http://geeksofdoom.com Stuff by geeks, about geeks, for geeks. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:00:32 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 en hourly 1 http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/11/09/game-review-wet/ http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/11/09/game-review-wet/#comments Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:03:00 +0000 The Movie God A2MBethesdaElder ScrollsElder Scrolls IV: OblivionEliza DushkuGrindhouseMalcolm McDowellQuentin TarantinoWETXbox 360 http://geeksofdoom.com/?p=30584 The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Fallout 3 -- and developer A2M, WET is a game that immediately grabs your eye when you see it. Its look of pure Grindhouse-esq exploitation cinema of the 70s leads you to believe that you're about to play a Quentin Tarantino movie, and whether you ultimately like the game or not, that alone is worth giving it a fair go.

WET follows Rubi Malone (Eliza Dushku), a bad-ass problem solver who gets what needs to be done, done...so long as the price is right. The game opens with her chasing down a man who steals what she was paid to acquire, which leads to an epic chase right off the gun that ends in a freeway car chase that would bring a tear to the eye of Michael Bay. As it turns out, the item she was paid to retrieve is a human heart that would save the man who hired you's father. A year later, this man (Malcolm McDowell) comes back to thank her for the heart, and to hire her for another job: to find and bring back his AWOL son. This job sets off a chain of events that are a little too spoilery to share here, but let us just say that Rubi isn't thrilled about how things go, and many, many, many, many people die because of it. [...]]]> http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/11/09/game-review-wet/feed/ 2 http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/09/03/game-review-batman-arkham-asylum/ http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/09/03/game-review-batman-arkham-asylum/#comments Thu, 03 Sep 2009 22:23:56 +0000 Keyser Söze BatmanBatman: Arkham AsylumEidosMark HamillPCPlaystation 3 http://geeksofdoom.com/?p=28246 Batman: Arkham Asylum
Genre: Action-adventure / Beat 'em up / Stealth
Rating: ESRB T for Teen / VSC 15
Publisher: DC Comics with Warner Bros & Eidos Interactive
Formats: Xbox 360, Playstation 3 & Windows
Release Date: August 25, 2009 (U.S.) & August 28, 2009 (Europe)

The prison guard jerks The Joker's arm as he leads him off to his familiar cell in Arkham Asylum. As The Joker looks back over his shoulder at Batman, he trips and falls to his knee.

When the guard leans down to help him up, Joker takes the opportunity to quickly headbutt the guard as he stands up, sending him reeling. Before anyone can react he leaps up and wraps his cuffs around the guard's neck from behind. Batman beats on the reinforced glass separating him from his nemesis as he kills the helpless prison guard.

When The Joker hears the guard's last gurgling attempts at breathing, he gets in his punchline... "Choke's on you!"

This scene sets the whole tone of Batman: Arkham Asylum, and I think someone may have been pumping Joker gas into my living room, as I had a silly grin on my face the whole time.

The Caped Crusader has been striking fear into the hearts of the Gotham City underworld for the past 70 years, and yet all of the criminals pale in comparison to The Joker -- often seen as the Yin to Batman's Yang, this being reinforced by Alan Moore's Batman: The Killing Joke published back in 1988 [...]]]> http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/09/03/game-review-batman-arkham-asylum/feed/ 3 http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/08/17/game-review-call-of-juarez-bound-in-blood/ http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/08/17/game-review-call-of-juarez-bound-in-blood/#comments Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:54:52 +0000 The Movie God Call of JuarezCall of Juarez: Bound in BloodUbisoftXbox 360 http://geeksofdoom.com/?p=26994
Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood is the follow-up to 2007's Call of Juarez. The game is a prequel story about the McCall brothers, Thomas and Ray, and their desertion of the Confederate Army to help protect their family. When home becomes just too dangerous, they take their younger brother William, and the trio set off toward Mexico to search out a treasure of legend. As with any story that involves stubborn characters, especially brothers, greed and jealousy find their way into the mix and Thomas and Ray need to find a way to work together or die just another victim to the ruthless old west. [...]]]> http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/08/17/game-review-call-of-juarez-bound-in-blood/feed/ 1 http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/08/13/game-review-fight-night-round-4/ http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/08/13/game-review-fight-night-round-4/#comments Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:50:53 +0000 The Movie God Electronic ArtsFight Night: Round 4Mike TysonMuhammad AliXboxXbox 360 http://geeksofdoom.com/?p=25872
Since the sport of mixed martial arts has exploded onto the scene and pretty much completely over-shadowed it, it's tough to find things to be excited about when it comes to boxing today. Every once in a while a fight comes along with fan favorites like Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather, and Ricky Hatton -- but aside from that, boxing has become a mostly unappealing spectacle. Fortunately, the cats over at Electronic Arts know how things are done when it comes to their sports games, and that's no different when it comes to Fight Night: Round 4, which is now the best boxing video game ever made.

The Fight Night franchise has always offered up great boxing games -- the best since Mike Tyson's Punch Out!, to be precise -- that fans have loved, even with some kinks here and there. One of the best thing about video games, though, is that many of them get better with new installments. This is because developers can take the good and the bad feedback from their previous games and build from that until they reach perfection. And so far, Fight Night: Round 4 is about as perfect as boxing games get...for now. The scary thing is knowing that they will probably keep finding ways to get better. [...]]]> http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/08/13/game-review-fight-night-round-4/feed/ 2 http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/07/10/game-review-terminator-salvation-playstation3/ http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/07/10/game-review-terminator-salvation-playstation3/#comments Sat, 11 Jul 2009 01:21:20 +0000 Missing Linc Playstation 3Terminator SalvationThe TerminatorWarner BrosWarner Bros. http://geeksofdoom.com/?p=24423 Terminator: Salvation
Genre: Action/Shooter
Rating: T for Teen
Platform: Playstation3
Platform: Evolved Games
Publisher: Warner Bros.

As I like to do with just about everything I review, I’m going to open this review up with some full disclosure. I feel it allows you, the reader, to understand more fully where I, the reviewer, am coming from.

Ah, the Terminator franchise. I’ve had a love/hate relationship with it for as long as I can remember. Like pretty much everyone else, I thought the first film was amazing. The premise, the violence, the effects… it all just worked. Then came T2, which pushed the effects envelope even further, turned the story on its ear by making the bad guy from the first film the good guy, and giving Hollywood a much needed badass female lead. But it had Edward Furlong and some goofy moments that kept it from being the classic I thought it could have been. T3 was such a mockery of the first 2 that I pretty much swore the franchise off. And then when McG (god it pains me to even type that as his ‘name’) came on board for Terminator: Salvation, I knew all hope was lost. In a nutshell, I think the franchise had a brilliant premise the collapses under the weight of the time-travel paradox, suffers from being a parody of itself at times, and can’t find the right fit to bring it to the glory it deserves.

All of that being said, I think The Terminator is the absolute PERFECT fit for a kick ass, thrill ride of a sci-fi game. There are so many ways it could go… First Person Shooter, Role Playing, Real-Time Strategy, open sandbox style ala Grand Theft Auto [...]]]> http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/07/10/game-review-terminator-salvation-playstation3/feed/ 0 http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/06/19/game-review-prototype/ http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/06/19/game-review-prototype/#comments Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:19:04 +0000 Keyser Söze Prototype http://geeksofdoom.com/?p=22846 [Prototype]
Genre: Sandbox Action
Rating: ESRB M for Mature
Publisher: Radical Entertainment
Format: Xbox 360, Playstation 3 & Windows
Release Date: 9th June 2009 (US), 12 June 2009 (UK)

Why do most people play videogames? Is it to feed their competitive streak in hardcore multiplayer action a-la Call of Duty 4? Or is it the epic storytelling of titles like Bioshock? Maybe it's the ultimate cinematic experience when a true gaming masterpiece is created such as Grand Theft Auto IV.

I'm guilty of all of the above in one form or another... however my favourite games are the ones like Radical Entertainment's [Prototype] - I'm talking about pure unadulterated laugh-out-loud FUN. Assassin's Creed is another prime example of a game that had it's faults, but I loved it all the same because the freerunning and combat elements made me grin like an imbecile on crack.

Like Assassin's Creed and Mirror's Edge before it, Prototype has tapped the freerunning market again... but is adding so much more into the mix. It is a sandbox action title that dispenses with the pleasantries and provides you with the means to decimate an entire city & it's inhabitants with your bare (albeit mutated) hands [...]]]> http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/06/19/game-review-prototype/feed/ 3 http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/06/13/dungeons-and-dragons-4th-edition-a-player%e2%80%99s-experience/ http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/06/13/dungeons-and-dragons-4th-edition-a-player%e2%80%99s-experience/#comments Sat, 13 Jun 2009 20:01:12 +0000 Henchman21 Dungeons and DragonsJames WyattJeremy CrawfordMike MearlsWizards of the Coast http://geeksofdoom.com/?p=22210 last time I told you about the Second Player's handbook, this time I'm going to go into what it feels like to play a game of Dungeons and Dragons in it's new style, that we like to call 4th edition. I'm also going to go into what you need to start a game of your own, and where the best resources are, and if there are any good places I don't mention, feel free to leave a comment, because I can always use them myself.

The first thing you'll notice when actually playing a game of 4th ed is the strategic and board game elements that have been added to the game. This is the first time that the D&D miniatures game has been fully integrated into the game-play of the RPG, and I kind of enjoy it, but I can see the problems. Gone are the days when you had to picture the entire scenario of battle in your head, and then move and attack according to that picture. Now all the players have a pseudo-3D representation of where the enemies are, exactly how many there are, and where they are in relation to the players. You might say that half of the fun of the game was the imagination you put into creating the environments in your head, and I'd be forced to agree with you. However, what you get for more reliance on the miniatures is an increase in strategic elements for battles. Positioning has become very important as there are many bonuses that come from being certain distances from characters, bonuses for flanking enemies, you have to be aware of how many spaces you are away from enemies, and so on. If you've ever played a collectible mini-game such as Heroclix or Mage Knight, you'll have a good understanding of what battle looks like now. Getting back to the player's use of imagination to establish the action, I'd say you still use it to a certain degree, just that some of the heavy thinking has been removed. This is going to be a recurring element in 4th edition.]]> http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/06/13/dungeons-and-dragons-4th-edition-a-player%e2%80%99s-experience/feed/ 0 http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/06/11/game-review-the-dishwasher-dead-samurai/ http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/06/11/game-review-the-dishwasher-dead-samurai/#comments Thu, 11 Jun 2009 23:00:20 +0000 Keyser Söze Microsoft Game StudiosSka StudiosXbox LiveXbox Live Arcade http://geeksofdoom.com/?p=20694 The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai Genre: Beat 'Em Up
Rating: ESRB M for Mature
Publisher: Ska Studios & Microsoft Game Studios
Release Date: 1st April 2009
Format: Xbox Live Arcade

When I first heard about this release from Xbox guru Major Nelson on Twitter, I thought it was an April Fool's prank. However I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it wasn't, and promptly checked out some of the available gameplay videos. These turned out to be surprisingly gruesome and frantic - and if you can describe a game with those words... I'm there.

The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai was conceived when game creator James Silva was himself a dishwasher, finding himself the butt of many a joke. After pointing out that Bruce Lee was a dishwasher, he began to conceive a game about one that slaughters an insurmountable array of highly trained agents... and that became what we have here today.

The Dishwasher is a 2D sideways-scrolling "hack n' slash 'em up", where you take control of the unnamed protagonist who was captured by cyborgs that had a view to assimilating him into their collective (yes... sorry, that was a Star Trek pun... it will be my last). Freed by "Chef" - his mentor - he is given Alien Blood that resurrects him from death, and imbues him with incredible powers.

And we of course like nothing better than to use these awesome new abilities to pulverise anything that moves into a bloody pink/red mist....]]> http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/06/11/game-review-the-dishwasher-dead-samurai/feed/ 0 http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/06/10/game-review-the-chronicles-of-riddick-assault-on-dark-athena-xbox-360/ http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/06/10/game-review-the-chronicles-of-riddick-assault-on-dark-athena-xbox-360/#comments Wed, 10 Jun 2009 22:09:47 +0000 Henchman21 The Chronicles of RiddickVin Diesel http://geeksofdoom.com/?p=22455 The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena (Xbox 360)
Developer: Starbreeze Studios
Atari
Release: April 7, 2009

More often than not, video games based on movies are, to put it gently, awful. Fortunately, some decent film-based games do slip trough, and I’m happy to say that The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena is a decent enough game. It does suffer from a few problems, but the overall game play, eye catching graphics and outstanding sound design make this a worthwhile purchase. Certainly, one of the great things about this game is that you get not one, but two games. Not only do you get the new Assault on Dark Athena game, but you also get a remake of 2004’s Escape from Butcher Bay (which was release for the original X-Box). Butcher Bay is apparently regarded as a bit of a classic, and it’s nice to see it brought up to date for the PS3 and 360. It’s too bad that the follow-up is just a mediocre shooter that doesn’t make good use of its central game play element, namely, Riddick’s ability to see in the dark.

Escape from Butcher Bay serves as a prequel to Pitch Black, and shows how Riddick got his most unique feature, his glow in the dark eyes. It also serves to fill in the back story between Riddick and William Johns, his jailer from Pitch Black. In the game, Riddick is sent to the titular prison of Butcher Bay, and immediately plans to make his escape, while fighting his fellow inmates. Assault on Dark Athena follows that story up with a similar one as Riddick is captured by mercenaries and again has to escape, this time from a space ship. Butcher Bay has a fun story, as you see how Riddick got those amazing eyes, and how he makes his eventual escape. Dark Athena also has a decent story, but feels more like a retread, although they do use it to explain some of Riddick’s softness for kids [...]]]> http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/06/10/game-review-the-chronicles-of-riddick-assault-on-dark-athena-xbox-360/feed/ 0 http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/06/04/game-review-x-men-origins-wolverine-uncaged-edition/ http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/06/04/game-review-x-men-origins-wolverine-uncaged-edition/#comments Fri, 05 Jun 2009 00:14:36 +0000 The Movie God Hugh JackmanLiev SchreiberX-MenX-Men Origins: WolverineXbox 360 http://geeksofdoom.com/?p=21825 X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Liev Schreiber
Platform: XBox 360
Uncaged Edition
Developer: Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Release Date: May 1, 2009

As much as I hate to go all cliche on you guys, it feels like this has to be mentioned every single time you're dealing with a movie-related video game: they just never seem to work. With video games based on movies, and with movies based on video games, on most occasions, you will find yourself disappointed. On some rare occasions, however, you do find one that works out, and this is the case for X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

Keep in mind, this Wolverine game was in-development for quite a while by Raven Software, so while a good chunk of it inherited many components of the movie of the same name, the rest of the game follows a line that Raven had previously set. This along with the fact that the game runs a good 10-12 hours allowed the developers to make a movie-based game while still remaining as faithful as possible to this beloved character.

The game is set up in a sort of flashback style. The first level sees you running through the jungle after your helicopter goes down. After certain points throughout the game, you'll find yourself back in the jungle again while recollecting what happened then. Surrounding the various jungle level flashbacks, you'll find yourself escaping the Alkali lake facility, inside of a Cybernetics lab, outside Alkali lake, and many other locations. One of the cool features of the game is Wolverine's ferel senses. With these senses, if you're ever stuck or curious, you can turn them on and catch a scent on which direction you need to go, see objects that are of importance or are dangerous, and also which things in a location you can use against enemies [...]]]> http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/06/04/game-review-x-men-origins-wolverine-uncaged-edition/feed/ 0 http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/04/05/game-review-metal-gear-solid-3-snake-eater-ps2/ http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/04/05/game-review-metal-gear-solid-3-snake-eater-ps2/#comments Sun, 05 Apr 2009 22:27:49 +0000 The Geeks of Doom KonamiMetal GearMetal Gear 2: Solid SnakeMetal Gear SolidMetal Gear Solid 2: Sons of LibertyMetal Gear Solid 4Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the PatriotsPlaystationPlaystation 2 http://geeksofdoom.com/?p=18191 Impressions of a Pre-Teen Gamer: Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

I had always loved the Metal Gear series and I finally found Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater at a Gamecrazy nearby. Honestly this game was one of the most thrilling games I have ever played and I cherish this game for its greatness. The graphics were amazing, especially because this game was for PS2 so that made me happy from the start. The game play was quite good, but some things were a little aggravating, like how I would always have to check if the food I captured was good enough to eat or if it was going to poison me.

You go through the game as Jack, codenamed Snake, and after you get far enough in the game it isn’t just about saving the weapons expert and maker Sokolov. You are pretty much are guided through the game by Major Zero by Codec. Also if you need some help just press the select button and the Codec screen will show up. Then press down and you can contact Major Zero, Para-Medic, Signt, and The Boss. For those of you who don’t know who any of these characters are, you will learn about them in the game. I will tell who The Boss is though. The Boss is technically the greatest soldier in the world and taught everything she knew to Snake when he was just a young trainee. Then she disappeared for five years until this event happening in the game [...]]]> http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/04/05/game-review-metal-gear-solid-3-snake-eater-ps2/feed/ 0 http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/03/28/game-review-street-fighter-iv/ http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/03/28/game-review-street-fighter-iv/#comments Sat, 28 Mar 2009 16:31:48 +0000 Keyser Söze Street FighterStreetfighter http://geeksofdoom.com/?p=16203 Street Fighter IV
Genre: Fighting
Rating: 12 (VSC Rating)
Publisher: Capcom
Format: Xbox 360, PS3, (Coming soon to PC), Arcade

Chances are, you’ve already heard about Capcom’s legendary Street Fighter series - Street Fighter 2 was/is the benchmark for almost every 1v1 fighting game that exists today. If you haven’t, then you’re either not a gamer, or haven’t set foot in an arcade in the last 15+ years.

SF2 is quite possibly one of my favourite games of all time – it is (in my opinion) one of the most polished and flawless fighting games to date, even if it’s 2D. The game’s combo system and tactical gameplay makes it fun for beginners to pick up, and great for hardcore players to arrange tournaments around (which in turn makes for some amazing viewing).

Capcom haven’t been able to match the original Street Fighter 2’s quality for a long time (the closest they came for me was Street Fighter Alpha 2), and in the development of their latest release; Street Fighter IV, you can tell they’ve gone back to the roots of the series. Capcom did attempt delving into the world of a 3D Street Fighter before, with the Street Fighter Ex series – these, although good in their own right, were overshadowed by games like Tekken and Dead or Alive [...]]]> http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/03/28/game-review-street-fighter-iv/feed/ 2 http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/03/20/review-watchmen-the-end-is-nigh/ http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/03/20/review-watchmen-the-end-is-nigh/#comments Fri, 20 Mar 2009 16:51:18 +0000 Keyser Söze WatchmenWatchmen The End Is NighXboxXbox 360Xbox Live http://geeksofdoom.com/?p=16396 Watchmen: The End Is Nigh
Genre: Fighting
ESRB: M for Mature
BBFC: 15
Developer: Deadline Games
Platform: PSN Network: March 5th 2009 (Part One), Xbox Live & PC: March 4th 2009 (Part One)

After writing my short preview on Watchmen: The End Is Nigh, I was really eager to get my hands on the full game... and Xbox Live being its usual laggy self, it decided to download the 1.3GB game at a rate of 1% every 20 minutes -- needless to say, I've been screaming at my Xbox all damn day.

However, my download literally just finished, so I am now happy to bring you a hands-on review of the first installment of the episodic adventures of Rorschach and Nite Owl II. As soon as you load the game, you're treated to animated cutscenes just like the Motion Comic DVD, setting the scene on Friday 13th October 1972. The tone of these cutscenes blend well with the dialogue in the graphic novel, and Rorschach's narration via his journal is spot on. Both Rorschach and Nite Owl II are voiced by their movie counterparts Jackie Earle Haley and Patrick Wilson, which I always see as a valuable asset - I can't stand it when movie-to-game adaptations use crappy voice actor soundalikes [...]]]> http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/03/20/review-watchmen-the-end-is-nigh/feed/ 0 http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/03/02/game-preview-watchmen-the-end-is-nigh/ http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/03/02/game-preview-watchmen-the-end-is-nigh/#comments Mon, 02 Mar 2009 23:48:15 +0000 Keyser Söze Dave GibbonsPSNWatchmenXboxXbox LiveZack Snyder http://geeksofdoom.com/?p=16111 Watchmen graphic novel adaptation by Dawn of the Dead & 300 helmer Zack Snyder, then you must've had your head buried in the sand for the past 5 months or so.

Arguably one of the most prestigious graphic novels of all time, Watchmen is the comic that has been hailed as "unfilmable" by creator Alan Moore (who still apparently stands by this, and prefers to distance himself from any movie based on his work). However, Zack Snyder's anal-retentive attention to detail has made it a reality.

All this being said, I'm not here to lend my critique on the forthcoming movie (due for release on March 6th) or the graphic novel. I'm here to talk about the video game adaptation for the Xbox, PS3 & PC; Watchmen: The End Is Nigh (Not the browser-based flash game Minutemen)...]]> http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/03/02/game-preview-watchmen-the-end-is-nigh/feed/ 2 http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/01/09/game-review-call-of-duty-world-at-war-ps3/ http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/01/09/game-review-call-of-duty-world-at-war-ps3/#comments Fri, 09 Jan 2009 16:07:20 +0000 WordSlinger ActivisionCall of DutyKiefer SutherlandPlaystation 3Treyarch Studios http://geeksofdoom.com/?p=12255 Call of Duty: World at War
Genre: First Person Shooter
ESRB: M for Mature
Developer: ACTIVISION/Treyarch Studios
Platform: PlayStation 3
Release Date: November 11, 2008

Just another WWII shooter right? Well, in this case, yes and no. The name Call of Duty has become synonymous with quality first-person shooters and sequels continue to improve upon their predecessors. That was until now, as the fifth installment seems to have hit a few bumps along the way and fails to really improve on some of more innovative aspects introduced in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. It is worth noting that this game was produced by Treyarch Studios, who were responsible for part 3, but not part 4, which was produced by Infinity Ward. Even ignoring the WWII/Modern aspects, the contrast in styles is obvious, with some aspects not really helping the new version.

The story mode is entertaining, though at this point you have to wonder how creative people can get with yet another WWII first-person shooter. Even though Call of Duty: World at War lives up to its name by showing both the Asian and European fronts, I think the game could have done fine on its own focusing on the U.S.-Japanese conflict. The game jumps back and forth between the two fronts every two missions, which can be a bit annoying as it breaks the storyline for the sake of breaking it. Supporting this notion is the fact that a majority of the Asian front levels take place nearly a year after the fall of Berlin. You will play two levels in the spring of 1945 only be sent back to the battle of Stalingrad immediately after. It seems unnecessary. While the Japanese campaign story would have been fine on its own, I have to admit some of the Russian/German levels were my favorite ones to play [...]]]> http://geeksofdoom.com/2009/01/09/game-review-call-of-duty-world-at-war-ps3/feed/ 0 http://geeksofdoom.com/2008/12/30/game-review-littlebigplanet-ps3/ http://geeksofdoom.com/2008/12/30/game-review-littlebigplanet-ps3/#comments Tue, 30 Dec 2008 20:55:25 +0000 WordSlinger LittleBigPlanetMedia MoleculePlaystationPlaystation 3 http://geeksofdoom.com/?p=11749 LittleBigPlanet for the Playstation 3 is a very safe bet. The new platform is certainly one of the most unique games of 2008 if not this entire gaming generation. How can you go wrong with a culturally diverse game starring little "sack people" in a world of marionettes narrated by Stephen Fry in the same humorous manner as he did the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?

There's not much to the "story" of the single-player game. You are your own sackperson, exploring the imaginary parts of LittleBigPlanet as you learn the ways of the game. Along the way, you may notice a bizarre looking creature ease-dropping on your fun or even sneaking away with one of your friends, but there isn't much more to say about him until the very end.

The gameplay is very standard platforming. You run, jump, grab, move blocks, blow stuff up, and jump on bad guys to make them disappear. Even so, the game finds new and creative ways to implement the simple controls needed to move your Sackboy or Sackgirl around the world. There are only a handful or so "devices" used by the game but hundreds of variations on how they can be used. The first few levels walk you through the basics, but the game includes video tutorials and demos to teach you about all the possibilities, and even those contain some humorous jabs. I half-expected a bowl of petunias to fill from the sky at one point. Overall I found the game's atmosphere to be very clever and one of the few games I found entertaining to learn the game [...]]]> http://geeksofdoom.com/2008/12/30/game-review-littlebigplanet-ps3/feed/ 0 http://geeksofdoom.com/2008/12/26/game-review-singstar-abba/ http://geeksofdoom.com/2008/12/26/game-review-singstar-abba/#comments Fri, 26 Dec 2008 17:53:51 +0000 Jack Bauerstein83 ABBAPlaystation 3Singstar ABBA http://geeksofdoom.com/?p=11774 XBox 360 and Playstation 3 to make their system more than just a game console, various new types of games have tried to capture the multi-use nature of the systems. SingStar ABBA, the latest SingStar game, is a perfect example of this trend.

Based on the Singstar series which started over on the Playstation 2, the game is basically the vocal version of another popular game involving music, Dance Dance Revolution combined with karaoke. Players choose a song in the game and sing the lyrics that are highlighted as you would do in karaoke. Along the way, there are various vocal bars that appear on the screen that you must hit to rack up points. At the end of the song, they tally up the points and rate your performance.

For this version of the game, all the songs came from the super popular pop band from yesteryear ABBA. Yes, you too can sing their smash hit songs "Dancing Queen" to "Mamma Mia!", and even "Knowing Me, Knowing You" in the privacy of your home (you know you want to) or with a friend [...]]]> http://geeksofdoom.com/2008/12/26/game-review-singstar-abba/feed/ 0 http://geeksofdoom.com/2008/12/22/game-review-colin-mcrae-rally-mac-os-x/ http://geeksofdoom.com/2008/12/22/game-review-colin-mcrae-rally-mac-os-x/#comments Mon, 22 Dec 2008 12:35:07 +0000 Sherab Zangpo CodemastersColin McRae RallyMac OS X http://geeksofdoom.com/?p=11495
I only play a handful of games and three of those are driving games. I like driving games. Also I'm playing on a keyboard, not a wheel. Of those three games only one has the look and feel that keeps me interested for more than 10 minutes and that's Colin McRae Rally.

This is one fun game! There's not a large learning curve involved, just a couple minutes to get a feel for the cars and tracks and then you're off.

If you're anything like me you'll end up with a favorite car setup and stick with it. I like the Peugeot 4wd. For me I feel that it sticks to the road best and is the most responsive in steering and acceleration, but I digress.

Until you get a feel for the car and the particular track you've picked you'll probably spend much of your time running into trees and driving off into fields, but stick with it, before very long you'll be burning up the tracks! [...]]]> http://geeksofdoom.com/2008/12/22/game-review-colin-mcrae-rally-mac-os-x/feed/ 1 http://geeksofdoom.com/2008/08/24/game-review-soul-calibur-iv/ http://geeksofdoom.com/2008/08/24/game-review-soul-calibur-iv/#comments Sun, 24 Aug 2008 18:54:03 +0000 Henchman21 BandaiNamcoPlaystation 3Xbox 360 http://geeksofdoom.com/2008/08/24/game-review-soul-calibur-iv/ Soul Calibur IV, well let’s just say I jumped at the opportunity. Needless to say, I am in love with this game. It’s just incredibly fun, jam-packed with features, easy enough for rookies like me to enjoy, but deep enough for the hardest of hard core fighting fans to get into. There’s no point where this game fails, and I just don’t see myself getting sick of it for a long time. We’ll start with the easiest thing to compliment, the graphics. This is just a jaw-droppingly gorgeous game, and at no point does the game slow down during fighting. The character design is a step above every other game to come out in a while. Just the way the characters move is a thing of beauty, and there’s a layer of polish on the whole game that just impressed the hell out of me. I did see a few instances of some graphical glitches, but they were really only in the cinematic scenes before and after the fight. The impressive thing about the story scenes though, is that they’re all rendered in real time by the games engine, and they still look great. It even inserted the character I created into the story, which I was not really expecting...]]> http://geeksofdoom.com/2008/08/24/game-review-soul-calibur-iv/feed/ 0 http://geeksofdoom.com/2008/08/05/game-review-dragonball-z-burst-limit-xbox-360/ http://geeksofdoom.com/2008/08/05/game-review-dragonball-z-burst-limit-xbox-360/#comments Tue, 05 Aug 2008 18:29:37 +0000 Henchman21 Dragonball ZDragonball Z: Burst LimitPlaystation 3Xbox 360 http://geeksofdoom.com/2008/08/05/game-review-dragonball-z-burst-limit-xbox-360/ Dragonball Z fighting games that have come out over the last few years. I can understand the appeal, but I'm curious how much of a difference there is in the games from year to year. Dragonball Z: Burst Limit being the first one I've played, I can certainly see why fans can enjoy it, and I can see why people looking for a nice casual fighting game can enjoy it, but I wonder if people who have similar games or other Dragonball games should bother to pick this up. It's a perfectly enjoyable game, but...]]> http://geeksofdoom.com/2008/08/05/game-review-dragonball-z-burst-limit-xbox-360/feed/ 0