Surprised as I was by many games at E3 this year, none surprised me more than the once thought canceled Aliens: Colonial Marines becoming a canonical sequel to the films.

Having grown up on those movies and still possessing the old-school figurines, this news excites me beyond description. It also helps that the game is a blast to play, but we'll all have to wait until February of next year to get our hands nice and dirty with it.

Aliens: Colonial Marines interview

As far as becoming integrated with the overarching story, I believe Colonial Marines will be the first video game ever to become part of something as renowned as Aliens. Speaking to senior producer on the project, Brian Burleson about Colonial Marines becoming canon, he had this to say:

"It's amazing to think that the sequel to the films is a videogame and to be able to work with 20th century fox to make this canonical, you have to do a lot of groundwork, you have to meet the right people, you have to make sure you cross your T's and dot your I's 'cause so many people care about this and are passionate about this franchise that go back 26 years."

Colonial Marines will take place after the events of Alien 3. Expect to see everything in place, from familiar characters, weapons, machines and the xenos themselves. Gearbox wants to create a rich, accurate experience that Alien junkies will devour. After all, it's not every day that a project is green-lit like this.

You're probably going to be in this situation a lot.

The game itself will feature a four-player co-operative campaign where your friends can drop-in or drop-out at any point. For those who can't trust an online companion to help get you through the xenomorphic threat, split-screen will also be implemented. While Gearbox was mum on details about other modes, multiplayer will be a large factor of the game. Unfortunately team deathmatch was the only mode that was being shown off, but it was still rather fun.

Taking much inspiration from games like Left 4 Dead, team deathmatch revolves around two teams of five racing to a specific kill score. Regardless of your choice to side with the malicious xenos or the trigger-happy marines, each side will be customisable with various loadouts or classes. For example, the xenos will be able to choose between various breeds and can eventually evolve into something called a Crusher. Like the Tank in Left 4 Dead, the Crusher is a massive beast that can take a ton of punishment and excels at causing utter chaos. Since marines typically want to stay together to survive, the Crusher can charge in to divide the team, leaving the rest open to assault the helpless marines.

I wasn't lying. This thing is big.

The marine side of things allows you to choose an assortment of weapons and perks, while also generating powerful weapons that can be picked up throughout the level. For instance, the iconic Smart Gun is one of these pick-ups and makes short work of any kind of xeno crossing your path. Ammunition is limited though, so you'll need your team to back you or risk using up the powerful weapon just as fast as you picked it up.

Surely more modes will be revealed as time progresses, but from what we played Colonial Marines proved to be a fun multiplayer experience. If being canon for the series isn't reason enough to give this one a shot, then maybe the mixture of co-op and multiplayer will entice you further. Whatever the case, February 2013 can't come soon enough.

Labels: Aliens: Colonial Marines, Andrew Whipple III, E3 2012, Gearbox, Interview, PC, PS3, SEGA, Xbox 360

When was the last time anybody got excited about a cart racing game? For me that was Mario Kart 64 which, in my opinion, has yet to be surpassed.

While I haven't dabbled too deep in the original Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing, after having played its successor I can tell you that my faith might possibly be restored. With what SEGA is doing, Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing Transformed might very well be that mythical cart racer everyone's been looking forward to.

Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing Transformed interview

At first glance, Transformed looks to be no different than all these other cart racers trying so hard to be the next great thing. However, after I sat down to play the game, something magical happened - I actually liked it. Transformed almost immediately reminded me of why I still consider Mario Kart 64 king of all cart racers and, while it's still too early to make that kind of assumption, it could surpass it when it releases this Christmas.

E3 2012 gameplay

Just like the previous game, expect a plethora of characters from all over the SEGA catalog, 27 to be exact. Sure, Sonic and his wide assortment of friends will be there but Gilius Thunderhead from Golden Axe, Vyse from Skies of Arcadia, Joe Musashi from Shinobi and even Danica Patrick will be playable. Yes, Danica Patrick is in the game and I'm glad the game's developer, Sumo Digital, is taking the exaggerated route by making her vehicle literally shoot fire from her tires. That's kind of awesome.

If you've never played a cart racer just know that it's an arcadey endeavor with tons of weapon pick-ups, boosts and colorful levels. Transformed does a great job with its environments and really captures that feeling of a world that's alive, even while you're blazing through to nab that first place trophy. What's unique about Transformed's tracks is that they're modeled after levels from some of SEGA's games. Expect to be knocking dudes around in a Golden Axe inspired stage as well as one from Panzer Dragoon. You might be wondering though, "How does a level from Panzer Dragoon work? Carts can't fly!" Oh, but you're so very wrong.

Think Sonic is also considered the fastest in the air?

One of the main features of Transformed is right there in the name - transforming. As you progress through the stages your cart will change, giving you a whole new perspective on the level you've been normally going through. It puts a whole new spin on the scenarios you encounter and can change the fortunes of a player almost immediately. For instance, I played as Vyse who has horrible turning if you can't drift correctly. But once I turned into a plane, that was all she wrote. I quickly fired back from third to first and maintained the lead to grab the victory.

I think gamers associate titles like this with kids and they aren't wrong. However, Transformed has skill based systems in place that definitely cater to adult players, allowing practically anyone or any skill level to pick up and play the title. For example, drifting and manually firing your weapons is an obvious skill choice, but if you time your moves correctly you can gain free boost by drifting and can even evade special attacks. Someone fired an RC car that tracks a target and I was its first choice. Since I was successful at drifting at the precise time, that RC car grabbed someone else and took them out, allowing me to easily pass them.

The tracks look fantastic and can kill you.

Flashy environments with hazards, special abilities, skill-based attributes, tons of characters to choose from, Transformed is looking rather great. I know it sounds insane to be saying this, but I really do believe that if the level of quality I played in that short amount of time carries over into the actual release of the product, SEGA will have done the impossible. They will have toppled the king of the cart racers in Mario Kart 64 and I surely want to be around when that happens.

Labels: Andrew Whipple III, E3 2012, PC, PS3, SEGA, Sonic and SEGA All-Stars Racing Transformed, Sumo Digital, Xbox 360

Since its launch late last year, Kinect’s library of games has consisted of light, family-friendly titles like Sonic: Free Riders and Dance Central, lacking any purely adult-focussed content. No longer, for Sega has delivered Rise of Nightmares, the first M-rated (PEGI 18 in Europe) game for Kinect. Rise of Nightmares is an effort to create a survival horror title in the vein of Condemned: Criminal Origins or the Resident Evil series, but it falls flat in nearly every way possible, lacking quality controls, satisfying scares or even any fun at all.

Players take control of Josh, a man travelling through Eastern Europe with his wife, Kate. Before you can say, “Boy, the entertainment industry sure does have it out for Eastern Europe,” their train derails, and Kate is captured by a mysterious figure in a tattered trench coat. It’s up to Josh to find Kate in the nearby creepy mansion, and escape with their lives.

The narrative isn’t terribly original, but Rise of Nightmares keeps things moving along. The game takes a decidedly B-movie approach to its material, with buckets of gore, F-bombs aplenty and quasi-fetish imagery in numerous places. In fact, some of the early scenes play like Hostel: The Video Game, featuring ‘icky’ rather than ‘creepy’ environments, and placing an emphasis on torture and other generally nasty bits. The most inventive trick it offers is an early scene where players are introduced to all sorts of Expendable Meat-type characters, similar to a slasher flick, and their recurring presence in the game gives the player a reason - albeit a small one - to see the plot to the end.


Getting through the story means playing the game, though, and this is where Rise of Nightmares falters and ultimately fails. Controlling Josh sounds good on paper, requiring players to put their best foot forward to move, and to pivot their shoulders when they want to turn. However, the end result makes the tank controls from the early Resident Evil games look positively graceful by comparison, with a slow movement speed and an oil tanker-like turn radius. The game mentions early on that Josh is a recovering alcoholic, though, so perhaps Rise of Nightmares' movement issues are deliberately part of the character, and that Josh is simply drunk for the entirety of the game.

Things only get worse in combat. Conceptually, Rise of Nightmares has a few things going for it. For one, it has over 40 different weapons to choose from, and some of them are quite inventive; whilst the majority of these are single-handed tools like hatchets or machetes, occasionally an overpowered, two-handed weapon like a chainsaw or power drill will appear, livening up the proceedings considerably. Rise of Nightmares also features a riff on Dead Space’s strategic dismemberment, as enemies will sometimes possess metal appendages that deflect attacks, forcing players to target specific limbs in order to take them down. Lastly, each weapon can only handle so many hits before it breaks, forcing players to collect new ones and experiment with different combat options.

Decent ideas all, but they are completely undone by their execution. Kinect rarely offers the kind of precision needed to reliably target a particular appendage, making it sometimes more effective to flail in the general direction of enemies, and block whenever it looks like someone is winding up for an attack. Speaking of blocking; the gesture to target enemies and the gesture to go on the defensive are far too similar, resulting in more than a few moments when the game will fail to attack, in lieu of striking a pose like the Notre Dame leprechaun. Lastly, there were multiple instances when the Kinect simply didn’t interpret an attack, sometimes registering only seven of every ten attempted swings. In short, combat is a mess, and only the incredible poor enemy AI makes it possible for players to progress further into the game.


The time when the game does make good use of the Kinect is during boss fights. Similar to other modern action games, Rise of Nightmares utilises quick time events, but physically ducking, sidestepping, and dodging backwards is much more engaging and compelling than simply hitting the X button. It’s unfortunate that the best thing that can be said about Rise of Nightmares’ gameplay is that it makes QTEs better, but with a title this bad, gamers need to take what they can get.

Presentation-wise, the game is downright ugly. The character models look like they hopped the haggard express from 2004’s The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, whilst most of the environments look as if they're straight out of a Dreamcast title, a console that was notable for its roster of crappy survival-horror titles. Voice acting is awful across the board, and though it sometimes seems like Sega wanted a campy, deliberately-bad feel to the performances, the VO work doesn’t quite go far enough to be anything more than a miserable experience for the ears. The only bright spot is the music, which adequately ramps up the tension with cacophonous violins and orchestral stings.

Rise of Nightmares is a noble effort to add a mature-themed title to Kinect’s library of games, but it’s hard to imagine anyone enjoying Rise’s half-baked scares and oft-broken play mechanics. For fans of horror who own a Kinect, this is the only game in town, but players need to heavily consider how much they are willing to put up with for the sake of hacking zombies apart with a pair of pruning shears.

4/10 [?]

Labels: 2011, Andrew Testerman, Rise of Nightmares, SEGA, Survival Horror, Xbox 360

It's happened. After years of waiting, Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is finally here, and it rocks. I know the masses of faithful fans are somewhat divided on the pros and cons of its new game mechanics, but I don’t think anyone can deny that the game is loads of fun (especially for a comic fan like yours truly). A big part of the fun factor in this classic series is the opportunity to see iconic and disparate characters clash in visually stunning over-the-top battles.

Simply put? It's fanboy heaven.

Yup, there is definitely a special appeal to any 'vs.' series, and contemplation on this subject got my brain gears grinding. Once the resultant massive headache subsided, I was left with one very distinct thought: "I want more". If Marvel and Capcom can somehow put all their characters into one single awesome fighting game, why can’t everyone?! Sure, the logical non-fanboy half of me immediately started blurting out some nonsense about character rights and copyright infringement, but in grindy-gear-brai-fantasy-land there's no room for naysayers. So, after I shut him up, I thought it’d be a good idea to share my little wishlist; nay! My list of demands.

Videogame industry? These are the 'vs.' fighting games I want. Get on it!

1: Marvel vs. DC

Go ahead, call me obvious. Scream to the top of your lungs about my lack of originality, and see if I care. Sure, any gamer who’s ever glanced sideways at a Spider-Man comic or a Superman novel has at one point or another dreamt of a videogame crossover. It’s a cliché, guilty as charged, but it’s one of the awesomest clichés in awesometown. I’ve been dreaming about this game since I was six years old, and I’ll be damned if it isn’t made in my lifetime.

Our chances of playing a Marvel vs. DC are not as low as you might think. The comic publishing giants have collaborated several times before upon comic book crossovers, and the commercial success of a product pitting the two sides against one another is practically guaranteed. Marvel’s characters are back in the fighting game spotlight thanks to Capcom, and the DC catalogue wet their toes in the arena with the lacklustre, yet still undeniably fun Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. There is no reason why both companies can’t have another go, only this time against one another. Superman vs. Thor... Batman vs. Captain America... Wonder Woman vs. Ms. Marvel...

Tell me you’re not excited.

I’d hand over development of the game to Capcom, as they are the undisputed masters of fighting games and have proven that they can recreate the out-of-this-world battles that go hand-in-hand with superhero comics. The tricky part will be to get DC’s parent company, Warner Brothers, to sign off on this. But, hey, we can all just share the money... right guys?

Make it happen!

2: Mortal Kombat Vs. Killer Instinct

I am hoping that most of you out there remember Killer Instinct. The original Killer Instinct was released on the Super Nintendo way back when, in 1995. With crazy characters, insane one-hundred-hit combos, and finishing moves pulled straight from the Mortal Kombat editing pile, this game managed to have a voice all of its own. A sequel was produced for arcades in 1996, but home consoles have been left wanting and waiting for a Killer Instinct title since the release of the original.

Granted, the franchise is pretty obscure. Though originally developed by Rare, various other studio heads have expressed interest in revisiting the franchise front time to time, perhaps via a release on the XBLA arcade. As of today, we fans haven’t heard anything but rumours. So why pair up this game with the MK franchise?

If you're the one asking that question, you probably haven’t played Killer Instinct.

Killer Instinct was a brutal game - the only fighting game I remember playing which evoked the same gore and brutality as Mortal Kombat. The two franchises are a perfect fit. The creators of Mortal Kombat at Midway actually published the original Killer Instinct, so the necessary relationship is there. All signs point to a return to form for the Mortal Kombat franchise later this year; if Rare can get Killer Instinct out onto XBLA sometime soon, I can see enough positive buzz being generated to give this prospective crossover a concrete chance of coming to fruition.

Make it happen!

3: Capcom vs. Sega

Oh, Sega, I truly do miss your glory days. Once a company leading the charge against Nintendo in the console race, you've now dropped out of console development and dedicated yourself to publishing games. Even though your golden age may be behind you, your catalogue of characters is more than suited to take on the Capcom bunch.

I remind you, first and foremost, that the guys and gals at Sega are the ones behind the Virtua Fighter series, and that alone gives them a slew of characters worthy of taking on Ryu or Chun Li. And let’s not forget that hasty blue hedgehog, Sonic, and his supporting cast. Just the thought of Sonic and Tails wailing on Megaman and Roll gives me goose bumps. For those of you that have played Valkyria Chronicles, can you imagine Welkin, Alicia and Selvaria taking on the S.T.A.R.S. team, of Resident Evil fame?

The main reason this game needs to happen is that some day, before I leave this mortal world, I need to see Dante take on Bayonetta. This fight needs to happen, and I need to be at the controls. 'Nuff said.

Make it happen!

4: Namco Bandai vs. Capcom

One of the first games I ever played on the original PlayStation all those years ago was Tekken. It was the first 3D fighting game I had ever played, and I was in awe. I vividly remember thinking to myself "Huh. So this is the new Street Fighter...". Tekken was the fighting game to beat for a few years in many respects, and Namco has made quite a reputation for itself in the fighting game arena, having also created the excellent Soul Calibur series.

Granted, Tekken x Street Fighter is going to happen (haven’t heard? Look it up, people!), but why stop at making a Street Fighter-esque game featuring the Tekken characters, when you can create a crazy, over-the-top 'vs.' series featuring all of Namco’s characters? The Soul Calibur roster is just itching to get out there, and seeing Kosmos from Xenosaga ripping on Zero (of Megaman fame) is one of my more awesome recurring dreams. Seriously.

The two companies have already come together twice in the past to create the quirky RPG Namco x Capcom, and the aforementioned Street Fighter x Tekken, so what's the hold up? Let's take it the whole nine yards!

Oh, and remember that Namco merged with Bandai a few years back? You know Bandai, the guys behind the Power Rangers... it's morphing time, amigos!

Make it happen!

5: Square Enix vs. Capcom

Have you played Dissidia Final Fantasy? You haven’t? Let me boil it down for you. Turns out Final Fantasy characters in a fighting game are downright unbelievably fun. This is really a no-brainer. Square has a great catalogue of characters, and can call on anyone from Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest fame, arguably the company’s best-known franchises.

Capcom has long-since established that it has the talent necessary to put a great 'vs.' game together, and Square has the roster it takes to make what could feasibly be the most epic game in the 'vs.' genre. Ryota Niitsuma, the Capcom developer behind Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, has already stated that he would love to work with the Square Enix characters.

This could actually happen.

Wait a second... Square Enix is publishing Tomb Raider now. Does this mean a Square vs. Capcom game could have me pitting Lara Croft against Jill Valentine?

...please excuse me whilst I go to the corner and nerdgasm.


So that’s it, guys: my wish list for 'vs.' games that need to happen. Any great ideas of your own? Sound off in the comments section below.

Labels: 2011, Capcom, DC, Joey Núñez, Marvel, Namco, RePlay, SEGA, Square Enix

Remember Alpha Protocol? The Spy-RPG set for release in October 2009, but then pushed back and, for a long time, went undercover? Well, after revealing a new box-art, new screenshots and a new release date (June 1st), we sat down with Matthew Rorie, Producer, and Chris Avellone, Designer Of Spies (The coolest job title in the universe) to talk about Alpha Protocol in-depth.

You can choose between a stealthy, technical or all-out approach to missions. Does the game react to this by having specific rewards for sticking to each style, like better sneaking skills and silenced weapons for always being stealthy, or are players expected to use a mix of the three through the game?
MR: Obsidian tried pretty hard to reward people for sticking to a certain discipline. When you level up, you'll gain points that you can allocate to any skill that you like, such as Stealth, Assault Rifles, Technical Aptitude, or Martial Arts, and the proverbial "much, much more!" Specialising in a skill will unlock new abilities and tools that will make it easier for you to advance through the tougher challenges that come along later in the game. However, you're free to make a jack-of-all-trades character if you wish; you'll just be a minor badass in a lot of different areas, rather than a major badass in one or two skills.

There are certain unavoidable boss-battles with major baddies. Can you defeat them by using stealth or technical skills, or are you just meant to shoot them dead?
MR: We've tried to ensure that you can use any appropriate skills in the boss battles, including unarmed attacks, stealth, gadgets/grenades, or straight-up gunplay. While the gunplay is the most straightforward way of dealing with a boss, it's obviously frustrating to be forced to do something that you haven't been specialising in, or which doesn't feel right for your particular Mike Thorton character, so we've done our best to ensure that all options are valid for the boss fights.

Players have already had a dose of third-person action RPG with Mass Effect 2. Do you feel that the two games are competing? What separates Alpha Protocol from Mass Effect 2?
CA: While there are similarities in interface presentation, the mechanics behind the visuals are where the player is going to feel the difference. As an example, although the dialogue wheel in Alpha Protocol appears similar to Mass Effect 2, the mechanics are much different - NPCs won't wait for you to make a choice, the dialogue continues along at real time, and there's no going back, which makes the conversations much more urgent. During focus tests, we found that we were getting an adrenaline spike from dialogues on a level comparable to that of a running gun battle. These game mechanic differences are echoed in the skills, powers, combat, and even the morality mechanics throughout Alpha Protocol.

Speaking of Mass Effect 2 - can love interests in Alpha Protocol lead to some hanky-panky? Are we talking PG13, or X rated scenes? (Sorry, had to ask)
MR: We do have a few lovely ladies that Mike can romance in Alpha Protocol, but we've decided to keep things pretty tasteful in terms of how those romances can be consummated. So you shouldn't necessarily expect bow-chicka-bow-bow music; discrete fades-to-black are the order of the day here. We've really focused on making these relationships believable, first and foremost, and making graphic sex scenes seemed like it would distract from that work.

The game was delayed from October 27th, 2009 to Summer 2010. Why was it delayed, and what changes have been made?
MR: We can't really speak to the specifics of the delays, unfortunately; that's more a question for our publisher. Suffice to say that we think the game is well-positioned for a successful launch, and we hope everyone enjoys it when it hits store shelves.

The player has 'hub cities' acting as safehouses in Rome, Moscow, and other places. Will missions take place in these cities, or anywhere in the world?
MR: Our missions will generally take place in or relatively close to the hub cities, but we've managed to fit in a large variety of architecture and environments into the hubs that we've put into the game. Mike is going to fight (or sneak) through museums, archaeological ruins, embassies, mansions, secret government facilities, and even a yacht on the open water.

How open and expansive will these mission maps be? Will there be many different routes of access, or destructible environments?
MR: This will depend on the mission - most are intended to be freeform, with a variety of paths through them for you to take, which we usually use to reinforce the type of character that you've created. For example, in our train station level, do you want to stick to the walkways above a firefight and attempt to sneak by the gangs that are shooting at each other, or get down to the killing floor and participate in the bloodbath? Do you want to sneak into the embassy via the side entrance, or persuade/kill the guards at the door and bust in that way?

As far as destructible environments go, it hasn't been a huge focus for our game, but we do use them in a few places to amp up the action.

How many endings are there? Are most just slight variations on a few set endings (good, bad, etc) or can you drastically change the outcome with each playthrough?
MR: It's somewhat difficult to estimate this in terms of numbers - how you experience the end of the game will rely heavily on whom you've met in the game, and how you treated them. If you've befriended someone, made them hate you, or killed them, we've tried to reflect that gamut of feeling in the end of the game as best we can. Since there are plenty of characters to interact with, the end of the game has a lot of variables to it. So it's not as simple a dichotomy as "Mike was a bad guy/Mike was a good guy" in terms of the endings. Suffice to say that it should be different each time you play so long as you vary your choices up a bit.

Can you give us an example of the type of outcomes a choice can have?
CA: Arresting an arms dealer in Saudi Arabia can cost you access to merchants and contacts in the region. Continual abuse of a mild-mannered asset can cause them to turn on you in surprising ways. In short, choices have plenty of immediate and long-term consequences in Alpha Protocol, and not just the people you talk to - they can open brand-new optional missions, new perks, loss of intel, gain of intel, new handlers, cause a boss character to say he has too much respect to fight you, cause another boss character to abandon his plans and pre-emptively change his tactics solely because you've pissed him off, and gaining new information on a seemingly shallow asset to discover that they've got far more depth than you thought possible... and then using that intel to turn them for or against you as an additional weapon.

Did you ever think about including multiplayer options, such as co-op?
CA: It was discussed, both for the original product and potential sequels. We had a lot of interesting mechanics we suggested for how co-op could work, which we think would have been a nice spin on a new form of cooperative play that would complement the spy genre. If we do a sequel, we'd love to speak to about those mechanics more.

Are there any differences between the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC versions of the game?
MR: We've developed for all of the platforms simultaneously, so the differences should be minimal. The PC will have a custom control scheme for mouse and keyboard, and will look nicer if you have good hardware, but apart from that there shouldn't be any obvious differences.

What type of anti-piracy system, if any, are you using for PC (DRM, etc)?
MR: That's a question for our publishers. Sorry!

What's the coolest thing you've done in Alpha Protocol?
CA: Aside from telling various characters I meet to "fuck off" and not having it come across as juvenile; having two female handlers catfighting over my headset while I'm gunning down terrorists in the snow; the ability to toss grenades behind me as I run; unleashing a storm of bullets on an 80s obsessed mob boss until he's bleeding on the floor and offering me anything I want in his mansion - the coolest thing? Well, I convinced the secret shadow that monitors all global trafficking that I've inserted technical kryptonite into his eavesdropping system, and I pulled it off so technically smooth that this supposed "genius" was none the wiser. Who's the smart guy now, jackass? That's right: Me.

Do you plan to expand a possible Alpha Protocol series, continue making new IPs, or even go back to the Knights Of The Old Republic games?
MR: My magic eight-ball says that the future is hazy... all I can say is that we're working on some really cool stuff here at the moment, but unfortunately, until projects are announced we can't comment on them.

Who would win in a fight; Bourne, Bauer or Bond? (hand-to-hand, obviously)
CA: It'd depend on whose love interest had died in the last 15 minutes. The one who suffered the loss most recently would win. If they've lost no one tragically, Bourne's got my vote. The hand-to-hand fighting sequences in the first Bourne movie was so blinding and frenetic, I think Bauer and Bond would be hard-pressed to deal with Bourne. If it was a running gun fight, it'd be a toss up between Bauer and Bond. If it was a poker match? Bond all the way.

So, there you have it. Thanks to Chris and Matt from Obsidian Entertainment, and be sure to keep updated on both Alpha Protocol and Gamer's Guide to Life.

Chris

Labels: Alpha Protocol, Chris Hawke, Exclusive, Interview, Obsidian, SEGA

Game Information


Basic information
Bayonetta
Developer: Platinum Games (PS3 port: SEGA)
Publisher: SEGA
Released: 29th October, 2009 (Japan)
5th January, 2010 (North America)
7th January, 2010 (Australia and New Zealand)
8th January, 2010 (Europe)

Platforms
PlayStation 3
Xbox 360

Genres
Action

Certification
BBFC: 15
CERO: D
ESRB: M
OFLC: MA15+ (Australia)
OFLC: R16 (New Zealand)
PEGI: 18

Before picking up Platinum Games' first title, Bayonetta, there are a few questions you must ask yourself. Do I enjoy crazy, Japanese style action? Have I enjoyed games such as Devil May Cry? Am I tolerant of the sexual objectification of women? If you answered "yes" to any of those questions, Bayonetta might be a game for you. Although this is Platinum Games' first game as a studio, don't think that they are inexperienced. The group is made up of mostly of former members of the now closed Clover Studios, who were responsible for Viewtiful Joe and Okami. Bayonetta also has the pedigree of having Hideki Kamiya - creator of the Devil May Cry series - on board. Bayonetta easily stands on the same ground as these games. That being said, it is not a game for everybody, and your enjoyment will come solely from how accepting you are of the game.

Bayonetta places you in the seductive, black, gun-attached shoes of the titular character, Bayonetta. Bayonetta is a witch suffering from amnesia, trying to piece together her past, all while bashing her way through hordes of angels and demons. Upon waking up at the bottom of a lake after a 500 year nap, our heroine finds herself thrust into the middle of a battle between her clan, the Umbra Witches, and the Lumen Sages. Of course, there is a lot more to the story of Bayonetta, more than you would expect from an action game such as this. You will often find yourself in near-Metal-Gear-Solid-length cutscenes depicting the drama between the game's colourful and exciting characters. The game's cutscenes are shown in two varieties, either in standard, full motion videos, or in animated photographs in a "film reel" style. I found the latter to be more of a nuisance rather than a compelling way to portray the story, and would have preferred to have all of the scenes done with full motion. Although there is a heavy focus on the story in Bayonetta, most gamers will find themselves lost trying to comprehend all of the intricacies of the narrative on their first, or even second, play through.

The real enjoyment of Bayonetta comes from the fast-paced, gun slinging gameplay, which - as mentioned before - is in the vein of games such as Devil May Cry. With a complex combo system, as well as unlockable weapons and moves, gamers will find plenty of depth and incentive for replayability. Starting the game with only four, hell-crafted pistols (one for each appendage) Bayonetta will quickly find other toys such as a powerful shotgun and a sword. Controlling Bayonetta during the chaos is rather straight forward; there are buttons for light and heavy attacks - or hands and feet respectively - and a button dedicated to shooting which I found to be rather useless. While veterans of the character action genre will find Bayonetta easy to pick up, the main innovation lies in the "Witch Time" mechanic. This activates when the player dodges an enemy's attack just before impact, and causes the world to slow down around Bayonetta, letting her let loose impressive yet simple combos.

Story aside, Bayonetta is simply crazy. The game starts off while fighting angels, standing on rubble, falling though the night sky, and it does not let up. If at any point while playing Bayonetta you tell yourself that it can't get any more insane than this, you will find yourself sorely mistaken. I will refrain from giving away any of these jaw-dropping moments, but I can guarantee that during the first play through of Bayonetta, players will be dumbfounded, or even have a chuckle, at the absurdities and relentless exploits of this game.

Bayonetta is by no means a perfect game. Like many games released since the original God of War, Bayonetta includes quick time events. These feel tacked on, and often have such a small window for response that players will fail them the first time. This is particularly frustrating because they usually result in instant death, and consequently lower your rank on the stage. Another problem I encountered with Bayonetta was the difficulty. Now, there is a place for hard games, and I do enjoy a good challenge, but I found the difficulty to be uneven and fluctuate throughout the story. By that, I mean that some sections of the game can be extremely frustrating, especially for players focused on obtaining good ranks, and then be followed by an easy part. Apart from a few other minor complaints, these are the bulk of the things I did not enjoy about Bayonetta, although they do not ultimately dampen the experience enough to make it not worth a try.

The final piece of Bayonetta I would like to highlight are the boss fights. Often very large in scale and offering multiple sections, the boss battles in Bayonetta are, in my opinion, the high point of the game. From large, multiple headed dragons to other witches with similar abilities to your own, most of the bosses in Bayonetta are very enjoyable and offer a great challenge. That being said, a lot of the bosses are recycled and show up a little too much, leaving room for a bit more variety to be desired.

Bayonetta, while an excellent game, is not for everybody. Gamers who do not have interests in Japanese game design, or are not drawn in by anime-esque story lines will find little to be enjoyed in Bayonetta. However, Bayonetta's intended audience will be able to get the most out of this ridiculous and fun game, and with rewards obtainable only through the second and third playthroughs, there is no shortage of content. If you are on the fence with Bayonetta, I recommend giving it a rental first, but if you have a feeling that it is a game for you, I can say with confidence that Bayonetta is a game you will be glad you played.

8/10

Tyson

Labels: 360, Bayonetta, Platinum Games, PlayStation3, PS3, Review, SEGA, Tyson, Tyson Breen, Xbox 360

When Sega announced that they had opened up a poll for fans to decide on the next Genesis game to be released on the Xbox Live Arcade, Earthworm Jim quickly rose to the top. The poll was restarted today with Earthworm Jim removed from the contest. But don't cry yet, Earthworm Jim fans: the reason it was removed was due to Gameloft announcing that Earthworm Jim will be coming to all consoles as downloadable content.

Sega had this to say. "Unfortunately, due to a licensing issue, we are no longer able to offer Earthworm Jim as an option in our poll. It was announced earlier today that Gameloft will be bringing Earthworm Jim to Xbox Live Arcade along with several other platforms. We are excited that our fans will soon be able to play this game."

It seems that Toejam & Earl has become the new fan-favorite, with about 42% of the votes at the time of writing this post. I'd rather see Streets of Rage in this position, but getting both Earthworm Jim and (likely) Toejam & Earl is nothing to complain about.

If you would like to vote on the new poll you can do so here.

Tyson

Labels: Poll, SEGA, Tyson, Tyson Breen

August 14th marked the 20th anniversary of the North American release of the Sega Genesis. To celebrate this occasion Sega has decided to let their fans vote on the next Genesis game to be released on the Xbox Live Arcade. Voters have from August 14th to August 21st to make their choice and vote on the Genesis Poll website. At the time of publish, Earthworm Jim has a commanding lead, taking up nearly half of the votes. Out of the options given, I'm very glad to see Earthworm Jim pulling ahead of the pack, although I wouldn't complain if Streets of Rage won either.

If you want to have a say in the decision of which Genesis game you want to appear on XBLA next, take a look over the nominees and vote for your favorite here.

Tyson

Labels: Classic Consoles, SEGA, Tyson, Tyson Breen