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RPGameX- Microsoft reveals new Xbox One console May 21, 2013
- True Blood: The Complete Fifth Season Blu-Ray Review May 20, 2013
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Microsoft reveals new Xbox One console
May 21st, 2013
Though the E3 Expo in Los Angeles is only a couple of weeks away, on Tuesday, May 21, Microsoft announced the new Xbox One system. Don Mattrick President of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft got down to business pretty quickly and after a short video revealed an actual system on stage. After the big reveal Don Mattrick quickly passed the presentation over to others for some demoing. In their continuing attempt to take over the living room, the non-gaming apps got first billing at the event.
Utilizing the new Xbox One Kinect system, the system will serve as a voice and motion controlled video switch similar to a tabbed system. The console will also be able to multitask these applications in a number of picture in picture windows. The technology that runs the new Xbox icludes 8GB Ram and a Blu-ray drive. The new Kinect camera is 1080p can detect subtle rotations and even your heartbeat. The controller has undergone some tweaking. Microsoft’s new system will also have built in tablet integration with Microsoft SmartGlass. The new system will get a New Xbox Live too with a built in DVR and video editing feature supported by over 300,000 servers.
Some Xbox One exclusives include the latest in Xbox’s racing staple, Forza Motorsports 5 and Quantum Break, a new action adventure game by Max Payne and Alan Wake developer, Remedy. Microsoft announced they are working on 15 new games, eight of which are new IPs. If that weren’t enough, a new Halo TV series by Steven Spielberg is coming to Xbox One. One of the most popular games on Microsoft’s current console is Call of Duty and Activision was on hand to show off the upcoming Call of Duty: Ghosts. The impressive reveal showed the Xbox One in action.
The new Xbox One will be available this year. More details about the system will be revealed at the Xbox E3 press conference on June 10 at the Galen Center in downtown Los Angeles.
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True Blood: The Complete Fifth Season Blu-Ray Review
May 20th, 2013Article first published as Blu-ray Review True Blood: The Complete Fifth Season on Blogcritics.
The final book in Charlaine Harris’ The Southern Vampire Mysteries or The Sookie Stackhouse Novels has made its way into stores just before, HBO begins airing the sixth season of True Blood. Though the series is loosely based on the novels, there is certainly no need to attach any time table based on the number books. As a matter of fact, the television show almost shuns its origins in its variance to the source material. What season six beginning does mean, is that the previous season is now available on DVD and Blu-ray. HBO’s True Blood: The Complete Fifth Season on Blu-ray with HBO Select, DVD and Digital Download has pretty much all of your media needs covered.
The very busy fifth season of True Blood picks up right where season four ended. If you need a refresher, Debbie broke into Sookie’s house and tried to kill her for stealing her were-man. Sookies’s friend Tara then ends up in the middle of the fight and mortally shot for her effort. Sookie managed to wrestle the shotgun away from Debbie and executed her. First, Tara’s cousin Lafayette shows up and soon after so does Eric’s progeny Pam. After some pleading, arguing, and deal making Pam decides to help “save” Tara. Pam’s version of saving of course means turning Tara into a vampire, as if Tara wasn’t ill-tempered enough.
Of course that’s not quite enough drama for an entire season of True Blood. The main story line is a result of the trouble Eric and Bill had with the witches and the resulting confrontation with vampire spokesperson, Nan Flanagan. Though Eric and Bill are set to be executed after their interrogations, they offer to solve the new Russell Edington issue in exchange for their lives. These two storylines are probably enough for most series to run with, but True Blood isn’t like most series. There is an Alcide storyline along with one for Sam and Luna. Jason’s adventures pull in Jessica and Hoyt. The largest subplot though, is about Merlotte’s employees Arlene and Terry. They have both a human and a supernatural problem, and even the bumbling sheriff Andy Balfour has his own story arc.
It’s this type of busy narrative that has led many to openly wonder if the over the top series has lost its way. The fifth season of True Blood was actually the first to show a ratings decline, though many state the series’ apex was either season two or three. Granted, there are a number of great characters in Bon Temps, but they probably don’t all need a story arc each season. Considering the books are all written as if from Sookie’s perspective, the show’s multiple points of view is a pretty considerable deviation. The upcoming sixth season might show some formulaic changes with Alan Ball giving up his day to day supervision.
HBO is offering True Blood: The Complete Fifth Season in a fairly robust Blu-ray edition. The package includes the five Blu-ray discs, a separate fold-out with the episodes on two double sided DVDs, and a code for downloadable digital episodes. The digital copy is redeemable through, iTunes, Vudu, or
Amazon, as well as an UltraViolet copy through supporting providers. There are of course a wealth of extras here, including what may be the last episode commentary with show runner Alan Ball. At the risk of sounding ungrateful, the only thing missing is a copy, digital or otherwise, of the soundtrack which is always brilliant.
HBO has earned a reputation of putting out quality products and this True Blood volume is no exception. The video is offered in an almost too detailed 1080p in a 16:9 1.78 format that approaches the line of breaking the illusion. That is a much sharper version than is broadcast on cable and satellite. The contrast is well maintained and the colors are dead-on authentic. The English language audio is offered in the lossless DTS-HD Master Audio format with impeccable surround transitions and precise LFE thumps. Even the French language offering is in Dolby Digital 5.1, though the Spanish language is given the stereo DTS treatment. For the majority of the 720 minutes of content English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Swedish, and Norwegian subtitles are available.
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Darkstalkers Resurrection PSN Review
May 20th, 2013Article first published as PSN Review: Darkstalkers Resurrection on Blogcritics.
Despite their underutilization, the Darkstalkers are one of my favorite Capcom franchises. The motley crew of groovy ghoulies at one point, had their own cartoon, a much better anime mini-series, and have been featured in a number of manga and western comic books. Though, they’ve only starred in 2D fighting games a few of the characters, most notably Morrigan and Felicia have made their way into other Capcom efforts. Though there have been a number of rereleases, it’s been over 15 years since a new Darkstalkers game has been released. With so much fiction written around the series, it’s a shame that the characters haven’t yet been featured in a more accessible genre.
Darkstalkers Resurrection is yet another release of the second and third Darkstalkers games from the nineties, Night Warriors: Darkstalkers Revenge and Darkstalkers 3. This collection is a port of the U.S. arcade versions which means the bonus characters in the old console versions are missing. That leaves 15 characters in Darkstalkers 3 and 14 characters in Night Warriors: Darkstalkers Revenge. You can switch back and forth between the two games by pressing the select button on the Dual Shock controller. Speaking of the Dual Shock controller, if you have an arcade stick, that is definitely the instrument of choice.
Though the Darkstalkers have been recently relegated to cameo appearances, the series was at one time one of Capcom’s best properties. As such, many of the standards in 2D fighting games were first introduced in the Darkstalkers games. Those that have played Street Fighter or Marvel vs. Capcom will feel right at home with the high, middle, low punch and kick system. The game does also offer custom mapping which unfortunately adds a level of difficulty to the tutorials. Darkstalkers Revenge introduced air blocking, air dashing and ability to perform extended chain combos. There are also multiple special gauge bars that can be built up to unleash ES and EX moves. Darkstalkers 3 introduced the dual health bar/one round system for faster paced gameplay and the Dark Force system which gives a character a unique ability for a short time.
Though this pair of Darkstalkers games have gotten the HD treatment, there is no new game art. This means that characters, backgrounds and video are still the same as they were almost 20 years ago. They are optimized for HD which in some ways means the graphics look worse. Where a lower resolution screen would smooth out the pixels, HD monitors don’t. In that way, this is a very retro affair and the presentation options highlight that. While the screen can be stretched for widescreen, the default is a bordered screen with hints and goals in the side bars. If you really want to relive the past, you can play in simulated arcade cabinet and even add scan lines.
Darkstalkers Resurrection can be played with a friend on your couch or in a tournament with up to eight others online. Players waiting for their turn to fight can view and discuss ongoing matches with the Spectator Mode. The Watch with Friends mode allows players in a private room to download or stream matches. Players can also save replays of their match and upload it to either the game’s server or directly to YouTube. The GGPO enabled online game play ensures a fairly lag free experience online, though beginners will likely only find frustration at the hands of arcade veterans.
Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen Playstation 3 Review
May 6th, 2013Article first published as PlayStation 3 Review: Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen on Blogcritics.
It’s been just short of a year since I originally reviewed Capcom’s Dragon’s Dogma. It was a pleasant surprise since I had seen the game at the E3 Expo in Los Angeles the year before, but was unable to really get a grip on what the game was about. Dragon’s Dogma is action RPG that falls somewhere between Oblivion or Skyrim, Demon’s Souls and Shadow of the Colossus. Like the Elder Scrolls games, Dragon’s Dogma gives players an open world to explore, but random difficulty spikes can really put a wrench in your plans. Like an action-adventure game, your character can jump and climb obstacles and even monsters.
Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen for old school gamers is basically Super Dragon’s Dogma. The release includes the original game with a handful of improvements and a pretty tough 15 hours of extra content in the new location. It’s not as if the main game isn’t tough enough though and Capcom recommends players reach at least level 50 before attempting the island. As I said last year, even regular travel is dangerous and auto-saves can be a ways apart. This new edition does offer some extra fast travel ability. Those that transfer their save game from the original get a huge travelling bonus.
Dark Arisen offers 25 new enemies, including Death, who I wouldn’t recommend taking on if you haven’t saved in awhile. There is nothing more frustrating than an instant death if you haven’t been diligent. That brings me to another point. Dragon’s Dogma requires a lot of discipline. You need to save often and don’t try to take on more than you can handle. You don’t have to tip toe through areas like in Demon’s Souls, but it’s easy to end up surrounded and over your head. That and a random griffon dropping out of the sky can put an end to an escort mission awfully quick.
Like Skyrim, the narrative in Dragon’s Dogma is pretty light. That’s the price we currently pay for most open world games. This is evidenced most notably in the ending scenes of Dragon’s Dogma that lack more than a hint of context from your adventure. The lack of purpose is remedied somewhat in the new area of Bitterback Isle. Once you arrive, you’re given pretty good direction about what your goal is and there is a real story to unearth. Once you’ve done everything, the ending stops your adventure, but the game does offer a new game plus option to let you redo things a little differently.
Inhumans DVD Review
May 6th, 2013Article first published as DVD Review: Inhumans on Blogcritics.
For most people, the name Inhumans doesn’t mean much. It certainly doesn’t conjure the same level of recognition that The Avengers, Fantastic Four or X-men do. That doesn’t mean that there’s not interesting story attached to this Marvel franchise. The Inhumans were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby back in 1965 and made their first appearance in the Fantastic Four that year. Though the history of this group of superheroes is long, they never found the commercial success of the big Marvel names. This relative anonymity offered a great opportunity for a reboot, which is exactly what Marvel Knights did with the series back in 1998.
Marvel Knights Animation is a hybrid comic-animation series where the original comic art is enhanced and animated for video. The work is scored and voiced, but the end result isn’t quite the same as standard animated media. The drawback is that there is no full motion, but that’s counterbalanced with the quality of the original artwork. In the case of Inhumans, that art work is the work of the iconic Jae Lee. Individual episodes are available on iTunes digitally or as collection from Shout Factory on DVD.
The bonus feature on the Inhumans DVD release gives a lot of insight into how a lesser known group in the Marvel Universe ended up getting such an impressive reboot. The majority of the nearly half hour long segment is spent with Eisner Award-Winning Writer Paul Jenkins. Though the presentation of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s classic work was often geared towards a younger audience, many of the themes were actually much more relevant. It was this aspect of the Inhumans’ story that appealed most to Jenkins. Even though he had almost no knowledge of their lore was able to pick up on the spirit of the classic characters and give them new life.
Jenkins’ version of the Inhumans is part Heroes, part Game of Thrones. The Inhumans are a race of genetic mutants that live on secluded island kingdom of Attilan, preferring not to mix with the outside world. What makes their plight even stranger is that their genetic mutations are self-inflicted. Each Inhuman, endures exposure to the Terrigan Mists in an adolescent rite of passage. It is a strange substance that imparts powers, some extraordinary, some monstrous. In this story, the kingdom of Attilan is under attack from both the outside and within. The Royal Family must repel the foreign invaders who blast at their outer defense and weather the internal threat of the king’s brother.
The Inhumans’ dark and compelling story is certainly worth watching though the lightly animated style isn’t for everyone. Listening to the credit roll music and sitting through those credits every ten minutes or so did start to wear on me about half way through, but the story is genuinely good enough to make up for it. For comic fans, there are a couple of Marvel superheroes with short appearances throughout the episodes. As with other Marvel Knights Animation DVDs, the release is pretty barebones. There is the one bonus feature and the audio is only in stereo English though the transfer is nice and bright. The total running time of the DVD is 132 minutes.
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Injustice: Gods Among Us Xbox 360 Review
April 26th, 2013Article first published as Xbox 360 Review: Injustice: Gods Among Us on Blogcritics.
I have to be honest. I wasn’t swayed by the heavy marketing campaign that the Los Angeles based publisher, Warner Bros. has been running for Injustice: Gods Among Us. It isn’t that I’m not a fan of superheroes. I’ve been a casual comic book reader and sometimes collector since the end of the Bronze Age of comics. The real issue is that as a rule, I don’t believe fighting games are worth a full AAA game price. They are too limited in scope and as an entertainment package are inferior to other genres. The ironic thing is that Injustice is made for gamers like me.
The Mortal Kombat series has found a niche as the guilty pleasure of fighting games. It has nowhere near the technical precision and balance of games like Blaz Blue or Capcom’s 2D offerings. Developer NetherRealm seems satisfied with their audience and their model is really the perfect choice for creating fighting games for other IPs. Recently at the L.A. Games Conference, a couple of panelists pleaded with a Warner Bros. executive to try to make a deal with Disney to merge the Marvel and DC universes. You might remember that NetherRealm did merge DC Comics superheroes with their own Mortal Kombat characters a few years ago.
Where Injustice: Gods Among Us really stands apart is in the narrative for the single player campaign. The story is pretty fantastical and one that you would expect from comic books before they went all dystopian. That’s not to say the campaign is entirely consistent, there were a couple sequences that didn’t make a lot of sense, though trying to include so many playable characters is certainly a challenge. Though the campaign was a little Batman heavy, there are 24 playable superheroes and villains out of the box with more characters to be offered as DLC.
There are certainly other fighting games that have tried providing a full campaign to their games. Recent Naruto and Shin Megami entries have offered story modes that are nearly as ambitious, but their presentation style isn’t as appealing to western audiences. As fun and lengthy as the campaign was to play through, I did wish there was more. Injustice does offer the ability to choose a hero or villain and play through a short epilogue of sorts which is unique to each character. Once you’re done with all of that, there are also S.T.A.R. Lab missions that offer unique gameplay challenges to unlock additional content.
The controls for Injustice are understandably a little different from Mortal Kombat’s to accommodate this super powered cast. Unfortunately, this game has followed the trend of removing physical manuals. There is a tutorial system, but only the basics are really covered. The d-pad controls your character’s movement and the analog sticks are not used at all in this 2D fighting game. The face buttons are mapped to a light, medium and heavy attack with the B button designated for character specific special attacks. Pressing both bumpers will execute a character specific super move if the meter is charged.
Sacred Citadel PSN Review
April 26th, 2013Article first published as PSN Review: Sacred Citadel on Blogcritics.
The bankruptcy proceedings of Los Angeles based THQ are finally over and one of the big winners of the public auction is European publisher Deep Silver. The publisher is probably best known for the Dead Island games and now owns the Metro series, Saints Row and developer Volition. In a previous acquisition, Deep Silver was also able to take over the Sacred RPG franchise. While there is no firm release date for the isometric RPG, Sacred 3, the side-scrolling, beat-em up, RPG prequel is available now. Though it might be hard to imagine, this arcade style mash-up, Sacred Citadel does directly relate to the franchise.
The plot in Sacred Citadel appears to take place long before the events that have been revealed for Sacred 3. In this game, the land of Ancaria is in grave danger and the evil Ashen empire has enslaved its population. They are using the orc-like Grimmoc to wipe out the Seraphim, and it is your job to defeat them. From what has been revealed about the premise of Sacred 3, the Seraphim are long gone. To get through this more casual prequel, players have the choice of four characters. Oddly only three players can play at one time though, either locally or online. Drop-in/drop-out gameplay is only available for online multiplayer.
The four characters to choose from in Sacred Citadel are a Warrior, Mage, Ranger, and Shaman. Though the cartoonish representations imply distinct differences, unfortunately there is not a huge difference in play styles. They can each dual wield with the Warrior as the only player that defaults to two melee weapons. The rest of the characters have both a melee and missile attack. Of course, dropped loot and the shop offer plenty of opportunity to upgrade throughout the game. This loot system and the character upgrades are the adopted RPG elements that differentiate the game from its Double Dragon roots.
Sacred Citadel controls like you would expect a side scrolling beat-em up, with a few added wrinkles. Besides jumping and the standard and special attacks, your character can block, perform combat rolls and run. Potions can be consumed conveniently on the fly with the d-pad. This all sounds great on paper, but the actual application is more of a mixed bag. Besides the all too similar gameplay between characters, the combat can be gamed due to the very basic enemy A.I. patterns. Except for the bosses, the combat is fairly one dimensional and even they aren’t too difficult.
2013 L.A. Games Conference and gaming
April 20th, 2013
Thursday, April 18, 2013, D.M.W.’s L.A. Games Conference kicked off at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood. This is the first year that the conference takes place over two days and even with the expansion, it has trouble accommodating all of the content. The more complete focus on gaming was evident from the initial roundtable on “The State of the Games Industry.” The five-member panel included industry analyst icon, Michael Pachter, Chris Early from Ubisoft, the always insightful Nanea Reeves, now COO of Machinima and was balanced with the insight of game designer, Raph Koster (Ultima Online.)
Mobile superstars like Rovio and SuperCell, the creators of Angry Birds and Clash of Clans respectively were roundly dismissed as outliers and not suitable providers of instruction about the gaming industry as a whole. The only real takeaway that can be gleaned is a new trend of a huge number of low risk forays into the market with the hope that eventually one gets noticed and is hugely successful. As you can imagine, with this type of market saturation, the chances of creating a new brand is increasingly difficult. A better opportunity does seem to lie in what is called mid-core games, which could best be described as similar to last gen console games.
It only took about a half an hour for E.A.’s recent and disastrous launch of Sim City. Machinima’s Nanea Reeves offered the mention, though Pascal Brochier E.A.’s Senior Vice President of Americas Publishing was next up at the podium. Brochier understated the highly criticized launch of Sim City as an “opportunity.” The majority of his time was spent on a gaming survey run by Ipsos over Q4 2012. The results showed 68% of Americans aged six to 64 are gamers. The real puzzle in the data is in deciphering opportunities between retail, mobile and other online gaming. Retail makes significantly more money, though mobile has more transactions and other online services have significantly more engagement.
Previously the L.A. Games Conference focused on computer platforms and Facebook. The new format presents a more balanced approach to gaming overall. For the most part time blocks were split into dual tracks with one offering a choice between “How to Win the Free-to-Play Jackpot” or “What’s Next in Console Gaming?” Considering the big hits in mobile and the transitory period of console gaming, they are both relevant topics. It is worth noting for those looking at getting into game development, that if you want to develop for the major consoles, you need a solid track record. Your best bet is to develop for an open platform like mobile first and then work your way on to Xbox Live or the Playstation Network. If you’re good, you could then move on to retail for consoles.
The event wrapped up Friday, April 19, 2013 with the general session topic of “Game Development in Los Angeles: Future Prospects – Promise or Peril in the City of Angels.” The segment was moderated by James Selby, Director of Monkey King Games and Chair of the Los Angeles Chapter of the International Game Developers Association. Also on the panel were Tian Mu, Co-founder of Naked Sky; Kellee Santiago, Ouya’s Head of Developer Relations, previously a founder of That Game Company; and Brent Bushnell, CEO of Two Bit Circus. A couple of late additions were L.A. County’s Bill Allen and Ben Hoight from 47 Games. With so many other localities attempting to lure game companies away, it was a fitting end to the event.
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D.M.W. reveals lineup for L.A. Games Conference
April 12th, 2013Yesterday, April 11, 2013, Digital Media Wire announced the final itinerary for the upcoming L.A. Games Conference. D.M.W. began in May 2000 as a publishing company dedicated to the coverage of media, entertainment and technology news. Since its inception, it has developed into a media company that owns and produces several major industry-related conferences, including the upcoming conference at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. In past years, the event has been held on a single day. This year the gathering will run Thursday April 18 through Friday April 19.
Key figures from the gaming industry are scheduled to address the group. Most hated company and Mass Effect publisher, EA as well as Activision, Ubisoft, Zynga, Playstation, Machinima, YouTube, Warner Bros., NBC, CBS will have representatives on hand. The two-day event features 11 panels, three keynotes, three roundtables and three presentations as well as exhibits, demos and networking within the historic hotel. The attendees are billed as key decision makers from the game, entertainment and technology industries including company founders, investors, major and indie game publishers, developers, advertisers, mobile companies, members of the media and more.
The event focuses on the many opportunities within the burgeoning game industry including digital and mobile games, investment trends and opportunities and opportunities specific to the City of Los Angeles as it attempts to maintain its position as a media-tech center and hub for game development. For complete agenda, registration and event details please visit: http://www.dmwgames.com.
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Monster Hunter 3: Ultimate Wii U Review
April 6th, 2013Article first published as Nintendo Wii U Review: Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate on Blogcritics.
While I was sitting at Nintendo’s E3 presentation of Wii U games at the Nokia Center in Los Angeles last year, I couldn’t help imagining my favorite RPGs with the new GamePad controller. For many RPG fans that dream has been realized with Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate for the Wii U. For those that are unfamiliar with the action RPG series, Monster Hunter made its debut on the Playstation 2 almost ten years ago. While it’s not as popular here in the United States as other Western action RPGs or even other Japanese RPGs like Final Fantasy, Monster Hunter does have its fans.
Like Mass Effect 3, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate isn’t a really a new game for Nintendo’s latest console. Monster Hunter 3 or Tri as it was called was originally released in 2009 for the Nintendo Wii. The graphics while updates do show some age. That’s not to say Monster Hunter doesn’t look good, but the visuals are unlikely to wow anyone. The most discouraging aspect of the presentation is the lack of voicing in conjunction with poor font selection and the size of the text crammed into the lower left corner. If you don’t like to read a lot, this probably isn’t the action RPG for you.
In the single player campaign of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, players take on the role of a hunter newly arrived in a small island village. A large earthquake just struck the area and the village chief suspects a giant monster is the cause. Of course he’s sending you out to investigate. You are allowed to create and customize your character, though the options are not as robust as the offerings of some RPGs. The game has a particular style and nothing offered will make your character terribly unique. These limitations don’t apply to the variety of cartoonlike oversized weapons you will acquire and master throughout the lengthy adventure.
Players are also given the option of two control schemes. Embracing the second screen option, I chose to have everything moved over to the GamePad screen, including status bars. The controls which must be mastered to progress very far, however do present some issues. During battles, sheathing and unsheathing your weapon along with attacks must be second nature and well timed. Poorly timed and mistaken button presses can result in wasted resources and death. Longtime Monster Hunter fans understand this is part of the game and accept it as a game mechanic. Many newcomers however will likely be frustrated.
