Archive for February, 2008
F1: Formula One Championship Edition For The PS3 is available through Sony Computer Entertainment at a price of $59.99. This game in the Formula One series has come after a long gap. The game does justice to the PS3 with good visuals and great gameplay.
This game is set in the 2006 FIA Formula One Championships. The drivers at the start of this season as well as all the official tracks are included. The drivers include Michael Schumacher for Ferrari and Juan Montoya for Mclaren. Super Aguri is driven by Yuji Idle.
If you do not have too much of knowledge of F1 racing, you can still enjoy this game with the way it has been set up. With simple and responsive control, this game is very enjoyable to play. The Sixaxis tilt controls can be used to steer. The analog control works better though.
The game modes are quick race, time trial, grand prix weekend, online, world championship and career. Up to 11 people can play at the same time in online mode. In career mode, you can create the driver and go on a five year career. Both beginners and veterans can enjoy this mode.
When you finally get to the races you realize that they are extremely fast, extremely tense and extremely challenging. There is a great need for precision even on the medium difficulty level. The sense of speed is captured quite realistically.
If you like F1 and own a PS3 this is not a game to be missed. Recommended.
February 28th, 2008
Blazing Angels 2: Secret Missions is available for the PS3 from UBI Soft at a price of $39.99. If you like games set against WW2, you might like this one. It does not stick with facts though and goes into fantasy. The story and characters from the first game no longer remain.
As captain Robinson you get together with some wingmen and form an elite squad going where few pilots have gone before. The scenarios include tracking down a special weapons division of the Germans. You also need to protect civilian targets and bomb bases. You also have to destroy enemy airfields, steal prototype planes etc.
There are 18 missions and soon into the campaign you start getting rockets and other secondary weapons. Homing rockets make you adept at blowing off enemy planes. One issue with the game is that it is not challenging enough. As you upgrade your planes using mission points, you get better gun sights, machine guns, armor et al.
I liked the single player campaign more than the multiplyers. Connections with lag are a problem in the multiplayer campaigns. The visuals of BA 2 are better than the first installment. If you want a simple WW2 game with plenty of excitement up in the air, then this is the game for you.
February 24th, 2008
Lost: Via Domus is available for the PS3 through UBI Soft at a price of $59.99. With season four on the horizon, this is a welcome offering for the TV show’s fans. This game is played in the background of the first two seasons of Lost. In this adventure game you get to roleplay a new character among the other well known cast of the show. As Elliott, a passenger from a crashed flight on the island, you suffer from (no prizes for guessing) amnesia. You are hated by the only person who knows you there.
As you piece together your past, you begin to realize that you were a photojournalist. This game isn’t a shooter at all, but an adventure story game that relies on an excellent storyline. Among the rare bits of action in this game is a scene where you are chases by a black cloud of smoke. Vincent, a dog helps you find the beach at the start of season one. You help Jack, the doctor to save lives.
You have many interesting tasks during the game including dealing with a fuel leak from the plane. Of course your main objective is to get back home. The environments are breathtaking, many of them partially new. The story borrows heavily on the elements that made the TV show such a success. This is a no-miss game for fans of the Lost series. If you are not a fan, you might not enjoy it as much. Recommended for fans of the series.
February 23rd, 2008
Conflict Denied Ops is available for the PS3 through Eidos at a price of $49.99. This is the fifth game in the series. In this game you get to pull the strings of Lang and Graves. These guys are SAD agents. Not depressed, but Special Activities Division. They are among the best there are in secretive offense. In this game you get to control a character, order a team mate, and if you choose, you can switch characters. The basics are covered by the command system.
You face objectives like protecting and escorting, blowing up enemy artillery and such other missions. Lang uses a Light Machine Gun while Graves wields a sniper rifle. The game’s artificial intelligence is brilliant. You can enjoy this game along with friends. There is online co-op play in campaign mode. The single player mode is enjoyable as well, however when two players play together, it is very enjoyable.
You get to carry unlimited ammo, so that is not an issue to be worried about. There are also ammo supply boxes across the levels letting you refresh your ammo. Without much of a backstory, you are dropped into Venezuela. here you need to protect the country from nuclear weapons that might be in the wrong hands.
There are three mission choices in different locations after completing the first mission. You start the second mission with weapons upgrades. Conflict: Denied Ops is an enjoyable game that combines fun both in single player and online co-op mode.
February 22nd, 2008
The Godfather The Don’s Edition is available for the Nintendo Wii through Electronic Arts at a price of $28.99. If you have enjoyed the Godfather, the movie like countless fans this is a game to own. It is fun to act out scenes from the movie. You can do all the Godfather things like calling a “hit squad” to help you out. Do favors for people and garner goodwill. Your existing goodwill also allows you to do certain things.
You can have drivers on hand to take you from safe house to safe house remarkably fast. This is one of the changes in the PS3 version of the game. You can extort businesses, buy out rackets or destroy families – in short live the Godfather lifestyle without worrying about cops at your door in real life.
If you have played the PS2 version, there is probably not an extremely high replay value for you though. In this game you can start all over from the beginning. There is no carry over. You have to do everything again. This game involves many playing hours – long game. While playing there are a myriad ways to keep occupied. This game keeps me thinking about it even when I am not playing it!
This game is a must buy if you haven’t played any version of the Godfather. The price makes it more than worth it. Recommended.
February 17th, 2008
Stranglehold Collectors Edition which includes the classic movie – Hard Boiled is available for the PS3 from Midwayps3 at a price of $29.99. This pack would be worth it just for the movie in Blu-ray. Action lovers have loved this movie since it has been a classic. However there are issues with the quality of the movie – no HD quality at all. The game is a different ball game – a lot of fun to play.
What I liked was the voice acting of Chow Yun Fat. Also the background of Hong Kong and Chicago is enticing. The environment is a lot of fun to play in. The problems are with using the analog stick to aim which is irritating. There is also no manual save. You have to restart from the checkpoint if you screw up.
Another issue with this game is the absence of a map. This game is fun otherwise, you feel like coming back for more. In a way the game does justice to the movie. If you like to do your killing the hard boiled way, this is the game for you.
To recap, the movie quality is really poor, but the game is enjoyable apart from some minor issues. If you are a Chow Yun Fat fan get this one for your collection.
February 15th, 2008
Dynasty Warriors is to be released on Feb 19, 2008. It is published by KOEI Corp and is available for preorder on Amazon at a price of $59.99. The game still contains the central theme of one hero battling thousands of enemies. There are certain differences in the Dynasty Warriors for the PS3 and Xbox 360.
With the powerful consoles of today more enemies can be featured onscreen at any given moment. The main heroes have new and interesting weapons. The game was created through motion capture of the moves of real martial artists.
In Dynasty Warriors 6 you can extend attack combos infinitely. You can also build up renbu energy or defeat enemies with musou attacks. You get to choose your battle horse who gains experience and better attributes as the battle progresses.
You evolve by gaining special skills. You can also unlock new characters by winning battles. There are new animations and redesigned characters in Dynasty Warriors 6 and the strategy part of the game is something new.
DW6 involves outthinking opponents. The levels are open and the players can decide where the hero is sent. There are a few other changes in this game – like the way the hero gets to the next battle is different. The levels are not strictly linear and players have more choices in DW6. Dynasty Warriors is a promising game. Recommended.
February 9th, 2008
The BIGS is available for the PS3 through 2K sports for a price of $29.99. Baseball games have gotten better as time has flown by. However they have also grown increasingly complicated. Many people long for the old games that could be finished in a quarter hour. If you are one of them, the the BIGS was made for you.
This game moves quick with many home runs and dirty pitches. You need a fair degree of skill and timing to throw pitches right. Every pitch gets a rating. If your pitch is hit very hard, it is rated as less effective and this affects your pitching ability.
Hitting is as much fun as pitching on this game. Timing is the most important element that determines how you hit. The only points where this game is weak is the fielding and base running. Base running is slightly complicated and this takes away from some of the fun.
This game comes without a traditional season mode. There is the rookie challenge instead. You can’t customize your player much. It starts with spring training after which comes the league. You may play full games or get into a game after it has begun. I found the rookie challenge great fun but the enjoyment is over in a few hours, since there is not too much on offer.
I liked home run pinball which let me damage taxi cabs, neon signs and televisions on Times Square. Fun without the pain. There is online mode in this game but lag and hiccups plague this making offline more fun. The gameplay is simple but exciting, if you want arcade style baseball, this is the game to own.
February 7th, 2008
Folklore is an offering from Sony Computer Entertainment and is available for the price of $57.99 on Amazon.com. This game gives you the opportunity to face challenging questions. However, this is an action game and not a roleplaying one.
It is set in Modern-day Ireland and also in an afterlife which dates back to Celtic folklore. There are some issues with the gameplay and storytelling, but for which this could have been an extremely entertaining game.
However this is a good way to go to the land of the dead without the pain. It starts in Doolin, an Irish village where some murders are under investigation. Ellen and Keats who reports for an occult magazine are the main characters in the story.
I liked the story which grows deeper as the twists get into the main story. There is some music which is off mood at times. The cutscenes are interesting. You can play the initial five chapters as either Ellen or Keats, but changing between characters as you change chapters feels strange.
In the netherworld the game gets interesting. In addition to the main game, there are side quests. This is a 20 hour game on an average. Barring a few minor issues, it is well worth the money and time.
February 3rd, 2008
Gran Turismo: 5 Prologue is available through Sony Computer Entertainment for the price of $39.99 at Amazon.com. You can get this game on a disc as well as a download. It can take a while to download, though. The starting screen is very different from its predecessors and is tailored to the online version of the game. There are a number of game options available when connected as well as not connected to the internet.
When online you can have new videos as free downloads. These downloads do take their time, though. You can enjoy this game through the arcade mode and the events mode. Through the arcade mode you can burn rubber on any track. The events mode reminds you of the earlier Gran Turismo games.
There are three classes of races C-, B- and A-. When online, introduction videos can be downloaded. Some of the races on this version are truly amazing. There is a race called a mission race which calls for true racing skill.
Now to the care – solid and wieghty. When cars make contact there is no major damage. There are five tracks on which you race. Suzuka, the London track, Eiger Nordwand, Fuji Speedway and Daytona. This teaser is enough to make diehard GT fans want more. Recommended.
February 2nd, 2008