Guitar Hero 5 is out this week and even though I'm way tempted to get it since the word from the streets say that this one is the best GH game in a while, which is a good thing. From what I seen, they took out the distractions and the interface seems easier to navigate making it more user friendly especially for casual players. Above is "Comedown" by Bush, which is like the only Bush song I would play in these type of games.
The first trailer for the next downloadable episode in Grand Theft Auto IV, The Ballad of Gay Tony, went up earlier this week and once again Rockstar Games deliver on making awesome trailers for their products as I'm pretty excited for this one even though I don't have a Xbox 360 anymore. The storyline seems like up my alley and introduces some gameplay elements that were in previous GTA games like parachuting. Also, club music FTW!!!
Last not but least, I gotta plug this since I'm going to be there as West Coast Warzone will be an amazing event for the fighting game community. Get Your Tournament's Cami Vicencio put this video up of her interviewing the hostmaster, John Rog, Ryan "Gootecks" Gutierrez, Kai, Keno, Sherry (repping the ladies of SF4), and Bryant. Oh man, I can't wait till tomorrow and the whole weekend not just for the tournament, but good times with friends the whole time. Check out warzonetournament.com for more information like the stream that I might be on hanging out maybe and other stuff.
The Playstation Store last week had four demos out for download, which are NHL 10, DIRT 2, WET, and F.E.A.R. 2 Reborn. I decided to get three of those four as I'm not that much of a hockey fan, but from what I read, it looks like it will be pretty good.
First off is DIRT 2 and Codemasters have been doing a good job this console generation delivering on good racing games such as DIRT and GRID. DIRT 2 looks like a typical sequel with more content added including more variety of races and online multiplayer. The demo has two races playable (both online) as one features buggys and the other is a rally point-to-point race. If you are used to the Codemasters' racing games, you will feel right at home with its controls. As for me, it took a little while to get used to the game's physics and handling of cars, but eventually I got better at it somewhat. Top names in the rally scene are featured in this game such as Ken Block and Travis Pastrana as you race against the best at various locales. The random chit-chatter by these guys can get a little annoying while racing as well. Online multiplayer with I think up to eight players does indeed work, but of course experiences may vary if players wanna play dirty. DIRT 2 is out in a couple of weeks and looks like it will be another solid racer out there to buy.
WET is some long awaited game that looked like it is never coming out, but it is also out in a couple of weeks. I call this game the female Stranglehold as it is that game, but you play as a chick instead which is Rubi, voiced by Dollhouse's Eliza Dushku. WET as a whole is a pretty edgy third-person action game with a weird graphical style that looks pretty ugly, but very Tarantino-like. As Rubi, you abuse her slow-mo abilities with her twin pistols and sword to take out random thugs. As with games like this, they like a cool first impression, but eventually you get that feeling that it will get pretty repetitive with the full game, which was the case with John Woo's Stranglehold. You definitely feel like a female Max Payne running around going all matrix on the opposition as it is mindless fun, but something not fun for like ten hours. Rubi also has a berserk mode when her face gets all red to go nuts against enemies in the second scene you play during the demo. The last scene is a context-sensitive highway chase scene as you jump car from car to take out the guy that jacked your bag. Unfortunately, while this scene seems cool on paper, the context-sensitive controls seem a bit off especially with the timing as I had a hard time knowing when to press at the right time. Maybe I just suck, but yeah whatever. Eliza Dushku's voicework in WET seems somewhat forced as if she is trying too hard to make Rubi edgy as cursing constantly is not the solution. WET is just another game in the vein of Max Payne clones that do not get it right just by playing the demo. It is definitely worth a rental if you like playing as badass chicks, but definitely not worth 50 dollars.
Finally, there is a demo for the F.E.A.R. 2 Project Origin downloadable expansion called Reborn as you play as Foxtrot 813, who goes rogue to help some guy get reborn (not sure, didn't play Project Origin). It is basically more F.E.A.R. 2, so if you enjoyed that first person shooter, which is actually a decent one, Reborn is worth the purchase. I have nothing else to say about this one as it is a FPS, so you have guns, slowmo, and you shoot them at enemies.
That's it for this week's PSN Demo showcase. Now that I got Batman: Arkham Asylum over with (100% the campaign and don't feel like playing it again other than the challenge mode), its time for me to go back to Street Fighter IV to prepare myself for West Coast Warzone next weekend, which will be amazing and I can't wait. Let's just hope I don't go 2 and out again, but I just want to have a great time hanging out with the SoCal SF scene as always.
Note: The PS3 version's exclusive downloadable content of the Joker challenge maps will be also mentioned in this review. Plus, the videos may contain possible spoilers, so watch at your own risk.
The gaming industry gods have not been so kind to the Batman ever since the NES days. Sure, there might be some Batman games that are somewhat decent, but the majority of them are pretty bad. Even with last year's amazing success that is the Dark Knight movie, it seems like things are going right for the Caped Crusader. There are always the skeptics when Batman: Arkham Asylum was announced that the developers Rocksteady have no chance at all of making a good Batman game. Not only Arkham Asylum is a pretty good Batman game, it is a pretty good game that is an early contender for game of the year. It captures the essence and atmosphere of the Batman universe beautifully as well as giving you so many OMG moments to experience. After all, you are truly the Batman in this game.
The story of Arkham Asylum is basically straightforward. Batman captures the Joker easily and sends him to the infamous prison. However, Joker had planned something bigger than Batman thought and now he controls the asylum thanks to a little help by Harley Quinn. It is up to the Batman to stop the Joker from escalating things to worse proportions in Arkham Asylum, but as you progress through the game the story becomes more than just stop the Joker as some of Batman's greater villains such as Bane, Killer Kroc, and Poison Ivy are roaming around as well ready to cause trouble. In addition, there are moments where it throws you in a loop once Scarecrow starts doing his shenanigans as these are arguably the best moments of the game. The story does pace perfectly as you navigate through Arkham Island from one section to another trying to figure out Joker's true motives are.
The gameplay is split into three major parts and they all work exceptionally well. First, the hand-to-hand combat is simple to grasp, but difficult to master going to big combo multipliers. In terms of simple, there are buttons for attacking, countering, cape stunning, and dodging. At first, the combat may seem a bit mashy pounding on the attack button, but as you progress through the game especially in the later sections, it becomes less mashy and actually requires some skill and luck to get past them. Once the combat flows though, it is a pretty beautiful sight as Batman can just take out crowds of Joker's goons in such a badass and stylish manner. Other than the combat is the stealth mechanics in which Batman really shines at. Sneaking around is pretty simple as well just like the combat. He can use his gadgets to his advantage for stealth purposes such as his grappling hook, battarangs, explosive gel to blow certain surfaces away against enemies, and more. Especially when in a room full of armed thugs with guns, executing the perfect plan of attack just using stealth feels very satisfying, but one wrong move can often lead to Batman's death and at least the checkpoint system is pretty generous as going to a different room, the game autosaves. Then there's detective mode where you turn the game to Batman vision to try to find hidden collectibles, visible enemies' locations and emotions whether or not he has been scared or not, and clues toward completing puzzles and objectives. This mechanic works beautifully well in lots of situations, but sometimes you may rely on it too much as if you're going to play the whole game in this blue-ish vision not grasping the atmosphere that is Arkham Asylum. The overall gameplay makes you feel like you truly are the Batman being both intelligible and badass.
Other than the main storyline, there are tons of collectibles to collect in Arkham Asylum courtesy of The Riddler's challenges. They are scattered everywhere in Arkham Island of riddles, trophies, interview tapes with the various villains, and more. Besides the main campaign there is the challenge mode where you play certain sections of the game being scored on your performance. They are split to brawler and predator challenges testing both your skills at hand-to-hand combat and stealth. The predator challenges have specific tasks to complete compared to like the melee ones while trying to take out the opposition as quickly as possible such as a killing three goons by one explosive gel takedown, inverted takedowns, and other tasks that are similar. There is also online leaderboards for high scores and fast times giving the challenge mode a little more replay value than being just another diversion to the core game. Exclusively on the Playstation 3 is the chance to play as The Joker by download as they are the same challenge maps, but playing as a totally different character. Joker does not as much tools or health as Batman, but still can get the job done in his own way. Especially in the brawler challenges, Joker has to counter more since he has low health and if he gets caught in the predator challenges, he is pretty much screwed. You have to think a little differently utilizing Joker's tool set of his gun, exploding teeth, and specs to take out Arkham's guards. At least there will be more challenge maps available by downloadable content later down the line.
Graphically, Batman: Arkham Asylum looks stunningly amazing. The infamous prison and island environments looks very atmospheric and fits the canon as if you're in a terrifying place trying to escape. As for the characters, the major ones look great especially Batman and Joker while minor characters like random guards may not look as good as others. As a whole, this game is extremely polished with little to no glitches at all, load times are very minimal throughout the game, and the framerate stays consistent the whole time. What is also stunningly amazing is the sound in Arkham Asylum. It truly felt like you're playing through a long interactive cartoon as the major voices from Batman: The Animated Series reprise their roles as their characters such as Kevin Conroy as the Batman and Mark Hamill as The Joker. Both of them did an amazing job as they are truly those characters once again just like the 90s. Just like the asylum is very atmospheric with the graphics, the same goes for the sound as well with very moody sound effects throughout the game along with Joker's constant heckling and his infamous laugh. The theatrical soundtrack is also extremely well done as it fits the Batman theme just like the cartoons and movies.
Batman: Arkham Asylum is a pretty special game that comes out of nowhere and blows your mind. The hype was certainly there for this despite all those skeptics, but it was truly worth the wait to experience arguably the greatest Batman game of all-time. It is an experience that most be played right away as it is amazingly well done and extremely polished. On the default normal difficulty it will take a little less than ten hours to complete unless you are going for all the collectibles in which it will take you a little longer. Of course, there is a harder difficulty to mess with as well as there is no counter signal to rely on when in hand-to-hand combat. The gameplay flows smoothly as if you really are the Batman from the combat, stealth, and the puzzles. There is also some replay value with the challenge mode especially playing as Joker only on the Playstation 3. As my early contender for game of the year, Batman: Arkham Asylum is one of those games and experiences that should be not missed by anyone.
Score = 9.5/10
Pros:
Simply the greatest Batman game out now - so many OMG moments
Extremely polished and captures of the essence/atmosphere of the Batman universe
Gameplay makes you feel like you are the Batman
Amazing graphics and sound
Playing as the Joker on PS3 is a nice bonus
Early contender for game of the year
Cons:
If u don't buy this game, shame on you.
Other than the challenge mode, not much replay value beyond the main story.
Last week, the Marvel vs. Capcom 2 Mixtape came out for download on Playstation Network and the interwebs as 10 tracks by some of the best underground hip-hop artists are there to blast to other than the jazzy stuff that has been on our ears for years. To download them, click here, or go to the Playstation Store and get them there too for your PS3. This mixtape to me is a little hit and miss as I have my favorites, but its nice that it exists and its good music in general to blast while playing something like MvC2 online especially going for OCVs with random teams like I do. Meanwhile, I might as well play that right now "making it rain" on random scrubs who just don't know.
Oh, this is not related to Marvel vs. Capcom 2 but I just don't want to waste another post on this video from some Street Fighter IV tournament yesterday at San Diego as John Rog and Keno actually box it out in this hilarious Balrog mirror. Maybe this is how Balrog mirror matches should be played now... I'll let the HYPE (mainly Kai) speak for itself.
Looks like some lucky folks have Guitar Hero 5 early (game is out on September 1st) as videos are starting to show up on YouTube and DailyMotion. It is the usual folks that these games early to show off to the world Expert Guitar sightreads. Above is a highly anticipated song that is finally in a music game, which is "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana. Things I noticed so far is the soundtrack as expected is pretty hit and miss meaning you're not going to like everything offered on the disc, but I guess the variety is there for those who expect the same old stuff. Also, activating star power might be a little distracting this time around with the crazy effect as something like that could mess a combo up. Other than that, Guitar Hero 5 is the same old game with more songs and more gamey-like features to appeal for casual play like the drop-in, drop-out multi quickplay. So check the tubes this week for early footage of Guitar Hero 5 if you're curious.
I was at GameStop yesterday for a bit pre-ordering Batman: Arkham Asylum last minute (I am buying it after all) and I stumbled by a demo of The Beatles: Rock Band on the Xbox 360 kiosk. I was like oh snap, let's try this bad boy out and so I did. The demo consists of guitar and bass only with five songs to choose from, which are "Yellow Submarine," "Day Tripper," "I Feel Fine," "Can't Buy Me Love, and "Here Comes the Sun." There is also a setlist option which I did to play all five songs in succession as I decided to play guitar on Expert using the Guitar Hero World Tour guitar. At first, I felt a bit rusty at first, but since these Beatles songs are pretty easy to play on guitar, its not that bad. Besides from being typical Rock Band with notes to play, overdrive, and all that jazz, it is the love that Harmonix put into this product as it shows when playing. Each song has its own background when the Beatles are there singing like it's their own music video, but with the Rock Band graphical style. With all these colorful backgrounds, The Beatles: Rock Band is a pretty game to look at.
After playing it for a bit, I'm pretty sold on The Beatles: Rock Band as it is a way better game than I thought it would be. Sure, you're getting a bit easier game if you have been playing Rock Band since it came out, but its the care that Harmonix put into the game making it the pure Beatles experience. Even if you know some of the songs by The Beatles, I think you should still check this out as it is still crazy of the fact we are finally playing Beatles songs on Rock Band. Also, the temptation of coming back to this genre has risen a bit too as it is as still as fun as I remembered it when I was all into Rock Band 2. The Beatles: Rock Band comes out in two weeks, which is September 9 and I hope it succeeds because it is a pretty awesome game.
This is pretty much a music video edition for what's on my YouTube lately...
I love this song, "Digital Girl (Remix)," too much as Jamie, Drake, Dream, and Kanye kill it. Looks like the video got a slightly different remix than I used to, but I don't mind because it does spice things up a bit.
Yesterday, the highly anticipated video for "Run This Town" by the Jiggaman with Rihanna & Kanye came out as also I wasn't sold on this song by first impression alone. I think its Rihanna that ruins the song a bit as the melody is dope enough to freestyle when in instrumental mode. I still can't wait for The Blueprint 3 next month as music releases will be stacked that time too with Muse, Paramore, and more.
Finally, LMFAO is a legit video out in the world now (I don't count "I'm In Miami Trick") as this "La La La" video is pretty crazy, but it does fit their style too. Appearing in this video are Chelsea from the Paradiso Girls (everyone's favorite member of that girl group) and Jonna from the Real World Cancun. I'm still waiting for the "Shots" video though because some would know why I love this song for some dumb reason (you know you are!).
That's it for now... make sure to check out the top 10 songs I have been blasting chart for more especially that I have new songs there on a periodic basis.
