Review: Batman: Arkham City(Xbox 360)

 

The sequel to what I think is the best game based on a comic book character is finally out. Arkham Asylum was a perfect take on the caped crusader, and its sequel brings back the core gameplay mechanics that we all loved in the first game, except now the action takes place in a more stunning sandbox-type environment. While it’s awesome just playing the way you’d expect to play Batman (taking on 15 guys at once, hiding in the shadows), it gets even better when you have a whole city at your disposal. Playing as a superhero has this never felt this good. Is it really as great of a game as people are saying it is? Definitely.

Everybody was shocked at how good Rocksteady's Batman: Arkham Asylum was, including me. Licensed games usually don't get that kind of praise, especially from a studio just starting up in the industry. People were not expecting much from it. Its success proved that if executed properly, any licensed game has the potential to come out great. After the first game's accomplishments, a sequel was definitely in order, so in 2010, they announced Batman: Arkham City. The title alone shows that Rocksteady was heading in the right direction. Expectations were through the roof now to deliver a sequel that did justice to the new legacy established by the first game. From what I experienced while playing this game, the developers did even more than we could have expected.

Batman: Arkham City's setting is a portion of Gotham that houses the most notorious criminals and villains in Gotham City. Just think Arkham Asylum, but now a whole city. Why the citizens of Gotham allowed such a place to exist is beyond me. The main story overall was very strong, much better than the first. I won't spoil the story but I can honestly say that it’s worth your time to invest in it. Each time you progress in the main story, you are treated with a variety of characters and villains from Batman lore. Arkham City has a story than can just suck you in. I also wanted to point this out before anything else - The voice acting in this game is one of the best in the industry. It’s one of the big reasons to why this game works so well. You have Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy for The Joker and Batman, respectively. If you’re a Batman fan, you'll know how awesome that is – they’re the perfect pair to play the famous hero and villain. This game will definitely please any fan out there. Its THE Batman game we've always wanted, even the dissonant score of this game creates the perfect setting for the Batman universe.

Arkham City is run by Hugo Strange, the main antagonist this time around. Somewhat similar to the first game, Batman once again faces off with infamous villains like Bane, the Penguin, Two-Face, Catwoman, and of course the Joker, who survived the events in Arkham Asylum. The real meat of the plot revolves around Hugo Strange's plans within Arkham City. Batman tries to take down the city as Bruce Wayne using his fame and power to protest against it, but he gets nabbed and finds himself within Arkham City. He finds out about a mysterious happening called Protocol 10. Alfred sends his gear in and the dark knight once again goes out to investigate as the greatest detective in the world.

The games have a handful of side quests, and are mostly quite lengthy. It's not the typical lame side quests that ask you to just drop something off or beat 15 bandits or whatnot. They all tend to have their own stories and are a perfect escape if you feel like you need a break from the main story. The game can be easier described as a sandbox game than what a linear action game. There's a lot to do in Arkham City and you can easily see yourself spending 20+ hours. Not only is that double the game time of Arkham Asylum, it's not even including the New Game+ mode after finishing the game, plus challenge maps that test your skill in combat and stealth. The game surprisingly has a lot of content which is always a plus.

Gameplay is true to the hero

Batman is all about being able to take on multiple enemies, being a great detective, and disappearing into the shadows. This game brings forth all the aspects of why Batman is one hero you don't want to mess with.

The “Freeflow combat” system of the first game returns in an improved “2.0” version, giving players the same awesome combat from the first game with a few new tricks. One button is still attack and the other is counter-attack, and other button combinations trigger one of Batman’s gadgets or special takedowns to use during combat. It's actually pretty simple and easy to learn, but the result on the screen looks damn impressive. From simple button-pressing you still feel as if you’re really playing the character. Fifteen guys surround you? No sweat. The moves Batman performs just make you feel like a badass, especially when you take out ten guys without one of them hitting you once. It's an awesome feeling. The combat is so good that I literally swooped into random thugs just to fight them. It's that much fun and cool to watch.

But Batman isn't invincible. Guns are still a threat, and going head on with armed men is definitely a bad idea, so you get to hide in the shadows and pick them off silently, one by one, just like Batman would do it. This part of the gameplay is nothing new but what I like about it is that it still avoids a common problem in action games, which is repetitive gameplay. After beating up a couple of thugs, you'll be forced to play in a completely opposite manner and take enemies down with stealth. Not only that, but as you progress, different kinds of thugs start using gear like riot shields, knives and other gadgets that force you to change your game plan, which further prevents it from being repetitive and keeps the unique gameplay fresh.

Every time you complete an objective or beat a group of thugs, you earn experience points, which you can use to unlock gadget moves, hand to hand skills, and increase Batman's resistance to bullet damage and combat damage. There are a handful of choices towards improving Batman, and after my first play-through, I still had a few skills to unlock. Each time Batman earns a new gadget, more upgrades will be available. As you move forward, the number of options given to you during combat increases, adding even more variety during Freeflow combat. And with each new gadget earned, you'll be able to gain access to certain Riddler trophies and areas that were inaccessible in your first visit.

With the many villains you face or meet in Arkham city, some will become a boss fight. There’s not a lot in this game but when you do face one, it’s epic. These encounters are placed in key moments of the plot and are not so difficult as long as you pick up the obvious patterns and weaknesses quickly. I won’t mention which bosses since it will come out as a spoiler.

If you buy a new copy of the game, you get a voucher to play a few missions as Catwoman. Content for her is pretty short and I’d estimate about 5% of the game’s material. What's cool about it though is that Catwoman has a completely different set of moves and gadgets in her disposal. Even the way she travels around Arkham City stays true to the character.

If I have one thing to complain about with regards to gameplay, it’s the detective mode. It's where you go into an X-ray view to see key parts in the environment that Batman can use, interact, or to simply find clues to progress in the game. Detective mode is so useful that I have it on most of the time, which leaves me looking at an environment that’s all blue. The game looks gorgeous, but all the work that was put into the graphics is wasted if you can’t even appreciate them for a significant portion of your playtime.

Since I mentioned graphics, I might as well keep going on that subject. When you’re inside buildings and looking at close-up shots of characters, the game looks great. But what’s absolutely stunning is taking in the view of the whole city from the tops of buildings in true Batman style. Gliding around Arkham City is just a treat for the eyes. Batman’s signature dark and eerie atmosphere is well implemented into the city. Whoever pitched the idea of going from a mental institution to a Gotham-like city is a genius.

Rocksteady clearly outdid themselves on this one. Not only is this the best superhero game out there, it’s also the best licensed game. I’ll also go so far as to saying that this game brings to life the Batman world better than any TV show or movie before it. It's an amazing game from head to toe and it’s surpassed its predecessor by a long shot. This is a game that anybody will enjoy, and when the credits start rolling, you’ll just be wishing for more. If you want to experience the best that 2011 has to offer in gaming, Arkham City clearly belongs on your list of must-play titles.

Score: 95/100

Pros:

-          Freeflow combat 2.0 is amazing

-          Very high production value and art direction

-          A wide variety of gadgets and options to take down enemies

-          Perfect take on the Batman universe

Cons:

-          Constant need of using Detective Mode

Review: Dark Souls(PS3)

The sequel to one of the most unforgiving RPGs you’ll ever experience is finally out. I was a huge fan of Demon’s Souls and praised its deep RPG elements and painful difficulty. What the sequel brings is the same level of quality and challenge, with much harder bosses to face, a bigger world to explore, and an expansion of the game’s unique online system for the better. I’ve died 300 times so far, but I still think this one of the best RPGs you’ll ever experience. Grow a pair and take on Dark Souls, head on!

Just to get everything clear, you’ll die a lot! The game is literally out to kill you. Thing is, most deaths I had in Dark Souls are from player errors. Falling off a cliff because I was walking blind, not rolling at the proper time on a boss swing, getting myself cornered by six enemies, and so many more “what the hell did I do” moments. Most of my deaths are from me making mistakes. Frustrating, right? But you actually get better at it. When you do, progressing through Dark Souls is oh, so satisfying. The controls are so responsive and well-tuned that I never found myself blaming the game for my deaths, because you can clearly see why you died. I was always face-palming myself at the moments I’d died. So don’t get me wrong: this game is very doable; just don’t expect it to hold your hand to the finish line like most games nowadays.

Still the same game we love/hate

Dark Souls is still all about souls. Souls are your experience and currency all in one. They are also needed to upgrade weapons. Each kill you make in the game earns you a certain amount of souls, and just like the first game, when killed you drop all of the souls gathered. You’ll then have to run back to where you died in order to retrieve them. Die again, and you lose those souls for good.  Now, if you manage to have souls with you when you reach a bonfire you’ll then have to think about where you want to invest them.

Leveling up is also the same, but with new stats added like Resistance and Attunement. You spend a certain amount of souls to increase a certain stat. One stat increase equals one level up. As you level up in the game, the cost of souls needed to increase a certain stat goes higher each time, so there’s a lot to think about, especially since there’s no way to re-distribute stats. Planning ahead in this game is key.

The game does have starting classes to pick but the class names don’t really matter. It’s just really you picking your starting stats, starting gear and starting magic, because in the end, your character will be however you want it to be. You have complete freedom on how your character will be in the end.

Oh, and thank God: the whole half-life as a ghost is finally gone! Actually not entirely gone, as a condition called Curse halves your life and requires a cure, but at least it’s not what happens every time you die as a human. Now, they have this new feature called Humanity which has several purposes in the game. As for the main purpose of Humanity? It’s what’s needed to revert your undead body back to human form, or strengthen your bonfires by kindling in order to restore more Estus flasks. There are other uses, but Humanity are just as important as souls in the game, and just like souls, all Humanity will be dropped upon your character’s deaths. Heading back to where you died will be the only way to get your Humanity and souls back. The struggle to look for your body is still around and dying for the second time and losing all your Humanity and souls can be such a heart breaker  leaving me to take a breather at times.

Dark Souls is open-world

In the first game, you start at the Nexus (sort of home base), and from there, pick one of the five areas to explore - somewhat like the old Megaman layout, giving you freedom to pick where to go first. That concept was trashed for the sequel and has been replaced with a huge world to explore. This game is way bigger than the first, and still gives you the option to choose how you’d like to progress. What’s amazing is if you’ve unlocked everything in the world of Dark Souls, you can travel to almost 90% of it without any loading time. Surprisingly, the only times I experienced loading were when I was in an elevator or when I died (which, again, happens a lot).

Unlike what you might expect from an RPG, Dark Souls has no town where you can stop and get a breather. You do have the starting area where a lot of the NPCs gather, but the true safe spot is the Bonfire. Treat Bonfires as checkpoints in the game. When you die in the game, the last Bonfire you rested at will also act as your respawn point. You also do everything here – level up, upgrade weapons and armor, replenish magic, replenish Estus Flasks (the only item that heals health), store items and even travel. It’s a real morale-booster at times. Just when you think that all is lost and you feel like the stage is going on forever, discovering the next Bonfire is literally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

Dark Souls can easily go way past 50+ hours of playtime (my first character at 90 hrs) with a New Game+ welcoming you after seeing the game’s ending each time you finish the play-through. Yes, there’s New Game+, and each time you finish a play-through, the souls earned, life of enemies, and damage taken increase.

A game that doesn’t tell you anything

It literally won’t. You’ll have to figure things out yourself. Aside from the game teaching you the controls and the game’s basic mechanics, after defeating the boss in the starting area, you’re pretty much on your own, which for me is fantastic. It’s like leaving a kid in a forest with just a knife and expecting him to survive everything he faces.

Everything is a mystery, even the weapons you find. Items do have the basic item descriptions and stats, but giving the item a try is the only way to know its true potential. With the Drake Sword for example, the information given shows awesome damage, but it won’t tell you that its R2 when held with two hands can do a beam attack that uses up the weapon’s durability. Dark Souls encourages you to try things out for yourself, which is very rare in games, although I would have appreciated it if developer From Software added a little bit of info for new features at least.

With weapons, some of them may be very strong in damage but lack a fast and vertical attack, which are crucial to some encounters. Some only work to their full potential based on a certain character stat like Strength. There’s a lot to think about with the weapons in Dark Souls, and there’s a lot to choose from. Each weapon in the game has their own personalities, leaving a lot of possibilities on how you want to shape your character in the end. So experimenting with each weapon is needed… or you can just go with MAGIC.

Ha! Don’t think magic is the easy way out. I even consider it just as hard as any other way to play Dark Souls. In this sequel, they trashed the magic bar. Yes, those bastards. There is no longer a magic meter to fill up via potions or rest in order to keep spamming that fireball. Each form of magic in the game, when equipped, has a limited amount of uses that can only be replenished when resting at a bonfire. This leads to mages being conservative and smart with regards to when and how to use their magic. Don’t spend all your fireballs going through an area, because you still need to take care of a boss at the end. I considered magic to be very overpowered in the first game, but this time around it’s still powerful, but mages need a lot more skill and thinking to succeed.

Covenants and oh yeah, online…

Covenants were hard to understand at first thanks to the lack of information but they’re pretty much factions in the game that give certain benefits to your character (spells, items, etc) but keep you bound to certain rules. There is quite a list of Covenants to choose from. Since you can only be in one Covenant at a time, which one you choose to align yourself with depends a lot on how you want to play that character. Co-op oriented? Or is that character more for PVPand world invading? It’s a great addition, far better than the white and black tendency feature in the first game.

Thanks to Covenants, the online feature in Dark Souls is a bit broader now. The unique online features are still intact. You may leave messages in the ground like hints or pranks for players to read, touching bloodstains will show a player’s last moments before they died, and you still have the option to invade other players’ worlds. The concept of being a ghost in the first game has also been scrapped, so the player VS player game is already quite different from that change alone, since ghost players always had to work with just half their life bar. Certain Covenants can help you find more players to do co-op runs, locate PVP rivals, or invade worlds.  Due to the Covenants in the game, having two invaders in one world is now possible, one player VS player area has no level limit, and co-op is easier to accomplish with random players. It’s still a bitch if you want to play with a specific player, though.

Unique boss battles, Environments, and secrets keep the game fresh

I remember my biggest complaint about the first game was that a couple of bosses are not really fights and are quite literally free kills. In Dark Souls, they didn’t make the same mistake twice. Not only are each of the bosses in Dark Souls among the most unique boss designs I’ve ever seen (Gaping Dragon FTW), each boss fight has complex patterns, and most will make you cry for entering their domain. For example, Sif the Wolf, holding a huge sword in his mouth: I killed him three times already, but each time it feels like it was my first.  While it was a struggle each time I encountered these bosses, I enjoyed every bit, regardless of my dying X times. After each fight, I was pleased and appreciated the amount of planning and execution that’s needed to take these enemies down.

Each boss in the game is like an end to a certain part of the game, opening a door to an entirely new environment to explore. The game itself is glorious and as you progress and take down boss after boss, you are welcomed with an entirely new environment to keep the experience fresh, and there’s never a dull moment in this game. Every area you explore gives you a hint about what kind of boss you’ll be encountering, making it feel like at times like you’re invading someone’s lair.

The soundtrack in the game is close to non-existent as you explore Dark Souls’ open world, but the atmosphere definitely works. It’s mostly quiet, and the only things you hear are the noise coming from your armor, the sounds coming from enemies and your sword slicing people, or you screaming as you die. It creates a lot of suspense, and I believe the sound design often works to help alert you to your surroundings, since hidden enemies are often lying in wait to ambush players. The only time music can be appreciated in this game is during the intense boss fights. An epic battle track starts playing and keeps your heart pumping as you face a boss that could easily two-shot you.

At first glance, the game’s geography seemed to suggest that I would just be exploring the inside and outside of a monster-infested castle, but then the world opens up suddenly and I found myself exploring catacombs, a forbidden forest, a poison-coated town underneath the castle, and many more that provide a different setting and approach while exploring. When I mean approach, I mean the types of enemies you might expect and how the level design puts you in a position to play in a somewhat different style compared to the last area you were in. For instance, one part of the game has an area surrounded by poison water and enemies that apply poison, or a level that’s so dark you can’t even see the path in front of your feet. I’m sorry, that section that’s just pitch black is one of the worst stages I’ve ever experienced (you’ve been warned!). I got through it, but I was so close to just throwing my controller at my TV. I chugged a beer after that part to de-stress. I really felt like I won an award when the boss of that area was killed. Good riddance.

Overall

This is a must-have for anyone that favors RPGs. It provides something entirely different and can’t be compared to any game out there right now. It has one of the deepest RPG elements with boss fights that raise the bar of what is considered a “Boss Fight” for me. Controls are rock-solid and the fact that you get better the more you play the game makes the unforgiving difficulty not much of a complaint, but part of the charm of why the game works. The world is huge and you can easily lose 60 hours of your life to this game.  So many secrets are in Dark Souls that to see 100% of the game requires multiple playthroughs. There’s really no story to get lost in or even much character interaction leaving NPCs somewhat cold and lacking in personality, which is the biggest con I can think of, one that prevents it from being an absolutely perfect game. I can easily say that Dark Souls is actually the best RPG I’ve played since… well, the first game, Demon’s Souls.

Score: 95/100

Pros:

-          Very deep RPG elements

-          A huge open world to explore

-          Solid gameplay

-          I love/hate the boss fights

Cons:

-          Needs a real story

-          Too little information for the player about features in the game

-          Might be too difficult for casual gamers

Review: Star Fox 64 3D (3DS)

We need your help, Star Fox!

Here to save the 3DS’ fiscal year sales from total disaster is the Star Fox team, reprising their roles in this faithful remake of arguably one of Nintendo EAD’s top ten games, the timeless Star Fox 64.

Right off the bat, Star Fox 64 3D asserts that it’s going to satisfy die-hard fans of the original game. The re-mastered intro, with a much crisper soundtrack, took me back immediately to 1997.

For anyone who hasn’t played the original game, you’re in for a treat. Star Fox 64 is the very definition of a high-octane space shmup (shoot-em-up). Our hero is Fox McCloud, a famed mercenary and leader of the Star Fox team, joined by three allies: hotshot Falco Lombardi, old-timer/mentor Peppy Hare and bumbling mechanic Slippy Toad. General Pepper of the Cornerian army hires you to liberate the recently captured Lylat system from the invading Andross, an evil, hyper-intelligent simian whose closest relatives seem to reside on the Planet of the Apes. While some missions and boss battles allow you to fly around freely, most of the game is technically an rails-shooter, consisting of fifteen planets with varied challenges, multiple pathways, secret warps, hundreds of enemies apiece, a memorable soundtrack, great boss battles and a fantastic, complex scoring system that makes for endless replayability and has fueled a thriving competitive high score community for over a decade.

Check your G-Diffuser system! (A timeless classic reborn)

The game boasts three main single-player modes, 3DS, N64 and Expert, which is unlocked after getting all the medals in either of the other modes. As before, Expert mode is for the truly adventurous, as enemies are more numerous and more powerful, and one collision will take out a wing and leave your ship in a vulnerable state. In 3DS mode, you can experiment with the gyro controls, which are surprisingly usable. You wouldn’t know it at first, but 3DS mode is actually slightly easier – not only can you continue after running out of lives but you take less damage and the reticule movement has been made smoother, encouraging players to mix up analog slider movement and gyro controls. While the new motion controls were fun to mess around with, they weren’t for me, though I can see how younger players might enjoy them. I suggest turning off 3D mode if you use the gyro, however. Leaving the slider up while moving your head/eyes around – even just a bit – is a quick way to give yourself a massive headache.

The menu claims that Nintendo 64 Mode “Faithfully recreates the challenge of the original Star Fox 64”, and it does not disappoint. I’m happy to report that the re-recorded voice acting is almost entirely intact, with a few additions here and there - changes that are better left as a surprise to the faithful. Even with the same voice actors, Falco isn’t as annoying and somehow Slippy is even more androgynous.

FINAL BOSS SPOILER: The one disappointment in the game’s remastered voice work is that Andross’ creepy laughter (one of the coolest voice effects in the previous game) has been replaced by a lame ‘Ha ha’. In many ways it’s as jarring of a change as George Lucas adding ‘Nooo!’ to Darth Vader in his newest abuse towards Return of the Jedi. It seems like the decision was made by Nintendo of America so as not to terrify young children when they see the boss’ final form, but honestly it cheapens the game and kills whatever menace Andross might have had going for him.

I was delighted at the effect that 3D had on gameplay. It made judging the distances between enemies and timing smart bomb detonations much easier, and after a while, I couldn’t play the game without the 3D. I kept it cranked up almost all the way. This is completely unlike my experience with Ocarina of Time 3D, where I had to periodically switch from playing in 3D to 2D in order to stave off eyestrain. I think the difference is that in Ocarina you’re forced to alternate between gazing at the top and bottom screens often, and constantly re-adjusting your eyes between 3D and 2D gets exhausting after a while. In Star Fox 64 3D, you rarely have to deal with the bottom screen during gameplay, making for a much smoother experience.

The gameplay is surprisingly very intact, and probably the first thing you’ll notice is that the graphics and music are immensely improved. Some levels look better than others (Corneria got a major upgrade, but Macbeth got shortchanged), and often the graphical enhancements and increased draw distance allows you to see enemies you might not have seen before or that were harder to spot due to the innate blurriness of N64 games. At the infamous Area 6, for instance, you can now see much more clearly the fast-moving clusters of enemies at the beginning that give you the important first two laser upgrades. Another great new addition is the ability to skip the cinematic cut-scenes after seeing them the first time.

Do a barrel roll… until your wrist muscles cramp up (facing the dreaded ‘claw-hand’)

As for the controls, the 3DS circle slide pad surprisingly proves more than capable of mimicking the analog precision of the N64’s sensitive control stick. The only problem with the circle pad is that it’s much too easy to accidentally pull off a somersault or U-turn. That leads me to my biggest complaints about this game, which are regarding the control scheme, and are mostly just problems relating to the 3DS’ awkward design.

Firstly, you are unable to customize your controls beyond two basic control types. I think fully customizable controls should always be an available feature on complex handheld games in order to accommodate people with differently shaped hands. Between the two selectable button layouts, neither of them make it easy for you to shoot and brake at the same time.

On top of that, the awkward closeness of the face buttons to the shoulder buttons means that intense sessions will often result in the dreaded claw-hand. Trying to get a competitive-level high score in a level like Aquas (since you need to hit the bomb, shot and brake buttons often simultaneously), even while using your pointer finger to assist with the face buttons, is likely to leave you with carpal tunnel syndrome. It made me yearn for the N64 controller, where the buttons were larger, more responsive and better spaced. As a result, it’s hard to play this game intensely for more than a couple hours at a time, not something I could say about the original Star Fox 64.

Never give up! Trust your instincts! (Score Attack and Battle Mode)

The additional modes add a lot to the game. The unlockable Score Attack mode finally allows you to play through individual levels, and it saves the top ten scores for each mission.

My brother and I have been engaged in an epic battle for the top score in this game for the majority of our lives, and fellow fans looking to recreate past victories will find much to enjoy here. The mode issues out Bronze, Silver and Gold medals for each planet, with Silver being the standard medal count from the original game. Many will be surprised at how many hits you’ll need to get a Gold medal in some of the levels, but all it takes is some creative thinking, a lot of replaying, memorization, and patience. The only thing I really wish they had included in this mode is the ability to save replays, as there is always a great potential for a winning run that you might want to revisit. Why should we be able to save replays in Mario Kart, but not Star Fox? It makes little sense. Since the 3DS comes with a 2GB SD card, it shouldn’t even be an issue.

The Battle mode has been completely changed from the N64 version. Both cosmetically and gameplay-wise, it’s a complete redesign. The all-new levels look great, but perform completely different functions due to the faster physics and more vertical maps. The combat is faster-paced and the computers are more difficult.

Gone are the Landmaster tanks and Footmen from the original battle mode, which I really enjoyed and now miss a lot. Now that the battles are pure dogfights where Arwing goes up against Arwing, there are a few trade-offs. On the one hand, the maps are a lot larger and more complex than those in the N64 version. That makes for a much better straight-up dogfighter, with physics slightly different from the main game allowing acrobatics to really come into play. But gone is the ability to warp from one end of the map to the other by flying off the side, and as a result the bigger maps can make finding opponents after respawning a bit of a chore. Most interestingly, there are a few new items (turned off by default) that affect gameplay, such as the Transposer, which switches your place with an opponent’s, and can allow you to turn the tide if someone is hot on your tail. Playing with the CPUs is actually a viable option: they prove to be quite a challenge.

In a feature popularized by Mario Kart Arcade GP, you can see the faces of your opponents in a small window above their Arwings, and witness their rage-filled reactions after shooting them down. It’s a pretty fun system. The only downfall is that there’s no online play, which is a major disappointment especially considering that even the substandard Star Fox Command for the original DS had online multiplayer, and the recent Dead or Alive Dimensions was able to pull off online play on the 3DS quite flawlessly. For shame, Nintendo!

In an unfortunate but likely necessary change from the N64 version, Star Fox 64 3D suffers from not having rumble. The original game was bundled with the Rumble Pak, the first peripheral to feature vibration, and the powerful shakes it created proved to be central to the experience. A rumble told you how strong hits against your Arwing were, for example, and being able to feel the reverberations of smart-bomb explosions, activating your boost and the like added a lot to the game’s immersion. That said rumble is probably not advisable on the 3DS, for reasons like playing with 3D could easily cause an involuntary gag reflex from your eyes shaking around in your head.

Closing thoughts:

If you own a 3DS and have never played the original Star Fox 64, then you have absolutely no excuse for not rushing out and picking this up right now. Q Games and Nintendo have crafted a superbly polished adaptation of one of the very best shmups (shoot-em-ups) ever made, as well as one of the most acclaimed Nintendo 64 games.

On the other hand, if you are a Star Fox 64 veteran and still own a playable copy of the original game on the N64 or the Wii’s Virtual Console, I would suggest that only diehard fans of the game, or those who spend more time on portables pick this one up for full price. While the new graphics and re-mastered soundtrack make for a beautiful presentation, Star Fox is still best played on the N64 controller with rumble.

Whether you’re new to the Star Fox series, an old-timer who bemoans the series’ many digressions over the years or have grown up enjoying the more recent games for the GameCube, this game is likely to get you hooked. The great Score Attack mode alone makes this game worthy of the price of admission.

Score: 92/100

Pros:

-       A faithful remake of the timeless classic

-       3D is well-incorporated into the gameplay

-       Score Attack mode adds tons of replay value

-       The new Battle Mode is fun and challenging

Cons:

-       No online Battle mode or rumble

-       No ability to save replays

-       Limited options for customizing the control scheme

-       The 3DS’ clunky design can make competitive-level scoring difficult

Review: Catherine (Xbox 360)

For a gamer seeking a challenge, there’s nothing quite as satisfying as playing a game that’s easy to learn, difficult to master and eventually completely wipes the floor with you. Atlus’ Catherine is such a game; it is in a class all its own, a hybrid puzzle-platformer with fast-paced, quick-thinking strategic gameplay. The game also benefits greatly from a complex and engaging storyline that’s influenced by the player’s decisions. I haven’t played anything like Catherine and despite puzzle games not being my favorite genre it’s made me something of a convert.

The game’s prevalent morality system is subtle and less intrusive than most games, and eight endings and three difficulty levels, on top of the fantastic unlockable modes – the challenging, randomized ‘Babel’ mode, which supports co-op play and the ‘Colosseum’ mode where you can face off against your friends, offer immense replay value for those who enjoy the game’s frantic gameplay.

Law VS Chaos

Our protagonist Vincent is in quite a pickle. He’s been having disturbing dreams that he can’t remember upon waking, and on top of that his doting but concerned girlfriend Katherine wants to take their relationship to the next level, something the irresponsible early-thirties bachelor isn’t quite prepared for.

To make things even worse, a streak of gory deaths around the town has left many men dead in their sleep, their faces horribly contorted. Terrible rumors start to circulate about nightmares or curses being the cause of the deaths. The speculation and wild theories regarding its origins escalate as more men die each day.

But the biggest upset comes in the form of a spritely younger woman ironically named Catherine, who Vincent discovers in bed with him one surprised morning. She’s immediately possessive of him and her unusual behavior catches Vincent off-guard, which stalls him from taking immediate action. The choice is yours whether to work to establish order in Vincent’s life and take a stand with dutiful Katherine, or give into Vincent’s sexual impulses and continue his relationship with the voluptuous Catherine. The player’s story choices reflect strongly in Catherine’s flexible storyline resulting in different sets of cut-scenes and ultimately, one of eight very different endings.

Vincent is given many options and ways to choose between Katherine and Catherine: there are text messages to respond to, on-the-fly decisions to be made and, at the end of every level, questions asked by a mysterious NPC character that influence the Karma meter, which determines Vincent’s eventual outcome. What’s great about the morality system is that it’ not always clear what the ‘right’ choice is, nor is it necessary to play a ‘perfect’ game in order to get every ending. On subsequent playthroughs, the player has the option to skip any levels they received Gold trophies on, which makes seeing every ending much quicker and easier.

A seemingly endless tower…

For most of your time playing Catherine, you’ll be climbing your way up a giant tower, which is divided into nine different floors, often composed of multiple levels. Each level consists of giant stacks of blocks, which are crumbling one row at a time from the bottom-up, so the idea is to quickly scale the stacks to make it to the top without trapping yourself and making it impossible to progress.

It’s not as simple as building a Lego set. You can push and pull the blocks in order to make stairways, and they snap together as long as two edges are touching, so there are a lot of possibilities for linking them together to create steps and bridges. You can also climb around blocks by hanging off the edges, but caution must be made in terms of pushing blocks off the edge – push the wrong block off or box yourself into a position where you’re trapped, and you can easily find yourself stranded and have to undo a move, or several.

The undo function is what keeps this game from being impossibly difficult, but the kicker is that the undo function is limited. In Normal mode you have up to 9 undos, and often even nine moves is not enough if your strategy turns sour on you. There are over a dozen types of blocks, but many of them you’ll encounter only sparsely. Most are harmful or force you to work within certain limitations, such as the trap blocks (which send out spikes to kill you), dark blocks (which are heavy and take a long time to move) and cracked blocks (which don’t last very long). The most useful block type will launch you up about five blocks upwards, but you don’t see those very often.

You can pick up various items on the levels to help you out, such as an item that fries any opponents, or one that gives you a free block. Often they can be out of your way, but a good item is almost always worth it since they help you survive and shave time off your totals allowing you to make better time and unlock trophies and songs. Items can also be purchased on the landings when Vincent is conversing with the other sheep. Coins, the game’s currency that also function as score multipliers, appear all over the puzzles but often take a little extra effort to acquire, something that becomes easier as you try, fail and get more used to the puzzle over time.

Occasionally there are sheep that will get in your way and knock you off, or climb on top of your blocks and mess up your arrangement. Vincent can shove these guys aside with his pillow, or as I prefer to do, box them off with a wall. In many cases these encounters can be lethal, but sometimes a sheep can actually be helpful by activating spike blocks for you.

This all takes place faster than you would expect from a puzzle game, and due to its challenging nature I found Catherine to be several levels more frantic than most modern action games. You have to use your noggin quite a bit, so it’s very possible to reach a point where you need to simply pause and take a break in order to give your internal RAM a rest. If you just go through this game mindlessly without planning your next move, you’ll be dead in no time. Quick assessment of each situation is downright necessary for survival. Once the difficulty really ramps up you have to be as efficient as possible with your moves lest you fall off the stage or succumb to the various horrors that pervade Vincent’s restless nights.

Various simple and complex techniques will help you stay alive so you can make it to the top, and during the landings between levels Vincent can discuss increasingly complicated and diverse strategies with other sheep stuck making the endless climb.

As for the game’s infamous difficulty, after the third night or so you’ll begin to see what creative means of torture the developers are capable of inflicting.

You will die in this game. A lot.

Thankfully the retries (pillows) are pretty easy to rack up and there are checkpoints so it’s not easy to get a Game Over, but it can be frustrating. Sometimes you’ll wish there was no time limit, or no enemies, but it’s not long before you’ll develop the ability to think quickly and instinctively under pressure, and for those who simply want to experience the game’s in-depth story, watching videos on YouTube can be very helpful, and playing the game on Easy is always an option.

I didn’t get to try Easy but instead powered through the Normal mode, although I was tempted at times to just bite the bullet and start from scratch. Normal offers a hearty challenge, but Hard is quite unforgiving. I’d recommend Hard for masochists and Normal for everyone else. I find it quite remarkable that in Region 1 territories the game’s difficulty was actually diluted from the Japanese version due to complaints from players - shortly after release, the Japanese version was patched because some players couldn’t even beat the game on Easy mode. That should tell you a little something Catherine. The upside is that every time you best a level, you feel a really great sense of accomplishment.

Boss battles consist of challenging levels wherein Vincent must also avoid periodic attacks, which vary in terms of their effects, intensity and timing. Certain bosses may send down an odd potion that reverses your controls, trap you or kill you instantly. Bosses are also quick climbers so Vincent has to be even faster than usual. I developed the habit of drinking all three drinks each night at the bar before the puzzles in order to boost Vincent’s speed during that evening's nightmares.

The stray sheep…

The bulk of the gameplay takes place in Vincent’s nightmares, when he and countless other ‘lost lambs’ are led into an odd vertical labyrinth of seemingly endless boxes, but every night you also control Vincent at the Stray Sheep, the dive bar which could be straight out of a Haruki Murakami book where Vincent and his friends routinely kick back for some beer and pizza.

At the Stray Sheep, players can converse with other patrons, replay past levels to challenge your own scores and unlock trophies, receive and reply to text messages from Katherine and Catherine, chug some beer (which increases Vincent’s speed during that night’s puzzles), enjoy a host of unlockable songs on the jukebox (there are even tracks from the Persona and Shin Megami Tensei series), and play ‘Rapunzel’, an arcade game with the same block-pushing mechanics as the main puzzles but with a limited number of moves rather than a time limit. I was always on the lookout for situations that involve player choices, since they will often affect the Karma meter.

Time passes at the bar and people come and go. Talking to them reveals interesting story elements and Vincent even encounters people who may or may not be the various sheep he’s encountering in his dreams. If you’re looking for interesting characters, look no further than Catherine. By the end of the game it’s hard not to be invested in Vincent’s life and those of his female companion/s and friends. Even the most throwaway side characters in this game have their own stories, and most of them tie into the main theme of relationships and seemingly universal problems inherent in male-female relationships. It’s all great stuff and very appropriate for a game that deals with the always rich subject of infidelity.

At the enticing arcade machine in the corner, you have three credits per night to spend on ‘Rapunzel’, which quickly becomes quite challenging and has over sixty full levels, which is just insane considering that it’s merely a mini-game. There are no enemies, but a limited number of moves with which you can push/pull blocks. ‘Rapunzel’ is for the players that want a more focused, less stressful cerebral experience. It’s actually harder than the main game towards the end. The only complaints I have about ‘Rapunzel’ are that your progress each night is limited, and the terrible music sticks out like a sore thumb from the rest of the game’s amazing soundtrack. I found myself stuck early on and decided to forego this diversion, but for other players I’m sure it will end up being a massive timesink.

For a game where you mostly push, pull and navigate around blocks, the wealth of extras and the attention to detail paid to every awkward moment of Vincent’s life is surprising but very welcome, especially considering the game’s length of about 20 hours, not including Babel mode.

Extra challenges! Babel and Colosseum mode

By achieving Gold trophies in the main game, players can unlock various levels in Babel mode, where you undergo lengthy, randomized puzzle gauntlets that will test every technique you learned in the main game and push you to the limit in terms of making up strategies on the spot and figuring your way out of desperate situations. The goal in each of the Babel levels, as always, is to reach the end, and even though it often seems like there’s no end in sight the game does tell you how many flights you’ve climbed up, which can be inspiring if you know you’re nearing the end. Even the first tower, Altar, contains a whopping 150 steps, which is a lot more difficult than it probably sounds. The last Babel scenario, Axis Mundi (unlockable by getting 9 Gold trophies), is 300 steps long and contains the deadly vortex blocks, which can topple the entire tower with one misstep and put an end to all your hard work.

Babel can also be played in co-op mode, which I imagine can be fun in theory but absolutely must be played by someone who knows the game, since you can easily get in each others’ way and both players need to make it to the top at the end.

The Colosseum is another welcome addition to Catherine - it’s as good as you could imagine a head-to-head multiplayer experience in this game could be. You go head-to-head with a buddy, and knock him/her off the stage. You get two chances, so if your opponent falls off twice, you win. The other way to win is to get to the top before they do. This can get quite insane, and there’s actually a few levels of strategy involved in one-upping your friends - if you get too caught-up in fighting and the stage begins to collapse from underneath you, just making sure you’re above your opponent will ensure that they fall to their doom, which can result in some pretty heated matches. Of course, Catherine is primarily a single-player game but Colosseum is a fun little diversion. Hopefully it doesn’t ruin too many friendships.

Fantastic Audio and Visuals

Quite surprisingly, Catherine’s soundtrack is top-notch and especially appealing to lovers of classical music. Such classic pieces as Dvorak’s “The New World”, Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 5”, Rossini’s “William Tell Overture” and two pieces by Chopin are given the modern treatment with fantastic remixes that offer a diverse soundtrack that’s refined and fun, jazzy and atmospheric. Having pre-ordered the game, I got a free ‘sound disc’ and art book, and both were very worth it.

The other thing that surprised me was that the English dub is actually pretty decent. When I started seeing the first previews for this game I was frustrated to learn there was no way to play with the original Japanese voice cast, since I prefer reading subtitles to a half-hearted dub, but I was actually pleasantly surprised that the dub works perfectly and everyone is well-cast, especially the bubbly but seductive titular Catherine.

As for its visual style, the game does not disappoint. The art looks to be taken straight from an anime, and the character designs show it. Each of the characters has a distinct style. The game’s fantastic use of color and well-placed intricate details also means that each location is distinct and atmospheric.

The grotesque bosses are truly accomplishments in art direction. I wouldn’t mind having collectible figures of some of them.

The many cut-scenes are very well done; even though most of them take place in the same five or six locations, the camera angles, editing and lighting are top-notch. The only issue I had with them was that the Xbox 360 version’s load times are annoying and interrupt the flow of the narrative in between the various cinematic segments.

While most of the cut-scenes use the game’s cel-shaded graphics, during some crucial moments the game morphs into an awesome anime style that made me yearn for someone to adapt this game into an OVA (animated mini-series). There’s serious potential here; there’s already a great soundtrack, characters, and even a voice cast.

Each step of Vincent’s tale is cinematically illustrated in a way that’s engrossing and rewarding, especially if you are as interested in the ways games handle ethical questions, such whether it is possible for a cheater to find redemption and what kinds of responsibilities Vincent has, both towards Katherine and himself. It makes you wonder why western developers often hire writers halfway through the development process, when a good story can be such a great motivator to inspire people to finish a game even when it’s so difficult it ends up feeling hopeless or frustrating.

Overall

Catherine is a rare gift, a diamond in the rough in this genre-arrested, sequel-driven industry: a brand-new property, a hardcore puzzle game from Atlus’ legendary Persona team that boasts fantastic production qualities, a deep, engaging storyline with memorable characters and a surprising amount of replay value. It’s the kind of game that accomplishes absolutely everything it set out to do, and offers more than you asked for with additional modes, multiple endings and cut-scenes and a slick, refined presentation that really sells the whole experience.

It’s not a game for everyone, but for any serious gamer looking for something new and challenging or for anyone who loves puzzle games, Catherine hits the spot perfectly. My favorite games are all about crunchy, satisfying and difficult gameplay that really puts the player’s creativity and strategies to the test. Catherine is one of the best releases this year, and even though a slew of tripe-A titles are just around the corner, I don’t think my opinion of this game’s classic status is going to change. For the time and attention paid to the story and atmosphere alone, Catherine is currently one of my favorite games of this generation.

Score: 95/100

Pros

-       Great story and fast-paced hybrid puzzle/platformer gameplay

-       A wide variety of options and challenges

-       Fantastic soundtrack and art

Cons

-       May be too difficult for some

-       No option for original Japanese voice cast

-       Xbox 360 version has annoying loading times in story mode

Review: Gears of War 3

Gears of War: one of the major Xbox-exclusive franchises, and one that has been successful since it started back in 2006. In the span of almost six years, Epic Games have graced Xbox owners with three Gears titles. Their latest, Gears of War 3, proves that the series still holds the crown as one of the best cover-to-cover 3^rd person shooters.

While there are a few changes compared to the second game, everything feels intact.  Gameplay is still as you remember it, and the multiplayer can be just as addicting. Taking down a Locust grunt and using him as a meat shield can still be loads of fun. Story-wise, Epic Games wanted to give us an emotional end to the main plotline. The last leg for Marcus and Delta Squad, they say. Was it as engaging as they promised? Yes, but it doesn’t make it a better story.

The Epic Conclusion

I know the Gears of War story pretty well; I’ve played the first two games and I’ve always considered this franchise’s story as its weak point. It gives the usual linear story that games like this provide. As much as they tried to craft a better story to wrap up the trilogy, I honestly liked Gears 2’s story better. The scenario with Jacinto and going in to rescue Dom’s wife alone was more engaging than the entirety of Gears 3’s story. It was all about Marcus finding out that his dad is still alive with a solution to the Locust and Lambent, and goes in to rescue him… again. I have to say, the action this third time around is definitely better. I guess that was the problem.

As you go from chapter to chapter, you’re thrown from firefight after firefight in the midst of a story that doesn’t have time to grow on the player, or create any sort of connection with the characters. Towards the middle of the campaign it picks up pretty well, but returns to the typical formula that leaves you more focused on gameplay rather than wondering what will happen next. How they wrapped up the story left me with questions, but I guess that’s how Epic Games wanted to end it.

The game looks amazing, but the differences are only seen in the environment and detail. Epic Games definitely pushed the Xbox 360 to its limits. During the campaign, they have those stunning sceneries that leave you mesmerized, especially when you ride one of those Locust Gas Barges. Character models are more detailed, but look and act similar to past games. Gears of War 3 also felt glitch-free during my play-through, and enemy AI isn’t dumb. Flanking can happen from enemy AI, so you need to be quick and aware of their movements. What’s dumb is ally AI. If you go down, their first priority is to aid you, which leaves them open and pretty much makes the situation worse by having them go down as well. The campaign isn’t that tough overall as long as you make use of cover. Head to cover, point, and shoot. Simple.

The only encounter I had that was difficult was in fighting this charging lambent with only one weakness (in his chest), so yeah. It can give you those irritating moments. It opens up from time to time to be vulnerable for only a few seconds for players to shoot. It’s a small opening and was the only annoying encounter that left me scratching my head and wanting to throw my controller.

Online is the way to go….

Gears have always been strong with co-op play. With the introduction of four-player co-op for the campaign, that seems like the best way to play your first play-through, unless you like AI covering your back. The campaign in Gears of War 3 has a lot of replayability. Playing the campaign in arcade style is a good way to get competitive and see who can rack up the most points after each chapter, but co-op doesn’t end there. The famous Horde (they call it Horde 2.0) is back and is what I consider the most fun out of the Gears of War 3 package. A group of players are placed to survive 50 waves of enemies coming from all directions. Each enemy kill grants you money which you can use to buy weapons, ammo and now a base where you can also buy turrets, barricades, dummies and even buy a Silverback (an awesome mech that you can use).

It’s all about teamwork, which I appreciate a lot. All maps in Gears of War 3 used for multiplayer can be used for Horde 2.0, which makes the experience different each time. What’s more, there are different areas where you can establish your base. Your types of defenses also level up if you constantly spend money on them. For example – maintaining and building barricades will slowly level them up, giving you the option to engage in further upgrades.  Your barricade spikes can turn into barbed fences that can hold off enemies better, or decoys that can take more hits. As your defenses get stronger, your next Horde session will feel easier thanks to these upgrade options, another great incentive to keep playing.

A new mode called Beast is introduced in Gears of War 3 and is exactly like Horde but in reverse: you’re now the locust/lambent and your task is to take down a group of COG soldiers. You are given access to all those Locust or Lambent creatures with different abilities which is fun if you’re with a decent party. Some have their advantages and disadvantages so teamwork is a must; it actually requires more teamwork than Horde. Each creature you play can be thought of as a different class, so having your whole team based on one type of Locust/Lambent won’t work as well as you might think. Sadly, this mode is only limited to twelve waves compared to Horde 2.0’s fifty. It’s a great addition and hopefully they include more of it in the future.

Competitive multiplayer, of course, is still around in the form of the famous versus mode. What I like about it is that it brings something quite different from its competitors. Put simply, it stands out. With the amazing cover to cover gameplay creating unique mini-modes of perception and control, and the fact that you have to finish off your enemy after taking them down brings a different set of strategies that took me awhile to figure out. The key weapons and grenades placed in each map also make things interesting. It’s loads of fun and I like their version of team deathmatch. Fifteen spawns for each team. After fifteen spawns, respawning stops and the opposing team will have to finish the remaining players in play to get the win. This style adds a lot of pressure towards the end, especially if you’re the last man standing. Is it addicting? Yes, to an extent, and it helps that you can level up and earn experience when you do either of the game modes in Gears of War 3.

As you level up, you unlock skins, characters to use, and others that just change your appearance. Progressing isn’t as broad as I’d hoped; I don’t really see a point to reaching the highest level. The usual weapons such as the Gnasher shotgun, Lancer, Retro Lance and Sawed-Off Shotgun are the choices when picking a load-out. Other weapons such as the Digger, Hand of Dawn, and other awesome guns in Gears are found in the maps for players to pick up. These powerful weapons can be game-changers, so finding them around the map and securing them becomes a part of the player’s strategy. The game is pretty balanced since these weapons need to be found and picked up first, but because each of the weapons require a good amount of skill to use, a seasoned player with just a lancer still has a chance against someone with, for example, a torque bow.

The single reason why I don’t see myself a regular in Gears of War 3’s multiplayer is due to how long it takes to get a game going: an hour at most. It’s a different case if you live in the US/Canada. It looks like most of the players are from the USA (as expected). There are only a handful of players in Asia to play with. Its matchmaking system searches for the best possible game with good connection, so having the option to play with players from across the Pacific is sadly never going to happen since the connection will definitely be bad. It’s a shame: multiplayer has a good lineup of maps too.

Is Gears of War 3 worth the full price? Definitely. The best of what Gears of War 3 provides is online. If you’re only interested in just the campaign and co-op, be aware that it’s best played online. If you like third-person shooters, this franchise is still the best in this genre. Everything feels just right gameplay-wise, but the substandard story and the difficulty of finding people to play online in Asia prevented it from being a perfect experience.

Score: 90/100

Pros:

-          Amazing third-person shooter

-          Horde 2.0 is loads of fun

-          Beast mode is a great addition

-          You’re constantly thrown from one action to the next in campaign

Cons:

-          Weak story

-          If you live somewhere in Asia, matchmaking for multiplayer can take awhile