Split/Second
Racing games rarely impress me. I hardly ever feel pumped before a race and the repetitiveness of the track absolutely kills me. Of course there are exceptions. Games like Mario Kart 64, Burnout and various arcade racing games, in some way or another, grabbed me. First off, they have lots of charm. They each amused me in different ways and more-often-than-not allowed me to be creative on the racetrack — 'creative' as in destroying anything in my path. Somehow that battle element added an extra layer of danger and was disorienting enough to make me forget all about the life-sucking repetitiveness. Now those are games worth remembering.
Upon first glance, Split/Second was yet another one of those typical racing games. Sure, the cars looked cool (mesmerizing even) and the graphics looked almost too perfect, but the key aspect of a racing game is the gameplay and, at the time, I had no experience with that. Now does that give me a reason to judge? No, not in the least, and what I've learned from this experience is that you should never judge by looks alone because you might miss out on a real gem.
Split/Second is just that. Imagine a racing game with the fundamental racing game elements such as intense speeds and drift-heavy cars but no speedometer or mini-map. In place of these presumably necessary additions we have more explosives than you can muster. Explosives (generally known as the Power Play mechanic) can be triggered after drifting, drafting, and jumping enough to charge the gauge below your car. Once fully or partially charged (the fuller the gauge, the more powerful the attack), you wait till an icon appears over top your opponent/s car and you let 'er rip. At this point, all hell has broken lose: cars, buildings and planes detonate on the track, wrecking balls swing freely into cars and helicopters drop explosive barrels left and right. Maniacally annihilating opponents has never felt quite so rewarding.
In between this action-packed mayhem is a pseudo-reality TV show in which your driver takes part in a 12-episode racing competition. These transitions, specifically the enthusiastic announcer quips, definitely livens the mood and provides an interesting and exciting edge that other racing games, console titles in particular, strive to achieve. With that said, Split/Second shares all the qualities of an arcade racing game, but is portable enough to be played in your living room. Now isn't that convenient!
Split/Second is not your traditional racing game. Visuals are saturated in colour and breathtakingly sharp while gameplay is intense and ridiculous. Black Rock Studios has fashioned a racing game that is not afraid to take risks and, most importantly, have fun. Split/Second is ADD and proud of it; however, underneath the reality TV gimmicks and explosions lies a genuine racing game, and a good one at that.
Likes
- Split/Second is equal parts console racing game and arcade racing game.
- Visuals are vibrant, breathtaking and original.
- Gameplay is intense and addictive, some of the best yet.
Dislikes
- Split/Second is a relatively short game.
- I don't want to have to knit-pick, but I guess the game is a little on the shallow side. A little.
Review Score
/
The review scale at LevelFortyTwo is between 1 and 5. A score of 5 is considered an amazing game, 4 is a well-done game with only minor issues, 3 is in the middle; not great, but not bad, 2 is a very problematic game, and 1 is absolutely terrible.
Monday Night Combat
Uh-oh. It seems like developers have really begun to exploit the secret to addictive gaming: a cool aesthetic, customizable classes and a deep leveling system all built on solid multiplayer gameplay. This time around, expect your life and soul to be eaten not by the next $60 AAA-budget title, but by Monday Night Combat, courtesy of Uber Entertainment, coming this year to XBLA (with an XBLA price tag to boot, around $15-$20).
Smash TV, Baseketball and Idiocracy all come to mind as some artistic inspiration here. MNC’s dystopian future has one purpose: to watch you shoot people and robots in sport for money. In the vein of Defense of the Ancients or League of Legends, two teams of 5, both accompanied by AI-controlled robot minions, start on opposite sides on a circular map (more map variants rumored to be included in the final release). Make your way around (or through or under or over) the circle, complete with hackable turrets and healing stations, to lead your robots to the enemy base, all while killing the enemy as hard as possible. Successfully defend your base’s shields and get your robots to take down their shields, then just rape, pillage, loot, repeat.
As the battle progresses, kill enemies and minions to earn money, which you can then spend to upgrade your character over the course of the game. Although those upgrades dissolve once the game ends, your account will level perpetually, giving you an increasing edge the more you play. All upgrades apply to one of six classes: Assault, sports an assault rifle and grenade launcher; Tank, the “meat shield” equipped with a Jet Engine (aka chain) gun and laser rail gun; Sniper uses the assumed and an SMG; Support, complete with Healgun and shotty; Gunner has a minigun and mortars; and Assassin backstabs with a dagger and shurikens. Additionally, each class has three unique (also upgradeable) abilities that deepen the combat and strategy considerably.
Included along with the core multiplayer are single-player and co-op modes, both pitting you against AI rather than humans. This doesn’t seem to really be the focus o f the game, but can provide tons of fun for fans of Firefight modes, those just not into competition or noobs looking to sharpen their skills. Though there’s no real plot to speak of, Uber Entertainment has done a great job of fleshing out the finer points of their world and their characters. Check out their site for more details and future updates on a release date and price tag. PC and PS3 versions are in the works, but nothing solid on that just yet.
Two Worlds II
Too many times we’ve seen greatness go sour in a sequel. Sometimes, the growing pains of the original can instead teach some important lessons for the sequel. In the case of South Peak Games’ Two World II, we’re fortunate it’s the latter. The open world, high fantasy RPG is new and improved, perfectly suited for those who find a thirty hour game, “a brief aside”.
Two Worlds II provides an ease of access and a linear plot than will easily grab any casual player, but the vivid and massive world will most likely draw a crowd of hardcore RPGers who have no plans for the next 60-80 hours. No release specific date has yet been set, but expect it later this year.
God of War III
I think it’s safe to say that most gamers have already made up their minds about God of War III. Either they’ve already spent their money wisely, or they’ve resigned themselves to missing out on one of the year’s best action games. While the game doesn’t present anything new to attract those who weren’t reeled in by previous installments in the series, the fluid narrative, intense gameplay and epic boss fights reaffirm God of War as the current standard in action gaming.
Likes:
- Epic-est. Boss battles. Ever.
- Seamless, smooth, HD brutality throughout.
- Sensible and easy-to-learn control scheme.
Dislikes:
- Tiresias could avoid a cliché with more ease (seriously, is Kratos an ancestor of Frank Castle or what?!).
- The camera can be a bit sticky at points.
- Too awesome for its own good?
Review Score
/
The review scale at LevelFortyTwo is between 1 and 5. A score of 5 is considered an amazing game, 4 is a well-done game with only minor issues, 3 is in the middle; not great, but not bad, 2 is a very problematic game, and 1 is absolutely terrible.
White Knight Chronicles
If Level-5 has taught me one thing it's that video games can still be a challenging, yet uplifting experience. Whether we're talking about lonely dungeon crawler, Dark Cloud, vibrant science-fiction romp, Rogue Galaxy, or the lovable puzzle series, Professor Layton, Level-5 has never failed to both impress and challenge players. This company has not only gone on to become a well-known alternative to Square Enix, but it's become one of my personal favourites (in addition to Atlus who never fails to amaze me with their random assortment of gems and junk). As a devotee of Level-5's titles, I was ecstatic to hear word of White Knight Chronicles (International Edition) — a game I've been waiting for for years now. The concept appeared a bit more "traditional" than past titles, but I think my restlessness was getting to me, I just needed to get my hands on this title. Level-5 has never been a disappointment so what were the chances that this title would be any different?
WKC frames many famous Japanese RPG tropes — the pre-destined boy hero, damsel in distress, power hungry organizations and, of course, the shadowy emperor ruling over them. Our hero, a delivery boy named Leonard, finds himself saving the timid, yet determined Princess Cisna from a mysterious organization known as Magi. Having made a pact with the White Knight, a mech-sized knight, Leonard can change forms at ease, proving him that much more capable of the rescue. His search for the Princess leads him and his companions through various terrains (albeit linear), with several boss battles blocking their path (these are easier than anticipated). It should go without surprise that WKC will generally exceed the 100 hour mark, (especially if your a completist like myself), but should not exceed 60-70 hours if you simply follow the storyline.
Some of the most compelling aspects of this game were the use of multiplayer (something that's not often done in JRPGs) and customizing/enhancing weapons/armor/etc. (Generally a highlight of any JRPG). While I quite enjoyed the former, the latter didn't strike me as being half as intriguing as, say, Rogue Galaxy's customization proved to be. Don't get me wrong, WKC offers hours and hours of it, but the thought of battle made the task less than enjoyable. I say this because WKC's battles are, frankly, dull and too easy to even require much strategy. When I'm pitted against an impossible boss, I'm more than happy to spend hours strategizing and customizing my party, but if there's little to no challenge, it starts becoming tedious.
WKC consists of real-time, free-roaming battles meant to convey the modern MMO-experience (something just about every RPG is doing lately). When your ATB gauge fills up, you're free to perform a plethora of actions like using an item, curing an ally or unleashing a customized combo. Skills you've learned can be assigned and mapped onto bars at the bottom of the screen. What skills you decide to include is completely up to you, but there's only a certain amount of space available.
While in battle, allies will accumulate Action Chips (AC) which can be used to execute skills, combos and magic attacks. While a great deal of beginners skills don't require AC, skills learned later on in the game will depend on these heavily. At the same time, AC can be saved up for the White Knight transformation, which costs seven chips. In White Knight mode (similar to that in Xenogears, but not nearly as cool), magic power is slowly depleted when attacking so if your MP runs out mid-battle, you must switch back to normal mode. While White Knight mode is pricey and risky, it's essential for bigger boss battles or when you're facing colossal enemies.
The system may seem intriguing and requires some strategy, but there are far too many problems to make the experience worthwhile. For one, range seems to play a large issue. Frequently there are times when your weapon is shy of hitting the selected enemy, however if an enemy attempts to attack, they can execute a successful hit from very far distances. It'll also becomes clear early on that while the monster design is amazing, each area offers little variation in them — expect to fight the same six enemies (weak, medium, strong) over and over again until you've reached the end of a map. These factors, paired with little strategy and challenge, makes for a relatively lackluster experience, something we're not used to experiencing from Level-5.
WKC does, however, do some things right. As mentioned earlier, multiplayer is what makes this game shine. With so few JRPGs utilizing this, it's a welcome to see some change. I wouldn't generally like multiplayer in a JRPG seeing as how I'm more of a old-school RPG lover, but somehow the prospect of joining a group of players in one of the game's many hunts (à la Final Fantasy XII) sounded surprisingly alluring. The experience turned out to be just that.
Another aspect of this game worth mentioning are the visuals, which are plain gorgeous. WKC may not have taken any risks, but the impressionistic visuals are still intense and immersive. Character design is also welcome, particularly when creating an avatar at the beginning of the game. A lot of attention is put into detail, so expect to customize not only face shape and skin colour, but also face depth, jaw structure and various other small details. The avatar customization has more flexibility than any game I know and is definitely a highlight.
Having played a good deal of WKC I have to say, the experience isn't as cathartic as Level-5's past titles. However, with that said, the game is better than most reviewers are giving it credit for. Single-player can be lackluster and repetitive, but the visuals and multiplayer makes up for this, even if the combat system is a bit shaky. If you can forgive the game of its flaws, then even the most experienced JRPG fan should find enjoyment, just don't expect anything genre-defining. Level-5 may have slipped in their latest game, but it's still a solid addition.
Likes:
- The visuals and the soundtrack are breathtaking and provide an immersive experience.
- Avatar customization is flexible and fun.
- Multiplayer is fun and engaging. Definitely one of the game's highlights.
Dislikes:
- WKC is lackluster and far less challenging than Level-5's other titles.
- Combat system is unbalanced and not nearly as complex as it appears.
- While the storyline is interesting enough, but it's far too predictable.
Review Score
/
The review scale at LevelFortyTwo is between 1 and 5. A score of 5 is considered an amazing game, 4 is a well-done game with only minor issues, 3 is in the middle; not great, but not bad, 2 is a very problematic game, and 1 is absolutely terrible.
ModNation Racers
ModNation Racers is definitely a game that lives up to its name. During my experience playing the games recently released beta, I can now firmly say that I can’t wait for this game to come out.
Developed by United Front Games, ModNation Racers is sort of a spiritual sibling to LittleBigPlanet, by sticking to the same mantra of “Play Create Share”. The beta, available to those with a download code (either from the LittleBigPlanet: Game of the Year Edition, or other means), launched on December 18th. In the beta you have the opportunity to race online, complete time trial races, and of course mod/create characters, tracks and karts.
The customizable options are just about endless, however not every option was available in the beta. Just to give you a perspective of how much you can customize just your character, there are 260 types of eyes in total, with actual sections for lizard eyes and bloodshot eyes. That right! It’s not just one pair of each; there are sections of 10-15 different eyes to choose from. There are plenty of other ways to customize your character – all with plenty of options to choose from.
Another feature that (I was surprised) is available in the beta is the ability to upload and download your characters, karts and tracks. Some of the coolest characters I’ve seen include Kratos (from God of War), Batman, Rorschach (from Watchmen) and many more. There are also plenty of tracks already created by users available for download. Not only is it easy to navigate through everything, but there is even a thumbnail to quickly view the track.
ModNation Racers basically takes everything you liked from LittleBigPlanet and vastly improves it. Unlike LBP, when you download somebody else’s creation, you have the ability to mod it. This opens up so many new possibilities to player. If you were like me, and felt to discourage to make an in-depth level in LittleBigPlanet, this option onModNation Racers now allows you to make the game your own, without having to do a lot of work.
However, with that said, creating your own track in ModNation Racers couldn’t be easier. In a mere 20 minutes I had a full track, complete with scenery, signs, hills, underpasses, and more ready to go. Creating a track is very simple; all you have to do is “drive” along with the steam/road-roller and track gets laid down. By using the right analog stick you can change the tracks steepness, while the left stick is obviously used for directing where the track goes. Once you have a basic track laid out, you are ready to begin modding it.
The game offers many different features, all accessible with in a couple button presses. To add trees along the side of your track, you simply select the type of tree you want and then hold down the X button and use the left stick to start spreading the foliage around. You can lay out houses, temples and much more (not all of it is available in the beta). For those players who are feeling lazy, you can have the game automatically populate your track.
The physical geography of your track can also be changed. After selecting the option, using the left stick allows you to either create mountains or collapse earth into crevasses, all while keeping your track in tact. Another option that exists is the ability to alter the weather; in a matter of seconds you can set the suns position or the cloud cover to make your track just the way you like it. With all this said and done, your track can either be played by yourself, or upload to the servers so that other players have the chance to experience your track.
ModNation Racers has a ton of great features, however that doesn’t mean that it’s perfect. While I understand that this is a beta, the actual racing controls feel a little bit sloppy. This could be due to the fact that it’s a slightly new control scheme that I am not entirely used to, but there were more than enough times where the steering felt too sensitive, and I would end up crashing into walls or obstacles. The game also has very long loading times, however this is something that I am sure will be remedied by the time MNR releases in March.
Overall, ModNation Racers feels like the spiritual successor to LittleBigPlanet, improving on its “Play Create Share” aspects in almost every way. While it might not be perfect at the moment, MNR is a blast to play, and it is genuinely fun to create tracks. If I were you, I’d try and find a way to get into the beta so you can try everything out for yourself.
ModNation Racers launches in March 2010 for the Sony PS3.
