Archive for December, 2011
One of the reasons I really like Ascension is that its flavor takes some time to appreciate. This is a game that simmers instead of pops. You won’t recognize these cards as your standard fantasy tropes. For instance, the game’s four factions might look vaguely familiar, but how familiar are they? They’re called Enlightment, Void, Mechana, and Lifebound. A look at the artwork and a basic understanding of each faction’s dynamics might lead to certain conclusions. So, uh, priests, evil, machines, and fairies? White, purple, brown, and green? Paladins, necromancers, engineers, and rangers? Humans, demons, dwarves, and elves? Religion, obfuscation, science, and nature? Knowledge, power, technology, and peace? Who knows.
After the jump, WWTBD Continue reading →
As much as I admire the lush graphics and puzzle design (i.e. how the character abilities interact with the world) in Trine, and as clearly as they’re carried over into Trine 2, complete with a new RPG system that lets you unlock new skills for each of the characters, I suspect this isn’t a game for me. Anytime I come upon a situation in which I have to try a jump more than five times, I’m pretty much done with a game. Life is too short to finesse the timing in a jumping sequence.
(Note that you can invoke the “life is too short” opt-out for nearly any skill based videogaming pursuit. That I choose to say this about jumping sequences is as arbitrary as someone else saying it about a build order in an RTS, a lap time in a driving game, or a high score on a pinball table. One man’s tedium is another man’s treasure.)
But one thing I love about Trine 2 is how the developers at Frozenbyte approach achievements. Every achievement is based on playing with their cool gameplay systems. For instance, there’s an achievement for firing three arrows into the air as the thief, and then swapping to the knight and catching all three arrows on your shield. Another achievement rewards you for using the wizard’s levitation power to make a stack of eight objects and then stand on top of the stack. There isn’t a single “beat a level”, “finish the game”, or “gather collectibles” achievement. You play the game for the game’s sake. You play the achievements for the achievement’s sake.
When you meet the big purple man at the end of the story mode in Marvel vs. Capcom 3, he summons silver versions of the game’s characters to help him. They look like T-1000s. I guess they’re “heralds”, because if you select the herald faction in the Heroes and Heralds DLC for Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom, all your dudes will be silver. Since the two factions are otherwise identical, this automatically makes me want to play the other faction. Who wants to play as Spiderman and whatnot wearing a costume leached of all color?
After the jump, enough about the costumes already. What’s the deal with the game? Continue reading →
If you’ve ever wanted to hear Desmond talk about himself at length, this is the game for you.
I don’t know if the shorter development cycle for Revelations was a problem, or if Ubisoft has truly lost sight of what makes the Assassin’s Creed games good, but this was easily one of the biggest disappointments of the year for me. Thumbs way down. Read the review here.
As much as I like some of the Marvel comics tables in Pinball FX 2, I hope the developers at Zen Studios are done with men in tights. We don’t need another superhero.
So after the jump are five ideas Zen should steal Continue reading →
In the good old days before the add-on, Oziah the Peerless was the fiercest warrior you could get into your Ascension deck. This guy automatically and single-handedly beat any monster in the deck, except for the Avatar of the Fallen himself. I mean, you can’t very well have one card trump the main villain, can you? But otherwise, Oziah the Peerless was worthy of his superlative. It seemed a shame to waste him on a Mephit or even a Corrosive Widow. He could take down an Earth Tyrant. He could even best Xeron, Duke of Lies. This guy meant business. But then the add-on came along.
One of the problems with using superlatives as a title is that you never know when an add-on is going to come out. Return of the Fallen includes a hero named Adayu. Adayu, the Chosen. That’s Mr. Chosen to you. Adayu, the Chosen is a card that lets you simply take or defeat any card you want. Any card. Even an Avatar of the Fallen. Even the actual Fallen, who I presume is the brand new uber-baddie in the expansion, Samael the Fallen. There is no card in Ascension that Adayu does not trump. Of course, there’s also no card as expensive as Adayu, but you get what you pay for.
And this means Oziah is no longer peerless. Oziah, meet Adayu. Adayu, Oziah. You guys will be sharing a room. (Psst, Oziah, come here. Don’t tell Adayu I’m telling you this, but I still like your card art and flavor text better!)
Up next, Tom Bombadil meets his match
Atlus…announced plans to celebrate the holiday season with a Pure White World Tendency event for the award-winning hardcore multiplayer action RPG Demon’s Souls for PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system…Until January 2, 2012, the world of Boletaria will shift to Pure White World Tendency, easing the game’s difficulty and unlocking otherwise inaccessible areas and items. Following the recent news that Atlus would extend the Demon’s Souls’ online servers–responsible for the award-winning cooperative and competitive multiplayer roleplaying that has cemented the title’s place among gaming’s most celebrated classics–this holiday tendency event further demonstrates the publishers ongoing commitment to the game and its loyal community.
If you’re like me, you read that as Dark Souls. But this is, of course, the previous game, with the publisher intent on your knowing their iteration is still going for folks who don’t mind toting around fistfuls of that wheatgrass stuff you have to eat to heal yourself.
No one would release a new game on the same week as Christmas, right? Or maybe that’s just what EA wants you to think! This week is the official launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic, which is great for folks who like business as usual in their MMOs. But, you know, with lightsabers.
Our podcast, should you choose to accept it, covers Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol. At the 57-minute mark, this week’s 3×3 is about our favorite examples of movies breaking the “show, don’t tell” rule. This podcast will self-destruct in five seconds if you don’t rate it on iTunes.
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My favorite table in Zen Studio’s new Virtue and Vengeance Marvel comics add-on for Pinball FX 2 is Moon Knight. In fact, it’s one of my favorite tables in the entire catalogue, along with Paranormal, Secrets of the Deep, and Earth Defense. Add Moon Knight to that list. I know what you’re thinking. “Who?” You and me both, brother. That’s part of why this is among my favorite tables. I don’t get the feeling that it was made for you comic book dorks who own issue #1 of The Marvelous X-Men or The Amazing Superman or The Watchmen or whatever. I suspect you guys are just as bewildered as I am when you hear Moon Knight’s signature line, “Let’s pack some punch into the whirlybird, Frenchie!”
After the jump, putting the “moo” in Moon Knight Continue reading →
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious card of Ascension lore,
While I was drawing, nearly losing, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
`’Tis some Great-Omen Raven tapping at my chamber door –
Only this, and nothing more.’
Guess what’s after the jump Continue reading →
I’m having a hard time warming up to the X-Men table. It’s clean, sleek, and open. But I don’t know why the Marvel Vengenace and Virtue bundle has an X-Men table. We already have an X-Men table. It’s called Wolverine.
I guess this table is about the rest of the X-Men. Having seen all three movies, plus the latest Teen X-Men movie, I thought I was an authority on these guys. However, this table taught me that there’s an X-Man named Hank. Hank the X-Man. You light up the four letters of his name. If there were X-Men named Earl, Otis, Dick, Carl, Chet, or Opie, they would also qualify for this feature. I’m not sure what Hank’s mutant superpower is, but it’s sure not thinking up cool superhero names like Phoenix, Dark Phoenix, or Jean Grey. By the way, because this is an E-rated game, they can’t say the full name of Juggernautbitch.
I question the basic premise of this table, which is the X-Men fighting Magneto. I’m not convinced of the wisdom of using a steel ball to go up against a guy whose mutant superpower is telekinetic magnetism. But there’s Magneto, front and center, doing archvillain stuff like grabbing your balls. Speaking of balls, my favorite thing about this table is the waterslide. There’s a really awesome waterslide running down the right side of the table. Splash Mountain has nothing on the X-Men lair.
Suffice to say, X-Men is no Fantastic Four. When it comes to team-based tables, I’d just as soon hang out with Rock Hulk, Stretchman, Invisible Girl, and whoever the fourth guy is — Doc, I think — shooting the ball up the Wayne Tower to unlock missions.
3 stars
Xbox 360
Thor is what a pinball table would look like if the designer was getting paid by the color. It’s got ice, and mountains, and lava, and a green ramp, and a dragon, and a golden city. It’s like a D&D campaign colored by some kid who insists on using every crayon in the box.
Unlike the real Thor from the movie, this Thor is very florid, enthusiastic, and encouraging. He refuses to sit still. He jumps around a lot. He frequently makes observations like “mighty!”, “fantastic!”, “awesome!”, “amazing!”, and “fabulous!”. He’s the kind of guy you want as a workout partner. However, he’s constantly talking about how great Asgard is. “Among all nine worlds, Asgard reins supreme!” “Asgard, the golden realm!” “Behold the beauty of Asgard!” He sounds like a spokesperson for the Asgard Chamber of Commerce. “Asgard has affordable housing, quality schools, and a vibrant nightlife!”
But comic book silliness aside, I really like this table. It’s got a lot going on, but unlike something with a steep learning curve like Paranormal, you can very easily figure out some high scoring basics. Knock three times to open the city gates, shoot the ball up the rainbow bridge, and pick a battle. Thor jumps around and beats stuff up. Points ensue. Fabulous!
4 stars
Xbox 360
Coal Cart Calamity is too hard for me so far, which doesn’t bother me a whit. Judging by the comments and reviews, I’m not alone. I’m also not alone in loving it, as the level won this month’s Little Big Planet design contest (LBPC4). Dubbed Sackscience, the contest challenged designers to mess with the laws of physics in the LBP world, which I didn’t find out until after I played the level a few times but makes total sense. As I played it I couldn’t help but think of physics. Seriously. Me! So from that perspective, the entry is clearly a success.
I could explain all the things I love about it besides the lovely frustration it provides, but I think I’ll just say one word and let you discover the rest for yourself. When you do, get back here and tell me what to do with the coal-drop ramp thingy. It’s driving me crazy. For now, the one word I promised:
Magnets.
Click here for the previous Weekly Little Big Planet
Gorph. Sorry about that. I just took a big gulp of coke.
It’s feeding time after the jump Continue reading →
