[Review] Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine (PC)

With each passing generation of gamers, it seems that boardgames are becoming increasingly ignored and thought of as lame. Theprerequisite of a strong imagination is far too high of a hurdle and enough toput off most from ever touching some of the old greats like Dungeons and Dragons or newer cultfavorites from Flying Frog. Warhammer40,000, however, has to be the most restrictive title of all, practicallyrequiring players to do homework before games by painting their miniature sizedspace marines. Warhammer 40,000: SpaceMarines removes any homework or requirement for imagination from players;instead, they are thrust straight into the lore and can experience the ork-bashingaction with ease.

Meticulous painting isn’t exactly what one would expect asthe prelude to an adrenaline pumping experience that involves the killing oforks and space marines. Without the need for painting and hours of preparation,Space Marines is the perfect way tointroduce young, impatient gamers to the lore and change the face of Warhammer from nerds with figurines to achaotic battlefield, stained by ork blood. The game itself plays a bit like ahack and slasher with some shooter elements. While space marines are wellequipped with various guns, nothing mows down hordes like a good old chainsaw.The shooting mechanics are pretty simple, only allowing players to aim andshoot without any of the duck and cover elements that games are filled withtoday. Though it makes sense that a space marine would only sooner jump into the fray than hide behind cover, it just feels limiting and like a method of forcing gamers away from shooting. With no cover, even the best shooter would resort to melee instead. All of this really begs the question of why there are guns in the game to begin with.

Though shooting may be a buzzkill, melee combat is undoubtedly the most satisfying aspect of Space Marine. While orks don’t standmuch of a chance to a space marine’s chainsaw, they also aren’t shy aboutattacking you from behind, unlike other hack and slashers. Frequently, players will find themselves on theverge of death, so the game’s execution mechanic that restores health will bean essential tool. Instead of offering some solice for players as they executeeach ork slowly, the executions leave players vulnerable to random hits andshots, meaning that the adrenaline rush doesn’t stop. The lengthy animationsare not only satisfying, but act like a countdown to recovery before playersmay execute another ork for some much needed life boosts.

Because the Warhammeruniverse is so inaccessible for most, the story in Space Marine may be a bit off putting. However, through simplewriting and elements, players will quickly understand what they’re fightingfor. Countless lines citing loyalty to the emperor and its value over lifeitself are explanatory enough over why orks are the enemies. Experienced Warhammer enthusiasts will appreciatecountless references to the lore and the customization options in the game’smultiplayer mode, which mirrors the  paintingthat fans already love but now available in digital form.

Space Marine isthe perfect example of a game that actually takes an IP and does somethingdifferent with it, yet truly bringing out the potential of original material.Nobody would have thought that tiny, meticulously painted figures of spacemarines would translate to such an intense, gory game when it was only made asan RTS before. Fans of the board game will feel right at home with the newinterpretation of their favorite game and others will marvel at the treasurehidden in this previously untapped material.

Available on: PC, PS3, Xbox 360; Publisher: THQ; Developer: Relic Entertainment; Players: 1-16; Released: September 5, 2011; ESRB: Mature; Official Site

[Preview] Street Fighter X Tekken

Recently, Capcom showed off some new features in Street Fighter X Tekken at the fightclub in Los Angeles. For the most part, the build stayed the same from before,but we got to witness some of the new additions such as Cross Assault and CrossArt in addition to the Pandora mode recently unveiled at Tokyo Game Show.

The Cross Arts is pretty much the same as it had been sinceits revelation. Taking up three bars to execute, this initiates a tag sequencewhere both characters use their super. It seems to be pretty devastating,taking off a large chunk of health. Essentially, however, you can just think ofit as a bigger super. Much more interesting is the Cross Assault, which hadreceived some changes since it was first seen. Instead of allowing players tocontrol both characters on a team back and forth, Cross Assault now givesplayers sole control over their primary character while giving control of thesecondary character to the AI. It seems to be less confusing, easier toexecute, and may be less broken in the long run. Depending on what players do,the AI will do different actions, so players will have to work to learn thosemagical sequences that will lead to bigger damage.

Pandora mode is definitely one of the most interesting, andgame changing mechanics that’s been revealed. Seen by some as the comebackmechanic for Street Fighter X Tekkenand the equivalent of X-Factor of the game, Pandora is anything but, accordingto Product Manager Matt Dahlgren. It requires the primary character to have atmost 25% health remaining before being activated; thereafter, players have 15seconds of unlimited super meter and increased damage output. As we’ve allheard though, if players can’t get the job done within that time, they’ll losethe match. It sounds like an interesting gamble and a great way to deliverhype. Stay tuned to see how players will use it in the future for high levelplay.

The game looks like it will be chock full of ways to pummelopponents, whether it be through the finesse required of Cross Assault combosor brute force from Pandora mode. We look forward to the showdown between Street Fighter and Tekken next spring!

[Review] Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten (PS3)

Having never played a Disgaea game through, the latest game, Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten was somewhat of a venture for me. The series has long gained a reputation for sucking players’ lives dry with its demand for level grinding and notorious replay value. After so many years dabbling with the likes of theSuper Robot Wars and SD Gundam G Generation series, it was about time I stepped up to the challenge of training prinnies in Disgaea 4. Though difficult, the game didn’t have me running, but constantly kept me going with its cute characters and multitude of ways to combat the netherworld’s challenges.

Animated sprites, especially those in strategy RPG games, are notorious for their low quality that takes advantage of the niche genre’s fans’ low standards for aesthetics. Disgaea 4 breaks free of this and updates its graphics immensely, no longer bearing any resemblances to its pixilated past, but gives us detailed characters that are capable of showing various emotions and look completely unique compared to one another. Though the characters were cute before, many of the expressions were more or less based on imagination than anything; Disgaea 4’s new graphics bring the characters and their quirks, like Valvatorez’s penchant for sardines and Fenrich’s almost creepy infatuation with his lord, to life.  Not only that, but the team attacks, executed by chance when characters are adjacent to one another, are now as beautiful as they are deadly. As always, NIS has included both English and Japanese voiceovers for this release, which is sure to satisfy both purists and lazy gamers who may not want to read.

The actual gameplay for Disgaea varies little compared to other games. Characters can attack, do specials, lift and throw other characters; geo blocks round out the mix by giving different areas different effects, actively changing the strategy players will need to have for each stage. However, where Disgaeaspecializes is in the multitude of ways that players can grind and level up, most notable of which is the longstanding item worlds that allow both characters and individual items to level up. For beginner players, it may be a fun tactic to jump in and grind as necessary to pass some hard levels in the narrative. Hardcore players can grind almost endlessly in these worlds, bringing their character levels to the thousands and dishing out damage that would be unheard of in other RPGs.

Disgaea 4 also includes a new gameplay feature with some pseudo political themes in it. Rather than just being able to spend mana points on new skills and Evility, as in older Disgaea titles, the Cam Pain HQ allows characters to do a variety of things, even extort money from other senators or put in a request for stronger or weaker enemies. In addition to that, players can build Evil Symbols in certain parts of the Cam Pain HQ, effectively linking up different characters with its area of effect, many of which help nonparticipating characters still gain experience points or mana. It’s a fun alternative to throwing weakling characters into the fray in hopes of leveling them up, only to have them targeted by Disgaea 4’s unrelenting AI. The hardcore who care about more than just leveling can even design their own maps to share and pirate ships to invade other players’ worlds. It’s hard to fathom a proper multiplayer functionality that isn’t forced or lazy, and hats off to NIS for creating true interaction between players rather than just putting up the token leaderboards.
The Disgaea series has often been thought of as one of the most difficult and hardcore strategy RPGs anyone can get their hands on – and for good reason. While beautifully drawn sprites and well written, humorous characters give fans exactly what they would want from a sequel, virtually endless worlds within items, smart AI that will destroy careless players, and thousands of levels waiting to be ground promise months, if not a year’s worth of play time for the hardcore. For others, this may just be an exercise in frustration and perhaps incomplete experience for gamers without the time to invest.

Available on: PS3; Publisher: NIS America; Developer: NIS; Players: 1; Released: September 6, 2011; ESRB: Teen; Official Site

Note: A retail copy was provided to Denkiphile for review purposes by the publisher.

[Review] Bloodrayne: Betrayal (PS3)

It’s always hard to envision an old franchise in new forms. With the recently released Deus Ex: Human Revolution, though the visual style and story had changed drastically, it was still a first person shooter with a heavy emphasis on RPG elements and seemed familiar to longtime fans. Some games go the other route; Bloodrayne: Betrayal takes the voluptuous vampire half-breed to the second dimension and trades in sex appeal for comic book-like visuals for an experience that proves neither cleavage nor top tier graphics are necessary.

Betrayal tries its damndest to get away from the unnecessary sexploitation tactics of its series’ previous incarnations, giving Rayne a slightly more cute look and coverage and thankfully so, though I never thought I’d approve of less boobage. Instead, we’re given the purest bloodlust experience available. Every enemy explosion and decapitation are a sight to behold and almost begs players to kill an enemy the same way twice just to see it again. It’s rare to see high-res 2D graphics done right and Betrayal gives sprite lovers exactly what they’ve been waiting for, considering the few 2D releases that grace us nowadays.

The gameplay itself is reminiscent of older titles, often featuring Rayne slashing through groups of enemies and dashing through levels at quick speeds. If you’ve ever played as Zero in the Mega Man X series – it’s like that. In addition to plain old sword slashing, Rayne has the ability to either infect enemies or use them for health. While the latter is pretty self explanatory, the former allows players to use enemies as remote control bombs and deal big damage to others. Learning to balance the two is crucial. While it may be tempting to blow up everyone and pass areas quickly, there’s no denying that dying will definitely impede progress. The fast paced nature of the game will have players’ andernaline pumping and drive them to finish levels as quickly as possible, though some aspects of the game do get in the way. Unlike the games of yonder, Betrayal’s controls feel slugish and imprecise, often leading to mistimed jumps or slips off platforms. This leads to an indescribable amount of frustration at times and lowered score.

The game’s difficult judging will leave most players with a failing grade, which may trigger flashbacks of some horrible, uncurved college math class for some. Mirroring the game’s grading system, both segments and boss fights can feel overwhelming at times, tossing obstacle after another toward the player. In an odd design decision, Rayne is still vulnerable to attacks while she’s down. In theory it sounds right, but compounding the cluster of things thrown her way onto this point means a world of trouble for a single mistake. Several times throughout my playthrough, I had only been hit by one gigantic, sharp wheel only to be done in by another two that followed before I could get up. Unlimited continues and a hefty amount of checkpoints abate the problem, but leaves players feeling cheated.

Old school fans will love Bloodrayne: Betrayal for its throwback style and platforming goodness. However, it’s held back by some faulty design decisions that ultimately mars the experience and holds it back. If you don’t mind “cheap” designs that artificially injects difficulty into a game and are craving some old-school action, Betrayal will be right up your alley.

Available on: PS3, Xbox 360; Publisher: Majesco Games; Developer: WayForward; Players: 1; Released: September 6, 2011; ESRB: Teen; Official Site

Note: A promotional code was provided to Denkiphile for review purposes by the publisher.

[Review] The Baconing (PS3)

The Baconing is the third game in the Deathspank series, the superhero trilogy from Hothead games, and it returns with some more of the action-RPG gameplay, wacky characters, and writing that fans have come to love. Despite being the third game already, The Baconing doesn’t became stale and is still a joy to play, provided that players can stomach its sometimes trying humor.

If this is the player’s first game in the Deathspank series, he will have to beware of the game’s odd sense of humor. At times, it can be quite fitting and may garner a chuckle or two. For the most part though, players’ hands are less likely to be on their controllers and more likely to be busy facepalming. It seems that Deathspank himself is a raving idiot and the game’s world is filled with NPCs who will tolerate him.

As Deathspank travels through the game’s worlds, you’ll find that there’s quite a bit of variety. While none of them are overly imaginative and rely heavily on typical terrain found in most RPG games, it’s always refreshing to step into a new area and find some new parodies waiting around the corner. Just like the story, the game’s score is accordingly light hearted – as epic as the quest to burn his Thongs of Virtue may seem, the writing and music remind players that this is a quaint game at heart.


In spite of that, however, the game has a fair level of difficulty to it. For the first two hours of the game or so, players will likely be fumbling about, trying to figure out the game’s awkward control scheme. It almost feels dated with a manual lock-on button whereas most other games have already made the transition to full-fledged twin stick games. Gradually, players will learn to just shoot from afar for giant enemies and hack down scouts up close, effectively breaking down the game’s enemies into two basic archetypes. Even if players don’t learn this, the game’s numerous checkpoints and unlimited continues are always there to keep The Baconing from seeming too daunting a task. Sure, you’ll lose money when you die, but after those first two hours, I never spent a single dollar again anyways.

The Baconing has a couple of shortcomings and humor that is borderline annoying, but it is by no means a bad game. It’s still decently fun and might just fit the bill for some players’ sense of humor. Check it out if you’re getting action-RPG withdrawl and have some annoying friends you can tolerate. If not, it may be better to pass.

Available on: Mac, PC, PS3, Xbox 360; Publisher: Hothead Games; Developer: Hothead Games; Players: 1 - 2; Released: August 30, 2011; ESRB: Teen; Official Site

[Review] The Baconing (PS3)

Note: A promotional code was provided to Denkiphile for review purposes by the publisher.

[Preview] Driver: San Francisco

One of the least revolutionary genres of video games tends to be the racing genre. There isn't much room for innovation from the gameplay/design aspect and the majority of changes rely on enhancements in cars. But Ubisoft has decided to break out of the mold and make a truly unique racing game with Driver: San Francisco. We've decided to give the demo a shot and see what we can expect before the full game is released.


From the very beginning you see a very stunning visual display: beautiful cars, amazing details from the streets to the characters themselves and this carries over from the cinematics to the in-game sequences almost seamlessly. Though this is only a demo, the storyline already had me salivating. You are introduced to detective John Tanner who has been in an accident that has given him the ability to take over bodies of other people. You might be wondering (as I did) how this is relevant to a racing game, but you learn very quickly as Tanner tries to prove it to his partner. The first level guides you through the process of 'shifting' as well as its practical application in the game. Think Inception meets The Fast and the Furious.
After finishing the first level you get introduced to a new set of characters as well as a different way to use shifting. You play as two members of a racing team where your objective is to end up with a one-two finish. This means that you need to shift between the two cars and make sure that the two are able to finish ahead. This was a lot of fun to do, and fairly challenging. It definitely takes intense multitasking skills to accomplish. The final level of the demo displays everything else the gameplay has to offer. You end up taxiing a criminal around San Francisco in an Audi R8 with what feels like the entire San Francisco police force chasing after you as you try to maneuver around traffic. Also a lot of fun but extremely challenging with the time restrictions.

If you are looking for a truly revolutionary racing game then look no further, Driver: San Francisco delivers that without a question and doesn't hold back with a wide array of cars, challenging/addicting gameplay as well as  great graphics to complete the package. If you are not sure if this is for you, feel free to try out the demo  and you'll be hooked and waiting for the full game. As impressive as the demo is there is no way that the full version is going to disappoint. Driver: San Francisco will definitely be living up to the hype it has already produced when it hits retailers September 6.

[Review] Deus Ex: Human Revolution (PC)

Eleven years after the original game came out, Deus Ex: Human Revolution is ironically set 11 years before the original. With a different publisher, Square-Enix, that undoubtedly has more Japanese roots and is more reknown for their static, yet emotion driven stories, it was definitely an awkward combination with Deus Ex’s open-ended world that constantly changed with the player’s actions. Thankfully, the Japanese publisher’s signature gameplay and storytelling hasn’t interfered with the western philosophy of design and left gamers with everything they could expect of a sequel.

Everything in the surrounding does a great job of immersing the player into the futuristic world of Detroit, which seems to be the hotbed for the issue of human augmentation. Everyone is a part of the discussion somehow. Items such as eBooks and emails constantly give updates regarding previous missions and the war on augmentation. Overall, protagonist Adam Jensen’s missions feel more relevant unlike in other open-world games where pedestrians walk around blissfully unaware of the world-changing missions the protagonist embarks upon. Many of the NPCs working at Serif industries even comment on the player’s performance, making snide remarks about the Adam's increasing body count or complimenting him on a job done well.

During persuasion segments, the game uses realistic facial cues to convey a character’s emotions and allow players to make the proper decision based on that. Everything from body gestures to slight eye movements are enough to inform players of the right tactic to take. Like L.A. Noire before it, Human Revolution’s renditions of human emotions are almost downright creepy, yet a sight to behold, and only further immerse players into the 2027 version of Detroit. Outside of these persuasion segments and pre-rendered cutscenes, though, it seems as though every character suffers from OCD, constantly twitching their hands and turning their hands in every other direction.

Most impressively, Human Revolution offers a myriad of ways to play through the game. In baddie-riddled levels, players’ options are pretty much split between a stealth strategy and scattering the floor with bodies. Despite this possible oversimplification, Adam's slew of possible augmentations gives way to a variety of play styles. The best part about these is that there are no real tech trees or prerequisites to speak of; players are free to start building up Adam in any way they see fit. Unlike other RPGs that provide simple stat upgrades and encourage balanced skill building, Human Revolution’s augmentations all perform vastly different functions. None of them really conflict with each other, but it will take players both creativity and strategy to find the right combinations of  augmentations to fit the bill, whether it be some battery upgrades along with cloaking for effective sneaking or some augmentations for better armor and aim.

Despite the game allowing players to shoot down every enemy, impatient players will learn that such a strategy leads to a quick downfall. Without any augmentations, Adam can only last a couple of seconds in bullet fire or die from one well placed grenade; the constant threat of a swift death makes for some of the most adrenaline-pumping gun fights and sneaking that players will ever experience. At times though, the game’s AI can be a bit lacking. Some segments find the AI swarming over players, giving them less and less breathing room until cornered; at other times, they may be content firing aimlessly in Adam's direction despite him not having popped up for a good minute. To boot, the game’s ridiculously long load times will quickly detract most from attempting difficult boss fights more than a couple of times. Also, these very same boss battles don’t seem too well thought out. After losing to Barret countless times, I found that he bombed himself to death from grenades after I had only shot him five times, which was a bittersweet victory considering how hard I had tried before.

Human Revolution does many things right. Its world that reacts to the player’s decisions in subtle manners, persuasion scenes that show emotions uncannily resembling those of live human beings, and augmentations that allow almost any strategy to work are featured in few games, much less all together at the same time. However, the shortcomings that the game does have hold it back from being perfect. Nonetheless, these aspects do little to take away from an otherwise masterpiece of a game and gamers looking for the most complete, immersive experience should not let this one pass them by.

Available on: PC, PS3, Xbox 360; Publisher: Square-Enix; Developer: Eidos Montreal; Players: 1; Released: August 23, 2011; ESRB: Mature; Official Site