Child of Eden and The Gun Slinger Demo

Child of Eden is one of the games I got most excited about for Kinect.  I saw it at E3 2010 and said I would get it.  For the past few months I have put it in and been amazed by the graphics, music but not impressed with the game play at all.  I like the premise but the game is just difficult and frustrating.  Now before anyone sends me anything, remember I am not a FPS guy.  I am constantly going off screen and have a hell of a time with the motion controls (yes I calibrated Kinect... several times).  I get to the first end guy do about half damage he comes straight at me and death comes my way.  I got this game during Best Buy's BOGO sale earlier this year so it cost me about $25.  Let me just say that trade in value is $5 so it looks like I am not the only one who dropped this title.  Not very family friendly and all in all disappointing.

Oh yeah before you ask I did not try it without Kinect because the box says "better with Kinect" and if that's better I don't want to see worse.

Grade - C-

The Gun Slinger demo was 100% better then expected.  The puppet controls and the whole live audience have sold me on this game BIG time.  This is not just a shooter.  There was platforming and a little fighting but the presentation sells this game (no matter how bad the acting)  The folks at Twisted Pixel have nailed a great demo and this game will be going down on my list for games to get for Kinect.

Quick notes:

• Bought NHL 12 this week game play has not changed much but glad I can knock down the goalies.
• I bought a new Xbox 360 Slim (last one I can promise you that)
• Is there any games that are Sharpshooter enabled that you can play together against AI for PS3, Socom 4 is getting a little stale.

Castle Crashers - Just Good Fun

XBL was one of the last things to work on my "old new" Xbox 250 gb Slim (see previous post) so I finished Castle Crashers on it.  For those who are new to Xbox Live or PSN for that matter, CC is one of the highest selling XBL titles in existence.

The premise is simple bad guys take pretty girls, good guys follow in pursuit and action ensues. This game is button mashing fun with great pick and play ability.  It is classic button mapping: a button for strong attack, regular attack, jump and use item.  The 2d graphics are straight out of a comic book and the guys (and one pink crasher who is free on XBLA) are awesome.  The comedy in the game is hilarious (watch out for the pooping deer) and is very family friendly.  There is some blood but its "cartoony" blood if there is such a category.

The boss battles are a blast (my favorite was the corn, yeah I said corn).  These are old school boss battles with a health meter and a weakness.  Nothing that made me throw down a controller but I had to start from the beginning a couple times but the difficulty was casual.  After death if you have earned enough XP you can upgrade your attack, defense, magic and speed.  Nothing makes that big of difference but toward the end I could see some changes (mostly on speed).  Playing with some friends was great because you can play up to 4 people.  The animal side kicks are cute but felt a bit tacked on.  For those wanting achievement points there are some that are simple and some that will make you scream (running through the barn without getting hit upset me more then once).

Finally the length / value of the game is great.  Sure you could knock it out in a couple of days but the challenge boards and simple premise make this a game you can always come back to with friends and without.

Bottom line if you have played X-men Arcade, Double Dragon or TMNT arcade and liked them this game is for you.  The price of about $15 is great and well worth it.

Grade - A

A few quick hits:

• Started Prototype because Prototype 2 looks cool.  Plenty of cut scenes at the beginning (too many) and is it just me or did they make the buttons for the better moves straight out of SFIIV
• NHL 12 and God Of War: Origins are out today.  Kmart has the best deal but I foolishly ordered at Best Buy.
• Thinking about opening a game store, has anyone got one or had any real experience with it?

Xbox 360 Blinking Light of Death = RROD Round 2... My Xbox Slim 2010-2011 RIP

I have said before in this blog that I buy all of my equipment and this week that played out on Tuesday when my 57 week old Xbox Slim 250 gb died suddenly.  That's right I said Slim.  I got what can only be described as the "Yellow Blinking Light of Death".  My Xbox went from a vibrant shiny council to to a non portable PSPGo! that can only play games from the hard drive.  I love Castle Crashers and Limbo but (to quote Chris Carter from ESPN) "come on man".

Let me start from the beginning to set the stage.  I have been playing Castle Crashers on and off for what feels like 2 years but I know its not.  I finally get to the end and going through the 4 portals and "slim" turns itself off with a slight "pop".  I'm upset but it turns right back on.  I thought maybe I blew a fuse (little did I know I was about blow a fuse).  So "slim" turns right back on with a nice strobe light effect for the power button.  I see the yellow light blinking and think I better check with forum gods to find out what the hell this means.  I turn to the Internet and come to the conclusion: contact the good folks at Xbox support.  I call the number and we start to troubleshoot.  Power Brick - checks out ok.  Unplug and reset - still blinking light.  Take out HD and turn on - still strobing.  Finally he says "open the disc and try a game" and then nothing happens.   Diagnosis - "bad disc drive".  Here was the kick in the head.  Dante (maybe from Devil May Cry) says in his most evil boss battle boss "I'm sorry your warranty expired July 28th it will cost you $100 to send it in to fix it".  Have you ever played (insert your favorite game) on line and been winning then the other person leaves with no warning... that is how it felt.  I was 5 weeks out of warranty. I was crushed.  I felt I had been finally defeated when they told me that the repair comes with a 90 day warranty on that repair.  It was like so far on a board having to start the entire level over again (I'm looking at you Demon Souls).  I hung my head and the phone up.  I looked at my games on the shelf, the Kinect seemed to look away from me as if betrayed by it's own family.

I had the Xbox 120gb Elite and found someone to buy it.  I liked the fact that "slim" had a bigger hard drive and WiFi built in.  I liked the look of the new system.  The way it shined in the stores.  Now I have to decide new system or get it fixed.  Gamestop claims they will give me about $90 in store credit for the paper weight.  So I want to warn you readers if that white or non shiny  Xbox is working please let it stay on the shelf until he/she gives up the ghost.  I wonder if that guy who bought my Xbox elite is treating her right... she deserved better anyway.

As for Microsoft you may want to start to look into this problem because all the slims are coming are going out of warranty and with Gears 3 right around the corner it would be terrible if this starts happening all over again.  You have admitted fault before it may be time to raise your hand one more time.  The Halo ad campaign said "Remember Reach" my new slogan when I look at my Xbox games is "Remember the 57th week". 

L.A. Noire or as I refer to it Light Rain

I did not play Red Dead Redemption and have been told by many people that I need to.  I ignored them but when I saw Rockstar games making LA Noire I watched and listened.  I remember the Naked City Trailer and realized that I had to jump in. I preordered at Best Buy to get the goodies and the extra offers.  Last night I finished it and well I was a little disappointed.  Not because it was over but I felt at the end it kind of went all over the place. 

First let me just say the graphics are incredible.  I thought Heavy Rain (PS3) was a step in the right direction and this made it look like it was running on the PS2.  The voice work is awesome also.  The language is crude but real.  This is not a game you can pop in when the kids are in the room.  The plot is good but much like some movies runs a little long.  There is an M rating on this and it should be.  The music is great, this is one of the few games where a soundtrack may have been a cool add in.  "Stone Dead in the Market" was by far my favorite and if you look at the credits (there is something small at the end) you will see some incredible names.  The attention to detail was incredible.

The game play is fun and really puts you into the shoes of Cole (Badge #1247).  You do a little bit of everything from driving (trailing a vehicle can make you want to throw a stick through your TV), shooting, a few puzzles, and stealth (one of the most fun).  The problem is the game play pretty much the same straight through which is not a bad thing.   The side missions are all pretty similar and there is the option of doing 40.  One will get you a trophy if you are into that.  In addition to the side missions there are 95 cars to collect.  You can drive anything, just go up to any car and get in (the music and ads on the radio are a nice touch also).  It was fun for a while but after 40 cars I got kind of bored and went back to the main story.  Hitting 20 of the 30 landmarks which was also fun.  The detail was so incredible you can tell this game took some time.

The actual story could have been a movie and the producer could have done just a little bit of editing.  The story is broken down into 21 cases and to get to the next level you need to find the clues to make your case.  Its kind of nice because the save points are plentiful and you can easily do entire case an hour with the exception of a few.  They all start out pretty much the same with some "killer" cut scenes.  You question individuals and must choose between truth, doubt and lie.  You can always back out of a lie if you want.  Your character says the same thing "sometimes you have to shake the tree..." anytime you back out of a lie.   Reading people was hit and miss.  I found if they looked you in eye and didn't twitch too much it was a "truth" by the end I was hitting "doubt" most of the time.  It was fun to catch some one in a lie and have the evidence to back it up.  The second act could have been shorter and the final act felt like it should have been longer.  Using the "intuition" system as help was kind of cool.  As your rank moves up you get these "points" and are able to ask the community or eliminate an answer.  When they would eliminate the "truth" the choice between doubt and lie blurred.  If you said lie you better be able to back it up and I can tell you around case 16 or 17 I didn't know what the hell was going on and somehow got through it.  I agree with my fellow reviewers that the end is a bit of a bummer but its worth playing through.  Bottom line it was fun and well worth the time but in my opinion not as good as Heavy Rain.

Grade - B+

Some small notes:

The Vita looks great it will be a must buy
Pac Man DX is great better then the original and well worth the price.
Limbo on PS3 for $15 seems steep for a game that's a year old
That Limbo - Trials HD - Splosion Man pack for $10 at Best Buy was a great deal
That PSN hack was out of control.  I kept checking it like I was waiting for something in the mail.
My friends and I are still playing Socom 4 on Tuesdays hit me up and I'll add you to the friends list

What I'm Playing:

PS3 - I have a huge back log I'm thinking about Castlevania or Tiger Woods 12
Xbox 360 - Alan Wake (this got bumped to play LA Noire)
Wii - Super Mario Bros.
PSP - Hot Shots Open Tee

Socom 4 - Multi-Player that will take you back - Starting Alan Wake

If you looked through my collection you will not find any FPS games.  Some people say I am missing out on great games but I will tell you that I just plain am not good at them.  While my friends were playing Halo 3 I was playing Ninja Gaiden and Ratchet and Clank.  From a few posts back you will see that I have the Sony Sharpshooter to go along with my PS Move and I love it.  Socom 4 came out to OK reviews but I have a few friends who purchased PS3s and we wanted a game we could all play.  Enter Socom 4... Mind you this is only the multi-player, I have not tried the single player campaign as of today, but its a lot of fun.  Using the Sharpshooter is easy and accurate so if you have the gun this is a must have anyway but playing with a few friends takes me back to sitting around my room playing Nintendo Tecmo Bowl with some friends.  The ability to make your own private room and play with just people on your friend's list is a blast.  Teaming up against the AI has been fun and started "Socom Nights".  The wives love it because we are home and know exactly what we are doing due to the screaming teamed with the profanity that spews from the depth of my man cave.  The graphics are great, the soundtrack will not win a Grammy and the M rating is dead on because of the violence as well as the language.  There is a slim possibility you may pick up a foreign language if you play this enough but the use will not be practical unless you are playing a game of hide and seek where you hate all the other players.  The learning curve is a little steep but soon you will be throwing grenades with the best of them shouting "fire in the hole".  I will review the rest of the game at a later date but right now just based on the multi player aspect I am willing to grade it right now.  If interested shoot me your gamertag and you can see when we are playing and jump on in.  We could use a vetran and we can always add one more newbie to the clan, headsets are preferred but not required.

Grade - B (Multi Player only)

I have not written a blog in a while and have had plenty going on both personally and professionally.  To update what I am currently playing:
PS3: Socom 4 & LA Noire (the graphics are as advertised)
Xbox 360: Alan Wake (play it with the lights off)
PSP: Hot Shots Golf and Castlevania Dracula X (just started)
Wii: Batman Brave and Bold (I keep putting it in but not hitting the power button)

Alan Wake is as advertised.  The constant battery gathering is a tad annoying but the story is great.  The premise is very a "summer read" (or should I say e-read now?).  The controls are good.  I will review later.  I picked this up at Blockbuster used for $10 and it had the downloadable content still in the box which was a plus.

Finally I am coming up on 100 hits to the site.  Maybe we can do some kind of giveaway if I hit a 1000.  Any ideas let me know...

Monopoly Streets - Mortgage it

When EA went on to make a "new updated" Monopoly Streets I sold off my "original" Monopoly Xbox 360 version and purchased the new one.  I think I may have mortgaged the wrong property.  Monopoly Streets is an updated version of Monopoly with fancy graphics but basically the same game play.  I took it out of the back log last night and threw it in my PS3 just to be disappointed 2 hours later.  The graphics are average, the characters are annoying and I just was not that impressed by it.  Let me just give a few examples:  Who ever thought of the "Daisy Duke" type girl for the wheel barrow should have to play Sonic the Hedgehog for the rest of his/her life.  If I heard one more "Yee-Haw" I think I was going to throw the controller through the tv.  The race car driver and boat captain are not much better either.  The problem is it is the same animation over and over again.  It gets to point where you are annoyed and can not hit the fast foward button fast enough.  Next the dice shake is a 2 button push instead of one.  Come on, if  you want to change it up use the sixaxis or Move controller, it seems lazy and tacked on.  The game also has people walking up and down the street that never interact with the characters and much like Casper they ghost right through when they walk by.  Show them watching the construction being built or have them visit me in jail. 

There are other ways to play to speed things up (dealing out the properties, Jackpot mode, etc.) if that is what you want but if you are having friends over I would not put this in unless there is nothing else to play.  This is a game I looked forward to and felt like I got it for steal at $30 instead its getting traded in at Gamestop as part of the 2 for $50 deal for LA Noire which seems like a great idea.  Two word review: Sad Face

Grade D - get the original

The Shoot - Fun on the Rails + PS3 Sharpshooter !!

Let me start this review saying that I picked up The Shoot on clearance at Target for $9.98 and it was well worth that.  The Shoot is a classic arcade rail game that you just point and shoot with the PS Move controller.  The basis is a bit simple, you are the star actor and go around shooting whatever comes at you without hitting the "civilians".  The director yells "encouragement" to you why you go through the levels.  The levels are simple.  Let me stress this game is for casual and trophy folks only.  Do not pick this up and expect the depth of Killzone 3 or Resident Evil 5.  There is no blood so the kids can play and everyone can see how accurate the Move is.  The graphics are fine the director gets annoying 10 minutes in.  Despite some of the flaws I found myself having some fun.  In some parts you have to duck to take cover and others you have to dodge knives and other objects thrown at you.  I was into it.  There are some power ups that include slowing time down, a shot that kills most enemies on the screen and one that allows you to go Rambo and not having to worry how many shots you fired.  Accuracy does come into play it is not  just how many times I can fire on the screen.  The "draws" are a bit hard to get used to ("draw when he pulls his gun" is more difficult then it should be).  The game is average and if you can find it for $15 or less this is fun distraction before you "move" onto your next game. But stay away at full retail....

Grade - C (one of the best clearance games I have bought)

Also this week I purchased the new PS3 Sharpshooter gun.  This is easy to use and a blast to play with.  The set up is simple and buttons light when the pieces are put together correctly.  Some would argue it is a little heavy with the Move wand and analog stick in it but after trying the Killzone 3 demo with it I was hooked.  You will like the pump reload to give that slight sense of realism.  I am not a FPS guy.  I do not own any FPS shooter games.  As a matter of fact I was upset the end of Ninja Gaiden 2 because of how much you had to rely on the bow and arrow.  The gun is the best "gun" I have used since I was Duck Hunting some 20 years ago on the NES.  At $40 its not bad but if you want to wait there is supposed to be a Socom 4 pack that includes game and gun. This gun dusted off my PS Move

Grade - A

Agree or disagree with the reviews, let me know...

Games I just started PS3: LBP2 and Enslaved  Xbox 360: Peggle

Brains? Plants Vs Zombies Review

As far as XBLA goes Limbo and Castle Crashers are some of my favorites but running close behind is Plants vs. Zombies.  The disc version of the game is yet another tribute to Pop Cap games and all their Peggle goodness.  At $20 the disc is the way to go and not just because you get the addicting Peggle (and the less addictive Zuma).  PvZ is just a fun tower defense game with great graphics.  If you liked Pixel Junk Monsters on PSN then you should have this game for the 360.  The premise is very simple: zombies are coming in the backyard and you must use different plants to stop them using everything from pea shooters to mushrooms.  The level design is very straight foward and your strategy will vary from board to board depending on the elements.  You must deal with day, night, water, rooftops and more.  The Zombies vary by design and you will have to choose the right set of weapons to defeat different creatures of the night.  In my opinion the zombies with a balloon are by far some of the toughest to defeat with the pole jumping zombies right behind. 

This game is the right amount of challenge and fun with boards taking as little as 15 or so minutes.  This game also stars Crazy Dave who works as the shop keeper to add extra weapons to the arsenal.  He is a trip when he comes on the screen.  This game is for all ages and is very pick up and play.  This game also features some mini games that are quick and fun to play.  Zombie bowling is fun, don't worry its nothing like Wii Bowling.  On these long winter nights this game is both economical and fun but can be hard to find so you may have to look around.  I looked this morning and Best Buy did not have it listed on their Buy One $19.99 and get one half off sale.

Grade - A

Update: Force Unleashed 2 - PS3 - This is not the game you are looking for...

One of my Christmas gifts this year was the brand new Force Unleashed II for the PS3.  As a child that grew up in the Star Wars era this game is right up my alley.  The first game was great (I had the good ending for the first one) and I am disappointed to say the second one is not.  Let me explain before the hate mail starts.  I am almost through the game so its not liked I picked it up for 10 minutes and thought more of the same.  The story is not as good as the first one and I am not ruining anything for you by telling you the cameos by Yoda and Boba Fett are just that... cameos.  As a matter of fact the Yoda subplot actually feels tacked on.  The gameplay is the same so its mostly pick and play.  The new force rage is very much like God of War.  The double jump dash is a bit annoying you will find yourself really having to concentrate to make a few crucial jumps.  The violence is minimal and if the kids watch the cartoon they can handle this.  One thing that is funny at first but quickly becomes annoying is the chatter among the stormtroopers.  The funniest one is at the beginning on Kamino when they talk about learning to swim.  The boss battles are either easy or hard you will find the board with the casino fun to "explore".  If you want more information on the boss battles shoot me a message I will help where I can. 

Grade - C - Sorry George Lucas

Update:  I finished this game last week and let's just say the end does not save this game.  My only suggestion is when it comes to choices you may want to go toward the light and use You Tube for the other.