Hori Fighting Stick Mini 3 Review (PS3)

As time goes on, gadgets and accessories tend to grow in features, but shrink in size. However, the opposite seems to be happening when it comes to game controllers meant to emulate the arcade cabinet experience. These arcade sticks appear to be increasing in size as more and more come out. Hori has also been following that same path, but they haven’t neglected that the market demands stuff that shrinks. Here is a look at one of their latest products, the Hori Fighting Stick Mini 3.

For those looking to not necessarily shift from gamepad to stick but are curious enough to want to spend a bit of money, this might be the stick you are looking for. The FS Mini 3 is what its name suggests: it is a mini arcade stick. It’s as fully functional as any of its bigger brothers, sporting an 8-button layout, a square-gate arcade stick, both Start and Select buttons, a PlayStation Home button and a Turbo button.

The Stick

Due to its small size, the square-gate stick doesn't have much room and definitely feels a lot tighter than those SANWA Denshi sticks you'd find in Japanese arcade cabinets. I wouldn't knock it points for that though, as the more solid feel might be more suitable to your style. I found myself pulling off fireballs and tiger knee inputs a whole lot easier on this stick, and the tighter clicks makes me feels as if I'm playing on an octagonal-gate to some degree.

The Buttons

The buttons follow the standard button layout found on most arcade sticks I've seen for the PS3 with Square, Triangle, R1 and L1 filling out the top row while Cross, Circle, R2 and L2 fill out the bottom row. They aren't the same kind of soft touch buttons found in the arcades. They do feel a bit spongy but are still very responsive and work well. The turbo button allows you to set which button you want turbo activated on, and you can have more than one button set on turbo. Not as convenient as having a turbo toggle switch, but it's still nice that it's there.

"Size comparison with the Hori Real Arcade Pro V3 Sa"

I got this cute little sucker at Mr. Dynamic for 2500php and it's definitely better than the iCore Arcade Stick that I got earlier this year. I've tried it with games like Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition and Persona 4 Arena. I guess the only real downside I can give to this controller is that when I'm playing with it on my lap, I usually need to find something to put under it for additional support, like a wide notebook or a throw pillow to keep the whole thing from wobbling around. That said, if you want a functional arcade stick that barely takes up any space, then this might be the stick for you.

Score: 86/100

Pros:

• Compact and lightweight
• Wired (3m long cable)
• Good grip rubber feet
• Works on PC
• Price

Cons:

• Wired (if you don't like wired controllers)
• Small size might be awkward
• Still more expensive than a regular PS3 gamepad
• Doesn't look to be easily modifiable
• No cable storage

                    

Review: Theatrhythm Final Fantasy (3DS)

Square-Enix’s latest offering for the 3DS is none other than a rhythm title based off the beloved Final Fantasy franchise. Even as a lifelong fan of the series I’ll admit that at first I was scratching my head at the idea, thinking that this was simply another cash-in by the company to milk their fanbase, but after watching some gameplay videos that showed off the wonderful execution, I was hooked on the idea and picked it up the day of release. What I discovered surprised me in many ways.

The Eternal Battle between Cosmos and Chaos

Continuing the spirit of the PSP Dissidia games, Theatrhythm pits the player in the midst of a feud between the two gods Cosmos and Chaos. This time, though, the battleground is Rhythm, the space connecting the two. A magic crystal (the symbol of pretty much every FF game) is the key to restoring the balance between them. By successfully completing songs with the aid of beloved Final Fantasy protagonists, the player acquires Rhythmia, returning light to the crystal and restoring the world to normalcy.

There isn’t much of a plot to the game as it relies heavily on players’ knowledge of the FF universe, but the Rhythmia gained by completing songs is used to unlock a plethora of extra modes and content. For a 3DS game, there’s a surprising amount of songs, although many of them end up being a little on the short side for quick gameplay sessions. I’ve unlocked over 70 so far, and they span the entire history of Final Fantasy, from the first game in 1987 to 2010’s Final Fantasy XIII, as the troubled FFXIV is apparently deemed unworthy of inclusion, possibly because the company is still trying to fix and re-release the title.

The game’s party system is a real treat for fans, as right off the bat you’re given the choice to form an elite party comprised of four Final Fantasy main protagonists. In true RPG fashion they can level up, equip handy abilities, use items and even have stat parameters: Strength, Agility, Magic and Luck. Strength and Magic are useful in the Battle Music mode, while Agility is helpful for reaching the prize at the end of Field Music levels and Luck determines the items you receive. I leveled-up all the characters equally, but it’s tempting to make a main team of your favorites (in my case, Squall, Lightning, Cecil and Tidus). The roster of unlockable characters does not disappoint, either.

Three Gameplay Modes to Relive the Memories

The gameplay itself involves touching, sliding and holding the stylus on the touch screen in time with the music. It differs a bit depending on the type of song you’re playing (Field, Battle or Event), but the overall mechanics are dead simple. Rhythm vets who’ve played the acclaimed Elite Beat Agents or Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan! For the DS will feel right at home here. The main difference between Theatrhythm and those games is that all the action here takes place on the top screen, so you don’t have to angle your stylus around your field of vision to carefully hit marks on the bottom screen. As a result, the timing and precision of your motions is more important than pinpoint accuracy, making for a faster and cleaner, if much less demanding, rhythm experience.

In Series mode, every numbered Final Fantasy is represented with five songs, with three of them comprising the real meat of the gameplay: Field Music, which incorporates carefully chosen overworld music and maps from the game in question, Battle Music, which is faster and highlights select battle songs and enemies from each game, and Event Music, where you play a memorable song from the story mode of each game with dramatic edits of the game’s FMV sequences in the background. There are minimal differences in gameplay between these modes, but for the most part you will be performing similar actions to the beat.

The optional Intro and Ending songs are unfortunately both simple affairs relegated to timing stylus presses on the screen for Rhythmia. They’re included more for nostalgic purposes than anything else, although I would have liked for the Ending songs to be more fleshed-out, gameplay-wise.

My only complaint about Series mode is that the songs are fairly easy and as an Elite Beat Agents addict, I S-ranked many of those most familiar to me on the first try.

Thankfully, in Challenge mode you have the option of playing on the Challenge and Ultimate difficulties, which up the note speed and count significantly. Getting an S-rank on Ultimate involves memorization and lightning-fast reflexes and may even leave you with carpal tunnel syndrome. As you acquire more Rhythmia throughout the game, more and more classic songs become available to play. The way the game keeps pushing the player towards mastery makes each new acquisition feel like you’ve really earned it.

To date, I’ve spent over 30 hours with the game and still haven’t unlocked every extra song. There’s paid DLC as well, a first for the Nintendo handheld. I intend to purchase some additional songs once I unlock every other track in the game.

The third and most unique gameplay mode are the Dark Notes, which randomly combine a Field Music level with a Battle Music level. This is the true gauntlet of the game, where each Dark Note you play becomes more challenging. Each of the Dark Notes has a different note layout, making for a virtually endless amount of possibilities. What surprised me was that some of the Dark Notes are more fun to play and master than the actual songs, and each of them has three separate bosses to face, with three items each. Many of the bosses carry crystal shards that unlock secret characters, so there’s a lot of incentive to master these, and it’s possible to store up to 99 Dark Notes in the system’s memory. The ability to save your favorites makes it easy to organize them and ensure you don’t accidentally delete your top picks.

There’s also a local multiplayer mode supporting between 2 and 4 people. I was unable to try this out since I don’t know anyone else with a 3DS nearby. The game also supports the 3DS’ StreetPass feature, allowing players to swap favorite Dark Notes with passing travelers. Unfortunately there’s no online options, but perhaps that’s inevitable given that lag will easily break a rhythm game.

Fan service from beginning to end

As if the three main gameplay modes weren’t enough, developers Indieszero really pulled out all the stops in order to make this game a love letter to the fans, packing the title with tons of goodies. There’s a large Museum where you can view edits of FMV sequences from the series’ games, fill out a scrapbook of cards that doubles as a dossier for the characters and enemies and can be leveled up to Holofoil status, and listen to the game’s many songs. Within the Museum’s log, Theatrhythm also drops hints as to what you have to do in order to reveal more content and earn Trophies. I didn’t expect to get so much play time out of a handheld rhythm title, but I found myself staying up late nights till my 3DS’ battery died, playing my heart out to unlock the extra goodies.

Part of what makes the game so addicting is the inviting presentation. The characters are drawn in an adorable hand-drawn sprite style that completely fits, tying twenty-five years of classic RPG worlds together in one chibi universe. The backgrounds in the Field Music stages take you back to the overworld maps of your favorite games and even give you the chance to ride a chocobo, while the Battle Music levels recreate some of the more memorable boss battle locations. These battles are where the game’s simple but effective art style really shines, as each successful note hit results in an attack and builds towards the casting of magic spells. During each battle there’s a chance to summon a Guardian Force (GF) to assist your party by scoring high enough during “Feature Zone” segments. Ifrit, Ramuh and Shiva all look fantastic and the presentation is fun and cinematic without interfering with the core gameplay. Even in the menus, the graphics are bold, crisp and lively.

Perhaps the most surprising and useful touch is how the 3D is used. With the slider up, the notes themselves pop out in 3D, making it easier to distinguish them from the background, especially when things tend to get chaotic. I played the game as much as possible in 3D and hardly ever noticed the subtle effect, but without it my accuracy faltered.

Whether the quality of the game’s music would be up to snuff was one of my biggest reservations, but the 3DS does an impressive job. There’s very little discernable compression on the audio tracks, a big problem with rhythm games on the DS. I’m pleased to report that I encountered no clipping; the songs here are of much higher fidelity. Dedicated series composer Nobuo Uematsu would be proud, and indeed I read that playing the game was a real emotional journey for him. The tunes sound great all around, even through a decent pair of speakers, and the sound effects are never distracting. I also very much appreciated the option to determine how loud the chimes sound whenever you hit a correct note. It may sound like a small concern, but you hear the sound so often during gameplay that the ability to turn it down is a major blessing that I hope other rhythm developers emulate in the future.

A fantastic rhythm game you don’t want to miss

What I had expected to be a cheap cash-in turned out to be the most-played game on my 3DS so far this year. This is the handheld sleeper hit of the summer. My only real complaints are that the Series mode is too easy, most of the songs are a little on the short side, and some of my favorite tracks and characters didn’t make the cut. But for the amount of content available, the game is a great value.

My recommendation is simple: if you have a 3DS and if you are or used to be a Final Fantasy fan, there’s no point in waiting any longer. Pick up Theatrhythm right now. Don’t even finish this review. Head to the nearest mall and grab your title before it becomes a collector’s item.

Even if you’re a Final Fantasy fan with no experience in rhythm games, there’s a very good chance this will be the title that turns you into a lover of the genre.

Conversely, however, if you enjoy rhythm games but don’t have any experience with Final Fantasy and plan to play any of the series’ wonderful games in the future, I would recommend playing between three and five Final Fantasy titlesbefore tackling this one. For one, there are some massive story spoilers in the Event Music sequences. On top of that, if you’re unfamiliar with the worlds, music and characters, you’re kind of missing out on the true joys of this game. And lastly, if you’ve no interest in Final Fantasy but simply love tapping to the beat, then by all means, take the plunge.

Score: 92/100

Pros:

-       Great song selection

-       Over 30 hours of addicting rhythm gameplay

-       Astounding amount of extras and unlockable content

Cons:

-       Songs are generally short

-       Series mode is way too easy

-       The game isn’t made for anyone who isn’t already a fan of Final Fantasy

Review: Diablo 3

Nearly twelve years ago, Diablo II was released, and it gradually became one of the most beloved titles of its generation. I, too, consider Diablo as one of the very best game franchises. Diablo was actually one of my first PC games, together with Doom. So when they announced Diablo III, I’m sure the whole world cheered with me and couldn’t wait to play a new Diablo game over and over again.

Was this game worth the wait? It had better be, right? It literally took them 12 years to develop this game. The answer is, well… yes, and no. As it stands, it’s an amazing action RPG that’s worth our attention. But I really can’t say that this is the long-awaited sequel that would keep us as invested as its predecessor.

The journey we waited twelve years for…

Set 20 years after the events of Diablo II, a falling star hits Tristram Cathedral with Deckard Cain in it (making him the most unlucky man in gaming). This attracts the attention of the five heroes we get to play in Diablo III. The Barbarian, Demon Hunter, Wizard, Monk, and Witch Doctor travel to New Tristram in order to find out about the fallen star. This pretty much starts off Diablo III’s story. While each class has a personal story as to why they were pursuing the falling star, all of that gets thrown out the window around Act 2. When you become involved in the main plot of the game, it quickly becomes the story’s sole focus.

All throughout the game, you sense Blizzard’s attempts to provide a more story-driven experience, with everything being fully voiced and letters, books, and lore all scattered around each act. It was interesting during the first two acts (especially Act 1) but as I progressed through my first play-through, I was developing the urge to press the skip button. Of course, I didn’t skip a single thing. I was accompanied by two of my friends and we vowed to watch every cut-scene. But the problem wasn’t just that the story is a bit lacking; it was also me wanting to keep going in order to kill more demons, find more loot, and level up. I commend Blizzard for the attempt, but even as I absorbed every single piece of Diablo III’s story, I found that I wasn’t excited at all to see what would happen next, or motivated to seek out more lore to read.

There are four Acts in total. Each Act brings the player to different locales in the Diablo world, giving a fresh environment to constantly click on. It took my group and I a total of 17 hours to finish the game. This includes listening to the story, reading lore, and exploring everything in every dungeon. The game has a decent length the first time around, but that turns into a different story when you play a second time when you start skipping conversations and go straight to the objective. The 17 hours I spent was easily cut to below 10 hours during my second play-through, which sort of works since everybody knows that playing the game multiple times to reach the highest difficulty is an essential part of Diablo, right? No? Guess it’s just me.

A solid click-fest

Diablo gameplay at this point is self-explanatory. But for those of you that are really new to the series, you pretty much click to move, and click to kill things. Oh, and press either 1-4 for other skills.

Diablo III’s gameplay has been simplified. It’s just as addicting as past Diablo games, but the latest game mechanics have their pros and cons. As much as we whine and complain, let’s face it, stat allocation has been removed. When you level up in Diablo III, stats automatically get assigned, and skills get unlocked. Each skill also has five skill runes that modify how the skill works. So there are really a lot of skills and builds to work with. This new skill system and of course the gear are the only ways to differentiate a character on the same class. I did have fun with this new system, but it resulted in me having no reason whatsoever to create a character of the same class again, unless you like playing Hardcore mode and you die a lot (die in Hardcore Mode and say goodbye to that character and gear forever).You only need one character for each class now, thanks to this system. One of the fun things about past Diablo games for me was the experimentation and rewards I got from revisiting the game, playing as my favorite class, and then changing how I assign my stats and skills.

Bosses are fun now. No, seriously. I hated past Diablo bosses back in the day, but now each boss has interesting mechanics that make them fun to fight. During my first play-through, I was praying that I wouldn’t have to encounter a boss similar to Duriel. I hate that guy. But thankfully there’s nothing like that. Now we have bosses that require us to pay attention. The Act 2 boss, for instance, leaves multiple traps on the ground, which pulsate, then explode. Obviously, if you spot one of these by you, it’s best to get the hell out of there. These kinds of mechanics can keep you on your toes, and provide good laughs whenever a friend dies.

Diablo III has five classes to pick from, and each class provides different styles of play. I started playing the game as a Demon Hunter. When I created my Barbarian class, it was a completely different experience. There are three ranged classes and two melee classes, and each one has a different resource pool to execute their skills. Barbarians require rage to use certain skills, and you can only generate rage by using rage-generating skills, or from simply getting hit. Witch Doctors on the other hand are the only class that has mana as a resource pool. It regenerates slowly and you must pick your spells wisely so you won’t find yourself constantly out of mana. It’s a great change to keep each class feeling different.

The game also looks amazing for an action RPG. Even the way that creatures die becomes a major treat for the eyes, especially enemies like the Grotesque. When killed, it explodes, spawning additional monsters to slay. The carnage looks great and while it is a bit weird to say, I consider the animations important for a game like this. A monster exists for few precious seconds in this game, and it’s only right to let them go in style. A lot of the objects found in the game are also destructible. Even though they cannot be highlighted by the mouse cursor, certain objects can be destroyed if they come into contact with a skill or attack by players or enemies. Diablo III makes destruction look glorious.

The Hireling back in Diablo 2 makes a return but is now called Companions. You have three to pick from; The Templar, The Enchantress, and The Scoundrel. If you choose to play the game alone, you have to bring one of these Companion’s in your journey, but when other players start to join, they will leave your party and head back to town. What’s new with these Companion’s is that they have three lines of skills to pick from. A line of skills unlock at a certain level and you will have to pick one of the two skills in that line that you wish to learn. You can also equip them but only with weapons, amulets, rings, and a special companion equipment slot only for certain companions. They can assist with certain buffs for your character but they are not damage dealers no matter how much gear you give them. They also have their own story to tell so every once and awhile you see your character and companion engage in small talk.

Another great change is the addition of health globes. In past games, your character’s survival was mostly based on how many potions you had left in your belt. That was scrapped (thank God), and while potions are still around, they now have a cool-down. After use, you’ll have to wait until it’s up again, so use them wisely. But don’t worry, Health Globes got your back. That is, if you bother to pick them up. This feature eliminates the constant spamming of health pots needed to keep alive. Thanks to Health Globes, the gameplay feels a bit more fast-paced, since we are constantly moving forward more often and usually hitting town after a quest or when our inventory is full of loot.

Everybody knows that the game is not really finished until you beat Diablo on the highest difficulty. At least, that’s how some gamers consider one as having truly “finished the game”. After finishing the game for the first time, you unlock Nightmare mode – a more difficult version of the game. After you finish that, you unlock Hell difficulty which is even harder, and then Inferno, which is the hardest difficulty in the game. As it gets harder and harder, the blue and gold champion packs become even more of a pain than the bosses.

These groups of monsters can be found anywhere in the game and are considered to drop just as good loot as bosses. What makes them unique is that they have specific abilities like teleport or Nightmare, which can make a hero run in fear. In normal difficulty, these packs have one random ability. As you go up in difficulty, the number of abilities these monsters can have increases by one. So by Inferno difficulty, you will be facing a group of monsters with four abilities at once. The abilities added to these blue and gold monsters are randomized so you have no idea what you will get when you engage them. If you are looking for a real challenge, look for these blue and gold packs on Inferno. I wish you good luck.

Need better loot? Hit the Auction House, everybody does it

Compared to the first two games, Diablo III is more gear-dependent. Since everybody becomes essentially the same when they hit the max level of 60, Diablo III has become all about the gear. Gear wasn’t much of a problem for me since my two friends and I called out what we found every time we picked up loot. Since each player has their own set of loot each time they kill something, there’s a lot of gold and loot to go around. But even with all that loot after killing hordes of demons, we still found ourselves exiting the game one by one to check the Auction House for upgrades. The Auction House is a new feature in Diablo III; there, you can buy and sell loot to other players. All the loot we found in our sessions was decent, but not as good as the gear we found in the Auction House. We were always updated in terms of gear. Whenever we gathered to pick up where we left off, we started showing off the gear we scored off the Auction House. This left the game mostly easy; we only hit a road-block when we finally reached Inferno difficulty.

Crafting was also introduced in Diablo III, but this feature was overshadowed by the Auction House. The Jeweler combines gems to make stronger ones, while the Blacksmith gives you the ability to break down magic items you don’t need into materials you can use to craft gear.  While this sounds great, I found it to be a weak source of finding better gear or gems. It became pointless to spend money in order to make better gems to socket your gear, since gem drops are decent to begin with, and each piece of gear crafted by the Blacksmith generates random stats which could become useless if you don’t find what you’re looking for. It just made more sense to just spend that money on the Auction House rather than trying your luck on the Blacksmith or gathering gems to craft. Each crafter can level up to level 10 and it’s pretty much a one-time deal since it’s account-bound, meaning that your Blacksmith and Jeweler’s stats are shared across all your characters (except in Hardcore mode). Crafting becomes useful in the late game, since the best gems and gear are found in crafting. But a feature that becomes viable just after reaching the max level? Come on, Blizzard.

I have a love-hate relationship with the Auction House. I love it since it provided me with all this great gear for my characters, but I hate it because most of my gear is found from the Auction House, and I spend a lot of my time searching through this damn market full of virtual gear. When I found an upgrade on the floor, it felt like Christmas came early. Now when I find a good item that I can’t use, it becomes profit in my eyes, just another trinket to sell on the Auction House. The game revolves so much around the Auction house that it makes me believe that during the game’s long development process, each major decision was made with the Auction House in mind. It’s a sad fact – you think you’re playing the game to find the ultimate gear, but you are actually playing the game to get good enough gear to earn gold through the Auction House, and then buy better gear. Don’t get me started on the Real Money Auction House (the virtual shop that, in a nutshell, allows you to use your real, hard-earned money to purchase gear).

Overall

Diablo III is a great action RPG, but it’s not the sequel I was hoping for. The twelve-year wait since Diablo II only increased that game’s classic status, so a comparison was bound to happen. Diablo II was a game that I could play over and over, even playing the same class with a different build. I know because I’ve done it too many times in the past. Up to this day, players still play the game to level their character from level 1 to 99 and hope to earn the best gear possible, over and over again. I was hoping Diablo III would come with that same level of quality and addictiveness, but I’m not feeling it. Endgame in Diablo has always been about gear, but this is even more prevalent in Diablo III. Gold is shared with all characters, so leveling a new character to 60 and then grinding for gear seems pointless when you can just go window-shopping with a couple of million gold in hand earned by your previous characters to get the gear you need, or simply throw away $1,000 if you’re lazy and have all that extra cash lying around.

Don’t think I had a smooth experience during the first week of Diablo III. I decided to separate that experience of horrible lag and error 37, and focus on the game itself. I do hate the fact that this game can only be played online. But it is what it is, let’s move on.

I had loads of fun during my time with Diablo III, but I’m not sure if I see myself re-logging in to go level up and find more gear.  While the devs and hardcore players assumed that the game would keep gamers occupied for months, a month or less is all you really need. Since it took Blizzard twelve years to produce Diablo III, I can’t help but wonder why it took that long. PVP will be patched in the near future and God only knows how that will turn out.

Score: 87/100

Pros:

-          Addicting Gameplay

-          Boss fights are more interesting now

-          Carnage in the game looks amazing

Cons:

-          Game revolves too much around the Auction House

-          No single player support, must be played online

-          Weak story

-          Crafting only viable at the end

Review: Sonic Generations

It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years since the very first Sonic the Hedgehog. I still remember that Christmas in 1992 when I got my first console – a Sega Genesis (some of you might know it better as the Mega Drive), and the original Sonic was the very first game I laid my mitts on. Since then, Sega’s mascot has had his ups and downs. Unlike rival Mario, Sonic’s track record since the Dreamcast days hasn’t been particularly stellar. But for fans of the blue blur, hope has begun to spring. Sonic Colors (2010) all but broke the dreaded ‘Sonic cycle’ of disappointing games, delivering a fun, intense, well-crafted platformer that, in this reviewer’s opinion, stands toe-to-toe with Mario’s best efforts on the Wii. Let's see if Sonic Generations, built on Sega’s ‘Hedgehog engine’, is a welcome return to form for one of gaming’s most beloved mascots.

What’s Old is New Again

Appropriately for a 20th anniversary game, the story begins with Sonic’s friends throwing him a surprise birthday party, complete with chilidogs. Inevitably, trouble rears its ugly head as a portal materializes in the sky and a diabolical entity of mysterious origins abducts all of Sonic’s friends in one fell swoop. Meanwhile, in a parallel timeline, Classic Sonic is going about his own business when the color literally leaves the ground from under him. Tails, his only companion, vanishes into thin air. Left in a desolate realm of white space, both Sonics meet and must individually complete zones from their respective past and future in order to save their friends.

The game consists of just nine environments taken from three different eras in Sonic’s history (Classic, Dreamcast and Modern). Each zone is divided into two Acts, each of which must be completed in order to progress in the game and unlock the plethora of challenge levels.

Classic Sonic VS Sonic Colors

In Act One, Classic Sonic shreds in 2D, and fans of the original Sonic games on the Genesis will be happy to learn that the physics are very faithful to that era and free of the modifications made in the controversial Sonic 4, Episode I. The Act One levels are momentum-based, with various loops, tunnels and multiple branching pathways. As per tradition, the top-most path is usually the fastest, but the most difficult to stay on. Modern Sonic’s gameplay in Act Two is no less stellar, and the levels transition from 3D to 2D platforming often and seamlessly. The game’s filled with many throwbacks to the older games, but these are all woven in amongst new surprises that turn out to be real highlights and triumphs in clever level design. Generations thankfully has less of the cheap deaths and ‘gotcha!’ enemy placement that has frustrated many players who aren’t into memorizing the series’ labyrinthine levels. Most of the time, if you get hit by something in this game, it’s your own fault.

I really don’t want to spoil the list of levels for fans, but Sega seems to have really gone for diversity over iconography. All the levels seem to be just the right length – my only complaint is that I wish there were more of them.

Another addition to the game worth mentioning: the collectible coins, five in each Act, encourage players to explore the levels' many alternate pathways and add replay value for people like myself who suffer from videogame OCD and just have to find those hidden treasures.

When Two Worlds Collide

Sonic Generations walks the fine line between classic and modern Sonic gameplay with ease. Switching between the two Sonics is done with a single press of the Y button (Triangle on PS3) on the hub overworld, and each Sonic has a completely customized set of challenge levels. Each zone has ten challenges, five for each Sonic, for a grand total of ninety. These are where the game's replay value really kicks in and surprisingly, most of them are quite fun. Although about half of the challenges are dead simple (racing against Sonic’s doppleganger, a recurring challenge, is essentially a time trial), the other half are quite creative, such as juggling a spinning sign all the way to the goal, mastering the Flame, Electric and Bubble shields from Sonic 3 or having Tails carry Sonic past obstacles and enemies as you try to make the best time.

For perfectionists like me that live to get S-ranks on every level, the challenges are a very welcome addition and I hope that going forward these are something we see in future Sonic games, since they allow Sonic’s friends to participate in creative ways that don’t mess with the tried-and-true formula.

In another of the many additions to Sonic Generations' gameplay, Sonic can now unlock and equip skills such as the ability to stop on a dime, begin a level with a certain power-up, recover rings faster, etc. The ultimate skill, of course, is Super Sonic, who you'll have to unlock by snagging all seven Chaos Emeralds. The skills are for the most part fun and useful, and I really enjoy the system. Trying out different setups is essential to improving your times and scores if you’re chasing those elusive S-ranks.

There are two different types of boss fights in the game – rival fights and major boss battles. Without spoiling anything, I will say that Sonic fights some familiar opponents, but with a new twist. Unfortunately these battles are cakewalks to Sonic veterans, but after each fight you unlock a Hard Mode version of the fight, which thankfully ramps up the difficulty a little bit.

Gorgeous HD presentation

Seeing age-old levels return with re-mastered music and gorgeous HD graphics is really something to behold, especially since levels whiz by at 60 FPS with no slowdown whatsoever. Every time I fire up this game I think of all the work that went into the art direction that most people will never see since the gameplay is so fast-paced. I was thankful to discover the game boasted a huge, unlockable art gallery and an equally huge, unlockable music selection with tunes spanning 20 years of Sonic games. I found myself spending a weekend beating all the extra content just to unlock all the cool art and old-school 16-bit songs I haven’t heard in years.

Obviously, if you didn’t grow up on Sonic, the art gallery and music selection won’t do much to sell you on the game. But it’s reassuring to see that Sega has really pulled out the stops and gone out of their way to make a product that really gives the fans what they want.

The Sonic Cycle is Officially Over

If you’re a fan of fast-paced, momentum-driven gameplay and have been waiting for Sonic to make his big comeback, wait no longer. Sonic Generations, built on Sega’s ‘Hedgehog engine’, is like a highlight-filled mix tape that delivers on the best elements of the franchise’s long history, weaving together rock-solid level designs, flawless platforming physics, and a light-hearted story that takes its cues from everything that worked about Sonic Colors.

My biggest complaint is fairly simple: at just eighteen acts and seven boss battles, the main game is too short for a title encompassing Sonic’s entire career, and I can easily imagine either a large DLC pack or an entire sequel full of levels that didn’t make it into Generations (the equally solid 3DS game featured an entirely different set of zones and bosses, but how many diehard Sonic fans own a 3DS?). If you simply play straight through the story mode and ignore all the challenges, you will be finished with this game in less than a weekend, which leads me to a conundrum.

While I fell head-over-heels in love with this game, I cannot give it my complete recommendation.

Because Sonic Generations was made specifically with Sonic fans in mind and features no multiplayer modes, anyone who doesn’t have at least a little nostalgia for Sega’s beloved mascot simply isn’t getting the most out of the game. If your mind is made up about Sonic, this game won’t do much to change it, especially since the levels are for the most part comprised of remixed bits and pieces from past games. What it does offer is the best of both worlds – 2D and 3D Sonic – carefully molded into a product that tries its damnedest to bring forth an experience that appeals to the broad spectrum of Sonic fans out there. Kids who grew up on 1991’s Sonic the Hedgehog will be able to pick up, play and enjoy this game just as easily as kids who bought a Dreamcast to play 1999’s Sonic Adventure, or who were gifted a copy of 2008’s underrated cult hit Sonic Unleashed. Thanks to the crisp, inviting presentation, it’s easy to recommend this game to someone who’s always wanted to play Sonic but never got the chance.

I taught my ten-year-old sister how to play Sonic Generations, and being able to see the same wonder in her eyes that I had when I first played Green Hill Zone at the age of five was quite a powerful experience. She did struggle with Modern Sonic’s levels, but I sensed that familiar desire in her to master the game’s mechanics. There’s a reason why this pesky hedgehog has survived through so many droughts and unpolished games. The always-fresh art direction, memorable characters, exciting level designs and simple but addictive gameplay appeal to kids of all ages, and like his rival Mario, I don’t see Sonic going away anytime soon. If Sega can keep up the momentum they started with Sonic Colors, the blue blur has a bright future ahead of him. The friend I went to Sega’s E3 presentation with told me his big question is what Sega will do next with the series.

I say bring on Sonic Generations 2!

Score: 87/100

Pros: -    Both 2D and 3D gameplay styles are refined, fast-paced and glitch-free -    Tons of unlockable content and bonus features -    Challenge modes add great replay value -    Diehard Sonic fans will get the most out of the game

Cons: -    No multiplayer modes -    Main game is too short, especially a year after the long, feature-rich Sonic Colors -    Modern Sonic levels may be difficult/confusing for some players -    Diehard Sonic fans will get the most out of the game

Dragon War Dragunov Gaming Mouse - The Budget Gaming Mouse

 

A week ago, my mouse started giving me problems with the left click randomly not working(I blame Diablo 3). So I headed to the mall in search for a good cheap mouse and I actually found one that was below my budget and was actually made for gamers.

Now I'm not a peripheral buying kind of guy. I hardly purchase those expensive gaming headsets or any of those add-ons in gaming consoles. Heck, I haven't bothered getting my own webcam for my PC. If I have to choose between a standard Playstation 3 controller worth P2,000 to a controller with just some special color worth P4,000, I'll go for the P2,000 in a heart beat. That is just how I am. As long as it works, I'm good. Same for my PC equipment. Now since my mouse gave up after 4 years, it's time to get a new one...

Yes, the picture above was my mouse for 4 years. For a very cheap mouse working for that many years, I think it was about time it started giving me problems. I clean it regularly and it's so old that after cleaning it, it looks dirty.

My budget was around P500 - P800. I was looking for any mouse really, even a mouse similar to my old one would do. Looking at various computer shops at Alabang Town Center, nothing struck my interest. Some were mostly at the P800 - P1,200 range. So with no luck after 30 minutes(I shop quick), I decided to peek at Datablitz to see if there is anything new. Then at the corner of the store I found it, a gaming mouse worth only P495(around $10)?

Dragon War Dragunov Gaming Mouse. The box looked appealing and I double checked if they just forgot to add an extra zero on the price tag. The store clerk said it was legit. There were three types of Gaming Mouse priced at P495, similar features but shaped differently. I know little about Ergonomic design, but I picked Dragunov since it felt right when I held it the first time. I bought the mouse right away with a return policy of one week if I find issues with the mouse.

At first glance, I thought I was holding a very cheap Razer product with its fancy box that includes a free mouse pad. But it was actually Dragon War, a company in Japan together with Elephant who seems to be the distributor of the product in Asia.

Key Features

• Ergonomic design for professional gamer
• Gaming mouse with 6 control buttons
• Mouse cable length of 1.4 meters
• Suitable for almost every surface
• Special gaming sensor with revolutionary 3200 dpi
• Mouse Pad is provided
• Resolution: 800/1600/2400/3200 dpi
• Interface: USB
• Dimension: W79 X D40 X H120mm
• Weight: 76g

I'm fine having the standard buttons found on any standard mouse, but for the sake of testing all the Dargunov has to offer, I went on configuring some buttons. Setting the 6 keys in the mouse was pretty easy but requires you to download the software from the link provided in the box. A quick download and to set each button was self-explanatory. If you still require help on how to do it, they redirect you to a page after installing the program with a link to a user guide. I didn't change much in my mouse but I've placed the two new buttons on the left side to be my browser refresh and browser back buttons. The changes you make happens instantly when you press that apply button.

One week after purchase....

When I bought the mouse, I was planning to make a post right away, but further testing and actually use of the mouse was needed. So with the mouse having a 1 week replacement policy for defective products, I gave the mouse a beating for the first week. Besides, with it being so cheap, I was still questioning its durability. I wasn't going to throw it on the ground or anything, but I did play the game that broke my last mouse, and that is Diablo 3.

After a week of constant Diablo 3 clicking, combined with the everyday routine I do in my PC, Dragunov was still functioning properly. With the mouse being rubber coated and how the mouse was shaped, this mouse felt way better than my previous one. Sure, coming from that old mouse above is a huge upgrade, but again - Were talking about a gaming mouse that I bet is at the same price range as those standard mouse that comes with any PC bundle.

If you are on a budget and planning to buy a mouse designed for gaming, this will definitely do if you are starting out. The fact that you get features that any gamer would appreciate for only P495 is a steal if you ask me. It lasting for months is questionable, but with a very low price point, it's worth the risk.