[Denki For Listening] Episode 2: Apple(-)Eating Android

Jhonny and Davis discusstheir recent games, but not without a quick jab or two from both sides fortheir favorite phone OS. Android or Apple, neither are safe! No matter whatthough, it seems that casual gaming is definitely in the air as the two not onlytalk about hardcore games like Cave Story 3D and Battlefield but also Muffin Knight and the newiOS5 update details.

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[Review] Rage (PC)

While popular, apocalyptic scenarios often feel weak andseparated from the world we live in at large. Rage takes a different angle, playing out a scenario where reallife asteroid Apophis strikes the Earth in 2029, leaving the world in afamiliar wasteland as many have seen before in other games. Inaccurate dateaside, Rage has been in developmentfor over four years and been on the receiving end of some much deserved hype. Thegame not only did a good job of hyping players up, but delivers the premiereFPS experience worthy of id’s reputation.

In the beginning, players assume the role of a nameless arksurvivor and are immediately thrown into the fray, surrounded by eager raiderswho are ready to take the bounty on any ark survivor’s head. Luckily, theplayer is saved by Dan Hager, a leader of a small settlement who sets him upwith everything needed to go out and explore the wastelands, before kicking himout that is. It’s the basic premise that most post apocalyptic games willinclude, but Rage just does such agreat job of throwing players into the world. Rides through the desolate desertbegin as lonely treks, but are soon joined by mutants who would be satisfied bynothing more than turning players’ buggies into scrap metal. More than that,interaction with NPCs rarely result in long conversations, but are shortone-liners that usually telegraph how little trust this society has – untilit’s earned, of course.

As daunting as it may be to drive through the badlands, thegunfights take center stage and instill even more terror into a future wherescientists fail to deter Aphophis’s descent. Though hostile territory willoften seem peaceful, there are enemies waiting at every turn. Not in the cheapway where they will just pop up and scare players into flinching, but they cancome from all corners, announcing their presence with a battle cry andprompting players to search in all directions. The enemies come fast and hard,forcing a panicked shot to repel them. It’s an interesting way to terrorizeplayers and definitely fits with the tone of the game. Each shot providesfurther excitement; enemies flinch and react accordingly to their targetedlimbs, perhaps doing a slight barrel roll and regaining their composure beforecontinuing their assault.  

In order to make mutant shooting an engaging experience, thegame’s arsenal is as varied as they are interesting. While many of these weaponsmay seem like the archetypes we’re already used to, such as pistols, shotguns,and sniper rifles, Rage’s inclusionof special bullets with additional effects. There’s just a certain satisfactionwith blowing up a crowd with a pistol. Appropriately, weapons are banged up andlack the luster that a preapocalyptic world’s routinely cleaned weapons wouldhave. It’s just another way the game makes the environment feel authentic,rather than simply plugging players into a different world with the samegeneric tools, Rage provides theplayer with believability down to the firearms.

In a first, Ragewas developed to be the same across the board, providing the ideal visual andgameplay experience to all gamers regardless of platform. However, that comeswith its own set of problems. While the PC is generally the ideal platform toplay any game, having the benefit of graphics processors that may cost as muchas most video game consoles, these capabilities are clearly untapped. Beassured that the game’s textures and graphics look amazing, but the amount ofpop-ups throughout are staggering. Even worse, the game provided no performanceoptions for graphics, dumbing Rage downto a console game and omitting the customization that PC gamers so fancy.

Of all the first person shooter games available right now, Rage is undoubtedly the standout title,benefiting from years of experience from the id development team. While it’snot exactly a survival horror title, the natural feeling of fear the gameconveys is perfect, eliciting panic that compliments the fast paced shooting. Whilethe military shooters will still duke it out this Christmas season, Rage seems like it already holds theprime position for best single player experience in a first person shooter thisyear. 

Available on: PC, PS3, Xbox 360; Publisher: Bethesda Softworks; Developer: id Software; Players: 1; Released: October 4, 2011; ESRB: Mature; Official Site

[Review] Tropico 4 (PC)

When I first looked at Tropico 4, I thought that it looked tremendously boring. Subsequently, I spent nearly twenty-four straight hours playing it, stopping only when my connection to OnLive quit and I was thrown back into reality exactly like Flynn when he was zapped out of computer land in Tron.

In Tropico 4 the player is a god-like entity watching and nurturing the burgeoning population of various islands. The player's avatar, one of a fairly large selection popular despotic political figures, serves as the connection between the condition of the tropican people and the player, and is also the recipient of the tropical island population's respect. For the most part, players will ignore the existence of the avatar, who will wander among the people of the island, visiting construction sites and generally spacing out. On the other hand, players will focus on developing the island's economic infrastructure, which is important because money is important for everything.

The game plays largely like SimCity, where goals in each campaign scenario tend to result in the island being populated by hundreds of people living among the wealth of nigh-omnipotent dictatorship. Victory in each campaign level tends to be oriented towards developing some critical economic infrastructure, be it tourism or product export, while failure tends to be overall economic imbalance or from not being able to maintain the respect and happiness of the island's inhabitants resulting in a democratic or military coup.

The pace of the game can be slow or fast depending on how the player looks at the game: on a macroscopic level, getting anywhere or accomplishing a single campaign goal may sometimes take upwards of an hour at a time. On a microscopic level, however, there is always a tremendous amount of things to do. There are several in-game screens which will show you many, many numbers, and each of those numbers will reflect how well or how poorly you are doing and, additionally, provide clues on how to make those number better. The player who has developed a knack for balancing their micro and macro game will spend a lot of time toying with the time-manipulator function of the game, which is perhaps one of the most important tools in the game. The time-manipulator, which is a simple play-pause-fast-forward bar under the mini-map, provides the player with a way to set their own pace which, consequently, can make campaign levels take several hours to complete.

Speaking of hours, I feel it is important for me to issue a warning: this game is tremendously addictive. I had, on a single occasion, spent enough hours playing this game to warrant trimming my beard twice. Tropico 4 offers many unobtrusive, almost subliminal ways to reward the players for playing. Often, a radio show will play in the background in which Penultimo, the player avatar's personal sycophant, will talk about how the player is doing. Additionally, the game provides many ways for the player to always feel purposeful, such as fulfilling random assignments that appear as floating blue markers to satisfy a particular faction of the Tropical society.

Though nowadays I have a chronic desire to be playing Tropico 4 at all times, I cannot help but feel that it is mostly a result of being prone to addiction (a real and crippling condition for many people). However, as a sandbox game with a necessarily limited building palette with which to paint the surface of the islands, Tropico 4 is pretty solid and offers a lot of space for narrative creativity. Having fun will depend entirely on the player's willingness to design based on algorithmic patterns.

Available on: PC, Xbox 360; Publisher: Kalypso Media; Developer: Haemimont Games; Players: 1; Released: August 30, 2011 (PC), October 18, 2011 (Xbox 360); ESRB: Teen; Official Site

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

[Denki For Listening] S01E01 - Indie Games for All

Fresh from our adventures at Indiecade, Jhonny and I discusswhat the event was about and some of the standout games. Find out about some ofthe up and coming games, some of which have been picked up by publishers andothers of which have not. Perhaps you'll be interested enough to check theevent out for yourself next year! If you're interested in trying out some ofthe games or finding out more about them, be sure to browse through the linksinside.

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[Indiecade 2011] Indie Games, Artsy People, and Some Girls

We all know the big releases - the Call of Dutys, the Assassin's Creeds, and the Uncharteds. However, with recent generations of gaming, we've definitely seen a huge rise in indie games. Some of these are from small developers or college students, hoping to make their mark on the scene with an incredibly well designed game and traditional mechanics. Others simple blow minds. Indiecade's the event that celebrates these games and shows them off to the public. The weekend in Culver City, California was filled with awards shows, parties, conferences, and, not to mention, games. Check out our pictures from the event and upcoming discussion on it!

[Review] Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland (PS3)

Though there are many genres that constantly add morecomplexity and new gameplay mechanics, RPGs are one of the few that have keptthe status quo and remained relatively unchanged. Instead, they focus on strategic gameplay and strong writing to engage players. AtelierTotori is just such a game and part of a series that’s been around since 1997. Whilethe last iteration turned few heads, Totoriis a huge improvement and has already caught our hearts.

Many RPGs start off with an epic battle or event that leavesthe protagonist in the middle of a series of world changing events. Differingfrom the crowd, though fitting into its own subgenre of sorts, Atelier Totori avoids this and puts players intothe shoes of Totori, who is the apprentice of Rorona of Atelier Rorona fame, as she goes on her quest to become anadventurer and continually improve her alchemy skills. Though it may sound likea bore for some, Totori and her companions will quickly capture players’hearts and drive them to continue playing more than any political intrigue orconspiracy. Those who have played Atelier Rorona will be rewarded with a good amount of cameos and references. If cutesy characters aren’t your cup of tea though, be prepared fora flurry of cutscenes that will play at almost every turn, whether they arenecessary components of the story or just a random side conversation.

The graphics themselves are pretty simple and inspirelittle technological awe, though will capture audiences who are into anime character archetypes, which the game has no shortage of, from the cluelessly innocentTotori to borderline tsundere MimiHoullier von Schwarzlang. The relatively small scope of the story helps playersfocus on the characters themselves rather than on the encompassing world, whichwould have only weakened character development. What may be seen as a shallowstory actually works well with the game’s setting and characters and creates agreat chemistry not found in most western or mainstream RPGs.

Combat in the game reminds players of how versatile turnbased gameplay can still be; a progress bar on the bottom constantly updatesplayers on turn order, allowing for battle strategies and decisions for which foeshould be struck first, rather than mindlessly mashing on X until a battle hasended. The assist command is a great tool for players, allowing weak charactersmore longevity and power with assist shielding and attacks. While the ability to attack enemies on the map before an encounter is present, it could have definitely used some tweaking. Players will find themselves swinging away, waiting for an enemy to come near or have a monster walk towards them unfazed. These shortcomings don't amount to much though, because the draw of thegame doesn’t even lie in combat. Rather, taking on quests, which mostly takethe form of monster hunting, resource gathering, or alchemy, will take up thebulk of players’ time and continue driving the game forward. Most enjoyableabout these quests is that players will have to learn and take on several at atime, managing their way through battles, scavenging, and concocting. Asplayers complete more quests, they get closer to Totori’s goal of becoming afull fledged adventurer; with more quests available after the completion ofanother, the game seems to suck players in as the time flies.

Lacking any revolutionary mechanics or an epic, Atelier Totori succeeds with its addictivemission-based gameplay and charming characters. The only drawback is that thesevery strengths tend to draw lines, keeping AtelierTotori from reaching universal appeal. For gamers looking for a quaint RPGwith a character-centric storyline though, this will be a great choice.

Available on: PS3; Publisher: NIS America; Developer: Gust; Players: 1; Released: September 27, 2011; ESRB: Teen; Official Site

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

[Review] Rugby World Cup 2011 (PS3)

Move over John Madden! With the Super Bowl still months away, who cares about the first few weeks of football? Let's be real. It's Rugby time and the rest of you wankers shouldn't forget it. Okay, fine. Maybe you (and I) didn't know that it's time for the Rugby World Cup, and maybe we didn't even know that there's one. But there is, and it's that time of year, or... every fourth year or something. Well without going into a history of Rugby let's dive into this game.

Admittedly, I'm a football fanatic. This time of year, I'm engrossed with everything that has to do with it 24/7. I've always been aware of Rugby's existence and seen a couple matches but never really got into the game. Though I did enjoy watching how ballsy those players hit especially because they're sans padding. As I approached this game, I was expecting something fairly akin to the Madden experience. Maybe as if I were playing its European cousin. But man was I wrong.

Realistically, none of us have ever seen an entire Rugby match or we would be completely lost at the seemingly barbaric display we'd be watching if we did. And if you are one of these people, this game really isn't designed for you. In comparison to your typical Madden or EA sports game, these games go beyond the gameplay and takes users through the basics of passing, throwing, kicking, and tackling, amongst other aspects of the sport. This was a great help for users to better understand the game as well as improve their strategy as well. But this is a huge part that this game is lacking. If you are unaware of Rugby's rules, then you will be left on your own to figure out, which can be very discouraging for a game this complex.

If you still decide to jump in the fray the gameplay isn't very difficult. You use L1 and R1 to lateral the ball in each direction. X and O are reserved for kicking and those are really the buttons that you'll be most concerned with. The true challenge lies in grasping the game. Rugby World Cup 2011 offers five different game modes including World Cup, Single match, Warm-Up Tour, Place-Kick Shootout and the online mode. However there isn't much depth to these game modes, the first three are either one game, three games, or the whole tournament. The Place-Kick shootout is approximately less fun than doing penalty kicks over and over again in FIFA. If you are actually an avid fan of Rugby, it might be compensation that 10 of the 20 teams are fully licensed, though the rest are filled with generic players and names.

For being considered a full fledged Rugby World Cup game, the overall package is disappointing to say the least. The lack of any sort of tutorials is a huge deterrent to non-Rugby fans trying to get in to the game and lack of full licensing is a rip to any serious Rugby fan. Though the gameplay is simple enough where gamers can jump in and make their way around the game, you can't expect a player to full grasp a sport in this manner, especially a sport such as Rugby that is foreign to most Americans at least. So if you're looking for a way to get in to Rugby, or if you're already a fan that wants a video game version, you're better off looking elsewhere.

Available on: PS3, Xbox 360; Publisher: 505 Games; Developer: HB Studios Multimedia; Players: 1-2; Released: September 6, 2011; ESRB: Everyone; Official Site

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

[Review] Supremacy MMA (PS3)

Genres often lack precise definitions and are usually betterconsidered as an umbrella term rather than a concrete idea of what a game is. Whileat first the fighting genre was pretty specific, it has come to includeambiguous games like Super Smash Brothersand wrestling games as well, neither of which featured the signature life bar. Supremacy MMA bridges the gap slightlywith health as the primary outcome judge and meter management aspects as well.However, it falls short on execution, leaving players with a game that isn’tfine tuned and ultimately disappointing despite its aspirations.

Presentation-wise, the game does a decent job of bothpresenting a gritty backdrop for the MMA fights and pumping players up. Thoughthe rock music may be generic, it does fit the motif. Characters’ stories arepresented through animated, voiced stills. With little movement in theanimation, the believability of characters is fully dependant on the voiceacting, which is a hit-or-miss in SupremacyMMA. Sometimes, characters seem barely excited after a hard fight, showinglittle expression and practically shoving the virtual script in players’ faces.

During actual matches though, it’s visually satisfying to beatdown opponents’ faces and other limbs, seeing it get more injured over time.The attacks themselves look very clunky though. This may be a directconsequence of the awkward gameplay, which gives characters striking combosthat are hard to execute, making most combos last only a couple of hits long. Afterthe first couple of matches, I quickly learned to not bother with strikingcombos and go for a takedown at any opportunity possible. Even on the groundthough, it’s a total frenzy. Though that may be what MMA fights resemble, itshouldn’t be what games feel like. Often, players will be mashing on an attackbutton, only getting in a strike a couple of times while being pounded by thepinned down opponent instead. The game just feels unpolished.  Likewise, the sound department once againrears its ugly head, offering little more than stock grunts.

Despite this the game did have some good concepts that,given better execution, would have made for a pretty deep game. Differentattacks actually do require different buttons to counter, creating a rock-paper-scissorlike metagame. In execution, however, there isn’t really enough time to countermost strike attempts, which leaves players much like a training dummy ifthey’re trying to reversal the opponent’s attacks.

Thankfully, grapples couldbe reacted to properly if players can anticipate it, which is a godsendconsidering how much more damage these deliver. The AI in the game isunrelenting and its difficulty varies vastly depending on the setting. Thougheasy mode allows players to breeze through levels by pounding on any desirablebutton, normal mode cranks up the difficulty immensely, countering practicallywhatever button pick players choose. Playing through the story would seem to bean affair in either playing against depressingly easy or maddeningly hard opponents.

Supremacy MMA is chaotic. MMA fighting is chaotic as well, I get it. But a video game shouldn't be to the point where players lose control and are simply mashing on buttons. On top of the usual MMA formula, this one throws in meter management, which seems to be a page out of most gamers' idea of fighting games and could have added a lot of depth, but the game's overall execution throws that potential away. Supremacy MMA may be good for a couple of night's worth of mashing goodness with the right amount of spirits, but is clearly not the answer for gamers in need of complexity. 

Available on: PS3, Xbox 360; Publisher: 505 Games; Developer: Kung Fu Factory; Players: 1-2; Released: September 20, 2011; ESRB: Mature; Official Site

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

[Review] Rock of Ages (PC)

Rock of Ages is a game featuring a popular character in Greek myth, Sysiphus, who, in case you don't remember your Greek mythology, must roll a stone up a mountain for all of eternity in the land of the dead as punishment for his hubris in life. The narrative begins where Sysiphus, tired of his eternal punishment, decides to use his extensive rock-rolling experience to escape the underworld, enabling him to roll his rock in other places in history, meeting other popular historical/mythological figures with a similar interest in rocks. The player traverses a world which accurately documents the historical development of five popular eras, each distinguished by the art of the age.

The game is divided between defending your castle and Marble Madness-like navigation. The player is given a period of time between rolling their rock to cultivate a delicate garden of a variety of fortifications, ranging from tall and stoic towers that no rock may ascend to fierce mammal-beasts with a particular predatory predilection to stones. Wind turbines, trebuchets, and exploding barrels are all crops that a player may grow to slow the progress of the opponent's stone marble. Once an amount of time has elapsed, the player is then given the option to begin the marble madness, in which the player controls a surprisingly nimble stone rock across a winding and trap-ridden path to the gates of the enemy castle, where the enemy hides. Victory is achieved by exploding the gates and subsequently crushing the living torso of your enemy under the weight of your rolling stone. Failure is achieved by your opponent doing the same to your own gate and living torso.

The game has a tremendous sense of humour. Cutscenes in between levels offer a rather maniacally cobbled setting which matches well with the general feel of the game. The player is given very little tutelage on the proper strategy for defending their walls, so the time spent navigating an often wide and unmanageable battlefield tends to be time wasted planting cows in the shape of a smiley face, which the enemy will adroitly leap over with all the grace of a hippo in a tutu. This is not a problem though, as the player quickly learns through trial and error how to take advantages of the opponent's platforming habits and how to take advantage of the play field to leap and fly over enemy obstacles. So in between cobbling together a marginally organized defense and simultaneously navigating your stone marble over barrels, elephants, and ramping gaps, the player may sometimes feel as though organization and control are lost causes, which is perhaps the most important lesson to learning and enjoying the game.

In addition to the multitude of variously and creatively designed battle maps, there are boss battles against huge and imposing creatures of myth and legend, such as a dragon, or Michelangelo's statue of David. These boss levels are exciting at first, but as soon as the player realizes that they can't actually lose, the boss battles become merely a tedious activity. Without the gravity of danger to moisten the brow of the player, molesting the tender weak points of the boss is simply a matter of time, which the boss battles tend to take a generous amount of due to the sudden shift in game format. Your stone marble is not exactly the most nimble of creatures, so the tedium enhanced by torpor can turn boss battles from an initially exciting concept to a boring and grating chore.

Luckily, boss battles are rare and accessible only with the accumulation of keys gathered during gameplay, which tends to be a neat way of validating a player's increase in skill. The game overall remains fun and manic enough to obfuscate any glaring mechanical flaws, which is evident by my laughing more than half the time I played the game.

Available on: PC, Xbox 360; Publisher: Atlus Games; Developer: ACE Team; Players: 1-2; Released: September 7, 2011 (PC); ESRB: Everyone; Official Site