Posted by andPOP Staff on November 29th, 2005

Need for speed: Most Wanted is the instalment that we?ve been waiting for. It combines the greatest elements we?ve come to know and love, the huge environment that you can roam and explore, an assortment of cars that ranges from something that you might have in your driveway to something you might never have in your driveway, and the long arm of the law.

With the two previous instalments, which were underground and its sequel, I was thrilled to find that the automobiles to choose from were not European supercars like Lamborghinis and Ferraris but regular cars like Hondas and Nissans. I always thought that while there are plenty of racers out there that offer incredibly beautiful and incredibly fast supercars, it?s a welcome change to play a game in which I could tear up the streets in a car that I could realistically picture myself in.

Mind you, if you prefer supercars when it comes to racers then NFS: Most Wanted still has you covered. There are plenty of Aston Martins, Porshces, and Lamborghinis to choose from.

The main one player mode has really come along way and a ton of FMVs help get the ball rolling. You start off with a stylish, tricked-out BMW and unfortunately for the sake of the game?s story, your arch-rival, Razor rigs your car so that you loose an all-or-nothing race. Supermodel Josie Maran plays the role of your best friend ? wink-wink, nudge-nudge.

Several FMVs later Josie gets you back on track and gives you a choice of three very basic cars, e.g. Chevys and four-door sedans, alas it?s up to you to rise up the ranks, become champ and get your car back.

A welcome improvement to the series is a new feature called Speedbreaker. I thought I was getting sick of bullet-time getting incorporated into just about every video game but this is the best use of it I?ve seen in a racer. After hitting the assigned button, everything slows right down and this allows you an opportunity to tighten that turn, maybe squeeze into that shortcut or even cross lanes under an eighteen wheeler.

In a nutshell, if you?ve played NFS: Underground 2 you?re getting a very similar game. Although I?ve painted a lovely picture of this title so far, I assure you I have my fair share of criticisms. I?ve played just about every NFS game since the beginning and every title that came to the Gamecube. Alas, I have no idea why the developers never decide to stick with the same control scheme for a series of games on the same system! Every now and then I don?t mind dusting off NFS: Hot Pursuit 2 but it gets really annoying when all of a sudden the button that is nitrous in the newer title, used to be emergency brake in the previous one, and camera-toggle in the version before that. This could have been easily fixed had one of the NINE control schemes in NFS: Most Wanted matched the ones of previous titles, or a button configuration option.

I?m certain I mentioned in a previous column that I always look forward to the music tracks in NFS titles but this is certainly not the case with NFS: Most Wanted. For starters, when was the last time that you saw someone driving by in a tricked-out Mazda RX-8 pumping heavy metal? Yet, there are plenty of Korn-like tracks and not enough of the music that you would hear coming out of a race car – I?m talking about electronic dance of course. Don?t get me wrong though, rock has its place in video games, Twisted Metal comes to mind.

Overall this game feels like the fast and the furious movies. This was obviously the motivation with the two predecessors but with the newly added threat of getting busted by the police, the intensity is taken to new heights.

To me, NFS is the series that made me respect its developer, Electronic Arts the most. Every time a new one comes out I?ve always been positive that they?ll run out of ideas and that sooner or later it will feel like I?m buying just another racer, but no, EA has always come through on top.

Tags: Gamecube, Most Wanted, need for speed

Posted by andPOP Staff on October 12th, 2005

I?m sure that when game developers gather around the roundtable and ponder over what would make a great game they have brilliant ideas but oft times they just don?t work out; I assume this was the case with Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects.

The basic premise of the game sounds like something we dreamed of when we were kids: a 3-d action game in which you have access to the most notorious Marvel characters. I?ll admit that a game can be pretty bad sometimes and I?ll be sure to let it slide just because Spider-man makes an appearance. But no, not this time. I think I can sum up my experience of this game in one word: frustrating.

Marvel Nemesis is sort of a hybrid of a fighter and adventure I suppose. Basic levels consist of running around, maybe a little wall climbing and repetitive thumb mashing to fight enemies. Every now and then a boss level comes along that usually provides a bit more of a strategic challenge. As you make progress through the game, tons ? and I mean tons ? of new characters come along with their own specific levels. But that doesn?t matter because the game is seldom enjoyable.

For starters, the combat system is lacking plenty. You have four moves: punch, jump, block and grab. And when you use one of these with a fifth button you activate a stronger version ? thus, you have about eight basic commands at your disposal. Problems arise when you start fighting basic enemies because there?s no lock-on system. I sometimes felt like I was better off randomly running around jumping and punching with hopes that I might hit somebody every now and then. Enemies are very quick to take advantage the second you focus on one of them for too long.

Depending on the strength of your character you can throw objects and actually catch objects that enemies throw at you, but with a game full of powerhouse superhero characters who wants to just run around and throw garbage cans? I mean, we?re talking a game in which at one point or another you have access to a real Marvel powerhouse of a roster here: Daredevil, Iron Man, Magneto, Elektra, Spider-man, the Human Torch and Venom just to name a few.

Boss fights really had me cursing at the screen. Typically, the boss will dart around chaotically around and fire projectiles that are close-to-impossible to block or dodgem, or s/he will just lunge at you and absolutely maul you. Remember, because there?s no lock-on system it?s so easy to swing-and-miss. A level in which I was using Wolverine and had to fight Storm I remember was particularly awful. She would fly around, blast my character with thunderbolts and my energy bar would be axed in half! This was just plain monotonous after a while.

Graphic-wise it looked good on my X-box and I hear it looks just as good on Gamecube but PS2 owners might find themselves disappointed.

I think in the end this game is very telling of what the developer, Electronic Arts, really needs to focus on. EA has had sports games and racing games on a solid lockdown for as far back as I can remember. However, these guys have made waste of licenses that had some serious potential. In this case, they had Marvel but I?ve also seen them do some bad things with 007, Batman, The Simpsons, Harry Potter and Aliens.

So there you have it, even if you really like Marvel superheroes, I promise you this game is not fun and in fact, there are a ton of better ones out there such as X-men Legends, Ultimate Spider-man and Hulk: Ultimate Destruction.

Tags: Gamecube, Hulk, Marvel Nemesis, ps2, Rise of the Imperfects, Ulitmate Spider-man, X-men Legends, xbox

Posted by andPOP Staff on September 13th, 2005

If you’ve read enough of my reviews then perhaps you have come to notice that I am more so the actionadventure gaming buff and that I seldom review sports games; in other words, I’m a nerd. But that doesn’t mean I don’t recognize a fun game with fantastic features when I see it: enter NHL 06 for PS2, Xbox and Gamecube.

Last month I purchased a PSP bundle that came with Gretzky and the very next day I had to buy a new game because the great one just didn?t cut it. I understand fully that comparing games on consoles to games on portables is like comparing apples to oranges but I feel that in this case I have to do it simply because NHL 06 triumphs in the area in which Gretzky fails ? a crucial one in this case ? gameplay.

With Gretzky handling the puck is just plain annoying – half the time when you try to recover it, you find yourself skating right around it. This makes it nearly impossible to set up some nice one-timers or crucial rebound shots. Puck handling with NHL 06 is smooth and even better, you can pick up the controller, watch for the button guide on the load up screen and you?re good to go.

In a few matches I found myself quickly moving beyond the basics and onto some of the more complicated areas, such as switching up your defensiveoffensive strategies. Toggling the strategies is done with the D-pad while player movement is controlled by the left analog. The right analog is used to activate a star player?s special shots. It sounds complicated having to worry about two analogs and a D-pad but it becomes quite fluid after a short while.

What impressed me most about this game was that it was more than just firing the puck at the net, it was also about being able to quickly switch up your defensive or offensive strategy on the fly – it becomes almost an art. For example, moving past the third line and changing your offensive strategy, so that you have two men move down with you allowing you to initiate beautiful set-ups and pass-backs would leave the goalie nice and schooled. This also works in reverse, for when your opponent begins to move into your zone you can make the quick switch to your defensive strategy so that if needed, the whole team comes to the rescue.

In general, the game is still no cakewalk. It?s almost an insult to the goalie if you bother to shoot the puck from the third blue line for instance. You really have to get the hang of the targeting system when shooting the puck as well. When you hold the button down for either a slap or wrist shot, targets appear behind the goalie. Aiming at an illogical target won?t give you the goal but deeking to the left and then aiming for the right will improve your chances.

The game has a variety of modes including full season and exhibition, as well as NHL 94! I don?t know if EA was aiming to show how far hockey games have come along but this is certainly what comes to mind when playing the more-than-a-decade-old version. I also loved being able to create a player and model his facial features to look like anyone I wanted. I chose to model a player after myself. And on top of this, when I used my doppelganger in the game the commentator referred to him by the name I entered, which was my own, ?Johnny.? How spectacular is it when charging down rink with the puck to then hear the commentator say, ?Johnny fires the shot and scores!?

So there you have it, NHL 06 is in many ways proof that we shouldn?t get too excited about the next generation of consoles just yet because there are still solid titles on the systems we have right now. Definitely pick up a copy of this one, especially if you?re looking to get an early fix of hockey now that we know we’ll soon be able to get back into the race for the cup.

Tags: Gamecube, Gretzky, NHL, NHL 06, ps2, review, xbox

Posted by andPOP Staff on August 30th, 2005

This week I rented Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, available for PS2, Gamecube and Xbox. I actually played the Xbox version, which to my knowledge, boasts the smoothest graphics and it definitely shows. Hulk and his environments look fantastic; I was soon reminded of the movie that came out a few years ago. It?s a third person action-adventure in which you and the hulk use brawn not brains to win. Similar to Grand Theft Auto, you can either progress through the story or explore the environments.

The storyline here is something to the extent that the Hulk, a.k.a. Bruce Banner, and his trusted friend Doc Samson are trying to find a cure for Banner?s condition. The Hulk?s main enemies are the ones working for the military, which include plenty of characters from the comics such as Abomination, General Ross and Mercy, as well as an alter ego trying to surface in Banner?s conscious. At the end of every chapter the game makes sure to constantly recap the story and there is a solid amount of CGI cut-scenes. For the most part I found myself skipping through the recaps however, to get to the next mission or to roaming around the game environments.

You have a home base and once you progress far enough via the chapters you have two environments available: a busy metropolis (no, not the one where Superman lives) and a vast desert called the Badlands. Both environments are attractive and fun in their own ways. When I felt like running around causing random acts of destruction such as smashing buildings, throwing people into the ocean or ripping cars in half, I?d head for the city. When I felt like leaping in a huge, spacious and smooth looking environment, which again, looks just like the movie, the Badlands was the way to go.

When not following the missions and roaming, again similar to the Grand Theft Auto series, the more havoc that you create the more military authorities you attract. After causing enough damage a kind of Special Forces unit is deployed but you can neutralize them easily once you get the hang of Hulk?s controls.

Hulk isn?t invincible, he has a gamma energy bar to worry about but gamma refills are absorbed after defeating most enemies. If you collect enough energy the Hulk will enter a super mode called ?Critical Mass,? in which his moves have added damage and specials become available for use. And when I say specials I don?t mean some cute little punch or kick, I mean the Hulk will go absolutely berserk. In one special for example, the Hulk will start roaring in anger, charge up, and then slam the ground so hard that in the process cars and trucks get vacuumed in and then sent 50 feet straight up; in other words, the Hulk becomes a gamma radiation bomb himself. Ineed, these specials also take advantage of bullet-time, a GREAT touch.

Hulk?s controls and the wide variety of moves at your disposal is the area in which I believe this game truly shines. For example, as complicated as it sounds, running top-speed, then picking up a car, then locking onto a target, then even switching targets, then leaping into the air to turn around, charge your throw and then finally launch the object at let?s say an enemy mech, becomes so fluid and natural that it?s amazing.

As I said, there are a wide variety of moves, which come to think of it, might be an understatement, at your disposal. For starters, most enemies with a few exceptions by comparison, and objects can be used as weapons. These moves have to be purchased first at the cost of smash points. How smash points work is basically you smash, you get points, and you buy moves at the home base ? very simple.

Back to what I was saying, every vehicle that has a weaponry use is unique. Cars can be ripped in half in order to make metal boxing gloves to cause more damage, trucks can be flattened into shields and even thrown like boomerangs. The weapon that impressed me the most was the one that came from the long-range missile tank – after defeating these enemies, the Hulk can tear the box in which the missies are held and as if they were toy darts, launch them at enemies for one-hit K-O?s. Yeah, it?s that fun.

For the most part, anything can be thrown and anything can be destroyed, which is another factor that makes this game so fantastic. Most of the time after playing through a great game like this I can still say, ?it would have been better if,? or, ?it would have been cool if they had just thought of adding,? but this is not the case here. Mind you, I did manage to beat it on Normal in three days but there are still lots of skins and challenges to unlock. After all, every now and then I still enjoy swinging through New York in Spider-man 2 and I can easily see myself coming back to Hulk: Ultimate Destruction just to leap from building to building and create some havoc.

Tags: Gamecube, ps2, Ultimate destruction, xbox

Posted by andPOP Staff on August 10th, 2005

Have you ever stayed up late and caught one of those hardcore Japanese action anime flicks? I’m talking about the kind with eerie music, a seemingly gothic atmosphere, thought-provoking dialogue and an artistic use of death and blood. This is exactly what I was reminded of when I finally got my hands on a copy of Killer 7, available for Gamecube and PS2.

Both bloodcurdling and manga-violent, I cannot stress enough that this game is not for children. If you enjoy being absolutely terrified, Killer 7 will have your heart pulsing with its cold, dark and particularly cunning mystique. I?m willing to admit that this could be due to the simple fact that this game is in essence, a hefty dose of culture shock.

The story of the game is a reality in which world peace has been accomplished but a terrorist threat by the name of Heaven Smile seeks to disturb this. The world government in response sends Killer 7, a group of lethal assassins led by Harman Smith. Accompanying the group on the journey as a guide is a ghost named Iwazaru ? he provides hints and information on how to defeat bosses or penetrate difficult areas in the game.

Killer 7 puts you in control of seven Smiths who can be alternated will. Each alias has different weapons, specials, abilities and even a different body. In the first level for example, Coyote Smith, a large oafish man reminiscent of the show Trailer Park Boys, needs to be used in order to pick a lock while in another level Kevin Smith, a buff but sickly looking character who can turn invisible is used to sneak past lasers; this is part of the game?s strategy, figuring out who and when to use a specific assassin.

The controls are definitely awkward. You only move back and forth on a path without the use of the directional pad or joystick and see your character from a third-person angle. When approaching intersections, which appear in the form of interactive characters, save-points, objects or different rooms and hallways, mini-menus come up on the screen allowing you to choose where to go or what to do.

Enemies such as ghosts cannot be seen and need to be scanned prior to being killed. In this case, you need to toggle out of the third-person view and into first person – again, this takes some real getting accustomed to. A Joker-like laugh indicates there?s an enemy in the room and suitably intensifies the atmosphere. The brief half-second scan, which can be done repeatedly as needed, can reveal an enemy?s weak spot. As Iwazaru suggests, “go for the gold” and your enemy will explode into a thousand drops of blood.

The graphics are crisp, cartoony cell shading, which works well with the game?s style. The use of sound is undeniably harmonic with Killer 7′s tone: ghosts who appear with no eyes speak in an unrecognizable yet devil-like whisper, dead-ends and clues are accompanied by sudden jolts that make you jump out of your seat and when blowing an enemy’s head off your character will curse with satisfaction.

When enemies are defeated blood is absorbed and divided automatically into thick and thin. By using the Harman rooms, which appear frequently, thick blood can be used for levelling-up while thin allows health restoration.

I?ll give credit to Capcom that all in all Killer 7 is fun to play once you get used to the controls but I find myself more entertained by the game?s utter obscurity than its game play. I still haven?t beat it – I?ve been taking it steady because it really freaks me out – but I hear it takes about twenty hours to finish. There?s no multiplayer mode so you?ll have to crap your pants by yourself.

Tags: Gamecube, Killer 7, ps2

Posted by andPOP Staff on August 3rd, 2005

This week I had the pleasure of renting Fantastic Four for PS2 (also available for Gamecube and Xbox). As a comic gamer it is essential that I had to watch the movie and essential that I had to play this game.

I?ve never been to big a fan of Fantastic Four but now I can certainly say with the utmost sincerity that thanks to both the movie and this game that?s not going to change any time soon.

Fantastic Four operates an awful lot like and looks an awful lot like X-men Legends to me – not too surprising since both were made by the good people at Activision. For the most part of this action adventure game you have the whole team ? Mr. Fantastic, the Human Torch, the Invisible Woman, and the Thing ? at your disposal and take control of one character at a time.

Each character can punch, kick, grab, block but depending on a character?s abilities he or sue will be stronger or weaker in certain areas. The Thing can pick up heavier objects whereas Mr. Fantastic can stretch to pick up objects from a distance for example. Each character also has upgradeable combos and upgradeable cosmic attacks.

There are times in the game when a specific character must be used in order to defeat special enemies or perform certain tasks. In these circumstances, a specifically coloured ?Four? indicates whom to use and you?ll have to move your character over and either repeatedly tap a button or rotate the analog stick. Other times you?ll move your character over and press one button to just watch them execute the move. For example, I recall a level in which after moving above one of these symbols the Thing would leap in the air, grab onto a balcony and you?d have to start tapping a button to make him rip the balcony down with an enemy along with it. But imagine if could cling on to anything and tear it down, smash through any wall, pick up any object, after all, the Thing is comparable to the Hulk, he?s a big, dumb, walking, talking, ugly bulldozer of a man made of rocks.

Fantastic Four pretty much mirrors the movie in terms of level-progression and story except a few sub-plots have been plugged in with enemies from the comic books such as the Mole Man for example. Fantastic Four is also packed full with movies and there are cameos from comic book characters such as Nick Fury, who interestingly enough appears in his Ultimate form.

To cut to the chase now, I think I can summarize the Fantastic Four video game in one word ? meh. For starters, I don?t know why game developers still insist on making cut-scenes where game models are used because it looks awful. It?s always a nice touch to have most of the actors from the movie doing the voices in the game but ho-boy does it look bad when you hear a voice and see a Thing model standing there opening and closing his mouth; ironically enough, in truth, this typifies the movie in terms of acting.

The graphics in general were just fine but I imagine the game looks smoother on Gamecube.

The game doesn?t take long to fire through in order to see the ending but at least there are plenty of things to unlock such as interviews with movie?s cast and levels. The co-op mode is actually a blast but it?s only two players?I mean, shouldn?t a game titled Fantastic Four allow I don?t know?four players?

As mentioned before this game feels an awful lot like X-men Legends but that game had the feel of something that developers took their time and put in some real effort to make. With the exception of Spider-man 2 and perhaps the Punisher, with games such as the Hulk, Wolverine?s Revenge, Batman Begins, and Catwoman, it?s getting downright obvious to the point that it?s insulting that these comic book movie games are getting slapped together in an effort to make sales off the movie hype.

I definitely don?t recommend buying this game before trying it but if you like Fantastic Four you might enjoy it.

Tags: Fantastic Four, Gamecube, ps2, xbox