According to a recent game trailer, the upcoming Mega Man 10 will include an all new easy mode that can be activated.

Great! Now maybe even mortals may finish the game with a few strands of hair still remaining on their heads.

A while back I did a write up on both of the systems strengths and weaknesses.  The final determination was that both systems were excellent choices and both had very comparable game libraries, even with exclusives factored in.  The only real issue is that one of the systems has a fail rate of 50% (which might be the worst of any mass marketed home electronic device ever).  Now it’s time to follow up that post with a deeper dive into the remainder of exclusives that have been released since I last touched on the subject.  Both companies have released AAA exclusives and one company came out far enough ahead that I can easily say it “won” the war on exclusive titles for the year.

The reason that I see exclusive titles as so important is because they are what is used (in most cases) to decide between systems.  Assuming that the 360 and PS3 multi-platform titles that are the same (for the most par they are, sans Ghostbusters and a few other misfits) then the exclusive library is going to be pretty important in picking a system.

As with the last post I am using MetaCritic for their scores.  It’s the most reliable site as it bases overall scores on dozens of professional review sites and does not factor in (very) biased user voting.  I am only including titles that rated 75 or above as anything below is considered average or there is potential for more mixed reviews.  I am going to split retail titles and PSN/Live Arcade titles into separate sections.  Click to read on:

Retail Titles Comparison:

I added the most current data into the spreadsheets that I had used previously.  Here is a link to view them (Overall Scores (Life of Systems); Average Scores by Year), I also have screen shots of the important parts throughout the post.

Now that all of the big games have come out I am able to average the scores of the companies exclusives released during 2009.  Somewhat to my surprise, the average score ended up closer that I thought it might.  Sony came out with an average score of 88 for this while MS came in a hair over 85.  I thought the quality of Sony’s titles would widen that gap a bit more than it did.

While the scores were closer than I expected on an average basis, there are some interesting items that I noticed while compiling the  data.  First off was the number of very good exclusives each system had released during the past year.  Sony had 8 while MS only had 5.  That’s a big difference when two companies have been as competitive as Sony and Microsoft.  The other item that would concern me if I was an X-Box owner is the somewhat large decline in quality of exclusive titles that MS is releasing.  I’ve color coated all scores 90 and above on the sheet listed above.  Sony has released 6 90+ rated titles since 2008.  MS only has 2.  With that in mind MS cannot make the argument in quality over quantity as they won the battle in neither department.  Sony has also had the highest rated titles over the past 2 years with Uncharted 2, LittleBigPlanet and Metal Gear Solid 4.

So taking all of that into account, it’s a pretty easy argument to make that Sony releases a lot of great, exclusive content for it’s system.  That, tied in with the $100 decrease in the system, has helped Sony out quite a bit since September and experts like Neil Patcher except the PS3 to win the Holiday season as well.

PSN/Live Arcade Exclusive Comparison:

This battle isn’t anywhere near as feirce as with retail titles given the fact that downloadable titles are not “system sellers” like Uncharted, Halo or Gran Turismo are.  That doesn’t mean there aren’t any quality titles, in fact it’s quite the opposite.  Both the Live Arcade and Playstation Network have had a handful of releases that were highly rated and well worth the money.  Some games also give a decent amount of replay value for their discounted prices.

Last time I looked at this, Live Arcade had the better overall library but was continuing the trend of rating decline year over year, similar to the reail titles MS was releasing.  Sony was keeping pace with MS during the first 3 quarters, so what happens as 2009 comes to a close?  For 2009 Sony looked to play the “quality over quantity” card and it appeared to work.  Sony’s download exclusives rating at 83.50 for the year while MS came in at 80.38.  Not a huge difference, but a difference none the less.  Based on the data I that I can make an argument in Microsoft’s favor.  MS released some excellent games with 9 rated at 80 or above with 3 titles getting 89’s.  MS is a victim of too much quantity with not enough quality.  The stuff at the top of their list is fantastic, but when you get to the bottom of the list there is too much stuff lumped in below 80 that it really pulls their overall score down.

Based on score alone, Sony won by 3 points which is a pretty wide margin when compared to many of the previous years.  Even with that, Live users can hang their hat on the fact that they had 3 top quality downloads while Sony’s best rated game was a former Live exclusive (Braid).  I’ll call this one a tie.  For the full spreadsheets, click here.

Overall Exclusive Library:

The win has to go to Sony here as their retail releases this year were great in number and rating.  MS had a really lite retail schedule this year and their downloadable titles are not good enough to make a case that they won the exclusivity battle in 2009.  I’ll remain diplomatic in saying both systems still have lots of good reasons to own them, but Sony walks away with the best exclusive game line up of the year.

The Future:

2010 is shaping up to be a very competitive year in the exclusive war.  Both companies are releasing games from their top IP’s (Sony with God of War/Gran Turismo and MS with Halo) and both companies have lots of other smaller exclusives to point to.  Sony, in the first quarter alone, should have released ModNation Racers, God of War III, MAG, Heavy Rain and Yakuza 3.  Gran Turismo was looking for a spring release but has been pushed back to summer.  Some other games to look forward to are Team ICO’s The Last Guardian and a possible Killzone sequel.  Rockstar should be ready to show of it’s PS3 exclsuive Agent sometime in the near future.

Microsoft doesn’t have as many names to throw out there, but they have one of the biggest in Halo.  They just released a trailer for the game and the hype machine is going to be nuts for that game.  MS also has Mass Effect 2, Alan Wake and the newest Splinter Cell game to call its own.  From what we know right now, MS needs to bring it with Halo Reach because Sony again has a very impressive outlook.  The bottom line is that all of this adds up to great games for gamers on either system.  2010 should be another great year for us nerds.

As you all know, I love lists. So you can imagine how much I love this time of year, when every critic, blogger, or dude with an internet connection capable of typing makes their “Best Of” lists for the past year. The holidays may be stressful, stupid and corporatized, but end of year lists are the bomb, and I love to join in on the fun. Over the next month I’ll be counting down my favorites in pop culture, starting with the thing I do most: play videogames. Other lists will include Top 10 Films of ‘09, Top 10 Songs & Albums of ‘09, and Best TV of ‘09. After that we’ll see some “Best of the Decade” lists as well. But let’s start with games, which I played quite a few of. I only own an Xbox 360 and didn’t get to play too many games on other platforms this year, so below you’ll find only my picks for the 360 and Xbox Live Arcade:

1. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Much has already been written about possibly the biggest game of all time, either of an intensely critical nature, or a celebratory one (i.e. “this game is awesome!!”). As this is #1 on my list I’m clearly here to talk about how awesome it is. But I would feel like an irresponsible blogger if I didn’t mention some of its faults first, as well as some of its more controversial moments. I’m talkin’ airport scene. You know, the one where you mow down countless unarmed civilians? Yeah. That one. When I popped in my game disc on November 10th, I was presented with a prompt that asked whether or not I wanted to skip upcoming scenes that could be deemed offensive. I took one second to think about this, then realized that nothing offends me. Neither did the airport scene, but I was shocked by the ridiculous level of violence it displayed. I was expecting my Russian terrorist boss to tell me what to do, give me some orders, but he says nothing. You just step off the elevator and before you know what’s happening your comrades are laying waste to a crowd of generic male and female character models. There’s some pretty harrowing moments, like when civilians try to drag their wounded loved ones to safety before being executed, and I spent the whole level with my mouth agape, almost not believing that a game had decided to push gratuitous violence to such a degree. I understood what Infinity Ward was trying to go for, but overall, it seemed kind of unnecessary.

The campaign, despite its disturbing disconnect from real life, is a stellar action experience. Never before, not even in the first Modern Warfare, had I truly felt as if I was playing an interactive action movie. MW2 does an amazing job of creating intuitive controls that mimic the actions of your Steven Seagal-esque hero, and basically creates an 8-10 hour montage of the best war film moments from the last 25 years. While it’s short, the climax- where you pull a knife out of your chest by repeatedly tapping the X button, then aim it at the villain’s face and throw it in his eye- is so satisfying that I didn’t really care. And besides, you didn’t get this game just for the campaign. You got it for the impeccable multiplayer, which basically takes all the best aspects of the first game and ratchets them up to 11. Titles, emblems, killstreak rewards- all are great additions and allow for a new level of customizability. The gun selection is far more impressive and you’re allowed to carry shotguns and machine pistols as secondary weapons, which is great. If I had one qualm, it’s the nature in which respawning works. The most frustrating thing that can happen to you in a team deathmatch is racking up a good killstreak, only to have one of the douchebags you just wasted respawn a couple meters behind you, seek you out, and stab you in the back. The knife is, in general, far too powerful, especially with the perk that allows you to stab someone while a good eight feet away from them, causing a bizarre character animation where your soldier moon-walks over to his victim before killing them with a single stab or slash. For a multiplayer experience that is über-realistic in every other regard, this feels awfully cheap, especially when you manage to shoot someone once or twice at point blank range, but don’t manage to kill them before they poke you with their magical knife. In real life, if I skimmed a dude’s stomach with a blast from my double-barreled shotgun while he was three feet away from me, his intestines would be hanging out and there would be no way he could follow up with a knife attack. But really, what is there to complain about? You can drop a nuke on people! Yay!!!

2. Assassin’s Creed II

I love AC2 for many of the same reasons as MW2, and it was a difficult decision picking one for the #1 spot. While AC2’s story is far superior, I figured MW2 deserved the top spot as I am playing it more than any game I’ve ever played before (except for Super Smash Bros Melee, of course). Like MW2, AC2 takes everything that was good about the first game and makes it better, while throwing away all the shitty parts that sucked (like the fact that you couldn’t swim). It also does an equally incredible job of making the experience feel like an interactive film, especially due to all the on-screen button prompts that appear during cutscenes (a la God of War and Resident Evil 4). There’s even a “smash the X button” minigame just like in MW2! Only this one calls for you to strangle someone.

While the monetary system, villa, Da Vinci’s flying machine and levels set in 2012 starring Desmond are all great additions, the real standout here is the combat, and the bevy of weapons at Ezio’s disposal. Combat was fun in AC1, but often grew repetitive, and AC2 eliminates that by providing you with a ridiculous amount of weapons, each with unique counter animations, as well as the ability to disarm an enemy then slay him with his own weapon. This is both an improvement and a detractor. It makes the game more fun, but it also dampens the stealth elements. There’s obviously still stealth involved, including an awesome notoriety system, but combat is so fluid and rewarding that nine times out of ten you’ll find yourself taking on ten guys single-handedly rather than hire some prostitutes to lure them away.

The story is more cinematic and engrossing than AC1, but in terms of plot, I think they’re both equal, just different. Altaïr, the protagonist of AC1, is born an Assassin, and is living in the time period when the organization was first founded. His journey is far different from Ezio’s, who starts out as a rambunctious teenager with no knowledge of his father’s secret double-life, then, over the course of 40 years, turns into the most badass assassin of all time, while uncovering secrets about his ancestry and what happened to Altaïr after the end of AC1. The game ends in a big reveal as to the nature of the series’ mythology, which while not stupid per-se, did feel sort of rushed and anticlimactic. Without giving too much away, let’s just say that the Assassin’s Creed series is actually just Roland Emmerich’s 2012 in disguise. But two hidden blades man… how can you pass that up?

3. Batman: Arkham Asylum

Licensed games almost always suck, but Rocksteady Games set out to prove the stigma wrong and did so wondrously. I played a Batman game before on the Gamecube, Batman Vengeance, based on the Batman animated series, and while it too featured the voices of Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy, it fails to measure up in nearly every regard. Arkham Asylum is true to the source material and a great game to boot. The free-flow combat mechanic is intuitive, engaging and addictive, and the gadgets are cool yet unobtrusive. The story was as good as some of the best Batman yarns, and the voice acting was stellar. I was very pleasantly surprised by this game and am thrilled to hear about the upcoming sequel. Frankly, Arkham Asylum puts practically every licensed game out there to shame. There simply isn’t another one like it.

4. Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony

Rock Star’s downloadable episodes for the newest entry in the Grand Theft Auto series redefined what it means to be DLC. For just a meager $20 Xbox owners were treated to two standalone expansions that feature more content than many full-priced games. While the story and protagonist of The Lost and Damned were slightly more compelling, the host of new features in TBOGT and the way in which the game acted as a throwback to earlier titles like San Andreas give it the edge. In addition to the ridiculous new weapons- an automatic shotgun with explosive rounds based on the AA-12 (also featured in Modern Warfare 2), an LMG akin to the M249 SAW, an SMG along the lines of the P90 and a gold-plated Uzi- TBOGT also features base-jumping and parachutes, an APC with a cannon, and yes, a gold-plated attack helicopter covered in miniguns and rockets. The missions were more action-packed and explosive than ever, and the writing just as sharp. I was impressed by how well homosexuality was handled in the game, especially considering it’s a GTA title. In particular, the character of Gay Tony was very well done. He was clearly gay but not in an over-the-top and potentially stereotypical way. Tony’s a businessman, so he’s forced to keep his sexuality on the down-low, which made for a more nuanced personality, as opposed to Niko Bellic’s gay friend. Like MW2, this game’s ending is pretty badass: you shoot a dude in the head then jump out of a plane moments before it explodes. Baller.

5. Halo 3: ODST

Up until the reviews started coming in I was morally opposed to ODST. It came off like an overpriced expansion pack that didn’t even advance the Halo storyline. Thankfully, it’s a lot more than that, and ends up being one of the best titles in the series, and perhaps even better than Halo 3 itself. The pros? The campaign is stellar and much more interesting than Halo 3’s. You get to play as multiple characters and the flashback mechanic is a neat way to tell a story. Even better, the game once again features the voices of 33% of the Firefly cast: Nathan Fillion, Alan Tudyk and Adam Baldwin, only now they’re not just the voices of the marines accompanying the Chief, but actually characters. Plus, Tricia Helfer’s in the cast, and both her and Nathan Fillion’s character models look like them! Isn’t that cute?

Firefight is a blast to play, although the lack of matchmaking is a bummer for someone like me who doesn’t have that many friends on Xbox Live. Like TBOGT, ODST seemed like a throwback to the original Halo, thanks to a less superhuman protagonist and the return of the unstoppable pistol. Despite the brief length of the campaign, the only other con is the lack of new multiplayer content. Bungie almost makes up for this though by shipping the game with a bonus disc that includes the entire Halo 3 multiplayer experience, including all the maps. That was a good move, because otherwise this would not have been worth the $59.99 price tag.

6. Brütal Legend

Tim Schafer continues to produce some of the funniest and most imaginative games on the market, and Brütal Legend is no exception. As well as being the most hilarious game of the year, this is also the first time I’ve felt someone has successfully brought the RTS experience to the console. I played the demo for Halo Wars, which seemed like a valiant effort, but it was still too traditional. Brütal Legend combines combo-centric beat ‘em up style gameplay with real time strategy, to awesome effect. It also got me obsessed with heavy metal. If a game can be both enjoyable and introduce you to new music, then, well… it must be doing something right.

7. Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned

TLAD showed a side of Liberty City we’d never seen before: the Bikers. It also featured one of the series’ less sociopathic protagonists, some neat yet understated RPG elements involving ranking up your biker squad, and some sweet new weapons like the Striker shotgun and grenade launcher. While the Striker isn’t as badass as the AA-12, it is very good at blowing up cars, and is the centerpiece in the game’s final mission, which has you shooting at helicopters on the back of a motorcycle. Again, at twenty bucks, this add-on is a sweet deal, and fits into the plot just like Gay Tony does. In fact, all three GTA IV stories involve the diamond heist, sort of the nexus for the three characters’ plot lines.

8. Resident Evil 5

At first, I was disappointed by this game. On the surface, it seemed more or less like RE4 with improved graphics and co-op, and had both a campaign that was slightly shorter, and surprisingly less gore than the last title. I enjoyed co-op, but it didn’t feel quite as revolutionary as RE4, and it also felt as if the series had transitioned entirely from the survival horror genre to the action genre. With the reduced violence and locales set primarily under the hot African sun, the gloom and suspense had been all but lost. But the more I played the game, particularly the arcade-style Mercenaries section, the more it grew on me. A system update provided the game with new weapons and improved kill animations, returning just a hint of the horror aura, but in the long run, I grew to accept that the Resident Evil series had evolved into something new and different. If I still wanted to have the poop scared out of me I could play Dead Space- Resident Evil was all about blowing shit up now.

Granted, there’s still some pretty horrific monsters and harrowing moments, although the plot is as convoluted and contrived as ever. Mercenaries mode is really what draws me. There is a competitive DLC mode called Versus, but I find the game’s engine isn’t really designed for firefights between human-controlled characters. The bottom line is, if you’re an RE fan and were a fan of RE4, then you’ll enjoy this game. It streamlines the 3rd person shooter mechanic ever so slightly, while adding more variety and more intense Mercenaries matches.

9. The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition

Technically this game came out almost 20 years ago, but the revamped special edition is so great it deserves a spot on this list. While the improved graphics are really only a cosmetic improvement, the voice acting and orchestral score add an entirely new level of depth to the title. Dominic Armato was born to play Guybrush Threepwood, and he brings the same sarcastic wit to this remake as he did to games 3-5. Lines that were previously very funny just to read are now hilarious thanks to Armato’s work. A must-have for fans of the series, or Lucasarts point-and-click adventure games in general.

10. ‘Splosion Man

I only got to play the demo of this Xbox Live Arcade title, but it was a blast (mind the pun). Conceptually, this is a very unique side-scrolling platformer, which puts you in control of a science experiment gone wrong- a man who can make himself explode, killing hapless scientists and propelling him dozens of feet in the air. I enjoy the darkly morbid humor of the game, like the way enemies burst into pieces of meat when you kill them, or the weird giggly noises ‘Splosion Man makes. If I ever get a job and/or money, I’ll be sure to download the full version.

Obviously, this is just a taste of the amazing games that were released this year. If I could have, I would have played Borderlands, DJ Hero, Dragon Age: Origins, Left 4 Dead 2, Scribblenauts, Shadow Complex & Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. 2010 looks to be an even bigger year for games. Titles I’m excited for include Alan Wake, Aliens vs. Predator, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Bioshock 2, Dante’s Inferno, Dead Rising 2, Fable III, Fallout: New Vegas, Halo: Reach, I Am Alive, Lost Planet 2, Mass Efect 2, Max Payne 3, Medal of Honor, Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, Red Dead Redemption, Singularity, Spec Ops: The Line, Starcraft II, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction, and Microsoft’s new motion camera peripheral, Project Natal.

Remember how awesome Puzzle Quest was?  Not the lame Galactrix, but the awesome Challenge of the Warlords.  The blend of puzzles and RPG made for the most addictive Live Arcade game ever. 

The only way it would have gotten any better is if Pop Cap (Bejeweled) were to do the puzzle portion.  Or if Square Enix (Final Fantasy) did the RPG portion… 

Enter Gyromancer and exit social life.

The game that took Xbov Live Arcade by storm and received nothing but praise, Braid, will be arriving on the North American PlayStation Network later this month. The 12th of November to be specific. No word on a price or a European PSN date but expect information about them to be released soon.

Addiction is rarely a good thing, but there’s no greater compliment you can pay a puzzle game than by calling it addictive. So it’s by no means a bad thing that we’re caling Tower Bloxx Deluxe an addictive puzzle game. Developed by Digital Chocolate, and available now through XBox Live Arcade, the game has been available in a number of formats (including for mobile phones and flash-based games), though this is the first fully-fledged console outing. On paper, it’s simple, deceptively so, a multi-dimensional block-stacking game that sounds like it should be easier than Tetris but, in reality, it’s a lot more complex.

In the game, you take control of a city planner with the goal of building tower blocks  (as the name suggests) which are formed by dropping single blocks one by one on top of each other using a crane. The trickery with the game arises from the fact that the blocks themselves will swing from the crane’s cable, a movement that is complicated by the fact that the tower itself will also sway once it reaches a certain height, or if not built totally straight. Points are earned by stacking more and more blocks (which encourages inhabitants to move into the tower, swooping in my umbrella) with bonuses earned for perfectly stacking sequential blocks, a feat that is much more difficult than it sounds.

The premise is simple, but as with the best puzzle games, it’s this simple premise that makes Tower Bloxx Deluxe so addictive. There are different types of blocks and towers (for example, the blue cubes are a lot easier to stack than their red counterparts, a similar shape but with rounded edges) so although the gameplay remains similar throughout, there are small subtle changes to keep players on their toes.

There are also three different game types to Tower Bloxx Deluxe: quick play, with the goal of building as high a tower as possible without dropping more than two pieces; timed mode, with the goal to reach a certain (and ever-increasing height) within a certain time period; and build mode, where your goal is to fill the city with different types of towers, with the added complication that new towers can only be built beside another tower of a certain colour or height.

Having played Tower Bloxx Deluxe on the XBox 360, it’s little surprise that this is a game which has found itself onto mobile phones, easily proving as addictive as Tetris or the holy grail of mobile gaming, Snake. The simple gameplay won’t appeal to all gamers (certainly, those of you who didn’t grow up on the aforementioned games will find this offering somewhat lacking) but if you remember how they made them in the olden days, then Tower Bloxx Deluxe will be an appropriate, and wholly enjoyable, spend of your Microsoft Points and may even have you spending a lot more time with it than you expected.

Zombie Rating: B

Tower Bloxx Deluxe is available now for download through XBox Live Arcade.

Critics of GTA IV argued that it was too firmly grounded in reality, a label which came at the cost of less outrageous missions. Gay Tony opts out of that restriction, featuring a wealth of insane stuff for you to do. Helicopters, parachutes, bodies falling out of the sky, whatever; Gay Tony throws GTA into overdrive and is perfectly comfortable with leaving it there for the whole ride. Unsurprisingly, the story does well to deliver outrageous personalities that never fail to entertain and, for once, presents a gay character who’s more complex than his latent sexual preference. In the end, The Ballad of Gay Tony serves as a cork popping celebration for Grand Theft Auto IV, and I couldn’t think of a better send off.

Read my full review over at Digital Chumps!

While Axel & Pixel might be designed for younger players, it’s not hard to like if you happen to escape said demographic. The point and click elements are arbitrary and easy, but the setting is endearing, and the whole thing charming enough to pull off clever nostalgic vibe. Axel & Pixel may be short, but it grants a feeling not often found in Live Arcade titles; when was the last time you pressed all way through a game because of its charm?

Read my full review over at Digital Chumps!

Durante la giornata di domani saranno rilasciati 2 nuovi LIVE ARCADE. Si tratta del secondo episodio di Sam e Max e del nuovo punta e clicca Axel & Pixel.  Potranno essere acquistati nella loro versione completa per 800Mp e 1600 Mp.

Durante la giornata di oggi Konami ha annunciato lo sviluppo di un nuovo arcade si tratta di Rocket Knight Adventures , remake di un platform uscito su Mega Drive e Super Nintendo nel lontano 1993.

Il secondo arcade annunciato è Magika dove vestiremo i panni di un cavaliere nero che avrà il compito di sconfiggere i nemici con spade e poteri magici. Il gioco dispone di una modalità cooperativa fino a 4 giocatori.

L’uscita di entrambi i titoli è prevista nel 2010.

Zombie Apocalypse is a lot like pancakes. They’re great when you first get them, but after four or five you start to feel a bit nauseous and shudder at the idea of ever eating more. Zombie Apocalypse plays out in a similar manner; it’s good fun for a half hour, but then the game force feeds you the same content for whatever time you continue to invest in the game. Not exactly my idea of fun.

Read my full review over at Digital Chumps!

Finally some has dared to step up to the Puzzle Quest challenge.  I’m not talking about the weak space opera version, but the original Challenge of the Warlords PQ.  Who has the chutzpah to do such a thing?  2 compaines: Square Enix and Pop Cap. 

I am standing in a cyber line for the XBLA game now.

Developed by Chair Entertainment and Epic Games, Shadow Complex brings about some much hyped adventuring in the vein of the Castlevania and Metroid franchises.

The story takes place in the world of Orson Scott Card’s book Empire, and is a companion to the soon to be released sequel, Hidden Empire. You play as Jason Flemming, some guy out hiking in the mountains with a girl he met at the bar. She goes on ahead and gets captured by some members of the “Progressive Restoration” who assume she is a spy. This leaves Jason alone to save her, and eventually stop this secret militant group from plunging the United States into another civil war. Throughout, the story is told through overheard conversations between soldiers, as well as a few short cutscenes.

Starting with a measly, yet endlessly useful, flashlight you’ll collect many weapons, armor, and items along the way just like any game in this style. You’ll be heftily rewarded for exploration, with achievement points, experience to gain more accuracy, and other bonuses. The flashlight will aid in exploration by causing objects to glow a certain color to indicate what weapon will have an effect. Think x-ray scope in Super Metroid. Unfortunately the camera angle at a couple spots prohibits you from being able to see the object in question, but this is so seldom it’s inconsequential.

The controls are very good with some minor issues. First, aiming into the background takes a lot of getting used to, which is understandable since I don’t believe I’ve seen anything like than done before. While understandable, it’s quite annoying to be getting shot repeatedly by one guy while you can’t get a shot lined up. Fortunately, the increases in accuracy from level ups will help smooth this over. Secondly, I noticed there was a little bit of wonkiness with ledge grabs. Once you gain double and triple jump abilities, sometimes the additional jumps weren’t responsive.

Combat is solid aside from the aforementioned 3d aspect, although there’s only a few types of enemies, and very little to speak of when it comes to bosses which is a big let down to me. Some large mechanical enemies have life bars, but most are easily dealt with and since most appear in other areas I hesitate to give them the title, “boss”.

Shadow Complex is very sparse with music using it only to accent certain areas, but it always tends to fit just right. Nothing mind blowing, but very well fitting to the mood, and the graphics running on the Unreal Engine are top- notch.

In addition to the campaign, there are three challenge map packs. For the most part, I was unmoved by these, playing them only for the achievements. They weren’t bad by any means, but while playing them I just wish they were built into the map somehow. It would have been far more satisfying if the tougher challenge rooms had some item behind them, even if that item didn’t do anything. It just would have been nicer than running around in the white rooms with a mannequin.

While it may not be perfect, Shadow Complex certainly outshines some of the more recent games of its kind. Despite the controversy of recent 360 Live Arcade price increases, this is another one that can be put into the “Worth $15” category. 4.5/5

Five games; five weeks; one console; and a hell of a lot of Microsoft Points.  That’s the idea behind this year’s Summer of Arcade, a mini-festival of sorts with five games being released for download through the XBox Live Arcade. Some of these are classics, like Marvel vs Capcom 2 and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time and others are original, and exclusive to the console and the network, including Trials HD, ‘Splosion Man and the most recent release, Shadow Complex.

We’ve already had a look at Marvel vs Capcom 2 upon release a few weeks back as part of the Flashback Feature series, but having played all of the games, we thought we’d run through all five in a retrospective and see just who came out on top in the Summer Of Arcade.

The interestingly-titled ‘Splosion Man was the first of the games to be released. Developed by Twisted Pixel Games, it’s quite a simple 2D platformer, where the whole point is to…well, ’splode. For vowel fans who haven’t quite figured out what that means, the apostrophe stands for a missing e…and an x too.

Playing a scientific experiment, you take control of the ’splosion Man of the title, a cute, flaming little man (he’s on fire, before you read too much into that) whose sole power is to explode, what in any other game would be a jump. Three jumps can be strung together and exploding near a variety of devices will extend the jump past a variety of obstacles, including lasers, moving platforms and angry scientists.

The game is both cute and irreverent: ’splosion man has a tendency to talk in nonsense sounds, and on the rare occasions that he gets a clear run in a straight line, puts his arms out and makes an airplane noise. He also enjoys blowing up overweight scientists while they sing a song about loving donuts…it really needs to be experienced to be understood.

The levels themselves are adrenaline-driven and fast moving: as with many platforming games, it’s all about perfectly timing your jumps, which isn’t as simple as it sounds, but there’s enough variety in each to keep the fifty levels of gameplay fresh throughout, and even if things get too frustrating, you can skip ahead (once you’re prepared to don a nifty tutu for the rest of the game.) With a serious replayable factor, ‘Splosion Man gets a very impressive Zombie Rating of an A.

Marvel vs Capcom 2 provides an interesting spin on the standard fighting game, pitting characters from Capcom games against others from Marvel comics (really, who’d have thought the name of the game would actually indicate what happens in it?) You can check out the original article (link above) for an in-depth look at the game but it’s a standard button-basher with some strategic elements thrown in (like deciding which character to play as, and who to keep in reserve.)

The game is a fan’s dream come true for many a comic-book nerd or old-school gamer, but gamers who’ve come to the genre and practiced with 3D fighters might find Marvel vs Capcom 2 a little bit too old-fashioned for them. Nevertheless, enjoyable gameplay and all the fun that you usually get from a beat-em-up game earns it a B+.

Although the classic 80s/90s cartoon was known under different names in different markets (with some channels unwilling to show a cartoon containing the word ‘ninja,’ preferring to call them ‘hero’), the franchise retains its traditional name for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time Re-Shelled. The game is an update of the title released on the SNES and in arcades in 1992, with completely new graphics and improved gameplay.

Unfortunately, some improved graphics and a lot of good will from players of the original game are all that Turtles In Time has going for it, and it is easily the weakest offering of the Summer of Arcade, certainly the least worthwhile in terms of points spent. While each of the four turtles plays differently with different weapons, there isn’t enough difference between them to help this side-scrolling brawler stand out from the crowd, and a surprising amount of the action ends up taking place at the edges of the screens. A multi-player campaign through the game’s arcade mode took a paltry thirty minutes to complete without too much trouble, getting the game a suitably unimpressive C-.

On the other hand, Trials HD takes an old-fashioned game and updates it for a new audience successfully, greatly reminiscent of the BMX levels from classic 8-bit California Games or the early Tony Hawk Pro-Skater games. Hopping on your motorbike, the game expects you to negotiate your way across ramps and loops, maintaining the right speed to make it over those all-important jumps while balancing just right to land safely on the other side. The game is based on the popular Trials series, available as PC download and a variety of flash games, and in many way, Trials HD plays in a very simple fashion, but with amazing graphics and the HD that the title suggests.

The physics of Trials HD remains realistic, and actually add to the game’s entertainment value: players will be on the edge of their seats for every jump, just hoping that the bike lands just right, but the more masochistic can look forward to the end of each level, where the driver will face a bone-crunching demise after passing the finish line. There’s a competitive aspect to the game, with an ever-present reminder at the top of the screen just where players on your friends list are on the same level, and three medals to achieve in each. Don’t expect the game to be boring, however, as there’s constantly new bikes to try, each with their own speed and their own sense of balance, and some of the later levels play like ridiculous stunts best reserved for a John Woo film. It all comes together to earn the game a very respectably B+.

But easiest the best game of the Summer Of Arcade is Shadow Complex from Epic Games, the same studios behind the Gears Of Wars games. The game is yet another 2D platformer/action-game with surprising depth, and we mean that literally; the game allows the player to shoot into the background, attacking storm-trooper like troops who can’t be killed any other way. The shadow complex of the title is a vast facility extending both under-and-overground, with an unlockable suit that grants special abilities to explore the rest of the facility.

The game is a conscious homage to some more vintage games, specifically Super Metroid and even Donkey Kong (there’s a kidnapped girlfriend, what more can you expect!) The game may prove frustrating for some, with the vast level requiring quite a bit of backtracking, and many doors remaining closed until you’re received the perfect upgrade, but there are also many shortcuts that can be found to make life easier. The game will be quite simple to play for established gamers, but provides a surprisingly classic feel in an all-new package and, unlike some of the other games, specifically those that have been remastered for download, doesn’t leave you wanting or expecting something more. Depending on how in-depth you play, the game can be cleared in four or five hours, but to unlock the full story, and the full suit, expect to be playing for closer to ten. The upgradable nature of the game’s abilities and the suit makes the game very replayable and Shadow Complex easily comes off as the best offering of the Summer Of Arcade with an A+, leaving us wanting a full game in the franchise.

Summer Of Arcade Rundown

‘Splosion Man: A

Marvel vs Capcom 2: B+

TMNT: Turtles In Time Re-Shelled: C-

Trials HD: B+

Shadow Complex: A+

Introduction

One of the most highly anticipated games this summer has been Shadow Complex.  Part of XBLA’s Summer of Arcade 2009, Shadow Complex has been hailed as a game that “reset(s) the bar for what we can expect from an Xbox Live Arcade title” (Kotaku).  It has also been called “one of the best gaming experiences of this generation” (CAG) and “one of the best games yet in 2009.” (IGN)  Whenever a game gets this kind of press, my BS radar goes off.  Things are always “the best” until next week, just like stores have “the lowest price ever” until next week’s sale.  So does Shadow Complex live up to the hype?

Gameplay

Shadow Complex begins rather unconventionally.  You start as an unknown agent in a super-powerful weapon/armor suit, who disobeys his orders and attempts in vain to protect the vice president before being subdued.  The setting shifts to the forest, where Jason Flemming and his girlfriend Claire are hiking through the woods.  You come across an underground complex where Claire gets captured, and you (as Jason) must save her and solve the mystery of what’s going on at this complex.

The game has been described as 2.5D Metroidvania, which is an apt description.  In the style of Metroid or Castlevania, the game is largely a side scrolling action platformer.  Speed running, wall jumping, powerups, hidden areas, room-by-room map… Shadow Complex has them all.  You start as basic as you can get, with a simple jump and a flashlight.  You quickly find Claire’s backback and begin collecting items and abilities.

In typical fashion, as you progress you can more abilities, which in turn opens up previously unaccessible areas.  A boost upgrade will let you jump to a higher level than you could get to previously.  A hook lets you grab onto vertical surfaces or swing across ceilings. And the flashlight is your greatest asset, as it makes finding secret areas easier than bombing every surface or swiping at every wall.  When it shines over a secret wall or vent or door, the object’s surface lights up a certain color depending on what you need to get through it.  Yellow items can be shot, green require grenades, purple use foam, red for missles, and blue for hyperspeed.  At first I thought this was a bit gimicky and a bit of needless hand-holding, but it soon became natural and a welcome change to the old style guessing game.

As your character levels up, your stamina becomes greater and your accuracy more precise.  You gradually gain the ability to use grenades or missiles, etc, and by finding those items hidden throughout the map, you increase the quantity you can carry.  Health and armor powerups raise both of those stats.  You gain access to a power suit such as you saw at the beginning of the game, and can get upgrades for it.  Finding all the passkeys scattered throughout the map gains you access to the ultimate suit upgrade.  You can also find gold bars, and finding them all gives you access to gold versions of all your guns.  Special shoes will let you walk on walls and ceilings, and a scuba device will let you swim underwater with unlimited air.

For stat lovers and completionists, this game is a dream.  The game will even compare your stats with those on your firends list during play, which is pretty cool.  The Proving Grounds extra has leaderboards for every level, so you can compete for the best score.

If anything fails in the game, it’s the 2.5D aspect.  While the game is mostly in a 2D plane, there are occasions when enemies appear within the depth of the field.  The game compensates by auto-targetting, but it’s not always very good, and I’m not sure it brought all that much to the table.  It does bring some depth to the game, though, and the visuals are gorgeous.

I did experience one in-game glitch.  Near the beginning, there’s a cutscene that plays when you reach one room, showing Claire being interrogated by her kidnappers.  When I got to the room, the cutscene never triggered.  I obviously didn’t know there should be a cutscene there, and the glitch left me wandering around a relatively small map area trying to figure out what to do next.  I finally left the couch and went over to the computer and found a video of the first part of the game, and saw that there was a cutscene there that wasn’t working for me.  I restarted from the last save room and when to that area again, and the cutscene played out and I could continue.  I’ve read of similar small glitches that might indicate that the game could have been a little more polished.

Extras

There is quite a bit of replayability with Shadow Complex.  Once you finish the campaign, you can go back and play it again, losing all your items but retaining your character’s level.  There are achievements for leveling your character to 50, and for progressing through the campaign with less than 13% of the items.  It’s also said you can get through it with only 4% of the items by finding secrets that “break” the game and allow you access to things before you should be able to get them.  Also, Proving Grounds is a separate series of challenge levels you can play through, for those who enjoy the frustration and just can’t get enough.

The Controversy

There is a huge online debate brewing with regards to the game and novelist Orson Scott Card.  Orson Scott Card is widely known for his Ender’s Game novels, and the game is loosely based on Card’s novel entitled Empire.  Orson Scott Card is also known for his anti-gay-rights stance.  A devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-Day Saints, Card hold’s to their belief that homosexuality is a sin, and he’s not shy to say so.

Since the game is based on his novel, and he stands to profit by an sales from it, some people have chosen to boycott the game and not purchase it, and much has been written about it online.   I shy away from politicizing my website, because no matter what stance you take, the chances are you alienated half of your potential readership.  Unless you are a political blog or something and that’s your goal, I tend to think it’s a bad idea.  But I have a few thoughts with regards to this controversy and Shadow Complex.

I purposefully avoided mentioning until this section that the game was based on an Orson Scott Card novel.  Many articles and reviews start off with this fact, but the truth of the matter is that, were it not mentioned in the last paragraph of text at the end of the credit roll after completing the game, I would never have known it by playing the game.  It’s not called “Orson Scott Card’s Shadow Complex” or anything like that.  And while I have not read the novel Empire, the synopses I’ve seen would seem to indicate that the story is very loosely based on it.    There is no real agenda being pushed by the game, and no anti-gay sentiments in the game.  If there were, I might be inclined to participate in the boycott.  But there isn’t.  The game’s script wasn’t even written by Card (it was by Star Trek novelist and comic book writer Peter David).  If the game were based on a story by a different novelist, there would be nothing in the game to make a controversy around.

And as much as Orson Scott Card stands to benefit from sales of the game, so too do the dozens of employees of Chair Entertainment who made a fabulous game.  I would say that number of people that stand to benefit from the game outweighs Orson Scott Card’s benefit.  In the end, it’s every gamer’s right to decide what to buy and not buy, for whatever reason they choose.  And it’s also Orson Scott Card’s right to express his political and religious beliefs.

Conclusion

I usually take my time with these types of games, as the completest in me wants to explore every nook and cranny, find every item and get every powerup.  I finished the game in a whoppingly slow 13 hours 48 minutes 7 seconds.  But I finished it with 100% of items found, which took some time.   (I used this Shadow Complex Map I found online for a couple of the trickier items.)   I was level 20 and scored a total of 6,153,635 points.

I found Shadow Complex to be an excellent game.  The graphics and presentation were as good as if not better than most XBLA titles.  The gameplay was in-depth, and with the style of the Metroids and Castlevania, just plain addictively fun.  It’s well worth $15… I’d say it could easily have gotten twice that as a disc-based release.  Reminds me a little of Portal, in that it’s a little game that captures the hearts of the gamers over the big titles.  One of the best XBLA games?  Yes.  One of the best games I’ve played this year?  Yes.

…the Dude is online. And it is glorious. As of Tuesday I’m rockin’ 8mbs and got the PS3 and XB360 all juiced up. Man, it’s insane to think what I’ve been missing. Mostly in the form of demos. I’ve downloaded and played something like 15 demos in 3 days. A bunch of PSN titles I’ve been salivating over–Savage Moon, Pixel Junk Monsters, Fat Princess, Crash Commando, Super Stardust HD–and upcoming titles like Batman: Arkham Asylum, Lost Planet 2 and Mini Ninjas. I’ll save a stand alone sentence for Shadow Complex, an exclusive Live Arcade game from Epic, based on an Orsen Scott Card novel, that rocked my socks last night. And I can’t forget an older arcade title that I’ve fallen for, Age of Booty by Capcom. And shit, Castle Crashers!

Man, my wallet is gonna be a-hurtin’ after all this. But on to specifics.

Last night was the release of the 360 timed-exclusive demo Lost Planet 2 from Capcom. Three friends and I got all up in it last night and it did not disappoint. It still looks and plays like the original Lost Planet, which I think is a good thing. It’s a 3rd person shooter, but still has a few Japanese developer quirks in the control scheme like a 45 degree angle quick-turn, something you don’t see in American-developed 3PSs, which serves to separate it from the generic titles that are plentiful these days. The demo pits you against a massive 6-legged worm/salamander-like beast that dives in and out of a deep pool of water in a steep-walled canyon. V-Suits (aka ‘Mechs’), grenades and a healthy array of large gun types litter the area. And from there it’s typical Lost Planet gameplay. Shoot the orange glowing parts that cover the monster’s body. What’s awesome though is that you just don’t whittle down the health bar. The bosses are sort of puzzle-based like Shadow of the Colossus. The demo monster requires you to take out the legs so that the beast falls to the ground. Then you blast open its mouth defenses and use your grappling hook to enter the thing, working your way around its innards to find its vitals and blast away. But watch out, huge insects try to stop you and you might get sucked down into the bowls and excreted, if you know what I mean. Overall, the game was frantic. At first a little too much, but I chalk it up to getting the controls down. Though the monster encounter was sweet, from the vids I’ve seen, the teamwork required to take out squads of human targets looks equally engaging. Graphically, it was gorgeous, the scale was incredible (I froze in may tracks as I found myself directly under the beast, no clue what to do), and there was nary a frame-rate issue. With this demo it’s obvious that Lost Planet 2 is gonna be a heavyweight for the early part of next year. If you’ve got some friends on the 360, get that demo and get with it.

Next, Shadow Complex. This 360 exclusive is coming from Epic, makers of Gears of War. It won lots of praise at E3 this year and from the demo it’s easy to see why. Touted as a game inspired by and to even play like Super Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, it has a lot to live up to. From the onset it’s obvious this gorgeous side-scroller wasn’t throwing around their inspirations for hype. The environments have a great depth to them that makes you forget you’re playing a side-scroller. The main character controls like a dream as well, very reminiscent of the likes of Samus and Alucard. And just like said games there’s a strong exploration element with alternate routes, hidden items, power-ups, etc. I myself am not familiar with the source material, Orson Scott Card’s novel of the same name, but I am familiar with his other series of Ender. It’s safe to say that the story will be very good and not just a backdrop for stellar gameplay. Shadow Complex is out now. Grab some Microsoft Points and download it. Now!

Lastly, I wanted to comment on Mini Ninjas. This upcoming title is courtesy IO Interactive, makers of the Hitman series, Kane & Lynch and Freedom Fighters. I absolutely loved K&L and Freedom, so IO is up there on my list of favorite developers. From their track record it’s plain to see that their latest IP is a departure from the normal gritty, gunplay-driven games and I admire a developer who takes a chance, branches out and does something new. I wish I could stay positive about the game, but I can’t help but think Mini Ninjas will get lost in the fold, simply because it is such a departure. In case you don’t have a clue what I’m talking about, lend me your ear. Mini Ninjas is what it sounds, a light-hearted story of, for lack of better term, cute, cartoon ninjas. It has a heavy animated style with a bright color pallete and no blood or death; similar looking games of late feature bloody explosions (Castle Crashers, Fat Princess) and ultra-violence, but MNs carries its E Rating with pride. Whether that’ll help or hinder, judging from popular trend, I can’t help but assume the negative. I hope it works out the other way because from the demo alone this game is ready to position itself as one of the best platformers of this generation. Honestly, there’s quite a bit to the demo. Tons of items, several combat situations, a sweet, SWEET river rafting segment (that they obviously “borrowed” from Brave: Search for Spirit Dancer, which is a good thing), access to 3 different ninjas and a great montage of what’s to come in the full version. If you have any love for ninjas, play this game. If you have any love for the platformers of last generation, play this game. If you can appreciate a good video game that doesn’t conform to marketing trends, play this game and give IO Interactive some support for stepping so boldly out of their comfort zone.

Well, that’s about enough for now. Gotta get back to it. Feed me!

Today is the day for some great gameplay!  3 things hit the Xbox Live Marketplace today, and they are all worth checking out.

Lost Planet 2 Co-op Demo – The first time I played the original Lost Planet, I panned it as crap.  About 6 months later, I found the collector’s edition for around $15 and figured I would give it another shot.  I looked around the settings and found my problem (it was all about the aiming/turning mechanic, the default is horrible).  After that, I loved the game, so I have been looking forward to LP2.  The fact that this is a co-op demo is even better!

Mini-Ninjas Demo – Who doesn’t like ninjas?  Now, admittedly, this game does not have me excited as the other 2 on this list, but it looks like a fun hack and slash game that I could play with my 2 boys.  At least worth checking the demo out.

Shadow Complex – Ahhhh, the Epic/Chair Ent. game that has been so hyped since E3.  I was a little iffy on this one at first.  It looked cool, but they kept comparing it to Metroid and Castlevania, and I don’t know that any game can live up to that hype.  As it is, though, with all the recent reviews and gameplay videos of this game, I am clinched on playing the trial, and 90% on buying it.  If I buy it tonight, I will have our review up this week.

Unbelievable that The Lil’ Nintendo Buster That Could is turning 20 this year–although If I’m not mistaken, the hardware itself already has, as the MegaDrive launched in Japan in November 1988. But I digress.

Three days ago I got my regular Sega.com Press Release in my inbox. As much of a Sega fan as I have been, I usually ignore these (which would account for the three-day lapse between getting it and reading it). But this particular semi-spam has a fun twist:

Genesis is such a big toy now!

Vote for the next SEGA Genesis XBLA Game!http://www.genesispoll.com/

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the SEGA Genesis, we’re putting the power back in the fans’ hands and letting you determine the next title we’ll release on Xbox LIVE Arcade!

Just pick from the Genesis classics below and cast your vote between August 14th and August 21st – and remember, you can come back everyday and check on how your favorite game is faring and cast another vote to help push it over the top, or get your friends to stuff the ballot in favor of any one of these landmark titles.

Then be sure to return to genesispoll.com on Saturday, August 22, 2009, to see which title the fans chose to see on XBLA as part of this 20th anniversary celebration! Remember GENESIS DOES!

SEGA is committed to celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Genesis. Stay tuned for more exciting information down the road!

Till then, please join our community and celebrate with us! http://blogs.sega.com/usa/

…Now, this is all well and good, except they only give the choice of 6 games, of which only 3 could be considered in serious contention. Toe Jam & Earl (the original) leads by a landslide at 50%, with the closest runners-up, Golden Axe II and Shining Force, holding a paltry 14% of the pie.

Now listen: TJ&E is fine. But make sure not to confuse it with TJ&E II: Panic on Funkotron, which is without a doubt the golden child of the series. (Notice how I got around mentioning that third game for Xbox… there’s a good reason for that.) Cast your votes for Golden Axe II, Earthworm Jim or Shining Force–but oh wait, EJ is only pictured in the background graphic. What a crock.

Just go vote for what you want, if you don’t yet have it on Wii VCon (where TJ&E has been out a long time) or a billion times over on compilations. As for me, I’ll just put a party hat on my Genny and feed it some cartridge cake.

Fuel il nuovo gioco di guida lanciato da Codemaster ormai esperto in giochi di guida si presenta con un comparto tecnico spettacolare. Il nuovo fuel si presenta con una struttura aperta off road che permetteranno al giocatore di sfrecciare con la propia automobile  motocross o altri veicoli in un area vasta di 14000 chilometri quadrati. Altrettanto spettacolari le modalità gioco che vanno dalle semplici gare su circuito a gare a checkpoint a inseguimenti con elicotteri e caccie all’uomo. Queste sono le spettacolari funzioni che permetteranno a fuel di affermarsi nel 2009 come gioco di guida definitivo dando filo da torcere a Bournout Paradise e a Motorstorm Pacific Rift.

Ma nel comparto tecnico ci sono molte lacune che non permettono al gioco di trasmettere emozioni al giocatore. Una lacuna è quella della velocità che si presenta talvolta con noiosi rallentamenti en anche la difficoltà che non è molto accentuata infatti gli avversari si limitano a poco. Analizzando il gioco si può trarre conclusione che Fuel è divertente per la vastità dello scenario  e le molte modalità di gara che presentano anche il ritrovamento di determinati oggetti e anche la presenza di un editor che rende il gioco piu divertente  ma presenta molte lacune nella sensazione della velocita e nell’illuminazione che rendono il gioco quasi buio. Tuttavia questo gioco e pronto a salire in cima alle classifiche delle consolle Next generation.

]]> http://nenf.wordpress.com/2009/08/12/a-queda-e-a-volta-da-magia-em-2d/ Wed, 12 Aug 2009 23:02:17 +0000 Carlos Grossi http://nenf.wordpress.com/2009/08/12/a-queda-e-a-volta-da-magia-em-2d/

Houve um tempo em que fã boys mediam a qualidade de um game pela quantidade de sprites e cores na tela, 3D era somente ficção cientifica e por mais que muita gente diga o contrário, esta foi a época de ouro dos games, onde a criatividade dos produtores evoluíam a cada novo grande lançamento que praticamente de forma instantânea virava clássicos lembrados até hoje.

A simplicidade do 2D era mais do que suficiente para lançar ao mundo mestres do game-design como Shigueru Myamoto e Hideo Kojima, magos em que a criatividade era a grande fabrica de fantasia e fazia as crianças verem naquelas simples compilação de formas geométricas heróis e vilões, monstros e objetos que pouco pareciam com o que o mundo real apresentava. Ma isso pouco importava, era como se a criatividade do criador se fundisse em perfeita harmonia a imaginação do jogador, e com com toda esta limitação da tecnologia da época nasceu um enorme numero de games clássicos que cativaram muitos gamers.

O jogo clássico nasce da criatividade de seu criador. A medida que a tecnologia evoluiu, grande maioria dos jogos deixaram de ser resultado da paixão de seus produtores para ser um enorme e bilhonário negócio e como é  em todo negócio produzir, produzir e produzir é a regra. A tecnologia proporciona efeitos visuais que muitos de nos nem sonhavamos ha alguns anos atraz, era o que imaginávamos quando 0lhavamos para uma tela cheia de sprites que convidava o jogador ao faz-de-conta, mas algo falta em meio a todo esse bombardeio de impressionantes efeitos audio-visuais. A CRIATIVIDADE.

Não quero dizer que não somos agraciados com clássicos em 3D como éramos na época do NES, Genesis e cia; Shadow of the Collossus, Ico e Rez são exemplos artes em forma de videogame, mas se olharmos como éramos agraciados com grande jogos no passado veremos um declínio na criatividade e uma explosão de jogos que se propõem a disputar um mesmo genero de forma praticamente igual uns aos outros, como clones geneticamente modificados uns dos outros, mesmo que ainda sejam sucessos de vendas e realmente se mostrem excelentes jogos em todos os aspectos, as coisas novas ou até mesmo renovadas, são pedras que não se vê com a frequencia que víamos ha alguns anos. O mercado de games mudou.

Eu que vivi, mesmo que pouco, o momento aureo do Super Nes, tenho a vísível sensação de que a novidade está cada vez mais excassa, é raro viver hoje o momento em que viviquando vi pela primeira vez jogos como Super Mario World, Zelda a Link to the Past e Street Fighter 2 entre outros inúmeros classicos nascidos da geniosidade dos mestres do game-design.

Mas algo vem mudando ha pouco tempo, e meio a um mundo de grandes produções milhonárias e medíocres produções “clone”, como uma flor no deserto, vejo nascer clássicos hoje que me relembram de momentos do passado.

Conheci Braid por comentários em fóruns e pelos caras do SoundTest, Mauricio e Rodrigo Salsa e digo que fiquei maravilhado com o que vi assim que começei a desfrutar do jogo, apesar de parecer apenas um jogo de plataforma 2D, que por si só ja teria destaque no meu conceito, Braid é de um bom gosto que ha muito tempo não via em nenhuma outra produção, era como se a criatividade não gasta até então fosse toda direcionada para esta obra que ao meus olhos viraram arte em uma belíssima composição, os graficos são simples, os puzzles são desafiadores e a história belíssima. Braid é uma das grandes surpresas que tivemos de desenvolvedores que amam o que fazem.

Mas antes de Braid, World of Goo, mais uma vez a crença de quem acreditava que a criatividade havia se esgotado é esmagada por esta obra, que mais uma vez une algo que em outra época seria barrado por limitações tecnologicas mas que então foi unida a uma criatividade e simplicidade cativante. Quem um dia diria que pequenas bolinhas pretas com olhos e que andam quase sem rumo seriam tão cativante? a forma de se resolver os desafios é incrível e até a história contada aos pedaços de modo quase misterioso fazem World of Goo um clássico em meio a um mundo de jogos de milhões de pixels que não transmite emoção alguma ao jogador.

E agora Trine, mais um 2D que nasce da imaginação de produtores quase desconhecidos, na verdade um semi-2D cooperativo que faz querer jogar qualquer fã de plataforma 2D, a forma como os jogadores podem colaborar entre si é na minha opinião o grande destaque desse jogo, e não é por ser 2D que os visuais desapontam, tudo é muito bem detalhado. Trine pra mim é mais um grande jogo desconhecido que nasce nesta geração.

O fato é que os criativos jogos 2D foram praticamente esmagados por uma industria em que mostrar graficos de ponta é a maior das prioridades, se uma boa refeição se atrai pelo cheiro, um novo console atrai seus consumidores por milhões de poligonos e efeitos na tela que ele pode exibir, e com isso a criatividade armazenada em grandes produtores é deixada de lado em nome das grandes produções 3D, não que não há criatividade neste mundo de tecnologia de ponta, mas ha muito mais a se mostrar do que ja foi mostrado, a criatividade existe e jogos como World of Goo e Braid, entre outros, vieram mostrar a quem pensa o contrario, que jogos de qualidade não são feitos de polígonos, mas de criatividade!

Até a próxima!

]]> http://g4mers.wordpress.com/2009/08/09/novas-cancoes-para-o-jogo-lips/ Sun, 09 Aug 2009 18:36:50 +0000 pataponi http://g4mers.wordpress.com/2009/08/09/novas-cancoes-para-o-jogo-lips/

Disponíveis a partir de 7 de Agosto:

“The Future‟s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades” – Timbuk3
“With Every Heartbeat” – Robyn

Disponíveis a partir de 14 de Agosto:

“Song for Whoever” – The Beautiful South
“Love Is Gone” – David Guetta

Disponíveis a partir de 21 de Agosto:

“The Road to Mandalay” – Robbie Williams
“Right Round” – Flo Rida

Disponíveis a partir de 28 de Agosto:

“Everything About You” – Ugly Kid Joe
“We Will Become Silhouettes” – The Postal Service

Disponíveis desde 24 de Julho:

“Let‟s Stay Together” – Al Green
“Right Here Waiting” – Richard Marx
“Upside Down” – Diana Ross

Disponíveis desde 31 de Julho:

“Yo (Excuse Me Miss)” – Chris Brown
“I‟m Coming Out” – Diana Ross
“It‟s Not the Fall That Hurts” – Caesars

How many times have I told you, Mikey. Lighting your farts is not funny.

In what I am sure is COMPLETELY unrelated news: MS has mentioned…

since TMNT has changed it’s price they are changing their rebate for buying every Summer of Arcade title. They’ve altered their deal from a $10 rebate to a $5 deal. Pray they don’t alter it any further.