Final Bits - Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

There isn't much left that I can say about this game that would be new. Higher levels increase your powers to the point of true badassery and some of the later game areas look absolutely gorgeous. Getting out of the woods and into the plains is just breathtaking for me anyway. I do like to look at scenery a lot, but that's not important. The gameplay remains solid all the way to the end and I was pleased with how the story played out. This is a game that I believe everyone should pick up and play providing you enjoy a reasonably deep RPG experience. I'm awarding Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning a 9/10 and tell you to go play it now!

In other news, I am getting Mass Effect 3 on Tuesday and providing I'm not working I will be playing the entire day. I feel like ME 3 is going to be another "Review in Progress" so stick with us here and we'll have a review up in a much more timely manor than we did with Kingdoms of Amalur. So, until next time, See You Online.

UFC Undisputed 3 Review

Alright everyone, it's time to reveal the first review from my new sports guy, so be nice.

After 2 years, THQ came back into the Mixed Martial Arts scene with the latest installment of their UFC Undisputed franchise.  The lengthy time in between releases was well worth the wait.  UFC Undisputed 3 is by far the best game in the series and has taken great strides in the sports video game world as well.  THQ has put their sports franchise right up there with EA Sports’ Madden, Sony’s MLB: The Show, and Take Two’s NBA 2K in terms of overall gaming.  Every aspect of this game is well developed and, unlike previous installments, is easy to play right from the get-go.  This review will take an in-depth look at the many features UFC Undisputed 3 has to offer.

GAMEPLAY: This year THQ has implemented various changes to the Undisputed franchise’s well known controls.  As soon as the game is booted up, there is an option for which grappling system is desired: Pro or Amateur.  Pro is the traditional grappling controls with the right stick being rotated in half-circles and extended turns one way or the other for major or minor transitions that was used in the previous titles.  Amateur, on the other hand, is available for gamers unfamiliar with the previous installments, or who found the transition system of old to be too difficult to master.  This control scheme uses a simple flick up on the right stick for major transitions or a down flick for minor transitions.

Aside from grappling complaints, another issue addressed by THQ was their sometimes impossible submissions system.  As someone who recorded 3 career victories over 2 years’ worth of UFC Undisputed 2010, I can say that this is a very welcome change.  Gone are the days of simply shining the right stick and praying for a successful submission (or escape, for that matter).  It has been replaced with a much easier mini-game that appears as soon as a submission is attempted.  A large, hollow Octagon appears on the screen with two colored bars, one red and one blue.  The red bar represents the red corner fighter while the blue bar does the same for the fighter out of the blue corner.  Whoever initiated the submission has the outer bar and must overlap the inner bar with the right stick for a successful submission while the inner bar must avoid his opponent to escape.  While the inner bar remains the same size-wise, the outer bar shrinks as the struggle goes on.  The outer bar varies in size depending on various situations: the state of the opponent (a rocked opponent gives a larger bar for the submission-attempting fighter, resulting in a higher probability of a successful submission), the positions of the fighters (it is far easier to submit someone with an armbar from full-mount or a rear-naked choke while having the opponent’s back, rather than trying a kimura from the bottom), the opponent’s submission defense rating (the higher their submission defense rating, the smaller their bar will be, making it harder to overlap it), and the attacking fighter’s submission offense rating (it is much easier to pull off a submission with Frank Mir who has a large submission bar than it is with Mirko Cro Cop who has no interest in submissions).  As the submission is in place, there is a bar on the screen that shows how close the submission is to being completed.  If the red corner is successfully overlapping the blue corner, the bar will be mostly red, but if the blue corner has almost escaped, the bar will be mostly blue.

                The UFC’s slogan is “as real as it gets” and THQ has taken every step to accomplish the same task.  How often do you see a fighter KO an opponent and before the guy even hits the ground, the victor is pumping his fist in celebration?  I never have.  Another new feature is called “Finish The Fight.”  Once your opponent is knocked out, you have the option of pouncing on him and landing a few more shots a la Dan Henderson and Michael Bisping, you can taunt the poor sap like Anderson Silva, or you can simply wait for the ref to wave the fight off.  It is a welcome addition to an already staggering game.

                In between rounds you are given advice from your cornermen on what you are doing well and what needs improved upon.  This is identical to what is seen on television and can be very useful.  The advice is accurate to what is being done in your match and if listened to, can make a huge difference in the upcoming round.

                Last but not least is the new “simulation” energy setting.  In the old days of UFC Undisputed 2010 you and your buddy could relive the Stephan Bonnar vs. Forrest Griffin match from the original TUF tournament with no problem at all.  That option is still there, but so is the option to have more realistic energy depletion.  With this new setting turned on, a fighter losses energy with every kick and every punch thrown.  Quick jabs require less energy than a Jon Jones spinning back fist and punches require less energy than kicks.  The energy will replenish, to an extent, during times of little or no action and in between rounds.

PRESENTATION:

                The fighters in UFC Undisputed 3 look unreal.  And by that I mean exactly, perfectly real, just like their real-life counterparts.  Even the PRIDE legends look like they did when they were actually fighting in PRIDE.  It is amazing the amount of detail that has gone into each fighter’s appearance from Rampage Jackson’s mean mugging prefight to Anderson Silva’s thin goatee in his PRIDE days.  Even Greg Jackson looks like Greg Jackson for goodness sake!  The visuals are stunning and when using Event Mode, it’s almost as if you are watching a real UFC pay-per-view.

                Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg take their familiar places as UFC commentators while Bas Rutten and Stephen Quadros return to MMA with their take on PRIDE Mode matches.  Rogan and Goldberg add realistic commentary as many of their lines were taken from live UFC broadcasts and put into the game.  Rutten and Quadros took to watching actual game footage and calling it as they see it.  Both teams are very entertaining and give you a sense of watching an actual UFC or PRIDE event.

                One cool addition this year is fighter entrances.  While they are not very long, there are a nice bonus for those who want as close to the real thing as possible.  These are fully customizable for created fighters as well.  Everything from the walkway to the trainer interaction to how they act once entering the Octagon is all fair game.  The lighting is customizable with seven colors to pick from and so is the background music (although you have to choose from what options they have).  This can be different during title fights and regular fights and PRIDE mode has its own created entrances.  There are also over 100 each of fighter call and victory scenes to pick.

                Highlight Reels are new to this year’s game as well.  Creating them is easy since your last 50 rounds are saved into a database for easy selection.  There are options to remove the crowd noise, commentators, and impact sounds from either your entire highlight reel or clip by clip if you want.  The option to select background music is there along with screen effects and transitions between clips.  The only downside to this feature is the insane encoding time.  For a one minute clip you are looking at no fewer than 40 minutes of encoding.

GAME MODES:

                Career Mode has received an extensive overhaul.  The cutscenes have been replaced with actual footage of UFC fighters discussing their memories of whatever stage of your career you are in whether it is your first professional bout, your fist title shot, or your first loss to name a few.  Your created fighter will be better overall than last year, allowing him to be more competitive quicker and there is less time in between fights.  There are many new training games that will help your fighter to improve various aspects of his game.  You still begin your career in the World Fighting Alliance but now you can win the WFA Championship.  You can stick around and defend it as long as you wish.  The offers from the UFC will continue to come as long as the wins do.  Once you do decide to move to the UFC, there are many options there as well.  Frequently you will be given the opportunity to move up or down a weight class for one-off fights and if you clean out your division or are on a bid of a skid, a permanent change my be suggested.  PRIDE will also offer you fights and entry into their Grand Prix.  With all of the options, Career Mode could be played dozens of times and never get old.

                Ultimate Fights Mode has been changed for the better as well.  Instead of a list of things that must all be memorized and completed at once, a timer and the task pops onto the screen throughout the fight, instructing you on what to do.  Can’t get all the goals in one go?  No problem.  Ultimate Fights saves your progress, allowing you to go back and retry for goals that you have yet to achieve while not having to worry about the ones you have already gotten.

                PRIDE Mode allows you to step back in time and enter the Saitama Super Arena for some good old fashion Japanese MMA.  Head stomps and soccer kicks are legal is this beautiful recreation of the last true UFC competitor.  Everything is authentic to PRIDE from the lavish entrances to the referee and even the “Screaming Lady,” Lenne Hardt is present.  You can also take current UFC fighters and use them in PRIDE Mode as well as take PRIDE legends and put them inside the Octagon.

                Title Mode and Title Defense Mode have returned, relatively unchanged.  The only real difference is that in order to use a fighter in Title Defense Mode, you must first clear Title Mode with that fighter.  These modes did not really need changing, nor did Tournament Mode and Event Mode, two more modes that also make their return this year unchanged.

OVERALL:

                Overall, UFC Undisputed 3 made the 2 year wait well worth it.  Instead of putting out another mediocre game, THQ took a break, regrouped and put out what is quite possibly the greatest MMA game ever.  It is also a top 5 sports game after the inclusion of many new features such as PRIDE Mode, Finish The Fight, and revamped those is desperate need of it like grappling and submission controls, Career Mode, and Ultimate Fights.  This game is a definite buy for any sports video gamer and a must-have for any MMA fan, purist or upstart. We award UFC Undisputed 3 a 9.5/10 See You Online.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Review in Progress Pt 2

I have to say I am impressed. I have played a bunch of quests and have leveled up a bit, experimented with all weapon types, and have explored a good portion of the first part of the world. I haven't made it too much farther along the main story, but what I can say is that it is decent from what I have played, even though a bit on the predictable side so far. There are a lot of quests to do and experience points are very easy to get, making leveling up no problem. I have not yet reset my character, mostly because I enjoy what I have right now. Reaching a new level allows you to place one point in any skill you want to, and grants three points to divide up into three skill trees. You are allowed to appoint your points however you want, all three in one category, or spread out. Progressing up these trees allows you to unlock powerful attacks and abilities. Also while these progress you unlock destinies relating to where your points are going. Destinies give you bonuses relating to whatever category they correspond to, Might, Sorcery, or Finesse.

The crafting system is surprisingly deep with weapons and armor being able to have as many as five components in them. Potions can have four ingredients and do anything from skill boosts to health refills. I can smith pretty much anything I want to make providing I have the parts, and I can craft whatever I need to keep from dying. It's all about experimenting. Providing your alchemy skill is high enough you can experiment with ingredients and if it turns out to be a failure you will get an unstable potion which grants you a random effect. These random effects can be anything from weakness to fire to a massive experience boost, it just depends on how lucky you are.

I have noticed several slowdowns during combat, mostly when I loose track of my character due to about six or seven other enemies attacking me at once. The slowdowns only occurred when most battle participants were attacking or using abilities. They aren't exactly a problem, as they are very brief, but they aren't a plus either. The enemies are varied and you have access to enough attacks and combos to make the fights a lot of fun. Combat has numerous options for how to proceed. Personally, I haven't been a fan of the stealth, but I never have been in any game. I go for a head on attack and try to kill the enemy before they get me.

Exploration is definitely a rewarding thing to do due to the amount of things hidden in the world. There are chests to loot, hidden items to stumble upon, and Lorestones to find. Lorestones give your character some XP and give you a bit of history about the world. If you happen to find all Lorestones in an area, you are rewarded with a permanent boost to your abilities. Lockpicking, pickpocketing, and other unlawful acts are available for you to dabble in if you so choose as well.

The quests are what you can expect from this type of game. They range from kill X enemies to fetch quests, to go here and defeat this person. While mildly repetitive, they are still a lot of fun and offer a lot of extra gameplay aside from the main story. Factions offer specific multi-quest stories that add to the backstory. They also award "Twists of Fate" depending on what choices you make during the quest lines. Twists of Fate give you a bonus to your stats.

All in all, while I've put a good bit of time into this game, there is still a lot of content I haven't even come close to experiencing. From what I've played so far, I do recommend that you pick this one up, but I am not comfortable giving a score yet as I still am only in the first major part of the game. Stick with me and I'll have a score up with some more details soon. Until next time, See You Online.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Update 1

This is the first in what will be a small series of updates about this game. First off, Thank you to 38 Studios and Big Huge Games. I'm not too far into the game right now, but what I'm playing is great. Now on to the actual game talk.

The introduction was fairly quick to get you into the game. Character creation was reasonably detailed but very easy to complete. There are four races for you to choose from, each one gets several bonuses in different abilities. From that point you are thrown into the world of Amalur without a weapon or armor. Throughout the course of the tutorial you were able to use four different weapons to try and help you get a feel for what you liked and it helped to demonstrate how the different styles played. Abilities were gradually introduced in a fashion that didn't overwhelm. The interior graphics didn't wow me but once I completed the intro section and was let outside, I was impressed. The forest was beautifully rendered and had a glow to it. I literally mean there was a bit of a glow to the forest. Most things in this game have a shine, which can be a bit distracting.

I haven't played through a lot of quests, mostly because I keep getting distracted by other things like collecting and crafting. The best way that I can describe this game is a combo of Skyrim (size) and Fable (Gameplay) Combat does not feel like it did in Skyrim, the moves actually seem to have impact and I truly feel badass when I'm fighting a group of enemies.

The character you play as is voiceless but the other NPC's are fully voiced and they help to add story to the world. There is a LOT of history that was written for this world and it shows. You can have conversations with nearly anybody on the street you choose and they tell you about the town and events that are going on.

So far, I'm very impressed with this game and look forward to a very long play time. This review is going to take some time and I hope you all have the patience to get through it with me. UFC Undisputed 3 is also being worked on so keep an eye out for that review in the next few days or so. Until next time, See You Online.

Kingdoms of Amalur & UFC undisputed 3 updates

I finally got my copy of Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning and my partner has his copy of UFC Undisputed 3 so make sure to check back for updates as we work on our reviews. Kingdoms of Amalur is going to be a review in progress review due to the size and scope of the game so give me a little time, UFC shouldn't take too long I hope. So for now, See You Online.

Gotham City Imposters (PS3)

This is a game that kinda took me by surprise. I went into the beta going "well, this is interesting." I came out of the beta liking the game, so I bought it. I was pleasantly surprised to find that for fifteen dollars the game is pretty fun. More than that, it's a great multiplayer shooter that takes an idea and runs with it for great results.

Graphics-wise this game is not breaking any new ground, though for a downloadable title it looks fantastic. The characters are hilariously great looking and the environments fit perfectly for the mood that the game wants to set. I did notice some texture pop in and for a brief second while I was doing the training mode I was holding an invisible gun, then a textureless gun, then it looked like an actual weapon. Kinda strange, but that's not a huge problem.

The game's sound is good. The voice actors do a great job with their characters and the different voices add a great sense of humor to the title. Gunfire and background noises are pretty decent and help add to the atmosphere along.

Gameplay-wise this game doesn't exactly break any new ground. There are three modes to play and five maps to play on. There's standard team deathmatch, there's fumigation which is a king of the hill mode, and psych warfare which is kind of a capture the flag game. These modes take place over five levels that help the action along with a lot of tight corridors that lead to open spaces with several different levels of height. Your completely customizable character has several tools to help get around these environments including, but not limited to, grappling hooks and roller skates. There are quite a few choices for weapons and any of them can be your primary or secondary weapon, giving you the ability to outfit your character to fit whatever situation you want to fit.

Basically, this is a multiplayer only 6v6 online shooter. It has all the fun of a Call of Duty, but with about a quarter of the seriousness. I think you should pick this up and give it a whirl. Gotham City Imposters is available for PC and PS3 for $14.99 or on XBLA for 1200 ms points. I give it an 8.5/10 and say that you should play it. See You Online.