WWE 2K14 Review

Is this year's WWE game the best in the world or just another victim?

Chapter 1 Episode 4: Fallout 3

Welcome to Vault 101. It's quite crowded in here.

Bobbert's Review - Sonic Generations (Xbox 360)

Are two Sonics better than one? Find out in this review of Sonic Generations.

Bobbert's Review - Hulk Hogan Main Event (Xbox 360, Kinect)

Cameo by @TWKOfficial Is Kinect-A-Mania running wild?

Fire Pro Wrestling 360

Is it as bad as I feared? Let's find out!

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

Darksiders II review!

Developer(s): Vigil Games
Publisher(s): THQ
Platform(s): Playstation3, Xbox 360, Wii U, Windows, Cloud (OnLive)
Genre(s): Action, Hack and Slash
Release: August 14, 2012 (PS3, Xbox 360, Windows), Late 2012 (Wii U)
Rating: Mature

You have not seen the story of the Apocalypse or the Four Horsemen told like this before! Darksiders gave us a vision of the End of Days in a way we could only imagine. The sequel delves further into the game mythos. Darksiders II follows the story of the most feared of the Four Horsemen, Death. The sequel coincides with the storyline of first game but follows what occurred in War’s story. The Charred Council has detained War for bringing about the Apocalypse and wiping out humanity to which War proclaims his innocence. Death, knowing War to be the most noble amongst them, rides to clear his brother’s name and, in turn, restore humanity.

The Pale Rider starts off already on his horse Despair with Scythe in hand as he rides hard into battle. You are thrown to the wolves in this opening tutorial to get you familiarized with Death’s combat mechanics. Let me tell you, the way that Death fights he might as well be called the “Pale Ninja”. The Reaper is far more agile and swifter than his brother War. He comes equipped with two small Scythes that he uses to dispatch enemies with ease. War was more of heavy hitter, exhibiting power rather than speed. Death is a contrast with his speed and agility. However, what really sets him apart from War is how customizable he is. Where War had only a few items and weapons, Death can use a variety of secondary weapons, such as an axe or hammer to deal massive damage, and items, like armor to increase his defense. The enemies you battle drop these materials upon their defeat. Customization in Darksiders II takes a page from RPGs. Outfitting Death with different weapons and armor changes his stats, giving you the freedom to make him into the awesome Harvester of Souls he is known as. Some materials will actually change Death’s appearance.

The world of Darksiders II is far more expansive that in the previous title with bigger environments allowing players more exploration. Since Death has his noble steed Despair with him right from the gate, traversing this open plane is more appreciating than in the first game where this could not be full explored since War is reunited with his horse Ruin late in the game. Graphically, the sequel is just as impressive as its predecessor if not more so. Bigger environment means greater attention to detail and very little was spared here. There are more puzzles and dungeons to solve than before that allow Death to continue his journey so long as he solves them properly, think of an RPG crossed with God of War. The element of side-quests also exists which play on the expression “scratch my back and I scratch yours”. Some NPCs will give Death a special gift or upgrade only if he completes their task whether he likes it or not. Some of these gifts are useful and some are not but all-in-all, the job has to get done.

PRO: Darksiders II takes several pages from other titles. Let’s start with customizing. I’m immediately reminded of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night when I saw the customize screen and how different items change different stats. Even the layout closely resembles SotN. Death can also use items to change his stats. Their effect varies upon the item used and the same goes for Death’s weapons and armor. Like Alucard did with swords, Death uses a variety of Scythes each with their own attributes. As awesome a game as the first Darksiders was, War felt limited in this aspect. He should’ve had a much larger arsenal than what was given to him. Another problem that was corrected was dodging. Death moves like the wind when avoiding enemy attacks AND he can do it mid-strike even with a heavy item. Thank Dante or Kratos for this one. War was pretty quick on his feet too, but his heavy strikes left him open for counters. Another detail in the combat mechanics is the seamless transition between primary and secondary weapons while fighting. Starting a combo with either one and finishing it with the other will lead to variety of attacks including Death combining his two Scythes into one and sending it whirling about, punishing his enemies with multiple strikes.

CON: There aren’t too many complaints about Darksiders II except sometimes the background graphics tend to lag when focusing especially in the forest area. The controls are still a bit lacking when riding on horseback and do not feel as tight as they should be.

OVERALL: Darksiders II is a fast-paced hack and slash, beat ‘em up that falls well into the genre along with games such Ninja Gaiden, God of War and Asura’s Wrath. Death is an amazing character with crazy combat skills, a wicked cool Reaper Form and a mean looking ride. There is so much going on in this game between the puzzle solving and open world exploration that, rest assured, you won’t be bored to…well, you know.

Darksiders II gets 4 scythe slashes out of 5.

See you on the next level! BrianM.

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