Game Room: October Roundup

SI Staff | Nov 1, 2010

Game Room: October Roundup /

Game Room: October Roundup

EA Sports MMA

It might not possess the coveted UFC license, but EA Sports' maiden foray into the Octagon -- er, hexagon -- is a rousing success thanks to realistic gameplay, deep online options and an intuitive control scheme based heavily on Fight Night's celebrated Total Punch Control. EA Sports MMA looks and plays beautifully, from standing to clinching to ground-and-pound. The ability to choose between multiple disciplines, rule sets and locations from around the globe lends it major replay value. You can play with dozens of fighters, from Fedor Emelianenko and Dan Henderson to Shinya Aoki and Eddie Alvarez -- or bring your own created fighter up through the ranks with career mode, which gives you the opportunity to train under real-life legends like Bas Rutten, Pat Miletich and Randy Couture. Score: 8/10

NBA Jam

The Wii seems tailor-made for EA Sports' NBA Jam reboot, 17 years after Midway's coin-op classic ran a full-court press on teenagers' wallets. While the Nintendo console's various "family modes" on previous sports games have frequently left veteran gamers bored and disinterested, the "pick-up-and-play" ethos has always been at the core of NBA Jam's two-on-two frenetic style of basketball. But make no mistake: Jam is no mere nostalgia act. Updated rosters and post-millennial catchphrases ("Boom goes the dynamite!") blend seamlessly with the game's old-school mechanics and aesthetics ("He's heating up!). A Remix Mode lends depth to the proceedings -- giving users three challenges to complete for each NBA franchise -- but Classic Mode is alone worth the price of admission for gamers who remember pumping quarter after quarter into the stand-up version years ago. Even without an online multiplayer mode -- the title's only serious drawback -- NBA Jam ranks among the best sports titles in the Wii's four-year history. Score: 8/10

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 (with Move)

No need to wake up before dawn on a Saturday to beat everyone to the first tee, Sony's new motion controller is ready for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11. All you need now is a couple extra feet of space in your living room to grip it and rip it. Move is more sensitive than the Wiimote, adding a nuanced approach to ball striking. Just like in real golf, your best shots result from keeping your head down. The 3D eye camera translates a simple twist of your wrist into either a draw or a fade. The toughest shots are the mid-range pitches, while the putting mechanic makes dropping the ball in the cup just as realistic, challenging and rewarding as ripping off a 300-yard drive. In fact the toughest part about adjusting to the realistic swing mechanics will be remembering not to look at the TV until after your follow through. Aiming functionality still lacks precision and the third-person perspective hurts the realism of the experience. But hiccups are expected on any first time upgrade, and we fully expect the Move to make Tiger a stronger game next year. Score: 8.5/10

John Daly's ProStroke Golf

John Daly's ProStroke Golf doesn't show up on the scene with the clout of Tiger's EA behemoth, but don't judge the game by its cover...or cover athlete...or cover athlete's hideous pants. Once you get onto the course, ProStroke can hang with Tiger's title. Between the ping of the ball and the vibrating controller, each shot has enough weight to make you feel like you're actually striking a real ball. The first person view transfers you right onto the course, as you look directly down on the ball before each shot. Punches, chips, and different drives are all available and you can even shift your weight from your front foot to back to change your power. It's all the little things that drag down Daly's game. The graphics are half a step above a PS2 title; it sounds like they brought Hal back from 2001: A Space Odyssey to record the commentary tracks; and there's very little character customizations. The menus are also incredibly sensitive to the Move, often resulting in multiple attempts just to get onto the course. While the actual gameplay is comparable to Tiger, Daly and company need to fix the rest of the games flaws to compete. Score: 7/10

Kirby's Epic Yarn

It's been more than seven years since Kirby had a standalone title to call his own. Now Nintendo's iconic ball of pink cuteness is back in Kirby's Epic Yarn. The title is more than a clever play on words as Kirby is indeed made of yarn in this side-scrolling platform adventure. The world Kirby explores is composed of yarn, buttons, beads and patchwork fabric patterns that come together for some of the best looking visuals we've ever seen in a Wii game. Kirby's Epic Yarn is a pretty easy game, in fact you can't even die in it. This makes it perfect for casual gaming and for kids. But seasoned platform gamers will still get a kick out of the inventive gameplay, scoring challenges and tracking down hidden items. An added bonus is the ability to play the game with two players, which makes it even more enjoyable. Score: 9/10

Star Wars: Force Unleashed II

Impossible to see the future is... After the first Force Unleashed, the level of optimism around a sequel was pretty high. Unfortunately, Force Unleashed II unleashes a game that doesn't really raise the bar. The game once again centers on Starkiller, as he escapes Darth Vader and seeks out his love interest, Juno. While the Star Wars integration remains strong, and the visuals and sound effects are very strong, the game doesn't distinguish itself with a weak story, repetitive environments and opponents. Pretty early in the game you have full access to all the force powers (lightning, force push, saber throw and mind trick), so upgrades that you earn along the way don't seem very meaningful. That said, mowing down wave after wave of stormtroopers and AT-STs isn't without merit. Score: 7/10

Vanquish

Vanquish is a third-person shooter that's an intriguing mash-up up Gears of War, RoboTech and Starship Troopers. You take on the roll of soldier Sam Gideon as he dons a next generation battle suit to fight Russian extremists. Da comrade, that's correct, in the future we're still at odds with the Russians, and they got some serious robots at their disposal. Sam's Augmented Reaction Suit (ARS) allows you to power slide, slow down time briefly and dish out some serious damage. The environments in the game are distinctive and well detailed, but the real star is the ARS, which features some very cool animations and a futuristically organic design. The game has a standard set of weapons that you can upgrade as you progress. Vanquish is no joke on normal difficulty and offers a serious challenge on higher settings. Action fans looking for intense combat and awesome set piece battles won't be disappointed. Score: 9/10

Enslaved: Odyssey To The West

Enslaved drops you into the colorful world of post-apocalyptic Earth. You play as the hulking character, Monkey, who has just escaped a slave ship only to fall under the control of another escapee, Trip. In order to win your freedom you'll have to follow her commands and guide her through the ravaged cities and jungles back to her homeland. Monkey is armed with a staff weapon that levels up as you progress in the game and along the way you'll fight numerous mechs and encounter a fair bit of platforming action. In addition to the lush environments, the voice acting and character expressions are very well done and help create a very believable and immersive experience. Score: 8/10

DJ Hero 2

DJ Hero 2 makes it safe to let Lady Gaga into your home. Gaga and a host of others, like Eminem , Dr. Dre and Daft Punk, team-up to deliver 83 exclusive new mixes that drive this smash hit sequel. The formula for the game remains the same -- stay on beat while scratching and sampling your way to the top of the DJ ranks. Impressive technology improves the all-new freestyle scratching so you now have complete freedom to alter every song however you please. Call and response DJ battles spice up the challenge modes, which you can also play online. The big new hardware addition to the game is the microphone, and it's just about the only new feature that doesn't succeed. If you think singing along in Rock Band is embarrassing, you might want to hide the new microphone from DJ Hero 2 in the couch cushions. Trying to keep up with the lyrics of intricately mixed mash-ups is downright futile. Still, there's no video game party like a DJ Hero 2 party, and it doesn't look like this title will be letting up anytime soon. Score: 9/10

Rock Band 3

Rock Band 3 is, simply, the best rhythm game ever made. Developer Harmonix took everything good from previous games in the franchise and removed every flaw. The track list is arguably the best of any music game yet released, and the ability to play all previously downloaded content, in addition to the lion's share of songs from Rock Band 1, 2, Lego Rock Band and Rock Band Green Day (each for a small fee) give the game an unbeatable library right out of the box. There's music here for almost any taste, and the career mode is flexible enough to let you avoid most of what you don't like. Vocals work similarly to Beatles Rock Band (which, unfortunately, doesn't let you export tracks), integrating harmonies for up to two additional singers. Genuinely new are the game's Pro modes. Pro drums let you add cymbals to your old Rock Band 2 set and play them with discrete note tracks. If you pony up for one of the new stringed guitars, you can play newer songs using the actual chords on a real instrument. Brand new to the genre is the two-octave keyboard that can be mounted on a stand or worn like a keytaur. It feels amazing and adds a new dimension to the game. The game's extensive training modes are more music clinic than traditional tutorials, walking you through chords, scales and finger placement. It's fascinating, educational and, if you're dedicated, can actually teach you to play "real" instruments. With an optional adapter, the new Rock Band instruments can even interface with MIDI-compliant music software. If you're at all into the music game genre, or if you enjoy social gaming at all, Rock Band 3 is an absolutely must-own with support for seven simultaneous players. The few annoyances in Rock Band 2 have been rectified and all that's left is sheer perfection that you'll be playing for years to come. Until someone invents the Next Big Thing, this is as good as it's going to get. Score: 10/10

Power Gig: Rise of the SixString

Remember the reaction by actual guitarists when Guitar Hero debuted? All you heard was frustrated belly-aching about how "if this were a real guitar then I'd smoke this game!" Well, here comes Power Gig: Rise of the Six-String with a controller that has actual strings, working tuners, and that is, in effect, a real guitar. As such, it stays in tune OK and it's got a nice acoustic ring to it. You can even plug it into an amp and rock out for real. Surprisingly the game offers a mode that utilizes tablature -- a ubiquitous shorthand method for learning songs on a fretboard. If a player were to dig deep enough and play the game in tabbed mode, they will be playing the song. That's pretty cool. While the game is no substitute for actual guitar lessons, a novice could come away with a better understanding of the instrument and it could inspire fledgling players -- all good things. There is a nice tactile snap to using a stringed instrument compared to the button-based controllers we've become used to. This is especially satisfying when choogle-ing through big power chords and passages with hammer-ons and pull-offs. While the controller is the obvious difference, a steeper learning curve is adjusting to the onscreen prompts; get ready for psychedelic swirls where those blocky buttons used to be. You're going to want to spend some time with the manual and do some trial runs. Unfortunately, it quickly becomes apparent that everything hinges on the novelty of the hardware. The game's graphics have nothing on Rock Band, the song choices are pretty limited to obscure grind-core dude rock, and the plot of the game is something about restoring harmony and happiness to the Land of Ohm by overthrowing the malevolent Headliner and reclaiming the 3 Divine Instruments. In the end, the cringe-worthy premise and lack of a truly great song list kind of kills the buzz of wielding a slightly more realistic axe. Score: 5/10

Fallout: New Vegas

It'd be easy from a distance to mistake Fallout: New Vegas for its predecessor, Fallout 3, and in many ways it's very similar. You're back in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, though this time you're in the American Southwest instead of Washington D.C. If you played Fallout 3, it's safe to say that you know exactly what to expect from New Vegas. That said, it's more of a very good thing. The environment is bleak and beautiful, the characters are richly drawn and the quests are varied and engrossing. Moreover, you can -- within reason -- play how you want. Most challenges have multiple solutions: you can play it stealthy, play it smart or go in guns blazing. There are a nearly infinite number of ways to customize your character's appearance, traits and skills, and the game plays very differently depending on how you approach it. There's so much to do and see that it's almost overwhelming. For all the good aspects to New Vegas, there are an unfortunate number of lengthy load screens and graphical glitches that detract from the experience and there are widespread reports of lockups. Installing to the console hard drive helps with the load times, and one can hope that patches will fix the other minor issues. Glitches aside, it's a great action-oriented RPG. If you didn't get enough of the Wasteland in Fallout 3, you should definitely cash in your chips and pick up New Vegas. If you haven't played Fallout 3 already, you'd be better off starting with the deluxe version of that game which includes all of the downloadable content. Score: 8/10

Fable III

If you've played the first two Fable games, much of Fable III will be instantly familiar. The third entry in the franchise retains most of the distinctive elements of the first two games while simplifying and polishing the experience. You'll slay monsters, make moral choices, woo a spouse (or spouses, if you choose), have children and rise to greatness, all while being either a hero or a villain. It may sound like you've played it before -- and if you're a big Fable fan, you've played it multiple times -- but the story and voice work are consistently engaging and there's an immense amount to do. The game isn't particularly difficult, even for novice role-playing gamers, but it's not supposed to be. The combat is approachable and fun, with a variety of weapons and moves, and you're constantly upgrading yourself and your gear to be able to take down bigger, badder villains. Despite the size of the world, you're rarely confused as to where to go and what to do next. The game lacks the typical menus, life bars and HUDs, and instead has players choosing weapons and travelling from a visual hub world accessible at any time. The simplified interface helps get the game's mechanics out of the way and encourages exploration and advancement without the frustration common to the genre. Think of it as a fantasy story you play as opposed to a hardcore RPG and it'll show you a good time. Score: 9/10

Hands-on: Little Big Planet 2

After playing a beta of Little Big Planet 2, we can say the game looks very similar to the original. And that's a good thing. LBP proved gamers can create amazing content, though it also proved that finding that content in a sea of not-so-great user content can be tricky. The game features some new tricks including a grappling hook, jump boards and variable gravity. The grappling hooks improve the sometimes frustrating jumping process by extending the margin for error. Sony has added even more level creation tools, so level designers should have plenty more options to guide their creative juices. Of the playable levels in the game, one of the better efforts was a factory level where you free and lead sackbots to safety. Little Big Planet 2 is expected to go on sale January 18, 2011.

Time Crisis: Razing Storm

Time Crisis: Razing Storm features three games in one, including Razing Storm (with story and arcade modes), and actual ports of arcade games Time Crisis 4 and Deadstorm Pirates. All three games utilize point-and-shoot mechanics and work with a standard controller and the Sony Move. Unfortunately the integration of the Move controller varies in effectiveness. In the story mode of Razing Storm you have to move your character and shoot, where as the other games just require you to aim and reload, moving you automatically. The dynamic of moving and aiming isn't very enjoyable and can be at times frustrating as you struggle to properly position your character behind cover. The shooting-only games work better, though you sometimes lose track of the aiming reticule amidst the flurry of on-screen action. Ultimately, Time Crisis 4 and Deadstorm Pirates are better suited to the Move controller, but both games are very short and can be beaten in a single sitting. Score: 6/10

Medal of Honor

Medal of Honor takes you where few military games fear to tread: the current war in Afghanistan. Since most Americans have seen precious little footage of what combat out there is actually like, playing the role of elite Army Rangers combing the mountainside and crawling through caves to kill Taliban can be an eye-opening experience. The scenery lends for beautiful graphics and landscapes. The game play itself is not nearly as serious as the setting, however, as the single-player campaign often devolves into run-and-shoot pyrotechnics -- which is fine, if that's all you are looking for. The Tier 1 mode, which has you replay the missions under a strict time limit with bonus points for highly skilled moves, adds another layer of replay value to the campaign. The online multiplayer is better than the campaign, representing everything you've come to expect from there military action games. Score: 7/10

Hands-on: Bulletstorm

Bulletstorm, a first-person sci-fi shooter, isn't just about killing masses of enemies in the bloodiest manner possible. It's about how you kill them. Unleash an electric coil that brings your enemies close enough to kick or, better yet, unload a shotgun blast in his face. There are also items and structures on the screen that you can use your coil on as well, making contextual gameplay a key part of the Bulletstorm experience. Add in big boss battles and innovative weapons such as the bouncing-cannonball launcher and you have a winner. Bullestorm is expected to go on sale February 22, 2011.

Hands-on: Killzone 3

The Killzone franchise has a strong following on the PS3, so Sony's decision to launch a public but limited-access beta was well received. The beta features three multiplayer modes including Warzone (deathmatch and objective), Operations (base defense) and Guerilla warfare (team deathmatch). Of the three, Warzone's multiple objectives within a game has the broadest appeal. The beta also allows you to play all three modes offline wit bots, but playing against humans is a superior experience. The graphics are very good and game controls are responsive. Unfortunately the beta doesn't include weapon recoil, but the final build most certainly will. Killzone 3 features career classes including Medic, Technician, Infiltrator, Marksman, and Engineer. Each has different weapon load outs and different abilities reached after leveling up Killzone 3 is expected to go on sale February 22, 2011.

God of War: Ghost of Sparta

God of War games have been a staple for all Sony gaming devices, so it's no surprise there's another entry to the already super successful God of War franchise. The latest adventure with the always burly and fierce Kratos pits you once again against colorful legions of ancient world monsters, minions and immortals. The game features plenty of impressive boss battles, a nice array of upgradeable weapons and light puzzle solving. The graphics are quiet impressive for a PSP game and do justice to the strong legacy of God of War titles. Score: 9/10

Madden 11 in 3-D

Can't spare $2,000 for a 3-D television? Doritos is offering Madden NFL 11 owners the next best thing. With a downloadable code found on specially marked bags of Doritos Cool Ranch and Nacho Cheese flavored chips, you can unlock a special 3-D mode in the latest installment of EA Sports' iconic football franchise. Order the glasses online ($2.99 at doritioschangethegame.com ) and -- voila! -- watch as 250-pound linebackers drive blindsided quarterbacks straight into your living room. The lone hang-up: the glasses aren't exactly designed for adult-sized heads. So if you already own a pair of red/blue 3-D frames, they might provide a better experience. Score: 8/10

Published Nov 1, 2010

SI STAFF