It’s November and getting quite cold out, so let’s think about warm things like my fire-breathing friend Spyro. Released in September of 1998, Spyro the Dragon is considered by many to be the “other side of the fence” of Super Mario 64, as it were. As a personal observer of most of these console wars, I would tend to agree with that assessment. The character of Spryo soon became a sort of mascot for PlayStation in the way that Super Mario stands for Nintendo, Sonic the Hedgehog for Sega, and later on, Master Chief for XBOX. That said, I’ve hopefully set up an appropriate buildup for this iconic game.

Plot Characters – 10/10

Spyro makes for a classic sarcastic and smart-mouthed hero who has a lot to prove. He’s somewhat of an adolescent but also the only dragon in the five kingdoms who did not become trapped in crystal by the big bad Gnasty Gnorc – enemy of the dragons. He and his trusty companion, Sparx the dragonfly, jump into a grand adventure to free their dragon brethren. However, it’s not as easy as it sounds. Not only did Gnasty trap the dragons in crystal, he also turned the dragons’ beloved treasure of gems into gnorc minions to lord over his newly pilfered realms (and incidentally hassle our pint-sized hero).

The gnorcs and other enemies are your typically cartoonish and campy enemies of this whimsical title. None are terribly difficult to overcome and all are tons of fun bowl through with Spyro’s horns or crisply barbecued with his flame breath. If an enemy does get a hit in at our hero, his sidekick Sparx takes the damage. What a guy! Turning blue from the first hit, green from the second, and disappearing on the third,  he can replenish his energy by eating butterflies.

The five realms are Artisans, Peace Keepers, Magic Crafters, Beast Makers, and Dream Weavers. As Spyro frees the crystallized denizens of the five realms, they will each give him some advice – or snarky observations, as each of the dragons’ personalities warrant, and the dragons’ appearances and manners differ according to their realm.

All in all, it’s a fairly simple plot – defeat the enemies, recover the treasure, and rescue the captives. However, the fun in games of this type does not rely completely in the storyline – it’s how it plays out.

Sound – 10/10

The voice acting is excellent and stands up very well to the test of time. Spyro is excited and sarcastic and each dragon that he releases and consequently converses with has his own unique personality which is expertly represented through the voice acting. Movie buffs may recognize the voice of many of the dragons as Clancy Brown. Not only is this man a talented voice actor, but his acting in films and television shows are impressive. Video game credits for the actor include Crash Bandicoot, as well.

The sound effects are also very good, never glitchy or inconsistent. The music is entrancingly immersive and completely matches each level and each world. It is well-written and mood-inducing. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the general motif and atmosphere of the realms would not be as impressive and memorable had the music been different. The high level of talent here is thanks to Stewart Copeland, who composed and performed the musical themes. For you music fans, Stewart Copeland used to be the drummer for The Police. Does that sting?

Graphics – 8/10

Even though the 3D engine was still relatively new (and impressive) in console games thirteen years ago, it always seemed to me that the N64 had smoother and generally more pleasing graphics. That said, Spyro the Dragon‘s graphics were still impressive and have held up very well to the test of time. The graphics are still pleasing to this day – and not slightly abrasive like some of its fellow PS1 titles. Even with my fond memories of Spyro ushering me into the world of 3D gaming and the title aging gracefully, the graphics did and do leave a tad to be desired. The landscapes and characters are infamously (and admittedly unpleasantly) angular. The camera does not follow Spyro, forcing the player to refocus constantly.

Gameplay – 9/10

It’s a simple formula, really. You run around the levels to collect treasure, ram/flame enemies, and free the crystallized dragons. Sound like something like this would get boring after a while? It has the capacity for that eventuality, I’ll admit it. However, for those who have grown up in my particular gaming generation, this game represents the realization of a dream come true – being able to explore a 3D world in a console video game. I freaking love playing through this game. Not a year has gone by since its release that I haven’t played it again. As I stated above, it’s a fairly simply plot.  Even though the gameplay itself lacks a higher complexity that games of today have standardized, it’s hoplessly addictive and fun to explore the five realms and collect the treasure. My only complaint is that poor Spyro cannot swim – he drowns in water. Hence, nine out of ten.

Overall – 10/10

Overall, I will never get sick of this game and I suspect that I am not alone in this favoritism. It is an iconic title in its generation with a ridiculously loveable and marketable hero. Its popularity isn’t going anywhere, as made apparent by its fairly recent availability as a downloadable title on PS3 and PSP via PSN. Check it out if I’ve whet your appetite and you feel that the price is right at $5.99.

Tags: comic booked, Elizabeth Hourigan, playstation, PS1, PSX, retro review, Spyro, Spyro the Dragon, Throwback Thursday

About the Author

Written by Elizabeth Hourigan

Though eclectic in her interests and hobbies, Elizabeth is best known for her passionate interests in science fiction, music, and video games. She was raised on both Star Wars and Star Trek and she was holding an NES controller since before she could remember; one could imagine where things went from there. She has always experienced anything sci-fi or fantasy as both an emotional catharsis and a creative stimulant. She is a social creature and answers the call of the nightlife but also enjoys sitting in a cafe, quietly reading a book and secretly people-watching; always hoping for scintillating conversations with passersby.

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Article source: http://www.comicbooked.com/throwback-thursday-14-spyro-the-dragon/

Ahoy Internet! Your Infamous Platypus here. It’s November, and with Kyle’s four week engagement with one of the most beloved horror series of all time at a close, I have returned from the depths of World of Warcraft for another edition of Throwback Thursday.  As with my last installment on Brave Fencer Musashi, the game I’ve chosen to take a look at this time requires some back story. Today, I’ll be taking you back into the days where most people were working on about 512 MB of RAM, EverQuest was still a big deal, and World of Warcraft was still in development.  I’m taking you back to the first Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) I’ve ever played. I’m taking you into the world of Ragnarok Online. 

 

Ragnarok Online, (Or RO as it was commonly called) was a simple pay to play game, developed by South Korean company Gravity Interactive, that utilized 2d sprites in a 3d environment. It was released in North America (as iRO or International Ragnarok Online) and offered the standard MMO fare, job systems, spells, skills, experience and monster battles.  I remember wasting away many hours with friends in this game, but does it hold a candle to today’s MMORPG super powers? Well. . .

 

Plot Characters: 2/10

Plot is where Ragnarok Online falls and fails hard. While other MMORPGs such as Ultima Online and EverQuest were rich with lore, RO worked off of a bare minimum story line, roughly based in Norse myth, which had little to no effect on game play.

 

“Scarred during the dangerous moments in battle, and avoiding total destruction altogether, the Humans, God and Demons entered a long truce…Then one day, strange occurrences started happening, breaking the balance that once existed in Midgard. There came a strange howl from the boundaries that divided the humans, God, and demons; creatures began attacking; increasing earthquakes and hail  and…The mysterious legend of demons…”

~Ragnarok Online

And that’s it. A basic explanation about why and what you’re fighting and off you go.  Characters are barely more diverse.  None of them, not even Migard’s king, let alone your own individual personas, have any personality to speak of , making it very hard to speak of plot and characters while speaking of Ragnarok Online.
There be monsters. Kill them.

 

Sound: 8.5/10

Simply speaking, the music featured in Ragnarok Online is beautiful and diverse. While many tracks share the same relaxing qualities, no two are truly alike and each seeks to portray the area in which it plays to perfection. The Background Music (or BGMs) in Ragnarok Online number at over 100 and include a variety of stlyes, such as techno, jazz, trance, rock and orchestral, according to the game’s website.

There is no voice acting to speak of in the game, and the other sounds are merely that to which the monsters make to warn you of their oncoming onslaught. Still, the music of Ragnarok Online is some of the most beautiful I’ve ever heard. It is certainly the first and only time I can really remember choosing to keep the game’s sound on, rather than overlaying it with my own audio tracks.

Here is an example; the music of Geffen; City of Mages:

Graphics: 5/10

My biased opinion? The graphics for Ragnarok Online were cute. Strictly speaking, they were, and still are, nothing special. The 3D environments are rudimentary and leave much to be desired, even for a game made in the early 2000s. The 2D sprites were, if possible, worse. They were hardly customizable outside of custom head accessories and a few different hair styles and colors. Outfits were based on what class you played, and while some servers allowed you to change the colors of your clothes, the official ones did not at the time I played this game.

And that’s precisely what added to the game’s charm. The graphics were so bad they approached good from the angle of cheek pinchingly adorable.  Characters shuffled around the screen with only as much precision as a flat drawing could shuffle around a 3D Map. Monsters were the same; 2D renditions on a 3D plane.  Ragnarok Online gets half credit here for an attempt at originality, and for appealing to my “Dawww” senses, but the point remains, the graphics were far from stunning.

Gameplay: 6/10

This is a hard one to measure; there are so many things I absolutely loved about this game when it was new to me, but most of those things have been completely blown out of the water by more current MMORPGs, and likely even by others of its time (I would not know, RO was the only one I played.)  First, it deserves noting that Ragnarok Online was not very specific in terms of goals. You had a character, you leveled that character. The game did not give or ‘spoil’ us with extras. There were very few , if any quest lines, and the ones that did exist were only to obtain some sort of custom item. There were no ‘instanced’ dungeons, only different maps to fight monsters.  The gameplay of iRO was based around three things:

1. Levels
2.  Loot
3.  PVP

And for me, at age 14, each of these were enough. Levels were truly a joy to obtain, because of the way the character building system worked. When you started playing Ragnarok Online your character (whose gender was based on the one you entered on your account, you could only choose to play males or females) was a Novice. Novices had no real skills, and had to advance to level 10 before they were allowed to embark on a short quest to obtain their class. You could choose one of six (Warrior, Acolyte, Mage, Thief, Archer, and Merchant). In addition to regular levels, which you use to increase attributes (Such as Strength and Intelligence) you would also receive job levels in one of your classes, which would allow you to choose skills and skill trees to level up as well. As soon as you obtained job level 40, you could choose to ‘evolve’ your character into one of two advanced classes. For example, as a Thief, you could become an Assassin or a Rogue. As a merchant (A class that specializes in selling goods to other players) you could become a blacksmith (an item crafting class) or an alchemist (the summoning class). I spent many a night tracking the best builds for my characters on GameFAQs.com before even starting to play them.

Still, the ultimate point of Ragnarok Online, at least for me, was War of Emperium or WoE, which to this day remains my favorite PVP event in any MMORPG (yes, even World of Warcraft). War of Emperium would occur twice a week, in the evenings. At these times, guilds (a group of players banded together under a common banner) would enter the WoE areas to fight other guilds for control over a series of guild fortresses. In an epic bout of capture the flag, some guilds would be on the offensive, attempting to attack the emperium, a large crystal deep in the guild hall. Other guilds would defend their fortress. Whom so ever ended up on the defending side , successfully defending the emperium by the end of the event would get the keep the guild hall….until the next War of Emperium. These events would draw in crowds from all over the online world, and poor lowbies would know to stay far away from these areas when a War of Emperium was going down.

 

Overall: 5.5/10

From an objective standpoint, Ragnarok Online just doesn’t hold up to the MMORPGs of this era. World of Warcraft, which recently announced its new expansion pack, did everything RO  did better, and then some. Even other MMORPGs of its time were way ahead of the game. Still, the fun times I had while playing can not be rated on a number system, and for that reason alone, I still call Ragnarok Online one of the best MMORPGs.

Tags: Emperium, Gravity, iRO, Jobs, Loki, Migard, MMORPG, Ragnarok, RO, WoE

About the Author

Written by InfaPlat

As an avid writer, gamer, and dungeon master, it would be hard to classify Jessica Lynn as anything but a geek. Her favorite past times involve raining unholy fire upon her enemies, devising the next great way to kill her party, and figuring out just how far she can push a PC before it explodes. When not taking out her nerd rage on fantasy characters or inanimate objects, she can be found toiling away in the dungeon known as the IT department. If you’re wondering; InfaPlat is short for Infamous Platypus.

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Article source: http://www.comicbooked.com/throwback-thursday-13-ragnarok-online/

Prepare yourselves for a Power Rangers MMO.

Yes, you heard that correctly. Ntreev, a Korean video game developer, has put together a side-scrolling Power Rangers MMO. The beta, which closed this past Thursday, November 3, features 2 acts with fourteen stages.

Not much is known about the game as of yet, besides that it’s based on the Power Rangers series, Mystic Force. Luckily, through the magic of the internet, we were able to find a video displaying a lot of what the game offers.

I’m not really sure how the MMO aspects come into play as the game looks more like a Final Fight “beat-em-up- to me. Sadly, the video doesn’t offer any giant Zord footage, which is a huge part of every Power Rangers series to date. Will the MMO offer the chance to play as a giant, robotic mystical creature? It better, otherwise what’s the point?

I also wonder how the game will handle the MMO aspect. Will players be able to create guilds and perform raids like is common in most MMOs, a la World of Warcraft? The concept of five rangers doesn’t really allow for that sort of player mixing. Limiting the number of players per instance would be necessary in order to fulfill the requirements of a rangers team. Of course, that would lead to in-fighting over who gets to be the Red Ranger. Will the Power Rangers MMO have a unique play-style? It’s likely.

Sadly, the game is only available in Korea right now, and no plans have yet been made to release it worldwide. Hopefully TOEI, the Japan-based company that produces the Power Rangers shows, will jump on board and help spread the MMO to other regions. As a show that pervades our pop culture, and has since 1993, Power Rangers has proven itself to be a lasting sensation. While there have been multiple video games throughout the years, a game of this magnitude has yet to be undertaken. And with the current popularity of MMOs, including the newly free-to-play DC Universe Online, many fans, young and old, would be likely to sample a Power Rangers themed game.

Or one can hope, at least.

Tags: comic booked, DCUO, Final Fight, gaming, massively multi-player online, Michael Wirth, MMO, Mystic Force, news, Ntreev, Power Rangers, Press release, side-scrolling, TOEI, Video Games, World of Warcraft, Zord

About the Author

Written by Michael Wirth

Hailing from the armpit of America, New Jersey, Michael has been collecting comic books since the age of 10. Now, he deigns to keep his finger on the pulse of pop-culture, keeping up with every passing fad or iconic innovation, never losing sight of his comic book roots.

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Article source: http://www.comicbooked.com/power-rangers-mmo-debuts-in-korea/

One of the PS3′s most anticipated games of the year, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, has finally arrived; but will it live up to the hype?  The previous installment, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, was the first PS3 game to widely receive a perfect score from many reviewers, and set the bar incredibly high.  Uncharted games are third-person treasure hunting blockbuster adventures in the vein of the Indiana Jones or Tomb Raider series.  Developed by Naughty Dog, Uncharted is not only a Sony exclusive series, but has also grown into a cornerstone franchise for the entire Sony video game empire.

This time around Nathan Drake and crew are globetrotting in an effort to find a long lost city, “The Atlantis of the Sands.”  The quest starts by following a trail of clues from Nathan’s ancestor, the famous explorer (and some would say privateer), Sir Francis Drake, and T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia).  Nathan will stop at nothing to prove his theories correct and claim what he sees as his birthright.

Events don’t jump off with the powder-keg excitement of Uncharted 2′s train hanging off of a cliff opening, but are still quite memorable.  Nathan and Sully navigate the wet streets of London and arrive at gritty pub, seemingly inhabited exclusively by Jason Statham-like hard men, where a shady backroom deal quickly goes awry.  Here the player is given a melee combat mechanics crash course in a wonderful barroom brawl sequence.  Punch, counter, throw, smash a bottle over an attacker’s head, or bounce their noggin off of the unforgiving bar; hand-to-hand fighting is easy to pick up thanks to quick-time prompts that flash on the screen.  In no time you will be adept at fisticuffs, just in time for the story to take one of many unique twists as the chapters seamlessly segue. 

In awesome playable flashback sequence in chapter 2, we not only learn how important this lifelong quest is to Nathan, we also learn the origin of his relationship with Sully and the rival parties out to claim Drake’s ancient secret for themselves.  This back-story is excellent because it does a great job of fleshing out the characters, and letting us understand their motivations, flaws and history.  In fact, the Uncharted 3 character development is some of the best I have ever seen in a video game.  The development of great characters is helped along by the superior voice-acting and dialogue that comes off as natural and convincing; hallmarks of the Uncharted games.  Sure, the characters will toss out expected witty banter and one-liners, but they also reveal themselves in small ways if you pay attention.  Nate is intelligent, but will often over-think a situation, only to have Sully chime in with a simple but elegant solution.  These characters have the genuine chemistry of old friends.  Cutter is tough as nails, but claustrophobic.  Other characters will call into question Nate’s personal motivations impact his friends.  These characters are not generic cannon fodder, and are a huge part of what makes Uncharted 3 really work.

Of course, the dazzling graphics do an amazing job of making Uncharted 3 into the playable film that in really is.  The game’s environmental visual elements are just breathtaking.  Early in the game Nate and Sully make their way through a French forest, to a rundown chateau that is situated on the other side of a ravine.  Bright shafts of sunlight penetrate the canopy of leaves and shadows on the ground sway as a breeze gently rustles the flora.  The light provided by sun’s orientation stays consistent throughout the entire area.  Whether seeing headlights reflected an wet London streets, dark catacombs being illuminated by a flashlight or torch, or the relentless sun beating down in the dessert, Uncharted 3 uses lighting to great effect.  I was initially worried that due the nature of the dessert themed story, the vibrant locales and colors that I have come to expect from this series would be left behind in favor of drab sand dunes.  This concern was completely unwarranted, the locales are eye-popping.  The small graphic details add a nice level of realism.  Get wet and Drake’s clothing will darken, then start drying on the shoulders, and gradually return to normal.  The camera angles and cut-scenes add an unrivaled cinematic quality to Uncharted 3.  The game moves so smoothly between gameplay and cut-scenes that players must pay close attention to realize that they are at a point when they are again in control of Drake’s next move.  Some of the set-piece sequences, while a little predictable, are memorable nonetheless.  Camera angles and zooms also provide important clues about your objectives and what path to take.  Character animations were convincing due to small details like blinks, facial expressions, and nice movement that wasn’t stiff.  As would be expected from a game released late in a console’s life-cycle, Uncharted 3 really showcases what the PS3 is capable of graphically.

Uncharted 3 has superb pacing.  The mix of exploration, combat, and puzzle solving is completely on point.  Players never tire of any one aspect, because the variety keeps it all feeling fresh.  This game never feels like a grind at any point, and moves fast.  That said, this is not an open-world game; there are clear paths that must be taken.  Though the paths available to take are predetermined and fairly limited, hunting around for hidden treasures makes the game feel larger.  Even when there are diverging paths, they usually meet back up very quickly.  Combat is fun, and between melee and a variety of firearms, players can find a fighting style to suit their tastes.  You can try to be stealthy, run and gun, use the cover system to take down enemy strongholds when the opportunity presents itself, lob grenades, or find a sniper-rifle and a nice spot to methodically take down the bad guys from afar.  Most of the puzzles in the game are fairly easy, but get stuck long enough and eventually the option to have the solution provided will come up.  Keeping the player engaged and the pace of the game flowing freely was clearly an important consideration in the Uncharted 3 experience.

While Uncharted 3 is the best game I have played this year, there is always room for improvements.  It was a bit baffling why Drake is unable to swim underwater.  Nate is able to briefly dive straight down to a limited depth, but quickly returns to the surface the way he came.  It would have been fun to be able to explore all of the nooks and crannies underwater.  In fact, it would also have been fun to open the game up a bit more to be able to explore the beautiful areas more completely altogether.  It is sometimes hard to judge how far of a fall will kill Nate, and actually seems to vary.  Sometimes Nate is able to make long heroic jumps, and other times will die after falling a few meters.  The enemy AI makes most run-ins quite exciting; camp out in cover and they will flank and charge your position. Other times, however, hostile agents will just watch Drake run up to them and not react at all.  NPCs often block your path and hem you in when in a tight space, though if the collision detection allowed you to just pass through it would be labeled a fault.  There are rumored weapon targeting patches on the way, but I didn’t really run into this issue on my complete initial play-through.  As with most great things, the story campaign went by quite quickly and left me wanting more, but clearly deserves to be replayed with the difficulty maxed-out or to find any treasures missed the first time through.  There is also an online multi-player mode, and a co-op mode that can be played split-screen or online.

Minor gripes aside, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception is definitely a “must-play” game.  It was a beautiful rendered game with great characters, dialogue, writing, and style.  Most importantly, Uncharted 3 is a fun adventure that blurs the line between game and film in ways that set the benchmark for the entire gaming industry.  If you own a PS3, you would be seriously remiss not to experience this exclusive game.  If pressed to give Uncharted 3 a numerical rating, I would score it 9.5/10.  In a relentless month that is dropping such highly-anticipated games as Batman: Arkham City, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and Assasin’s Creed: Revelations, make sure to set some time (and money) aside for Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception – you won’t regret it.  The next installment of the Uncharted series will be a prequel titled Uncharted: Golden Abyss, on the powerful new PS Vita handheld system.  If it is as good as Drake’s Deception, that could prove to be a strong selling-point for the Vita.  Happy gaming!

Tags: 3, Arkham City, Batman, Call of Duty, co-op, comic booked, Elder Scrolls, gaming, Modern Warfare 3, Nathan Drake, Naughty Dog, new, Online, playstation, PS, PS3, Review, Robb Orr, Skyrim, Sony, Sully, Uncharted, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, UNcharted 3, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Video game, Videogame, Vita

About the Author

Written by Robb Orr

Robb Orr is a comic bibliophile and game aficionado from the “Emerald City” of Seattle, WA. He hopes to win enough favor to gain pet status after the upcoming and inevitable monkey apocalypse comes to fruition.

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Article source: http://www.comicbooked.com/uncharted-3-drakes-deception-review/

After a month-long stint with Throwback Thursday, I’m finally back behind the wheel of Gamer Pulse, and I picked such a good week to take over again! We’ve got the new GTA trailer, some major financial news, a new Rainbow Six game, and a few other goodies. So, take a break from Uncharted 3 or Batman: Arkham City and spend some time catching up with the gaming industry.

GTA V Trailer Madness

After posting a tease last week, Rockstar gave the world its first taste of Grand Theft Auto V - and boy was it good. I won’t go off wildly speculating about the implications made by this trailer; instead, I’ll tell you the facts. GTA V will be set in Los Santos, which was one of the major areas in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Los Santos is Rockstar’s re-imagining of Los Angeles. There has been no confirmation about the return of San Fierro or Las Venturas, the other two cities in GTA: SA. The only information Rockstar has given about the game’s setting came from the official press release announcing GTA V:

Developed by series creator Rockstar North, Grand Theft Auto V heads to the city of Los Santos and surrounding hills, countryside and beaches in the largest and most ambitious game Rockstar has yet created.

That same press release also confirmed the inclusion of online multiplayer. Beyond that, we only know what we saw in the trailer. Los Santos is back, and it looks stunning. The environments are marked by a striking realism. Vehicle models, character models, and character movements have all received a massive overhaul as well. Check out the GTA V trailer below:

Nintendo and Sony Report Massive Losses

Both Nintendo and Sony have posted significant financial losses in their Q2 earnings reports. Sony’s Consumer Products Services branch (which is the official home of all things Playstation) posted a total loss of $USD 449 million, citing the recent PS3 price-drop as a major cause of the loss. Nintendo’s losses more than double Sony’s – $USD 926 million. The President’s financial report cites a lack of “hit software titles” across all platforms. The initial failure of the new 3DS (a combination of weak first-party launch titles and an outrageous initial price tag) also cannot be overlooked. Here’s hoping that the holidays are kind to these two gaming giants.

Rainbow 6: Patriots Revealed

The cover story of next month’s Game Informer marks the official unveiling of the next installment in the Rainbow 6 series: Rainbow 6: Patriots. The series, which focuses on the heroics of an elite terrorism squad, is taking a bit of a different approach with the story this time around. While the previous titles, the outstanding Rainbow Six: Vegas and Rainbow 6: Vegas 2, focused on a terrorist plot orchestrated by Mexican terrorists, Patriots will focus on domestic terror. Take a look at the plot synopsis provided by Game Informer:

The December issue of Game Informer features 12 exclusive pages of coverage detailing Rainbow 6: Patriots, the controversial new entry in the Tom Clancy series that places gamers in the shoes of Team Rainbow, a homegrown terrorist uprising, and the civilians caught in the crossfire. This new terrorist threat, called the True Patriots, hopes to restore its interpretation of American values by beheading corporate America and overthrowing the government. As a member of a new Team Rainbow cast, players must ask themselves how far they are willing to go to stop the militia.

Rainbow 6: Patriots won’t be out until 2013, but you can check out some prototype game play in the video below:

Big Announcements at Spike TV’s VGAs

Geoff Keighley, host of Spike TV’s GameTrailersTV, tweeted some teasers about the upcoming VGAs. Check it out below:

@geoffkeighley: Also at the VGAs: Alan Wake returns and@Bioware unveils a new game from a new studio. Teaser images in December Game Informer mag.

While there isn’t much information about that new Bioware game, that new Alan Wake title has been hinted at for some time. We don’t know much about it, but we do know that it will be an XBLA title, presumably in an episodic form. Between this info and the Rainbow 6: Patriots announcement, that December Game Informer is looking like a pretty sound investment.

DC Universe Online is Now Free-to-Play

We previously reported that DC Universe Online was receiving a free-to-play option. Well, free-loaders rejoice: on November 1st, the free-to-play option is now live. Anyone can check out the game free-of-charge now. For those willing to shell out a bit extra, some subscription models have been kept that gives paying customers access to extra content. I checked out the game at launch and was moderately impressed. Ultimately, I chose not to make the full commitment because I wanted to avoid a second MMO subscription on my credit card. I may go back and give DCUO another whack now that it’s free.

That’s all for this week’s Gamer Pulse. Thanks for reading, and as always, stay tuned to Comic Booked!

 

Tags: comic booked, DC Universe Online, DCUO, financial loss, free mmo, Game Informer, Gamer Pulse, Geoff Keighley, Grand Theft Auto 5, Grand Theft Auto V, GTA 5, GTA V, Kyle Black, new Alan Wake, new Bioware game, Nintendo, Rainbow 6: Patriots, Rockstar, Rockstar Games, Sony, Spike VGA, Throwback Thursday, Trailer

About the Author

Written by Kyle Black

Kyle Black has been a gamer his whole life. Recently, he has decided to merge his love of gaming with his love of writing. The resulting product: a gig here on Comic Booked writing about, what else, video games!

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Article source: http://www.comicbooked.com/gamer-pulse-back-in-black/

 

October is almost over and that means imminent November releases! The first one I’m looking at here is Lord of the Rings: War in the North. Surprisingly, this title hasn’t received much hype as of yet. It is an action RPG and, with the LotR fanbase as vast as it is, I would think the proverbial puddle of saliva at this title’s feet would be the size of Lake Tahoe! On the contrary, I’ve heard barely a peep.  I can understand the hesitation, if that’s what it is. There have been many LotR games made since the movies came crashing down on our pop culture and more still since their aftershock abated. Only a few were honestly worth a fan/gamer’s time. This title may well turn the tide. Lord of the Rings: War in the North is not only an action RPG that takes place during the war of the Ring, but it follows the story of new characters in settings that didn’t get a lot of air time in the movies. There’s more – this is co-op. Yes, that’s right. This is a co-op action RPG. Check it out.

The inevitable Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 comes out on November 8th. Same book, different cover? Likely. What I will say about this series of games is the graphics provide the player with a visceral experience. You think they’re top notch, but they just keep getting better and better. This is also definitely a go-to title for quick and loud action. Just jump in the game, and jump online and you’ve got high-adrenaline, heart attack action. These things are always good on a weeknight after all of the cyclical crap. I could summarize the storyline of the campaign, but honestly, who plays these games for the story?

November 13th sees the release of Super Mario 3D Land for (of course) the 3DS. Besides the fact that Nintendo made handheld 3-D gaming a reality is perpetually blowing my mind (and will continue to do so until holotechnology is made nonfiction), nearly every Super Mario title in the main franchise is solid and has been since the jolly Italian plumber’s debut, and I don’t anticipate that this title will break that tradition. I am personally excited to experience this particular title.

 

Tags: Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, comic booked, Elizabeth Hourigan, Gamer Pulse, Lord of the Rings War in the North, Super Mario 3D Land

About the Author

Written by Elizabeth Hourigan

Though eclectic in her interests and hobbies, Elizabeth is best known for her passionate interests in science fiction, music, and video games. She was raised on both Star Wars and Star Trek and she was holding an NES controller since before she could remember; one could imagine where things went from there. She has always experienced anything sci-fi or fantasy as both an emotional catharsis and a creative stimulant. She is a social creature and answers the call of the nightlife but also enjoys sitting in a cafe, quietly reading a book and secretly people-watching; always hoping for scintillating conversations with passersby.

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Article source: http://www.comicbooked.com/gamer-pulse-a-few-things-to-be-thankful-for/

Alas, we come to the last of this month’s horrific Throwback Thursdays. I’ve had a lot of fun revisiting Resident Evil, Resident Evil 2, and Resident Evil 3. Chronologically, Resident Evil: Code Veronica should be next, but I’m just going to move along to Resident Evil 4 for two reasons. One, my inner obsessive-compulsive needs satisfying. More importantly, Resident Evil 4 was a total game-changer.

Capcom basically started from scratch with RE4. There were major overhauls to the camera, inventory, and combat systems (more on these later, though). Character models also received a drastic redesign. In summation, RE4 was basically an in-continuity reboot. The Umbrella/T-virus plotline was stale by the end of RE:CV, so Capcom took a big risk and tried some new ideas. And, boy, did they hit the jackpot.

Plot Characters – 10/10

RE4‘s plot goes like this: Leon Kennedy, long-removed from the events of RE2, is now an NSA agent tasked with finding the President’s kidnapped daughter, Ashley. Following a lead, Leon arrives at a small village in rural Spain and things go incredibly well promptly go bananas. Along the way, Leon encounters some old friends and a religious cult led by the menacing Lord Saddler.

Leon is one of RE’s most reliable and beloved leads. His return in this game was received enthusiastically by fans. He leads an absolutely ace cast this time around as well. RE4 also introduced my favorite one-and-done character in the series: Jack Krauser, an old “friend” of Leon’s.

RE4‘s plot is arguably the strongest of any game in the series. There’s a tangible air of mystery that can be found in the introductory chapters. The potential energy build-up from the early chapters explodes brilliantly in the game’s climax, which leads to a fantastic, high-energy, race-to-the-finish. Overall, I can’t find anything serious to complain about regarding the plot and characters.

Sound – 9.0/10

The voice-acting was top-notch. A strong cast delivered a wonderful, dramatic performance that really sucks you in. Leon has a lot of great dialogue, particularly with Krauser and another character whose identity I’ll withhold in the interest of keeping this free of spoilers. The only thing really missing is more  of a musical presence. The moody background tracks are mostly replaced by diegetic sounds. There are still the usual musical queues, and the game’s most dramatic encounters and scenes have some backing, but still, most of the things you hear inn the game are the rustling of trees or rambling Spanish curses being heaved at you by the villains.

Graphics – 10/10

The entire visual atmosphere of this game was a complete departure from its predecessors. The bleak rural village in the opening acts is contrasted brilliantly by the more lavish environments from the later acts. Characters are way more detailed and animated than in previous games as well, which definitely helps you get more attached to them.  The visual atmosphere in RE4 is fully developed and just absolutely fantastic.

Gameplay – 10/10

RE4 is a rare case in gaming: so many of the developers ideas about gameplay translated perfectly from idea-to-realization. A redesigned camera system allowed players to explore environments with greater freedom than in previous titles. The new inventory system gave you more freedom in preparing your arsenal. The updates to the combat system increased maneuverability and gave players more opportunities for crowd control.

Leon gained an awesome counter-attack system that allowed you to kick away dazed enemies (sometimes causing their heads to violently explode). This is one of the game’s best additions. It allows you to move back enemies and really reposition yourself when you get stuck in a tough situation. RE4 also explored a concept that the remake of the original RE touched on: reanimating the undead. After a certain point in the game, all regular enemies have the chance to fully manifest the parasite inside their bodies. As is always the case with parasites taking over the host: the process ain’t pretty. An enemy’s head will violently explode after taking a few shots and out from the bloody mess will emerge a writing, screaming parasite.

RE4 also came with a revamped version of The Mercenaries which featured most of the game’s cast and a few old favorites (Hunk and Wesker) as playable characters. It was a timed, kill-all-the-zombies event much like its predecessor from RE3. One big difference this time around was that each character handled incredibly differently. There were a lot of really cool scenarios and very tough moments in RE4‘s The Mercenaries mode.

I can’t finish this review without discussing RE4‘s crowning gameplay achievement: boss fights. There are a respectable amount of boss fights in RE4 and, honestly, each of them is unique and memorable. The developers really did a great job with creating a series of fantastic and intuitive encounters that really challenge you. Some are strictly-combat encounters, while others are more based on an environment or, in some cases, puzzle solving. I don’t really want to spoil anything, so I won’t include a video of my favorite boss fight; however, one of the most discussed boss fights is the lake fight, which is also one of the first. Check it out below:

Overall – 10/10

I’ll forgive the small blemish with the soundtrack, since that’s mostly a trivial complaint compared to just how spectacular everything else was in this game. Critics also heaped massive amounts of praise on the game. According to GameRankings, the original Gamecube version is the second-highest-rated game of the year, the highest-rated Gamecube game of the year, the overall third-highest-rated Gamecube title of all time, and the current eighteenth-highest-rated game of all time. It has been re-released several times. A PS2 version added in some new weapons and a “Separate Ways” campaign mode that follows one of the supporting characters through their exploits. A Wii version took everything from the PS2 version and added motion controls. The recently-released PSN and XBLA HD versions reframed the game in an HD-friendly aspect ratio and added online leaderboards. RE4 was a massive moment of gaming. Every RE game since has been modeled after the changes implemented in RE4.

Thanks for keeping up with this month’s special Throwback Thursdays. We’ll get back to more general reviews next week. Thanks for reading, and, as always, stay tuned to Comic Booked!

 

Tags: capcom, comic booked, Kyle Black, Leon Kennedy, RE, RE 4, RE4, Resident Evil, Resident Evil 4, Throwback Thursday

About the Author

Written by Kyle Black

Kyle Black has been a gamer his whole life. Recently, he has decided to merge his love of gaming with his love of writing. The resulting product: a gig here on Comic Booked writing about, what else, video games!

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Article source: http://www.comicbooked.com/throwback-thursday-12-resident-evil-4/

Released Oct. 4, Spider-Man: Edge of Time is the latest release from Activision. The same company that brought us the last Spidey game on console, Spider-Man Shattered Dimensions. Miguel O’Hara makes a return to video games as someone from his time (the year 2099) goes back to remake time as he sees fit. Of course our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, Peter Parker, is needed to help stop this crime and save his own life!

The cinematic aspect of the game is spectacular. You watch as Spidey battles Anti-Venom in front of a standard Stargate-style portal; no credits or loading. Instead those are blended into the scenery as you follow Spider-Man 2099 crawling through ducts and across overhangs. The camera angles and narration feel more like they’re into to a feature film than a game.

The story unfolds to reveal Peter’s actions have an instant result in 2099. So the two spider men must work together to reach locations, defeat enemies, and set time right again.

The game play is like Shattered Dimensions. Beating groups of enemies up with combinations of dash and web attacks. Web swinging and wall crawling are done mostly for time and when obstacles present themselves along the way. The free fall dive mode from shattered dimensions also returns.

In total the game is very much like Shattered Dimensions, but with fewer changes in scenery and suits. Only the present and 2099 times are involved. A very liner path with little exploration options. Many items are hidden in plain site behind a force field with a hidden control or shaft to gain access them.  This makes the game a bit repetitious. The same types of tasks need to be performed over and over again each time. And the beat-everyone-up strategy is always in effect. Even the story is not so different. Written by Spider-Man 2099 co-creater Peter David, it’s another time and another Spidey needing to set things right on the grandest of scales.  Substitute the word time for dimensions and it’s not too far off.

There are some optional challenges you can undertake, in the form of timed portions of the course.

Even with the repetition, it’s hard not to like wall crawling and web slinging. Classic Spidey characters such as Doc Ock, Mary Jane, and even Eddie Brock in his new white Anti-Venom symbiote is included in the fun.

Plenty of jokes from both wallcrawlers referencing the Marvel universe and great alternate costumes like the Identity Crisis costumes Peter wore in the 90’s and the all new Ultimate Spider-Man Morales suit are all in there. The voice acting is great. Veteran Spider- Men  Josh Keaton and Christopher Daniel Barnes, along with former Batman Val Kilmer star. All great acting.

While this game may not have been a leap forward for Spider-Man games, it has enough Spidey charm to make it a worthwhile addition.

Tags: Marvel, Spider-Man, Video Games

About the Author

Written by Ortegatron

I daily dispel the common misconception that comic book nerds are all handsome and charming.

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Article source: http://www.comicbooked.com/review-spider-man-edge-of-time/

Fans have been itching for the newest proper installment in the Grand Theft Auto series for some time now, and it looks like their wish should be coming true in the near future. Rockstargames.com is currently displaying the logo for Grand Theft Auto V and a promise of a trailer on November 2, 2011. There’s currently no other information available, but the Internet has been positively ablaze with speculation. Rumors of the game’s development have been cycling for well over a year now (since the last DLC pack for GTA IV was released), but Rockstar has kept mostly quiet about it – until now. Stay tuned to Comic Booked – we’ll be dissecting the trailer the moment it becomes available next week!

Tags: comic booked, Grand Theft Auto, Grand Theft Auto 5, GTA IV, GTA V, Kyle Black, Rockstar Games

About the Author

Written by Kyle Black

Kyle Black has been a gamer his whole life. Recently, he has decided to merge his love of gaming with his love of writing. The resulting product: a gig here on Comic Booked writing about, what else, video games!

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Article source: http://www.comicbooked.com/gta-v-trailer-coming-on-november-2nd/

So you love a video game a whole lot. You have it, you’ve probably beaten it multiple times, and maybe you even own some merchandise from the game.  Perhaps you’ve even gone as far as cosplaying one of the characters at a convention, or participating in internet discussion boards? This is all within the realm of normal fandom.  Sometimes, though, a game is more than just a good time, or something to talk about with your friends.  Sometimes, a game sparks to life an inspiration and imparts a desire to create. Such was the case with director/producer Daniele Bellucci and screen writer Bryan Schulz.

Allow me to provide a bit of context. A few weeks back something very interesting appeared on the official Left4Dead facebook page; a Youtube video. Cut to an ancient radio, an old man cutting his face, and then a helicopter view of…Mercy Hospital!?  A fan created Left 4 Dead movie. A spark of inspiration. But why? I spoke to Daniele and Bryan to find out.

It’s pretty obvious you must love Left 4 Dead even more than I do! What inspired you to start work on this project?

Daniele Bellucci:   Well, for sure Marco [who is no longer with this project] and I loved this game.  All the campaigns in the game are movie structured and presented as such. Marco and I used to work together for a long period,  and pretended to be movie makers since we were children. Both of us were interested in cinema and wish to work in that field. One day we said this thing to each other, “Why can’t we make our own movie? We can, we know how, it would be very interesting to create a Zombie movie that would recall the sytle of the movies in the 80′s.” In a minute the idea of a zombie movie translated into a Left 4 Dead fan movie. We had two thoughts in mind when doing this. The first one was to honor a videogame that we loved, and seeing it come to life in a live action movie would be great for us. The second one was that making a movie based on a hit videogame would interest lots of people. We thought the four survivors from Left 4 Dead were incredible characters for a screenplay, even if the game doesn’t go deeply into their back stories.

Bryan Schulz:  I found out about this project on a L4D modding forum.  I’m a huge fan of the game.  I’ve played as Zoey from pretty much day one and Ellis from day 1 of L4D2.  I have my co-op team of 4 friends that have played countless hours in both 1 and 2, have played the best of the 3rd party stuff out there, and continue to enjoy what the community is releasing.   I have always wanted to write a Zombie movie and when I saw this project, I had to try and see if they’d let me write it.  I emailed them on 5.21.09 about the movie, the size and scope they were going to take on, their take on how things should be from video game to movie screen and overall vision for what this short could be.  After that we came up with a general outline together and after a few drafts of that, I went off to write the pages.

Valve made an amazing game in Left 4 Dead, the one thing of course is that it was not that in-depth story wise.  Along the way we would hear this and that about the characters, but I wanted to know more.  This short allowed me to enter this world and explore some of those ideas.  I love the dynamic of these 4 strangers being thrown in together and trying to survive, not only the zombie outbreak, but their own quirky personalities as well.  In the real world with no outbreak, they probably would have never met, but because of this disaster, they are forced to deal with each other whether they like it or not.  That is conflict, and conflict is drama.  Without conflict there cannot be story.

Has it been challenging , thus far, to adapt a video game with very little in the way of plot into a movie? What do you consider the biggest challenge?

Daniele Bellucci:  When we started this project in Spring ’09, the idea in the beginning was to create a sort of maxi trailer; about 6-10 minutes of clips, to be used as a fund raiser for a full length movie. But when we launched our first blog on Splinder, we received a lot of word of mouth around the web. During this period a fantastic guy sent an email to us, and proposed to work on the screenplay for the movie: Bryan Schulz, who is a really skilled writer at the beginning of his career. We took this opportunity and ask him to write a 40-45 minutes long screenplay for us.  I’ll never  be able to thank him enough for been so patient with us. We asked him for a lot of changes and he always worked with us, even if he was busy with his own work. In the end, we decided to go with a 40 minute short, hoping to find funds during the way, and starting with our own money. Honestly the game has no particular plot, so with Bryan we decided to make a completely new storyline, that would let us to get into the depth of the characters. Any more than that would ruin the surprise!

One of the biggest challenges, though, and perhaps the greatest, is dubbing. We are based in Italy, our actors speak Italian.  Not all of them are fluent in English, and playing a role in English would be highly difficult for them. After shooting we have to find actors who give their voices to the 4 survivors. It’s a really hard task, even because dubbing is expensive work and few dubbers would work for free. I fear that the post-production of the movie will take a really long time due to this factor.

Bryan Schulz:  Adapting was easy for me.  I know these characters because they are me and my friends.  I’m sure each player out there feels the same way.  By Valve not having much back-story and character embedded in the game, it allowed the user to create this on their own.  The issue will come up that not everyone will see them the same way I do.  A perfect example is the L4D comics Valve released.  My L4D characters that I know so well were not those people in those comics.  I enjoyed them for what they were but it will not change the way I view my L4D universe.

Of all the Left 4 Dead Universe, what were you looking forward to write the most?

Bryan Schulz:  My personal favorite bit? It might not be something that’s 100% in the game, but I love the Zoey-Bill dynamic.  I see them having this bond,  a father-daughter type connection.  Bill is always there and will always be there.  He can be strong when she is weak.  But at times she can be the optimist when everyone else is seeing nothing but negatives.  Zoey is young and she’s needs this family dynamic more than any of the others.  They really complete each other and will enable the other to survive.  I always felt that without Zoey and maybe the other 2, Bill wouldn’t have anything left to fight for and might just throw in the towel and call it day.

What is the most rewarding part of this project for you?

Daniele Bellucci:  There are lot of reasons for working on this project. First and foremost,  is turning into real life, something that existed only on paper or as pictures; this, to me is an incredible thing. I feel a similar sensation at the end of a shooting day, when I go back home, feeling really tired, but knowing that we have  done something great. These are the “moral” rewardsI can obtain from these kind of projects. Then, having seen all the fans loving and keeping up with this project I also consider it as an opportunity for my professional path.

And finally, any parting words? 

Daniele Bellucci:  The movie will be about 40 minutes long, but I can’t actually estimate a release date. To other film makers, I can only say to follow what you like to do, till the end, even when things are at their worst. Continue to be creative. Don’t stop, because people will always need entertainment. To Valve, who posted our Pre-Outbreak File #A on the Left 4 Dead official facebook page: We were very happy to see that!

Bryan Schulz:  I don’t have much to say to the others that might be making their own movie except for good luck.  Any labor of love, such as these fan films, is worth-while in my eyes.  I do have something to say to the movie going audience as a whole.  Ive been behind the curtain and have seen how movies get made.  If we want to stop some of the garbage that gets made today, stop going to see it.  Bashing it later online, giving poor reviews, or what have you, it’s all too late at that point.  They already got your money.  You all have a vote as to what gets made.  It’s very simple.  Vote with your money and vote for the good stuff!

Tags: Bill, Boomer, Comic, comic booked, Comics, Fan, Film, Francis, Game, Games, interview, L4d, Left 4 Dead, Louis, movie, Steam, Valve, video, Zoey, zombies

About the Author

Written by InfaPlat

As an avid writer, gamer, and dungeon master, it would be hard to classify Jessica Lynn as anything but a geek. Her favorite past times involve raining unholy fire upon her enemies, devising the next great way to kill her party, and figuring out just how far she can push a PC before it explodes. When not taking out her nerd rage on fantasy characters or inanimate objects, she can be found toiling away in the dungeon known as the IT department. If you’re wondering; InfaPlat is short for Infamous Platypus.

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Article source: http://www.comicbooked.com/loving-fans-killer-zombies/