E3 2010: A Matter of Inches

I wasn't flown to Los Angeles to witness the Electronic Entertainment Expo this year, I couldn't fit it into the budget. All I can do is comment on what is being published in websites across the world. It looks as though none of the Big 3 (Microsoft, Sony or Nintendo) managed to steal the show, however at least in my opinion and as far as the press conferences go, Sony has emerged as the winner for this year. You could also argue that Nintendo was the winner, now that their shiny, High Definition touting competitors, who never gave the Wii a chance, have all brought their own spin on motion control to the table. Big picture comparisons aside, there were some genuinely exciting announcements to keep the industry buzzing for months to come.
The 3DS is a mystery machine. With Nintendo's current stranglehold on the portable market, I'd be interested to see how many people are willing to upgrade. You could generalise and say that Japanese consumers will buy it by the barrel-full, but with Nintendo DS, DS Lite, DSi and DSi LL(XL), the market could potentially have reached saturation point. The EBGames website currently lists the 3DS with an estimated RRP of $348, which if true would be fantastic for gamers as well as being a reasonably competitive price point. Would I buy it? I don't know, I would have to see what games are available at launch (read: I need to wait until my next pay to pre-order).

I can't find any videos of the 3DS in action (not that you would be able capture the magic of 3D in a 2D video), but I am itching to see the quality of visuals it is capable of conjuring. There were rumours that this machine would have the capabilities of current generation consoles, but from what I have seen this must not be the case. This may have something to do with the console needing to produce the same picture twice, in order to create stereoscopic 3D visual effects. Screenshots can't really be used as an indicator, with Mario Kart looking somewhat underwhelming and the Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater tech demo looking promising, but far from current generation quality. Despite this, Kotaku have confirmed that when the technology works as intended, it is truly a sight to behold.

While the Sony conference featured no new pieces of hardware, there were an array of announcements that captured my interest. We've heard plenty about the Playstation Move, so that part of the presentation was not really my cup of tea, save for the announcement of a new Time Crisis game (!!!). I'm more interested in Playstation Network Plus. Subscribers will be entitled to discounts on content sold via the Playstation Network Store and will also receive free games each month. The subscription service will also allow players to download full retail games and trial them for one hour. If you follow through with a purchase, any progress and trophies you achieved in the trial will be unlocked. That sounds great for two reasons:

1. The Playstation 3 should now have a service to rival Games on Demand. Further to that, it actually sounds like a stronger alternative, as this will potentially save gamers a lot of money.
2. For gamers who appreciate intrinsic reward schemes (such as trophies, like me!), this means that they won't have to waste time replaying gameplay segments usually featured in demos.

There are limitations to this of course, with players only able to trial 2 games a month and pricing for both the subscription and full games yet to be confirmed for Australia.

It was also encouraging to read that Dead Space Extraction and Medal of Honor Frontline will be included, free of charge, with PS3 copies of Dead Space 2 and Medal of Honour respectively. Light-gun shooter Dead Space: Extraction was voted Gamespot's Wii Game of the Year and Medal of Honour: Frontline was a PS2 classic with a metarating of 88. Better news, the Medal of Honor multiplayer beta starts on June 21 and it looks brutal and hectic. I hope you choose to get involved, whether it be on the 360, PS3 or PC.



Last but not least, Portal 2 was announced for PS3 by Gabe Newell himself. Steamworks support has also been confirmed, meaning that the game will continue to be supported after release. This should go some distance to winning back Playstation 3 owners burned by the technically deficient port of The Orange Box.



The Microsoft conference was disappointing to say the least. It looks as though the Xbox 360's emulation of the Wii has come full circle, with both the new Dashboard and Kinect being fully detailed. The software lineup anounced for the launch of Kinetic is as derivative as one would expect; with a fitness title, a casual sports game, a racer, a (more competent) version of Eyepet, and a dancing game. Bundle this together with the already available Avatars, and the Xbox 360 is soon to become a HD Wii.

To add to the disappointment, no compelling new titles were revealed for the Microsoft console. There was nothing new or surprising revealed about Fable 3, Halo: Reach, or even Gears of War 3 (which I am genuinely looking forward to). The announcement of the Xbox 360 Slim was a massive kick in the pants. Wi-fi enabled, and packing a 250gb hard drive, the Slim (out July 1) is a bitter pill to swallow for anyone who has recently bought a 360. Imagine if you had just bought an Xbox 360 Arcade. With the cost of the system, the hard drive and a wireless network adaptor you would need to spend $650 to bring it up to speed with the new model which only costs $449.

While the 3DS has piqued my interest, (for me) there was enough new, and further elaborated upon products at the Sony conference to swing the battle of E3 in favour of the Playstation family. Have their been any announcements at E3 which are sure to steal your hard-earned dollars? What has you excited?

Left Behind (What is Burn Notice?)

After some hard work, a few rums and a little help from my friends (ha! Beatles reference), I have actually started to get the hang of the UFC Undisputed games. Before those of you in the know chime in, I am not in anyway implying that I have any great level of skill, however I did pull a few wins out of the hat. I even managed to make someone tap out. Despite these small victories, I should still note that my main criticisims of the series' fighting system are still valid. Knock-outs still occur seamingly at random and the ground game is exceedingly convoluted.

Having played both the last year's and the current iteration over the weekend, I no longer consider these games a complete waste of time and money. If you had to choose between them, you would have to go with UFC 2009 because it is considerably cheaper and there are not that many noticable improvements in the new version (at least from an Exhibition Match persepctive). UFC 2010 does feature improved visuals, and venerable backyard scrapper, Kimbo Slice; but in all honesty if you're only playing these games against your friends you couldn't tell them apart. I have read about the career mode featured in UFC 2010, however I don't believe that I would be able to engage with it if I were to purchase the game, as I never had any childhood dreams of becoming a brawler. A professional wrestler, yes; as there is a sense of showmanship and narrative to their battles. UFC combatants however, if the matches I've seen are any indication, just bump fists and then to proceed to beat the snot out of each other. There's no meaningful context or sense of purpose. If it weren't for the fact that there are match officials, most of these bouts would be fights to the death.



Once again, thanks to my friends, I logged some time both playing and witnessing the example of Valve's disdain for Australian consumers that is Left 4 Dead 2. To say it has been censored is an understatement. Upon being felled, zombies disappear from the playing field. No blood, no corpses, nothing. Bludgeoning the living dead with baseball bats and other dull instruments leads to similarly disappointing graphical effects. It starts to get silly when you set your enemies on fire. If you throw a molotov cocktail, or shoot a fuel canister near a group of zombies and you won't find any visual indication that they have been set on fire. What you do see, are zombies running around, screaming and patting their heads in a fashion similar to Dustin Hoffman as Rain Man.

The only salvation for this mess, was a good friend playing as the survivor Nick. Due to his fashioable white suit, the character had been renamed "Burn Notice," and he was more dangerous than the protagonist from the show of the same name. After travelling with the main group for about 20 minutes, Burn Notice became enraged when he couldn't find a baseball bat to flog the infected hordes. Not content to carry on without the melee weapon, Burn Notice remembered he had seen one at the starting point of the campaign. He bravely abandoned his colleagues, and ventured back to the point of origin to procure his weapon of choice; not fearing for his own safety (or that of his fellow survivors). Bat in hand, Burn Notice swung for the fences and led the group to victory (read: death).



Despite the mediocre gaming experiences on offer, I had a great weekend playing with some old friends. You will have to excuse me though, the Dutch are playing and I nearly missed their first goal. An own goal by Denmark is still a goal! Nederlands FTW!!!

Checkpoint

Today is 6 months to the day I get married. There are many reasons why I love my fiance, however her insistence on learning to love videogames has helped our relationship to grow. At first she was a spectator, watching on as I battled waves of Ganados in Resident Evil 4. Not content to passively engage with the medium, Carly first picked up a control to play Burnout 3: Takedown, and her skill blossomed to the point where I refused to compete with her in any mode other than Road Rage. Even in Crash Mode, she had the co-ordination and vision to compile multi-million dollar scores. Despite her dominance, I was happy that she was starting to take an interest in my passion. I even picked up Burnout Legends for the PSP so she could subject the AI racers to merciless beatings, and I was no longer the fodder for her peerless racing lines.

We then proceeded to enjoy many titles on the Gamecube, particularly the Mario spin-offs. Mario Kart got hours of play, and either of us failed to create a point of difference as far as skill was concerned. You could argue that this had a lot to with Blue Shells and other cheap weapons, but we had fun regardless. Mario Golf is the second best golf game I've ever played (Tiger Woods 05 FTW), however as a co-operative experience (as in hole for hole) it has few rivals. Finally there was Mario Power Tennis, and Carly, as a tennis devotee, always took the losses hard. This was in spite of the fact that real-life tennis players are rarely haunted by ghosts mid-match, let alone able to hit the ball so it traces out a perfect L shape.



The less said about Carly's dominance of the rhythm game genre, the better. As I fumbled through the first Guitar Hero's setlist on easy difficulty, my sweet was mastering the challenging "No One Knows," on normal. Just as I had ventured into playing songs on Normal, she was attaining 5 star ratings for every song on hard. This trend continued throughout future iterations of the Guitar Hero franchise and even lingered into The Beatles: Rock Band (although you would expect as much considering she is a huge fan of the Fab 4's back catalogue). This is one genre where Carly has effectively emasculated almost all of the gamers I know.



Now I'm glad to say that while Carly and I still play with (and against) each other, she has found some games she will happily pursue of her own accord. Steam tells me that she has accumulated approximately 60 hours of playtime on the super-addictive Peggle. Further to that, Carls recently shelled out 1200MSP to download Burnout 3: Takedown from the Xbox Live Marketplace. She even supports my gaming endeavours, showering me with anything from bluetooth headsets to new release titles.

To my loyal readers, please forgive the schmaltz, however: I love you Carly, and thank you for taking an interest in something that I have, and always will care deeply about. December 11th can't arrive fast enough!

The Prodigal Son Returns

I swear to you, I am good at Street Fighter IV. When I stopped playing online I had a win rate of over 60% in nearly 200 fights. In my opinion that is somewhat respectable. Naturally I had expected that my skill level would translate somewhat faithfully into the upgraded Super Steet Fighter IV. Well I was wrong. On my way to 100 fights online I have achieved the disgraceful success rate of just over 27%. I try my best to compete with the speed and strategy of my opponents and almost always come up short. Have I gotten worse? I honestly don't think so. I'm employing the same tactics, and I can pull off most moves (except for full circles and double angle charges) when required. From what I can see, two things have changed:

1) Logistics
As previously discussed, the matchmaking system employed by SSFIV pairs you up with local combatants unless you insist on taking the fights to other regions. Now I find myself participating in fights without any hitches in connection and fighting a different breed of opponents. The increase (not exponential, but noticable) in the fidelity of the connection for almost all of the battles I have fought in has taken away any breathing space afforded by lag.

2) Changing attitudes, evolving strategies
I've been playing Street Fighter for nearly twenty years now, and each iteration has had it's own quirks and exploits. Further to that, my contemporaries have always employed similar (if not identical) tactics to my own. In Street Fighter II, it was all about heavy (fierce) hits and projectiles. If you weren't throwing hadoukens across the screen, you weren't winning. In Alpha 2 and 3, my eldest brother discovered medium strength attacks and the game changed somewhat, with an emphasis on speed. While special moves and heavies continued to rule, the smart player could engage in fast, close-quarters combat to try and even out the life bars after copping a super combo. In the VS series (X-Men VS Street Fighter, Marvel VS Capcom), success depended on your ability to super jump, land chains of light hits and build up your hyper combo meter. In one of the last 2D fighters I had the privilege to enjoy religiously with company, Capcom VS SNK 2 asked my fellow players and I to make several meaningful choices before we even got to lay our hands on each other. Choosing the amount of characters to fight with, and how powerful they would be (ratio) and then the gauge system you would fight with. Forcing your opponents into corners was a solid strategy which would often result in victory. Timing was also a key factor in any successful bout, with Dramatic KOs being the order of the day. In Street Fighter IV, I earned many wins by pinning opponents to the ground with projectiles. Aiming to have players land on hadoukens after jumping, or colliding with them after they rose from the floor (after being knocked down).

With Super Street Fighter IV, players have taken to the following: (what I have dubbed) ultra juggles, throws (so many throws), light hits and light special moves. An ultra juggle happens when a player knocks me off my feet, forcing me into the air slightly, then unleashing an ultra combo. It's a usually a light special (such as a shoryuken) which forces me up, and then I will have a nice, big projectile waiting for me on the way down. I am often a victim of throw spamming (I know, I'm a bad sport). Its not like I am turtling though. For those of you who don't know, to turtle is to block for the majority of a bout. I could be midway through a Sumo Headbutt, only to be intercepted and thrown. It completely destroys my momentum and my enthusiasm. Finally, the reason why players are using light hits is obvious: they're fast, you are less vulnerable to counterattack and light hits get priority over a great many moves. I can't adapt though, I'm playing just as I did when I played Street Fighter IV. It is a different game, and my usual tactics just do not work anymore.



The only saving grace is hitting with a Metsu Shoryuken, it is the most visually stunning super move in the franchises storied history. It is animated so well, and the sound of your opponents jaw crumbling is enough sweetness to help swallow those bitter defeats.



What is your favourite fighting game? Have you ever found that your strategies don't carry over to a sequel?

Learn to Fly

By 2PM on Saturday afternoon, I was convinced that I could not move on from Red Dead Redemption. Even though I had tied up the loose ends of the narrative, I was thinking that I would be happy not to touch another game until I had killed every buffalo, helped every stranger and found every township. After having dwelled on my conundrum for another hour, I thought to myself that it may be time to move on. If only to see that I wasn't missing much if I was to leave the Great Plains.

The first disc loaded was King of Fighters XII. I paid 19 dollars for the Collector's Edition, which included a detailed statue of SNK stalwart, Terry Bogard and it still felt like a monumental rip-off. This is the most shallow, uninspiring fighting game I have ever had the displeasure of playing. The arcade most consists of 5 fights using the usual 3 versus 3 KoF formula. No boss fight. No noticeable rise in difficulty across fights. The aim of arcade mode is to have completed all 5 fights in an overall time which is faster than your opponents. This time attack slant on the franchise could have been interesting if it weren't for the fact that the computer-controlled opponents are only able to manage a time of 59:59:59. In my first of two playthroughs, I completed in just over 6 minutes and didn't lose a single round. While the achievement whore in me was happy enough, I felt robbed. Robbed, as there was no final confrontation, no real test of skill. I thought I could satiate my thirst for a challenge by taking the fight online. How wrong I was. For the few players still accepting matches online are a class of player worse than the achievement whore; they are achievement vultures. Still trying desperately to attain that last bit of gamerscore for participating in 300 matches. I don't think the two players I came across were interested in winning as they both appeared to have put the A button on autofire while I proceeded to smash them with Joe Higashi's Hurricane Upper. Once again, I snagged a few achievements but I was far from satisfied. To further spoil the deal, KoF XII is one ugly duckling with heavily pixelated (I will concede however, rather large) sprites, a handful of arenas and frame rate hitches when anything resembling modern visual effects appears on screen. The only bright side to this grim tale is the responsiveness of the 360 controller in this 2D fighter. I could pull off any maneuvers I desired after 2 attempts, which for anyone who has played Street Fighter IV on a 360 controller would know, is impressive. Avoid at all costs dear readers, you have been warned.

After this bitter affair I felt guilty, and thought that I should return to the streets of Blackwater and repent after my unfaithful behaviour. I booted up my PS3 to find a friend had invited me to play Lost Planet 2. Could I really do this to old Red twice in one day? Well, it had been two weeks since I had played Lost Planet 2, and a veneer of dust had begun to accumulate on the brutally difficult action game's case. It couldn't hurt. Headset equipped, I ventured into the dense jungles of EDN III to battle a band of snow pirates (?) who appear to enjoy bondage play and have an affinity for large tribal tattoos and revealing clothing. The results were highly favourable. With the difficulty set to easy, I was able to forgive my lack of skill (in normal difficulty at least), and finally best the evil tattooed biker bondage pirates and fight another day.

Could I really enjoy something that wasn't Red Dead Redemption?

Moving away from RDR again, I booted up Mass Effect 2 for the first time today. I'm only about 3 hours in and it looks as though Rockstar's Wild West masterpiece will enjoy some rest for the next few weeks. The opening sequence aboard the crumbling starship, Normandy was truly something to behold. Further to that, Bioware's mastery of chatter and consequence has sucked me in again. The gunplay and visuals have also been significantly improved over it's predecessor.



So the answer is: Life carries on, even outside of the greater South-West. What games were you all playing over the weekend?

In case you haven't played it: Red Dead Redemption Review (PS3)

Red Dead Redemption is the tragic tale of how the West was finally conquered. John Marston and the outlaw brothers he is now forced to apprehend, are the last of a dying breed. Noble criminals who at their best, looked to feed the needy with the excess of the wealthy in an unforgiving land. As the political and social landscape of the United States changed, they turned on themselves, dividing what was left of the America they knew and holding it to ransom. Marston is forced out of the game after being left for dead. Almost happy to oblige, he attempts to make an honest living with his wife and son. The US government then grows tired of waiting for these fearsome bandits to die, and force the anti-hero to take on his former brothers-in-arms to complete the spread of civilization to the nation's borders.


The Good
Sound Design - For the majority of the single player adventure, Red Dead Redemption features an authentic score that wouldn't sound out of place in any classic western movie. Bereft, for the most part, of the licensed music for which Rockstar titles are usually renowned (via Grand Theft Auto and Midnight Club titles), RDR is a refreshing change of pace from the usual fare. When third party songs are employed on two occasions, they are used to such great effect that I was almost brought to tears. The first time you hear lyrics (Jose Gonzalez, Far Away) is at a time when Marston (and by extension, the player), ventures into a foreign land. Cheated, frustrated and lost. By the time the song fades out and you ride into Chuparosa, you're left with an experience that won't fade from memory anytime soon. On the second occasion (Compass, Jamie Lidell), you can imagine the feelings rushing through Marston's head, and it captures the drama so brilliantly that you will be whipping your horse relentlessy until you reach your destination. Apart from what is, in my opinion, the best videogame soundtrack in recent memory, you'll find the realistic din of firearms, carriages, steam trains, horses and native fauna. This in concert with the exceptional voice acting from central characters, strangers and townspeople really does create the illusion of a living, breathing world for players to explore.


The Landscape - I've explored this previously in the post, Deep Red Bells, so I won't dwell on this too long. If you're travelling with no particular objective you will notice some truly fascinating events that you would be unlikely to see in any other game. You may be riding a horse across Mexico and witness a man being mauled by a pack of wolves. You may be riding though Thieves' Landing and witness a kidnapping or a robbery. As mentioned above, you are walking/riding through a living, breathing representation of the Wild West.


The Story (The beginning and the end) - RDR starts off strong, introducing the MacFarlanes, Marshall Johnson and the town of Armadillo. The early missions quickly acquaint you with all of the game's mechanics and before long you'll confidently accompany companions on horseback; hunt animals and forage for herbs and flowers; and activate and effectively use Dead Eye. Characters like Bonnie MacFarlane and Landon Ricketts are particularly engaging. The final chapter in Blackwater introduces some genuinely funny side characters as well as the main villain, Dutch (!). The conclusion is poignant and cements John Marston's position as one of the great videogame characters.


Everything on the side - The in-game economy, the wealth of ambient tasks and mini-games will absorb hours of your time. There is quite a bit of game to be enjoyed, and while some activities like horseshoe throwing may not tickle your fancy, odds are you will find something peripheral to the main quest that will distract you.


Multiplayer - For impressions please see my previous posts, Draw and Wild Horses. Not content to only provide players with an extensive single player game, Rockstar has provided a comprehensive multiplayer suite which allows you to party (posse) up with friends and traverse the entire map from the single player game in Free Roam mode. You can raid gang hideouts, complete ambient tasks and visit lobbies to participate in more traditional multiplayer match variants such as Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Capture-the-Flag (Bag).





The Bad
The Story (Mexico) - The second third of the tale takes part in Mexico and served only to muddle my perception of the Marston character. When I first left Austin I felt as though he was a good man (I played as an honourable outlaw) with a bit of a mean streak. This is further enforced in the first few missions with Landon Ricketts. The honeymoon ends after your travels with Ricketts however, as you then fight on both sides on the Mexican revolutionary war. The main proponents of this war are obviously corrupt, and they string Marston along with the promise of the men he needs to bring down. After completing so many tasks for so many villains with no return for such a long time, you start to doubt Marston's resolve and his motives.


The Villains - The relationship between Dutch, Escuella, Bill Williamson and Marston is not effectively explored over the course of the game. It would have been interesting if the game incorporated some flashback missions which would have served to develop these characters and an understanding of their past relationship. The original Red Dead Revolver (for better or worse) switched to the perspectives of different characters so frequently, but in Red Dead Redemption the narrative rarely jumps to a different point of view.


A little too easy - The game's default targeting system features an auto-aim system which centres on enemies when you pop out from cover. It drains a great deal of the challenge from the game's many firefights. The auto-aim system also makes the transition to the multiplayer game and leads to some cheap deaths. Further to that, RDR employs a forgiving checkpoint system that also serves to discount the level of skill required to progress through the game. The game features a regenerating health system, but you can also purchase items to heal yourself. Considering that you heal pretty quickly, there was no real need for these recovery items (read: I never used one).


The Ugly
Mission Design - The game borrows too heavily from Rockstar heavyweight, Grand Theft Auto. Considering that horses are not as fast as Porsches (or their GTA equivalents), you should not be required to travel for miles (and miles) in almost every mission. I found this especially painful during my time in Mexico, and it really took some shine off the overall experience.


A mountain of various visual glitches - I rode invisible horses, textures disappeared from NPCs, and the amount of pop-in was at times horrendous. The worst glitch occurred after a cutscene, when a character duplicated. I had two sprites of the same character standing side-by-side and this obviously didn't help immerse me in the game world.





9.5/10 - Red Dead Redemption is an essential experience despite it's flaws. This is a great value package containing a campaign that can absorb 20+ hours and an extensive suite of multiplayer activities that can be enjoyed on your own or with a posse of friends.

Catch Up

For the next month, the Australian release schedule is essentially clear of any must-have releases. The only exception to this broad statement is the late arrival of Demon's Souls on our shores. Demon's Souls was released in 2009 to a surprising amount of acclaim, even taking Gamespot's Game of the Year award. While the credibility of the aforementioned website has been in question since the dismissal of senior contributor (and soul of Gamespot), Jeff Gerstmann (now of Giant Bomb); the accolade forced me take notice of this brutally difficult, action RPG. I clamoured through Australian game retailers' websites and the responses of their ignorant staff in a vain effort to ascertain the Australian release date. I considered importing, but to add to the amount of money I was spending on videogames in the 2009 holiday season seemed to be a gross misappropriation of resources at the time. So I waited and here we are: 30 days from local release.



This lull provides ample opportunity for me to catch up on those titles I haven't yet shown as much love as I could have. First on the list is (and this may be a surprise) Super Street Fighter IV. While I gave it a hearty amount of time upon purchase, I must admit that I have been saving it for a dramatic battle against two friendly combatants which is fast approaching. Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 will also get some quality time. I've only played through the first two levels, but for any of you trophy whores out there, the game doles them (trophies) out at a rapid pace. To put it in perspective, I just finished the single player portion of Red Dead Redemption and after 22 hours of play (across both single and multi player modes) I have earned 21 percent of all available trophies. For Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, I have also earned 21 percent of available trophies for far less (about 2 hours total) play time. It's a half decent game, difficult and aesthetically pleasing, however the platforming sections feel forced and have led to much frustration. Finally there is Mass Effect 2, which I have acquired for half the retail price. I'm very much looking forward to continuing the adventures of Dutch Shepard, a battle-hardened paragon who looks as good he fights (in case you're wondering, that's pretty damn good!).

As mentioned previously, I have just completed Red Dead Redemption and a review will be forthcoming soon. The final chapters of the story have rescued the narrative from the brink, after the hazardous trip to Mexico. You really do need to play this game, as the conclusion is genuinely touching, if predictable. The sound design above all, is exemplary and ensures that certain moments will become ingrained in your memory. It's a flawed, epic tale of redemption (obviously) and the death of the Wild West.

Has anyone picked up any bargains at the half-yearly sales?

Dutch note: RIP Steph, the world is a lesser place without you.