Fisher is Back!

Game: Splinter Cell Conviction

System: Xbox 360

Release: April 2010


Sam Fisher is back and he is pissed. Some assholes have been fucking with his life and he won't stand for it. His daughter is dead, and he killed his best friend on a bupkus mission that failed to produce a mole in Third Echelon. Now after three years on the run Grimsdottir contacts Sam. She has information about his daughter's killer, and warns him of a hit squad out to get him. This starts a wild roller coaster ride filled with conspiracy, action, and lots of death.

Like most Tom Clancy games, Splinter Cell Conviction's presentation is top notch. Michael Ironside and friends did a great job with the voice acting. The plot is well done with plenty of twists and turns. The graphics are sweet, and the new projection tech used to illustrate objectives is the coolest HUD idea since Dead Space. Environments are detailed, and like previous Splinter Cell games Sam can take full advantage of pipes, ledges, shadows, cover, and whatever else is around. There are some frame rate issues, and a few progression stoppers, but these minor mishaps are few and far between.

The biggest change to the series is the gameplay. The old slow and steady pace has been speed up significantly. Traditional Splinter cell mechanics have bit the dust. There is no dead body management, hacking, or lock picking. Many of the old gadgets are gone, but the famous Sticky Camera remains. Everything has been streamlined and simplified. Melee strikes are a guaranteed kill that trigger the Execute ability. This allows the player to mark up to four enemies for a quick kill. This seems like an “I win” button, but in the midst of chaos marking targets is not easy.

All movement is quick paced and the animations are reminiscent of Assassins Creed. The cover system is the best I've ever seen. Pressing the left trigger will dash your character to the nearest cover. Holding the button will keep you under cover, and pressing A will dart you to the next spot. At any time you release the left trigger and tada you are away from cover. I never felt stuck to a wall, and that is a first. Interrogations have also seen an improvement. Click the video below. Sam makes water boarding look like a bad day at the beach.
Sam's adventure is just one piece of the delicious pie. The single player game takes five to six hours to complete. The co-op story is about the same length, and is a ton fun.The two game modes have interwoven plots that really create a well rounded universe. Other game modes include Hunter, Last Stand, Face Off, and Infiltration. Hunter and Infiltration are simple kill everyone missions. Last Stand is a survivor mode that forces players to protect a EMP from waves of enemies. Face Off pits spy vs. spy. Players have to rack up points to win. Killing NPC's grants one point, but killing the other human player rewards five. Dieing subtracts three. Whoever has the most points at the end of the round wins. With the exception of Face Off, each game mode can be played alone or with a friend. Ubisoft took a big risk rebooting the Splinter Cell series but it payed off. Stealth action has been born. The fast gameplay is fun and rewarding. The story, graphics, and hud are polished and entertaining. The various game modes provides hours of content, and co-op improves the replay value. The non-story based sections are also wide open for future DLC packs. Conviction is a new type of shooter that is a welcomed refreshing experience. Some veterans of the series will be turned off by all the changes, but the rest of us will enjoy a great video game. Snerts Snazzy Score grants Splinter Cell Conviction a 4.9 out of 5.

Who You Gonna Call?

Game: Ghostbusters (Single Player)

System: PS3, Xbox 360, PC

Release: June 2009

Ghostbusters the game could have easily been the third movie. The original cast shows up for another slime filled adventure through New York City. Players take on the role of silent rookie who gets to test all the new experimental equipment. The story is your typical Ghostbusters tale. Ghosts appear. Jokes are made. Gadgets are used. Government agencies get pissy. Ghostbusters are called to save the day. The designers did a great job of capturing the essences of the movie and incorporating it throughout the game. The games presentation matches the writing and voice acting. The graphics are very smooth with plenty of lighting, damage, and ghost effects. The HUD is primarily on the proton backpack, and each level is full of destructible assets. There are a number of diverse enemies that complement the environment. You face Civil War ghosts in the museum, and the infamous librarian at the New York Public library. There is also an early level where you take on the Marshmallow Man. Just about everything from the movies is either experienced or mentioned in the game.

Gameplay is the weakest part of Ghostbusters. The dodging mechanic is slow. Your teammates are consistently incapacitated, and require your assistance to continue fighting. Only two of the four weapons are useful, and the main character takes up most the screen. The vision impairment hinders your ability to fight multiple foes, which is always necessary because your AI teammates suck.

It's not all bad. The designers made a wonderful game that combines lazers, slime, and fishing. Ghost fights come in two flavors. One is the standard, “There coming right for us! SHOOT till there dead!” The other is classic Ghostbuster. You wear down the ghost with your proton beam. Once thier health is low you can capture them with your beam and slam them a round. To slam the ghost you move the analog stick back and forth like in a fishing game. Throw down a trap and guide the ghost to it's new home. Tada you just bagged your first ghost, and it was th--------is big.
Ghostbusters is a solid B movie—err I mean game. The story and voice acting is top notch, but the level design and gameplay are subpar. The friendly AI is terrible. I don't like the main characters mime act. Where is my smart ass comebacks to all the crappy orders I have to follow? Dodging is the only defensive maneuver and it sucks. Still the graphics are pretty, and if you pay attention to the dialogue you might even laugh. I also give the developers credit for making a fishing mechanic exciting. This is an excellent game to rent or borrow from a Ghostbusters fan boy. Snerts Snazzy Score is 3.8 out of 5.

Blocking Blues

Hack n’ slash and fighters have utilized blocking mechanics since the beginning of time—err video games. Typically the character will put his/her forearm or weapon in a defense posture. Incoming damage will be minimized or avoided all together. Good games add more defensive abilities to keep things interested. This usually involves a counter and/or dodge feature. Enemies will also be given moves that are unblockable. These mechanics are used to avoid one of the worst features in hack n’ slash and fighter. I would like to dub this idea Mortal Kombat Syndrome (MKS).

In the first MK a player could hold down the block button while their enemy rapidly punched.The animation would show the defender in the same animation until they either let go or their opponent ceased their assault. This wasn’t a big deal a couple decades ago, but the same idea is illustrated in countless video games today. Afrosamuari, Ninja Gaiden, God of War, Force Unleashed, Wolverine, BlazBlue, Street Fighter, and Castle Crashers are just a few examples. These are all great games, and they have plenty of other features to overcome their MKS. Yet there are still moments where you put up your defensive animation and watch attacks bounce off.

Recently I have completed Bayonetta. This action packed game has no block button. Dodging is the basic defensive mechanic. This makes combat fluid and for lack of a better term more realistic. Whenever I personally witness a fight blocking will only go so far. Dodging and countering—using your opponent’s momentum against them—seem more effective and is generally more entertaining. Batman: Arkham Asylum is another game that ditches the block button. The Dark Knight can stun, dodge, or counter incoming blows. The lack of MKS blocking is one reason the combat feels fresh and original. I hope developers look at these two successful tittles and adopt their defensive mechanics.

I have yet to find a fighter that utilizes the no blocking mentality. I also rarely play anything besides Blazblue and Street Fighter IV. These two popular titles may have a character that specializes in counters, but there is no universal move. Dead or Alive 3 is the only game I’ve played where each character has a basic counter, but there is also blocking. I think it would be interesting to have a fighter where blocking wasn’t an option. A counter mechanic would be the basic defensive ability. I can imagine skilled players countering each other for minutes at a time before someone finally slips up and gets beaten.

MKS is not a series issue for many games. God of War III has very few moments where you can simply hold down the block button. If you only hold down block in Ninja Gaiden II you will be destroyed. In Blazblue or Street Fighter blocking too much will bring on the throws. The characters in Castle Crashers are holding shields so their defensive prowess makes sense. Yet in all of these a clever eye will notice MKS. The main character will stay put in that same animation to block everything from blades to bullets. I hope more games ditch the stiff blocking pose and follow the examples of Batman: AA and Bayonetta. To end on a cliché…sometimes less is more.

All Action Tits to Toes

Game: Bayonetta

System: Xbox 360 & P-cursed-S3

Release: January 2010 NA

Bayonetta is a sexualized witch who is constantly under attack by the forces of heaven. What do I mean by “sexualized?” The cinematography is straight out of a soft core porn flick with numerous T&A shots. Her finishing moves trigger animation segments where her clothes fly off and morph into some demonic creature to finish off a boss. Sex, action, and gameplay drive this wild ride. The story is dragged behind desperately screaming as it clings to whatever it can. Does a video game need anything besides great graphics and solid gameplay? Bayonetta’s high Metacritic score says “No!”

There is little point in explaining the games story. The experience was reminiscent of Matrix Reloaded. Here is this amazing action that keeps on building with little to no real plot foundation. Then some guy in a white suite fills up the screen and attempts to monologue the stories way into something epically important. The games character and plot development are so shallow I didn’t care what this Sage guy had to say. Bayonetta would just wink and say something stupid like “You’re an ugly one.” An explosion would occur followed by another cut scene. Then there will be another cut scene to show off Bayonetta’s “moves.” Finally after one more cut scene the game moves on to the fun part—combat.

The gameplay is brilliant. The frame rate, camera, and graphical presentation enhance a robust combo/weapon system. Like Batman: AA there is no blocking. Bayonetta dodges to survive, and this has a chance to trigger bullet time. Dodging also refills the magic meter that is crucial in performing finishing or torture moves. Torture moves engage a quick time event that is visual pleasing to say the very least. This extra layer of strategy makes the game stand out in a crowd of copy cats. The majority of weapons can be placed on the feet or hands producing a number of effective combinations. My personal favorite was the samurai sword and ice skates. I would glide around enemies hacking and slashing all the way. The unique claw set was also fun. Players can switch between fire and electric claws with one simple move. The projectile weapons, however, could have been better. The shotguns and rocket launchers are too slow for the amount of damage they produce. Still the weapons felt original and fun, which is rare for game in this genre.

Enemies and level design completes Bayonetta’s combat pie. The art style is fantastic and the graphical presentation is top notch. Each enemy feels and looks different, but are arranged in the typical grunt to boss difficulty. There is a new enemy for each level which is a great way to keep things fresh. The levels themselves range from bland to ridiculous. The very surrounding often adds to the intense action feel this game produces. At one point I was running up the side of a clock tower as the town was engulfed in lava. Another moment had me cruising down a highway on a motorcycle dodging obstacles and killing enemies along the way. By the end you are literally blasted into orbit to fight a god like figure. All of this is delivered in jaw dropping visuals, crappy music, and cheesy dialogue.

Bayonetta is designed for multiple playthroughs. There are tons of hidden treasures and medals to unlock. The levels, however, don’t change. Players still are stuck skipping a thousand cut scenes filled with the same garbage. The music is terrible and repetitive. The lame story and insufferable number of combat interruptions hinder the games overall enjoyment. When you actually get to play the game is fantastic, but even those segments get old fast. Snerts Snazzy Score for Bayonetta is 4.2 out of 5.