And wow are they awesome. I'm only about two hours into it at this point, but I've already encountered several changes that make the game fantastic. First off, the new 3D game engine is fantastic! Finally, fans have a (mostly) 3D world to explore and battle through. It's not completely 3D, there's some sections where the camera is still basically top down, but the battles are fully 3D and look great. Eight-way movement has been implemented! This seems like a small thing but it makes moving around so much easier. There are also new ways to train your Pokemon's base stats via Super Training and Core Training. Super Training has to be done in it's own event though it's launch-able at almost any time. Core Training is more of a background mini-game to be played while walking around and tapping on the touch screen.
One final note in this short post, the social features are vastly improved. When I fired up my game I received a notification in my PSS page that I had a couple friends nearby. The PSS system read my registered friends from my 3DS system and told me that they were playing nearby. I was able to offer them O-Powers and I received some in return for my gift. My wife and I then traded wirelessly to get some Pokedex data. All of this happened fairly smoothly other than my wife hitting the wrong connection buttons while we were trying to trade.
So far I'm impressed and I've only been at the game for a couple hours. I'm looking forward to what is still in store. Please stay with us as we'll be providing updates from time to time based on our gameplay experiences and will have a review ready as soon as we can.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Saints Row IV Review (PS3)
Saints Row IV is all about having as much fun as humanly possible. This is the final chapter in the story of the Third Street Saints as we've seen them develop over four three previous titles and this chapter delivers. Laughter, love, revenge, and closure are all present in Saints Row IV.
Graphically speaking, Saints Row IV looks dated to me. There is a brownish fog that covers the world, though draw distance is still pretty great, the fog is always present. Once I completed the main story the fog seemed to lift a bit and there was some sunlight and color to the world of Steelport. There is also a reddish-brown tint to the world and I never noticed a sunny or rainy day while spending my time in Steelport until I beat the main story. There was just an overcast brownish colored sky. Character models moved well, though also looked a tad on the dated side. One final note, the digitizing effect placed on the simulated version of Steelport can be incredibly distracting. This is very true when your character is just standing and admiring the scenery.
I did not have any issues with any of the sound design and was pleasantly surprised to see how many voice actors returned for the final chapter of the Saints story. The characters sounded great and there was some fun banter back and forth between the cast. There were numerous callbacks to past events and characters. Also scattered about Steelport are 39 audio logs from past and present characters to add more story to the Saints Row universe which was nice to listen to.
Saints Row IV played fairly well, though I did have a number of glitches. The super power mechanic replaces grenades and not being able to use your powers outside of the simulated world without having grenades to back myself up with was kind of a downer. That said, the super powers are a lot of fun to play around with. Combining them brought some pretty great outcomes and offered some creative ways to eliminate my enemies. Combat has been adjusted slightly as well. Health no longer regenerates quickly, it takes a while for it to start coming back. To offset this, there are now health drops that fall from dead enemies. This does make combat a bit more tough and I noticed myself dying a bit more than I did in Saints Row: The Third. Shooting feels relatively tight and control-wise the game is fairly responsive. I did have a few glitches pop up while playing. Framerate drops happened several times, usually while using the UFO or in heavy combat. I had several freezes during missions where I had to reboot my PS3 completely so I have two saves and usually save every 20ish minutes. I also ran into some issues while trying to jump and get in vehicles. Occasionally, and I'm not sure if this was by design or by glitch, character models in the environment would stretch out, or have some weird sort of ultra long legs or huge eyes. This happened a few times while I was wandering the streets not doing anything.
The same customization options that were available to your character and gang in Saints Row: The Third are available here. There are a few more options for clothing and outfits but it's largely the same character editor that we've seen and used before. The city of Steelport is pretty much unchanged from the last game as well. Minus removing any influences of the Saints gang from Saints Row: The Third. Many of the vehicles are the same from the previous game as well. There are still many customization options for your cars, but with the super sprint and flight super powers there really isn't a point in driving unless it's forced. Weapons are still fully upgradeable and now have customizable skins to add some fun touches to them. While outside of Steelport players can run around in the spaceship. There are no customization options for the ship. However there are options to talk to and romance every member of the crew, minus romancing Keith David because to quote him "I'm not into that sort of thing".
Going through the story of Saints Row IV is a decent experience. It was fairly predictable sci-fi story but it was a lot of fun and meshed with the game well. There were several times while playing that I was laughing to the point that it effected my playing ability. The story itself feels fairly short and including all side missions, finding a majority of the collectables, completing all of the activities, and a couple hours of random running around causing chaos I had the game beat in around 21 hours. I'm still hunting for a few collectables (There's close to 1300 total) and I'm considering a second playthrough with the "Nolan North" voice, but all in all, I was a little disappointed in the length of the game. There are some co-op only activities I have yet to play through, but 21 hours feels kinda short for an open world game like this.
Overall, I enjoyed Saints Row IV. I can overlook some of its flaws, and find the diamond shining beneath. The game is far from perfect, but if you'd prefer an alternative to Grand Theft Auto, and are looking for something that is just dumb fun, I suggest picking this one up. We're awarding Saints Row IV a 7/10.
Graphically speaking, Saints Row IV looks dated to me. There is a brownish fog that covers the world, though draw distance is still pretty great, the fog is always present. Once I completed the main story the fog seemed to lift a bit and there was some sunlight and color to the world of Steelport. There is also a reddish-brown tint to the world and I never noticed a sunny or rainy day while spending my time in Steelport until I beat the main story. There was just an overcast brownish colored sky. Character models moved well, though also looked a tad on the dated side. One final note, the digitizing effect placed on the simulated version of Steelport can be incredibly distracting. This is very true when your character is just standing and admiring the scenery.
I did not have any issues with any of the sound design and was pleasantly surprised to see how many voice actors returned for the final chapter of the Saints story. The characters sounded great and there was some fun banter back and forth between the cast. There were numerous callbacks to past events and characters. Also scattered about Steelport are 39 audio logs from past and present characters to add more story to the Saints Row universe which was nice to listen to.
Saints Row IV played fairly well, though I did have a number of glitches. The super power mechanic replaces grenades and not being able to use your powers outside of the simulated world without having grenades to back myself up with was kind of a downer. That said, the super powers are a lot of fun to play around with. Combining them brought some pretty great outcomes and offered some creative ways to eliminate my enemies. Combat has been adjusted slightly as well. Health no longer regenerates quickly, it takes a while for it to start coming back. To offset this, there are now health drops that fall from dead enemies. This does make combat a bit more tough and I noticed myself dying a bit more than I did in Saints Row: The Third. Shooting feels relatively tight and control-wise the game is fairly responsive. I did have a few glitches pop up while playing. Framerate drops happened several times, usually while using the UFO or in heavy combat. I had several freezes during missions where I had to reboot my PS3 completely so I have two saves and usually save every 20ish minutes. I also ran into some issues while trying to jump and get in vehicles. Occasionally, and I'm not sure if this was by design or by glitch, character models in the environment would stretch out, or have some weird sort of ultra long legs or huge eyes. This happened a few times while I was wandering the streets not doing anything.
The same customization options that were available to your character and gang in Saints Row: The Third are available here. There are a few more options for clothing and outfits but it's largely the same character editor that we've seen and used before. The city of Steelport is pretty much unchanged from the last game as well. Minus removing any influences of the Saints gang from Saints Row: The Third. Many of the vehicles are the same from the previous game as well. There are still many customization options for your cars, but with the super sprint and flight super powers there really isn't a point in driving unless it's forced. Weapons are still fully upgradeable and now have customizable skins to add some fun touches to them. While outside of Steelport players can run around in the spaceship. There are no customization options for the ship. However there are options to talk to and romance every member of the crew, minus romancing Keith David because to quote him "I'm not into that sort of thing".
Going through the story of Saints Row IV is a decent experience. It was fairly predictable sci-fi story but it was a lot of fun and meshed with the game well. There were several times while playing that I was laughing to the point that it effected my playing ability. The story itself feels fairly short and including all side missions, finding a majority of the collectables, completing all of the activities, and a couple hours of random running around causing chaos I had the game beat in around 21 hours. I'm still hunting for a few collectables (There's close to 1300 total) and I'm considering a second playthrough with the "Nolan North" voice, but all in all, I was a little disappointed in the length of the game. There are some co-op only activities I have yet to play through, but 21 hours feels kinda short for an open world game like this.
Overall, I enjoyed Saints Row IV. I can overlook some of its flaws, and find the diamond shining beneath. The game is far from perfect, but if you'd prefer an alternative to Grand Theft Auto, and are looking for something that is just dumb fun, I suggest picking this one up. We're awarding Saints Row IV a 7/10.
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Xbox One and PS4 Release Dates!
So, at Gamescom Sony announced that the PlayStation 4 will be available in North America (minus Mexico) on November 15th. Europe, Central and South America, and Australia/New Zealand will get the PS4 on November 29th. Today Microsoft announced that the Xbox One will be available on November 22nd to it's thirteen territories that are being launched in including USA, Western Europe, and Australia. I've still not preordered an Xbox One, but I will watch it cautiously as most of the policies that I was against are now reversed. I have my PlayStation 4 preordered with Killzone Shadow Fall and an extra controller coming. I am also saving some cash back to upgrade my PC to handle more advanced graphics and games.
Also, we'll have a review up for Saints Row IV in the near future. I'm almost done with the game.
Also, we'll have a review up for Saints Row IV in the near future. I'm almost done with the game.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Xbox One Update
So yesterday Microsoft surprised everyone by reversing a majority of their restrictions on the Xbox One. Claiming that they listened to their consumers and decided to do what we wanted they committed what was one of the biggest flip-flops we've seen in the gaming industry.
The changes are as follows:
No 24 hour online check in
No Used Games restrictions
No Region Lock
Internet is required for console SETUP only, afterwards, it can stay offline for eternity unless playing a game that requires an internet connection.
The Kinect was mentioned, but only that they are still requiring it to be connected to make the device function. So, other than requiring the Kinect and the $100 difference in price, the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 are basically on the same ground now. It will be interesting to see the systems compete now that the field is leveled. If you've got thoughts on the matter, please share them with us in the comments below!
The changes are as follows:
No 24 hour online check in
No Used Games restrictions
No Region Lock
Internet is required for console SETUP only, afterwards, it can stay offline for eternity unless playing a game that requires an internet connection.
The Kinect was mentioned, but only that they are still requiring it to be connected to make the device function. So, other than requiring the Kinect and the $100 difference in price, the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 are basically on the same ground now. It will be interesting to see the systems compete now that the field is leveled. If you've got thoughts on the matter, please share them with us in the comments below!
Friday, June 14, 2013
Xbox One and PlayStation 4
After spending some time watching both conferences and thinking about the systems I feel that I've got enough information to weigh in on my take on the systems.
Sony definitely had the stronger press conference in terms of what gamers want. That said, Microsoft had some better games but the issues with the Xbox One are going to hinder people's like for the system.
Sony announced that the PlayStation 4 will support used games without restrictions placed by Sony. The publisher must decide if they want to allow a gamer to buy a used copy of their game. PlayStation also seems to be supporting the indie game developers much more, bringing several indie games to the console first, and allowing the developers to self publish over the PlayStation Network. There is also no online check in for the PS4, and players are allowed to swap games with their friends at will. Also, the system was revealed and I think that it looks more aesthetically pleasing to the eyes. The PlayStation Eye is also not a requirement for the system to function.
Xbox showed some more of their exclusive titles, but seemed to be more focused on announcing that DLC for several games was coming to the Xbox first. Not that it was exclusive, but that it was coming first. There were several great looking exclusives, like Titanfall and Quantum Break. Xbox One has placed a one time use license code in their games, and only allows you to gift your games to one of your friends once, providing they have been on your friends list for at least thirty days. There is also a once every twenty-four hour check in online while playing games on your own console. If you are playing your content on another Xbox you have to check in online every hour or the games stop functioning. Xbox does also support a much more robust suite of entertainment features than the PS4, but that comes at the cost of freedom for playing your games.
Both systems have pros and cons, as is with all systems. The thing is, Xbox says that they are for the gamers, but are being extremely restrictive on how the players are allowed to play. Sony has placed it into the hands of the publishers to decide how restrictive they want to be. At this point, I think that is I were to buy an Xbox One it would be for the entertainment aspects, not the games. That said, I do have a preorder placed on the PlayStation 4, but not for the Xbox One. I want to see how things play out over the first year or so with Xbox before I decide to join in.
Sony definitely had the stronger press conference in terms of what gamers want. That said, Microsoft had some better games but the issues with the Xbox One are going to hinder people's like for the system.
Sony announced that the PlayStation 4 will support used games without restrictions placed by Sony. The publisher must decide if they want to allow a gamer to buy a used copy of their game. PlayStation also seems to be supporting the indie game developers much more, bringing several indie games to the console first, and allowing the developers to self publish over the PlayStation Network. There is also no online check in for the PS4, and players are allowed to swap games with their friends at will. Also, the system was revealed and I think that it looks more aesthetically pleasing to the eyes. The PlayStation Eye is also not a requirement for the system to function.
Xbox showed some more of their exclusive titles, but seemed to be more focused on announcing that DLC for several games was coming to the Xbox first. Not that it was exclusive, but that it was coming first. There were several great looking exclusives, like Titanfall and Quantum Break. Xbox One has placed a one time use license code in their games, and only allows you to gift your games to one of your friends once, providing they have been on your friends list for at least thirty days. There is also a once every twenty-four hour check in online while playing games on your own console. If you are playing your content on another Xbox you have to check in online every hour or the games stop functioning. Xbox does also support a much more robust suite of entertainment features than the PS4, but that comes at the cost of freedom for playing your games.
Both systems have pros and cons, as is with all systems. The thing is, Xbox says that they are for the gamers, but are being extremely restrictive on how the players are allowed to play. Sony has placed it into the hands of the publishers to decide how restrictive they want to be. At this point, I think that is I were to buy an Xbox One it would be for the entertainment aspects, not the games. That said, I do have a preorder placed on the PlayStation 4, but not for the Xbox One. I want to see how things play out over the first year or so with Xbox before I decide to join in.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
We are still here.
I swear we haven't fallen off the side of the planet or anything. Just had a lot going on and haven't bought any new games lately. We all apologize sincerely for that, and I'm hoping I'm going to be getting "The Last of Us" when it comes out. We'll also be watching the news outlets to see what's going on at E3 and have that for you guys so bear with us a little longer. Brighter things are on the horizon!
Also, Scorpion is the next DLC character for Injustice: Gods Among Us... I don't like that very much. What is a Mortal Kombat fighter doing in a DC Universe game!? Oh well, at least they got Jim Lee to redesign his look and he does look pretty cool.
So to recap: Scorpion is in Injustice and we are not dead.
Thanks for reading our blog!
Also, Scorpion is the next DLC character for Injustice: Gods Among Us... I don't like that very much. What is a Mortal Kombat fighter doing in a DC Universe game!? Oh well, at least they got Jim Lee to redesign his look and he does look pretty cool.
So to recap: Scorpion is in Injustice and we are not dead.
Thanks for reading our blog!
Monday, April 29, 2013
Injustice: Gods Among Us Review (PS3)
Upon first booting Injustice I couldn't help but think that this is just going to be a reskinned Mortal Kombat. I could not have been more wrong. While the core fighting game remains the same, the rest of the game is changed up enough to make Injustice feel similar, but very different from Netherrealm's previous game.
Playing the game is a treat for anyone who is a fan of the DC comics. Injustice looks great during the fights, not so much during the cutscenes. Animations flow smoothly and transitioning between moves looks fantastic. Environments are nicely made and highly interactive on most levels. The only complaint I've got, and it's not even a major one, is just the way that some of the characters look. The art design at times seems a bit interesting, with most of the characters, including Superman, look like they are armor plated. There are also an incredible amount of unlockable and alternate skins for the characters.
The voice acting in the game is top notch. Netherrealm took the time to get some of the voice actors who work on the various DC Animated Universe projects to come in and do voices. Kevin Conroy is Batman, Adam Baldwin and Jennifer Hale also lend their voices to the game. The sounds around the arena are pretty well done also, most notably with the level transitions.
Injustice feels like a licensed game done right, and it largely is. There are 24 characters from the DC Universe to choose from, with at least four more on tap to be delivered through DLC. The cast consists of twelve heroes and twelve villains. They range from Superman and Batman to the lesser known Raven and Killer Frost. Each character has at least two costumes, but some have more than that, such as Solomon Grundy, who I currently have four costumes for. The story mode is crafted by Netherrealm and plays out very well. It kept me entertained for several hours before I moved on to the Battles mode. These modes are the standard ladder matches where you pick your character (most of the time) and duke it out with a bunch of enemies on a sliding scale for difficulty. There are a number of different options you can pick for the Battles mode, including Heroes only, Villains only, and Mirror Mode. These add a lot of extra replayability and challenge to the game. The next mode available for play is the S.T.A.R. Labs mode, which offers players 240 missions to play. You get ranked between one and three stars depending on how well you do on these missions with a trophy to get three stars on all of them adding a good bit of challenge.
Playing through the fights of Injustice is a lot of fun. Combos are easy to pull off and flow very well. There are numerous interactive elements in each level that help add a bit of strategy to your playstyle. There are also level transitions that can be initiated which look really cool, though when done by someone like Catwoman seems a bit over the top. The characters all play similarly, but differently enough that each one feels fairly unique. The game allows you to tag certain moves you want to try and will display them on the side of the screen as a kind of on the fly tutorial for players who are having trouble remembering combos or special moves. Another change from Mortal Kombat is the removal of Fatalities. This game is only rated "T" so they had to tone the violence down a bit. So Fatalities were replaced with Super Moves which have a similar impact to the X-Ray moves from Mortal Kombat. You can pull them off as soon as your super meter is full and have potential to do more than one per match. One more small complaint I've noticed during my time with Injustice is that there isn't a traditional round over. You fight until one of the two combatants runs out of thier first health bar, then they start onto their second bar without a new round warning. The winning player of that round also does not get a restored health bar, they fight with what was left of their first one until they win or lose it and start into their second. This was an interesting choice that took a lot of getting used to, but I sort of like it now that I'm used to it.
All in all, Injustice: Gods Among Us is a great fighting game. There are some solid mechanics that help better the genre, but there are a few issues too. Graphically, the game isn't groundbreaking, the fighting is solid, but the between round break thing is a lot awkward. The story is interesting and is worth checking out. Overall, we are awarding Injustice: Gods Among Us an 8/10.
Playing the game is a treat for anyone who is a fan of the DC comics. Injustice looks great during the fights, not so much during the cutscenes. Animations flow smoothly and transitioning between moves looks fantastic. Environments are nicely made and highly interactive on most levels. The only complaint I've got, and it's not even a major one, is just the way that some of the characters look. The art design at times seems a bit interesting, with most of the characters, including Superman, look like they are armor plated. There are also an incredible amount of unlockable and alternate skins for the characters.
The voice acting in the game is top notch. Netherrealm took the time to get some of the voice actors who work on the various DC Animated Universe projects to come in and do voices. Kevin Conroy is Batman, Adam Baldwin and Jennifer Hale also lend their voices to the game. The sounds around the arena are pretty well done also, most notably with the level transitions.
Injustice feels like a licensed game done right, and it largely is. There are 24 characters from the DC Universe to choose from, with at least four more on tap to be delivered through DLC. The cast consists of twelve heroes and twelve villains. They range from Superman and Batman to the lesser known Raven and Killer Frost. Each character has at least two costumes, but some have more than that, such as Solomon Grundy, who I currently have four costumes for. The story mode is crafted by Netherrealm and plays out very well. It kept me entertained for several hours before I moved on to the Battles mode. These modes are the standard ladder matches where you pick your character (most of the time) and duke it out with a bunch of enemies on a sliding scale for difficulty. There are a number of different options you can pick for the Battles mode, including Heroes only, Villains only, and Mirror Mode. These add a lot of extra replayability and challenge to the game. The next mode available for play is the S.T.A.R. Labs mode, which offers players 240 missions to play. You get ranked between one and three stars depending on how well you do on these missions with a trophy to get three stars on all of them adding a good bit of challenge.
Playing through the fights of Injustice is a lot of fun. Combos are easy to pull off and flow very well. There are numerous interactive elements in each level that help add a bit of strategy to your playstyle. There are also level transitions that can be initiated which look really cool, though when done by someone like Catwoman seems a bit over the top. The characters all play similarly, but differently enough that each one feels fairly unique. The game allows you to tag certain moves you want to try and will display them on the side of the screen as a kind of on the fly tutorial for players who are having trouble remembering combos or special moves. Another change from Mortal Kombat is the removal of Fatalities. This game is only rated "T" so they had to tone the violence down a bit. So Fatalities were replaced with Super Moves which have a similar impact to the X-Ray moves from Mortal Kombat. You can pull them off as soon as your super meter is full and have potential to do more than one per match. One more small complaint I've noticed during my time with Injustice is that there isn't a traditional round over. You fight until one of the two combatants runs out of thier first health bar, then they start onto their second bar without a new round warning. The winning player of that round also does not get a restored health bar, they fight with what was left of their first one until they win or lose it and start into their second. This was an interesting choice that took a lot of getting used to, but I sort of like it now that I'm used to it.
All in all, Injustice: Gods Among Us is a great fighting game. There are some solid mechanics that help better the genre, but there are a few issues too. Graphically, the game isn't groundbreaking, the fighting is solid, but the between round break thing is a lot awkward. The story is interesting and is worth checking out. Overall, we are awarding Injustice: Gods Among Us an 8/10.
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