Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Gran Turismo 5 Video Game Review (PS3)


Gran Turismo 5: Limited Edition

                Being  a Gran Turismo franchise advocate since the very beginning, I suppose it's safe to use the cliché "good things come to those who wait" because after 5 years in the making, various release date delays and weeks of waiting and resisting the urge to buy the regular version have finally paid off, I finally found a store that had a few stocks left of the Limited Edition version of Gran Turismo 5! (Sadly, I didn't get to reserve or pre-order on time for the release so all the Collector's Edition copies were off the shelves faster than a chicken on fire!) What came with this edition aside from the game of course was the Apex: Ultimate Car Guide book (pretty awesome), a DLC Redeem Code (plus a neat holographic card of the car you get, I got the Nissan GT-R GT500), a Gran Turismo decal set (various sizes and designs) and a poster. Not bad, considering the regular version and the Limited Edition only differed by a few hundred bucks (Philippine Peso).
                 Now, we have one nagging question in mind, was this game really worth the wait? I will do my best to answer this question as this review goes on.
                So upon running the game, I was prompted for a software update, naturally, I'd accept it, thinking it would simply take a couple of minutes, little did I know that the update was 608MB worth! I stared at the progress bar that seemed hopelessly frozen, after 20 minutes, I couldn't stand it, I cancelled the update and ran the game without it. As expected, Polyphony Digital and the rest of the developers will treat you to a quite long and beautiful intro movie (except for the music that didn't seem to go with it), I will not go into detail, but I will say that one may encounter a graphical overdose (trust me, this is one overdose you'd love.). After the movie, you are led into a simple menu screen. I decided to choose the Arcade Mode first to see what beauties they had to offer. I was pleased to see some very sumptuous vehicle choices, from exotics, to muscles, to supercars to daily drivers, to classics, to rally, to F1 and more, way more, real world automobiles.

                Aside from the vast vehicular selection, the game also has some new features:

1. My Home- This is the "main menu" for your career as a racer, in this area you can prepare for races, join various events, access your garage, tune your vehicle, visit the used car lot, practice, acquire licenses, etc. In this screen, you can also customize your GT Profile which is pretty much who you are in the Gran Turismo world, I liked the fact that they made it highly customizable, you can change the theme, color, wallpaper, profile photo of your GT Dashboard screen. This is where it all starts.
2. Level Up Aspect- For anyone who has played a Gran Turismo game, you know that in order to participate in certain events or have access to certain vehicles and events, you need to acquire licenses. Gran Turismo 5 has now decided to use an "experience" system wherein a player can gain experience points to level up, these in turn allow you to participate in events or purchase cars based on your level.
3. A-Spec Events and B-Spec Events- This is a new addition, it's pretty much the main events of the game. By competing in either of these events, you will earn money and experience points. The A-Spec Races are your usual, straightforward, first place wins kind of race, from here, you work your way up until you unlock more events and vehicles as you level up. Now as for B-Spec events, this is a totally new concept, this pretty much a "hands free" event wherein you no longer have to drive the car. Here, you create/select a driver and then enter him in a race. You also earn money and experience points from these events. The drivers have certain types of "personalities" that bring with them various traits and abilities, these aspects will affect how the driver performs during a race. Once you have chosen your driver, you can now begin the race, the players only task here is to "coach" the driver with 4 commands that tell him to either lower his pace, maintain his pace, pick up his pace and overtake. Now this may seem simple enough, but there are things you need to consider, excessive commanding may cause your driver "lose focus" and end committing mistakes that may cost you the race.
3. Create A Race Track- Aside from just all out racing, the game has added a feature that allows players to create their own race track and upload it for the use of the gaming community. You can create the scenery of the track, the length, the sharpness of curves and turns and the weather of the track, this feature certainly adds to the replay value of the game.
4. Online Multiplayer- Now this is the first time this feature was included in the entire Gran Turismo franchise. The concept of multiplayer is quite simple, enter the Open Lobby on the My Home menu screen, find a room, look for a race (either Free Run or Shuffle Race) then hit the gas and enjoy! Another concept added to the online aspect of this game is being able to join the Community Area on the My Home menu, here players can view their online friends, post messages and give gifts (you can give away cars! O_o).
5. Special Events- Aside from the two main events mentioned above, this is another one where players can participate in, by earning experience points and leveling up, one will be granted access to various special events, such as NASCAR, Rally, Drifting Events and Go-Karting which is a pretty good add-in to the game.
6. The Concept of Vehicle Damage- This is one thing I've always thought was lacking from the Gran Turismo franchise, finally, they have added this feature, although it is nowhere near the damage modeling that Grid possesses, I'm very pleased that it has now been included. 

                Of course, with new features come the maintenance of the old ones, personally, I'm glad they maintained the License Test feature, this was one of the defining aspects of the entire franchise. For those who've never played any Gran Turismo game, the name of the feature speaks for itself, you go through a series of driving tests in order to earn a certain license, the degree of difficulty varies, it's quite challenging but still fun overall. Also, I liked that they maintained the Used Car Lot in the Career Mode because here lies the discovery of rare vehicles that are not offered in the Dealerships, always be on the lookout, you never know what you might find. O_o Also, the usual Arcade Mode, VS mode and Practice Mode has also been retained.

                Sadly, this game is not perfect and there are some things that did leave me quite disappointed. First off, the graphics aren't that amazing, for a game that was in development for five years, I was expecting a lot more. In all honesty, if you were to compare this game to Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit, graphically, Need For Speed would have a slight edge. But I'm not saying the graphics of this game aren't superb, because they are, all I'm saying is that given the amount of time it took to make, I think they could have done better. Another minor detail that I wish was worked on was the fact that Porsche isn't included in the car list, sure RUF is the closest you can get to it, but Porsche is Porsche, most car enthusiasts would share the same sentiments I suppose. Haha.

                Overall, I think that this game is a must-have for every car enthusiast and racing gamer alike. For die-hard Gran Turismo game players such as myself, this purchase was inevitable, because not getting this game would be as foolish as challenging a Bugatti Veyron using a Kia Pride. Hahaha.

Ranking:
Story: 8/10- Very enjoyable career mode
Gameplay: 8/10- Physics could use a little work, but you'll get used to it
Graphics: 9/10- Pure beauty, simply amazing. @_@
Soundtrack: 8/10

*CARS: Very vast selection, you will not be disappointed! @_@
Overall: 9/10, a very satisfying game with a high replay value, blessed with tantalizing graphics and an insane amount of vehicle choices.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit Video Game Review (PS3)


Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit

                As a kid up until now, I've always loved cars, so it was already pre-determined that I would purchase a pre-ordered copy of the latest Need For Speed Franchise installment, which is Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit. The latest version of Hot Pursuit is simply a "remake" of the Need For Speed Hot Pursuit sub series which had versions for the 1st and 2nd Playstation, both were great by the way. But EA's partnering up with Criterion (developer of Burnout Paradise) has added an edge over the competition when it comes to an adrenaline pumping, high-speed, intense racing game.
                Right off the bat, you will already notice how simple the interface of the game is, it has a  very straightforward Career mode basically composed of various point-to-point races over a vast map and long stretches of road. You can blow past the whole career as either a cop or a racer and choosing either path will have no effect on anything as each side is independently progressive, plus if you feel like playing cop, you can take a break from being a racer and participate in a police event at any point your career. Being a cop or a racer offers a uniquely different experience with its own set of challenges, aside from the obvious reasons where as a cop you do what you can to stop racers and as a racer, you do what you can to finish a race without getting busted by the cops.
                When you start racing, you will notice very precise controls and response which is very important in a game like this where split-second decision need precise response in order to execute effectively. But aside from the dead-on controls and responsive system, NFS: Hot Pursuit is awesome because its core concept is so simple and yet so diverse. It's more than just escaping from the police as a racer and catching felons as the police, there's a certain uniqueness to each that even though you're driving on exactly the same roads, the same map, the two roles make things feel entirely different. Each location, which is linked into one big map that gives you varying scenery, from the desert countryside to snowy mountains, which are all graphically pleasing if I may add, not only do they and an element of size to the game, these locations also offer you various shortcuts and side roads that can be used to your advantage as either a cop or a racer.
                The game has opted not to use a currency system and has switched this out with "Bounty Points" which you earn by driving well (insane yet precise), winning races, busting bad guys, etc. which then boosts your rank as either a cop or a racer, which in turn, makes new vehicles, car classes, equipment (used for either catching or escaping from the cops which are exactly the same items except used differently depending on what role you choose.) as well as upgrades for these equipment.
                Another cool factor that I liked about this game is the new feature called "Autolog" system which is pretty much the heart of the game because your career progress directly affects your online gaming experience, what you unlock in the career can be used online, it also happens vice versa because the progress/bounty system is one and the same, this feature allows you to keep constant tabs on your friends' progress with regards to all the events they have accomplished, this boosts the replay value of the game because we all have competitive side right? Your friend beats yours event, you beat theirs, and it just goes on.  The Autolog system tracks events in real time (you need an internet connection of course, access to PSN and the Autolog network) meaning while you're playing in the career, you could get a prompt telling you that your friend just topped your score in another event, then by simply pressing R1, you load directly into that event and try to reclaim your title. Aside from this, you can also set challenges for your friends under the event suggestions tab, for example, you finished a race under a certain time, you can suggest it and see if your friends can beat it. There's also a message board function where messages and screenshots can be shared. This is where the game truly stands out in my opinion, the online experience. For one, I really enjoy the Hot Pursuit game mode (one of the various online modes), because it's pretty much a no holds barred cops-and-robbers/cat and mouse game that really involves a lot more strategy than most people think, bottom line is that it's a fun experience playing online.
                Last but not the least, I cannot forget about the CARS. @_@ I'm drooling as I type this (okay not really, but you get it.) I do not want to discuss this in detail because knowing me, this review might turn into a novel. So let me just give you the down-low, the cars are beautiful, graphically sexy and visually appealing, they all seem to be handcrafted by the automobile gods themselves. Excellent detailed.  And just to give a little overview, you will be seeing manufacturers such as Porsche, Lamborghini, Maserati, Bugatti, Bentley, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, McLaren, Chevrolet, Dodge, Aston Martin, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Pagani, Koenigsegg, Ford, Audi and Jaguar. (I think I said em' all?)
                So if you love cars, you enjoy speeding, you like challenges, you like running from cops, catching bad guys, making records and breaking records, doing it in style if I might add, then Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit is a game for you!

Rating:
Story: N/A
Gameplay: 8.5/10
Graphics: 8.5/10
Soundtrack: 8/10
*CARS: 9.5/10, could use the Gran Turismo lineup, but all is forgiven thanks to the vast selection of exotics. @_@

Overall: I believe this game deserves an 9/10, a very straightforward game with a very rewarding online experience, not to mention visually rewarding as well as a high replay value.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Call Of Duty: Black Ops Video Game Review (PS3)


Call Of Duty: Black Ops


                I just got my copy of Call Of Duty: Black Ops, third person to purchase it at the store, I've been waiting and itching to play and write this review for quite awhile now.

Campaign Review:         
*No spoilers, no worries
                Alright, let's get to it, first off, the game throws you into a pretty vague scene wherein you don't really know what's going on but as you wait, things start becoming clearer. I can already feel the tension of the story as the beginning unfolds, as a matter of fact, you already get a faint hint as to what to expect by sticking around the main menu screen for awhile. There's a more serious vibe of suspense and a dark intrigue around this game, which is to be expected based on the plot of the game which generally revolves around the Cold War/Vietnam War era and the conspiracy and things that happened "behind the scenes" during the that was kept hidden from the general public. The first area of the campaign already gives you a taste of things to come later in the game, it kicks off with the usual "simple get acquainted/re-acquainted with controls" type of level where you're given a bunch of enemies to practice on, but without sacrificing the solid storyline of course, kudos to the developers for keeping things interesting right off the bat, because personally, I didn't like how Modern Warfare and Modern Warfare 2 began, the whole camp and training course thing (of course the rest of the campaign made up for that). The cutscenes are also well structured and created, a good mix of realistic aspects and digitally created aspects, very visually appealing and adds to the suspense, at one point, I was actually reminded of Assassin's Creed because of the way the cutscenes were used to help tell the story.  Another feature I found  cool was that they included Zombie mode in this game, kinda like Left 4 Dead but Call of Duty style, at least there's a fun a pastime aside from the main features of the game itself (campaign and multiplayer).
                The environments are beautiful, great texture and detailed in almost every aspect, shadows look great, walls, far away backgrounds, these all  look good and very artistically, yet realistically designed, the models of the characters look good as usual, nothing too great, but they look good, I've gotten used to the way the people look since I played previous Call Of Duty games so it's not really a big deal, they are detailed enough to be visually pleasing. Things seem to have become a bit more bloody and gory (Which quite frankly, I love. Haha.), also, I'm not sure if this "feature" has been present before but I seem to notice more semi-realistically but accurate enemy deaths (e.g. grabbing of the arm when he is shot, although I think being shot in the arm by a Makarov may not be lethal, but what would I know, I've never been shot. Haha. ) in addition to the "feature" mentioned above, another sweet addition is the utilization of the Crossbow with explosive tipped arrows which can be used on both vehicles and infantry (I personally like using it on infantry, I'll leave the rest to your imagination. @_@). The physics is sometimes off though, but I don't mind, it adds a bit of comic relief to the game, seeing a fallen enemy end up in an awkward position. Also, I also noticed the DISMEMBERMENT  feature added, gives the game a bit more realism/exaggerated realism in my opinion. @_@
                Moving on to the gameplay, if you've played Call Of Duty Modern Warfare/Modern Warfare 2 or any Call Of Duty game for that matter, then you should have no problem adjusting to this game, everything is pretty much the same, controller mapping, movement, etc. The game gives you diverse level of sensitivity which is always a great touch, it makes things more personal because not everyone uses the same aim/look speed. The aiming mechanism is simple and accurate as usual, which provides easy target acquisition and decent hip fire capability. And you can't forget the "cutscene-within-gameplay" scenes where there are some epic "movie" moments embedded in the actual gameplay, one of my favorite features.
                The campaign soundtrack is pretty awesome too, although not as epic as the soundtrack of Modern Warfare 2 (Hans Zimmer rules), it's still quite good , fitting to the scenarios and events that are present throughout the game. The voiceovers are star-studded too with celebrities like Sam Worthington, Ed Harris, Gary Oldman, Ice Cube (I knew this was him as soon as his character spoke. Haha.), Emmanuelle Chriqui, Topher Grace, Oleg Taktarov, all lending their voices to add to the epic-ness of this game, in addition to them lending their voices, some of the characters actually look like the real life actors whose voices are in use!

Multiplayer Review:
                We all know how highly acclaimed the Call Of Duty franchise is when it comes to Multiplayer, when Modern Warfare 2 came out, the multiplayer was instantly addictive. But if you thought Modern Warfare 2 was addictive, wait until you see what Black Ops has in store for you in terms of multiplayer.
                To get the ball rolling, what basically happened was that the developers kept the basic multiplayer aspects of the game that most people accustomed to and then added some pretty sweet stuff to the already saccharine coated multiplayer component of the game. But before getting into that, one distinct feature that was added to the game is a form of currency called CoD Points, I think this is an awesome touch to throw in because it opens up a whole new avenue of opportunities! This currency enables a player to purchase weapons, attachments, perks, equipment, grenades, etc. This adds a bit of a challenge to the game because unlike Modern Warfare 2, you gain firepower simply by leveling up, in the case of Black Ops, you do gain access to firearms as you level up but you can't just equip them, you now have to purchase them, not only that, but you also have to purchase every other aspect that makes up your personal arsenal, from attachments, to equipment, to perks. This adds a little "economic equilibrium" to the game because in order to earn, you need to play, kill, level up, pretty much do what you do and get "paid" for it. Okay, before you whip out your credit cards, CoD points cannot be purchased with real money, come on people, really? How desperate are you? Haha.
                Another nice add on is the "Contracts" aspect of the game where you can use your CoD currency to purchase contracts that have specific requirements, you fulfill them, you get the monetary/experience award. There are three categories: Mercenary, Operations and Specialists, I'll leave it up to you to play and explore these categories, see where you fit best. Aside from that, there are some pretty cool killstreaks added such as RC-XD (Remote Controlled Car with explosives), the Attack Dogs killstreak and the SR-71 Blackbird killstreak. There is also an add on that players can utilize as a "practice" match of sorts, it's called Combat Training wherein you set the AI difficulty and play against bots in an independently progressing mulitplayer aspect, meaning what happens in Combat Training, stays there.
                Now for the unique features of the multiplayer component, they have now added an aspect called Wager Matches, wherein you can bet your CoD points, the top three players split the winnings. But there's a catch, it's not as simple as killing your opponent and taking his money, there are four ways where you can do it:
1. One In The Chamber: It's sort of like a Mexican Standoff wherein each player has a pistol with only one bullet in the chamber, you shoot an enemy, he dies, you get another bullet, you miss and you're left with a knife.
2. Gun Game: Everyone starts with pistols, each kill you get upgrades  your weapon and you move on to the next level (20 Levels total), so it's a hierarchical path from pistols, to submachine guns and so forth. First to get a kill with every weapon wins.
3.  Sharpshooter: All players begin with a randomly generated weapon, the same random weapon for all players, then every 45 seconds, the weapons change at random again. A true test of one's versatility with firearms in the game, if you want to win, you need to be a jack of all trades, the same tip goes for Gun Game.
4. Sticks And Stones: Each player starts with a crossbow, a ballistic knife and a tomahawk, whoever dies by tomahawk goes broke.
                Another unique feature added here was the high level of character customization, you can customize pretty much everything, from decals and logos on your weapon, to face paint, it seems like a very vast range of player customization combinations which leaves a lot of room for the imaginative and the artsy.

                So in summary, if you're an FPS junkie and firearms enthusiast like myself and you've liked the previous games from the Call Of Duty franchise, especially Modern Warfare 2, then you're going to have to get this game, well worth buying and spending a whole lot of time on.
               


Ranking:
Story: 9/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Graphics: 9/10
Soundtrack: 8/10
Overall: I think this game deserves a 9.5/10. To put it simply: Great story, great gameplay, beautiful graphics = a really awesome Call Of Duty game.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Star Wars: The Force Unleahed II Video Game Review (PS3)

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II

    Okay, so I just got Star Wars: The Force Unleashed 2, I'm pretty psyched about this game because I enjoyed the prequel a lot, come on, who wouldn't appreciate the abusive use of The Force?, Plus when I saw the cinematic trailer of the sequel, which was pretty epic, I was sold. (Thank you YouTube and E3 for this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94-4c0eJikk). And let's face it, I grew up to the Star Wars movies, during the age of the Laser Disc, so this was pretty much a done deal.

*Don't worry, I hate spoilers so there aren't any story giveaways here.

     The beginning of the game treats you to the traditional Star Wars music as well as the "scrolling into the stars" story presentation. I wasn't expecting much but when the opening cut scene loaded, I nearly dropped my controller in awe, the graphics are beautiful, I mean, really amazing, one of the best ones I have seen in a long time, I can't stress enough how beautiful the cut scenes are, coupled with the always epic musical score to go with it, I was blown away. So as the game starts, they give you a brief "tour" of the controls which are pretty much the same as the first one except now, you have 2 Lightsabers, I repeat, 2 Lightsabers! If you recall all the destruction you dealt with one Lightsaber, imagine the diversity that 2 gives you, you are now equipped with a few more combos and an expanded move set. Aside from the graphically pleasing environment, a nice little touch has been added to the battle gameplay: DISMEMBERMENT. For those fans of video game violence (like myself), this is awesome, you can literally chop off limbs of Storm Troopers, behead via Saber Throw, just like how it should happen based on the movies (e.g .Luke's hand getting chopped off). Another neat little weapon added to Galen Marek aka Starkiller's arsenal is the move called "Mind Trick", it's pretty entertaining to use because you get to turn enemies against each other, you can even get some to commit suicide by either jumping off a platform or into a laser force field.
   
    At times though, the targeting system goes haywire and doesn't really lock on to what you want to lock on to but then you rarely need it unless you're against a large enemy or you want to torture the heck out of an infantry member by holding him in your Force Grip and continuously throwing your Lightsabers at him or electrocuting him over and over again (which is kinda fun, I have to admit.). The way to kill the larger enemies hasn't changed from the first one wherein you must inflict enough damage before being able to perform a button sequence finisher that pretty much does the same thing for the same types of enemies. The skill upgrade system has been simplified a bit, not that it was complicated to begin with, the process is pretty much the same as the first Force Unleashed.
      
     Overall, the game is pretty good if you're a fan of beat em' up games on graphical steroids and you don't mind repetitiveness and lack of a deep storyline then this is a game for you.


Ranking:
Story: 7/10, lacks depth
Gameplay: 7/10, despite new additions, the game still tends to be a bit repetitive
Graphics: 9/10, beautiful environment and cutscenes
Soundtrack: 9/10, expected from a Lucas Arts production
Overall: I'd give it an 7.5/10, I'm really into a game with a good storyline, the graphics would have been a perfect complement to the storyline if there had been more depth into the plot, also a highly expanded move set would have been great, don't get me wrong, I'm happy with the new additions, but it feels too close to the first game that I hardly notice the add-ons. I'm quite disappointed that the story wasn't as epic as I expected it would be, just like any game, this has it's pros and cons, but I enjoy it so I don't regret purchasing it.

__________________________________
Console: Sony Playstation 3 Slim 320GB
Monitor: Viewsonic 24" VX2439WM 1920x1080 Full HD
Sound System: Creative Inspire 5.1 A500 SBS Surround Sound System