Project Gotham Racing 4

Developer: Bizarre Creations
Publisher: Microsoft
Released on: October 2, 2007
System: Xbox 360
ESRB Rating: E for Everyone
Review based on: Retail Copy
Official Website

The Scoop: When making the fourth iteration of game without the pressures of a console launch date you come up with this.

Hitting Start...

• The promo video got me excited every time I saw it on GameTrailers.com and now I have seen it in high def and 5.1 surround and I've got the chills.


• The menus are different and that's cool, but over all the 'feel' of PGR is in full effect here.


• Bizarre has said a few times that they hope people spend a lot of time in the new Career Mode, so I start there and get to choose a beater to race with.


• I don't win my first race, or even my second, but I mop them up in the third and start to get my racing thumbs back into shape. The first tracks look fantastic, they really do.


• After a few series of races I get my first invitational event but I don't realize it's a bowling game where my car is the ball. I lose by one cone and discover that I can't replay the event because these invitationals are win or lose and then they are gone, until next season (when ever that is). I'm disappointed.


• Now I have to race this old race car (which has no grip on hot clean asphalt) on the Nurburgring! Sweet, lots of sliding Kudos! Oh wait, it's snowing and I have to finish in 9 minutes?


• I crash into the wall hard near the entrance to the F1 circuit and I restart the event when it takes me 20 seconds to get out of the snow covered grass. A little bit annoyed I decide to show the Green Hell who's boss. Eight minutes and forty seconds later I win the race and have sore thumbs, but I press on.


• Quebec is gorgeous and the tracks have elevation changes! I love that, I really do (sorry Forza, you failed here).


• St Petersburg in the rain is brutal.


• Why the hell is it raining all the time... oh wait, because it looks awesome and mixes up thing really well in the races, that's why. It's gratuitous, but it's awesome.


• It's 1:30am...

"...and I've already racked up 435 gamerscore."

Am I impressed? Yes, I'm impressed that the fourth iteration of a game can be this fun and engaging so far. I have to admit that it's hard to see this as PGR4 and not PGR3.9 or PGR2 The Super Awesome Edition, especially after the first hour of the Career Mode started off kind of slow.
How come? It's a great game and I'm glad I bought it because it is a better version of its predecessor, much like Halo 3 is a better version Halo 2 (in many of the same ways, such as better graphics, better controls, more stuff sprinkled around all over the place.)

Madden NFL 08: For the non-fan!

Developer: EA Tiburon
Publisher: EA
Released on: August 14, 2007
System: If you can play games on it, you can get Madden on it!
ESRB Rating: E
Review based on: Xbox 360
Official Website: Madden NFL 08

The Scoop: The 2008 version of EA's yearly NFL football game.

Hitting Start...

• "Please pick your favorite team." Trouble already. I'm Canadian and not really a football fan.*
• The trophy room looks pretty cool. It's got a little stand in the middle for Superbowl rings with a Saints logo (my new favorite team!) in the middle.
  
• Oh here we go. I've got to hit start to bring the menus up. All looks pretty clean and simple.
• I start a game right away. I'll worry about season mode or franchise mode or what ever the hell it's called later on.
• Lots of pretty loading screens outlining the features new to this years game. None of which really mean anything to me since the last football game I played to any extent was about 3 years ago on last generations hardware.
• Finally into the action. The player models look fantastic as do the player animations. The sidelines look a little lifeless but it's a minor complaint in my opinion.
  
• I let John Madden pick my plays starting off as I expect he knows more about football than I do!
• I go though the motions getting the hang of how it all works. It's pretty standard for a beginner. Snap the ball with "A" pick a guy and throw the ball to his corresponding button. Run it and juke, jump, spin and stiff arm your way as far down the field as you can get. (I'm aware the controls can be a lot more complex than that and I'll pick it up in time)
• It's half time and I'm getting my ass handed to me! Maybe the AI John Madden doesn't know what he's doing after all!

...Time to get some Cheetoes and settle in for the second half



Am I impressed?: Yes
How come?: I'm not a football fan but I do enjoy sports video games. I'm the kind of guy who only picks up a Madden game every two or three years and still hadn't jumped onto next-gen Madden. It seems like this year with a 2K football game looming, though still not a NFL game, EA picked up the slack and worked hard to make a better Madden. If you play every year give it a rent and try it out. You may be surprised. But if you're a guy like me and only play every couple of years you should definitely check it out. I think you'll be impressed.

Marathon: Durandal

Developer: Freeverse
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Released on: August 1, 2007
System Xbox 360
ESRB Rating: Mature
Review based on: Xbox Live Arcade demo

The Scoop: Halo's grandpa springs out of the retirement home to lay down some old school smack.

Hitting Start...

• Some folks on the 'net are claiming that this game gives them motion-sickness. Pfffft...sissies!
• Great music at the title screen; I like it! We're off to a good start already.
• According to the loading screen, this game offers 7-player co-op in the single player campaign(!?) And to think we got all excited about the announcement of 4-player co-op in Halo 3. Eat it, Halo 3!
• Argghh—everyone's shooting! I spin around randomly and unload my pistol into the nearest wall.
  
• Suddenly I'm all alone. Were those guys in the gray pj's friends or foes? I'm confused already.
• Mmmm, boy. You gotta love them old-time textures.
  
• I move into a big square room. Water, water everywhere...
• The sound of the water in this room is making me want to pee!
• As I move into another section, I spot a big alien carrying a spear and wearing a dress advancing towards me. Due to its slow speed, and two-frame walk animation, I'm not sure if it's friend or foe. I choose foe and open up with my pistol. First rule of video games: always shoot first and press A to talk later.
• I feel a slight twinge in my stomach. Although, it could just be the beef n' bean burrito I had for lunch.
• Encounter with another dress-wearing alien—this one attacks first! I love the animation—it's either stand up straight or lunge forward with spear. How deliciously retro!
• Moving through another room. More aliens and more dudes in gray pajamas shooting at each other. I get nervous and immediately attack the nearest inanimate object. Everybody dies (no thanks to me.) So, is there any other weapons in this game besides "lame pistol" and "spiky-hand"?
  
• Do not underestimate "spiky-hand"! I kill an alien with one well-timed blow and send it's pixelated carcass sliding back into a wall. I suddenly feel like Chuck Norris.
• Starting to feel a little queasy here. I laugh it off.
• According to a computer terminal, there's trouble with the water purification system (I guess that explains all the water). Ah-ha; this must be a clue to my first objective!
• I'm beginning to see why Mac users back in the day considered this game superior to Doom. And all these years I figured the reason why they clung to that statement was to hide their anger and frustration at buying an inferior Macintosh computer.
• I'm going to get hate mail for that Mac comment, aren't I?
• Unusual Feature #1: Hitting X or Y snaps your character's view 90 degrees to the left or right. The reason for using this feature escapes me.
• My surroundings look oddly familiar...oh cripes; I'm back where I started! Great, now I'm lost. :(
  
• Want to make yourself sick? Hit X and Y multiple times in rapid succession...
  

...and I'm puking!!!

Am I impressed? I was...until I started to dry heave.
How come? Great FPS action from the 'golden days' of PC gaming. Young whippersnappers will scoff at the graphics and gameplay, but it'll be a big hit with the nostalgia crowd. Just get your hands on some Gravol® before trying to play it.

The Darkness

Developer: Starbreeze Studios
Publisher: 2K Games
Released on: June 25, 2007
System Xbox 360, Playstation 3
ESRB Rating: Mature
Review based on: Demo downloaded from Xbox Live.
Official Site

The Scoop: "Sopranos" meets "The Exorcist". Based on the comic book that I didn't bother to read.

Hitting Start...

• A cutscene introduces my character: I'm Jackie, I'm Italian, and I'm a mobster. There's one racial stereotype that just won't die.
• I'm in the backseat of a car driven by two of my "crew" who yak on and on about something I should be paying attention to (but I'm not). Just shut-up and give me my damn Darkness powers already!
  
• "COPS!" Wha~! Where!? I can't turn around and look behind me! Is my character in a neck-brace or something?
• I'm given a shotgun and told to use it. On what? Oncoming semi-trucks? I don't think that will get them out of our way.
• The high-speed chase ends with our car being flipped. I get the same result every time I let the wife drive.
• The demo skips ahead to level 3 (I think), a graveyard. I still don't have any Darkness powers yet, but at least I have a couple of gats! (That's what the kids call them, right?)
• Attacked by hitmen—a lot of hitmen! I go down in a blaze of gunfire. Now, Darkness powers! Unleash your anger and avenge me!
• Nope, no such luck; I'm just respawned back to the beginning of the level. :(
• Hitmen attack again! Damn; Jackie aims like he's in the middle of schizophrenic fit! I go down again in a blaze of gunfire. It's not me; it's the controls!
• New strategy: charge the hitmen with both guns blazing. It works! Bah, taking cover is for wimps!
• Tip to remember: you can change weapons with the D-Pad. I imagine the shotgun is more effective at shooting fleshy targets, as opposed to the four-wheeled variety.
• I somehow jerk-walk my way into a bathroom that is home to a bum. "This place smells like Satan's bunghole!" proclaims the bum. Heh, heh; I'll have to use that at the next office Christmas party.
• I make my way back to the graveyard only to find more hitmen waiting for me. But what's this? Darkness powers unleashed! Finally!
• So now I have demon-snakes growing out of me. "Consume the darkness to recharge your powers". What the hell is that supposed to mean?
• Okay, I'm an idiot. "Consume the darkness" literally means stand in the shadows and your snakes will eat the darkness. Yeah, I know; it sounds dumb even as I type it.
• I'm supposed to guide my snake through a grate so it can kill a guy in another room. Sounds cool...if only I could control my snake! (There's a joke in there somewhere.)
• "Press A to devour heart". Sure, why not? It worked for my last girlfriend. Ba-zing!
• My snakes are now eating hearts with reckless abandon. But for what purpose? I know not. But according to a pop-up counter, I have consumed 37.
• I wasn't paying attention, but somehow I can summon demons that will attack my enemies. I really should get checked for Attention Deficit Disorder.
• Okay, I figured it out. Arise demons, and attack!
• I find the sight of my demon sawing off the head of my enemies with a hacksaw both disgusting and compelling at the same time.
  
• More enemies! Demons attack!...I said attack! What the hell—where'd they go? These things part of a Union or something?
  
• Killing these enemies is starting to get monotonous, and my Darkness powers aren't the impressive "force to be reckoned with" that I thought they would be. Not to mention the stiff controls—I wonder if the retail game is this bad....

...and I'm quitting!

Am I impressed? Not really.
How come? Poor controls, washed-out graphics, and a story that I did not find very compelling, no matter how many hearts I ate.

News: Four-Player Co-Op Confirmed for Halo 3?

Source

According to www.insidegamer.nl, it has been confirmed by Bungie and Microsoft that Halo 3 WILL include four-player cooperative in the single player campaign over Xbox Live.

Translated from the article:

"Microsoft and Bungie confirmed at a press conference in, that's right, Amsterdam, that Halo 3 is playable via Xbox Live with four people at a time. That way four players can compete via Xbox Live with each other or against each other. With Halo 2 this was possible with only two players."

Condemned: Criminal Origins

Developer: Monolith Productions
Publisher: Sega
Released on: November 15, 2005
System Xbox 360, PC
ESRB Rating: Mature
Review based on: Demo downloaded from Xbox Live.

The Scoop: Investigate crime scenes with high-tech forensic tools—just like Grissom from CSI! And you also get to bash in the skulls of crack addicts with a lead pipe (not like Grissom.)

Hitting Start...

• I like the intro; it reminds me of the movie "Seven". Nice way to set the tone of the game. It's grabbed me already!
• The game is an FPS and it starts with my character talking to a couple of fellow cops in an abandoned building. Oh boy, my first crime scene! Ok let's see; there's a woman lying on the floor...I'll say, she's dead? Open and shut case!
• I have to examine the body to determine cause of death. Using a cool-looking infrared camera doohickey reveals a fluorescent blob on the victim's neck. I focus in and take a snapshot, which is then sent to the lab (via my cool cell phone) for immediate analysis. Ah-ha! Death by strangulation!
  
• Further investigation of the crime scene reveals that the suspect is a known serial killer. I really like where this game is going. The atmosphere is great, and it's done a great job of pulling me in so far.
• The killer is still in the building? Time to bust ass! Wait, I have to stay here and restore power to the building while the two cops chase after the bad guy? Awww....
• Boy, my character is one ugly dude. :(
  
• Armed with my gun and flashlight, I venture into the dark building. As I start making my way down a dark corridor, I see movement!
• "Come out peacefully or I will use deadly force!" Hey—I plan to use deadly force either way!
• Bum-rushed by a crack-head! He eats a slug from my sidearm and crumples to the floor, his blood splashed all over the wall. I don't know what it is about this game, but it has a very 'realistic' feel to it. I like it!
• Venturing further, another crack-head. This one didn't even get a warning. Police brutality, anyone?
• I hit Y to reload my gun, only to realize that it doesn't actually get reloaded. Instead, my character checks the amount of rounds in the gun. According to the game, I'm limited to the ammunition that is found in weapons. Hmmm...I'm going to have to be a little bit more conservative with my ammo and quit hosing down these perps with a steady stream of lead. Very interesting game concept...
  
• Okay, I found the fuse box, but flipping the switch caused me to get blown off my feet. The killer took my gun! Joke's on him—I had only one round left! Ha!
  
• I'm on my feet now armed only with my flashlight. The game is telling me to rip a 2x4 or pipe from the wall and use it as a weapon. For real?! This game is crazy!
• I rip a lead pipe from the wall; now I'm ready for action! Hit RT to swing, LT to block. Okay, got it. Bring on the psychos!
• It's really dark in here and my flashlight keeps flickering. I keep hearing people running around, but I can't see anything. What's that?! A box just fell over and I hear running footsteps! Great use of audio and lighting—I'm normally not a wuss, but I'm actually quite freaked out now! (Okay, I am a wuss.)
  
• Another crack-head leaps out from around a dark corner and attacks me with a 2x4, giving me a slight heart attack in the process. I swing my pipe, and with a sickening wet "thunk" sound, I send him sprawling. I've never been in a pipe-fight with a crack-head before, so I can't speak from experience, but I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the developers did a great job of recreating the brutality of burying a pipe into someone's noggin. Hey, the details matter!
• Why did I choose to play this game with the lights off? :(
  
• Another nut case jumps out of the shadows and attacks! I think I've soiled myself. I finish him off, but not before I take several good shots from him. I've realized that you can't just keep the block trigger held down; you have to time it just right.
• Okay, I think I got a good rhythm going here: block, swing, block, swing—seriously, it's more intense then it sounds!
• "Press A to move object". Sure, why not. Moving an old file cabinet reveals a pump-action shotgun. Cha-ching! A quick check of the ammo reveals three rounds; gotta make 'em count.
• Hey, I can toggle between firing the shotgun, or using it as club! The developers thought of everything!
• After burning through my shotgun rounds, I rip a piece of conduit off the wall. Shopping at Home Depot will never be the same after this.
• I notice that each time I pick up a new hunk of board or pipe, a little pop-up window appears, displaying the weapon's stats (speed, power, block, etc.) It seems like each weapon has its pros and cons.
• It's slow, but I pull a fire axe out of the wall to use as my next weapon.
• I get jumped from behind, but I whip around and flatten the scumbag with a well-placed axe swing. Buddy hits the ground dead. Hey, he AXED for it! Ha!
• What the hell, the serial killer gets the jump on me and sticks a gun in my face! "...don't mess this up for us. We are on the same path of righteousness." Considerings all the people I just axe-and-pipe murdered, he ain't that far off!
• My fellow cops arrive to save me....and are promptly shot by the killer. Hey wait a second...my gun had only one round in it!
  
• The killer punches me in the gut and then throws me out a window. I land on parked car, and the demo comes to an end. What an intense 20 minutes! I left a big grease stain on my couch...

...but I want to keep playing!

Am I impressed? Very!
How come? Great atmosphere; the sound and visuals do an excellent job of immersing you into a dark and gritty experience; intense, edge of your seat hand-to-hand combat; the CSI tools are fun to use!