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Batman: Arkham Asylum

JackAttack — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:49:22 GMT

Imagine if you will, a shut gate and a distant manor amid barren trees and darkness. A plaque reads: �The Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane�. Already, what ideas have filled your head? The Asylum was founded in the early 1900's and is located in the outskirts of Gotham City. Throughout the years Arkham Asylum has housed some of the vilest, most disturbed degenerates on the globe. From madmen to serial killers and everything in between... What sort of images have come to your mind by now? The Asylum, rich in history of questionable treatments and maniacal atmosphere, is where you will be staying for the night. All those images and ideas you've accumulated are about to become reality. Welcome... to the madhouse!

Batman: Arkham Asylum
Developer: Rocksteady Studios
Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Release date: August 25, 2009
Genre: Action-Adventure, Stealth
ESRB Rating: T; PEGI Rating: 16+
This review was written by JackAttack of Friendcodes.com and may not be used without permission.
The Joker, who was up to no good as usual, was apprehended with relative ease by Batman. Joker didn�t put up much of a fight. Batman doesn�t like it. After escorting the Joker to the Asylum, or as he calls it, home, an eerie tenseness fills the air as Batman comes along to make sure the Joker doesn�t get up to any funny business... But just as the Joker is taken to his cell, he takes his premeditated plans into motion. He springs a trap to lockdown the Asylum, while he himself runs free inside! No one gets in, and no one gets out: Including Batman. He�s forced to spend the night there and suppress the Joker�s insane plans of chaos and inhumane experiments.

I'm the Gｏddamn Batman.

The Asylum itself is pretty huge, spanning several parts of the island Arkham is on, each with different facilities such as the medical facility and the penitentiary for the inmates. The game world is living and breathing, and never exactly the same at two points throughout the story. The entire island evolves throughout the course of the game. Or should I say, devolves, because as the Joker and his minions run amok, the scenery begins to degenerate in their wake. Seeing buildings transform to look like the Joker�s visage and watching as inmates bang their heads against statues never really gets old. Batman's suit even gets ripped and torn throughout the game! Graphically, the game is impressive, with a layer of depth and detail that�s rare. However, like in many games these days, it�s infested with drab colors of black and grey, but with the occasional green spray paint courtesy of the Joker. But then again, it is a pretty dark game so the environment does it justice.

This is pretty much a typical scene in this game.

Naturally, you�re gonna have to have the tools of the trade to get around and survive on the island. These are comprised of: Batman�s two fists and his variety of tools to help him, such as a grappling hook and signature Batarangs. There is a �detective mode�, which is reminiscent of scanning in Metroid Prime. Once you switch it on, it does a variety of things such as giving you clues about the environment, prompting partaking of forensic sequences, and� letting you see people�s skeletons� which actually comes in handy when you want to see where your enemies are hiding. These enemies range from Joker�s henchmen from Blackgate Prison, the island�s deranged inmates themselves, and of course, dozens of villains from the Batman universe itself.

He eats punks like that for breakfast. "Om nom" like.

To defend yourself, you are obviously going to have to fight. The game utilizes a �Freeflow� system which links your attacks together from one foe to another and back seamlessly. You have your basic attack, the stun with your cape, and your counterattack, and you can unlock more moves and combos as you progress. It shouldn�t take too long to learn the fighting system, but once you do, it�s sublime. You can tell a lot of work has been put into it when the game cinematically goes slow-mo as you land your last punch. You can almost hear their bones break. Defeating enemies and solving puzzles nets you experience, which you can use to unlock the aforementioned combos. Then there are the stealth situations, where you have to sneak up on armed thugs and take them out silently or end up as swiss cheese. You could hide and stalk your prey, or hang from gargoyles and wait for them to come under you to snatch them up and tie them by their feet for comedic results.

You don't mess with the Batman. Because he's menacing...
[SPOILER]
I'm the gosh-darned Batman! Rawr!

[/SPOILER]

Sound-wise, Arkham Asylum covers all the corners pretty well. When things get tense, with a menacing feeling in the air, the music changes accordingly to reflect it. When things get heated up in an action scene, yep you guessed it, the music starts to get exciting. In between the music, you have the basic ambiance according to your location, which goes well too. It really is a Hollywood movie-caliber sound that goes with the game, and the production value really is on par with a film. The real gem of the sound section is the voice acting. Actors from various DC productions such as Batman: The Animated Series reprise their roles as Batman, the Joker, Harley Quinn and more. They all play their roles very well, particularly the Joker, whose insane dialogue is always fun.

...Some pictures speak for themselves.

As mentioned several times, Arkham Asylum just has a level of depth that is astounding. A lot of effort has been put in to make it a genuinely satisfying Batman experience. With references to Batman media ranging from common elements to the genuinely obscure, this is a Batman fan�s dream as well as an entertaining romp for anyone who�s a fan of the action game genre. Finishing the game takes a while, and even after the story mode, there are challenges for you to tackle with new DLC packs of challenge maps being released occasionally. You can even download and play as the Joker in the PS3's challenges, which is a blast to play with a whole new moveset and signature Joker dark humor.

"Did you hear the one about the escaped lunatic going around and killing off the guards one by one? No? Stick around."

In conclusion, if you own a PS3 or 360, and you are either a Batman fan or an action game fan, you really have no excuse not to get this. The depth and presentation, especially (and surprisingly!) for a licensed game, not paralleled by many. Lets hope it serves as an example for others, for more quality superhero games to come.

Great superhero game, dripping with quality from every pore
Upgradable fighting system that's not too innovative, but it is intuitive nonetheless
Downloadable challenge maps to play, with PS3-exclusive Joker pack
Great voice acting by veteran Batman actors

Can occasionally become monotonous
For some reason, blood seems to be censored in some versions...
When walking, the third person view shows Batman in the corner of the screen, which somewhat blocks view and it can get a touch annoying.

I approve of this here game and review!

Final Fantasy XII

LinkThePhantom — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:00:07 GMT

The Final Fantasy series is probably one of, if not the most, well-known RPG franchises in the world. Its popularity has spread like wildfire, though it has died down a bit in recent years. Now, with number 13 and 14 on the way, interest has been steadily climbing. Looking back to 2006, we saw the release of Final Fantasy XII, the latest currently-released title in the series, not counting its sequel. How well does number 12 stack up to the previous games? Read on to find out.

Console: PlayStation 2
Release Date:March 16, 2006 (JP)
October 31, 2006 (NA)
February 23, 2007 (PAL)
Publisher:Square-Enix
Developer: Square-Enix
Players: 1
ESRB Rating:T

Storyline:
Final Fantasy XII takes place in the war-torn continent named Ivalice. At the beginning of the story, Ivalice is split up into three major empires: Archadia, which is in the east, Rozarria, which is in the west and Nabradia, which is both in between these two empires and the main location of the game. Archadia and Rozarria are currently at war for control of Ivalice, and will stop at nothing to gain that control. In the beginning of the game you play as a Dalmascan soldier named Reks, the older brother of the game's main character, Vaan. His level is basically the tutorial of the game, in which you attempt to get to the Dalmascan king before he signs a peace treaty between Dalmasca and Archadia. Said treaty was just a ploy to get the king to show up with only a few guards. Reks makes his way to the king just in the nick of time, or so he thinks.

The king is already dead upon Reks' arrival. And after a long and traitorous cutscene, Reks perishes.

Two years later, Vaan (the character you now control) is tasked with a simple objective by a shopkeep known as Migelo; track down foodstuffs for a banquet to welcome the newest Archadian Consul, or government official, to the beautiful city of Rabanastre. This mundane task goes off almost with out a hitch. Later on, Vaan decides to sneak into the palace where the banquet is being held in an attempt to reclaim the treasure that rightfully belongs to the Dalmascans. How was he supposed to know that this simple pilfering would lead to a meeting with a sky pirate and his partner, a soldier accused of being a traitor, a long-forgotten princess and many many others in an epic adventure of treasure, exploration and eventually reclaiming the throne of Dalmasca.

OMG GIANT FIREBALL

Graphics:
Final Fantasy, though not completely focused on them, has had some great graphics throughout the years, and 12 is probably the best looking one that has been released so far. Not only are the in-game graphics great, the cinematics blew my mind the first time I saw them. For example:

YouTube- Final Fantasy XII - The Ogir-Yensa Sandsea

That short cutscene holds some of the best graphics that the PS2 has ever put out. It would be great if the entire game looked like this, but unfortunately that wasn't possible. Still, the graphics on the field and in fights are top-notch and almost completely glitch-free. (I didn't notice anything major while playing, but there's probably at least one little glitch in the coding somewhere.)

Gameplay:
If you came into Final Fantasy XII without hearing anything about it or doing any research, you'd probably be expecting a turn-based RPG, similar to past games. Well, FFXII throws turn-based random encounters out the window and replaces it with a much better (in my opinion) system where everything happens in real-time. Of course, if you can't handle this, there's an option to pause battle every time the action sub-menu is pulled up.

Another much-welcome change to the battle system is the complete lack of random encounters that always seemed to pop up at the worst possible time. You can now explore, fight monsters and gain experience and license points on the same field, no transitions between exploring and battle necessary. Of course, completely ignoring every monster in your path is possible, but is hard to do without making use of the Gambit system.

Gambits allow you to control almost every aspect of your AI-controlled party members; their attacks, the magicks they use, what items they use and on who and order of importance, each of which can be toggled on and off whenever you like. It sounds a bit confusing at first (and the in-game tutorial doesn't really help that much, either) but with a bit of practice, you should be able to come up with multiple gambits for almost any situation. Of course, you can just let the computer do all of the work, but that's a bad choice. Trust me.

An example of the License board. What's a License board? Read the next section

Now, even with all of these new features Final Fantasy still sticks to its roots. And by that I mean the weapons consist of mainly swords, bows, etc. and magic plays a huge part in the game. However, you can't just buy whatever weapon or armor and just slap it onto your character and expect it to stick: you need to acquire the liscence for it in order to be able to use it. This applies to magicks and technics as well.

The License system works like this: Each playable character has a board with a bunch of different squares on it, each square representing a few weapons, a few armors, a few different magicks, a few accessories and in some cases one summon. To obtain a license, you must spend a set number of License Points (or LP). LPs are obtained just like experience points: killing monsters. Most monsters only give out 1 LP when they die, but that one LP is given to every member of your party, active or not. Also, it doesn't matter if you get the weapon/magick or the liscence first, as long as you obtain both.

Longevity:
Like any other role-playing game out on the market, Final Fantasy XII is riddled with side quests, dungeons, monsters and hundreds of licenses, weapons, armors and magicks to purchase and find, but the amount of time you'll spend on the above is dwarfed by the game's main storyline. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as RPGs are meant to be long and take up days of your time, but this is probably one of the longer games I've ever completed. The main storyline, depending on how many times you die and how good you are at RPGs, will probably take around 50-60 hours to beat. It doesn't sound like much if you're a hardcore RPG enthusiast, but it feels longer with all of the cutscenes, story, plot twists, etc.

Sound:
Nobuo Uematsu, who left Square Enix in 2004, did, in fact, submit one composition to be used in Final Fantasy XII; the classic Final Fantasy theme. Hitoshi Sakimoto, who was with Square Enix from 1997 to 2002, composed most of the music for Final Fantasy 12, with some help from Masaharu Iwata and Hayato Matsuo. Fortunately for us, this trio of composers has provided a wonderful soundtrack to an already amazing game. From the upbeat, jolly tune of the Royal City of Rabanastre, to the epic Boss Battle theme all the way up to the game's Final Boss theme, Sakimoto, Iwata and Matsuo provide us with, in my opinion, some of Final Fantasy's best music ever.

Chocobo! Unfortunately there's a time limit for how long you can ride them.

Overall:
Final Fantasy XII is one of the greatest Final Fantasy titles to be released. The new gameplay elements change the game, but not so much that it doesn't feel like a Final Fantasy title. The plot is centered around politics more than in any of the previous games. That being said, the plot is very well-written and fleshed out, though it might get a tad boring at times. The same applies for the gameplay after a while, but if you can get past the tedious part you're in for a great RPG experience.

Since the scores got reset, I'll put them here.
Graphics: 9.75
Sound: 9.00
Gameplay: 10.00
Longevity: 8.00
Overall: 92%

UNO!

PaPa SmUrF — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:16:32 GMT

UNO is a card game that has been enjoyed by families all across the world. From the great plains of Australia, to the icy horizons of Greenland, UNO still makes it way to families in need of some crazy social fun. UNO was originally debuted in 1971 by Merle Robbins, but eventually was moved to Mattel Products. UNO has evolved in such a way, that it is now a featured XBLA and PlayStation Network game. Boy, UNO has come a long way since then!

[hr][/hr]

Console: XBLA (Xbox 360),

Also Available On: PC, PSN (PS3)

Release Date: United States - May 9, 2006
Japan - May 9, 2006

Publisher: Microsoft

Developer: Carbonated Games

ESRB Rating: Everyone

Genre: Card

Players: 1 - 4

Introduction:

So I walked into GameStop on a hot summer day, looking to purchase a cheap, but worthwhile multiplayer experience. One of the GameStop associates recommended the Sega Superstars/Arcade Disc. Being that it was only 5 bucks, I figured that I might as well pony up the remaining 5 dollars in credit on my card to make this purchase.

And let me tell you, it was money well spent.

Gameplay:

Not much can be said about card genre, when you know that it is stale in terms of gameplay. But what makes UNO better than the other card genre competitors is beyond that of any other card game. An UNO fan boy's dream (and yes they do exist) was to play other UNO players across the world, without all of the hitches and traveling expenses necessary in making that possible. But the plan came together, when Carbonated Games and Microsoft got behind the reigns of an already successful real - life card game.

UNO's main approach/goal is to provide the gamers with the ability of playing over Xbox Live with the 4 player option. The goal of UNO is quite simple. You must try to get one card in your hand, while trying to get as many cards in your opponents' hands as possible, in order to gain points. Both the single and multiplayer modes offer the same amount of rule/option tweaking.

Two wild cards. What else do you need?

I cannot stress enough on how this is a multiplayer experience. While you can have a "meh" experience playing the offline single player, multiplayer is where it's at. The ability to actually communicate with your opponent, or trash talk him/her if you may, really pays off when you pull off that dramatic Draw Four, causing him/her to get really frustrated. It really adds to the fun and flow of the game. You also have the ability to challenge your opponent's Draw Twos or Draw Fours with the Y button. Risky as it is, the feeling you get when pulling off that feat is nothing short of extraordinary.

What also makes UNO such a consistent multiplayer game, is the fact that when your opponent leaves the game, a bot/CPU replaces them without a pause or stop to the game's fast-paced action. Also, if your opponent happens to be busy with real life situations during the actual card game, you can actually force your opponent to draw a card if he/she doesn't respond within the allotted 3-5 minute span. Little things like these keep the game fun and fresh throughout the match.

UNO, BABY!

You can also purchase customizable decks over the Xbox Live Marketplace with Microsoft Points. It really slows down the pace of the game when your opponent doesn't have the decks, though, causing the game to load really, really, really, slow. I mean you could literally cook up some ramen noodles and the match could be halfway loaded by the time you finished. So, the customizable decks kind of do more wrong than right in the overall gameplay.

You also have the ability to hook in your Xbox Live Vision camera to play with your closest friends. I, for one, haven't tried this feature yet since I don't own a Vision cam. So I can't tell you if it integrates well with the gameplay.

With the new XBL update, you are now given the option of putting your created avatars in the actual screen. It gives the game a great personal feel. Although, I would've liked to see an option to move your avatar manually after successfully pulling off an "UNO!".

Sound and Graphics:

The gameplay is the main approach in UNO, so the sound and graphics may disappoint some players. It sounds a lot like generic elevator music. But maybe that was apart of the plan? Microsoft and Carbonated Games knew that it would have to appeal to all users, whether young or old.

I, personally, find the music soothing to my mind. Plus it gives me the ability to focus on playing smarter. If you do not like the music in the game, just turn on one of your playlists/custom soundtracks, or just insert your MP3 player.

Here's a look at the Customizable Street Fighter II Deck.

Graphics are what you would expect out of UNO card textures. They are pretty colorful, but it won't blow your mind in terms of looking at a real UNO card. The celebrations after winning a hand in UNO are quite easy on the eyes though. Bundles of confetti also tend to fall down, giving you a sense of accomplishment and pride.

Lasting Appeal:

Whether it be achievement hunting or playing online matches with your buddies, UNO is sure to keep you busy for a long, long time.

Summary:

UNO is a great social game that can be enjoyed by all audiences. Carbonated Games and Microsoft sure got it right on their first try at making a successful social online game. And it's all for just under 500 MS Points, which is equivalent to almost 6 dollars. So go buy it, you cheap UNO fanboys out there, and stop playing with your mom and five-year-old cousins.

Gameplay Vids:

[spoiler]

YouTube- Uno on Xbox 360 Live Arcade

YouTube- UNO:Xbox 360 Gameplay

[/spoiler]

[hr][/hr]

Overall Score:

Sound: 6.5
Graphics: 6.0
Gameplay: 8.2
Longevity: 8.5

Overall: 7.3

Br�tal Legend

B�dge007 — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 12:19:05 GMT

Name: Brutal Legend.
Platform: Xbox 360/Playstation 3.

It�s not particularly traditional that we would publish a game for a non-Nintendo system�. Or maybe it is I don�t know. If you�ve never heard of this game, you are probably in the majority. I only accidentally heard of this game after watching a G4 podcast, and had since been paying relatively close attention to it up until its release. Since I am a fan of Jack Black, profanity and red pixels, I thought I would give the game a shot and see if it was indeed worth my time. Turns out�. it is!

The Legend is Brutal!

Brutal Legend begins as the world�s greatest roadie, Eddie Riggs (voiced by Jack Black), working for a crappy wannabe metal band. During the act, one of the band members climbs onto a part of the stage which ends up collapsing and crushing Eddie, causing blood to drip into his magical belt and thus transporting him to an ancient heavy metal themed world. Once there, he acquires a magical axe and teams up with some of the world�s locals to take on the evil General Lionwhyte (voiced by Rob Halford) and Emperor Doviculous (voiced by ~~Dio~~ Tim Curry).

And he said, let there be ROCK!

The most notable thing to point out about Brutal Legend�s game play is that it will either be loved or hated by different players. It�s essentially an obscure mixture of beat �em up, exploration, role playing and real-time-strategy elements. Having said that, all of the aspects work quite well together if given a chance to learn. In order to make it around the massive hub world, you have a car called the Druid Plow which can take you from here to there very quickly. While it is fun to get distracted and start running down the world�s wildlife, the car can control a little awkwardly at times, which often results in you either running off cliffs or trashing it. The core game itself sees you walking around and killing demons with your trusty axe and guitar, but as the game progresses it takes on an RTS twist. Eventually you have what is called a Stage Battle, where you still control Eddie like normal, but you have a gang of units backing you up. You can issue these units orders by using the D-Pad, whether it is to follow you or attack whatever the hell you�re pointing at. The goal of a Stage Battle is to destroy your enemy�s stage while defending your own. By building Merch Booths on Fan Geysers, you are able to purchase more units and upgrade your stage to help you. The game�s multiplayer also works like this. When playing online, you can choose from three different factions; Ironheade, Drowning Doom and Tainted Coil, all of which feature different strategies and abilities. The goal remains the same, destroy the enemy stage.

You can�t kill the Metal!

As this game is very heavy metal themed, you can expect a �cubic-buttload� of metal tunes and cameos during game play. In addition to big names in metal such as Ozzy Osbourne and Lemmy Kilmister both supplying their voice to the game, Brutal Legend features a very hefty set list. Not only is the song selection itself second to none, but the parts of the game where they are used fit perfectly. When I heard Dragonforce�s �Through the Fire and the Flames� was in this game, I purely thought it was there to get the attention of the Guitar Hero fanbase. But after playing the game, I couldn�t imagine a better song to have been used there. It�s obvious the track list was chosen to not only be awesome to listen to, but to suit the game, and for that, it ROCKS!

It comes from HELL!

Unfortunatly, it�s not all hugs and kisses for Brutal Legend, as there are a few fair issues that need to be pointed out. For one thing, the core campaign is simply too short. On the easiest difficulty if you skip all of the side quests, you will probably have it beaten in four hours, and with a cast and a story that suck you in as much as this, you will be left wanting more. The multiplayer, while fun, lacks depth to the point where it can become stale and repetitive very quickly. You only have six maps initially to play on and only the one Skirmish mode, where the first one to destroy the other�s stage wins.

Overall, Brutal Legend is a game that is defiantly worth your time. It has its share of issues like any game, but its all-star voice cast, choice of metal sound track, addictive game play and engrossing and sometimes laugh-out-loud story make this one of the best games of 2009 in my opinion. Obviously if you aren�t a fan of metal music you won�t find a lot staying power in this game, but I�d still suggest you check it out. It truly is its own genre of game, and it needs to be played in order to be understood. If there is a sequel (and the ending does hint at it), Double Fine should concentrate on fixing these little issues. If Tim Schafer was to go the GTA IV route and release some downloadable campaigns for a modest price on Xbox LIVE, I would be a very happy gamer. Now if you�ll excuse me, I have some bound serpents to rescue.

The Good
- Deep, humorous story will keep you hooked until the end.
- Excellent voice acting.
- Impressive cast.
- Addicting game play.
- Very satisfying metal soundtrack.

The Bad
- Multiplayer lacks depth.
- Campaign is way too short.
- Most likely won�t sell due to lack of exposure/advertisement.

Story: 5/5 � Despite the fact it�s short, the story itself will have you glued to your couch until it�s over.
Multiplayer: 3/5 � While fun, it severely lacks depth. One game mode and six built in maps just isn�t enough. DLC should fix this hopefully.
Graphics: 4/5 � There is plenty of attention to detail in this title. Some pop-up issues in some areas though.
Sound: 5/5 � None of the 300+ lines of dialogue seem wasted, and the choice of metal soundtrack is very satisfying.
Gameplay: 4/5 � You will either love it or hate it.
Longevity: 3/5 � What the game has is good. We just want more of it.

24/30 � B+