Ok, let me first say that like many of you, I am into classic Nintendo games. Playing Capcom games especially in the Nintendo era really tested a player to his ability. I for one, have always considered myself a “good” gamer. Not pro, nor amateur but I know how to handle a paddle (love that term). So I decided to download the Mega Man 9 demo, to see if it can relight the flames of “YesterGames”. Here is my ‘mini’ review…

Graphics:
Sound:
Gameplay:
Story:
Replay Value:

I can’t and won’t give review numbers, until I play the full game. So for now, here’s a quick recap.

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written by Juan Perez \\ tags: Mega Man 9, Review, Sony PS3

While everyone is looking to the future of gaming with fancy console boxes and downloadable titles, we haven’t forgotten an old favorite: the PS2. Sure, it’s on its last legs but continues to prove a worthy contender with Yakuza 2, a Japanese crime drama that guises its budget price with excellent gameplay. Continue reading »

written by Carlos Macias \\ tags: game, Review, Sega, Sony PS2, Yakuza 2

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed ended up not being the game it could have been, but it’s certainly much better than the sub-par reviews it has been receiving from nearly every site.  G4 gave the game a 2/5 and 1Up said “even the most hardcore Star Wars fans will be disappointed in what could’ve been an opportunity to highlight the true power of the Force”.  I am the most hard-core Star Wars fan, and I didn’t feel disappointed.  There were some problem areas with the game, but I was still satisfied.  Unfortunately, nearly every review on the planet doesn’t give enough credit to the story.

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written by Will Snizek \\ tags: Review, Star Wars, The-Force-Unleashed

I’ve been waiting for The Force Unleashed for a very long time.  Tonight at midnight I will finally get my hands on the game, but it seems odd that the reviews coming out for it are so low.  They range from the 85/100 from Pelit to the 56 from EGM.  I rarely put much value in a review from EGM, so I’m assuming their review is just way too low.  Looking at all the reviews that are in so far on metacritic.com, there doesn’t seem to be any outstanding scores for the Xbox 360 title.

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written by Will Snizek \\ tags: Review, Star Wars, The-Force-Unleashed

The average score from 1Up editors and users for Madden NFL 09 is a shocking A+. Even G4’s X-Play gave it a perfect review score. The only negative aspects mentioned by X-Play was “minor glitches” and “minor online lag”. I’m not sure if the word minor is right, but I’ll cover that later. After reading dozens of reviews from around the net, I realized that the people giving the scores were probably not looking at the game in depth. Perhaps they were caught up with the “20th anniversary” hype or something. I’m just not sure how anyone could consider this to be a perfect or even close to perfect title.

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written by Will Snizek \\ tags: Chris Collinsworth, commentary, end, freezing, game, Hammond, K Sports, lag, Madden, NFL, Online, Review, right, score, something, stuff, X-Play, year

The guys over at Latino Review were lucky enough to get their hands on the script for V: The Movie. I was six years old when the original mini-series aired on television and certainly remember how huge the event was. We’ve been waiting most of our lives for V: The Movie and it looks like we’re getting closer to seeing it. The 145 page script still has yet to find a company who will make the film, but we can only hope. Latino Review posted a nice summary of the script (spoilers included). Check out the story at the Latino Review.

written by Will Snizek \\ tags: company, event, Film, Latino, leaked, mini-series, movie, page, Review, script, story, summary, television

If you haven’t seen ‘The Dark Knight’ yet I assume you are living under a rock.  While checking out Comcast’s site, I discovered a wealth of information and exclusives on the film.  If you like free web games, the ‘Dark Knight’ videogame on Comcast is worth a play.  ’The Dark Knight’ has been a great film for debate on our site, as some people feel it was one of the greatest movies ever made, while others didn’t share the same enthusiasm.  Regardless, the film is certainly a fascinating story worth looking into.

Just visit http://www.comcast.net/thedarkknightmovie/#/videos/exclusives for 6 exclusive videos including cast interviews with Christian Bale, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal and more that you won’t be able to find anywhere else!

Exclusive videogame: http://www.comcast.net/thedarkknightmovie/game/

Check out the following posts on our site concerning the film:

The Dark Knight Review: Fantastic Realism

Relax Already, The Dark Knight is NOT The Best Movie of All Time!

Top Five Joker Quotes From ‘Batman: The Dark Knight’

written by Will Snizek \\ tags: Aaron Eckhart, cast, checking, Christian Bale, Comcast, dark, Exclusives, exclusivevideogame, Film, haven, information, Knight, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Review, Rock, site, visit, wealth

“SIREN: Blood Curse, Sony’s Horror game split up into 12 Episodes is the scariest game of 2008!”

Title: SIREN: Blood Curse

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. (SCEA)

Studio: SCE Japan Studio

Platform: PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™)

Distribution: 12 downloadable episodes via PLAYSTATION®Network

Genre: Survival Horror, Adventure

Rating: M for “Mature”

Pricing: $39.99 for the full game or $14.99 per 4-episode bundle. This is all available only through the PS Store.

Release: July 24th, 2008

So, for those of you looking for a great horror game, SIREN: Blood Curse literally scared the crap of of us. The games’ eerie sounds and gritty views make this our ‘Horror Game of 2008′.

If you don’t mind downloading 12 separate episodes (9 gb total), and painfully installing each episode while trying to figure out why Sony couldn’t make it an easier process, SIREN:Blood Curse is for you! In all honesty, I feel this is the only con SIREN has, although the idea of having the game installed and ALWAYS ready to go is something we got VERY comfortable with. I mean, getting up to put a blu-ray disc in, is soo 2007.

Really never playing the previous version of SIREN, I was excited to wet-my-pants scared playing this game. Sure, I’ve played horror games before (Resident Evil but SIREN is different. It leaves you thinking all the time “What the hell was that?”. The Asian Zombie infused “bad guys” are intimidating and it seems like you’d rather run than fight these monsters. The houses are filled with very detailed bloody Asian styled decors. There’s a new style called Sight Jack. Sight Jack is when your screen splits and you have the advantage to scout the area by going into the nearby character’s mid and seeing the world through their eyes. It’s an important part of the game that gives you the feeling that the game around you is breathing and living, and Sight Jack allows you to witness it. For you horror fans out there, continue reading. For everyone else, well, check out my review where I try to give you a detailed “like your there” type of feeling.

Enjoying SIREN’s ‘mini series’ approach was easy. They very briefly Introduced each character before your turn to play them. Here’s also how they did it:

- First off, you know it’s 12 episodes.
- Within each Episode are chapters that allow you to continue from them. Almost like checkpoint chapters.
- Starting with Episode 2, it begins the level with a recap of what happened in your previous Episode.
- End of each chapter shows you a preview of the next Episode. It has a Sopranos feeling, with (amazingly) more blood.
- No children are harmed in this game, they just curl up and cry. Almost like the movie Willy Wonka.
- Several different sub plots

Nevertheless the subplots intertwine nicely with each other and each chapter leaves you wanting more.

Gameplay

Controls - Controlling your character seems to be a bit of a learning curve. When you first control your 3rd person view character, you want to use both L3 and R3 to walk forward and look around. These controls are a bit different. The L3 moves your character and the R3 is strictly for looking. Again, a learning curve but you get used to it.

Items - This is also one of the first games where your flashlight is essential to finding your way around. You’ll also notice that some weapons are only accessible to certain characters. Lastly, your archive shows you all the items you’ve picked up to eventually help your mission and solve this mystery of the game.

Health System - Not a true health system, but similar to Call of Duty 4 and Gears of War’s regenerative style. Your clothes become more red with blood as you’re attacked. 8/10

Audio

The screechy noises whether something is about to happen or not constantly keeps you on your toes. The characters and for that matter, the enemies do a great job of giving the game depth. In this game, where hiding is key, you know when an enemy is near and approaching you. 10/10

Replay Value

With most horror games, replay value is tough when you’ve played the game through. Because it’s almost like, “Hey what’s this.. oh another zombie chasing me”, but SIREN does a good job of highering the volume which throws off your hand-to-eye coordination. (I know, it’s an excuse) After playing several Episodes a couple of times, I was still startled and noticed the enemies were not always located in the same spots. 7/10

Uniqueness

SIREN nails it with their innovative approach with the split screen camera view of ‘Sight Jack’. The automatic and seamless sight jack system allows players to see exactly what their enemies or nearby friends see. Hiding in strategic spots and moving the camera to see your surroundings has been done, but in this game your so scared to move it actually feels like YOU’RE hiding from a mumbling, drooling Police Zombie. The DualShock 3 is also a must while playing SIREN. When an enemy is near not only do you hear your heartbeat get louder but your controller vibrates with every pump. There’s also a hazing smoke that fills ups the screen when a Shibito see you, and let’s you know you’ve been spotted. 9/10

Closing Statement

SIREN: Blood Curse is a great game to add to your PS3 collection. Many horror games are made to scare, with most having a terrible story or lack uniqueness. I would recommend this game to any horror action adventure gamer. Twelve scary episodes laid down with an eerie soundtrack makes SIREN: Blood Curse our list of games to download to your PS3. Best of all is the convenience of having the game installed on the PS3 HDD, which allows you to play the game anytime. Better than loaning it to “that guy who doesn’t return games” guy!

+Great meaningful cut scenes.

+Gritty camera angles.

+Nerve racking soundtracks.

-12 episodes to download, slow installing process

written by Juan Perez \\ tags: blood, character, Curse, Episode, Episodes, feeling, game, horror, jack, Japan, Review, sight, sight jack, Siren, siren psn, siren review, SIREN: Blood Curse, Sony, split, system, Willy Wonka, Zombie

When the Xbox Live Arcade initiative was just being rolled out back in 2005 with the launch of the Xbox 360, a genuine neon-emblazed classic came out day one on the service, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved. Fast-forward three years and we finally get a sequel for it; is it worth your 800 Microsoft points?

The short answer: yes. Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 is not only an upgrade to the first title, but a real step forward in accessibility, variety, and fun even if you weren’t a hardcore player of the first. Whereas GW1 let you putz around the game and easily blast a few of the geometric enemies for ONLY a few moments (before quickly dying after the barrage of enemies were released), GW:RE2 is a longer, more rewarding experience.

First off, the higher ticket price means you get new modes and added four-player support. The game is split up into six different modes and each one has its different leaderboards — the scores amongst you and your friends are prominently displayed at boot up — and each one varies the gameplay slightly.

A couple of the standouts modes are “Pacifism” and “King,” but the rest are welcome additions, as well. What once used to be an achievement in the first game, becomes a reality in GW:RE2 with the first mode mentioned as you’re stripped away from your power to shoot and have to, instead, traverse the map shot-less and hit “gates” that explode as you pass through them. The latter mode asks you to only shoot in designated “zones,” or circles, moving from one to the next weaseling through the numerous baddies.

Faithful fans of the first game shouldn’t fret though, as the original “Evolved” mode is included along with a few other great modes. Fundamentally, Bizarre Creations has made a few significant changes with this iteration that introduces a “geom” system to the original gameplay. Geoms are specks that the enemies leave behind after shooting them and each one adds to your overall multiplayer. Before, when you died that’d be the end of your multiplier, but GW:RE2’s geom system keeps it going when you’ve respawned. Expect even higher scores this time around.

Multiplayer in Geo Wars 2 comes in two flavors: co-op and competitive. You can play with up three of your buddies and take on every mode that’s available in single-player. Unfortunately, you can’t upload the scores that you acrue with your team of crackshots, but its still an entertaining diversion for when you have company over. Online is noticeably absent, but for a game that relies on split-second reactions and decisions its understandable why it was omitted; sometimes unreliable net lag would’ve killed the experience. Make sure to play multiplayer on a bigger screen than the 13-incher reserved for the kids’ table, though, as the camera pans out far enough to make your ship look like a distant star.

Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 does so much with the single “map” that it easily warrants the 800 Points ($10) price of entry without going into Geometry Wars: Galaxies territory and adding tons of levels. The six different modes (including the meaty, 20-level “Sequence” mode) are more than enough game for this DLC marvel. Log into your Xbox Live account and download it now.

written by Carlos Macias \\ tags: Evolved, experience, game, Gameplay, geom, Geometry, Live, Map, mode, multiplayer, price, Retro, Review, system, Xbox

Title - Rock Band

Release Date - June 22, 2008

Platform - Nintendo Wii

Developer - Harmonix Music Systems

Publisher - MTV Games

Distributor - EA Distribution

Rating - “T” for Teen

I have been a huge Rock Band fan since the day it originally came out. Rock Band is the primary reason I completely lost interest in Guitar Hero actually. It took them long enough, but they finally released Rock Band for the Wii. If you currently own a PS3 or Xbox 360, there’s not a single reason in the world to purchase Rock Band for the Wii. While it’s still a good game on the Wii, it has been stripped down to function properly and you will notice a huge difference between this version and the PS3/360 version.

Gameplay Gameplay has been stripped down considerably for this version.  One serious change is the fact that there’s no Band World Tour mode.  With the Wii version, you are basically playing with a straightforward song progression style, much like music games of the past.  The fun of downloading songs is also gone with this version.   Continue reading »

written by Will Snizek \\ tags: fun, game, Guitar, Hero, Music, Nintendo Wii, plenty, Quick, reason, release, replay, Review, Rock Band, system, title, version, world