...which means this will be a huge huge posting. I have updates on BioShock 2 via GameInformer article and SomethingInTheSea.com, a bunch of reviews on some demos of XBLA and Community Games, as well as the demo on Wheelman and Ninja Blade.
First up I should give you the reviews. I'll break this down even further as well, as not to be too confusing in this massive posting.
Community games are games that are games that are entirely gamer content, meaning they aren't games that go through the extensive approval process as arcade games go through. It is done with peer reviews, and can be put on Live for purchase withing 48 hours, unlike an Arcade game. Any who, with that being said, some are nervous about how Community games turned out. I can tell you with games like the ones I demoed there is nothing to be nervous about. To honor the peer reviewing of Community Games, I will give a quick list rundown giving description (of course in my own words) and it's overall score. Are you ready? Let's do this!
Neon Paddles- A much more brightly colored and slightly more complex version of the original Pong, with several various modes, walls that close in, and different paddle patterns. 7/10 Mainly because, though more complex than it's progenitor, it is still simplistic and can become quite boring.
Mania- You control a cube that has a different shape on each of it's faces and can change color. With this ability, you must match up the right shape and color to the shapes that come at you from the all sides to rack up points, or be penalized for getting it wrong. 8/10 Actually challenging enough to keep any puzzle game player occupied for hours on end.
ZenHak- a point and click RPG. 1/10 I can't describe it enough because I didn't get past the control scheme. Plus, I didn't see any intrigue to make me want to get past figuring out the control scheme.
SLAM- A rotary version of Arkanoid complete with power-ups, explosive boxes, and invincible boxes, all setup around the new playing field. 10/10 Perfect. It is addictive, simplistic yet at the same time challenging, it's Arkanoid except in a huge circle!
There you have it, that folks is how you do a lightning round review.
Now, onto the XBLA games, which in some cases should be better, right? Well I suppose we should see. The three games I demoed were Death Tank, Peggle, and Interpol. Three different games geared towards three different types of gamers. Which one breaks the mold though?
In Death Tank you have the menu being shadowed by an ominous skull nebula (read: star cloud) and so you don't really know what to expect but there will be tanks. And that is what you get, Tanks. I mean I give it props for updated graphics, but it is quite literally Tanks, nothing added to it but online play, honestly. Oh and tank variety. Honestly at the moment I can only think of one game that was in the same vein and was a blaze of glory, and that would be a little series by the name of Worms. So for a final score I give it 3/10, because while the super hardcore tanks and geometry fans will love this game, no one else will appreciate the same stale and worn out recipe.
However, Interpol on the other hand makes it risk in another way, by instead of using the same tired game and giving it new makeup, it takes an untapped genre, the I Spy puzzle game. Similar games to this that comes to mind is the ever popular Mystery Case Files: Millionheir. It has you play the role as an Interpol agent, and opting out for the action and shooting, rather it has you doing investigative work by searching for certain items to give you clues to help you apprehend your suspects. I would have to give this game a 7/10 because it is a relatively new genre that seems to be catching like wildfire yet with good reason, however at the same time it does get frustrating when you can't find certain items because of placement or specifics.
And that takes us to the cream of the crop of the XBLA games I demoed, Peggle. A casual game initially made for casual gamers. I mean that's what Popcap does, whilst at the same time irritating hardcore gamers for flooding the market with these stupid things. Yet, Peggle is different. With it's mix of Pachinko and Bubble Bobble game play, it's bright lights and shiny graphics, and it's cartoon humor, it has all the bells and whistles, literally, to reel in casual gamers and put them in a Peggle-induced trance, with still enough oomph to make hardcore gamers bite while reeling them in with it's various modes and eccentric game mechanics until everyone is crowded around the game trying to find a way to shoot that last ball just right to maximize their points. 10/10 'Nuff said.
Now for real demos, I had a chance over the weekend, with all the demoing of those games, to play Wheelman and Ninja Blade.
Wheelman, Vin Diesel's lesser talked about game, was actually quite fun. It was a mix of Grand Theft Auto, Burnout, Need For Speed. I mean you got the feel of Burnout with the way you used your vehicle as your weapon to do, well, pretty much anything on the streets, Grand Theft Auto because of it's game play once you are on foot and how you can shoot other cars with special maneuvers while in your car, and the feel of Need For Speed because of how they deal with police chases and rival gangs. I was pleasantly surprised at how well they integrated so many different game elements to produce an actually decent game where you play a Wheelman. I'm sorry, the Driver series just didn't do it for me.
Ninja Blade on the other hand, tried to do the same thing with not the same effect. They took the quick reaction commands from Resident Evil, the Ninja fighting from Ninja Gaiden, and the dynamic camera from Devil May Cry, for a less than awesome game. Perhaps they still have more work to do, which I hope they possibly maybe even push back the date to work on, because it just didn't work. The reactionary commands seemed out of place when they would occur, the fighting seemed like every other hack and slash of three button combos, an the camera, though and improvement to Ninja Gaiden, just wasn't suitable for this game.
Now that we have all the demo reviews out of the way, time for the huge update on BioShock 2. Nothing really on the website new, but two pictures, meaning the Big Sister has been caught on film! Oh and as well as two notes that describe the two main characters. Pretty much alluding to the fact that the Big Sister doesn't like stalkers and that the Little Sisters are still normal girls that had a normal life, possibly wanting rescue.
However, I suppose there wasn't a huge update on the website due to the release of the current GameInformer with the main article being on BioShock 2. The full-on reveal left almost no stone unturned. From reading the article it is confirmed that you return to Rapture, you play as the first prototype Big Daddy and are still attempting to save the Little Sisters, who were initially kidnapped by the Big Sister to restore Rapture to what it once was. It is also confirmed you will have not only the super strength as a Big Daddy with it's drill and special heavy weapons, but you will also have new and returning plasmids at your disposal with much more proficiency than Jack ever could dream, for instance through upgrading Incineration you can have a flamethrower hand instead of just simple snap burns.
What else was there? Oh yes, you still have to go through the same moral choices, however instead of damning you for eternity for choosing the wrong choice, it will let you know when you are leading yourself down a certain path and at some points over you trade offs to put you on the track you wish to be on. Also you get control of both your weapon arm as well as your plasmid arm, unlike the first game where you had to control one or the other, not both. With that even more possibilities open up. Oh and most importantly, the Big Sister is now the Big Bad One in the sequel, replacing Andrew Ryan and Fontaine as ones to watch out for. She chases you once she feels you have disrupted the balance of power in Rapture.
With being a Big Daddy, as those of the first ones know, comes the need for a Little Sister for survival. However you being a renegade Big Daddy, you do not have this orphan to look after and provide you with ADAM, so you must fight your brethren to obtain their coveted ward. Once again you are given the choice to rip the slugs out of their frail bodies or, this time around, adopt them as your own and become their guardian as they become your caretaker. So Big Daddies are still around, and you can either choose to harvest the Little Sisters or, once you adopted one, save the Little Sisters by helping them escape Rapture once more. This is an act that will incur the wrath of the Big Sister which is what initiates the chase.
So, they're you have it, I don't expect any big huge updates coming soon, except what possibly they meant when they said they're would be multi-player or what the new plasmids are, or some other smaller detail. So until then, keep playing!
