Sleepy Gamer

I know the Net is already saturated with God of War III info, but I thought that I should share my 2 cents.  Being a huge fan of the God of War franchise myself, you can probably take my opinion with a grain of salt.  But when you have tight controls, beautiful graphics, and the hi-def boobies … who isn’t a fan of that?  Show me a game with all those qualities that didn’t make your top 10 list.  Garret and I waited well over an hour just to play this game at E3, so was it worth the wait?  Hell yeah it was.

Story
If you’ve completed part 2 of the series, you must have wanted to kill yourself after witnessing that disappointing cliffhanger.  Seeing Kratos leading the Titans to Mount Olympus for the climactic battle with the Gods sure was exhilarating.  Until you were abruptly left with: “The end begins…”  It might as well have said, “Please reserve God of War 3 at your local Gamestop”.  Unfortunately, this 20 minute demo doesn’t reveal anything new about the story either.  As soon as you press the Start button, you’re immediately thrown into the heat of the battle with no where to go, but forward.  You only see the fire Titan in the background throwing fireballs and wrecking havock in the city below.  But other than that, the entire demo doesn’t explain where your other Titan buddies went.
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Van and I were fortunate enough to attend E3 this year down in Los Angeles, and although most of the good stuff was shrouded in secrecy behind closed doors, we were able to try out what we could on the showroom floor.  If I’d have to classify the show’s vibe, I’d say the ESA took a line drive down the middle, between the spectacle of E3’s of the past and the invite-only reduction seen in the last few years.  There was enough foot traffic and crowds to know what was hot, yet the lines were not long enough that you had to pick what to see and what to bypass.  So take a look at what we saw and played.

New Super Mario Bros Wii

NSMB Wii was Nintendo’s olive branch to the hardcore for 2009, since their other debuted must-haves (Super Mario Galaxy and Metroid: Other M) won’t be out until 2010.  The fresh take on the classic platforming formula moves to the Wii with a Zelda: The Four Swords-like approach to multiplayer.  We were able to try out one of the 4-player levels in its cooperative, but mostly competitive, 2.5-D sidescrolling mayhem.  As always, the controls were solid (what Mario game isn’t?) and the action was intense.  However, it was more fun trying to screw with your rival buddies, flinging each other into pits and bouncing on heads, than it was trying to navigate the level honorably.  I’m assuming the final package will include every bit as much gameplay as the single player DS campaign did, and coupled with multiplayer, it looks to be quite the party game this Fall.

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Although most of the announcements at this year’s Game Developer’s Conference (GDC) were a bit boring, there was one that peaked everyone’s interest: OnLive.  Why is it such a hot topic?  Well, if they are successful, it could possibly lead to a unified game console future and put all of the Xboxes, Playstations, and Wiis into the gutter.  With all the debate regarding digital distribution vs. disks, could OnLive prove the deciding victor?

So what exactly is OnLive?  Think NetFlix movie streaming, but for video games.  OnLive is a video game on-demand subscription service that allows you to instantly buy and rent titles in the comfort of your own home.  What’s so special about this service is that all of the games are hosted on OnLive’s powerful servers, while the game content is streamed to you over the Internet.  Unlike services like Xbox Live, which requires you to have a the software and hardware locally, everything is executed online.  Anything you see on the screen, every button you push is transmitted back and forth to you via the Internet.  Since the games are streamed, you no longer have to deal with discs, lengthy downloads, software installations, or annoying driver updates to enjoy your favorite games.  The best part about this is that you can play high-end games on basically any entry-level hardware.   Since all of the processing are done on the remote OnLive servers, you can play power hungry games like Crysis in full 720p resolution on any old Pentium II desktop.  There’s no longer a need to drop a pretty penny for the top of the line video card.  Not only is it compatible with your PC, it will also work with your television and even Macs.
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For the next installment of the outstanding series of multiplayer-focused Battlefield games, it seems EA and DICE wanted  to make something different.  While the cell-shaded, cartoony look and 3rd person perspective are what first catch the eye, it’s the “free to play” business model, with revenue gained solely via advertising and microtransactions, that make it truly unique.

Despite what the game’s producers may say, the simple look and approachable gameplay do indeed offer a much more casual-friendly experience.  The incredibly low hardware requirements mean that most computers will be able to run it without a serious upgrade.  Five second spawn times, infinite ammo and limited weapon choice make it quite approachable for any gamer used to the mouse and keyboard.  The downside of this approachable nature is that character class distinction is rather lacking among the game’s three classes.  You seem to have more options in customizing your character’s appearance than actual gameplay abilities, with numerous store-bought clothing and emote options at your disposal.

On the flip side, battles are incredibly fun and frenetic, frequently occurring around the game’s flag capture points.  Death leaves you with just enough time to check your stats and catch your breath.  Before you know it you’re back in on the action, thanks in part to the game’s automatic spawning system that does a decent job sending you back relatively close to the action.  The AI system also does a good job of making sure you aren’t constantly ambushed by spawn campers, like in Battlefield 2 when your side was pushed back to a single capture point.  Vehicles, such as tanks, jeeps and planes, are present on most maps, but their awkward controls and tame firepower make them much less important than in the more realistic Battlefield games of the past.  The game also takes a cue from the Halo series, with automatic matchmaking, based on player skill.  No server lists to navigate and refresh, just quick access to instant action.

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So why am I excited about this release?  Well… it’s Street Fighter 4, duh.  Even though the number 4 suggests that this the 4th game in the series, it’s really the 12th if you count all the iterations of SFI, SFII, SF Alpha, and SFIII.  Don’t get me started on that crappy Street Fighter 2010.  History aside, this entry proves to be just as epic as its previous legacies.  Let’s just hope that Capcom doesn’t repeat history and release a Street Fighter 4 Ultra Special Hyper Championship Edition to further confuse the hell out of us.

To be honest, when the first SFIV teasers were unveiled, it really wasn’t my cup of tea.  What was the deal with all the ink swirls and why did they keep Chun Li’s thunder thighs?  But as you play the final game, you start to realize how genius this art style really is.  For the first time, you can vividly see and feel all the pain induced from every punch, kick, and fireball.  From their over-the-top facial expressions, to the contorting bodies, you know that they’re in for a world of hurt.  In previous games, the 2-D character models seemed very copied and pasted into each level.  But because of the new 3-D engine, each character appears more dynamic and is more well integrated into the scenery.  Literally adding a new dimension to the visuals.  If you preferred the more gritty 2-D nature of SFIII, you might be disappointed.  But I can assure you that the game-play will surely change your mind.

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The 8-bit video game era of the late 80’s and early 90’s was an important period in gaming.  Where intuitive game design and refined controls were still at very early stages of development.  It was a time of cheat codes, Game Genie, and Nintendo game tip hotlines.  Most of all, it was a time of rose tinted nostalgia.  And although it’s easy to see all the inherent flaws of those games now, it’s hard to forget all the moments of joy they brought.

Retro Game Challenge (or GameCenter CX: Arino’s Challenge, as it’s known in Japan) tries to recapture that magical feeling again by simulating the 1980’s through a series of fictional NES-era (Famicon) games.  By some odd twist of fate, you are sent back in time to 1984 to complete a series of game challenges by a Japanese game show host named Arino.  The time warp changes your character to a younger version of you and Young Arino is also there to offer guidance as your fellow couch buddy.  Each fictional game offers a linear set of 4 distinct challenges ranging from the very easy (beat level 5) to more moderate challenges (score 250,000 points using the same continue).  Arino also periodically buys monthly game magazines, complete with helpful tips and tricks, sneak peaks at upcoming games and release dates, and even phony EGM-style game editors like Dan Sock (Dan Shoe) and Johnny England (John Davidson).

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