it’s load after tedious load. You can literally be killed in five seconds and have to wait forty more for the game to load back up. And to be perfectly honest, I’m not sure what we are waiting for. 3-D graphics that looked twenty times better on the PS2? I think I’ll pass.

Online mode was also a complete let down. I tried to use the multiplayer feature to fight a real person eight times. I waited for what seemed an eternity but not once did someone pop online to fight. This aspect is where I thought the game might be brought back to it’s roots a little bit, allowing me to fully use the controls like they were meant to be used. Unfortunately, the chance never presented itself.

I wish I could have found something redeeming within Samurai Showdown but I couldn’t. Everything reeks of being slopped together without regard to the fans or the series previous titles. What made the series special was overlooked so blatantly that it’s hard to believe it was allowed to be released. Old looking graphics, unplayable fighting styles, clunky controls, and long load times make this one of the worst games I’ve played since Superman 64.

With all of the other awesome fighting titles out, I’d leave this one alone. If you are a die-hard fan of the series, I’d still wait until it was on the clearance rack. I’m sure it won’t be a long wait.

Sharing: It’s Win/Win

I love puzzle games. I also happen to be quite the fan of the BBC and most of its comedy programming. Being able to play a game that combines the two in such a fun little package was a pleasure for me.

In the episodic title, “Blue Toad Murder Files: The Mystery of Little Riddle” you are tasked with solving various mysteries and crimes. At the beginning of the episode you can choose between four “members” of the detective agency to start your story. For each character there are various reasons for your arrival in Little Riddle, but to be honest, none of them have any bearing on any part of the rest of the game. You can also, if you choose, play with up to three other friends locally at the same time.

The game toes that fine line between being silly and over the top, “smack you in the face” humor… something a LOT of American actors have issues with. The entirety of the cast is voice by one person. Tom Dussek gives each character a voice all its own, complete with different accents and personalities. The narration is also done in a voice that reminded me of Terry Jones of Monty Python fame. The entire cast feels like they actually have a back story you may (or may not) be able to find out in the course of the episodes.

The game isn’t breaking new ground as far as visuals are concerned, but that isn’t to say that the game looks bad. Each setting is clean and each has its own personality, much like the characters. Again, I like the fact that this game doesn’t take itself too seriously. There are occasions where some of the in-game characters will look directly at the “camera” as if to say, “yes we know this is a game and should still be fun.” It’s not done often, but it is done to good comedic effect.

As you arrive in town, it just so happens, a murder has been committed and it’s up to you to find out whodunit. Well it’s not really up to you, but the local police are mostly inept, so really you are just doing your civic duty by helping them. Unlike “Professor Layton” the puzzles that you solve during your time in Little Riddle have a direct connection to the story and the world around you. For instance: one of the first puzzles you have to solve is basically a jumble involving the mayors diary. Some of the words have blanks and you have to fill them in with the correct letter to understand what he is writing. All of the puzzles that you come across will progress the story as well.

There are about 16 different puzzles in each episode and they are all very different. Most of them can be solved with out much thought at all. However, there are several puzzles that I had to sit and work through to make sure I had the outcome correct. Here is where the game gets a bit hard. First off, there is not so much a time “limit” as there is a time expectancy. Meaning that you can take forever to solve a puzzle but if you take longer than the par time, you will be penalized for it. Also unlike Layton, there are NO HINTS. If you get stuck and can’t figure it out, too bad. Your only option is to “Give Up” which will then give you the lowest puzzle rating, but does allow you to move the story to the next point. The caveat to opting out on a puzzle is that you don’t get the answer, which could hurt you in the long run.

The thing that Blue Toad does better than most games of this type, is its ability to make you actually feel like you are a detective. As the story progresses along, you are periodically given “quizzes” to take. These “quizzes” are basically a few multiple choice questions to make sure you are paying attention to the story.

At the very end of the game (no spoilers don’t worry) you are asked ultimately who did it. There is no summation of the clues, no hints, nothing like that. You are asked point blank to finger the perpetrator, based solely on the information that you gathered during play time. At first it kind of tripped me up. I was expecting something to help me out but that aid never came. Once I thought back through the story, pondering the clues I was given, or found, I was able to pick out the bad guy. This not only gave me a sense of closure, but made me feel like I had actually solved the crime on my own merits. It felt a kin to playing Clue back in the day and getting it right on the very first guess.

Gameplay with several players is turned based. Watch a bit of story, solve a puzzle then it’s the next persons turn. The quizzes are split up between players as well. Although you can play with three other people, this really isn’t the kind of game that you and a bunch of friends will sit down with for several hours a night and drudge through. The lone exception might be a night where everyone wants to play a slow moving board game like Life or Monopoly. The story just doesn’t move fast enough to keep a groups attention for an extended period of time.

The first Episode of the series took me about 45 minuets to play through, so extrapolating that it will take about 4-5 solid hours of gaming to finish all six episodes. Each episode will cost you about $7.50 and the pack of the first three is $15.00, so the entire game of all six could run you as much as $45. This will probably seem a bit steep for a downloadable game. However, I must say given the production value, the amount of gameplay found within, and the time it takes to complete the game, it averages all out to roughly a regular disc based release anyway. There isn’t really much bad I can say about this game. It’s been enjoyable for myself and my wife to play, and that alone speaks volumes.

Scott 3SMOVRadio.com

Sharing: It’s Win/Win

Star Trek Online is an MMORPG that takes place in the Star Trek universe. The game takes place after the events of the last Star Trek movie.  Spock has failed to save the Romulan home world from destruction, and the Klingons have moved in trying to control what was once the Romulan Empire.  It’s up to you to protect the Federation and it’s interests.  Are you up to the task?

I really can’t compare this game to other MMORPGs out there for the simple fact that I haven’t played any – until now.  This is my very first MMORPG.  The reason I picked it up is simple, it’s Star Trek!  The game offers 2 character slots for either a Federation or Klingon character.  You must be at least a level 6 to access the Klingon character.  Each have their own unique missions and ships.  It’s similar to the way that World of Warcraft offers Horde and Alliance factions.

It should be noted that I am a Trekkie.  I love to watch Star Trek and know quite a lot about it’s universe.  I’ve watched every series of Star Trek except Enterprise.  When I was growing up, I always wanted a good Star Trek game.  There were many games out there, but few were what I was looking for.  When I heard about Star Trek Online, I wasn’t sure what to think. All I knew was that I should hope for the best.

When I first started the beta, I was a bit skeptical.  Even after play a few missions the first night, I still wasn’t sold.  I decided to give the game another shot a few days later.  It was then I really started getting into it.  The game picked up and I found myself hooked.  Finally I had found a game that satisfied my Star Trek craving.  While it’s always nice to play as your favorite characters from the show, it’s great working your way up the ranks.

I ended the beta with a level 12 character and a new ship.  The characters were reset once the beta was over though.  I eagerly awaited the head start to begin 4 days later.  When the head start began, I made it my goal to reach my previous level in no time.  After the last 4 days of playing (close to non stop) I am now a level 18.  It seems like it was easier to get missions done and level up this time around.  I’m sure it was because of the previous experience playing.

Star Trek Online has plenty of ups and downs to it.  I’ll cover the things that I personally liked and disliked about the game.  As I said, I’ve never played an MMORPG before, but I will do my best to not look like a trekkie defending a Star Trek game.

What I liked:

The Star Trek Universe: Cryptic does a good job at making it feel like the Star Trek universe. From the sound of phasers or red alert, to the Klingons, Romulans, and Borg (OH MY), you knew that it was Star Trek.  Cryptic also does a great job at recreating the Universe itself.  It was quite something for me to see the memorial and wrecked ships at Wolf 359 or go to places like Deepspace 9 or K7.  Players are put into a universe that is not only recreated well, but theirs to explore.

Ship Combat: Star Trek Online is one of the few Star Trek games to do ship combat right.  After a few battles, I had a strategy and was ready to roll.  Compared to a game like Star Trek Legacies, the combat in this was a dream.  It might take a few battles to get the hang of things, but once you do, you’re good to go.  Players have the option to upgrade weapons, shields, and more.  It’s probably a good idea to upgrade as you meet and fight new enemies.

Weapons and Items: I found myself excited when I would pick up new weapons and items from drops.  There’s a variety of weapons and items that have their own use for either away missions or your ship as.  As you advance in level you’ll find better items and weapons.  Some might be helpful, but others will just be useless.  One thing I found amusing was the Tribbles.  Not only were they in the game, but they ate my damn food and multiplied like in the original TV show.

Playing With Friends: If there’s one thing that can be said, it’s better to play with friends.  I personally enjoyed playing with people I knew.  It helped make the overall experience more pleasant than it already was.  You’ll also find that missions are easier to complete when you’re working together with people you know.  There was no voice chat in game with the beta.  My team and I used skype to keep in contact.

Plenty to do: Whether it be a patrol mission or going back in time, there are plenty of missions to keep you occupied.  The variety of missions and ways to explore make Star Trek Online a lot of fun to play.  On top of the regular Missions, Star Trek Online offers players PVP where they can test their skills against other players.  You can battle as either a Klingon or a Federation officer.

Random Fun: If you know me and watch HBG’s live broadcast, you know we like to have fun past the limits of what the game provides.  It’s no different with a game like STO.  Being in a game with plenty of other people led to some interesting times.  When you’re not looking for missions, why not start a dance party at spacedock, or even greet users beaming down to places like Memory Alpha.  With most people being real players and not NPCs, there is fun to be had.

What I disliked:

Repetitive Missions: While there were some excellent missions, there were plenty that are either boring, repetitive, or just uninteresting.  It seems there is a simple formula for the missions in this game.  You’ll notice a lot of missions are like this “ship combat > away mission > ship combat > done.”  Cryptic is planning on adding more missions and such as time goes on, but let’s hope they make the additions an improvement over what is offered now.

Planets: While Cryptic did a good job at recreating the Star Trek universe, there was a lot I found to be amiss.  It seemed that a lot of things on planets were really out of place.  Worlds just seemed poorly designed and thrown together.  Some worlds were bland and I found myself saying to my team, “this planet doesn’t look like it belongs in Star Trek.”  This was not the case for every planet though, but most fell victim to this

Star Trek “Offline”: During the beta, the servers were up more than they are now.  While it’s only been for the headstart, the servers have gone down close to 4-6 hours each day.  I know you’re thinking that is not bad and I should take a break, but it really doesn’t make me feel confident for the long term.  A simple server maintenance is no big deal, but the game was going down randomly all throughout the head start weekend.

Leveling up and Skill System: The leveling up in Star Trek Online seems a bit easy.  The skill system provided doesn’t really give you anything too exciting either.  The problem with an easy leveling system is that by the end of the first month, many players will reach the highest level leaving not much else to do.  I’ve been playing the actual game for 4 days now and I’m already a level 18.  I would have been higher than that if it wasn’t for all the server downtime.  Hopefully they will do something about this or make it more of a challenge as you get to higher levels.

Away Mission Combat: It seems like the developers put more time into the space combat than they did with ground combat.  You’ll notice that control on foot is a little odd and the run control is awkward.  Once you start running you can’t stop, you’ll need to wait until you become fatigued.  Your bridge officers are often more of a nuisance than they are a help.  Plenty of times I caught my crew spinning in circles rather than doing what they were supposed to.  Overall, I’d rather keep my battles in space.

Broken Missions: Not only in the beta, but the head start as well, there were broken missions.  You and your team would complete a mission only for it not to count.  You and your team would do the mission over, but it still wouldn’t count.  Some of this has been fixed with little patches, but there are still a few broken missions here and there.  I found it ironic that a mission called “Breaking the Planet” was broken.

Despite the issues, Star Trek Online has provided me with well over 40 hours of fun.  I think it’s the Trekkie in me that got hooked as opposed to the gamer.  The game might not be for the hardcore MMORPGers out there, but I feel it’s a game most Star Trek fans can appreciate. It does a good job at putting you in the Star Trek universe, and making you a part of it.  No longer are you working for Captain Picard or Kirk, but for yourself.

The game is good and I recommend it for any hardcore Star Trek fan.  It’s a great way for fans to pave their own legacy in the Star Trek universe.  While it might not be a perfect game of MMORPG, it’s a game that most will enjoy.  If you’re a hardcore MMORPGer though, this game will more than likely not be for you.

Editors Note: The game was played during the beta and head start.  I played as a federation tactical officer, and created a Klingon character, but did few of those missions.  Again, this is not an official review, but rather my take on the game.  Thanks to the folks over at cryptic for sending a game key. Without it, this look at Star Trek Online would not have been possible.

Have you ever wondered what happened to those childhood heros we used to have growing up? You know, the ones who had wolves hunting them, step-mothers plotting to remove their hearts, people lying to them about their threads, or creepy guys selling them veggies that are WAY too expensive. Well, wonder no longer. Our worst fears (or most amusing imaginings) have come true! Fairytale Fights gives us the answer. They’ve fallen from the grace of fame, and it’s our job to get them back. Unfortunately, Playlogic’s delivery is left wanting. There are, however, some amusing inclusions into the mix. Let’s explore, shall we?

Fairytale Fights is rated M. It is definitely NOT something for children. Period. Not only would they, and most adults for that matter, have a very hard time controlling the characters, but were they able to do so, they may have nightmares about all the carnage they would witness. With that, let me introduce you to the main players. As you may have guessed, Little Red Riding Hood has become quite depressed. Granny has apparently found someone else to spend her time with, and poor Red has been discarded like last week’s newspaper. I haven’t decided whether we’re talking clinical depression, or bipolar disorder, but either way, Red isn’t in a good way and is looking to take it out on some poor unsuspecting sap. Snow White has lost her ever-loving mind. The comorbidity in this wayward princess is unreal; a psych student’s dream come true. Needless to say, she was my favorite character to play. Beanstalk Jack is a moron. Let’s face it, he got suckered into trading for “magic beans”. I mean, really? He hasn’t gotten any smarter here, but he apparently still gets lucky. All the more reason for him to be reckless? Perhaps. But even so, he’ll never compete with the Naked Emperor in that department. Talk about a sucker. He’s still trying to pretend that he sees those clothes he isn’t wearing. Chalk one up to narcissism for this bearded baron’s denial.  So now you know who you’re dealing with. Throughout the game, you’ll run into various other childhood favorites, most of which you’ll be beating to a bloody pulp in a frenzy of insanity. You’ve always wanted to hack Pinocchio into fire wood though, right?

On to game play, where all of my qualms about this game are. First, the controls.  I played the 360 version of the game, but I’m assuming the control configuration for the game are similar on, at least, the PS3. This is one of the games that seems that no matter how long you play, the controls never come naturally. I had to think about it every time I tried to drink a potion. Where most games will have buttons controlling fight related elements, this one has them spread from the right joystick to the left and right triggers, and back. There is no rhyme or reason to the layout. The only thing I liked about the controls, in fact, is something that would most likely irritate the hell out of any one of my other gaming friends. The only attack button is the right joystick. Moving it around in random ways will lead to different attacks, but there is no specific pattern that works better than any other. The only way to get more powerful attacks is to use your glory attack (when your attack meter is full), which is the right trigger. Being someone who has a hard time pulling off complicated attack sequences, I liked this.

While we’re talking about weapons, I’ll mention that there are something like 140 different weapons divided into 4 different categories. They’ve included everything, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the kitchen sink was one of them! Each weapon is rated in flowers (light), stars (light to medium) or skulls (heavy). When you pick up a weapon, it tells you the name of the weapon and it’s rating. Which is good, because it is VERY difficult to see what you’re picking up during game play. This becomes a problem when trying to decide whether to throw your current weapon to the wayside in exchange for this new mystery weapon. Notice that I said throw. Because you do throw the weapon, and unless you pay attention to where it went, you’re stuck with your new weapon regardless of whether its better or significantly worse. Another disheartening game play issue that drives me nearly as crazy as one of our heroines.

Continuing on with our game play discussion, we move to Taleville. Actually, this is where the game starts and where all of your in-game options reside. You can switch between characters here, controlling whoever you please at the end of each chapter, if you so desire. This is also where you can visit places like The Inn, The Taxidermist, The Sculptor, The Options Square, Weapon Smith, or The Bank; each controls either information about your stats, or the ability to change an option or two. Good luck finding what you’re looking for though. Taleville is a very busy place. While there are books placed outside each pit stop that give you information or control, determining which is which takes a bit of patience. No wonder there is an achievement for staying in Taleville for 15 minutes.

From The Inn, you can choose to play in arena or quest mode. Arena mode takes you to a menu that allows you to choose a background, and rules for your player-on-player mayhem. Quest mode takes you on the long and arduous journey back to fame. You can play either mode with your friends either locally, or online. This is perhaps the best part of the game. It doesn’t take much thought to play the game, so you can chat away with your buddies, or use the taunts provided to entertain yourselves. Watch out when you trash a bad guy in quest mode, though. The opposite side of the screen takes on a pop-up that shows the gruesome demise of your foe, much to the frustration of anyone else who’s view of their action was just covered. As entertaining as that is (when it isn’t me losing visibility), my favorite thing to do when playing with friends is to slide around in the blood that’s been shed. Slide around for 330 ft continuously, and you get an achievement; yeah, I got it. There are also achievements based on the amount of blood you cause to be spilled. This, to me, is highly amusing. It doesn’t, however, make up for the fact that it’s incredibly difficult to tell what part of the screen you can and cannot go to. Not everything that you see is explorable, and there is no way to know which is and which is not. It’s almost as if you are constantly walking on a ledge, unable to get any further back, but at risk of falling to your doom more often than not. Good thing we’re given limitless lives, I guess.

The audio only gets irritating when someone uses the same taunt entirely too often, and as there are only 4 emotes that can be performed, it’s going to happen. Otherwise, there is a decent mix of sounds and songs. Not that they’re any kind of robust, rich sound, but for the game concept, they work well. No complaints here.

The graphics seem to be a bit ironic in my opinion. They’re very colorful, and very cutesy, which I think is the point. Bubbly characters who are annihilating everything that does or doesn’t breathe, just works for me. I think the game would lose some of it’s satirical nature if it were drawn to match the darkness of the concept. However, I do have a friend who played the game with me had serious issues with the graphics. The opinion there was that if they were going for cutesy, they should have gone more anime style. This is a somewhat deranged cutesy, if you can imagine it. As someone who loves anime, though, I never suspect that the story will match the animation. SO I think it would be less ironic if it were drawn as such. At any rate, it’s very colorful and well done, all except for the depth issue, but I really think it’s only frustrating because of the limitations on gameplay. So, no complaints with the graphics for me either.

All in all, the game is funny: in theory. The artwork is amusing, as is the bloodshed. The controls and actual game play are not well executed, and make this a game one that I would suggest you don’t spend nearly $60 on. However, if you’re just looking for something to play with your buddies while having that weekly Saturday night kegger, this is your game. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you. Oh, and think of me when you’re sliding around in that crimson pool of gooey craziness.

So, you say you’ve been captured by your number one fan, sold to a mad scientist who wants to experiment on you, only to be saved by a angry mob whose main goal is to serve you a summons to pirate court? It’s no big deal, really. Nothing you can’t solve with the help of a magnetic cat, a glass eye, and a lamp straight out of “A Christmas Story.”  Thankfully, all those things (and more) are to be found along the byways of Flotsam Island, and you, as  Guybrush Threepwood, Mighty Pirate™, have the skills and knowledge to do it, too.

Tales of Monkey Island 4: The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood is the penultimate (that means the next to last,folks) chapter of the Tales of Monkey Island series. You return to Flotsam Island, the location of the first chapter, only to find that almost everyone is infected with the Pox you released in the first chapter.  All the major characters are gathered together now, and the various plot threads that have been building over the past three parts come together.

The core gameplay is still there: it’s an adventure game – the movement and inventory interactions are the same.  It’s still got a wacky sense of humor, only this time it’s muted by a dark sense of foreboding.  While it is largely the same Flotsam Island as before (the geography is the same), it’s now night time and that’s reflected in the plot and mood of the game.  Comedy is often about laughing at the darkness, and here the darkness has risen up to meet the comedy.

I enjoyed the game. Most of the bits I loved about it were the plot progressions and resolutions that happen, involving all of the bits I’ve played before. Some of the most humorous part were just random bits of silliness that are the hallmark of this series.  There’s a joke about EDGE, there’s the previously mentioned lady-leg lamp, and there’s even a bit where you have to remove a lion’s paw from a thorn.

The game is structured well, and even if you need a walkthrough (there is one provided by TellTale Games) early on, the final confrontation is made clear based on what has happened previously. Overall, I think this is a good thing. This has been true of all their games, and while the full series might be the same length as a traditional adventure game, having it bite-sized chunks narrows down the scope of puzzle solving, and makes you feel smart at the end for having figured it out.

That said, can I recommend this game? Well, it’s a must play if you’re enjoying this series, certainly.  If you haven’t played the previous games though, this one won’t make a lot of sense, however. You can buy it separately, but I would try one of the previous chapters first. They are more lighthearted and contained, and don’t depend as much on prior plot points.

Nevertheless, as a part of the whole series, this chapter is wonderful, tying things together and dramatically setting things up for the next part.  I was glad to get to review it after having done chapter 3 for GamesAreEvil, and I’ll be begging to play the last part after this is all over too. The entire chapter set is in the $30 dollar range and comes with physical media that will be released when the series is finished, which is in a month, so get cracking!

Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 Review4.052009-11-06 13:07:54Maura S

When compared to the likes of the recent Clone Wars Republic Heroes, a game that was so bad it made you want to gnaw your own arm off with frustration, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 shows how a popular licence should really be handled on the Wii. It’s not the most awe-inspiring or ground-breaking game you’ll ever play, that’s for sure, but it faithfully represents the much-loved Marvel universe, and by doing the simple things right it ends up being a really enjoyable old-school style brawler with some truly impressive set pieces and showdown boss battles as well as a gripping storyline.

At the start of the game, you find yourself controlling one of a four-member team of Marvel Super Heroes as they attempt to storm Castle Doom in Latveria. You can either play on your own, with the other characters being controlled by AI, or have three of your friends join you. At certain save points you will be able to swap in new characters from a pool of those you’ve already unlocked. There are 24 Marvel characters to unlock through the course of the game in all, including the likes of Blade, Ms. Marvel, Deadpool and Daredevil, although you won’t get to play as all of them because of the plot twist in the middle of the game, where, without giving too much away, you’ll be asked to pledge your allegiance to one of two factions, either Pro-Registration, defending national security, or Anti-Registration, fighting for personal freedoms.

The gameplay is basically just lots of linear exploring and frequent brawling, with the odd simple puzzle thrown in. Provided you have enough Fusion Power you can join together with your three teammates and unleash devastatingly spectacular Fusion special attacks such as Billiard Ball and Collect and Smash. Generally the controls are easy to use, although most of the time you’ll probably opt for melee combat moves rather than the slower special moves. One of the better moves that you’ll learn at a certain point is to grab enemies and shake the Remote to steal their weapons and beat them with them. Very satisfying!

Clearly a lot of work has gone into depicting each individual character as accurately as possible, so that you really do feel as if you’re playing as a genuine Marvel legend, not just a generic video game character. For example, when controlling Hulk, you really feel the weight and bulk of him: he’s much slower than the others to move, but he also packs the heaviest punch. Needless to say, it’s a complete blast running around as Hulk and smashing things up! In contrast, Wolverine is much faster and lighter on his feet, and his claw slashes are more precise and deadly. The same goes for the rest of the characters: each of them has their own special signature moves, and most of them will be called on to use their unique power at some point in the game.

As far as the graphics go, well obviously the Wii version can’t compare to the PS3 and Xbox 360, but it certainly pushes the Wii as far as it can go, with plenty of detail in the interiors in particular, and some jaw-dropping FMV cutscenes. The many explosions, crashes, bashes and flashes all look suitably OTT and eye-ball singeing, so you don’t feel like you’re missing out too much on the greater graphical detail.

And of course, what the Wii lacks in terms of ultra-lush graphics, it makes up for with the inventive ways in which the Wii Remote and Nunchuk are used to solve puzzles, such as shaking the Remote from side to side to lift up rocks to rescue trapped civilians, or to topple a statue. Possibly the only aspect of the control system that didn’t seem to work too well was using the C button on the Nunchuk to jump, which feels a bit unwieldy, especially in the middle of a frenzied battle.

While Marvel: Ultimate Aliance 2 certainly won’t win any awards for game of the year, if you’re into seeing some of your favourite Marvel characters beating the kryptonite out of everything that does and doesn’t move, driven by a typically grandiose plot, you could do a lot worse than give this one a go.

Score 7/10

Sometimes it feels a little like the gaming industry lacks true innovation. So many publishers and developers seem to play it safe and stick to tried and tested genres, never daring to step out of their comfort zone to trying something new. That’s why it is great to see an amalgamation of the city building and MMO genres. This is a combination that I don’t think has been tried before, and in the case of Cities XL, it very nearly succeeds in its goal.

Comparisons to the SimCity series are pretty hard to avoid. With SimCity being such a landmark in gaming history, while simultaneously setting the bar for what is expected from a city building simulation, it’s inevitable that a game like Cities XL would be compared to such greatness. However, this could potentially be a big mistake, as I suspect SimCity veterans and newbies to the genre will have entirely different experiences.

Those that have not been indoctrinated into the city building genre should love the relative simplicity to the game. Weighing in its favor, the tutorials are particularly comprehensive and always intuitive in their explanations. The rudimentary mechanics behind the game are easy to get the hang of, with everything merely involving selecting where you want to place houses, roads, or shops… you get the idea.

A nice feature was the ability to add curved roads rather than just the traditional straight variety, making the game more fluid than simple straight grid based layouts. At times it felt a little like the Caesar series, with regular reminders interrupting the action to point out what was required to keep the city running smoothly. An array of different types of workers can also be attracted to your city, giving you plenty to do. Further complicating matters, certain housing types attract unqualified workers, while others attract executive workers. The same can be said of the office building types and amenities such as hospitals or bowling alleys. Quickly, you will fall into a routine of obeying whatever the tool tips suggest.

Of course the real meat of Cities XL isn’t just building your city and watching it hopefully flourish, it has more to do with the unique online capabilities. There are a number of servers to choose from, each housing up to 10,000 cities. Once you’ve chosen a server, it’s time to choose the type of plot you want. This mostly affects the difficulty of the area you’ve chosen and what resources are available. The server choice also determines who is available to trade with, which forms the crux of the online side of things.

Trading with other players is initially a fantastic idea that can be used to ensure that you have the resources necessary for your community to flourish. Under most circumstances this works fine, but at times it can be extremely buggy and awkward. Sometimes it forces you through a few too many hoops, leaving you with no other choice but to simply jump to trade a few things. This is a landmark concept, but it could certainly use a little more work.  One can only hope that a patch is forthcoming from Monte Cristo.

At times, in both the Planet mode and the Solo mode (which admittedly feels a bit of an afterthought), things begin to feel a little boring after a while. Sure, lots of juggling is needed to keep the city running smoothly, but with the lack of anything else really occurring, it lacks excitement that one would expect. Where are the natural disasters would normally occur in cities? I am not referring to the staple alien invasions that are present in SimCity, because Cities XL is obviously trying to be more realistic than that, but it would be nice to experience something a little different.

Then again, perhaps the the real beauty of Cities XL is in simply sitting back and watching your city flourish or fail. The core mechanics tend to lend itself more to passive gaming experiences, rather than something that needs constant attention. This is also really where the MMO side of things can take precedence, with the general chat box to entertain you, as well as trading with other players and building up relationships with them.

Ultimately, Cities XL suffers from the same critical flaw that has continued to plague MMOs: it simply doesn’t feel like a completed product yet. That said, in a few patches time, I think it really could be a force to be reckoned with. The development team over at Monte Cristo have already been outspoken in their ambitious plans for the future. Current subscription models offer the promise of new content every month, such as additional buildings and maps based on real geographical locations. Expansion packs are also in the works including such additions as ski resorts and beach locations. The foundations of a great game are certainly there, it just lacks that certain oomph to make it great.

By default, Cities XL is the ultimate MMO city builder. It’s a shame that the game struggles with several significant bugs and a general lack of any sense of humor, because it really could have been something special. If this were a school report, the graded version would have a ‘could try harder,’ written at the end.