Publisher: Sega
Developer: Double Fine
Genre: Adventure/Platformer
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available now

The Cave sees a return to Ron Gilbert’s stable of adventure gaming after some sidestepping into the realm of the action-RPG genre with the great DeathSpank series. My initial reaction when I was asked to review The Cave was, how shall I say, restrained. An apt description, as it would be the same response I’d give if someone asked me to go caving. The Cave is somewhat of a gaming nemesis for me, it being a hybrid platformer/puzzle/adventure, a combination that doesn’t usually inspire many outbursts of excitement from the gaming couch in my household. So, with my jaw set in grim determination, I donned my hardhat, checked my clamps, turned on my torch and descended into the depths of Ron Gilbert’s mind.

The first thing you encounter when you start the game is the deep and slightly amused voice of the cave itself, which appropriately sets the scene for this odd but amusing adventure. You find yourself outside of the entrance with an eclectic group of seven characters: The Knight, The Monk, The Time Traveler, The Hillbilly, The Scientist, The Twins and The Adventurer. Your first task is to choose three of these to help you navigate the cold, dank depths of the cave. Each character has their own story and special ability, which can help you solve the various puzzles the game merrily throws at you. For example, The Knight can surround himself with a lair of invincibility that can negate all damage (but is stationary as he does so), while the The Twins can create a ghostly double of themselves, which continues to do the action they were doing when they spawned it. The selection of the characters also determines the puzzles that your small caving group encounters.

Each of the seven characters also has their own story that unfolds as you progress. This being the mind of the aforementioned Mr. Gilbert, we quickly find out that there are no heroes among your seven; each has some dark backstory and is psychologically flawed in a major way. I thought this was a refreshing and interesting touch (but then, I am a psychologist). The backstory aims to be more of an introspective journey of self-discovery designed to challenge your ideas of right and wrong, and of human morality. Having played around with different combinations of the characters, it becomes apparent that some are more useful than others, with the Knight, Monk and Twins probably falling into the most useful category. The Cave obviously wants you to uncover its dark secrets, as none of your quirky adventurers are allowed to die. No matter how many times you drop them into lava pits, barbecue them in dragon fire, or blow them up with dynamite, they’re quickly teleported back to safety.

The Cave is an adventure game populated with puzzle-solving scenarios and blended with a 2D platforming style. You control a single character at a time, using the D-pad to switch between your three selected characters. I found this to be one of the tedious aspects of the game. When you need three people to complete an action, but two of them are on the other side of the level, it becomes a little tiresome switching between them, running to where you need them, and then repeating the process until they’re all together. The game does group up your characters in certain locations, such as when you’re transitioning from one cave section to another, but it’s too infrequent overall. The characters look good and move well, and each has their own movement idiosyncrasies. The game setting is quite magical, put together in Double Fine’s familiar cartoonish style. The artwork is beautiful and engaging, especially regarding the surprise locations that you accidentally discover (medieval castle, museum, shark-infested sea).

The game includes general puzzles to solve and character-specific levels that need to be traversed. The puzzles are pitched at the right level in terms of not being either too easy or desperately hard. Some puzzles take a little while for the light bulb of solution to switch on. I found that the character-led levels were a bit hit and miss (which just might reflect my personal bias). I liked the Knight and Monk-themed levels, but absolutely hated the confusing Hillbilly Carnival scenario. The fact that the explorers have no inventory slots, restricting them to carry one item at a time, provides yet another twist as you attempt to figure out how to get the right characters to the right places with the right tool for the job. There’s an over-arching sense of repetition that pervades your gameplay. This is not only in terms of the puzzles, but also when you play it again with different combinations of characters. Nothing changes from playthrough to playthrough. The Cave cracks the same jokes, and the same characters pop up saying the same lines. This is a shame, as it really impacts of the longevity of the gameplay. Most games you feel you can go back to the beginning and get different experiences. I didn’t get this feeling at all with this one.

The Cave is almost a metaphor for the mind of Ron Gilbert. At times pensive and funny, at other times sarcastic, the game’s nothing if not an entertaining and amusing companion. It’s a work of love, populated with chuckle-inducing gags and lovely graphics. It does also have you inadvertently explore some of the bigger questions in life, but not in a conspicuous way that spoils the experience. It does suffer from a number of technical imperfections, especially with frame-rate issues that can cause stuttering. While it never happened to me, some gamers have actually fallen through the game world and have had to kill their characters to re-spawn into the confines of the cave. So hopefully we can expect some patches. The game’s an interesting experience, but I found it a little claustrophobic, and it doesn’t lend itself to hours of replay. If you liked the DeathSpank series, then this game would probably appeal to you, if you bear in mind the above points. I’m not an immediate fan of problem-solving games, so although I had fun exploring The Cave, I was somewhat relieved to come up into the daylight.

Our Score:
Our Recommendation:

© Simon Moore for The Adrenaline Vault, 2013. | Permalink | No comment(s)

Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Genre: Shooter
ESRB rating: Mature
Release date: Available now

Forty-six hours. What can you do in 46 hours? Watch 46 episodes of your Law and Order series of choice. Drive most of the way across the US (at a law-abiding 60 mph, of course). Watch Wagner’s Ring cycle of operas three times. For me, 46 hours was how long it took to get through Capcom’s new apocalyptic zombie opus, Resident Evil 6. It was a dark, repetitive, sometimes frustrating journey that I’m unlikely to take again.

Resident Evil 6 tells the separate but similar stories of three pairs of protagonists (plus one fetching but deadly antiheroine) as they fight through a world on the brink of collapse after the release of a virus that turns people into flesh-chomping zombies. Secret agent Leon Kennedy and Secret Service agent Helena Harper start in Washington, where they have to put down the US President after he turns into a zombie in the Oval Office. Soldier Piers Nivens has to recruit retired agent Chris Redfield to help him track down the source of the virus. Meanwhile, agent Sherry Birkin extracts Jake Muller from a war-torn eastern European country. Muller is a mercenary who’s immune to the virus and whose blood could be the key to a cure. All three sets of partners eventually find their way to China, where their stories intersect from time to time, forcing them to fight together to survive. Tying them further together is the shadowy Ada Wong, whose allegiances are never really clear until the end.

One of the big differences between RE6 and the previous games is the vast improvement in the control system. Many players reported not being able to escape the first room in the Resident Evil 5 demo because of the controls, but that’s been successfully changed for the new game. Unfortunately, you have to pay close attention to your screen at all times if you want to survive. There’s no printed manual in the box, and there’s no gamepad control diagram in the options menu, so you have to depend upon the hints that pop up at the bottom of the screen to figure out how to do important things such as sprinting or sliding under obstructions.

After a fairly long prologue, you get to choose one of the three available campaigns (the Ada Wong campaign is locked until you complete all of the others, although an upcoming patch is supposed to make her story available from the start as well). Dead enemies drop either ammunition (which can be in short supply) or skill points, which you can trade in after each chapter for ability and weapon upgrades. This can make for a long slog through that first chapter, since you’re stuck with your opening abilities from the get-go. Fortunately, equipped abilities carry over from campaign to campaign, so your Ada Wong could be a real badass by the time you unlock her storyline. Combat is repetitive but fun, with lots of variety in the beastiary, although melee combat can be an exercise in futility and zombies don’t go down after just one headshot, forcing you to use your quickly dwindling ammo supplies more than necessary.

RE6‘s biggest problem? It’s dark. Not just in narrative tone, but also visually dark. If you use the gamma correction utility in the options menu in the way described, then you’ll most likely be fighting in total darkness throughout the better part of the game, leaving you to depend upon audio cues to find the enemy before they find you (you’d think that highly trained fighters such as these would have flashlights with them). The cover mechanic in combat is clunky (did Capcom not learn anything from Gears of War?); you can’t fire behind cover while crouched, only while standing, and that requires some delicate stick/trigger manipulation. The story is saturated with quick-time events, some of which require pinpoint accuracy and can pop up at almost any time; another reason not to take your eyes off of your TV. Camera problems crop up at the most inopportune times, as in when you’re trying to sprint, slide and QTE your way to the end of a tricky chase scene. Checkpoints are intelligently placed, so you don’t usually have to backtrack too far when you die, but there are still times when you might cry out for a save-anywhere feature. And then there are those overlapping campaigns. It’s an interesting storytelling device that lets the overall plot gradually unravel, but it also means that you’ll be fighting the same miniboss battles multiple times through the four campaigns.

This was my first complete Resident Evil game, so I wasn’t scarred by the reported general awfulness of some of the other entries in the series. Resident Evil 6 is a competent shooter inside an end-of-the-world wrapper, making it right up my dark alley. But the general sameness of the combat, the minimal number of puzzles to break up the bloodletting monotony, the repetition in the set pieces and the overall darkness of the visuals turn a promising shooter into a long, dreary journey to nowhere. Find something else that you love to do and spend 46 hours doing it.

Our Score:
Our Recommendation:

© Michael Smith for The Adrenaline Vault, 2012. | Permalink | No comment(s)

Publisher: Sega
Developer: Sega
Genre: Fighter
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available now

Not being an experienced fighter, I felt rather awkward donning my “gi.” As a gamer, I haven’t tested my hand-to-hand combat skills much (unless you generously allow me to count wielding my Blade of Scorching in Skyrim). So it was with slight hesitancy that I downloaded Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown on my trusty Xbox.

I was somewhat heartened by the fact that the game, as I understand it, is effectively a re-release of the 2007 console version of VF5, allegedly aimed at those who are new to the fighting series. I was further encouraged by one of the known details about these games: they are generally accessible to all; anyone can pick them up and button-pound their way to glory. I might be teaching my grandma to suck eggs here, but for those who’ve never played a fighting game, the objective is simple: knock seven bells of hell out of your opponent without them doing the same to you. First one to reduce their opponent’s health to zero wins.

Fighting my first opponent, I found the controls to be very straightforward. Left stick or D-Pad controls movement, with down being crouch and up being jump, X is block, A and Y are punch, and B is kick. Command (move) lists are accessed from the pause menu. My confidence grew after I knocked my first challenger out. The real satisfaction came from learning the proper techniques, combos and counters, and there’s a large selection of these to keep any cage fighter purring. Ok, I lied — the real satisfaction comes from downing your opponent in a flurry of carefully orchestrated limb-based attacks.

From a graphics perspective, Final Showdown is pretty good, and as an arcade game it’s definitely comparable to a full retail product. One fighting location involves a beach, and the effects of the players moving on the sand are pretty clever. The game scores quite high marks for foreground and player animation/graphics, but lower for the background sets and interactive environments. Since players’ attention is drawn to the fighting, this does little to detract from the visual enjoyment of the game. New visual additions from previous versions include an increased range of animations and alternative costumes (including character customization).

The gameplay itself is quite engaging to start; I got hooked on knocking out various ego-led opponents. There are 19 playable fighters, with one being brought back from an older entry and only a single character being genuinely new to the series, making for only two extra characters. The fighters are actually quite dull. They hardly speak (some comical taunting or gloating would have been a nice touch). In terms of a story, there aren’t any character endings when the arcade mode is finished. Any game has to have lively characters, since these are the key focal points of player engagement. Despite various fighting environments (aboard a raft on a river, in a burning building, in a shopping mall, etc.), the game does get a little repetitive after awhile. There are various modes, such as the basic arcade mode, versus, score attack, and a license-challenge mode, to try to keep the game fresh. The arcade solo mode and the versus mode will likely draw the most interest. The challenge mode is hardly challenging, even for a new fighter like me – win a match without losing a round (40G), for example. A little bit more investment in this mode could’ve been interesting and kept even the veterans of the series engaged. Despite all this, it’s the fighting itself that’s done well. Timing, input and reactions are what this game’s really about, which should please the most ardent fighters out there. Combat is slick and fast, and you need your wits about you.

Which gamers will be interested in Virtua Fighter 5? It’s hard to say, really. The hardcore fans of the series will probably go for it, but I doubt they’ll find much longevity in the gameplay. There is a customization element, but from what I can tell, old outfits and appearance elements are all currently locked out until they can be pushed via DLC. It should appeal to anyone who’s tempted to play a fighting game and hasn’t as yet dipped their toe into such waters. The main selling point of this game is that you’re getting a retail game for an arcade price, and that should be well received by the gaming community. For 1200 MS points, Virtua Fighter 5 is a steal. I’m battered, broken and bruised; I hope you fully appreciate my dedication to gaming.

Our Score:
Our Recommendation:

© Simon Moore for The Adrenaline Vault, 2012. | Permalink | No comment(s)

Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Developer: Bethesda Softworks
Genre: RPG
ESRB rating: Mature
Release date: November 11, 2011

In the early days of the Xbox 360, new adopters found one game to rule them all. The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion was released in the Spring of 2006 (a scant six-months after that console heralded this new generation of game systems), and it proved to be one of those bridge titles that united the hardcore RPG elite with the mainstream. Western RPGs have always held court in the console space but unlike the welcoming PC world, they remained a modest, niche success. Since Oblivion’s successful release, big, brawny role playing games have slashed their way to the tops of sales charts. Since then, Fable, Mass Effect and the Fallout series inspiring more and more players to drag dungeons, slay dragons and journey there and back again. With news that the next iteration of consoles is being prepped by the Big Three for debut over the next few years, Bethesda’s latest Elder Scrolls release, Skyrim, makes for a nice bit of symmetry – potentially a fitting swan song.

The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim opens 200 years after the events in Oblivion. At the outset, players choose there gender and select from the ten available races utilizing the expected robust character creation toolset. In the early moments, the game is on rails as Bethesda hammers down the dramatic stakes. Amidst a crippling civil war that has rocked the Skyrim region, a new, dire threat has emerged. After centuries of slumber, fearsome dragons have returned to the world. With factions warring for control of Skyrim in the wake of the King’s assassination, this new development upsets the geographical and political landscape. War is hard enough to wage without the omnipresent fear of fiery death from above. Into the rising tempest, your character plunges. Soon he (or she) may emerge as an important cog in the machinations, as in the grand Elder Scrolls tradition, the choice is up to the player to decide whether to follow their destiny or simply ignore the main plot and live the hard life of Skyrim.

Skyrim builds off of the narrative drive established in Oblivion. While the Elder Scrolls series has always been known for its open-endedness, allowing players to explore the world and play the game in whatever way they choose, it was Oblivion that took large steps in implementing a compelling core plot without disrupting the persistent world around it. Story quests could be picked up and chased down at any point while players were free to wander off the beaten path should they find some shiny new obsession to hunt down along the fringes. Or, if a player was content to simply pick flowers and make potions for a living, that livelihood (among so many other options) was available to pursue as well. Both Oblivion’s quest and story scripting proved that Bethesda could organically plant an overall plot, one that the player helps shape, without taking anything away the feeling of freedom that set this franchise apart from its more linear counterparts.

While Skyrim does not represent the revolutionary leap that Oblivion was over the meandering Morrowind, it certainly stands as a huge evolutionary step for the series. Everything that worked well in Oblivion is back in Skyrim, and Bethesda takes pains to craft a game that doesn’t simply echo past accomplishments. Jaws dropped when Oblivion capped its extended prologue with that eye-opening gaze at the whole, wide world that stretched beyond the player once you scurried through those claustrophobic sewers. It’s a move that the studio’s follow-up, Fallout 3, mimicked to similar success. Skyrim may open with another carefully choreographed introduction, but the studio refrains from going to that well once again, intent on ladling out just enough information about the political strife, the dire threat building and your hazy role in it all to push you forward before releasing the reins. In that, they continue to perfect their handle on world-building – realizing that as many players love to have a reason to fight there are others who just want to get lost in the world. Once the player has a handle on their character, they are free to go wherever they please while the main plot remains identifiable and within reach for those who want it.

© Ed Humphries for The Adrenaline Vault, 2011. | Permalink | 31 comments

Publisher: Microsoft
Developer: Certain Affinity
Genre: Hack and slash
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available now

Certain Affinity has made their name through map creation for a variety of other games. Crimson Alliance sees their bid to take to the gaming stage proper. It is a hack and slash dungeon crawler in the same vein as Bastion and Torchlight, in that it offers player input in terms of item and weapon choices. However, if you prefer a game where you have to decide whether to wear your “Tights of Valhalla” or your “Ankle Socks of Death,” then you should move along quickly using your “Stockings of Swiftness.” Micro management isn’t part of the game’s ethos – simplicity is. For example, you only get three characters to choose from. The game offers both single player campaign action and a four player co-op mode (available both locally and online). So is Crimson Alliance worth a trip through the dungeon?

Hardcore dungeon-crawler fans might not like this XBLA-only game. There probably isn’t enough micro-management and character development to hold their attention. There is no dialogue engagement, no moral dilemma decisions (unless you love goblins), and no in-depth character development. Yet, the move away from these in-game management systems is, I must admit, a breath of fresh air. Not laden by all these complexities, you are free to just hone your dungeon eradication skills. You become a one man, dungeon pest control system.

As I’ve established, there are three different characters to choose: The Wizard, the Mercenary, and the Assassin. Each character plays differently and each has just three unique skills. This decision keeps the game focused, and it works well. Each power has specific tactical advantages during a fight, and while your character doesn’t level up as such, better equipment does becomes available, and it improves these skills substantially. While your characters do earn experience points, it’s the gold and unique artifacts that you’ll be after. Gold buys better weapons and gadgets, while artifacts earn you greater health or special skills. For example, when you buy a new weapon or piece of armor, it simply increases or decreases one or more of your character’s attack abilities, possibly adding a knock-on magic effect. One instance of this is adding poison to the Assassin’s blades.

The game itself revolves around combat. Your task is to hack and slash your way through each level and stay alive. Due to this emphasis, the combat system is actually is one of game’s biggest strengths. Each of the characters has a standard attack, a stun ability, and an evasive maneuver. Fighting is actually quite fun, and perhaps more engaging than you might expect. Knowing how to work the block and evade are critical, and making the most of special attacks like the Wizard’s freeze spell is vital. The game comes with some added fun, such as exploding barrels and poison gas canisters that the characters can pick up and lob into enemy crowds. There are more challenges than merely completing the single player campaign. If you’re planning to master the online leaderboards, you’ll need lightning fast reactions. Score multipliers are tough to build up, and knocked down a notch each time you get hit. You have to successfully alternate attacks with dodging. The game also has a multiplayer mode with up to four players, locally or online, working cooperatively to beat each level.

The game has weak areas, however, that could be improved. Opponents are not all that interesting once you have encountered them a few times, and generally the boss fights are unremarkable. The dungeon environments do look nice, but more variation would make it more interesting to the player. Given all the fighting you have to engage in, there is actually very little loot in the game aside from just a few treasure chests containing rare equipment or consumable items, such as a deployable turret and an area-effect healing totem. More thought could have gone into a better range of equipment rewards. Pricing of the game is also a bit odd. 1200 MSP gets you the full game with all three characters, whereas an 800 MSP purchase gets you the game with just one of the three. If you can’t wait to get your hands on new equipment, you can also fork out 80MSP for 40,000 gold.

Overall, Crimson Alliance may not be a deep or complex game, but that wasn’t Certain Affinity’s intention. Despite its gameplay familiarity, it is fun, frantic, and refreshingly honest. It is not pretending to be anything it isn’t. In my opinion, these things make it a great game to introduce newcomers to the genre, while dungeon veterans will have fun in the co-op mode with friends.

Our Score:

Our Recommendation:

© Simon Moore for The Adrenaline Vault, 2011. | Permalink | No comment(s)

Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Developer: id Software
ESRB rating: Mature
Release date: Available now

Once upon a time, id brought fire to the masses. With the advent of the first person shooter (popularized by their two fisted salvo of Wolfenstein and Doom), id tapped deep into the collective gamer mindset and dreamed up a compelling new genre that gave life to our most visceral impulses. By putting the BFG into our hands and letting us loose on the demonic hordes, they revolutionized the marketplace. They provided a compelling product that underscored the evolutionary shift transpiring. These games weren’t necessarily just for kids anymore, and with the spark ignited, developers weaned on Doom and Quake began adding to the mosaic by taking a fairly simple archetype born from that primal urge to blast stuff and turning it into the box-office busting behemoths we battle through each holiday season. id may have burst onto a barren wasteland way back when, but in the decades since, the landscape has grown fertile. With the release of their long-gestating new IP, we watch to see if id’s Rage can cut through the boisterous noise of their crowded competition.

Although a tried and true first person shooter, Rage opens with eerie parallels to Fallout 3. Following a catastrophic asteroid collision, the Earth is decimated. Small pockets of survivors make their way into a brave new world forming tight factions hoping to rebuild some sense of order among the chaos. Although the world’s governments had collaborated on a series of Arks aimed at preserving the best of our species, the project fails and only one participant survives. Reawakened in the year 2139 (a full 100 years after the event), the Ark Survivor steps out into the world, observing a vast wasteland where shining cities once stood and begins working to piece together his memories while aiding the small townships that have sprung up on the frontier. Sound familiar?

Unlike Fallout 3, Rage’s emphasis is squarely on the action. While visits to towns and interacting with the colorful people that populate the map will result in quests and side jobs, the game is not a true role playing game. Once the bullets start firing, this is a fast run-and-gun shooter, drawing upon the core strengths inherent to the developer. There is a narrative that runs through the story, but it takes a little while to get going. The early sections of the game focused on teaching mechanics and letting you soak in the world. NPCs offer up simple fetch quests that often send you into long, twisting labyrinths or enemy encampments to clear out mutant factions or procure the supplies necessary to augment your gear.

There is a palpable sense of déjà vu that affects Rage from the very beginning. That opening sequence that sets the Ark Survivor loose upon the Wasteland closely resembles the early hours in Fallout 3. The desolate expanse of desert that confronts you also calls to mind Borderlands; and it’s that title (with its Mad Max refugees decked out in biker bondage ware), that fills in the rest of Rage’s DNA. This is an industry that survives and thrives on homage, with developers grabbing whole chunks of past innovation and adding their own elements to compose something new. That being said, all of these allusions to recent hits should not be a knock on id’s vision. It just took them a little longer than the others to get their product to market.

What those 4 years have produced is a stunning new graphics engine. Over the years I have seen a never-ending parade of games built off the Unreal Engine 3, and they have started to look like cookie cutter variations of each other. Rage is built on id’s new idTech5, and it’s a stunner (especially when it comes to rendering landscapes). With every other shooter seemingly sending me into dusty, desolate canyons, it takes something special to draw my eyes to the dunes. I never got tired of seeing the vibrant, colorful, realistic textures that idTech5 paints.

The gameplay is also lightning quick, with no screen tearing or artifacts present while running it on my Xbox 360. It’s locked in at 60 FPS and it really shows. This is a showcase on the 360, setting the benchmark for visual fidelity on a home console. It should be noted that the 360 version comes on 3 discs and the developer recommends that players install the discs to their hard drives to minimize load times and increase performance. That’s a 22 GB install which might prove a bear for some (although you can install one disc at a time, if necessary), so you can also simply run the game off the disc and sacrifice some of the performance. On the PS3, gamers are looking at one Blu-Ray disc with a smaller install (8 GB).

© Ed Humphries for The Adrenaline Vault, 2011. | Permalink | 11 comments

Publisher: Robot Entertainment
Developer: Robot Entertainment
Genre: Action-Strategy
ESRB: Teen
Release date: October 5, 2011

Orcs. I hate them. You hate them. Their continued existence promises to bring only pain and suffering. They are a constant threat to the well-being of society, and should be dealt with swiftly and violently. Robot Entertainment’s Orcs Must Die! is an action-strategy hybrid that poses a question that is surprisingly difficult to answer: What is the best way to kill an Orc?

Orcs Must Die! begins with the death of an ancient wizard tasked to protect the world from an Orc invasion. This wizard was a Rift guardian, and he used spells and traps to keep the Orcs from entering portals to our world. After his sudden death, his apprentice became the protector of the Rifts. His apprentice, who the player controls for the duration of the game, loves killing Orcs and likes to celebrate his victories with a little dancing.

In Orcs Must Die!, strategy and planning are very important to victory. Learning the layout of the level and how to use it to your advantage is crucial. At the beginning of each stage, the player is given a small amount of money with which to purchase traps. While the initial trap selection is rather limited, as you progress though the game you will be rewarded with new weapons and up to 17 unique traps. Once traps are placed and the round has begun, the player can choose to let his traps do all the work or grab his trusty crossbow (among other weapons) and fight the oncoming horde. Some levels contain environmental hazards, such as acid pits, which the player can use to his advantage. Despite the game’s title, there are more than just Orcs to vanquish. At later levels you will have to deal with Kobolds, Ogres, and many other types of monsters, each with varying speed and armor.

Orcs Must Die! is fast-paced and difficult to put down. The level layout is interesting and keeps you from using the same strategy several times in a row. Combining traps, like using a tar pit to slow enemies down as they walk past a wall that shoots arrows, gives bonus points which raises your score and position on the leader boards. Performing well on a level grants skulls, which can be used to upgrade your existing traps. The trap variety is large and allows for tons of different combinations and strategies. Completing the campaign unlocks an impressively difficult “Nightmare” version.

While the game is a blast to play, one glaring omission is co-op mode. While Orcs Must Die! functions well as a single-player experience, it would be much more fun with a second player. There are rumors that Robot Entertainment is looking to add this function at a later time, but for now it feels like a big hole. While there are trap upgrades available, they are limited and not always worth the price. Weapons and spells each feature a secondary attack, but combat in general feels bare bones and isn’t nearly as effective as setting traps.

Orcs Must Die! is a great way to kill some time. The game is amazing at forcing the “one more level” mentality that causes people to go to bed after midnight when they have work the next morning. While the lack of co-op seems like a wasted opportunity, the stages are endlessly replayable and testing new trap combinations helps to keep things interesting. You can purchase Orcs Must Die! now on the XBLA, and it will be available for the PC on October 12.

Our Score:

Our Recommendation:

© Michael Smith for The Adrenaline Vault, 2011. | Permalink | No comment(s)

Publisher: UTV Ignition
Developer: UTV Ignition
Genre: Puzzle
ESRB rating: Everyone
Release date: Available now

Before the digital distribution networks, PSN and XBLA, became the showcase for ambitious indie darlings like Braid and Limbo, these cyber storefronts featured a dependable selection of classic arcade titles and addictive puzzlers. In fact, on the day I bought my 360, I logged more time playing the freebie Hexic than I did with the show stopping Call of Duty 2. That’s the beauty of a good puzzle game: if the concept is tight and the execution flawless, the intangible “just one more level” mindset takes root; leaving those speaker-blasting battles to wait another day. Nowadays, the marketplaces are jammed with a vast menagerie of downloadable delights, representing all genres. Where these once bite-sized titles have grown much larger, smaller titles like Mercury Hg exist to tax your brain.

Like many popular puzzle games, Mercury’s origins can be traced back to the popular classics of the form. The game presents players with tiltable levels, upon which they must navigate a blob of mercury through obstacles in order to reach the exit point. The level design is evocative of Marble Madness, and utilizes a similar tiled aesthetic, while the tilt mechanics are on loan from the Super Monkey Ball series. The game also layers in rhythm controls, similar to titles such as Lumines, allowing players to add their own music tracks which effect the “pulse” of the levels.

Boasting over 50 initial levels, and a series of unlockable challenge levels, there is a good deal of game play in this small package. As you work your way through each group of levels, arrayed on a board designed to resemble the Periodic Table of Elements, new variables are constantly introduced into the game. One objective may call for the mercury to change color before exiting – at which point the player must hunt down a device that will alter their hue. In addition, some levels feature multiple mercury blobs that you need to navigate through the levels, causing players to really think through their motions as they tilt the board. The entire time you are racing through each level, trying to avoid the edges which will cause you to lose mercury (as well as various environmental obstacles such as dividers and magnets), a timer ticks down. Success is measured by making it to the Exit Point in time without losing any of the mercury, and bonus points are awarded to players who beat the designated par time with a full compliment of mercury, as well as for collectibles found through the course.

Mercury Hg is a decent budget-sized puzzler that for $5 packs a good amount of game play. The original series of levels should take you a few hours to work through and while none of the levels prove particularly taxing, the game does a nice job of mixing up the objectives and keeping you on your toes. Bonus Levels, which are unlocked through skillful play, demand that the player make it to the end of each level without losing any mercury which makes for a great added challenge. In addition, the Leaderboards provide ample opportunity for players to continue slicing seconds off of their best time.

Mercury is designed to be played via the Sixaxis motion controls or through the traditional dual analogue stick-format, with the left controlling the tilt of the level and the right handling the camera. I found that the analog sticks work best as you need to rely upon a series of quick, subtle movements to maneuver through the tough later levels. The finicky nature of the Sixaxis set-up can cause frustration on those levels that feature narrow real estate. When there’s not much room for error, the slight lagginess of the Sixaxis control scheme does not work as well as the full control afforded using the analog controls. From a visual perspective, Mercury boasts a sharp, clean appearance that looks great in high definition. It’s a simple design but one that is pleasing. The audio tracks included in the game fit the puzzle genre, however the ability to pull in your own songs, which have an effect on the levels, is a welcome touch.

For small money, Mercury makes a big impression. While I tend to spend the majority of my game time in the big AAA rated retail titles, little pick-up-and-play puzzlers like this one make for a nice tonic to the blistering battle royale. Mercury Hg may not introduce anything new to the puzzle genre but it does perform a skillful job of cobbling together elements from past puzzlers into its own winning formula.

Our Score:

Our Recommendation:

© Ed Humphries for The Adrenaline Vault, 2011. | Permalink | No comment(s)

Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Genre: Survival horror
ESRB rating: M
Release date: Available now

There is an episode of The Simpsons in which Marge finds a pink Chanel suit on sale at the outlet mall in Ogdenville. Marge loves the suit so much that she decides to wear it while running errands. On one of those errands, Marge runs into a friend from high school who, impressed by Marge’s fashion sense, invites her to come to the Springfield Country Club. Realizing she can’t keep wearing the same thing every time she goes to the country club, Marge alters and improves the suit a little bit each week, hoping to continue impressing her friends.

Last week saw the re-re-re-re-release of Capcom’s survival horror masterpiece, Resident Evil 4. The game, which was originally available for the GameCube and made its way to the PlayStation 2, the PC, and eventually the Wii, is now available as a download through the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live. The most recent version includes everything from the original versions, and the only noticeable difference is that now everything is in HD. There are no extended scenes or special endings, and this isn’t a Director’s Cut. This is the same game we’ve played several times before, with minor visual alterations to keep it looking fresh and new. Resident Evil 4 is Capcom’s pink Chanel suit.

The first thing you notice when the game starts is that it really does look HD. The visuals are much improved throughout most of the game. Some of the game’s cut scenes still feature older graphics, though, and they look grainy and awful. The sound effects and voice acting will take you back to 2005, but they do a good job of setting the mood and, for the most part, fit really well. Resident Evil 4 HD features Ada’s mission from the PlayStation 2 version of the game, as well as Mercenary mode (with leader boards), and trophies/achievements. The control scheme is still terrible, but that is classic Resident Evil and after an hour or so you feel right at home.

Resident Evil 4 is an incredible game, and one of the best RE games in existence. The story is great, the game is long, and the action is thoroughly creepy. The HD remake is available now for $19.99, which is a high price to pay for a game you’ve probably already played two or three times before. For more information on the story and gameplay, Adrenaline Vault’s full Resident Evil 4 review can be found here. If there are any first-timers out there, Resident Evil 4 HD is an absolute must. For people who have already battled Las Plagas with Leon, wait for the inevitable price drop.

Our Score:

Our Recommendation:

© Michael Smith for The Adrenaline Vault, 2011. | Permalink | One comment

Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Genre: FPS / RPG
ERSB rating: Mature
Release date: Available now

Folks, we’re coming to end of Fallout: New Vegas. With the release of Lonesome Road, many of the loose ends of the latest Fallout chapter are being answered and resolved. Bethesda has in fact announced two other pieces of downloadable content (Gun Runner’s Arsenal and Courier’s Stash), however neither of those add-ons will advance the universe or story of Fallout: New Vegas. So, for the time being, if this isn’t the last piece of DLC in this series, it’s probably pretty close.

Mysterious radio transmissions go out, and we are the moths drawn to them. So begins Lonesome Road, and when we heed the call, we’re brought back all the way to the beginning of Fallout: New Vegas. Remember how we learned that we (as the Courier), only took up the job of delivering the infamous platinum chip after another person (perhaps wisely) refused to do so? The curious identity and motivation of said person lies at the heart of this DLC, and it is our mission to get those answers.

Lonesome Road does offer quite a different feel than the previous DLCs for New Vegas. As opposed to an open-world exploration, this is mostly a linear quest. There is really only one major objective, aside from a few very minor and short sidetracks, so going from A to B is at the heart of the game. With that in mind, this does not mean there isn’t a lot to explore and discover (if you’re a nook and cranny type of person), and the decisions-have-consequences paradigm is still very much in play, as players can expect one of four different endings depending on their choices.

I found Lonesome Road refreshing, as occasionally I get a bit overwhelmed with the scope of a game. I tend to want to see and do everything, and that can make completion and resolution feel constantly out-of-reach. This DLC gets high marks from me in that it delivers exactly what it’s offering – a set path to be explored and conquered.

If your love of New Vegas comes from variety, dialogue, and multiple interrelated quests, Lonesome Road might not be right title for you. It’s completion doesn’t offer all that much by way of loot and add-ons, aside from one or two neat new weapons and items. Of course, your maximum level cap is raised, and that’s always a good little bonus. I will also say that the final resolution didn’t seem as epic as it should have been, given the focused build-up to the eventual showdown and confrontation.

Lonesome Road, despite a few flaws and let-downs, falls on the positive side of the fence. It’s almost an answer to those who raised issues with the styles of the previous DLC installments. For offering something different, once again I give it a thumbs up and recommend it, as so long as you understand the type of game you’re getting when you buy it.

Our Score:

Our Recommendation:

© Christopher Troilo for The Adrenaline Vault, 2011. | Permalink | No comment(s)

Developer: Backbone Entertainment
Publisher: 345 Games
Genre: Dual Stick Shooter
ESRB Rating: Mature
Release Date: Available Now
Review by: Michael Rabalais

If I had one wish, it would be for unlimited time; time to play games, read books, watch shows and movies and generally consume media. Unfortunately, I don’t have a ton of time at my disposal, and as a result I’m not especially familiar with a ton of TV. I have certainly heard of Comedy Central show Ugly Americans, but I have not had an opportunity to watch it. I have however, had time to play its game adaptation. It’s only too often that licensed games feel rushed or of poor quality. Does Ugly Americans: Apocalypsegeddon deviate from that standard?

The game follows four characters from Ugly Americans: Mark Lilly, Callie Maggotbone, Leonard Powers, and Frank Grimes, and they each offer different stats and special abilities. These characters go through an emergency scenario in New York City’s Department of Integration (D.O.I.), an organization to help demons, zombies and other various monsters adapt to life in New York City. As the city falls into disarray, players investigate D.O.I. case files, and try to halt what appears to be an incoming apocalypse.

While each case file may present different enemies and power-ups, dual stick shooting remains the centerpiece of each level. Players can collect ammo and power-ups within a level. These power-ups alter movement speed, attack power, how a gun shoots, or the players defense. Finally, up to four players can play at any given time, via local multiplayer or Xbox Live.

You may have noticed while reading the above paragraphs, that my description of Ugly Americans: Apocalysegeddon doesn’t sound especially scintillating. It wasn’t what I intended, but it helps to convey a very important point. As much as I want to make Ugly Americans sound as appetizing as a crisp autumn apple, it isn’t. I found myself constantly frustrated by the game’s camera angle, which is set up like a 4-player side scrolling beat-em-up. I found it incredibly difficult to parse where an enemy was in reference to my character, which made shooting them and avoiding their shots near impossible in some cases.

But even a camera angle well suited to dual stick shooting couldn’t save Ugly Americans. Variation among different playable characters or enemies is minimal, and by the end of the first level, I was already bored. The shooting was tedious, and no amount of switching ammunition or characters changed that. Worse still was the constant babbling my character and his opponents were spewing. Judging by how often I heard phrases repeated, each enemy had roughly 5 lines of very un-funny things to say. Playable characters were slightly better, with maybe 15 lines of equally unfunny dialog. Call me a snob, but simply repeating inappropriate words ad nauseum isn’t clever or endearing or anything more than profoundly annoying.

The highest praise I can lay on Ugly Americans: Apocalysegeddon is that it ran at a consistently high frame rate. The rest of the game is below mediocre at its very best, with absolutely boring gameplay, and a rotten sense of humor. Don’t play it.

Our Score:
Our Recommendation:

© Michael Smith for The Adrenaline Vault, 2011. | Permalink | No comment(s)

Originally published in May 2011, reprinted for additional content.

Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Developer: Zen Studios
Genre: Pinball
ESRB rating: Everyone
Release date: Available now

There are certain games that I believe will always be transported into video game form, no matter what generation of console is on the market. Board games like chess and checkers, and sports like baseball and football will always find a home somewhere in the digital world. But we must not discount an arcade staple of such simplicity, and yet such intricacy, that has survived the gaming world for ages – pinball. Pinball FX2, an Xbox Live Arcade franchise, is slowly becoming the gold standard for casual play, and they have just released a new themed table, Mars, which has a sci-fi outer space theme.

The objective of Pinball FX2: Mars, if you want to be simplistic about it, is of course to score as many points as possible by launching a small ball around a surface while directing it with flippers. But Mars really has a lot more going for it, as it employs mini missions and goals to help give the usual pinball playing experience more plot and story. One mission requires the player “collect” fuel by hitting various targets, and then aim the ball back into the shuttle.

Controls for Mars are about as simple as you can get. Your Xbox controller has a left trigger and a right trigger, and that’s how you operate the flippers on either side of the table. There are also various camera angles to try, and ways to nudge the table a bit, but too much fussing about will cause the game to tilt, essentially calling you a cheater and penalizing you with a lost ball.

I’ve played a few of the Pinball FX2 tables, and while I’m partial to the ones with themes, I think Mars may be the most engaging and entertaining. To start, the graphics are rather sharp, and employ a fun combination of retro pixel screens that show events and your overall score along with a highly detailed table. Also, the missions are just plain fun and unlike other pinball games, the objectives are quite clear (but still have an appropriate level of difficulty). I also love the local split-screen multiplayer where you are racing with infinite lives to obtain a score faster than your opponent.

The flaws of Pinball FX2: Mars aren’t really flaws, but rather just two things that we must accept as truths: 1) the cost of this downloadable game (240 MS points instead of the 200 it costs for other tables) is rather high because 2) even if it is really fun to play, and holds more replay value than other pinball games…it’s still a pinball game. By their very nature, these games are short and for some I could see the price tag being a bit of an issue. Other than that, however, the actual game just works.

In the end, I’m giving Mars a nice high grade, but I’m not going to recommend you just go out and buy it instantly. I say this because this is the kind of game that some people will find totally fun and amusing and others could justifiably argue that it’s repetitive and frustrating. I think this is one of the better pinball games, and tables, I’ve had the chance to try, so if that sounds up your alley, give it go!

Our Score:

Our Recommendation:

Update: Pinball FX2: Ms. Spolsion Man

The latest table for the hugely popular Pinball FX2 series has been released, and it features one of the newest stars of the Xbox Live Arcade world – Ms. Splosion Man. Drawing upon the female-centric character from her self-titled game, Ms. Spolsion Man, the table allows pinball enthusiasts to partake in the challenge of racking up points by navigating shiny round spheres across an elaborate table. In this case, all of the challenges and obstacles are designed with the Ms. Splosion Man world in mind.

The two primary colors of the Ms. Splosion Man level are hot pink and baby blue. These colors, while wonderful for decorating a newborn’s nursery, are not quite as kind on the eyes when you’re trying to focus on a tiny ball careening across the screen. I’m usually a big fan of the Pinball FX2 tables, but this one seems unnecessary, a trifle annoying, and almost too easy. A friend of mine had a score of over 260 million that the game kept taunting me to beat. I feel like I could have done it, but my fingers were sore from the continual flipper pounding, and my ears hurt from the repetitive annoying song. When you are almost wishing your ball would get lost, that’s not a good thing.

There are better pinball tables available for Pinball FX2, so you can probably let this one pass you by.

© Christopher Troilo for The Adrenaline Vault, 2011. | Permalink | No comment(s)

Publisher: Fuelcell Games
Developer: Fuelcell Games
Genre: Adventure/Shooter
ESRB rating: Everyone
Release date: Available now

The nice thing about Microsoft’s annual Summer of Arcade promotion is that you get high-quality new indie games for the reasonable price of $15 (1200 spacebucks). The third entry in this year’s roster, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, is no exception, offering simple yet involving gameplay with a minimalist flair.

In Shadow Planet, you guide a flying saucer through a labyrinth of tunnels and chambers to track down and eradicate an alien infection that has attacked your planet. You start out with a scanning beam that identifies significant objects and gives you guidance on how to deal with them. As you progress through the game’s six zones, you acquire more tools to help you in your quest. These include a rotating sawblade, a projectile weapon, a grapple arm, guided missiles and a laser beam that overloads and briefly shuts down should you use it for too long.

Developer Fuelcell has pretty much left you to your own devices when learning how to play Shadow Planet. There are no written instructions to be found anywhere in the single-player campaign, and the “How to Play” section of the help menu only gives you icons to study. Controls are basic but confounding until you get used to using them — move the ship with the left stick, control the selected tool with the right. Shoulder buttons open a radial menu that you use to select a tool; you can hotkey four of these to the controller buttons for ease of use.

The button you might use more than the others is the one that brings up the world map. Sections of the map are revealed as you move through the tunnels. Locations of ship upgrades are noted, but some of them are placed in areas that are inaccessible to you until you acquire the correct tool to reach them. Each of the game zones has its own set of challenges. One is played in almost total darkness, another has your ship traveling with fast-moving currents, and there’s a mechanical area in which the orientation of the world is shifted when you enter certain areas, making it possible to use tunnels that you couldn’t enter before.

Most of the enemies in Shadow Planet can be successfully avoided instead of engaged, but each zone has at least one boss that has to be defeated to move on. These range from fairly simple to maddeningly frustrating; it’s easy to figure out how to defeat them, but actually doing it is another story. Graphics are reminiscent of last year’s Limbo, but very colorful instead of the latter’s stark black and white. Music and background sounds are minimal but effective. Autosaves are plentiful, so you won’t have to go back very far if your ship is destroyed, and there are safe areas in the tunnels where your ship’s damage is repaired. On the other hand, you have no control over the camera, which zooms in and out on its own in sometimes inconvenient places. The world map is essential, but there’s no minimap on the screen, so you’re continually forced to find a safe place to stop so you can activate the map, taking you out of the action. The final boss is surprisingly easy to defeat, and the achievement gained by beating it didn’t pop for me; I had to reload my last save point before the battle to finally get the points. And the game’s only multiplayer mode, Lantern Run, feels like an afterthought; you and up to three other players have to drag lanterns from left to right while being chased by a giant squid.

Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet is perfect Summer of Arcade fare. It looks great, it plays smooth and simple, and you can squeeze eight to 10 hours out of it if you crave the achievements for revealing the entire map and retrieving all of the collectibles. Adding a minimap in the top corner of the screen would’ve been a welcome addition, and having some form of camera control would’ve helped things move along a bit, but it’s still an excellent little indie game at a very good price.

Our Score:

Our Recommendation:

© Michael Smith for The Adrenaline Vault, 2011. | Permalink | No comment(s)

Publisher: Bethesda Softworks
Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Genre: First-person Shooter/RPG
ESRB rating: Mature
Release date: Available now

So far the downloadable content for Fallout: New Vegas has been somewhat hit or miss with fans. Dead Money was riddled with problems surrounding difficulty and Honest Hearts, while definitely an improvement, still lacked the proverbial punch players are used to with this franchise. However, Obsidian is clearly not willing to go down without a fight, and the latest expansion for New Vegas has arrived in the form of Old World Blues.

Like all of the downloadable packs, Old World Blues starts out with a mysterious transmission. When investigated, your character will be instantly transported (companions stay behind, sorry) to The Big MT, an abandoned scientific research compound. Upon waking, you learn that you have been enhanced. The kind, cyborg-esque doctors who discovered you have taken the liberty of removing your brain, spine and heart and replaced them with more modern technology. As a result, several of your core functions and abilities have been upgraded. Armed with new weaponry and technology, the player must traverse The Big MT and restore order to the chaos that plagues this microcosm of the Fallout universe.

Players of New Vegas will find the formula of Old World Blues familiar. Find things, kill people and animals that are trying to kill you, and decide everyone’s fate through dialogue choices. If your character is proficient with energy weapons and has strong science attributes, you will probably find yourself at an advantage. Old World Blues also allows players to bring items from the main quest into the Big MT, so it is strongly suggested you stock up on ammo, armor and aid. Your reward for completion is the ability to level up five extra ranks.

I found Old World Blues very challenging (death was a nasty habit my character seemed to take on), but not so much so that I was overtly discouraged. The story was certainly intriguing, and the modifications and new add-ons gave the game plenty of new twists while still grounding it in the rules of the Fallout world. The length is just about right given the cost (about $10.00) and the there’s enough diversity in the missions to avoid redundancy.

The decisive factor in players’ judgment of Old World Blues will probably relate to how much they enjoy dialogue. The verbal wordplay and characters are very inspired, but I personally found the script extremely longwinded. There were several instances where I zoned out and began button-mashing just to get the chance to start actually doing something. I also didn’t mind dying repeatedly, but I understand how that could be rather annoying to some, and unfortunately, it’s pretty much unavoidable.

Old World Blues is the first downloadable add-on to New Vegas that gets a thumbs up from me. It’s clever, creative, different and most of all, fun. Go out and give it a try!

Our Score:

Our Recommendation:

© Christopher Troilo for The Adrenaline Vault, 2011. | Permalink | No comment(s)

Publisher: Kalypso Media
Developer: First Star Software, Catnip Games
Genre: Action/Puzzle
ESRB rating: Everyone
Release date: Available now
Review by: Michael Rabalais

I understand myself to be among the youngest, if not the youngest member of the Avault staff. I have never lived in a year where John Lennon was alive. And when the Twin Towers were bombed in 2001, I was in fifth grade. Even though I shoulder the incredible burden of my young age, I’ve supplemented my classic game knowledge to the best of my ability. I’ve beaten every Super Mario game, even the CDi exclusive Hotel Mario. I’m as versed in the origin of gaming as a scholar may be in Greek classics. So when I was assigned to review Boulder Dash-XL, and heard it described as the follow-up to a gaming classic, I found my knowledge lacking. While I hate to make assumptions, I think it’s safe to say I’m not the only gamer unfamiliar with Boulder Dash. Can a reimagining of a Commodore-era staple bring relevance to a franchise many might be unfamiliar with?

I’m nothing if not thorough, and familiarized myself with the original Boulder Dash before beginning my review, if only to better understand what XL builds on. Whereas games like Pac-Man Championship Edition added new rules and gameplay to its predecessor’s foundation, Boulder Dash-XL shoots for a more basic emulation of it’s past iteration. Players guide one of two characters through two-dimensional mazes and collect enough diamonds to unlock the level’s exit. Movement works in the same way as Dig Dug, in which dirt must be removed in order to travel through a square. Dotted among most levels are boulders, which react to the state of their surrounding dirt. Should a boulder find itself with no dirt below it or to either side, it will roll, potentially squashing the player or monsters. Further gameplay involves avoiding the aforementioned enemies within the mazes, as well as blowing up walls and the occasional teleportation between two points.

Boulder Dash-XL is broken up into several modes, all of which are available from the start. Arcade mode is Boulder Dash at its most pure, while each subsequent mode offers a variation on the arcade rule set. Puzzle mode sets the player in smaller caves where the quick pace of Arcade mode is replaced with caves that allow little room for trial and error, and reward fast completion times. A zen mode serves as a practice mode, and allows players to replay previously cleared levels without the pressure of a time limit. Score Attack stays true to its name, providing levels focused on acquiring the highest score possible. The final mode, Retro, is simply the original Boulder Dash, complete with graphics that emulate the original with 3D models.

It’s easy to see why Boulder Dash was labeled a classic in its time. Even though I hadn’t spent much time with the original, Boulder Dash-XL felt familiar and inviting, in the way that only classic arcade games can. Though the physics associated with falling boulders can take some time to understand, early levels are paced in a way to help you better comprehend how things operate, and are fairly forgiving. Though arcade mode seems positioned as the game’s flagship mode, I spent the majority of my time in puzzle mode, which I found far more satisfying. Arcade mode felt a little too loose and slapdash for my tastes. Too often I felt that my success was based solely on quick movement and trial and error, and an ever ticking time limit did nothing to assuage that concern. Puzzle mode, on the other hand, gave me the precise and well thought out puzzle game I had been hoping for. I feel safe in recommending Boulder Dash-XL solely based on the strength of its puzzle mode.

While the core gameplay of collecting gems and avoiding boulders has stood the test of time, I took issue with almost every single presentation element in the game. I felt that if I were to show someone video of Boulder Dash-XL, they could just have easily have thought I was playing a flash game. Sound effects are playing almost constantly and none of them match the action or aesthetic of the game. I might as well have played the game at MIDI trumpet recital. If Taps or Charge is the kind of music you get really psyched for, then Kalypso Media has made a product specifically tuned to your tastes. For everyone else, you’d do well to put the game on mute. The art and sound design elements are the title’s biggest folly. A close second is its knack for erasing any progress accrued in arcade mode. Resetting the game or reverting to the dashboard will erase both your high score and level progress in arcade mode. I get the idea. To make it more arcade realistic, you have to sit down and do actual work. The problem is that it’s 2011, and I have two jobs. I don’t have the time it takes to sit down and play an Xbox game through in one sitting. And I’m sure that I’m not the only one.

Though I had a good time with it, I found myself wanting more out of Boulder Dash-XL. Games like Pac-Man Championship Edition DX have raised the bar for remixes of classic games, and it’s easy to feel disappointed by a bland aesthetic and bad sound design.

Our Score:

Our Recommendation:

© Michele White for The Adrenaline Vault, 2011. | Permalink | No comment(s)

Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Developer: Supergiant Games
Genre: Action/RPG
Rating: Everyone 10+
Release Date: July 20, 2011

Francois Truffaut once said, and I paraphrase, “The best way to critique a bad movie is to make a better one.” He said that as a film critic and went on to lead the French New Wave that swept cinema in the late 50s and 60s. Greg Kasavin is a former game critic and Editor-in-Chief at Gamespot, and after announcing his retirement from the site in 2007, toiled at several of EA’s offshoot development companies, before forming his own game development house. That development house is the small 10-person shop, Supergiant Games. And in the corner of a modest house, this team has toiled under Kasavin’s direction dreaming up Bastion, Kasavin’s bid to put Truffaut’s words into action.

Bastion drops players into the shoes of The Kid, a pint-sized hero who comes to, in a world shattered by some unseen apocalypse. Within moments of awakening, an all-seeing narrator begins to describe The Kid’s plight. This narrator comments on his every action as he explores the environment around him, finds his first weapon, and begins mowing down an armada of creatures standing between him and the truth. Eventually, The Kid comes to Bastion, a sanctuary coveted by his people and marked as the place to go should the world crumble. At least, that’s what that persistent narrator would have us believe. From there, we guide The Kid as he meets a mysterious wise man (our narrator) and begins doing his bidding, aiming to bring this world back from the brink.

As The Kid is dispatched to various areas, the world is constantly rebuilding around him. Each step brings forth additional pieces of the landscape, opening up new paths for exploration. These trails are teeming with villains to kill and treasure to score. Said loot can then be used back at the Bastion to customize the impressive collection of weapons The Kid is called upon to handle through his adventure. As the coveted world-building shards are reclaimed from each unique waypoint, the players offer these up in tribute to a mysterious monument, which in turn, restores helpful functions to the Bastion including an Armory, a Forge, and a Lost & Found housing unique items.

Bastion is the first title in Microsoft’s 2011 Summer of Arcade series. Over the last few years, the company has used this promotion to highlight some truly special independent gems, including last year’s haunting Limbo and the exceptional Shadow Complex from a couple years back. With Bastion, the company has secured yet another contender for my own personal End of the Year awards. There’s just a staggering level of creativity on display in these small team efforts – one that is hard to find in the larger, marquee “games-by-committee” releases that dominate our Fall calendars.

Sporting a lush, hand-drawn animated look, the title is a beauty to behold. Its influences are varied, with a splash of spaghetti Western dabbed on a rich fantasy-folklore-cyberpunk confection. As the world literally, and almost constantly, rebuilds before your eyes, the player is compelled to keep pushing forth, to play for just five more minutes as the hours melt, just to see what new delightful sights await. That’s a credit to the talented art development for designing such a fertile landscape. One matched by the game developers who constantly keep us chasing the carrot of new loot and experience. And while I spent the majority of the title slightly wandering in the dark, trying to make sense of the story, the folksy charm of the narrator compelled me to push forth and learn a little bit more. Or to sit for a spell and soak it all in.

Every year, as the Summer Doldrums set in, I look to the Summer of Arcade for relief. Bastion is this year’s invigorating breath of fresh air. With its potent combination of finely-tuned dungeon crawling combat, an addictive combat customization scheme which allows players to augment their weapons and play around with various load outs, and the sheer beauty and mystery of this unique world, Bastion springs to life. This is a fully formed masterpiece of action gaming as art, indeed.

Our Score:

Our Recommendation:

© Ed Humphries for The Adrenaline Vault, 2011. | Permalink | 11 comments

Publisher: Digital Reality Ltd.
Developer: Candygun Games
Genre: Zombie Defense
ESRB rating: Teen
Release date: Available now

Zombie games are neither few nor far between, and seem to lurk up on us like…well…zombies. Countless titles are based in the zombie genre and tend to be the going up and blast them in the face type of games. Dead Block, however, employs a different and unique take on this cult genre. I will take a peek at it from within my barricaded safe haven, of course.

Many things came out of the 1950s that will forever be remembered. Rock ‘n Roll is one of those things that took over the nation, literally. In Dead Block, Rock ‘n Roll created an apocalypse of zombies by it raising the dead. Mike, Jack and Foxy are three survivors you follow as they try to survive by any means necessary.

Your goal, in Dead Block, is to try and survive each episode (stage) by fighting off rock ‘n roll crazed zombies. Your primary mode of self defense is your melee attack, but you also have a powerful special defense attack that slowly recharges after use. The only problem with your melee attack is that you have to stand right in front of a zombie. Zombies attack back and hit your health meter hard. You must do something to get them away from you. Why not build barricades or traps to get the zombies away from you? To get supplies to build these barricades or traps, you have to destroy furniture and anything else you can get your hands on. Traps comically range from boxes falling on their heads that make them attack other zombies, to a toilet that spills its nasty sludge and slowly drains the zombie’s health. Each character has their own unique set of traps that they can build. There are also special items to collect that help you ward off zombies that are sparsely littered throughout each stage. To complete each stage, in single or local multiplayer (split-screen) you have to either find the 3 musical pieces to play a guitar that kills all of the zombies or kill enough of them to power the Zomb-O-Matic which also kills all zombies.

Dead Block really surprised me. It was just a blast to play. It is a unique take on a zombie survival game that doesn’t take itself too seriously. For instance, there is a trap that puts hardhats on zombies, and then puts them to work by helping you smash furniture to get supplies. Now who doesn’t love that? Each character has their own set of traps that help in different situations, and adds to the weird live-action puzzle environment. Each episode challenges you mentally as you are constantly trying to keep the horde of undead from swarming you, which I truly loved.

The biggest thing that truly takes away from Dead Block is the lack of online multiplayer. Local multiplayer (split-screen) is okay, but an online match maker would really make this game shine. The other problem I had is the length. It is short and could be completed quickly. They do have higher difficulties and the ability to replay any stage you completed, but give me a few more stages, please.

Dead Block is a unique example of a survival game. Building barricades and traps that are comical rather than fighting the zombie horde directly is enjoyably different. The game will challenge you, and you can even play it with buddies. The lack of online multiplayer and its brevity are its only downsides. So, if you are looking for a different kind of zombie game, Dead Block is for you!

Our Score:

Our Recommendation:

© Patrick Watts for The Adrenaline Vault, 2011. | Permalink | No comment(s)

Publisher: Ubisoft
Developer: Q Entertainment
Genre: Action
ESRB rating: Everyone 10+
Release date: Available now

In 2001, a game called Rez was released for the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2. It featured an on-rails experience with amazing sound effects and a sound track that changed based on what you were doing. 2011’s Child of Eden, created by Rez designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi, is a prequel of sorts that features many of the same gameplay and sound effects. Is Child of Eden, developed by Q Entertainment, worth the trip, or does it skip a beat?

Child of Eden tells the story of the creation and salvation of artificial intelligence program, Lumi. Lumi was once a girl born in space who longed to feel and experience Earth. Long after she died, her memories and feelings were programmed into Eden which is an Internet archive of all human life. Shortly before Project Lumi is completed, Eden is infected by viruses that threaten to destroy all of the knowledge it possesses. The goal is to purify all of the archives and save Project Lumi.

The campaign in Child of Eden is broken into archives. The five archives are Matrix, Evolution, Beauty, Passion, and Journey. Each archive features a different theme from human existence and the viruses in each level take on different forms to match the environment. Completing an archive awards a star rating, which is used to unlock other archives. Upon completion of an archive, the player is also awarded a trophy. These trophies are purified viruses from the completed archive that will float around the screen on the game’s menu. Though the campaign features only five levels, it offers replayability by making the player repeat levels to earn more stars and unlock more trophies.

Child of Eden, like Rez before it, is an on-rails shooter. It can be controlled using either a standard 360 controller or by utilizing Kinect. Both control styles work well enough, but they offer very different experiences. Using a controller is more precise, but it makes the game feel less immersive. Using the Kinect to map your hand movements, on the other hand, makes the game more challenging and more entertaining. The game features three weapons: a lock on laser, a rapid fire laser, and a smart bomb called Euphoria that clears the screen. When using the Kinect, your right hand controls the lock-on laser, your left hand controls the rapid fire, and raising both your hands in the air activates Euphoria.

Child of Eden is an incredible visual and aural experience. The level and virus designs fit the game perfectly, and the music is incredible. Like Rez, the player’s actions alter the sound track, adding new sounds and effects as viruses are purified. The game has great replayability, and there are tons of unlockables, including music videos and alternate gameplay settings. The campaign itself is pretty quick, and I finished all five archives in about three hours of playtime. Also, the last level was disappointingly easy, which was a letdown after playing through the challenging stages before it.

Long story short, if you liked Rez, you will love Child of Eden. It offers a fantastic experience and the Kinect controls make it feel incredibly immersive. For those of you who haven’t played Rez, this is definitely a game worth checking out, particularly if you have a Kinect. The game is alright with a regular controller, but it shines when you are standing in front of the TV, waving your hands across the screen, making it easily one of the best Kinect experiences out there.

Our Score:

Our Recommendation:

© Michael Smith for The Adrenaline Vault, 2011. | Permalink | One comment

Publisher: Disney Interactive Studios
Developer: Avalanche
Genre: Racing
ESRB rating: Everyone
Release date: Available now

It’s become cliche to knock licensed titles that hit shelves days before each summer blockbuster flickers at the multiplex, but what is a cliche but an oft-told truth? That being said, in the last few years we’ve seen the tide turn. When you vote with your dollars, developers realize the quickie cash grab isn’t going to work much longer. Last summer, Avalanche provided one of the best examples to date in this seismic shift, with their Toy Story 3 tie-in that featured the fun and addictive Toy Box mode. With another PIXAR sequel ready to race, it’s encouraging to see Avalanche steering Cars 2 to retail, but will the same lighting strike twice.

Instead of retelling the movie’s tale verbatim, Cars 2 expands on the game’s fiction by drafting players into the C.H.R.O.M.E. espionage agency (the same spy vs. spy outfit that Mater gets mixed up with on the big screen). Players can choose from a host of their favorite cars (including Lightning McQueen and the new super agent, Finn McMissile), as they aim to take down the nefarious Professor Z and his army of lemons. From there, players work through an escalating series of races and battles, accessed from the central hub of the C.H.R.O.M.E. agency. These driving events range from standard 3-lap races through the movie’s picaresque globe-spanning locales to arena based battles that tap the Twisted Metal vein of Carmaggedon. Success in these missions rewards with experience points that open up more levels. In addition, there are a number of medals and crests that can be earned (aligned with the game’s Achievements) that unlock additional courses, challenges and cars.

The game supports 4-player split screen multiplayer, which is a necessity for any cart racer aiming to draft Mario Kart’s lead. The only online component is a World of Cars feature which rewards players for linking their Xbox profiles to the game’s official website, where additional challenges are unlocked. Therefore, multiplayer is strictly local, which is understandable given the family-oriented vibe of the game and the often lawless land multiplayers find themselves in whenever taking on the world wide web.

Last year’s Toy Story 3 was so successful because it essentially eschewed the standard suite of missions ripped from the movie’s narrative , and instead focused on the open-world Toy Box mode. Essentially, Avalanche looked at what drove the creation of the Toy Story franchise (i.e. the simple joys of using your imagination and bringing those toys to life), and used it to It bring out the best of the license. They’ve worked similar mojo here by sending them on wild adventures. While Avalanche has not provided a repeat open world scenario for this title; they’ve done a great job of throwing these beloved characters into classic car combat situations. On the single player end, the game does a great job of mixing up the levels, so as you race through Italy, England and Tokyo, new variables are consistently introduced to keep the game fresh.

The multiplayer is the real draw, and there is plenty of content here to keep families racing for a long time. Each of the courses features a number of shortcuts and secrets that are worth discovering. The blend of Mario Kart-based drift racing with Twisted Metal-esque combat (Gatling guns beat a turtle shell any day) lead to many frantic bouts. Players can also earn experience in multiplayer that helps with the various car unlocks – so you are not relegated to running through the solo campaign in order to see everything the game offers. From a visual perspective, the graphics are sharp and colorful. There are a few knocks; some of the environments pop a bit more than others (the airport settings featuring landing planes are especially nice while levels based around an oil rig are fairly boilerplate) and it would have been nice to have a bit more narrative cohesion in the single player mode.

As a father, I’m discriminating with the flicks my kids get to see, but anything PIXAR is a must-see. It looks like the company has now allied themselves with a game developer who shares the same central conceit – to build entertainments that will please all age groups. While Cars 2 doesn’t necessarily bring anything new to the racing and car combat genre; it is nevertheless a well-designed and oiled piece of machinery that will provide many entertaining joyrides this summer.

Our Score:

Our Recommendation:

© Ed Humphries for The Adrenaline Vault, 2011. | Permalink | No comment(s)

Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Developer: Frontier Developments
Genre: Pet Simulation
ESRB rating: Everyone
Release date: Available now

If you’re the kind of person who’s ever wondered how much fun you could have with a baby tiger without the fear of being either scratched to death or arrested (and no, I’m not labeling you), then you should check out Kinectimals. I bought this game with my four year old daughter, Leela, firmly in mind, but I can’t lie to you. I’m just going to confess straight away and clear my gaming conscience by telling you that I’ve played it more than she has.

For me one of the attractions of Kinect was the lack of controllers, which I thought would really engage younger gamers, and from what I have seen this has largely worked. While Leela gets frustrated with the joystick and button pressing requirements of the other consoles, she has really been captivated by the Xbox 360 Kinect games. Despite all the criticisms of Kinect as a concept, I actually feel this is its strength – bringing the fun and imagination of gaming to younger audiences, and allowing families to play together while minimizing any ergonomic issues.

Set on a tropical type island, the gameplay of Kinectimals is simple. You arrive on the island to be greeted by your guide, Bumble (a cross between a meercat and a fairy – Heaven knows what the designers were drinking that day). Bumble quickly explains that you are the first visitor to the island in a long time and that he would like you to adopt some of its inhabitants. These inhabitants are a small band of extremely cute animal cubs ranging from a Bengal tiger to a black panther. You can play with each and form a bond while naming, playing, grooming and teaching them tricks. Through this process you are encouraged to explore the island at your own pace, play lots of mini games (around 30 in all), find treasure, and generally have a whole lot of fun interacting with your new furry friends. The island itself is divided into sections and these are unlocked as you achieve scores through the mini games. You can also play with the cubs outside of the mini games, getting them to chase Frisbees or fetch balls, and earn coins which you can then exchange at the island shop for such things as new collars, toys and grooming items. The animation of the cubs is excellent and they each have their own personalities.

The game does a good job in general of tracking your movements whether it’s driving a buggy around to knock over various obstacles, racing your cub around an obstacle course, or using a hose to knock down skittles. It also fares well in terms of the aerodynamics of thrown objects, and you must take into account that different items need to be thrown as you would in real life (harder, softer, or with more/less arc). There is also an element of exercise built in, as you have to jump, squat and run to complete some of the mini games. Kinectimals has also done a great job on the graphics front. There’s a lot of detail here and the various baby animals look gorgeous, as do the various environments of the island. Water is excellently done, with some nice physics and reaction effects. The cubs’ AI is well achieved. If you ignore them they’ll often pick their favorite toy out and bring it for you to play with, and if you continue to ignore them, then they’ll use various AI tactics to get you to interact or go and do something themselves. This level of interactivity is engaging for younger players, but it also works on grizzled old gamers like myself.

Kinectimals is a good solid game that’ll last you many hours, and it’s fun for kids (both big and small). The motion control is fairly spot-on and the interaction between both the player and the Kinect is virtually flawless. There’s a lot of responsiveness here and very little lag in terms of movement tracking. This game is going to keep you fit and keep the kids active and involved. The only real let down is a layer of repetition that exists in many of the mini-games and tasks. Its strengths lie in the engagement of the animals, the beautiful graphics and the ability to take things as fast or slow as the mood takes you. If you have kids and want to interact with them from a gaming perspective, then this game has all you need!

Our Score:

Our Recommendation:

© Simon Moore for The Adrenaline Vault, 2011. | Permalink | No comment(s)