Every day is the "End of the Week"

Ok so maybe I jumped the gun a little...

Sun, 23 Oct 2011 17:30:00 +0000

As anyone who miraculously still comes to this site would have noticed, I canceled our show, and stoped posting to the website.

A lot happened, and a lot has changed. So if you can hang tight just a bit longer, eotw will be back and better than ever.

The Power of Sardines! Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten review

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 17:00:00 +0000

When Nipon Ichi software labeled Disgaea 4: a Promise Unforgotten, as the most hardcore strategy RPG out there, they weren't lying. Usually I hate the term "hardcore" when referring to games, or the people who play them, and only use the term to describe games that truly require your attention to enjoy. Disgaea 4 is debatably the most hardcore single player game available to gamers. Let me explain:

I popped Disgaea 4 into my ps3 the second I got my hands on it. Forty seven hours later I managed to complete the main story. That might seem like a decent amount of time for an RPG. However there are multiple endings, each which warrant multiple playthroughs, thousands of unlockable characters, items, and events, limitless stages thanks to the random map generator, and online map creator. Not to mention there's the series staple of grinding all of your characters to level 9,999. That in mind, Disgaea a game you can sink a limitless amount of time into. Why would you want spend so much time on a single game? What is Disgaea 4? Let's start off with the story.

Disgaea 4 tells the tale of a demon named Valvatorez, who was one a great tyrant. However now he spends his time as a prinny instrutor in a prison named Hades, having lost his great power. At his side is his loyal servant Fenrich who will do anything to bring his master back to his former glory as a tyrant. through a series of events, Valvatorez learn that the corrupternment - the government of the Netherworld, had become corrupt and that the Netherworld is slowly becoming weak and powerless. he vows (sort of) to overthrow the corrupternemt and reform the entire netherworld. Typical JRPG business. However what sets Disgaea 4 and it's predecessors apart is its blatant disregard for seriousness, cannon, plot twists, and the fourth wall. What this all adds up to is a great and touching story that is lined with humor and references. However, it is a JRPG, so the story and the semi-static cutscenes, tend to drag on for too long. Still, in a way Disgaea 4 is a game that is meant to be played for a very long time, so whether or not this is a draw back is ultimately decided by the player.

Disgaea 4 is a turn based strategy RPG. The battlefield is laid out on an invisible grid. You can place up to ten characters (which are beautiful hand drawn 2d sprites) onto the grid and have them move, attack, support, lift, throw, or any combination of the five. Enemies tend to have one track minds, whether attacking you straight out, or just staying perfectly still and supporting. However, it's the environments you play on that makes ever battle something new and exciting. In most maps you will find illuminated color panels called "geo panels". For every color of geo panel there is a destroyable geo cube. the geo cube endows the geo panel that it is touching a condition, like added attack strength or reverse damage. Once a character or enemy stands on that panel they are endowed with the effect as well. These panels can be erased or nulled from the map if the corresponding geo cube is destroyed. If the color of the cube does not match that of the panel, the panel will change to the color of the destroyed cube, and as a result giving damage to anything on the changed panel. Sounds complicated right? Disgaea 4 is an extremely complicated game. After the initial tutorial which doesn't cover much, you are left to find most of the information elsewhere. This could either be frustrating or fun, depending on how you look at it. Collecting the info and learning the ins and outs equal more game time. Disgaea will take a lot of time to complete. Beating the story alone took me about 47 hours. Then there are all the items, hidden events, and grinding, which could easily eat away an additional 50 hours. Disgaea is not a sit down and complete game, which is why it's hard to recommend renting it.

Disgaea 4 is the latest in a series I hold very dear to my heart as a gamer. It's often difficult to convey why I love it so much. That said, Disgaea definitely has some flaws. The story, while easy to follow, can get a bit thick. Scenes that should be five minutes long can take up to ten minutes, thanks to reiteration and fluff. The game doesn't explain half of the several mechanics necessary to complete the game the right way. Though I find the game beautiful thanks to the HD sprites and gorgeous, colorful maps, it doesn't push the PS3 in anyway. If you can look pass these issues, Disgaea 4 is a stellar game, which any JRPG fan should be proud to finish.

Eating the Big Apple's Core: Overuse of New York

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 17:00:00 +0000

Caption reads: Great to visit, even better to leave.

Why are we so obsessed with this city? Okay, that was a dumb question. Let me try this again. Why does it feel like every game released recently has to take place in New York at some point in time? It’s one of the biggest cities around, I get that. It’s the center for economic power in the U.S., I get that. But does that really justify making every single game about the place?

Off the top of my head, I can name Infamous, Prototype 1 and 2, Crysis 2, Grand Theft Auto IV, Resistance 3, Mortal Kombat 9, and Enslaved: Odyssey to the West as being recent games guilty of throwing New York or some New York lookalike into its fantasy setting. Heck, one of the Modern Warfare 3 trailers shows a New York City under attack by Russian forces! And these are only the more recent games. I could list a few more (Deus Ex (the first one), most of the Def Jam series, etc.) that come with the standard fare setting.

Somehow this attack is WORSE than the one on D.C.!

Maybe it’s just lost its impact on me. Or maybe it’s never had an impact at all. As a Southern Californian who’s never seen a lick of the state in his life, I really don’t have that strong a connection to this place that everyone talks about. It’s like talking about Candyland, or The Fairy Kingdom, or something like that. It’s like a fantasy setting.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with that. The problem for me is that this fantasy setting keeps getting reused time and time again. It’s getting old and stale. I’ve seen the map so much that I probably know my way around the city more than most of my neighbors, and I’ve never even personally gone!

I’m actually getting sick of it. Every time New York is destroyed or under attack we’re supposed to feel some sense of loss, or at least try and grasp the characters’ similar emotions. But when it happens every other game it’s become more of a routine for me.

Sigh...another day, another rotten apple...

Maybe developers want to use cityscapes more in their games, and maybe they keep using New York because it’s the prime example. It’s not like New York is the only city, though. I would just like for there to be some diversity in the urban development of games. Maybe Seattle, or D.C., or San Francisco, or Los Angeles. Those are all very large, well-developed urban areas. I don’t get why we can’t see more of that around.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution accomplished this task quite nicely. It featured the locales of a futuristic Detroit, Hengsha, and Montreal, never once resorting to throwing us into the Big Apple. And Deus Ex: HR is no slouch of a game. With this, we know that it is indeed possible to create an imaginative urban jungle without using the N.Y.C. blueprints.

Is it the dawning of a future of diversified cityscapes, or just a glitch in the Long Island System? Is anyone else sick of New York, or am I just talking crazy? Drop a comment and please, let me know.

Like this article? Are you a gamer with an opinion? Do you like to write? If you want to know more about writing with us at End of the Week, email us at eotwpodcast@gmail.com!

Same-Sex Relationships? In my video game? A look at alternate styles of gameplay.

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 17:00:00 +0000

Well folks, something rare happened tonight - I went scouring the internet for some gaming news, as I hadn't heard anything new about the upcoming games I'm looking forward to. During this search, I stumble upon an interesting find, an article on Kotaku. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim allows players to undergo same-sex relationships. Good for them!

I'm not going to say that I disapprove of homosexuality, bisexuality, and whatnot. It used to be that a lot of games only paired relations between a man and a woman. But with the turn of this new decade, we can see a whole new acceptance for those of us who feel differently about such subjects. It's more widely approved of nowadays. I had originally heard that Mass Effect 3's female Shepherd would raise the possibility of Shepherd hooking up with another female, or even another male (if you chose Male Shepherd). While I don't recall if the Mass Effect 3 rumor was confirmed or denied, I have been asking myself this question for a while - in an age where "alternative" lifestyles and sexualities are more widely accepted than in the 70s and 80s, why haven't more video games experimented with the possibilities that could emerge from these lives the players live?

Granted, a video game is far different from a board game (The Game of Life), a movie (way too many to attempt to name), and Table Top Role-Playing Games (Dungeons and Dragons, etc)...wait a minute, no it's not! They're all different forms of entertainment in which any sorts of situations may arise, be it finding a life-long partner, shooting some monsters, or even discovering a secret within one's self. While they aren't completely accepted in all films and entertainment industries, same-sex relationships have been brought out into the open in these mediums more then before. The line between video games and other forms of entertainment has been slowly blurring over the years, with the higher quality looks of games and overall storytelling.

Take Fable, for example. This game, where the player's choice affects their entire story progression and game life, presented the option for players to have partners of the same gender as their character. Moreover, in Dragon Age 2, your male Mage, Anders, would "make a move" on you, no matter what gender your character was, after a plot-moving quest. It had been asked by some players if there could have been a "No Homo" button placed into the game for this situation. This question had been answered with a question of how much criticism the game would receive if that had been possible. Alternatively, the Game of Life allows you to choose how many kid you will have, what sexuality your character will be, etc.

Alternative lifestyles have been experimented with in past games, though they were edited in localization. Take Birdo from the Mario universe, for example. She was originally introduced in Japan and America as a "boy wanting to be a girl;" however, in localization of later games, Birdo was fully translated to be a female. If other countries have accepted and allowed these alternative types of people in their games, why hasn't America been as into it as they have?

     If the different forms of entertainment aren't so different, why must video games be excluded from the same-sex relationships? I mean, the most we see from same-sex relationships in games is sexual innuendos involving two people of the same gender, but it never develops into anything.

     Don't get me wrong. These kinds of things won't effect whether or not I'll purchase a game. I believe that, overall, I'm just glad that some developers are finally saying "It's pretty much alright, now, so how about we give players a CHOICE if they want to do this or not? It's not like we're forcing them to choose something they don't want or anything..."

     The choice is yours, fellow gamers. Do you feel like playing as the guy who gets the babe? Or perhaps you want to play as the guy who gets the hunk? Girl who finds her man? Girl who finds her woman? The possibilities, while not so endless, can show that gaming is beginning to evolve into the type of entertainment where nearly anything is allowed.

     All I can say is, I'm glad things are moving in a positive direction. Now, back to the games!

Like this article? Are you a gamer with an opinion? Do you like to write? If you want to know more about writing with us at End of the Week, email us at eotwpodcast@gmail.com!

Releases of the Week! September 11 - September 17

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 17:25:00 +0000

This week, we come to another slow week, but fear not! The releases from the previous week (such as Disgaea 4, Dead Island, and Star Fox 3DS) should keep you busy for this week, until the following weeks when more games will soon surface to the top. On the plus side, this week features an RPG sequel, an HD Port, and a pair of Dual Game Packs, in which you get two games for the price of one (or less than one!).

This week's Pick goes to:

Mega Man Dual Pack
Rated: E
Genre: Action
Publisher: Capcom
Release Date: September 16, 2011
Available on: PSP

Xbox 360:
September 13, 2011
The Gunstringer
NHL 12
Nicktoons MLB

Playstation 3:
September 13, 2011
White Knight Chronicles II
NHL 12
God of War: Origins Collection

Wii:
September 13, 2011
Bit.Trip Complete
Nicktoons MLB

3DS:
September 13, 2011
Thor: God of Thunder
Deca Sports Extreme
Bit.Trip Saga
Puzzler Mind Gym

DS:
September 13, 2011
Challenge Me Word Puzzles
Camping Mama: Outdoor Adventures
Nicktoons MLB
Pucca Power Up
Emily the Strange: Strangerous

PC:
September 13, 2011
Casino Chaos with Las Vegas
Call of Juarez: The Cartel
Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad

PSP:
September 16, 2011
Mega Man Dual Pack
Monster Hunter Freedom Dual Pack

Taking A Hard Look at Game Reviews and Those Who Review Games

Sun, 11 Sep 2011 04:30:00 +0000

In the game industry, reviews are important. For the consumers, it lets us know what games are worth our money and what game are just not any good. It forces developers to make the best product they can and can act as advertising to sell games to those who might be unfamiliar. This is at least the ideal relationship that reviewers should have with both the game makers and the game players. Sadly, I don't think that kind of relationship exists.

I love reading reviews, especially to see what they think of movies or restaurants. However, and maybe it's me, while reviews are useful tools in other industries, in the gaming world they run it. There are many publishers who look at sites like Metacritic to determine what is popular and what isn't. It seems to determine what games get the funding to expand and what games get sidelined. I believe that it is this kind of attitude from the publishers that make it so Call of Duty gets made every year and why other games struggle to stay above the water.

Every. Single. Year.

Because of this, a game sometimes completely relies on a successful review, which leads into some complications. For one, there have been several known instances of publishers bribing reviewers either directly or by threatening to pull advertisements from magazines or websites if their game doesn't get at least a score like an 8 out of 10. This used to lead me to purchase games that I was ultimately dissatisfied with, although more often than not, I just didn't understand why everyone went so crazy over what seemed like just a rather okay game.

I think what people tend to forget is that reviewers are just people. Video games as a field of study is still in it's early stages, and while the social and cultural aspects are routinely looked at by researchers, there is very little in what I would like think of as game critics who observe particular game design techniques and judge the game based on whether they were used effectively or not, at least in the mainstream. The reviewers who write for the big gaming websites, are journalists, and while there is nothing wrong with that, to me it just means that they are competent writers and not necessarily very knowledgeable about their hobby on a deeper level . Many don't have a clear, objective view of what game design actually consists of and I doubt many of them actually know anything about the inner workings of game design and production. They know what they like and what fun is to them, but to me, as a potential buyer for a game, that means very little.

My perception of the average big website review: Smug Automaton.

A person's opinion is a person's opinion, not a fact. Yet, people treat it as such. I once was in a conversation where I stated how I disliked Heavy Rain for having what I thought as a weak storyline, confusing plot twist, and how it cheats it main selling point of every decision being meaningful. This was in the context of the game receiving a story award that I thought it didn't deserve. I was immediately yelled at for not getting it's "deep" and "engrossing" story that all the reviewers must have understood.

Likewise, many of the complaints of Metroid Other M stem from reviewers who focused heavily on the controversial Ridley scene rather than other parts of the story and gameplay. Many of their comments seemed to ignore the logbook style of the narration and pieces of story that are explained at one point or another. These reviews decided that it was best to fuel the controversy, suddenly becoming concerned with the sexist aspects of the game that weren't there to get hits. Meanwhile, people who I know to have played the game, as in they can reference other scenes from the game, loved it, including the story, which involved a recently traumatized Samus overcoming her doubts and fears and actually gaining a good amount of character development (although I'm not saying its wrong to still hate this game, after all personal taste and opinions are just that). To me this indicates a rather large disconnect from these big websites (and those who followed suit) and the actual audiences of the game. And not just for this game, but for many others where deeper readings of these games are not touched upon, instead relying on usually very shallow interpretations.

This works conversely too. A famous example is when Gamespot review gave Twilight Princess an 8.8 and there was a huge Internet backlash, because fans felt that one of their favorite game franchises was entitled to high reviews. Which is strange considering that it was impossible for any regular person to have played the game at that point. Also, I think the writer of that review was even fired for causing such a debacle, regardless of the game's actual level of quality.

This game was at least an 8.9.

To me this indicated that people aren't using reviews as the tool they were meant to be. Instead they are using reviews to justify their beliefs. In a broad sense, no one can accept that Heavy Rain is a bad game because not only would all their hype be for nothing, but it would be an insult to their personal taste.

I think as a community of gamers, we need to lower the importance of reviews in our gaming life. For many of us, it probably won't be easy, after all, sometimes we don't know what we want, especially on more obscure games. On the other hand, many of us know what type of games we want and so we probably don't care about reviews for those kind of games anyways. For example, I'm a sucker for Star Wars games, so I will probably buy anyone that looks cool, no matter what the review is (which led me to buy The Force Unleashed 2). I also feel like if we, as a community, want games to be accepted as art, instead of just as pop culture, then we need to start looking at games at a deeper level.

Like this article? Are you a gamer with an opinion? Do you like to write? If you want to know more about writing with us at End of the Week, email us at eotwpodcast@gmail.com!

A Day Late and $50 Short

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 17:00:00 +0000

Does anybody remember the days when Animal Crossing: City Folk first came out, and every single Wii owner was playing it? The days when if you didn't have it, you missed out on all of the gaming fun? Well, you probably don't; it didn't last very long. But I certainly do. I was that one member of a gaming website who didn't have the game. Usual reasons; cash was tight around the house. So I told my parents, "whenever we get the extra money, I want that game!" And I eventually got it, too. I was so excited, and I ran to my laptop to get on Skype and let my friends know that I finally had it. The response I got? "Oh. Cool." There was no "Awesome! Wanna play??" or anything similar. No excitement at all. The game was yesterday's news; nobody really cared about it. $50 wasted.

Goodbye, Animal Crossing. You were fun while you lasted...Sort of.

This kind of story isn't really all that uncommon, though. The same thing has happened to lots of people in the gaming world, and it's one of the reasons behind single-player games retaining their popularity. I personally tend to stick to my Zelda and Star Ocean games that I can play perfectly fine by myself, so that I don't have to worry about the fun dying, and I can think of at least 5 other people I know that are the same way. Let's face it, guys, gaming fashion is just like clothing fashion -- popular today, absolutely ridiculous tomorrow.

This poor kitty's attire is an accurate representation of you playing World of Warcraft.

This can be good for places like GameStop. It means they get more trade-ins, which means they get more used games to sell (and since used games are cheaper, they're what a lot of people go for anyway). It can also be good for the companies, since during the game's month of fame, it tends to fly off of store shelves, and as long as they get their money, they're happy. But it puts a serious strain on the average gamer's wallet. Granted, most people trade in these games once they become unpopular, so they don't lose the full $50 (and in some cases more) they spent on the game. But they still lose quite a bit of their hard-earned cash. It's enough to make one wonder why anyone would bother wasting so much money.

No, it's cool. These 2 games will keep me entertained for about a week;

they're totally worth this much money!

It's a bit of simple psychology, though. When it comes to fashion, most people think about keeping up with what's popular. It never crosses their mind that it probably won't stay in fashion very long -- all anyone knows, or cares about, is that it's popular now, and without it, they're kept completely out of the loop. And nobody wants that. It applies to shoes, clothes, and video games. Yes, even you, my non-conformist friend. As much as you would like to distance yourself from the ideas of dressing in the "trendy" brands, you're just like those people in following video game trends.

Well, the Nintendo DS was fun while it lasted. Now where's your 3DS?

So, what about those who can't afford to keep buying games they'll only play for about a month? Well, I really don't know what to tell you guys. Get what you can on release date, and hope you're getting the ones that will stay popular for a long time, like Brawl did. (Deny it all you want, guys, but Brawl stuck around much longer than most games.) And, if you're already behind in getting a game, I suggest not bothering, lest you get it just as the game loses its popularity. But, that's just me. What will you do?

Like this article? Are you a gamer with an opinion? Do you like to write? If you want to know more about writing with us at End of the Week, email us at eotwpodcast@gmail.com!

Beta Impressions - Assassin's Creed: Revelations Multiplayer

Wed, 07 Sep 2011 17:00:00 +0000

     I was granted the opportunity to play the Assassin's Creed Revelations beta that was released on the Playstation Network but a few days ago. Simply said, I am a HUGE fan of Assassin's Creed, so the fact that I get to play part of the next game early was perhaps one of the top moments of this week for me.

     Obviously, since this is a beta, there will be glitches (hell, it's an AC game, there HAS to be some glitches). The beta starts you off by picking your profile picture for the game. Since you're just starting out, you only have two pictures from which to choose. Once your initial setup is complete, you are thrown into the introductory session, where you are taught just how to play the basic modes of this multiplayer experience. An Abstergo agent gladly tells you just how to assassinate your target or avoid your pursuers. If you want to get to the real multiplayer, make sure you do everything right. It will take a few seconds to reset your target(s).

     In actual multiplayer, your HUD is given a small (but not 100% accurate) radar ring, which will tell you the general vicinity of your target, as well as how close they are, whether they're on the same elevation as you, and if they are able to see you from where you're standing (this is especially useful if you're trying to get the big-bonus kills). This system has not changed from Brotherhood, though it's understandable (it worked well last time, why change it?). Also like Brotherhood, there is an experience system that is utilized with the points you receive in the games you play. As you level up, you unlock abilities, characters, and other fun materials to mess with.

The first multiplayer mode I chose to play was the one I loved in Brotherhood - Manhunt Mode. In this mode, there are two teams of players, and two rounds are played. In the first, one team will be the Pursuers, and the others will be the Targets. Pursuers have to aim to kill the targets without being seen, and gain points in doing so. Targets gain points by stunning their Pursuers, hiding within crowds and obstacles, and protecting their allies. If a Pursuer is stunned by a Target, a fellow Pursuer can revive their ally for an extra point bonus.

My experience with Manhunt was about as good as Brotherhood's, in that I was able to get a few good kills while being a Pursuer, and I managed to revive an ally or two. Unfortunately, I couldn't prevent the many stuns I received (though the Targets stunning one of my allies allowed me to get the kill on them). While being a Target, I resorted to my basic strategy - rooftop running and haybale hiding. I managed to find an ally and hid with him for extra points. I attempted to stun someone, but due to their priority in the chain, they were able to kill me, and received additional points for giving me an "honorable death." Overall, I feel it has greatly improved, with minor new mechanics brought into the gameplay, and intriguing methods to get points. Of course, being able to stun someone at anytime is also a good thing (one was only able to stun if the pursuer was nearby, a mechanic that would be flawed when the pursuer got too close and was able to kill without resistance).

     The next type of game I tried out was Easy Deathmatch, a Free For All mode in which players similarly attack targets and avoid pursuers, but without taking turns. Within a 10-minute round, 4-8 players are set loose in a small map to strike their foes while remaining in the shadows. You are not given any abilities, a compass, or Chase sequences (where a target is running from you and your presence is known to all), seeing as there are no civilians to mix up with your targets.

      Unfortunately, Easy Deathmatch wasn't as easy to find a session for as Manhunt was. Whereas in Manhunt, a match popped up in less than 2 minutes, Easy Deathmatch returned no results after multiple matchmaking searches. No doubt that this might not be the most popular game mode.

      So, with sadness in my heart (I've been wanting to do Easy Deathmatch for a while), I decide to test with Easy Deathmatch's counterpart - Deathmatch. Deathmatch works exactly like Easy Deathmatch, but players are given full use of their abilities. So while searching for a room, I told myself, "If this one is more easily filled than Easy Deathmatch, it'll be obvious why, the abilities must be where their skill comes from! ...Or Easy Deathmatch is just boring without the abilities. Who knows?"

     Lo and behold, I obtained players for Regular Deathmatch in less than 2 minutes. Goodie. As soon as I entered, I chose the Thespian skin, from personal preference. All you are given is an image of your target's character, and a ring around them that glows if you're within their line of sight. As you walk closer and around in their site, their awareness increases and you soon become more obvious. Seeing as I was still level 1, I was stuck with the default ability set.

      I can see now why people liked the abilities in Deathmatch, though. It creates variety in the game's passage. I was stopped in my tracks due to my target's Smoke Bomb ability, so I was frozen for about 5-10 seconds. Unfortunately for my Target, they didn't stun me or run away, so as I got over the Smoke Bomb effects, I was able to still get an assassination, complete with the Silent bonus (an additional 200 points). I managed to get killed many, many times, but overall I got 4th place out of 8 players. Not too shabby for my first Deathmatch game. If you plan on playing the Multiplayer in Revelations, Deathmatch would have to be a must-try.

      Before I could join the next mode, I was booted from the Ubisoft server, with an Error saying that the server wasn't available at the time. The usual stuff with Betas. No big deal. I was able to reconnect shortly after signing out, then back into my Playstation Network account...or so I thought. With the server being inaccessible for now, my impressions had to wait about...10 minutes? Really, not that big a deal.

      With Manhunt and the two Deathmatches out of the way, I am left with one option for game modes. That's right, for those who remember Brotherhood's basic multiplayer mode, Wanted Mode returns in Revelations. Wanted mode works similarly to Deathmatch, in that you hunt your Targets while avoiding Pursuers; however, you are given your compass and abilities, and are able to create Chases with your targets. If you are of a higher rank than everyone, you will be the primary target more often. If you are lower, than don't expect to be hunted TOO much. Quality kills (such as those that even you didn't see coming) are granted additional points. The player with the highest points claims the glory of the match.

     In my Wanted experience, let's just say I had about as much skill as I did in Brotherhood...meaning little to none. To start, it was obvious this session was popular. Within 30 seconds, I had found a whole group for Wanted Mode. While given the targets I had to kill, I was able to learn the variations of paths to take in the map we played on (given we only had 3 maps to play on, the one we used, Constantinople, was probably my favorite.). I got very few kills, but I did finish in 5th place (mostly due to finishing off already-killed targets).

     Two new functions I learned about that were put into this game were the Finisher, which is where, if your target is killed by someone other than you, you're able to run up to the [Dying] body and essentially finish them off by kicking them. That's right, you kick them and they die. Granted they already lost a ton of blood from the dagger/sword/mace/axe they received to the back, but still, fun! The other is an additional part of Aerial Assassinations. New to Revelations, you can aerial assassinate players who are CLIMBING. Not just if they're standing on the ground, but if they're climbing up to chase you and/or they are climbing after someone else. I found this out when someone actually performed this kill on me. I was shocked, but also astounded that such an ability hadn't been implemented before. Summed up, Wanted has greatly improved, and while I wasn't as great a player as I wanted to be, it's only the Beta, I'm sure I'll get better by the time the real thing comes out.

Now, while I said there was only one game mode left above, I lied! One more game mode was released during the Beta's lifetime - Artifact Assault, and it was conveniently released right after I played a round of Wanted! For those who have played Uncharted 2's Multiplayer, you will remember the Gold Rush mode, in which you stole the treasure for your team. Artifact Assault works in a similar fashion, though their own Assassin twist was placed into it. Both teams have an artifact to protect. If you are within your own territory, you are a Pursuer, and are able to kill enemies that invade attempting to take your artifact. If you are in enemy territory, you are a Target and can be killed. The team with the highest score, as always, wins.

Of all of the game modes one could pick, Artifact Assault is perhaps my personal favorite. One can get a larger rush from stealing artifacts and protecting allies than anything else, in my opinion. Finding my first match took about 90 seconds-ish, but it was worth every second. Artifact Assault is one of the few modes where climbing and running around is pretty much A-OK, as long as your goals are accomplished. Lucky for me, I wound up with able-minded allies and very tactical enemies. You simply have to enter the enemy territory and step into the Artifact Circle, and you are in possession of the artifact. From there, you are to run as fast as possible back to your Artifact circle OR protect the person holding the artifact as they try to get back to base. If there was ever more beauty in assassination duties, this mode would create it. I managed to make the most points in my team, killed the most people, and gained two levels, just from one match. Artifact Assault will most likely be where you find me most when this game comes out.

Before I closed out the Beta for today, I glanced through the challenges, each of which grants additional experience upon completion. From the challenges, I was able to discover several other Multiplayer Modes that will be in the final version of the game. While they don't reveal much about how to play the modes, knowing the names could give players an idea. The new modes include Corruption, Steal the Artifact, Escort, Assassinate, and Chest Capture. From looking these over, I feel that I'll most likely prefer Chest Capture, Steal the Artifact, and Escort. They just sound entertaining to me, as they take the regular gameplay of Assassin's Creed and twist it into a manner where you're still playing the same game, but with an entirely different goal in mind.

In summation, this Beta has not only made me more giddy in excitement for the final release, but it makes me hate that November is two whole months away. The gameplay shown in the Beta has proven to me that movement has finally gained some fluidity, and that Ubisoft is starting to understand just what the players want in a Multiplayer experience. Coupled with a perhaps amazing story (one can hope), I believe that Assassin's Creed: Revelations will be a beautiful close to Ezio's journey, all while providing players with a unique and overall very entertaining multiplayer mode. Here's hoping!

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Episode 76: Oops We Did it Again

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 17:15:00 +0000

This week the gang sits down and has yet another talk about sexism in games, among other things.

Download here!

Releases of the Week! September 4 - September 10

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 14:30:00 +0000

As we enter the month of September, the summer of game droughts comes to a close. I am personally glad to see that we've entered the Autumn season, featuring many different titles shown off at E3 and by the individual developers. I can tell that this season will be painful to my wallet, but beautiful for my consoles.

This week's Staff Picks are:

Nate & Ben's Pick:

Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten
Rated T
Genre: Strategy
Publisher: Nippon-Ichi Software
Release Date: September 6, 2011
Available on: PS3

Cameron's Pick:

Dead Island
Rated M
Genre: Action, Horror
Publisher: Deep Silver
Release Date: September 6, 2011
Available on: PS3, 360, PC

Shaun & Alex's Pick:

Star Fox 64 3DS
Rated E
Genre: Action
Publisher: Nintendo
Release Date: September 9, 2011
Available on: 3DS

Xbox 360:
September 6, 2011

Penguins of Madagascar: Dr. Blowhole Returns(Kinect)
Rise of Nightmares(Kinect)
Dead Island
Driver: San Francisco
Warhammer 40K: Space Marine

Playstation 3:
September 6, 2011

Resistance 3
Resistance 3: Doomsday Edition
Uncharted: Dual Pack
Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten
Penguins of Madagascar: Dr. Blowhole returns
Dead Island
Driver: San Francisco
Warhammer 40K: Space Marines

Wii:
September 6, 2011

Get Fit with Mel B
Penguins of Madagascar: Dr. Blowhole Returns
Driver: San Francisco

3DS:
September 6, 2011

Driver: Renegade

September 9, 2011

Star Fox 64 3DS

DS:

September 6, 2011

Challenge Me Word Puzzles
Junior Mystery Stories
Penguins of Madagascar: Dr. Blowhole Returns
Junior Island Adventure
Veggy World
Burger Bot
Happies

PC:

September 6, 2011

Warhammer 40K: Space Marines
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 The Masters
Casino Chaos with Las Vegas Player Collection
World of Tanks
Dead Island Limited Edition

PSP:
Nothing this week.