Persona discussion

Man, we already were proven wrong on some of the things we said here (oddly enough I was right the first time on some of those I should have stuck to my guns...) but this is still a worthwhile watch (or listen). This was previously streamed live on my twitch. http://twitch.tv/fighterxaos Go subscribe and you'll see let's plays and stuff as they happen.

DmC: Devil May Cry

Seems the destruction this game had was felt in the real world too

DmC: Devil May Cry
Developed by Ninja Theory
Published by Capcom

Review by Jeremias de Leon

Wow, this game has it's fair share of controversy. Who thought an alternate universe with changes would garner so much of it?

Wrong DMC. Rest in peace Jam Master Jay though

Synopsis

Dante and Vergil are twin sons of a demon father named Sparda and angel mother named Eva. Eva was murdered by the king of demons and Sparda was subjected to eternal torture by Mundus. Cue Dante looking for revenge and Vergil starting a group that opposes demons and is looking to dethrone Mundus. They also try and expose the world as it really is in what's pretty much a throwback to the movie They Live. The story isn't going to win any awards but I have to say the way the story played out in this game is pretty fleshed out. Dante over time in this universe grows as a character and so does Kat and Vergil.

Hair can cause a lot of backlash...

Gameplay

Here is what Devil May Cry is all about. Does Dante still fight like Dante, in short, despite what some people may cry foul over, is yes, yes he does. It may be done with a different focus where being stylish is based on using the different weapons stylishly where in the original it was more on doing the crazy combos and having them keep going while not taking damage. Dante's different weapons add a different take on frenetic combat, and I have to say I truly do enjoy it. It's not better or worse than the previous games it's different and is just as good. It makes you think about your combos in a different way and it's still enjoyable. Switching from angel and demon weapons and knowing which enemies take more damage from which and setting it up so you can hit the right enemies with the right weapons.

Also yes, the gameplay is responsive when you push a button Dante does it. Yes, the frame-rate is 30fps instead of 60 the game still plays just fine, Dante is not sluggish and the action feels great. If I don't see slow responses with my weird, mutated eyes (don't ask) then I don't see a problem. It plays different, yes, but it still plays great and Dante still has his signature moves like fireworks and stinger.

Presentation

The character designs are different obviously but they work as a more realistic looking Dante, Vergil and Mundus. The enemies look more like creepy demons as they should and Dante although skinny and with a different haircut is not a design I can complain about, it's still better than all the gritty brown shooter heroes you see nowadays. I also happen to love the design of Vergil especially his coat. It invokes the original but still has it's own design.

The level designs are great in the beginning, the first levels are pretty imaginative but as the game goes on they do seem to bit more bland and if someone walked in and didn't know what you were playing they would guess any number of games you were playing before Devil May Cry.

Verdict

Devil May Cry is honestly enjoyable the gameplay is tight and the storyline keeps in mind the original but goes on to make things more fleshed out. The game does kind of peter out in the end with a bit of a lame puzzle and some boss fights that are a bit anti climactic. Well, the penultimate boss fight anyway. The final one is pretty good.

I give DmC an 8.5 out of 10

Dead Or Alive 5 review

Reviewed by Jeremias de Leon

Dead Or Alive 5
Developed by Team Ninja
Published by TecmoKoei


Dead or Alive 5 (DOA5) is the latest in the 3D fighting game series and the first without series creator Tomonobu Itagaki. The cast from the previous Dead Or Alive games returns along with new faces Rig and Mila and guest stars Pai, Akira and Sarah from Virtua Fighter.

Gameplay:

Dead or Alive 5 keeps the basic mechanics of the previous games with the 4 button layout which has the following commands "punch, kick, block/hold, and throw". The gameplay is slowed down for more methodical fighting, but that isn't to say it moves anywhere near a snail's pace. The fights are still pretty frenetic though holds don't have to come out near as fast as they had to in DOA4. If you mistime holds by going too fast you will be punished.

Each character plays differently enough that you won't feel like you're not playing the same few character types in different skins. Especially the Virtua Fighter characters. The story mode gives tutorials on all the mechanics in the game but it isn't necessary to play casually without any headaches, the game can be as deep or as casual as you want.

Content:

In fighting games instead of story we'll go with content, because fighting games, although having stories, are not played for them normally. But that isn't to say it shouldn't have a story as it can be a good way for casual players to have fun with the game. With that out of the way let's see what DOA5 has.

People  play this for the fighting, right?

There is a story mode in Dead Or Alive 5 that lasts for about three hours, maybe more if you decided to go after all the bonus missions and you are bound to run into one or two that will have you be stuck for a while. There are the standard arcade modes which have one on one and tag battle courses. There's also survival mode which is also a standard for fighting games. Unique to Dead Or Alive is a mode for taking pictures during a fight which is just called Photo Mode you can control the camera and pause at the exact time you want to take the picture. Not really groundbreaking or anything but it's neat. Of course there is online play, on day 1 the net-code wasn't that great and matches I played were a bit laggy but there was a patch to address this. Unfortunately I haven't tried online after patching the game but from what was seen during live streams of online play the patch did improve things quite a bit.

Presentation: 

The menus in the game are very clean looking nothing too spectacular. Navigating them isn't a pain. The stages are pretty well done especially the stages taking place outdoors. The character models which has been the selling point for the game, especially the female characters, look great. Their faces look good but it doesn't seem like they animate that much though. Also about the character models is that during the fight they will start to sweat and get dirt on them during the fight. Depending on what they're wearing the sweat can drench their clothes making them see through. Lots of attention like this make the game pretty visually appealing. Though the jiggle physics still seem to just be nowhere near reality. Then again, they never were. But the over sexualization of the female characters has been toned down. Yes, they can still wear skimpy outfits and yes they still jiggle but the breast sizes have been reduced for some characters and not every character has a skimpy outfit. Only characters that big breasts make sense for have larger bust sizes. The male characters look good too though, Ryu Hayabusa looks great and this has to be the best Akira and the rest of the Virtua Fighter characters have ever looked.

Verdict: 

This game is great for casual players and for hardcore players in the FGC. With bonus missions in the story mode helping out people that do want to learn the game and all the arcade mode routes and online play that's been improved this game is definitely worth picking up.

I give this an 8.5 out of 10

FIGHT: Super Street Fighter IV Arcade - FIGHT 1

Big Cheese battles as Dudley against his friend Madvokabb who has a very familiar fighter .. .

Gaming News: "RUMOR" - Half-Life 3 to be open word, released post-2013

Courtesy of Journaldugamer, an "ANONYMOUS" source contacted the site with "information" about the upcoming third installment to Valve's original I.P.


From this "ANONYMOUS" source, he said that unlike the previous games in the Half-Life series, this installment will take place in an open world. He also stated that the real reason why that the development time for the game has been long and hectic, is because that the game originally started as a traditional First-Person Shooter, until later in it's development cycle that the team started to focus more on exploration and puzzles.  Apparently this rumor version of the game is the third iteration for this hotly anticipated title.


The game will supposably feature quest-giving NPCs, so with this and the other information detailed this would give the game a drastically different feel for the game.



Again, this is a rumor. So take this with a HUGE grain of salt. Hopefully will get a confirmation or deny sooner to kill off this "rumor."



For all your gaming news and updates in the industry and gaming culture, please stay tuned to the broken infinite.



What do you guys think about this ? Leave your comments and thoughts in the comment box below.


Source:


- Le Journal de Gamer (translated)


- Destructoid


twitter:


- @JournalDuGeek


- @Dtoid



----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Also, please leave some creative criticism below in the comment box as well. It will help me get better and improve in future articles, editorials and reviews. 

If you want to follow my recent endeavors on the interwebs…

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ikaricast: "Mondays at midnight" on that (review) site.

Gaming News: TGS '12 - Dead or Alive to have downloadable release on PSN the same day as retail launch, XBL 3 months later

During their "Dead or Alive" event at this year's Tokyo Game Show, the head of Team Ninja, Yosuke Hayashi announce that the upcoming 5th installment to the long-running fighter will be available to download on the PlayStation Store on September 25th, the same day as the game's physical launch takes place.



A downloadable version of the game will also be available for 360 users through XBLA, but it will be in the digital distribution service in December, 3 months after it's launch.




For all your gaming news and updates in the industry and gaming culture, please stay tuned to the broken infinite.



What do you guys think about this recent announcement? Leave your comments and thoughts in the comment box below.


Source:

- Joystiq


twitter:

- @joystiq



----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Also, please leave some creative criticism below in the comment box as well. It will help me get better and improve in future articles, editorials and reviews. 

If you want to follow my recent endeavors on the interwebs…

Twitter: @16bitJeff

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ikaricast: "Mondays at midnight" on that (review) site

Gaming News: co-founders of Bioware to retire

Courtesy of kotaku.com (yes, I know. I too can't believe I'm using them as a "news source"), The co-founders of beloved videogame company Bioware, Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk are retiring from the video game industry.


Bioware is a Action/RPG video game developer that is mainly located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are famously known for Dragon Age, Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: KOTOR ("Knights of the Old Republic), Jade Empire and most recently (since 2007) Mass Effect, which "finished" it's story earlier this year in March with the release of Mass Effect 3 for Windows PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.



While their games have met with critical acclaim, their most recent titles 2011's Dragon Age 2 and most recently, Mass Effect 3 have not only met with controversy but also reviews  have ranged from mixed to low scores.



Both Dr. Muzyka and Mr. Zeschuk have left notes on the company's site to thank both their recent and long-time fans and to talk about their post-Bioware careers:


Mr. Zechuk:

"After my departure I'm going to be spending significant time with family and friends, as well as pursing some personal passion-driven projects related to craft beer. The main project I will be working on is a web-based interview show called The Beer Diaries where I interview notable brewers and showcase their beers. If things go well, I'll work on other beer-related shows, apps and projects. If not, I'll have drunk a lot of tasty beers and may be back in games or even something else completely different. Ultimately time will tell."

Dr. Muzyka:

"I've largely personally achieved what I wanted in videogames; I now desire to take on a brand new entrepreneurial challenge. I believe strongly in the power of free enterprise to enable sustainable change, so my next 'chapter' will likely focus on an entirely new industry, something exciting, different and frankly downright scary -- investing in and mentoring new entrepreneurs, and more specifically, the field of social/impact investing. There's a good description of the goals of this form of entrepreneurship here. Impact investment, or social entrepreneurship, can range from simply thinking about social goals along with the usual business profit goals, all the way to a dedicated focus on a social entrepreneurship portfolio with the social impact defined as the primary goal. For me, getting involved in social impact investment stems from the simple hope of helping the world to be a better place. To that end, I'll also be spending time getting involved with more charities in education, health care, and animal rights, areas where my wife and I've typically focused our charitable donations in the past. I am also spending more time learning about the work being done to defend human rights and civil liberty across the world. Net, I am passionate about both entrepreneurship and social liberty, and I want to find a way to pursue both of them."

Like I stated before, both Dragon Age II and Mass Effect 3 were considered by some gamers and reviewers to be a complete letdown in both respective properties. While I'm still fearful with Bioware being a part of EA, myself and the others from the broken infinite wish both Dr. Muzyka and Mr. Zechuk well and successful futures. 

What do you guys think about this recent announcement? Leave your comments and thoughts in the comment box below.

Source:

- Kotaku


twitter:

- @kotaku


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Also, please leave some creative criticism below in the comment box as well. It will help me get better and improve in future articles, editorials and reviews. 

If you want to follow my recent endeavors on the interwebs…

Twitter: @16bitJeff

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ikaricast: "Mondays at midnight" on Reviewtopia.net

Level Up! #1: Borderlands

Level Up! #1: Borderlands


Reviewed and edited by Jeff Williams

Since my "in the process" Video game review series, Small Type started last sunday, I've decided to re-name my full game review series….. Level Up!.

Tonight's review is on Gearbox Software's/2K games 2009 FPS/RPG "Borderlands", reviewed for the PlayStation 3. 

Now before I started the review…….. "This game is the true definition of the genre Shooter/RPG, unlike a certain space opera TPS/RPG done by a Canadian game studio."


Now after that burn to said canadian company, onto the review…..

Borderlands

Developer: Gearbox Software (Windows PC, PS3, X360), Feral Interactive (Mac OS X)

Publisher: 2k Games, Feral Interactive (Mac OS X)

Release Date(s): 

10-20-09 (PS3, X360)

10-26-09 (Windows PC)

12-23-10 (Mac OS X)

Systems: Windows PC (Steam/OnLive), Mac, PS3 (review), X360

DLC: Yes! (The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned, Mad Moxxi's Underdome Roit, The Secret Armory of Gen. Knoxx and Claptrap's New Robot Revolution)

History:

In 2007, Borderlands was originally announced in the September issue of Game Informer. The original art design for the characters, monsters and the world of Pandora itself, had a more realistic approach than what we have with the final product. After the surprising art-change in mid-late 2008, the game saw it's release on October 20th, 2009 for PS3/X360, October 26th, 2009 for Windows PC and more recently, December 3rd, 2010 for Mac OS X.

                                             Borderlands Debut Trailer (Spike VGA '07):

Plot:

On the planet of Pandora, they're a tale spoken of… "The Vault". This vault supposably contains mass amounts of riches of unspeakable proportions. Majority of the inhabiters of Pandora have search for this vault, none return…. You play as one of the 4 playable characters in Borderlands: Brick "Himself", Lilith "The Siren", Mordecai "The Hunter" and Roland "The Soldier". The Question remains: Do you feel Lucky surviving the Borderlands? Only time will tell….

Presentation:

When Gearbox changed the art-style of Borderlands from a realistic, serious tone to that of a comic-book, cel shaded, comedic tone. I still say to this day Randy Pitchford and his creative Plano, TX studio made the right call.

While the voices in Borderlands get it's job done. There is an exception. One Word: Claptrap.

The written dialogue done by Mikey Neumann is hilarious, something that's been missing in recent First Person Shooters. The best example I can give with the handling of the dialogue, the first boss of the game: 9-Toes (Also, he has 3 balls).

The Music of Borderlands was done by Sascha Dikiciyan, Cris Velasco, Jesper Kyd and Raison Varner. The Score does have a dark action vibe to it, while having a calm, western vibe to it as well.

Gameplay:

Unlike other shooter hybrids in the same genre, Borderlands in my eyes is the de-facto definition of Shooter/RPG.

The Classes in this game are...

- "Brick" Beserker, a tank-like characters that specializes in melee. His special ability is of him entering a temporarily rage mode that in this mode, he uses his fists to rapidly pound enemies to death, and regenerative health. His weapon of choice are heavy weapons (Rocket Launchers, Explosives).



                          

- "Lilith" Siren, a frouge class that has superhuman abilities. Her special ability is Phasewalk, which allows her to enter another dimension temporarily, is invincible to enemies, faster and invulnerable to enemy damage while in this mode. Her weapon of choices are guns that use the following ammo types: fire, acid, electrical and explosive.

                         

- "Mordecai" Hunter, a assassin like class in the game. His special ability is his pet Bloodwing, an alien creature that resembles a hawk. This ability can be used as an assistance in his long-range attacks and can also locate and scavenge for loot. His weapon of choice are sniper rifles and revolvers.

                        

- "Roland" Soldier, The warrior class in this game "Normal mode". His special ability is an automated gun turret, when activated it could also be used a shield with it's electric blue plasma sides. This ability when active could also be used for additional cover for your team in online/offline co-op. His weapon of choice: Shotguns, combat rifles (every gun). 

As I briefly mentioned in the last character class, this game can be played solo, 2 player offline co-op (consoles), 4 player online co-op play (Windows PC, Mac) or over over LAN on both Windows PC and Mac. While this game is fun alone, the true fun and experience is felt with a friend or with a 4 people group.

Bottom Line: 

Like I said, this game's mechanics and structure is and should be the future blueprint for future shooter/RPG in the future. While the only two things I can say about this game is the repetitive class of enemies and once in a great while dumb AI, this is a great game that everyone should own in their gaming collection. 

This is why I love Gearbox Software, they are a FPS game developer that make fun, hectic shooters that follows the trends in time but also have a feel of the classic 90's FPS' that we grew up with in that era. Bring on the sequel, Gearbox. (Already Pre-ordered)

Borderlands get a 8.5 out of 10




*psst* You wanna buy something?

Amazon:

Borderlands: GOTY Edition - Windows PC


Borderlands: GOTY Edition - Macintosh 


Borderlands: GOTY Edition - PlayStation 3


Borderlands: GOTY Edition - Xbox 360


iTunes:


Various Artists - Borderlands (Original Soundtrack)


Ain't No Rest for the Wicked (Borderlands Theme) - Cage the Elephant


Steam:


Borderlands: GOTY Edition - Windows PC*



"*At the moment sadly, both the original PC copy of the game and the GOTY edition on Steam are Windows PC capable Only! I'll update if and/or when the Mac version of either will show up in the store."

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What are your thoughts? Do you agree? Disagree? Leave you comments below in the comment box. Also, please leave some creative criticism below in the comment box as well. It will help me get better and improve in future articles, editorials and reviews. 

If you want to follow my recent endeavors on the interwebs…

Twitter: @16bitJeff

tumblr: [insert title here]

Dini Confirms Not Coming Back for 'Arkham 3' Video Game

  Between his twitter account and his personal blog in Livejournal called King of Breakfast, Paul Dini has confirmed that he will NOT be writing the third video game in the Arkham Asylum/City franchise. The following is taken straight from his blog:


So here's what's what with the Batman games as far as they relate to me:

The last talk I had with Warner Interactive about future games was while I was doing promotion for Arkham City last September. Naturally as there was such a rush of interest about Arkham City, everyone was asking me about a third game, and frankly, I had been wondering about that myself. When I asked about the possibility of working on a third game I was told that as Rocksteady had just finished wrapping the second one, it would be a while before everyone was ready to sit down and discuss future plans. That said, it was intimated that for future games, Warner and Rocksteady might not be looking as much to freelance writers, the message being, that if I had something else interesting coming my way, I might want to take it. 

When I later read their subsequent announcements about the Harley Quinn's Revenge game expansion and the rumored Arkham prequel/JLA game, I figured they had filled their writer needs. I had long before taken WI's advice and booked my schedule with a number of other projects, leaving me unavailable to take on anything new until 2013. It was fun working with Warners and Rocksteady on the first two Arkham games and I am grateful to them both for a tremendous experience. Rocksteady has a great crew of artists and storytellers, and it was exciting and enlightening for me to be part of that team. If we wind up working together again at some point, that would be cool, too.





 With that said, Rocksteady will be working on the third part with out Dini. Arkham Asylum and Arkham City have both garnished plenty of awards, including Game of the Year. Both those games are available for PC, Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

The Amazing Spider-Man video game review

The Amazing Spider-Man
Developed by Beenox
Published by Activision

Review by Jeremias de Leon

So, the movie was released in theaters and I'm certain someone on TheBrokenInfinite shall have a review of it up soon, but today let's take a look at the movie tie in game. Movie tie in games as most of us already know don't have the greatest reputation. So, does this game have what it takes to not be a utterly horrific and boring video game? We'll find out now. Minor plot details ahead. There's your warning.

The Amazing Spider-Man video game takes place after the movie and we find that Alistair Smythe is running Oscorp now. Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy are snooping around Oscorp, at first anyway, and during their visit a lot of creatures that are similar to the Lizard escape and on their escape unleash a deadly virus that can turn others into similar creatures. This prompts Spider-Man to break Curt Connors out of jail and have him work on an antidote also along the way he tries to get to the bottom of what Alistair Smythe is planning with Oscorp. That's all the story you get from me and that's all seen by the very beginning of the game.

Now for what's important, the gameplay. Similarly to Spider Man 2 and 3 the game features an open world version of New York for Spider Man to swing in. On top of main story missions Spider Man can also engage in side missions, look for random items around New York that unlock bonus content like comic books and stop petty crimes as they happen. If you've played previous Spider Man games you'll know how swinging is done automatically and it does it's job nothing broken with that. Spider Man also has a web rush mode where he can slow down time and look at where exactly he's going to go next and when you have a target chosen Spidey will zip there quickly.

As for combat the Amazing Spider-Man takes cues from the recent Batman : Arkham City and Arkham Asylum games. One button in one direction and Spider-Man will start swinging at enemies and another button and he will dodge and if he can, counterattack. Instead of gadgets like Batman however on top of attacking and counterattacking Spider-Man can also use his webbing to trip up his enemies. One thing to note about this combat system, even though it's similar to Batman's I can't say it's as tight, With Batman you feel like you have more control and that you're telling Batman where to go and who to hit and who to counter. With Spider-Man it feels like Spidey is on autopilot and all you really need to do is keep mashing attack and sometimes counter and he'll win. That isn't to say it's always that easy though some enemies have some heavy firepower and also like Batman, Spider-Man needs to sneak around and take everyone out with stealth attacks. Including the famous "hang 'em up by the ceiling" takedown. The combat is still fun though, a little too easy but still fun. (For your information I was playing the game on normal difficulty, so it might be a bit harder on hard)

So, is Spider-Man worth it? Well, the story itself might be short but it certainly is fun and if you're a perfectionist you can even finish the story quickly and not have to worry about missing out on all the collectibles and side missions. You can continue to roam New York even after you beat the game. With that in mind, on top of the gameplay I'd have to say it's worth getting when it's around $30 or $40. Not a whole lot to it but it's certainly not bad by any means.

I'll give the Amazing Spider-Man a 7 out of 10.

Want to follow Jeremias on twitter follow him @ikariradio

Also check out his podcast the Ikaricast every other Tuesday on reviewtopia.net and on iTunes