Retro Review: Star Fox 64

Star Fox for the Nintendo 64 was one of its best games and it holds up very well even today. Star Fox is a flying game based around the premise that an evil scientist named Andross is attacking planets in this star system and Star Fox and his team are sent to stop Andross. Depending on how you complete each mission (more on this later) you will take a different path but all roads lead to Venom, Andross’ home world.
The first thing that people who have played the SNES Star Fox will notice is the graphics, they are much better and more elaborate. The control scheme is great, responsive and tight, no unnecessary motion. Clicking the right trigger twice will send Fox into a barrel roll and this can deflect enemy fire. The “B” button will deploy your bombs and the “A” button fires your laser. You can hold on to the “A” button to charge the laser for a larger blast and this will automatically lock on to any enemies in the vicinity. Pressing “C left” will put you into a temporary boost of speed and “C down” will slam on your breaks.
The other three members of your team are Peppy, Falco, and Slippy. Slippy may be the only bad thing in this game, he is just so annoying (and yes that isn’t a typo Slippy is a guy) from time to time they will need help and they can save you sometimes. If they take enough damage they will duck out of the fight and they won’t be available for the next mission. For every 100 enemies you destroy you get an extra life. There are a wide variety of combat zones; terrestrial planets, oceans, space stations, an asteroid belt, and the solar system’s sun to name a few. Regardless of what route you take you will have one level where you need to use a vehicle other than the plane and these levels are meant to add variety but they are usually pretty annoying to complete, especially the level under the ocean.
The back story is actually pretty involved and if you read it your battle with the “4 aces” will make much more sense. The use of animal characters is interesting and something different; the personalities of each character are also laid out very well so they work well as a team. One of the most interesting aspects of the game, that adds to the replay value, is the ability to take different paths to the same end. You will play through 7 levels regardless of what route you take and Venom and Corneria will both be on the list regardless but the other 5 will vary based on certain things that you do within the level. Some levels have warps where you have to pass through a certain number of rings to warp to another level; some levels will have special tasks to complete if you want to go on a different path. (for example on Corneria if you fly under all of the arches on the water Falco will lead you to a different objective) Other levels will require you to destroy a certain number of enemies or defeat the main boss quick enough. The alternate paths are harder than the main path so they are obviously for the more advanced player.
For the most part this game is great, the only slightly annoying things are the levels where you aren’t in an arwing and the fact that Slippy even exists but those are easily dismissed because of the incredible elements of gameplay and story that this game brings to the table. This game is an absolute classic and if you have an N64 you must have this game in your library.
Gameplay: 10
Story: 10
Replay Value: 10
Graphics: 10
Overall: 10

Sony to Publish Ghostbusters in PAL Territories

In a surprise move Sony has struck a deal to publish the PS3 and PS2 versions of the upcoming Ghostbusters: The Video Game in the PAL territories (Europe and Australia) to make it a timed Playstation exclusive, so the Xbox 360, Wii, and Nintendo DS versions are being delayed indefinitely. This news does not effect American publications of the game but I can't help but get a little worried about this. We are so close why can't they just leave everything alone? I'll post more as it comes out.
*Update* This has been confirmed to be only for the PAL territories the NTSC territories will still get the game for all formats on June 16th*

News: Ghostbusters, Batman, and Ninja Turtles

Since I last reported on the subject some new media has been released for Ghostbusters: The Video Game. The first is a new trailer that is on gamespot.com, it features an introduction by Dan Aykroyd and it is meant for Walmart.com. If you head over to gamespot you can see the trailer, it is listed as “Official Movie 2.”

GTTV had Ghostbusters related material on both of its last two shows, two weeks ago they showed the opening cinematic for Ghostbusters:The Video Game and you can see that in HD at Gametrailers.com. Then this past week they had a short interview with Dan Aykroyd and they revealed some new footage and a new boss, I won’t spoil it for those of you who want to wait until release.

Also This Week in Geek posted a video of their tour to Terminal Reality which includes an interview with lead artist Glenn Gamble and an all new cinematic with Ray, Peter, and the rookie in the elevator at the Sedgwick. This video can be found at protoncharging.com/gb

In other game related news Batman: Arkham Asylum has been officially delayed and will gear up for a late summer release.

Xbox live will be getting a remake of the classic game Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time, the game has been updated and made 3D however many of the elements of the original (like the music) will remain the same. This is sure to be a hit on the marketplace and right now it is part of the Turtles “party van” that is traveling the country to promote the 25^th anniversary of the original comic series.

My 10 Favorite Games of All Time

For this list I have decided to countdown my 10 favorite video games of all time, this is not a “10 best” list because I only want to cover games that I have actually played and there are some classics that I haven’t touched (like any of the Zelda games) But the games are in order and they cover everything from the Atari 2600 to the Xbox 360 (one per franchise) so here we go.


10. Goldeneye 007
I know what you’re thinking “why isn’t this higher on the list?” well it hasn’t held up particularly well even though back in the day it was the coolest thing out there. Its multiplayer was revolutionary, paving the way for games like Halo. The graphics were also impressive for the 64 bit system and it had a lot of cheats to make it fun (all guns, invincibility, invisibility, etc) if you didn’t have a Game Shark this game was a reason to get one.

9. Mass Effect


This RPG for the Xbox 360 and PC is one of the best games I have ever played because of its massive open worlds, tons of objectives, and great storyline. For an RPG it is a little short (unless you count surveying minerals but seriously who wants to do that?) but it makes up for that with memorable sequences and some great side missions. The environments are varied but the bases and research facilities on different worlds are very “cookie cutter” so it could have been better but that doesn’t stop it from being a tremendously fun romp through the galaxy, can’t wait for Mass Effect 2.

8. Half Life 2


This game is incredible and if you haven’t played it I would suggest picking it up as soon as possible. It has great FPS elements and one of the best storylines I have ever seen in a game. It works well with the episodic content although I would have liked the episodes to be a little longer, especially episode one. The driving is my only nitpick about this game but other than that it is just so much fun to play, I played it via The Orange Box, which was a port to the 360 but I’ve been told it is even better on the PC.

7. Sonic and Knuckles


This game is grade A awesome for many reasons, not the least of which is the awesome music. (Seriously listen to it its good stuff) The game keeps the sidescrolling speed element of the previous games while adding an awesome set of 3D bonus games and a new playable character that could climb walls and glide. Knuckles seriously trumped Sonic in all departments and I rarely pick Sonic over Knuckles. The gameplay is awesome, the variety is there, and it is just something that you can go back to even today and have a good time with.

6. Halo 3
This is one of the best FPS’s that I have ever played, it has a fantastic single player mode and an even better split screen multiplayer. The use of the vehicles, the weapons, the story, and the fluid gameplay mechanics make this a must buy for any Xbox owner. It really took off from Goldeneye and improved on the winning formula. I haven’t played any game’s multiplayer element so much and that is saying something.

5. Street Fighter II


Oh boy, we’re getting into some super good ones now. I technically have the “Special Champion Edition” but it is pretty much the same as the original Street Fighter II. This game (along with Mortal Kombat) revolutionized the fighting game genre and it is still a blast to play even today. The characters each have their own little back story that is spelled out in the manual and they all have special moves that are not too ridiculous to pull off.

4. Pac-Man

Originally titled “Puck Man” American arcade owners were afraid that vandals would change to the P to an F and we all know what would happen there. This game was one of the biggest arcade hits and it is so addicting. I recently played it online in flash form and I stayed up until about 4 in the morning playing it. If you haven’t played this game then I don’t know what to say other than PLAY IT. It established arcades and will go down in history as one of the greatest games of all time.

3. KOTOR


This game is the first RPG that I ever played and the first time I played it I hated it. I didn’t realize what it was and when the action didn’t start up right away I stopped playing, but after playing through KOTOR 2 I wised up and played the first one and man it is great. Not only does it have extensive upgrades and mini-games, it also has one of the biggest shocks in video game history. I, unfortunately, had it spoiled but it was still pretty awesome to see that shot of Darth Revan taking of his mask and it being your character. Even though the framerate goes to hell in action sequences and it has annoying turn based combat it still is one of the most gripping and fun games that I have ever played.

2. Pitfall

David Crane’s classic Atari game is one of my favorites because it is the first real memory I have of playing video games. I used to play it on my dad’s Atari in the spare room in our house in NY and it was so much fun. I remember thinking that the campfire looked so realistic at the time. The gameplay is solid and the graphics are actually really great for the Atari.

1. Gears of War 2

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this game is incredible. It is the best game out right now and I can’t imagine picking any game above this (until Ghostbusters comes out of course) The story is gripping, the graphics are out of this world, gameplay mechanic is perfect, the replay value is through the roof, and the multiplayer has been vastly improved since Gears 1, especially with the introduction of the Horde mode.

Gaming in the Recession

Gametrailers.com has an interesting weekly segment called the “Bonus Round” where are panel of three gaming experts and host Geoff Keighley talk about relevant issues in the gaming industry or games themselves. The episodes are broken into three or four parts and one part is posted every Sunday. Yesterday they posted the third part of their episode dealing with how the gaming industry will change with the current economic recession. Unfortunately video games are not completely recession proof and there will be changes but just what these changes will be and how far reaching they will be will be decided by the game developers and publishers themselves.
With disposable income declining and the market in the worst slump of my (and most people’s ) lifetime gaming has become less of a priority for families (I mean food and shelter are still important right?) but that doesn’t mean that people have stopped buying games all together they have just changed their “strategy” in terms of buying games and systems. Michael Pachter made an interesting point in this episode of the bonus round, he claimed that the PS3 was being hit the hardest by the recession because of its reliance on HDTV’s and other hi-tech gadgets. The value of Blu Ray, Wi Fi, and HD gaming are only pertinent to people who use them and to get the full effect a person needs an HDTV. So not only is Sony asking for a $400 minimum purchase for the system itself but to fully use the system you need to also buy an expensive HDTV. HDTV sales have dropped as a result of the recession and to the consumer trying to decide what system to buy, this doesn’t bode well for the PS3.
Another important thing to consider is the pricing for the systems, as I have mentioned the cheapest PS3 is $400 whereas the cheapest 360 is $200 and the Wii is $250. When faced with these choices the clear leader seems to be the 360 because it is a true “next-gen” system and it is the cheapest but the popularity of the Wii has kept it going strong through the recession with Wii sales still trumping its competitors by double or more each month.
But console sales are not the only thing affected by this recession, game production itself will be hit hard. Original IP’s are the spice of the video game industry and they are what really keep it going but they are much more risky than a new installment of an established franchise. Now that less capital is flowing, game developers and publishers will be less inclined to take a chance on a new IP and they will go for the sure shot franchise. As much as Guitar Hero and Call of Duty are good games it is new games like Little Big Planet or Mirror’s Edge that keep the industry fresh. (Although Mirror’s Edge didn’t do so well commercially or critically it is a new idea that could spawn future innovation)
The creative hit that this will cause developers is of some concern as the recession seems like it will stay with us for several years, games already in their development cycle will most likely survive but down the road new games won’t even get an initial green light. The recession has also led to resurgence in the idea of eliminating hard copies of games and making it all digital. Companies like Gamestop sell games used and this hurts the publishers and developers because they don’t get a cut of the sales, especially when the games are for sale used the week of release of the game. Proposed systems like Onlive are an attempt to combat the used game market by making it impossible to trade in a copy of the game. The money for the download will stay with the publisher and developer. However this is not all good, the reliability of the system must be questioned (like all new tech) and the quality of the gameplay itself (frame rate and the like) needs to be looked at thoroughly. On top of that if the hard copies of games disappear from store shelves this will mean that consumers who don’t have access to the internet (this is still a large segment of the populace) will have virtually no way of getting new games and in the end that just hurts the consumer.
The recession hasn’t hit the gaming industry very hard yet but it will over the coming years and more so in a stifling of creative properties. However that doesn’t mean that the industry will die out or even become completely unoriginal, we will still be treated to new IP’s just is smaller numbers, and with companies being more careful to put out only titles that are ensured to do well maybe the overall quality of games will increase. Who knows maybe we will come out of this recession better off than we were before it, in terms of games anyway.

Advertising in Video Games

Product placement is one of the staples of marketing and has been seen in just about all mediums that allow for video (TV, movies) but recently in-game advertising and product placement has risen sharply while video games have become more generally accepted by a mass audience. Driving games like Burnout and GTA have billboards and other advertisements for real world companies in their fictional cities. Games like Fallout like to keep their ads true to the time period, in the example of Fallout the ads are very much like the ads of the 1950’s because in their timeline the US stayed in the 50’s mentality all the way up to the cataclysmic nuclear war that led to the “fallout.” But even though these ads are reminiscent of the time period one of the most innovative ideas for period marketing will be a part of the upcoming Ghostbusters: The Video Game. The game is set in 1991 and at least two of their sponsors (Coke and Doritos) have agreed to put in 1991 advertising to keep with the timeline of the game. In the new videos that feature the Times Square cutscene, an old school Coke logo and an old Doritos ad can be seen in the background. It is unknown at this point how many other old ads they have in the game but it is an impressive detail to add to the authenticity of the game. Advertising in games is just like any other media, the ad needs to be appropriate in its context, in driving games anything can be put on a billboard because just about everything is actually advertised on a billboard. Sports games also do a good job of incorporating advertisements just like in the actual sporting event. An example of this is in the game NBA2k7 one of the correspondents reports in the “Gatorade around the cooler update.” It is appropriate because those are the kind of promotions that actually occur in live NBA broadcasts. The advertising can actually really add to the authenticity of a game but it can’t be overdone. If it gets in the way of the gameplay if can be a real hassle, so the developers and the sponsors need to tread the fine line between wanting to get their product featured and not annoying the gamers who are trying to enjoy the gameplay experience. But as of right now advertising in games seems to pretty tame which is good, we don’t have anything that resembles “pop-ups” on the internet. However advertising will increase in the coming years considering how video games are becoming more in the forefront of society, I mean I saw an ad for Wheelman before a movie in a theater, there would have never been an ad for a video game before a movie just 10 years ago. Here’s hoping everything stays in control.

I did that! I did that! That's my fault!

Atari released a brand new trailer for their upcoming Summer title Ghostbusters: The Video Game. The trailer explains that the third rule is "Split up..." the trailer focuses heavily on the destruction and mayhem that the Ghostbusters leave in their wake. You can see the video in HD at the following link. Enjoy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jzXErbu9fE