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Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Lord of the Rings: Conquest
Game: Lord of the Rings: Conquest
Systems: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Release: January 2009
Lord of the Rings: Conquest is the second game to bare my name in the credits. Mercenaries 2 was the first, and received a 3.8 out of 5. Will LOTR: Conquest score higher? Can I deliver another unbiased review? Will anyone actually read this blog? Find out more…right now!
LOTR: Conquest is the spiritual successor to the Star Wars: Battlefront series. When this was first revealed I was skeptical. How would a sci-fi third person shooter translate to the land of swords, arrows, and magic? Battlefront is a shooter with a multiplayer focus. There are classes, heroes, and tons of vehicles to wage war with across the galaxy. Conquest offers the same package with the Lord of the Rings universe. Just replace a galaxy far far away with Middle Earth, AT-AT with Ent, and you’ll start to get the idea.
The main differences between Battlefront and Conquest are the classes themselves. Battlefront is full of gun based classes where Conquest offers the Warrior, Mage, Scout, and Archer. All classes can take advantage of Trolls, Ents, and mounts scattered across specific levels.
Warriors are the powerhouses of melee combat. They are deadly up close, but lack any significant range attacks. Mastering this class involves knowing how to close the gap quickly. Mages are the most diverse class in the game. Their defensive abilities include healing and a bubble that protects allies from all projectiles. Offensively they can cast a 360 knockback (called You Shall Not Pass), chain lightening, and a fireball that becomes a circle on impact.
All this power means the Mage is weak against attacking melee classes, and can be taken out fast by archers when the bubble shield is not up. Archers will be the easiest class to pick up for Battlefront veterans. Multi shot, poison, and fire arrows are the tools of the trade. Aim for the head to get a one shoot fire arrow kill. Scouts are the other melee class, and have stealth abilities. This is a powerful ability that is enhanced with a back-stab move that kills foes instantly. Pandemic did a good job ensuring that the classes were well balanced, and once the learning curve is conquered the game illustrates surprising depth.
Well the classes sound very nice and fancy, but how do they play? Gameplay for Conquest is clunky in general—unlike the ultra smooth combat of say Ninja Gaiden II. Users are unable to interrupt an animation once it has begun. This means you will not be able stop that sword swing to block. The combat system also has some interesting features in regards to dominate animations. If two Mages cast the You Shall Not Pass spell, then whoever cast the spell first will be knockback. Both players will be damaged, but only one will be affected by the knockback. Jump attacks are utterly useless, and Ents/Trolls can out heal the damage per second of mages and archers. Melee classes, conversely, enter a tacked on quick time event that can take down a giant in two hits. No doubt some of these limitations are a result of the multiplayer features. None the less, the clunky gameplay will defiantly deter some gamers.
Conquest offers players two campaigns, and three game modes for sixteen player multiplayer action. The campaign is divided between Good and Evil. The former must be completed first to unlock the later, and both support coop. Players start off in Helm’s Deep and end up in front of the Black Gate in eight semi-epic confrontations. The Good campaign holds few surprises, but fans of the movies will defiantly enjoy the ride. The Evil campaign, however, presents an alternate story in another eight missions. The first involves Frodo submitting to the power of the ring, and the Nazgul actually kill him! After that Saruon is reborn and goes General Sherman on Middle Earth. For the last level players get to attack the Shire killing tons of hobbits along with Treebeard, and Gandalf—all as the Balrog if you have the skills. The levels consist of objective based battles where players must capture key points, bash in doors with battering rams, and/or kill off main characters like the Witch King. There is nothing spectacular about these levels. Fans of the Lord of the Rings may get a kick out of the movie like battles and alternate stories. Gamers looking for amazing combat and unforgettable experiences may be disappointed.
Luckily this game has a very unique multiplayer. I can’t think of any games on the current generation of consoles that utilize fantasy based classes. It’s a nice change of pace. All campaign maps are used for multiplayer. The three basic game types are Conquest, Capture the Ring, and Team Death Match. Conquest is your basic territories game. Controlling certain points will grant teams mounts and giants—Trolls and Ents. Capture the Ring is elfish for Capture the Flag, and Team Death Match is pretty self-explanatory. When a team reaches 50% on the score board they will unlock a Hero. There is also Hero TDM which allows players to have insane matches between Good and Evil. Seeing an army of Frodo’s decimating the Mouth of Sauron is ridiculously entertaining.
Lord of the Rings: Conquest is not an amazing game. It’s not trying to be the next blockbuster, but offers some really unique experiences and fantasy fun. It’s mediocre done well. Fans of multiplayer games and Battlefront who conquer the learning curve will have a blast. Others will enjoy the movie like battles and alternate evil story. Snerts Snazzy Score grants LOTR: Conquest 3.5 out of 5.
Systems: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Release: January 2009
Lord of the Rings: Conquest is the second game to bare my name in the credits. Mercenaries 2 was the first, and received a 3.8 out of 5. Will LOTR: Conquest score higher? Can I deliver another unbiased review? Will anyone actually read this blog? Find out more…right now!
LOTR: Conquest is the spiritual successor to the Star Wars: Battlefront series. When this was first revealed I was skeptical. How would a sci-fi third person shooter translate to the land of swords, arrows, and magic? Battlefront is a shooter with a multiplayer focus. There are classes, heroes, and tons of vehicles to wage war with across the galaxy. Conquest offers the same package with the Lord of the Rings universe. Just replace a galaxy far far away with Middle Earth, AT-AT with Ent, and you’ll start to get the idea.
The main differences between Battlefront and Conquest are the classes themselves. Battlefront is full of gun based classes where Conquest offers the Warrior, Mage, Scout, and Archer. All classes can take advantage of Trolls, Ents, and mounts scattered across specific levels.
Warriors are the powerhouses of melee combat. They are deadly up close, but lack any significant range attacks. Mastering this class involves knowing how to close the gap quickly. Mages are the most diverse class in the game. Their defensive abilities include healing and a bubble that protects allies from all projectiles. Offensively they can cast a 360 knockback (called You Shall Not Pass), chain lightening, and a fireball that becomes a circle on impact.
All this power means the Mage is weak against attacking melee classes, and can be taken out fast by archers when the bubble shield is not up. Archers will be the easiest class to pick up for Battlefront veterans. Multi shot, poison, and fire arrows are the tools of the trade. Aim for the head to get a one shoot fire arrow kill. Scouts are the other melee class, and have stealth abilities. This is a powerful ability that is enhanced with a back-stab move that kills foes instantly. Pandemic did a good job ensuring that the classes were well balanced, and once the learning curve is conquered the game illustrates surprising depth.
Well the classes sound very nice and fancy, but how do they play? Gameplay for Conquest is clunky in general—unlike the ultra smooth combat of say Ninja Gaiden II. Users are unable to interrupt an animation once it has begun. This means you will not be able stop that sword swing to block. The combat system also has some interesting features in regards to dominate animations. If two Mages cast the You Shall Not Pass spell, then whoever cast the spell first will be knockback. Both players will be damaged, but only one will be affected by the knockback. Jump attacks are utterly useless, and Ents/Trolls can out heal the damage per second of mages and archers. Melee classes, conversely, enter a tacked on quick time event that can take down a giant in two hits. No doubt some of these limitations are a result of the multiplayer features. None the less, the clunky gameplay will defiantly deter some gamers.
Conquest offers players two campaigns, and three game modes for sixteen player multiplayer action. The campaign is divided between Good and Evil. The former must be completed first to unlock the later, and both support coop. Players start off in Helm’s Deep and end up in front of the Black Gate in eight semi-epic confrontations. The Good campaign holds few surprises, but fans of the movies will defiantly enjoy the ride. The Evil campaign, however, presents an alternate story in another eight missions. The first involves Frodo submitting to the power of the ring, and the Nazgul actually kill him! After that Saruon is reborn and goes General Sherman on Middle Earth. For the last level players get to attack the Shire killing tons of hobbits along with Treebeard, and Gandalf—all as the Balrog if you have the skills. The levels consist of objective based battles where players must capture key points, bash in doors with battering rams, and/or kill off main characters like the Witch King. There is nothing spectacular about these levels. Fans of the Lord of the Rings may get a kick out of the movie like battles and alternate stories. Gamers looking for amazing combat and unforgettable experiences may be disappointed. Luckily this game has a very unique multiplayer. I can’t think of any games on the current generation of consoles that utilize fantasy based classes. It’s a nice change of pace. All campaign maps are used for multiplayer. The three basic game types are Conquest, Capture the Ring, and Team Death Match. Conquest is your basic territories game. Controlling certain points will grant teams mounts and giants—Trolls and Ents. Capture the Ring is elfish for Capture the Flag, and Team Death Match is pretty self-explanatory. When a team reaches 50% on the score board they will unlock a Hero. There is also Hero TDM which allows players to have insane matches between Good and Evil. Seeing an army of Frodo’s decimating the Mouth of Sauron is ridiculously entertaining.
Lord of the Rings: Conquest is not an amazing game. It’s not trying to be the next blockbuster, but offers some really unique experiences and fantasy fun. It’s mediocre done well. Fans of multiplayer games and Battlefront who conquer the learning curve will have a blast. Others will enjoy the movie like battles and alternate evil story. Snerts Snazzy Score grants LOTR: Conquest 3.5 out of 5.
Monday, January 12, 2009
The Simpson's Game
Game: The Simpson’s Game
System: Wii, DS, PS3, PS2, PSP, Xbox 360
Release: October 2007
To say that The Simpson’s is my favorite show is like stating the Atlantic is damp. I am a devoted fanboy who knows ridiculous amounts of useless information about this show. I collect the crappy merchandise knowing that I’m just adding more and more money to people who don’t really need it. The show is tremendously successful and I own every season and movie available on DVD. One of my favorite stories from working at Linens N’ Things involves helping Nancy Cartwright, and one of the best lectures I had in college was from David Silverman. If you don’t know those names, then look them up along with John Swartzwelder!
Fanboyizm aside I realize when the products of the show are crap. For instance, certain later seasons lack in quality compared to the Golden Era of seasons 3-8. Another prime example is the numerous video games featuring my favorite yellow family. Until recently, the only game worth mentioning is the classic arcade Simpson’s game. EA has actually done a good job creating a satirical platformer that’s big on laughs and solid enough on gameplay to warrant at least one playthrough.
The Simpson’s Game does what the Simpson’s do best—poke fun at themselves. The entire game makes fun of video games from creation to clichés. When a cliché is found Comic Book Guy pops up with a sarcastic sigh that can be experienced right from the start.
Players start off in training mode, which is a dream where Homer is in the Land of Chocolate like the episode Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk. Here players get used to the basic game mechanics. The typical jump and punch mechanics are complimented by special abilities for each family member. For Homer he can become a large ball that can be propelled into enemies and off ramps. He can also turn into a giant gumi-monster that flings blobs of goop at his foes. The rest of the family gets to learn of their special powers over the next few episodes or levels.
Walking around Springfield, Bart just so happens to come across a video game instruction booklet for The Simpson’s Game. He learns that he has super platforming powers that can get him through the next level. Bart dawns the Bartman cape and cowl to take advantage of grappling hooks, gliding, and slingshot abilities. Homer is there to give a helping hand, and at this point the game coop feature comes into play. For the majority of episodes players can have a friend join in at any time to take over a family member. Usually there is only two Simpson’s on screen so only two people can play at a time. After each episode, however, the second player is idle. Springfield acts as a default or home map that only one player can navigate to find secrets and trigger episodes. Marge and Lisa also discover their video game powers in the proceeding episodes. Lisa can stun enemies with her saxophone, and use her Buddha power to move large objects and solve puzzles. Marge has RTS qualities. She can recruit near by town folk to destroy and build whatever she desires. Even Maggie helps out Mom by crawling through airshafts to find secrets and solve puzzles.
With the family all powered up, it’s time for the plot to kick in. Aliens invade Springfield, so the Simpson kids attempt to locate Professor Frink. In the process they discover that they’re entire existence is nothing but a video game—deep ain’t it. This leads to the family confronting Will Wright in order to save their 8bit counterparts. The Sims creator reveals that he is just a pawn, and points the finger to “the creator.” After four more episodes that vigorously throw zingers at the video game industry the Simpson’s confront Matt Groening. They discover that he too is a pawn—no way!—and the Simpson’s are off to confront God in a DDR tournament of epic proportions. After defeating God, he rids Springfield of the invading Aliens, and the Simpson’s return to their ordinary video game lives.
This plot is hilariously ridicules, and works well for the game. All family members are mixed and matched in every episode to help elevate repetitive gameplay. Coop is blast because it can be done with just about anybody. The puzzles are uncomplicated yet rewarding. Unfortunately, the camera is not very good, and hardcore gamers may be thrown off by the games simplicity. Others will embrace a game that makes you laugh, and anyone who works in the industry should give it a try. One of my favorite jokes was the QA department littered with outdated PCs, skeletons, and cobwebs. There are even a ton of collectibles and easy achievements for those collector perfectionist types. Snerts Snazzy Simpson’s Score—man I love alliteration—grants The Simpson’s Game a decent 3.5 out of 5.
System: Wii, DS, PS3, PS2, PSP, Xbox 360
Release: October 2007
To say that The Simpson’s is my favorite show is like stating the Atlantic is damp. I am a devoted fanboy who knows ridiculous amounts of useless information about this show. I collect the crappy merchandise knowing that I’m just adding more and more money to people who don’t really need it. The show is tremendously successful and I own every season and movie available on DVD. One of my favorite stories from working at Linens N’ Things involves helping Nancy Cartwright, and one of the best lectures I had in college was from David Silverman. If you don’t know those names, then look them up along with John Swartzwelder!
Fanboyizm aside I realize when the products of the show are crap. For instance, certain later seasons lack in quality compared to the Golden Era of seasons 3-8. Another prime example is the numerous video games featuring my favorite yellow family. Until recently, the only game worth mentioning is the classic arcade Simpson’s game. EA has actually done a good job creating a satirical platformer that’s big on laughs and solid enough on gameplay to warrant at least one playthrough.
The Simpson’s Game does what the Simpson’s do best—poke fun at themselves. The entire game makes fun of video games from creation to clichés. When a cliché is found Comic Book Guy pops up with a sarcastic sigh that can be experienced right from the start.
Players start off in training mode, which is a dream where Homer is in the Land of Chocolate like the episode Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk. Here players get used to the basic game mechanics. The typical jump and punch mechanics are complimented by special abilities for each family member. For Homer he can become a large ball that can be propelled into enemies and off ramps. He can also turn into a giant gumi-monster that flings blobs of goop at his foes. The rest of the family gets to learn of their special powers over the next few episodes or levels.
Walking around Springfield, Bart just so happens to come across a video game instruction booklet for The Simpson’s Game. He learns that he has super platforming powers that can get him through the next level. Bart dawns the Bartman cape and cowl to take advantage of grappling hooks, gliding, and slingshot abilities. Homer is there to give a helping hand, and at this point the game coop feature comes into play. For the majority of episodes players can have a friend join in at any time to take over a family member. Usually there is only two Simpson’s on screen so only two people can play at a time. After each episode, however, the second player is idle. Springfield acts as a default or home map that only one player can navigate to find secrets and trigger episodes. Marge and Lisa also discover their video game powers in the proceeding episodes. Lisa can stun enemies with her saxophone, and use her Buddha power to move large objects and solve puzzles. Marge has RTS qualities. She can recruit near by town folk to destroy and build whatever she desires. Even Maggie helps out Mom by crawling through airshafts to find secrets and solve puzzles.
With the family all powered up, it’s time for the plot to kick in. Aliens invade Springfield, so the Simpson kids attempt to locate Professor Frink. In the process they discover that they’re entire existence is nothing but a video game—deep ain’t it. This leads to the family confronting Will Wright in order to save their 8bit counterparts. The Sims creator reveals that he is just a pawn, and points the finger to “the creator.” After four more episodes that vigorously throw zingers at the video game industry the Simpson’s confront Matt Groening. They discover that he too is a pawn—no way!—and the Simpson’s are off to confront God in a DDR tournament of epic proportions. After defeating God, he rids Springfield of the invading Aliens, and the Simpson’s return to their ordinary video game lives.This plot is hilariously ridicules, and works well for the game. All family members are mixed and matched in every episode to help elevate repetitive gameplay. Coop is blast because it can be done with just about anybody. The puzzles are uncomplicated yet rewarding. Unfortunately, the camera is not very good, and hardcore gamers may be thrown off by the games simplicity. Others will embrace a game that makes you laugh, and anyone who works in the industry should give it a try. One of my favorite jokes was the QA department littered with outdated PCs, skeletons, and cobwebs. There are even a ton of collectibles and easy achievements for those collector perfectionist types. Snerts Snazzy Simpson’s Score—man I love alliteration—grants The Simpson’s Game a decent 3.5 out of 5.
What's In a Name?
After only a year of the Rubber I have considered a name change. The motivation for this transformation is a result of all the negative connotations the word produces. Thus from now on Snerts will be the name. I figured it would be a natural selection after the IGN videos illustrated my awesome skills as Snerts. Of course I am too lazy to go back and edit out all the old rubbers—see what I mean by “negative connotations”—so only future posts will have Snerts Snazzy Score.
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