‘Star Wars: The Force Unleashed’ Demo Review

I’ve finally had the time to run through the Star Wars: The Force Unleashed demo on Xbox LIVE a few times.  The demo starts you out with “the apprentice” having a conversation with his master, Darth Vader.  This really sets the tone for the demo and hopefully we’ll see many conversations like this in the full game.  

You start the level oboard a giant ship and your goal is to kill everyone and everything.  Before you go on your rampage, it’s a lot of fun to start picking up random containers and throw them wherever you please with your powers.   The demo also starts you off with numerous force abilities including dash, defend, the saber attack, high jump, Force Lightning, Force Push and Force Grip.  While nearly all work flawlessly with the simple control scheme, I wasn’t too thrilled with the defending ability.  While standing still, it’s easy to defend against blaster attacks, but it’s a little tricky to defend yourself while moving.  Other than that, movement is fairly fluid and feels right.  Flinging objects at your whim is probably the #1 aspect of the demo.  It’s definitely a fun feeling to fling a canister at a moving Tie-Fighter to take it out of the sky.

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Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty

Quest for Booty is Sony and Insomniac game’s first foray into episodic-type content for PSN, but at a premium price of $15, should you add it to your download queue?

In QfB, Ratchet & Clank Future’s forgiveable controls remain the same, the graphics still have that almost-Pixar quality to them, but it’s now shrunken down to a quick adventure that loosely follows the main story.

For those of you who haven’t followed the series, its charm and simple story wont be lost on you as Insomniac brought out the A-team for the team’s latest game and it shows. A healthy amount of hilarious moments are littered throughout the adventure — you’ll actually “lol” more than a few times.

Probably the main difference being that the length and overall progression of the game isn’t as deep as the full, retail game but the same fun you’ve come to expect from the series is retained. Effectively making it feel like the game proper.

Right off the bat, you’ll notice that you don’t have your full range of weapons and skill set as your tiny robot pal is still lost. This, in turn, makes the game more of a puzzle-platformer affair; the trademark funky weapons take a backseat in this installment of the series.

The use of weapons, for the most part, is substituted by fun, new game play additions such as the “Kinetic Thether” that makes the environments interactive. The point being that you have to find ways to manipulate it and get through the game’s clever puzzles. The formula is tweaked enough to make it more conducive for a game like this.

If you really enjoyed the shooter aspect of past Ratchet’s, you might be disappointed, but otherwise it’s a great game. The progression goes smoothly and there are even a few pleasant surprises. And like the case with any great game (or movie, for that matter) it ends with a conclusion of epic proportions. Well, maybe not as dramatic, but close enough.

About the only drawbacks to the game is that it does lack some of the deep aspects of weapon customization and has some odd mechanical ommissions that made Future fun. Besides the “tornado launcher’s” motion controls, there is little else to take advantage of a the Sixaxis controller — something Future did well. Also, it would’ve been cool to support the aforementioned game’s save file and have it tie into Quest for Booty.

The Good Stuff:

More of a puzzle-platforming outing, but with enough shooting to keep newcomers happy and fans nicely teased.

The Bad Stuff:

It lacks some of the depth and replayability of its big brother, Ratchet & Clank: Future.

The Neutral:

The series’ forgiving controls, humor, and graphics remain intact for this piece of downloadable goodness.

In the End…

Quest for Booty’s short sampling will resonant the most with non-believers of the series and fans will walk away still salivating after a sweet, if brief, episode that runs along R&C:F’s storyline. Despite being a short little game (most will finish it in 3-4 hrs), it still has its share of memorable moments — more than justifying the $15 asking price.

Madden Better on the Wii?

I never thought I’d see the day where I thought a multi-platform game was better on the Wii than the Xbox 360 or Sony PS3, but that day has come. Although the game has a different title and has different features, I feel like it’s still something I needed to compare to the 360/PS3 version. I recently reviewed Madden NFL 09 for the Xbox 360 and felt it wasn’t the great game everyone was giving it credit for. My primary issues with the game was lag, the game freezing, game glitches and numerous problems with the AI.

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GTA goes to Sin City? New ‘This is Vegas’ Trailer

Midway’s upcoming open-world game set in Las Vegas is your meal ticket to fun after hours on the strip.  ‘This is Vegas’ has a Grand Theft Auto feel to it, with a pinch of PlayStation 3’s ‘Home’.  It’s coming to the X360, PS3, and PC in early 2009.  If this game comes with hookers, crack, and counterfeit money I’d pay $89.99 for the “Special Edition”.  Let it Riiide…

‘Time Stand Still’ Dares You Not to Have Fun

We don’t know about you, but whenever a press release touts that their new game “contains no violence or foul language” and “no action sequences or timed puzzles,” our attention for it wavers more than a bit. Merscom’s Time Stand Still hopes to attract your attention regardless.

The game is completely mouse driven and features a story about an English girl, twenty-something, living in Sweden who takes on “cases.” Yes, the press release doesn’t go into any more detail than that.

Does it sound like a game you guys would play knowing that it keeps it G-rated and full of talkative, non-action bits? If it does, it’s now available for “as low as $6.99 with Game Club” here.

Via Press Release

The Force Unleashed Demo to PSN, Xbox Live August 21

We’re big fans of GameTrailers TV here at Kezins and, as fans, we look forward to the usual breaking news and exclusive trailers the show provides. In case you guys missed it last night, their reveal Godfather II episode made an exclusive mention of a Star Wars: The Force Unleashed demo landing on Xbox Live and PSN this Thursday, August 21.

Kezins got a chance to play the same demo at Comic Con in July and we came away impressed with how fun the force powers were to use. Fun enough that we forgot we had a lightsaber with us the whole time.

Considering the likely quality of Quest for Booty, Galaga Legions, and the above mentioned demo releasing this week, we must be heading into fall early this year.

Via GameTrailers TV

Top Five ‘Tropic Thunder’ Quotes

If you are easily offended, Tropic Thunder may not be the film for you. If you are looking for a lot of laughs, I’m not sure why you haven’t seen it yet. Some of the best quotes from the film really make more sense if you’ve actually watched the movie. The witty film makes fun of Hollywood and numerous Vietnam war films.  Here’s my choice for the top five Tropic Thunder quotes:

Kirk Lazarus: I know who I am! I’m the dude playing the dude disguised as another dude! (from trailer)

Alpa Chino: …because they had one good part in there for a *black* man, and they gave it to “Crocodile Dundee”!

Kirk Lazarus: Some of us might not make it back.
Jeff ‘Fats’ Portnoy: What do you mean, like… not on the same flight?

Speedman: I don’t believe you people!
Kirk Lazarus: What do you mean, “you people?”
Alpa Chino: What do you mean, “you people?”

Kirk Lazarus: Yo, assholes, this mother fucker’s dead!
Tugg Speedman: [picks up severed head] I think I can spot a prop head when I see one!
[people around him gag while he plays with the head]

‘Mario Super Sluggers’; Just Wii Sports Baseball With A Few Extras?

When I first heard about ‘Mario Super Sluggers’, I was expecting ‘Wii Sports Baseball’ with a Mario skin.  While some may see it this way, I’m basically considering it an advanced sequel to the Wii Sports Baseball game which was highly flawed.  Fortunately, the Mario baseball game will allow you to control more than just hitting and pitching.  As expected, you will see Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser and Wario etc in the game, as well as your Mii if you chose to use it.  Up to four players can take part in the action at once and the game is full of fun mini-games.  

While it may look like a cheap way to get more out of ‘Wii Sports Baseball’, this title actually looks like it will be pretty good.  You can find out on August 25 when the game releases in North America for $49.99.  

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