2010 Video Game Character March Madness

This bracket will rank some of my favorite and least favorite video game characters against each other until a champion is crowned. What I basically did was write up a list of 65 characters, then somewhat ranked them according to my liking. Instead of ranking them 1-65 I did 4 1s, 4 2s, 4 3s and so on. Then I randomly matched all the seeds, the same way the March Madness bracket is matched. I took the first of the highest seed listed and matched them against the last of the lowest ranked one. When it came down to the last two, they face off in a play-in game, for the rights to be destroyed by a #1 seed. I tried to put an emphasis on characters from games released in 2009.

FAQs

Q: Why is the order all messed up? 1 vs. 16, 7 vs. 8 and so on.
A: I am following the same order as the NCAA March Madness bracket, which is set up this way to try to ensure that if the #1 and #2 seeds keep winning, they won’t face each other until the last possible match-up.

Q: Why isn’t in (BLANK) here? He’s clearly better then (BLANK).
A: The list was chosen by my own personal opinion. For example, I do not play a whole lot of console first-person shooters, that’s why Master Chief isn’t present.

Q: Why do you have (BLANK) beating (BLANK), are you an idiot?
A: Yes, I am an idiot, but that’s not the point. Again this is my choice for who wins and loses. That’s the beauty of writing something like this. You get to express your opinions and have everyone disagree with them.

Sony Region – First Round

1) Cloud from the Final Fantasy VII series vs. 16) Thumper from the Twisted Metal series
Cloud is a master of swordplay. It doesn’t take him long before he reduces Thumper to a smoking pile of “Twisted Metal.”

8 ) Mario from the Super Mario series vs. 9) Solid Snake from the Metal Gear series
Snake hides in the shadows until Mario nonchalantly waltzes by. Snake emerges from the shadows and dispenses Mario with one quick flick of his wrists around Mario’s neck.

5) Katamari from the Katamari Damacy series vs. 12) Bucky Lasek from the Tony Hawk Pro Skater series
Katamari has little trouble rolling over and collecting Bucky Lasek and his skateboard as well as all of the spectators that are there to watch the bout.

4) Luigi from the Super Mario series vs. 13) Bently Bear from Crystal Castles
Luigi pops a fire flower and burns Bently in a hellish inferno.

6) The Black Knight from World of Warcraft vs. 11) Niko Bellic from Grand Theft Auto 4
Niko appears in the arena of the Argent Tournament disoriented and unarmed. The Black Knight sits back and allows his ghoul to rip Niko to bits.

3) The Prince of Persia from The Prince of Persia vs. 14) Rhindle from Adventure
The Prince of Persia is both quick and has a sharp blade, which comes in very handy when he defeats Rhindle quickly and quietly.

7) Loco Roco from the Loco Roco series vs. 10) Jack Cayman from MadWorld
Loco Roco may be able to squeeze himself into extra small spaces, but Cayman’s chainsaw is still able to break him down into tiny bits.

2) Ezio from Assassin’s Creed 2 vs. 15) Krusty the Clown from Krusty’s Fun House
Krusty attempts to flee from battle but Ezio is able to take him out with one throwing knife.

Nintendo Region – First Round

1) Sephiroth from the Final Fantasy VII series vs. 16) Siegfreid from the Soul series
Pound for pound this is a rather compelling match. Both are skilled swordsmen but only Sephiroth has the cunning to advance.

8 ) Square from Adventure vs. 9) Scorpion from the Mortal Kombat series
Square’s very small size can’t protect him from Scorpion’s harpoon. Plus he is without his dagger so he has no means of attacking back.

5) Polterguy from Haunting vs. 12) Knuckles from the Sonic series
Polterguy jumps in and out of random objects around the battlefield, frightening Knuckles and causing him to flee the scene leaving only a trail of urine in his wake.

4) Captain Olimar from the Pikmin series vs. 13) Willie DeWitt from Bucky O’Hare
Willie DeWitt’s charged up energy gun is no match for an alien who can only command the loyalty of flowers.

6) Toe Jam from the ToeJam and Earl series vs. 11) Super Monkey from Bloons Tower Defense 3
Super Monkey has a slight advantage since he has an unlimited amount of darts to throw. What he isn’t expecting is ToeJam to break out a Funk-Vac.

3) Meta Knight from the Kirby series vs. 14) Michael from Maniac Mansion
Michael’s film developing skills are no match for Meta Knight’s sword skills and agility.

7) John Starks from NBA Jam TE vs. 10) Daxter from the Jak (and Daxter) series
Daxter’s history of being used as Jak’s weapon allows him to take a barrage of basketballs off the head. He wears down John Starks and unexpectedly takes him out with a rifle.

2) Kirby from the Kirby series vs. 15) Kurt Cobain formerly from Guitar Hero 5
Shortly after typing in “Cobain” my cell phone received a call from Courtney Love’s lawyer… Kirby wins by default.

Microsoft Region – First Round

1) Night Elf Boomkin from World of Warcraft vs. 16) The Purple Tentacle from Maniac Mansion
A few shots of Moonfire turn the Purple Tentacle into a pile of purple goo.

8 ) Earl from the ToeJam & Earl series vs. 9) Football Zombie from Plants vs. Zombies
Earl never gets a chance to capture the Football Zombie before he’s lying lifeless on the ground without a brain.

5) Gattling Pea from Plants vs. Zombies vs. 12) Yoshi from the Super Mario series
Yoshi’s quick tongue action can only hold off the almost constant flow of peas the Gattling Pea can dish out. If the Gattling Pea can hold off a horde of zombies, Yoshi offers little challenge.

4) Earthworm Jim from the Earthworm Jim series vs. 13) Mini Cooper S from Project Gotham Racing 2
Earthworm Jim uses his head as a plug on the tailpipe of the Mini, causing it to sputter around until it stalls out. Axel Foley cackles manically in the background.

6) Worms from the Worms series vs. 11) Magnet Shroom from Plants vs. Zombies
Magnet Shroom draws all the Worms weapons away but without any offensive abilities of his own, he just sits there helplessly as the Worms uppercut, fire punch and prod him to death.

3) Professor Layton from the Professor Layton series vs. 14) The Spitter from Left 4 Dead 2
It only takes a portion of Layton’s cunning to realize he can survive if he avoids the Spitter’s acid.

7) Tarren Ghost from the Starcraft series vs. 10) Hogger from World of Warcraft
Hogger’s level 11 elite status means nothing when he hears “Nuclear launch detected…”

2) Cactuar from the Final Fantasy series vs. 15) Starfy from The Legendary Starfy
Starfy can only handle a few shots from Cactuar before he is defeated in a very decisive manner.

PC Region – First Round

Play-In Game
16a) Blood Elves from World of Warcraft vs. 16b) Tiger Woods from the Tiger Woods PGA Tour series
All Blood Elves look enough like women that Tiger Woods is distracted by their “beauty” allowing them to steal the match.

1) Mega Man from the Mega Man series vs. 16) Blood Elves
The Blood Elves feminine looks do nothing to a half boy, half robot. Mega Man wins easily since all Blood Elves know how to do is stand with all their weight on one foot.

8 ) Trevor Belmont from Castlevania: Curse of Darkness vs. 9) Sonic from the Sonic series
Trevor, who is used to tackling ghosts, zombies, vampires and other mythical creatures, dispatches Sonic with one crack of his whip-chain.

5The Lich King from World of Warcraft vs. 12) The Sims Me from the Sims series
The Sims Me has no weapons or special powers of any kind. The Lich King just unleashes an army of undead to finish me off.

4) Link from the Legend of Zelda series vs. 13) The Zuma Frog from the Zuma series
The Zuma frog’s little colorful balls are easily reflected by Link’s shield, allowing Link to get close enough to lop Zuma Frog’s head clean off.

6) UFO from the Kirby series vs. 11) Tidus from Final Fantasy X
UFO’s powered up super-star attack is too much for Tidus to handle when he doesn’t have Yuna there to heal him.

3) Bahamut from the Final Fantasy series vs. 14) Flo from the Diner Dash series
After Flo fears missing too many work days if she is seriously injured during battle, she forfeits the match and allows Bahamut to prepare for the next round.

7) Dr. Peter Venkman from Ghostbusters the Video Game vs. 10) TVR Cerbera 12 Speed from Project Gotham Racing 2
Since a Cerbera is neither a ghost nor human, it is enough immune to a proton pack as well as Venkman’s charm that it races away with the victory.

2) Diablo from the Diablo series vs. 15) Donatello from TMNT 2: The Arcade Game
Donatello’s staff is no match for Diablo as he gets cooked up into a delicious soup.

Sony Region – Round 2

1) Cloud vs. 9) Solid Snake
Cloud enters the arena with Snake no where in sight. Out of frustration, cloud slices his sword through the only thing he can find, a cardboard box, which for some reason Snake is hiding inside.

5) Katamari vs. 4) Luigi
Luigi takes out his vacuum from Luigi’s Mansion and begins to sweep off all the objects stuck onto the Katamari. Once it is too small to collect him he jumps on top, squishing it, then he continues on his journey.

6) The Black Knight vs. 3) The Prince of Persia
The Black Knight has too many phases for the Prince to be able to handle. Yeah the Prince is quick and agile, but an Army of the Dead is too much for most to survive.

2) Ezio vs. 10) Jack Cayman
Cayman enters with his chainsaw blazing as Ezio stands back smirking. Ezio’s agility wins out as his short sword attacks much faster then a chainsaw.

Nintendo Region – Round 2

1) Sephiroth vs. 9) Scorpion
Scorpion is able to get a harpoon into Sephiroth but isn’t expecting Sephiroth’s sword to impale straight through his heart on the rebound.

5) Polterguy vs. 13) Willie DeWitt
Willie DeWitt’s energy gun takes so long to charge up that Polterguy can evade the shots. Polteruy then possesses Willie’s gun, causing Willie to flee the scene frightened.

6) TowJam vs. 3) Meta Knight
Meta Knight slides into action with his sword cocked and ready for action. Before ToeJam can get his Funk-Vac warmed back up, Meta Knight has sliced through two of his legs and one arm.

10) Daxter vs. 2) Kirby
Kirby begins by inhaling Daxter’s gun and becoming a gun himself. Daxter’s quick thinking has him grabbing the Kirby-gun and firing off all the bullets. Daxter then beats Kirby senseless once he turns back into regular form.

Microsoft Region – Round 2

1) 1 Night Elf Boomkin vs. 9) Football Zombie
Knowing Football Zombies move quickly, the Boomkin throws an Entangling Roots on him to prevent movement. Then he unloads on the zombie with Wraths until he collapses.

5) Gattling Pea vs. 4) Earthworm Jim
This match is just a battle between pea shooters. Fortunately for Jim, his shoots a more consistent stream of bullets and therefore he emerges victorious.

6) Worms vs. 3) Professor Layton
Having defeated the Magnet Shroom, the Worms have retrieved their weapons. Since they’re only worms, their attacks do very little against a grown human. Layton conjures up a puzzle about worms and traps them inside forever.

7) Tarren Ghost vs. 2) Cactuar
Tarren Ghost uses her cloak ability to sneak up on Cactuar. However she still is no match for his 10,000 needles attack and succumbs to the battle.

PC Region – Second Round

1) Mega Man vs. 8 ) Trevor Belmont
Having never faced a robot-boy before, Trevor is clueless on how to go after Mega Man. Before he could choose a technique, Mega Man had already knocked him out of the tournament.

5) The Lich King vs. 4) Link
The Lich King under estimates Link’s small size and decides to go easy on him. This mistake gives Link the upper hand and allows him to escape with a slight victory.

6) UFO vs. 3) Bahamut
Both aerial experts with very powerful attacks, Bahamut gets the advantage because of his massive size and moves to the next round convincingly.

10) TVR Cerbera 12 Speed vs. 2) Diablo
Cerbera’s blazing fast speed means very little when Diablo lights a fire under his hood and seizes up his engine. Diablo cruises into the next round.

Round of 16

1) Cloud vs. 4) Luigi
With Luigi’s out of power-ups and his vacuum clogged with Katamari parts, his only offensive is to jump on Cloud’s head. This action is comical to Cloud so he allows Luigi to continue for a few moments before lopping his head off.

6) The Black Knight vs. 2) Ezio
Ezio can fend off an army of attacking guards so he had little trouble blocking, dodging and countering all of the Black Knight’s shots through all three phases.

1) Sephiroth vs. 5) Polterguy
Sephiroth laughs in the face of Polterguy because he is unarmed. What Polterguy doesn’t know is Sephiroth has seen far scarier things then a possessed toaster. Sephiroth has to chase Polterguy around for a little while before he’s able to impale him with the same sword that took out Scorpion.

3) Meta Knight vs. 10) Daxter
Daxter moseys onto the battlefield knowing luck has been on his side in the first few rounds. Meta Knight however allows him to die with dignity by making his death quick and mostly painless.

1) Night Elf Boomkin vs. 4) Earthworm Jim
Jim, being an earthworm, is immune to nature damage, which the Boomkin doesn’t realize until it’s too late. Before the Boomkin knows it, Jim has worn him down with head whips and pea shooter shots.

3) Professor Layton vs. 2) Cactuar
Cactuar’s 10,000 Needles on cool down, so Professor Layton sees and opportunity to advance. He presents a puzzle to Cactuar but Cactuar is a cactus so he doesn’t have a mind that can be blown by a confusing puzzle. Cactuar escapes with a slim victory.

1) Mega Man vs. 4) Link
Link starts out by blocking some of Mega Man’s shots. Mega Man evades all of Links attacks too. In the end, Mega Man’s gun wins over Link’s sword.

3) Bahamut vs. 2) Diablo
Bahamut begins by flipping around in the sky, twirling, twisting, bending and generally making a big scene. Diablo just waits and enjoys the show. Once Bahamut begins to charge up his energy beam, Diablo hurls a fire ball the size of Rhode Island into Bahamut causing him to fall from the sky like a meteor.

Round of 8

1) Cloud vs.2) Ezio
Ezio arrives to battle ready to go. Cloud does the same, loaded with material and with his best gear equipped. Ezio begins with a long sword, but cannot get past Cloud’s parries and dodges. Cloud then attacks with magic, which Ezio isn’t expecting and take him down to half health forcing him to switch to a smaller weapon. Ezio is able to get a few good shots on Cloud but ultimately loses a very close battle.

1) Sephiroth vs. 3) Meta Knight
Now this match is what the tournament is all about; Two very skilled swordsmen in an all-or-nothing death match. The battle wages on, going back and forth, much like the sword-fighting scene in The Princess Bride. Meta Knight emerges as the proverbial “Man in Black” with his victory.

4) Earthworm Jim vs. 2) Cactuar
Earthworm Jim and Cactuar is another entertaining match-up. Each of them are living things that wouldn’t ever be seen fighting in the real world. This cute but deadly battle is eventually won by Earthworm Jim.

1) Mega Man vs. 2) Diablo
Mega Man starts by equipping Ice-Slasher thinking it will work well against the lord of the underworld. Unfortunately for Mega Man, no ice is cold enough to survive the inferno surrounding Diablo. With the Ice-Slasher present, Mega Man is even more vulnerable to Diablo’s Fiery attacks. Diablo wins with the assist going to Ice Man.

Final Four

1) Cloud vs. 3) Meta Knight
Two Sephiroth slayers face off in a match that decides who will make it to the championship, both of these competitors made it to the final four last year. Cloud is the defending champ and Meta Knight lost to Mega Man in this round. This turns into a one sided bout since Cloud saved his Omnislash limit-break until now.

4) Earthworm Jim vs. 2) Diablo
Both newcomers to the Final Four, Jim and Diablo plan to strut their stuff in this match. Jim pulls out all the stops; head whips, blaster power-ups and cow launchers, but none of which really seem to phase Diablo. Diablo is on a mission this year and will not be taken down easily. Diablo prevails and punches his ticket to the finals.

Championship

1) Cloud vs. 2) Diablo
Cloud enters, still a bit sluggish from the Meta Knight match. Meanwhile, Diablo is already in the arena, waiting on Cloud to get this thing underway. Cloud comes prepared with his fire resist accessories donned and icy material attached to his weapon. Diablo is always ready, no matter who or what he is facing. Cloud starts off by casting a magic barrier on himself and rushing towards Diablo, attacking with every ounce of his strength. Diablo takes the shots with ease but appears physically drained from the abuse. While Cloud takes a moment to collect himself, Diablo casts multiple fire walls around him, out of which a number of demons emerge to attack Cloud. As Cloud fends them off, Diablo collects himself and plans his next attack. Once Cloud is done mowing through all the demons, Diablo appears and thrusts a trident through Cloud’s heart, becoming the Champion of the 2010 Video Game March Madness.

Sonic Classic Collection for Nintendo DS

Title: Sonic Classic Collection
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: Side Scroller
Rating: E for Everyone
Release Date: May 12, 2009
Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega
Website

Shortly after I bought a GameCube, I purchased Sonic Mega Collection, a collection of all of the original Sonic games that appeared on the Sega Genesis. I found it interesting that Nintendo or Sega never released any iteration of this for the Gameboy Advance, much the same way Capcom did with their Mega Man Anniversary Collection. Low and behold, almost 8 years later, Sega finally releases a compilation of Sonic games for the DS called Sonic Classic Collection.

Included are six different games; Sonic, Sonic 2, Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles. On top of these you can play as Knuckles in either Sonic 2 or Sonic 3. This came as a huge, welcomed surprise to me. In the GameCube edition, I was very disappointed when I wasn’t allowed to play either of these games as Knuckles, which was a benefit to Genesis owners who owned all three games. Sonic & Knuckles has an attachment on the top of the cartridge that allowed the gamer to plug additional games into it. If most games were attached, you could play one of the bonus mini-games that appear during normal gameplay, but when Sonic 2 or Sonic 3 were attached, the player could instead play those games as Knuckles.

Graphically speaking, these games are identical to their Genesis counterparts. Given their transformation to the smaller screen, it’s quite impressive how good they look. The sounds are the same as they were back in the day as well, taking each repeat gamer back to the days when soundtracks were limited by the cartridge format. In the same respect, the controls and gameplay are also identical. Although one thing with the controls did bother me. The start button doesn’t pause the game, instead it has no use in this game. If you want to pause while playing you have to touch the lower right corner of the touch screen. Why they couldn’t have both of these options, for people like me that are used to using the start button to pause, is beyond me.

There are, however, a few bugs that I don’t remember being present before. Every once in a while, when rolling along at high rates of speed, Sonic will glitch off track, get stuck and stop moving. You can usually jump yourself free, but it breaks up the fast-paced speed that these games are most well known for. There are also graphical issues, where Sonic will not appear at the front of the screen, instead he’ll be behind things that shouldn’t be in the foreground.

Additionally, there were things that appeared in the original games that probably could have been fixed for the rerelease. One big thing that always bugged me, appears in the third world of Sonic 2, The Aquatic Ruin stage, when playing as Knuckles. There are these pillars will shoot up from the ground, which in the original game stopped Sonic dead in his tracks. The problem arises when playing as Knuckles because he is unable to jump as high as Sonic can, therefore if the gamer doesn’t know they are coming and jump early enough to avoid them before they get to their maximum height, they are unable to jump high enough to get past them. Sonic, on the other hand, can jump high enough to clear them.

Sonic Classic Collection is only available for Nintendo DS. Even though there are little bugs, this is still an excellent buy for any gamer who grew up on the Sonic series. Plus the DS’s portableness makes it easy to speed through a couple levels while you’re in line at the DMV or traveling with people you don’t want to talk to (I.E. commuting to or from work).

The Gaming Savant says: Good buy.

March 13, 2010

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Preview

Platform: PC
Genre: Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game
Rating: T for Teen
Release Date: TBA
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Blizzard Entertainment
Website

Blizzard Entertainment is well known for their three massively successful PC franchises; Warcraft, Diablo and Starcraft. Later this year (hopefully, since no release date has been confirmed), they will be releasing the third expansion to their popular massively multiplayer online role-playing game, World of Warcraft called Cataclysm. Cataclysm begins with Deathwing, a powerful dragon, escaping from his prison in Deepholm. His escape causes colossal, irreversible damage to the world of Azeroth.

For starters, the level cap will be raised to 85. Generally, at least with the first two expansions, the level cap was raised by 10 not 5. Blizzard says they are only doing a 5 level increase so they can focus on end-game content and not zones and quests for the additional levels. A number of new dungeons and high level zones will be added, but you already knew these things would be present, since they appear with every expansion.

Two new races will be introduced. For the Horde, Goblins will be the new playable race. Goblins are currently occupying multiple towns across Azeroth, including Booty Bay and Ratchet. It is unclear what will happen with these towns, since they are used by both factions as loading areas for ships that cross the ocean. As for the Alliance, Worgen will make their appearance as playable characters. Worgen are what non-WoW players would call Ware-wolves and in WoW they are quite similar. Worgen raced characters will have the ability to appear as a human or in Worgen form.

In the first expansion, Burning Crusade, the Draenei and the Blood Elves were added as new races and allowed Alliance players to be Shamans and Horde players to be Paladins, for the first time. Before the expansion these two classes were limited to only one faction. Since then another problem has surfaced because there is such a small amount of races available for those classes. Cataclysm will fix this problem by opening up Alliance Shamans to both Draenei and Dwarf. Likewise, Horde Paladins will be able to be either Blood Elf or Tauren. On top of this, multiple classes have been expanded among more races, including Druid which currently has only one race on each faction.

All of Azeroth will be rebuilt for the release, allowing players to finally use their flying mounts everywhere. When flying mounts were first implemented in Burning Crusade, they were not usable in any of the original areas. With Deathwing’s exit tearing the world apart, it has allowed Blizzard to rebuild the original Azerothian continents, therefore allowing user controlled flight in old zones. Among the environment changes are; Orgrimmar, the Orc capital city led by Azeroth’s most powerful Shaman; Thrall, will be hit hard. No details on the city’s internal layout have surfaced but a shot of the front gates shows them heavily reinforced. The Barrens, the zone directly to the east of Orgrimmar, has been split in half horizontally with the southern part gaining an Alliance controlled town. The zone Desolace, formerly an area absent of plants, trees or vegetation, will flourish with life when a tear in the landscape allows water to reach the inner core. The Night Elf town of Auberdine will be destroyed, forcing Alliance citizens to relocate further north in Darkshore as Horde citizens move into the southern part. Azshara, which is currently rarely used by anyone, will become a zone occupied by the Goblins. On the other side of the planet, Southshore will be hit by a tidal wave and demolished. Wetlands will also see a lot of destruction as a result of Deathwing’s escape from Deephold. It is also said that Stranglethorn Vale will see a total transformation. Because of all of these changes, hundreds of new low level quests will be added, making the game seem totally different to someone who levels up a new toon, after the expansion is released.

A couple profession additions will be present as well. Archaeology is a new secondary profession that can be learned by everyone, regardless of prior professions. Archaeology will consist of locating artifacts which have been unearthed by the cataclysm. Characters will be given a new tracking system that will be separate from the ones used for primary professions, allowing for simultaneous tracking of collectables. Collecting artifacts will unlock Path of the Titans, a new system that eventually will unlock unique glyphs that are much stronger than the ones inscriptionists can make. Another profession addition is reforging, which is an addendum to many existing professions. Reforging allows for an item’s creator to change his or her creation’s statistics. For example a tailor can take a pair of boots with 16 spirit and change 8 of the spirit into intellect, opening up class specific items to more classes.

Speaking of stats, the stats that appear on gear have been dramatically simplified. Things like attack power, mana regeneration per 5 seconds and spell power will now be affected by the five base stats; stamina, intellect, spirit, agility and strength. Attack power will be dependant on strength or agility, depending on the class. Mana per 5 will be based on spirit for healers and spell power will be based off of intellect. All these removed aspects will still appear on your character’s info page, but gear will no longer support them.

With no confirmed release date, Cataclysm could be over a year away. However, Blizzard just put out WoW’s 3.3 patch, the last major patch scheduled before Cataclysm’s release, so it could come as soon as this summer. I have a feeling there is something major that Blizzard hasn’t announced yet. Something like a new hero class, I’m hoping for a Battle Mage, a Mage that wears mail or plate and wields two staffs. Maybe even a major capital city, one that will be emerging from the chaos and will support both factions, as well as banks, auction houses and class and profession trainers. It would also be nice to see an old raid instance that will be upgraded for max level players, something like Molten Core or Black Wing Lair. For now Blizzard is keeping a lot of secrets, further building the anticipation of new content and speculation of what might be added.

The Gaming Savant

March 17, 2010

Major League Baseball 2K10 for Xbox 360 Review

Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Sports, Baseball
Rating: E for Everyone
Release Date: May 12, 2009
Publisher: Take 2 Interactive, 2K Sports
Developer: Visual Concepts
Website

With the Major League Baseball exhibition season just underway, it is time to load up my Xbox 360 with this year’s edition of Major League Baseball 2K10. Major League Baseball 2K10 is the only option for realistic baseball for Wii and 360 owners, since Take-Two Interactive owns sole third party rights to the Major League Baseball license. Exclusive rights are what have prevented this game from achieving great potential in the past. When there is limited competition, you’re able to put out a sub-par product without suffering from reduced sales.

Included are a lot of game modes; franchise mode, online mode, home run derby and drills. Most notably is the newest edition to this year’s version, called My Player. Much like the “Road to the Show” in the MLB The Show series, you create a player and begin their career just after they’ve been drafted. Your goal is to perform good enough to be noticed by coaches in the Majors and eventually be called up. This game mode is nice for people who might want to experience playing an entire 162 game season but don’t have the time for it. Unlike in all other game modes, where you have the ability to control anyone on your team, in My Player, you only control your player when he is involved in the action. Everything else is skipped over, only showing you a gamecast like summary of the action.

2K10 really takes advantage of the right analog stick in all areas of gameplay. Both hitting and pitching are performed by moving the analog in certain ways. Power swings consist of moving it backwards, then quickly forward, whereas making a contact swing is just a forward push. Pitching consists of moving the analog in a predetermined motion that’s unique to each type of pitch. The timing and accuracy of the movements, affect the pitch’s speed, movement and accuracy. This is one of the few aspects Visual Concepts does better then the MLB The Show series.

A lot of the little problems make it feel as if 2K10 was rushed through the testing phase. I’ve noticed players wearing incorrect numbers as well as aspects of stadiums being wrong. There are also some well documented instances of players batting while their bat is lying on the ground next to them (search for it on YouTube). Other things just display a lax in the editing phase of production. For instance, almost every player looks like their hat is about three sizes too big. Fortunately, this edition doesn’t seem to have as many problems as last year’s did, but that’s no excuse for allowing it to happen.

The sounds, on the other hand, are great. Ambient stadium noise couldn’t sound more realistic. Things like random crowd shouts and organ music make you feel as if you are actually out at the ballpark. Alternately, the announcers often say things that are untrue, such as a ball was foul when it was actually fair or a player stopped at first base, when they were standing on second. Even their little one-liners get repeated way too often, sometimes three or four times a game.

Major League Baseball 2K10 takes some big strides in being a successful baseball simulator. Unfortunately it is full of bugs and mistakes that shouldn’t have ever been seen by the consumer. If you own a Sony system, you should probably buy MLB 10 The Show instead, because it better exemplifies the little aspects of the sport. For everyone else, you’ll enjoy the My Player mode enough to get a couple weeks worth of play out of it, but the $60 price tag is a little high.

The Gaming Savant says: Good Buy.

March 17, 2010

Army of Two: The 40th Day for Xbox 360

Title: Army of Two: The 40th Day
Release: January 12, 2010
Genre: Third-Person Shooter
Developer: EA Montreal
Publisher: EA
Platform: Xbox 360
Rating: M (Mature)
Product Link

The first Army of Two left a bitter taste in gamers’ mouths after its release. At the time, the nation’s attention was focused on the actions of a private military company called Black Water which was working with American forces in Iraq. Black Water was accused of committing horrific crimes against the unarmed civilians of Iraq. A few weeks later, Army of Two, a game about two private military contractors named Rios and Salem hit the scene with a very immature, frat boy mentality mixed with sensitive and poignant world events. The end result was an uncomfortable romp in the world of international mercenaries who like to shoot things, fist bump, and play dress up—and not necessarily in that order. EA has decided to release a sequel in the hopes of building a legitimate shooter franchise while erasing the many mistakes of the first game.

The opening missions deliver the most fun this game has to offer. You and your teammate are trapped on the rooftops of Shanghai as the entire city is being bombarded by an unknown threat. The buildings you tread across are literally crumbling around you as you race from checkpoint to checkpoint. After the initial shock, Army starts to slow down into a more familiar and mediocre buddy shooter. From an artistic perspective, the game never takes any chances with style or deviates from the masked, armor-clad aesthetic found with almost every character model in the game. Players have the option of purchasing new masks for either Rios or Salem or creating their own masks via EA’s website. Customization finds its way into your armory allowing you to not only upgrade your weapons but also paint them with ridiculous patterns; picture Flavor Flav with a Bedazzler and you will get the idea. One feature that does look particularly eye-catching in a good way is the GPS navigation which opens up in front of your character in a similar fashion to Dead Space’s inventory and map options. In addition to looking cool, it helps you traverse the landscape which can become monotonous as well as confusing at times.

The sound design is what you would expect from a shooter—bullets whiz and ricochet off metal while the voice acting quality is just passable. Nolan North, who has voiced just about every character in every game released in 2009, continues his streak into 2010 as Salem which is easily his weakest effort lacking any “Drake-esque” personality or charm. Everyone else is either trying too hard to create a believable world or severely hindered by awful dialogue. The game has cut back on the embarrassingly meat-headed “bromance” moments found in the original but the ability to congratulate or scold your friend in a game is still available and is as baffling as ever. It’s also a bit disengaging to hear your character yell orders at the top of his lungs behind an enemy during a stealth mission.

Army relies on the two player co-op to make the game stand out from the rest but having two players is never exploited in interesting or exciting situations. Nothing is completed in a clever way that would require two people to work together. There are no vehicles, two-man weapons or special techniques. The formula that plays out in every scenario is quite simple—one player creates a distraction while the other flanks or snipes. Gameplay closely resembles Gears of War with an over-the-shoulder aiming mode and cover mechanic while Army’s own “agro” system is back where the player causing the most commotion glows red and attracts most or all enemy fire. This system often leads to enemies completely ignoring one player even when they are in point blank range. The enemy AI is pretty shallow and allows for veteran shooters to take advantage of a predictable pattern. For new players, the single player mode actually offers the best chance of survival due to a computer controlled ally who knows what to do in every situation. The computer will always revive you with haste while dragging you to the closest cover. You have very limited control over the computer character but the basic commands of “hold fire” and “fight forward” are really all you need to be successful. This is not a “thinking man’s” shooter by any stretch and players searching for a tactical chess match will be under whelmed.

Army of Two: The 40th Day is a lazy follow up to the previous Army of Two. Opportunities to make a satisfying and unique two player experience are either ignored or muddled and the end product is just as forgettable as the original. The game has its moments, mostly in the beginning, and is worth a rent if you and a friend are tired of playing Gears of War together for the millionth time. Just keep in mind that Gears of War 2 is also available now.

Overall Rating: 2.5 / 5

M. Michael Chwedyk-MuzikReviews.com Sr. Video Game Reviewer

February 5, 2010

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For questions or comments on this review send an e-mail to info@muzikreviews.com

Left 4 Dead 2 for Xbox 360

Title: Left 4 Dead 2
Release Date: November 17, 2009
Genre: First-Person Shooter, Survival Horror
Rating: M for Mature
Platform: Xbox 360
Publisher: Valve
Developer: Valve
Website
Product Link

Normally I don’t play a lot of first-person shooters, but this one caught my interest when I saw a commercial for it and since no one else had it reserved for review, I thought I’d snag it up and see if it lives up to the promise it shows in the ads. I haven’t played the first one so this is a completely new adventure for me, but who could resist a game where you get to beat zombies with a guitar?

Left 4 Dead 2 is a story of four survivors stuck in a city that has been overrun by zombies. From what the opening demo showed, it appears as if they were going to be rescued, perhaps by the government, but after some unforeseen turn of events, they were “left for dead” among the horde of undead. Gee… I wonder where they got the title.

The adventure can be played in multiple ways. All but one of the game modes is online. The campaign mode, survival mode and so on are all online multiplayer. Since the game consists of four characters, four people can group up and play through the storyline together. In some game modes you can even play as the zombies. You can also play single player and have the other three companions controlled by artificial intelligence. I was disappointed by the single player mode because it doesn’t keep your overall stats and doesn’t save your progress. In single player mode you can select any chapter, section of the chapter, character and difficulty you want. This means you could start out on the last chapter before the end and not have to play through everything else. I would have preferred a single player campaign that kept track of everything I did, not just let me start wherever I liked.

Each of the four characters can hold three different types of weapons as well as a couple types of healing items. You can carry one long range gun, such as an AK47, machine gun or shotgun, one small gun or melee weapon, such as a pistol, crowbar or chainsaw (my favorite being a guitar) and one throwable item, such as a grenade or Molotov cocktail. The healing items consist of first aid packs, which restore life, pain pills and adrenaline boosters, which each temporarily increase your health. Each of the characters can hold the same items and control identically so their only difference is how they look and talk.

The controls are pretty well implemented and responsive. Graphics are good, blood splatters all over the place when you blast zombies with a shotgun or chainsaw. Sounds are done pretty well too, with juices reflecting off of surfaces and ambient music that gets a little unnerving whenever a horde of zombies is approaching. There are also audible clues when certain special zombies are nearby, you can turn on captions that tell you what each sound is or you can rely on your teammates to inform you.

Left 4 Dead 2 is available for Xbox 360 and PC. For this being my first FPS on a console in a half dozen years or so, I think I did a pretty good job of picking out a winner. That being said, there were a few aspects I would have liked to see improved but all in all it’s a solid zombie murdering adventure.

Overall Rating:

The Gaming Savant, Ryan Smith-MuzikReviews.com Video Game Review Staff Team Leader

1/3/2010

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For questions or comments on this review send an e-mail to rsmith@muzikreviews.com

Bookworm for Nintendo DS

Title: Bookworm
Release Date: December 9, 2009
Genre: Puzzle
Rating: E for Everyone
Platform: Nintendo DS
Publisher: PopCap Games
Developer: Black Lantern Studios
Product Link
Website

Bookworm is a wonderful casual game that was released for PC over 6 years ago. The goal of the game is to spell words by connecting letters in a word-search like box. Since this has been a well received PC game, PopCap has put out a Nintendo DS version, something I wish they would do with more of their successful titles.

As stated above this is a word search type game, but you don’t have a list of predetermined words to find. Your goal is to create any words from the available tiles. In addition to regular tiles, if you create long words sometimes tiles will change color. Green tiles are worth extra points; gold tiles are worth even more and so on. On the flip side, if you select a lot of small words you will be introduced to burning tiles. Burning tiles will eat through the letter directly below it until they reach the bottom of the screen and burn up your entire board, ending your game.

There are two game modes; Classic and Action. Classic mode is an un-timed mode, where the player can take as long as they wish to scour over the board and choose the highest scoring words. In Action mode the player is forced to take less time when choosing tiles. Burning tiles work on a time limit in Action mode, catching fire and burning down the longer you wait. In Classic mode, the fire tiles only destroy lower tiles after each word is submitted.

The graphics are nearly identical to the PC versions, something that rarely happens when a game transitions to the smaller screen. Sounds sound good coming out of those little speakers but the background music, while amusing at first, gets bothersome the longer you play. Menus are easy to navigate since all actions are performed with the stylus.

A lot of little extras are included in the DS version of Bookworm. In addition to bonus words during the game, there is a word of the day that also offers extra points. Soon into the gameplay you will notice there are indexes of related words. For example; all family member words are in one index; Dad, Son, Mom, ect. There are also indexes for celestial bodies (Sun, Moon, planet…), insects (ant, moth…) and many, many more.

The game also keeps a collection of everything you’ve done. Including charts of how many words you discover per day, month and year, how many three, four, five … twelve letter words you have submitted, how many fire tiles you’ve extinguished, as well as your highest scoring words and longest words. Little things like these keep nerds like me entertained.

This version of Bookworm is only available for Nintendo DS, whereas other versions can be played on your computer. Free versions of this game can be found all over the internet, but none of them have the same amount of extra features as the DS game. For only $20 this is a great game for the Bookworm fan that is often away from their computer.

Overall Rating:

The Gaming Savant, Ryan Smith-MuzikReviews.com Video Game Review Staff Team Leader

12/31/2009

For questions or comments on this review send an e-mail to rsmith@muzikreviews.com

Call of Duty: Modern Warefare 2-Xbox 360 Video Game Review

Title: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Release: November 10, 2009 Genre: First-person shooter Developer: Infinity Ward Publisher: Activision Platform: Xbox 360 Rating: M (Mature) Product Link Website Like dozens of terrible Jerry Bruckheimer movies before it, Modern Warfare 2 is big, dumb and loud. This is the sequel to the mega hit Call of Duty 4 and actively draws inspiration from Bruckheimer films like The Rock. The reason these types of films continue to flourish and get made is for the simple reason that they promise an enjoyable evening with little thinking involved. So yes, Modern Warfare 2 is big, dumb and loud, but it is also one of the most enjoyable, high-octane action shooters of 2009. Big budget movies are known for their special effects and Modern Warfare 2 delivers hand over fist. The game is lush and brilliant even in the snow covered forests of Russia. The scenery eventually gets chewed up by machine gun fire and frag grenades, but even the most bombed out locales are impressive to witness as a work of art. The lighting effects steal the show in most missions and the character models look great as well—reacting to gunshots and the occasional knifing. Gameplay depends on what story arc you are currently playing out. You will either find yourself in a small squad securing checkpoints, a two man operation where stealthy movement is key or running for your life dodging gunfire from every direction until the game autosaves for you. The missions that take place in South America are particularly guilty of frustrating deaths as enemies pop out from three different tiers of buildings within the multicolor slums. The aiming is quite generous as it automatically locks on to targets that are within a few feet of your reticule. This helps during the more chaotic scenarios but often makes the game feel more like a shooting gallery than a strategic shooter. The presentation sometimes overlaps with the gameplay in order to tell an “engaging” story but the results end up being a bit mixed. Recreating a daring escape is cool, but getting killed because you thought a scene was being played out is just silly. The story as a whole does the game a disservice by continually struggling to top itself with dramatic plot twists and shocking content. Much of the game’s campaign feels strung together from ridiculous plot contrivance to the next all while telling a laughably awkward, incoherent action film script disguised as a serious political thriller. Modern Warfare 2 asks you to make some enormous logical leaps in order to complete the game, but most people will be too busy shooting down tangos for the story to ever drag down the experience significantly. After completing the campaign, however, most people will choose not to revisit it ever again and instead try their hand with the far less accessible online multiplayer modes. Multiplayer made the original Modern Warfare a household name, the updated options and load outs featured in the sequel offer a more refined experience. Kill streaks now unlock devastating game changers that range from calling in an airship that shoots down players from above to dropping a nuclear warhead thoroughly ending the match along with the fun for everyone else. Kill streaks often reward the best players by making them even deadlier. People who did not experience the first Modern Warfare are at an insurmountable disadvantage playing against opponents online due to a lack of player skill matching and almost a two year gap of experience. So Modern Warfare veterans can look forward to annihilating new players while everyone else has to play with their closest friends to ensure some kind of sanity. Ultimately, people will enjoy Modern Warfare 2 for its Box Office spirit and over-the-top theatrics. Those who mastered the online arena in the original game will find themselves firmly in control in the sequel along with some new toys to play with. If this is your first experience with the Call of Duty universe you may be confused by the hype if you have already tried higher quality FPS games released this year. Overall Rating: M. Michael Chwedyk-MuzikReviews.com Sr. Video Game Reviewer December 31, 2009 © MuzikReviews.com For Questions or Comments on This Review email me mchwedyk@muzikreviews.com

Saw-Xbox 360 Video Game Review

Title: Saw

Release Date: October 7, 2009

Genre: Horror/Adventure

Rating: M for Mature

Platform: Xbox 360

Publisher: Konami
Developer: Zombie Studios

Website

Product Link

I’ll freely admit it – I love the Saw movies. They’re among the few horror movies I’ll actually spend money to see rather than waiting for them to show up on TV, not so much for the gore as for the storylines behind each of Jigsaw’s captives and why they’re chosen to be tested. While the fourth and fifth movies (I haven’t seen the sixth yet) suffered from a lack of Tobin Bell’s excellent performances in them, it’s still a series I try to stay current on.

So when I heard that there was a Saw video game in the works, I was fairly excited about it, if cautious in my optimism. After playing through the finished product, I’ve concluded it’s a mixed bag that manages to keep the feel of the Saw movies in some ways, doesn’t do as well at that in other places and succeeds far too well in yet other aspects, resulting in a game that evens out to an average experience on the whole.

In the game, you play the role of Detective David Tapp, one of the characters from the first Saw movie. He’s been taken captive by Jigsaw, a serial killer who puts his victims in situations where they must make horrific (and usually gory) choices in order to survive. Jigsaw has imprisoned Tapp in a run-down asylum, which is intended to be the site of a test to see if Tapp can let go of his obsession with catching Jigsaw. In order to escape the asylum, Tapp must save several other captives by solving a series of puzzles, as well as fight his way through a horde of people who want to kill him in order to make their own escapes.

Saw functions as a third-person action title, for the most part. There’s not really much to the controls – you can switch your light sources (which range from a lighter to a standard flashlight) on and off, and you can manipulate switches and other environmental items. You also have to find items hidden in lockers and cabinets, ranging from health hypos that restore your energy to materials for making traps to ward off the dozens of Jigsaw captives that want the key that’s sewn into Tapp’s stomach so that they can escape. Occasionally, you have to fight one of those minions, and there’s a wide variety of improvised weapons you can use to do so. Unfortunately, the combat controls feel very stiff and awkward, making fighting with anything but fists rather frustrating.

The heart of this game, however, is its puzzles. Throughout the game, you have to solve several different types of puzzles to either advance in the game or save one of Jigsaw’s victims, the latter of which are essentially the game’s “boss battles.” These puzzles include things like completing a circuit board and completing a pipe circuit, usually with appropriately dire consequences for failure.

Those puzzles are simultaneously the best and the worst parts of the game. On one hand, they’re nice because they help keep the general feel of the Saw movies intact in the game. All the gore of failed puzzles is kept intact, and several traps from the movies, such as the reverse bear trap and the shotgun collar, can be found throughout.

However, the traps fail in two respects. First, they depart a bit too much from the traps in the movies. In the movies, the traps typically involved the captive sacrificing something important (whether a body part or an inanimate object) to keep himself alive. In the game, the puzzles are, for the most part, more like brain-teasers, which takes a good amount of drama out of the game. The only traps in the game that really feel similar to the movies’ in that regard are the acid barrel and the toilet full of hypodermic needles, both of which Tapp needs to stick his hand into in order to retrieve some crucial items. Admittedly, I can’t think of how this aspect of the movies could have been translated to the video game medium any better than it was with those two traps, but that doesn’t change the fact that some of Saw‘s drama is gone from the game as a result.

Secondly, some of the traps are insanely, frustratingly difficult. You’re not given much explanation as to how to complete some of them, and others are just ridiculously complex and coupled with a time limit that makes them very frustrating. I can’t remember the last time I had to consult online tip guides so many times for help with a game.

In the final analysis, Saw is a game that tries to live up to the standard set by the movies, but falls short of doing so. Fans of the films might enjoy this game, but those without as much investment in the series might find it as about as much fun as actually going through one of Jigsaw’s tests.

Overall Rating: ***

Christopher Mastey-Muzikreviews.com Video Game Reviewer

December 17, 2009

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Best of 2009 Video Games-Ryan Smith & M. Michael Chwedyk

To cap off the 2009 year, the Video Game Review Team; Matt and I, with a little help from Chris, have compiled a list of the best games of 2009. We’ve covered just about every genre, added in a few disappointments and then each of us picked our choice for best game of the year. Be prepared to disagree with us, as I’m sure most of you will. -Ryan

Best Action Game (Matt):

InFamous

Publisher: SCEA
Developer: Sucker Punch

The “sandbox” open-world action genre continues to grow into one of the most over-populated genres in the industry. But InFamous has that incredible mix of comic book style, solid controls and expert execution by developer Sucker Punch that earns it a spot as one of the best games of the year. For months, Infamous was compared to a similar game called Prototype. Prototype was true to its namesake becoming a rough draft of sorts for InFamous which did everything Prototype did only better. In the end, there is no comparison. Tired elements of good and evil actions actually improve the game’s replay value allowing players to play through with two different sets of powers. No other game made me want to play it immediately after completion like InFamous did.

Honorable Mention: MadWorld

Best Sports or Racing Game (Ryan):

Forza Motorsport 3

Publisher: Microsoft

Developer: Turn 10 Studios

It was a down year for sports games. I didn’t really play any that were good enough to be mentioned here. I would say that Madden disappointed me, but that hasn’t been a good game since its transition over to the current generation’s systems. In the end Forza comes out ahead as the best from the past year. The excellent graphics, for a 360 game, coupled with outstanding gameplay, a long career mode and great replay ability make this game one that will be enjoyed for years to come. It also reserves Forza a spot in as a contender for game of the year.

Honorable Mention: Dirt 2

Best First-Person Shooter (Matt):

Killzone 2

Publisher: SCEA

Developer: Guerrilla

The FPS genre has evolved radically within the last couple years. Single-player campaigns demand compelling characters, smart enemies and a crisp cinematic feel more so than any other genre due to its ability to imprint the player into the action. Killzone 2 struggled to honor unprecedented expectations because of a controversial video which coincided with the launch of the PS3. Visually, the game came closer to perfection than any other FPS on the market and painted a bleak war-torn planet that represents all the horrors of battle as well as the men and women who experience them first-hand. Despite some control issues that have since been addressed (sigh), the Killzone 2 experience stayed with me longer than any game this year. The multiplayer provided the most fun I had online with the PS3 with different job classes that were unique and exciting to try out. Even though the game is based in science fiction and takes place on a different planet, Killzone 2 provided a more realistic take on warfare than…Modern Warfare 2.

Honorable Mention: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Left 4 Dead 2

Best Platformer Game (Ryan):

Loco Roco 2

Publisher: Sony

Developer: Sony

It is easy to forget about Loco Roco 2 because it was released so early in the year, but the outstanding gameplay, plethora of mini games and a number of routes to take to complete each stage make it a great one. The game’s length leaves a little something to be desired, but the $20 price tag makes you quickly forget how short it was since you still have money left over to buy more games if you want. Plus all the collectables will keep you coming back to try to search for those few really elusive items.

Honorable Mention: New Super Mario Bros. Wii

Best Adventure Game (Matt):

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Publisher: Eidos

Developer: Rocksteady

“Batman! Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah Batman!”—that’s the way it is supposed to be. Not “Oh no Oh no Oh no Batman”, the obnoxious filth of previous Batman licensed games that made you embarrassed to be a fan publicly. Arkham Asylum didn’t hide from the source material; it embraced it by lovingly orchestrating an action adventure game in the same vein as the Resident Evil franchise while taking note of dynamics found in the modern day Metal Gear Solid games. The fighting mechanics are clever and well thought out. Come to think of it, everything about this game was well thought out and executed by talented developers. This game not only brought credibility back to the caped crusader but also Eidos the publishers whom have had a string of questionable releases these last few years.

Honorable Mention: Shadow Complex, Legend of Zelda: The Spirit Tracks

Best Strategy Game (Ryan):

Plants vs. Zombies

Publisher: PopCap Games

Developer: PopCap Games

When it comes to strategy games, I normally think of the way high camera, army creation games like Starcraft or Command and Conquer. This year’s pick comes from the sub-genre of tower-defense games. If I had reviewed Plants vs. Zombies it probably would have received a 4½, and that’s for a game that can be purchased for less then $20. The replay ability is what sets this one apart from the rest; it can be played over and over by using different strategies. It is a few months after I started playing it and I still go back every few days just to play around and see what different things I can do.

Honorable Mention: Desktop Tower Defense

Best Puzzle Game (Ryan):

Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer: Level 5

The Professor Layton series is the pinnacle of the puzzle genre. After all, it is filled with puzzles. This series does things you wouldn’t expect from other puzzle games, it entrances you into a storyline that is hard to put down. The first game of the series kind of spoiled it for the rest because it taught you to expect the unexpected, but besides this minor setback it is still and excellent game that deserves to be played.

Honorable Mention: Overlord: Minions, Bookworm (DS)

Best Music or Rhythm Game (Matt):

Punchout!

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer: Next level Games

What is a rhythm game? Is it something that needs to be tied down to a music soundtrack or does the soundtrack only act as a crutch? For those of you who think Nintendo’s Punch-Out!!! is not a rhythm game please take part in my experiment. Play any Guitar Hero game with the sound off. You will find that the core concepts and gameplay are nearly identical to Punch-Out!!!—you are reacting quickly to a predetermined formula that rewards you for accurate timing and reflexes. Punch-Out!!!’s boxing aesthetic is simply more engaging while ingeniously assimilating the rhythm of music with the rhythm of a good fight. Nintendo’s venerable franchise still pleases after so many years of retirement and is easily the best game on the Wii released this year.

Honorable Mention: Guitar Hero: Metallica

Best Music or Rhythm Game (Ryan):

Guitar Hero 5

Publisher: Activision, Red Octane

Developer: Neversoft

Guitar Hero 5 does everything right for a music game. It contains a large amount of songs, it has multiple difficulty levels and it implements every aspect nearly as well as it can. I also love the ability change who your band members are, and have players hop in and out at their leisure. You could now say Guitar Hero is now on par with, if not better then, the Rock Band games in just about every aspect. Now they just need to get better on their band specific versions, which still fall way short of Rock Band’s.

Honorable Mention: The Beatles: Rock Band

Best RPG (Matt):

Demon’s Souls

Publisher: Atlus

Developer: From Software

Don’t be frightened. It’s just a game. A ball-buster of a game that will make you question everything you thought you knew about RPGs. Demon’s Souls broke away from the traditional action RPG formula and added some brilliant design ideas of its own such as online ghost players that leave messages for you or becoming the boss of another player’s campaign. Demon’s Souls was in limited release when it first came out but due to its unforeseen popularity, more copies have been released giving those who were too scared to play it at first a second chance at manhood.

Honorable Mention:Torchlight, Dragon Age: Origins

Best Fighting Game (Matt):

Tekken 6

Publisher: Namco Bandai

Developer: Namco Bandai

It just keeps getting better with age. The company that has turned fighting game refinement and balancing into an art form released the definitive iteration of Tekken 6 for the PS3 and Xbox 360 so now there is no reason for you not to pick up this game. Many people were initially outraged when Namco decided to end its exclusivity with Tekken on Sony consoles. It wasn’t until the game finally came out that it was revealed that keeping Tekken 6 on only one console would have been a selfish act that would deprive some people of the joy that is Tekken 6. Sorry, Wii owners, maybe you’ll get a graphically stripped down version two years from now.

Honorable Mention: Street Fighter IV, BlazBlue: Calamity’s Trigger

Most Improved Sequel (Matt):

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Publisher: SCEA

Developer: Naughty Dog

I’m just going to say it—I hated the original Uncharted. It was frustrating, cheap and an overall unpleasant experience from start to finish. Uncharted 2, however, shimmies its way over to the other side of the gaming spectrum by proving Naughty Dog’s prowess as a developer that learns from its shortcomings and builds upon the foundation of proven gameplay. Uncharted 2 consistently delivers a pulse-pounding experience while creating a genuine bond between the player and characters similar to the way Disney cartoons enchanted younger audiences. Did I mention that I hated Uncharted?

Honorable Mention: Assassin’s Creed 2

Most Disappointing Game (Ryan):

Scribblenauts

Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Developer: 5^th Cell

I had really high hopes for Scribblenauts. A game that allows you to write anything and it appears in game? Sounds like an excellent idea that could either be implemented well, or fail horribly. The thing that makes this game so disappointing is that a lot of the levels can almost all be beaten in the same way, by using a jet-pack. Maybe it’s because I have no imagination but there should have been more variety in the level designs. I did however like that almost anything you can think of can be written down and added to the game, but for 90% of the things you can generate, I don’t know where I would have used them.

Honorable Mention: Virtua Tennis 2009, Gran Turismo (PSP)

Most Disappointing Game (Matt):

Borderlands

Publisher: 2K Games

Developer: Gearbox Software

I was mildly intrigued by this game when I first heard of it several years ago. Then there was news of an art style shift that complimented the content and made the game a little more prominent on my radar. Then people started throwing around the term “Diablo-Shooter” and I temporarily lost my hearing. Could it be that after the disappointment of Hellgate: London someone had achieved in creating an enjoyable shooter with RPG elements? The answer was a resounding “no”. I have to choose between four ugly-as-hell characters without the ability to add armor or customize how they look? Oh wait, I can change what colors their clothes are…awesome. In terms of making your own “unique” player, you will have access to a skill tree, or should I say skill pole because there is really only one way to play your generic adventure—follow the archetype created by the developers. Role-playing games are supposed to be about playing your own role the way you want to play it. Borderlands fails in that regard and leaves behind a substantially boring FPS experience.

Honorable Mention: The King of Fighters XII

Best Game (Ryan):

The Sims 3

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: EA Play

The Sims 3 is a great example of what a game should be. The game is easy to learn but takes dedication to master, it is vast, the graphics are great, there are a ton of extra stuff apart from the main game’s storyline. Even though my favorite aspect (repopulating the town with illegitimate children) was removed with the game’s first patch, this patch added a lot of things needed to make the game pristine. I feel this game represented everything you would want from a game.

Honorable Mention: Forza Motorsport 3, Plants vs. Zombies

Best Game (Matt):

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Publisher: Eidos

Developer: Rocksteady

My pick for game of the year is Batman: Arkham Asylum. Batman was not supposed to be good. It was a licensed property published by Eidos and developed by a little-known company and delayed a week before its release. Yet here we are. It was a smashing success despite itself and delivered the best gaming experience this year. Even if you don’t know your Riddlers from your Mad Hatters, Arkham Asylum took cliff notes for you and helps navigate through the cool! If you haven’t already played this masterpiece, it is available for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. My condolences once more for Wii owners—maybe next year will be brighter.

Honorable Mention: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Best Game (Chris):

Resident Evil 5

Publisher: Capcom

Developer: Capcom

Resident Evil 5 managed to improve on the already-excellent Resident Evil 4 in terms of controls, and the storyline continued the epic Resident Evil tale in amazing fashion. Lots of fun monster-blasting action and a computer-controlled partner that’s actually USEFUL in combat were also major factors in making this the best Resident Evil game yet.

The Gaming Savant, Ryan Smith-MuzikReviews.com Video Game Review Staff Team Leader

M. Michael Chwedyk-MuzikReviews.com Sr. Video Game Reviewer

Chris Mastey-Contributing Reviewer

December 31, 2009

©MuzikReviews.com

For questions or comments on this article send an email to rsmith@muzikreviews.com