Warp Zoned Presents
Author: Adam Woolcott
Driver: San Francisco Hands-On Preview: Tanner the Body Snatcher
The Driver franchise has struggled mightily in the years since its 1999 debut. While the original game was a bonafide PlayStation classic, the successors to that title have ranged from decent (see Driver: Parallel Lines) to atrocious (the infamous Driver 3, take a bow!). For 2011’s Driver: San Francisco, developer Reflections and new publisher Ubisoft are going back to basics — it’s a straight up open-world driving game with racing, chases, and… post-coma body shifting. There’s a lot of interesting ideas at hand here, and after spending time with the brand new demo, I’m very curious as to how the final product will turn out. This could be the fresh start the series has needed for over a decade. (more…)
Ms. Splosion Man Review: Shoes, Meat and The Macarena
Though I have a soft spot for The Maw, Twisted Pixel rose to fame with 2009’s Splosion Man. Splosion Man is an… unusual platformer that merged a simple gameplay concept (blowing yourself up, over and over) with intense challenges (navigating brutal stretches that are almost rhythm-based in design). Two years later, the Splosion Man franchise returns with Ms. Splosion Man – a game that builds up the original game in some very good ways. In fact, it’s easily stated that MSM is even crazier than the first game, in almost every way. With lengthy single and multiplayer options and tons of unlockables, Ms. Splosion Man also ranks as one of the deepest games on Xbox Live Arcade, making it a great buy for 800 Microsoft Points ($10). Just keep in mind that the game demands much from everyone… from start to finish. (more…)
Posted in Reviews, Top Story, Xbox 360
Tagged Ms. Splosion Man
Half-Minute Hero: Super Mega Neo Climax Review: The 30 Second Climax You Actually Want
Japanese role-playing games are almost always lengthy, involved affairs that require hours of your free time. In our modern era of instant gratification, the genre might be a touch out of step… until now. Originally a hit title on the PlayStation Portable, Half-Minute Hero has arrived on the Xbox Live Arcade, complete with a host of enhancements. That, and a totally ridiculous subtitle which perfectly fits the crazed motif of the game. Designed as a super speedy take on your traditional Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest game, Half-Minute Hero: Super Mega Neo Climax presents role-playing in extremely small chunks, with a hearty side of wacky humor to boot. RPG fans looking for something different will certainly find it here. (more…)
Posted in Reviews, Top Story, Xbox 360
Tagged Half-Minute Hero: Super Mega Neo Climax
Second Chances: 5 Games That Deserve Another Look
Gaming is a time-consuming hobby. Unlike music or movies, which require a minimal investment, video games can be lengthy and involved affairs. As such, it’s much easier to miss out on really good games that come and go without much notice. Perhaps it’s because of a bad release date, or maybe it just didn’t get heavy distribution or advertising. Hell, maybe it doesn’t have a good Metacritic score, or it was completely ignored on gaming message boards. Regardless of the reason why, some games just don’t make it, and that’s a shame. That’s why we’re here, though – to pick out some unheralded gems and give them the attention they so richly deserve. They might not be able to compete with the heaviest of hitters, the so-called “AAA” games that sell millions, but they present entertaining gaming experiences all the same. (more…)
Posted in Features, PC, PS3, Top Story, Wii, Xbox 360
Tagged Singularity, The Saboteur
Dirt 3 Review: Can You Class Up Dirty?
Codemasters has spent this entire hardware cycle delivering consistently excellent racing games – with their biggest success being the Dirt franchise. An “evolution” of the old Colin McRae Rally games, the original Dirt offered not just traditional rally racing, but numerous other disciplines of off-road racing. 2009’s Dirt 2 continued this movement away from what made the CMR games so popular… and added an unfortunate “extreme” element that was insanely out of place. The result is a series that’s commended for solid racing action, but frequently criticized for its abandonment of “serious” off-road racing. The result of these complaints is Dirt 3, which can best be explained as a “happy medium” between the seriousness of Dirt and the insanity of Dirt 2. In short, if Dirt 2’s craziness was a serious turn-off, Dirt 3 is a heartfelt apology. (more…)
Sega Rally Online Arcade Review: Very Short, Easy Game… Maybe?
The last time consoles saw the Sega Rally franchise, it was 2007. The first and only product from the now-defunct Sega Racing Studio, Sega Rally Revo was a challenging, pretty, and unusually deep attempt at arcade-style off-road racing. The game didn’t fare very well – an unfortunate circumstance likely due to the declining interest in racing games this console cycle. Four years later, the franchise returns to gaming platforms as the download-only Sega Rally Online Arcade. A stripped-down game based heavily on the engine used in Sega Rally Revo, the game captures the loose, arcadey gameplay the series is known for. Due to its heritage, it’s one of the better looking racing games for any console’s downloadable game service. At $10 SROA is definitely affordable, but keep in mind you have to be an avid online player to get the most out of it. (more…)
Posted in PS3, Reviews, Top Story, Xbox 360
Tagged Sega Rally Online Arcade
Yakuza 4 Review: Our Powers Combined, We Are Captain Kamurocho!
The Yakuza franchise has always struggled for respect in the West. Despite being extremely popular in its native Japan, none of the games have made much of a dent outside its borders – but at the same time the series has built a small, dedicated following. After the painful “will it or won’t it” with Yakuza 3, Sega made sure to avoid the same situation by quickly confirming that, yes, Yakuza 4 was getting localized.
Though it still requires a modicum of knowledge in the lore of Yakuza, this fourth entry is, in many ways, a re-introduction to the characters and universe. While the game doesn’t have any revolutionary changes to the formula – not a surprise considering there have been four releases in five years – some of the design choices make Yakuza 4 seem like a new starting point for future entries in the series. As long as you’re not completely worn out by the familiar formula, this is another great entry into a seriously underappreciated franchise. (more…)
Next Week on Rock Band 3: Foo Fighters! Oh, and Run DMC too!
Long-time fans of the Rock Band franchise are well aware that the Foo Fighters are one of the most prolific bands in the game – there’s well over twenty of their songs available in the Rock Band store. That number is set to increase this coming Tuesday, as the Foo Fighters are bringing four new tracks to Rock Band 3. That’s not all, however, as hip-hop legends Run-DMC make their Rock Band debut. Previously, they were only available in 2008’s Guitar Hero: Aerosmith. Anyway, here’s what’s on tap for Tuesday, May 10th:
- Foo Fighters – “Long Road to Ruin”
- Foo Fighters – “Rope” X
- Foo Fighters – “Stacked Actors”
- Foo Fighters – “Walk”
- Lordi – “Hard Rock Hallelujah”
- Run-DMC – “King of Rock”
“King of Rock” is an amazing pick, though hopefully this leads to their “Walk This Way” collaboration with Aerosmith. Otherwise, my only disappointment is the inclusion of just one track from the great new Foo Fighters album “Wasting Light” – hopefully more will appear in the future… like, you know, the entire album. In addition to the all-new tracks, there’s two previously available Foo Fighters songs being enhanced for Pro Guitar:
• Foo Fighters – “Monkey Wrench”
• Foo Fighters – “The Pretender”
As always, each song will retail for 160 Microsoft Points, 200 Wii Points, or $1.99 on PlayStation Network… though as I said last week, the availability on PS3 depends on whenever PSN is up and running again. The two “legacy” updates for the older Foo Fighters tracks will set you back half the cost of a full song, as will the Pro Guitar upgrade for “Rope.”
Tune in next week for another run down of Rock Band 3 goodness!
Posted in News, PS3, Wii, Xbox 360
Tagged Rock Band 3