Red Dead Redemption: "Outlaws to the End"

The most common complaint I've heard about "Red Dead Redemption," especially in terms of the multiplayer, is that there isn't enough to do. While I don't necessarily share the sentiment (is the whole map in the lobby plus challenges and competitive game modes not enough for you ungrateful slobs?), Rockstar released the first major DLC pack, titled "Outlaws to the End," on Xbox Live Marketplace and (I'm assuming) the Playstation Network. The pack features six new Co-op missions for 2-4 players to tackle. The pack itself is only 11 MB and is free (as in zero dollars).

I only got to play a few of the missions last night but they're actually pretty fun. In one mission, we were tasked with rescuing a female hostage from a heavily guarded Fort Mercer. Once we dispatched all the thugs there, we hopped on a stage coach to take her back to her ranch where another wave of baddies was waiting for us. Another mission saw our gang breaking up an arms deal between Walton's Gang and the U.S. Army, stealing a stage coach full of gold and driving it to Mexico all while fending off a horde of soldiers. Not only are the concepts for each of these missions pretty neat but they're also pretty challenging as well.

Speaking of challenges, there are a set of challenges for the Co-op mode itself as well as challenges that can be unlocked for each individual missions and of course includes achievements. I'm assuming new titles come with these new challenges but I can't say for sure.

The Co-op missions are accessed through the Back-button menu in multiplayer like the regular competitive modes. Each mission starts in a lobby of its own where you can pick one of a few different class types. The only difference in these types are the weapons you'll start the mission with but you can always find new guns to increase your arsenal.

If XP is your concern, these missions offer up plenty and are a great alternative to grinding your way through Gang Hideouts in Free Roam over and over again. All in all, "Outlaws to the End" is a great addition to Red Dead's already solid multiplayer. At such a small price and file size, "Outlaws to the End" is an absolute necessity for anyone who owns Red Dead Redemption.

UFC Undisputed 2010 – Sidestepping instead of taking a shot

To be honest, I didn’t know what I should expect. When you look at sports games as a whole, it’s almost understood there won’t be many differences in yearly updates besides roster changes and gameplay/mechanical tweaks. I don’t know why I thought “UFC Undisputed 2010” would be anything different but after weeks of messing around in Career mode, Tournament and Title Defense mode, it’s clear that MMA can’t escape this common sports game affliction.

If you read my thoughts on the demo earlier, you’ll probably recall how optimistic I sounded about this game. I’ll admit I’m not too big into sports games. I don’t play Madden, NCAA, NHL or MLB games - I don’t even like racing games. I have always been a fan of fighting games and with my growing affinity for mixed-martial arts, THQ’s “Undisputed 2009” was an incredible improvement in MMA games over past attempts at bringing the sport to home consoles. Though its controls were initially confusing and its career mode (and the game in general) was very menu-heavy, it stood as a great first step in a series about a sport I thought would be near-impossible to convert to video games.

Perhaps if I were a Madden fan I would be more understanding of the slight differences and tweaks in the year-to-year upgrades commonplace in sports’ series these days. What I mean by this is, outside of the tweaks to the fighting system, a few (in my opinion, unnecessary) additions to the career mode, a few more fight modes (which also fall in the realm of unnecessary), and some new online features, not much has changed since “Undisputed 2009.”

Let me say this before I get into anything else – the fighting system in “Undisputed 2010” has grown by leaps and bounds from 2009. Animations are smoother, actions are now much more fluid giving players the opportunity to create their own combos (rather than having to memorize a list of moves) and the grappling/clinching mechanics have been overhauled with great success. With the addition of cage mechanics and the ability to create a fighting style all your own (picking a choosing moves rather than just a discipline), “Undisputed 2010” offers the most fun and complete mixed-martial arts competitions ever seen in video games.

Today’s gamers are a fickle bunch, however, and mixed-martial arts and the UFC don’t have the built in fan-base that the NFL and Madden have, for example. Whenever a new Madden game comes out, you can surely expect that pretty much everyone who picked up last year’s edition will be picking up this year’s. While MMA has grown wildly in popularity over the past few years, the UFC and THQ can’t expect that everyone who watches their shows or bought “Undisputed 2009” will buy “Undisputed 2010.” Without the established fan-base of Madden, THQ needs to rely on bringing new fans to the franchise and viewing “Undisputed 2010” in this light, you begin to see just how much really hasn’t changed from last year.

Exhibition, Tournament, and Title (Defense) modes are all essentially the same – picking a fighter and squaring off against any of the names on “Undisputed 2010’s” huge roster. Career mode has a few additions that serve to give gamers a closer relationship to their in-game persona as you train and fight your way into the UFC from the World Fight Alliance. Being able to conduct post-fight interviews or have the press film your workouts is nice but most of these additions do nothing for you but take time away from your precious training – and thanks to the biggest “addition” to Career mode, you’ll need all the training time you get. In an effort to make Career more realistic, THQ implemented stat decay to all of your fighter’s stats as well as attributes. Unless a stat is at 30, 50 or 70 it will decay within a week or two of the last time a point was added to it, forcing you to constantly spar to keep your stats up. How, THQ, am I supposed to have the time to keep my stats steady while also trying to attend fight camps (the only way to learn new moves), train my attributes or take part in photo-op sessions and be prepared for fights that are generally no more than 8 weeks away? Stat decay probably sounded like a good idea at the time but is nothing short of annoying when put into practice.

To be honest, I’m almost enjoying the challenge of not only having to fight opponents but also the game mechanics to find success – most probably will not, however. Sure character models look nicer, the fighting is more fluid and responsive and it has all the amenities that 2009 introduced but I just don’t see enough improvements and additions to the series in “Undisputed 2010” that will make non-fans of UFC or MMA feel like they need to put down their hard earned cash for what could essentially be last year’s game.

More E3: Nintendo delivers while Sony and MS play catch-up

Though I haven't owned one of their consoles or played one of their games in a long time, it seems like Nintendo clearly won the war of the press conferences. While Microsoft and Sony were busy parading around their slew of motion controlled nonsense, Nintendo actually delivered its fans info on pretty much everything and anything they could want to hear. Let's get into it:

-Nintendo officially revealed the 3DS, yet another new handheld device only this one does 3D. I was never much for handheld gaming and I've never been one to geek out for 3D but my mom always told me if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it...so let's just move on.

-Nintendo also offered info about new games from nearly all of their flagship franchises such as "The Legend of Zelda: The Skyward Sword," "Kirby's Epic Yarn," "Donkey Kong Country Returns," and 3DS remakes of "Paper Mario," "Starfox 64," and "PilotWings." Oh yeah, and something about some game called "GoldenEye?" I dunno, I've never heard of it before.

-Sony showed off a bunch of stuff for its new motion controller titled "Move." At least it wasn't filled with awkward white guy dancing but Sony and Microsoft seriously banking on these motion controllers is pretty dumb. All the people who were wowed by motion controls already bought and stopped playing their Wii years ago - do they think the hardcore gamers that make up their consumer base really want to play FPSes (or any other real game [read: not designed specifically for motion controls]) using their Move wand instead of a traditional controller? I'd hope not but everything I'm seeing seems to indicate otherwise. That Move gun shell doesn't give me high hopes either - seriously, Sony, why not just make a Super Scope 2.0 already?

-OMGWTF David Jaffe, you lied to me! A new Twisted Metal!? And it's PS3 exclusive? Damn you, Sony! I might actually buy a PS3 now. (Yes, I'm aware of how crazy that sounds - "You didn't buy a PS3 for MGS4, GoW3, inFamous or Killzone...but Twisted Metal is what pushed you over the edge?") They also showed off a mode for the game titled "Nuke," which is for those gamers who think straight up deathmatches or capture-the-flag games don't have enough insane objectives to accomplish. In "Nuke," players are split into teams of two - the Sweeth Tooth Gang and the Doll Face Gang. At the start, each gang tries to capture (a.k.a. tie to your car and drag) the other side's leader and take them back to their base to sacrifice them (a.k.a. tie them up to a big f'n rocket). Players need to protect the teammate doing the sacrificing and once the opposing leader is strapped to the rocket, players need to protect the rocket as it is guided (assumingly by the person who did the sacrificing) into a giant statue of the other teams leader. Still with me? Good, because you need to do that THREE times to win a match of "Nuke." I don't know how much time I'd spend in that mode but after seeing a character tearing around on a motorcycle throwing chainsaws as well as a new helicopter vehicle, I feel like I pretty much have to play it.

-Dead Space 2 looks out of control awesome. I need it now. Same with Fallout: New Vegas.

-Bungie confirmed the addition of the Firefight mode in Halo: Reach. They're adding even more customizable options for Firefight this time around, stating you can change your weapon loadouts and armor modifiers, Covenant enemy types, health and level of aggression, etc. They also added a new armor class (for those of you who are familiar with the classes from the Beta) called the Medic. This class offers a shield which is a precursor to the Halo 3 Bubbleshield. One last note I saw on Joystiq, Bungie stated that the Generator Defense game type in the Beta was actually a test for Firefight - those sneaky bastards.

-How could I forget - Portal 2 gameplay! If you thought the original had some mind-bending puzzles...you ain't seen nothing yet. Also, Valves Gabe Newell announced that Portal 2 will also be landing on the PS3 as well as PC and Xbox 360.

-Marvel vs. Capcom 3 looks pretty slick. I have a ton of fond memories playing MvC2 on Dreamcast back in the day and not-so-fond memories of getting screwed out of a ton of money by GameStop when I sold them my copy of MvC2 for PS2. I'm not a big fan of fighters anymore, but the huge roster of playable characters with crazy, colorful and over-the-top powers is too much for me to resist.

-Though I don't have a clue what it's about (if anything at all), Eric Chahi's Project Dust looks pretty neat. I haven't played a world-building game in a loooong time - it's probably been since Black and White or even Populous (the spiritual predecessor of Dust) - but since it's coming to PS3 and 360, it's definitely one to keep an eye on.

That's all for now (I think), but hopefully there will be plenty of new announcements coming in the next few days. Also, I'm still playing UFC Undisputed 2010 (it took me waaay too long to finish Red Dead Redemption) and I'll have my review of that up sometime before EA's MMA game comes out (that was a joke, it'll definitely be up before then).

E3 impressions: Underwhelmed to say the least

So I'm not at E3 and didn't get a free, new slim Xbox 360 but outside of that...not seeing much exciting stuff coming out of E3 so far. Here's a short run-down of my thoughts on the info I've gleaned from the internets so far:

-First off, Ubisoft would be better off using their time and money to maybe make actual video games instead of Battle Tag (read: laser tag using your powerful gaming console to keep score) and whatever the heck Innergy is. I'm honestly glad I didn't watch their press conference because not even Joel McHale (yes, he was there for some reason) is funny enough to make jokes out of this stuff - because they already are jokes. Ok, enough pretentious, italicized words - Ubisoft, your time would be much better spent on "Ghost Recon: Future Soldier" and the new "Assassin's Creed" game rather than jumping on the casual gaming bandwagon.

-EA's MMA game doesn't look that good and makes me kinda wanna play UFC Undisputed 2010 for some reason. I'd love to play as Fedor or see how they handled Bob Sapp gassing a minute into each fight but I'm not about to spend money to do it.

-Actually, I'm kinda glad I didn't get one of those new slim 360s - apparently they are making those circular scratches on game discs that 360s have been known to do.

-Kinect is great if you're an adult with children who doesn't already own an Xbox 360. Otherwise it looks pretty lame (I liked it better when it was called EyeToy - zing! That joke would probably work better if I liked or ever used the EyeToy).

-They still make "Driver" games?

-I've never watched a even a little bit of any of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies but the "Armada of the Damned" game could be pretty cool if it's done right. Not really sure what kind of game it is (and they obviously didn't show any gameplay) but if "Armada of the Damned" is it's own game and not just a movie tie-in, it could be pretty promising.

-Bungie showed off a new "Halo: Reach" trailer that showed a bit of campaign play but the most notable part of the video was space battles. Imagine Banshee dogfights only this time they're in space.

There's still time for some truly jaw-dropping announcements but so far, E3 has seemed kinda "meh."

Xbox Live's Major Nelson reveals tons of Marketplace deals

In honor of their annual "Summer of Arcade" event and to kick off the E3 gaming expo, Xbox Live's Major Nelson has announced a slew of discounts on all manner of Xbox 360 Marketplace items. Check the link at the end of the post for the full list - most of the deals begin Monday, June 14th. Here are a few highlights:

-Shadow Complex, Trials HD, and Marvel vs. Capcom 2 will be available for 560 MS points (down from 1200)

-TMNT Turtle in Time HD and 'Spolsion Man will be available for 400 MS points (down from 800)

-Castle Crashers, Braid and Portal will be available for 800 MS points (down from 1200)

-Bionic Commando Rearmed, Alien Hominid HD and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night will be available for 400 MS points (down from 800)

http://www.majornelson.com/archive/2010/06/10/coming-soon-to-the-xbox-live-marketplace-june-10.aspx

"Power Gig's" Airstrike drums are a horrible idea

What is this...I don't even...

Thanks to Activision pushing out more "Guitar Hero" games than I even thought would be physically possible, the rhythm gaming genre has become pretty stale. They tried to liven it up with "DJ Hero" and while I applaud their willingness to think outside the box, the music in that game wasn't really my speed and the turntable peripheral just didn't make sense to me.

When I heard about Seven45's latest idea for the genre, "Power Gig: Rise of the Sixstring," I was intrigued but pretty much wrote it off. Originally only the guitar peripheral had been shown and to my surprise, it was more parts guitar than video game controller. It looks like an actual guitar because, well, it is an actual guitar and can be played like one when not in "controller mode" (there's some sort of device that keeps the strings from ringing out when playing the game). It won't teach you how to actually play guitar, they say, but strumming notes on actual strings is more than "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band" has to offer.

Still though, the idea of using an actual guitar to play a video game defeats the purpose in my eyes - I play games to play games, if I wanted to learn how to play a guitar I'd do that and not play "Rock Band." To me, "Power Gig" seems like the creation of some gamer who was tired of his friends getting on his case about "Why don't you just learn to play the guitar, already?"

Now I find out about these drums and I gotta say, my immediate first reaction is, wow...that looks like a bad idea. Being that I prefer playing the drums in "Rock Band" over the guitar, I feel like this setup would only prove to be more frustrating than anything. With the use of special sticks, you place the Airstrike controller on the ground and play it like you were "air-drumming" and don't actually hit the pads themselves. The first problem I see with this method is not having a physical thing to strike while playing - if you're having trouble with a song or a certain section, how can you tell if it's your technique, a problem with the game or a problem with the controller itself? For a gamer like myself who plays these rhythm games on the hardest setting, not being able to perfect your technique or to know exactly where your problems are stemming from is maddening. Next, the pads are on the ground by your feet and you're staring up at a screen - if you make a mistake or get lost even for a second you have to look down to reorient your hands instead of being able to glance down to the pads that are right by your hands. How are you even supposed to do good drum fills or rolls without actually hitting something? The spring/bounce of the pads is a big part of pulling off fast rolls and playing on air would make that stupidly difficult.

Not even taking these ridiculous peripheral into consideration, how good could the song list for "Power Gig" possibly be? They don't have the community support of "Rock Band" or the financial support that the "Guitar Hero" series has - how could "Power Gig" possibly offer a gamer like me (who's played all these games since the original "Guitar Hero") a unique setlist of songs I've never played before. The list of artists who have added their support for this game isn't exactly wowing me either. Sure there's Eric Clapton but if the only other musicians Seven45 can offer is Kid Rock or Dave Matthews (and his Band), I think I will be passing on this one.

Game Informer going crazy with Gears of War 3 coverage

http://gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2010/06/02/gears-of-war-3-art-and-screen-gallery.aspx

As far as over-the-top, space marines shooting ugly monster/alien games go, I tend to prefer first-person games over third-person. I've always been interested in the "Gears of War" series but I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm a big fan. Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed "Gears 1 & 2" and spent a fair amount of time online with the first ("Gears 2" had a ton of online problems when I was trying to play the multiplayer) but there just wasn't enough story presented in the games to keep me interested for long. But Game Informer's huge cover story on "Gears of War 3" has definitely piqued my interest for the finale of Epic's Xbox 360 franchise (I think it's the last one, anyway).

Just take a look at that screenshot up there. That's Dom Santiago, sidekick of "Gears" protagonist Marcus Fenix, looking more grizzled and sporting different armor since the last time we saw Delta Squad. GI's spread has more interested in "Gears 3" than either of its predecessors and here's why. A year and a half has passed since the Coalition of Governments (C.O.G.) sunk the last human city, Jacinto, in an effort to drown/destroy the Locust Horde. The C.O.G. has since disbanded and Marcus, Dom and the rest of the Gears from the previous games are now living aboard a converted aircraft carrier dubbed The Raven's Nest. The Locust are still at war with the remaining humans on the planet Sera but both are threatened by a new enemy - the Lambent. Featured somewhat in previous "Gears" titles, the Lambent have evolved into a full fledged race that threaten every being on Sera. Delta Squad is more or less the last collection of human resistance on the planet and act more like an extended family than a military unit in the wake of the fall of Jacinto. Their armor and weapons look as weathered and beaten as the characters themselves and every able-bodied person fights when necessary, evidenced by the addition of Anya Stroud to Delta Squad. Well, Anya was always a member of the military but gamers will remember her as the communications officer giving Marcus and Dom intel on their objectives. With their backs against the wall and facing extinction at the hands of an increasing volatile enemies, "Gears of War 3" could be the last act for Delta Squad.

The thing that interests me most about this game over either of the previous "Gears" titles is that Delta Squad and all board The Raven's Nest aren't fighting as part of a military campaign, but for survival. The former soldiers now have a deeper reason to fight and should result in some of the most dramatic moments in the entire series. Not to mention the color scheme, character models, new weapons and enemies all serve to make this the most unique "Gears of War" game yet.

Gamestop and Wikipedia both show an April 2011 release date for "Gears of War 3" but a release date set that far into the future is always subject to change at a moment's notice.

“Red Dead Redemption” – more than “Grand Theft Auto” with horses

For a long time in the video game industry, developer Rockstar was synonymous with one thing – “Grand Theft Auto.” Through various locales, cities, time periods and numerous generations of consoles, the “GTA” series has gone from a generic top-down open-world shooter to a critically acclaimed, often emulated juggernaut. Rockstar tried to break the mold with “Bully,” a sandbox game set on the grounds (and the surrounding town) of a New England preparatory school. While “Bully” was a great game, it didn’t nearly reach the popularity of Rockstar’s flagship franchise. “Red Dead Redemption,” however, seems intent on making gamers everywhere forget all about the bustling streets and drive-by shootings of “GTA.”

Set in 1911, “RDR” follows the story of former outlaw John Marston. Though he’s left his violent ways behind in favor of starting a family, his past continues to haunt him. Government agents kidnap Marston’s wife and son and give him one option – if he wants to see his family again, he must hunt down former gangmates, Javier Escuela and Bill Williamson. Marston is forced to consort with all manner of unsavory characters in order to get close to Williamson and ends up chasing his bounty across the Old West and into Mexico.

The story itself brings up very poignant and relevant ideas on topics such as the reach/limit of governmental control and what exactly it means to be good or evil. It’s a testament to the Rockstar writing staff that they can make a game about the Wild West feel connected to the issues we are facing in this country right now. These story missions, however, are presented is the same way they’ve been presented since “GTA 3” – do an almost unbearable number of menial tasks for people of questionable reputation until you get to deal with your target. Unfortunately, you should be prepared to do plenty of “go here, kill x number of faceless baddies” or “go here, pick up something, return it while killing faceless baddies” missions.

I am thrilled that Rockstar finally went out on a limb and created a sandbox game in a wholly new and unique landscape - I just wish they had left their played-out mission structure in Liberty City as well. At least Marston doesn’t have a cell phone with which he can be constantly badgered by his many acquaintances.

Thankfully the cast of characters in “RDR” is more colorful and interesting than most found in any “GTA” game (with the exception of, maybe, the charismatic and out-spoken “alpha male” Brucie Kibbutz). From the sagely gunslinger Landon Ricketts to the aging swindler Nigel West Dickens, Marston meets a wide range of characters during his travels. But even the most interesting, comical and original characters introduced in “RDR” can’t do much to help the tired mission structure.

Fortunately, the world of “RDR” is more interesting than all of its characters put together. With myriad varying, picturesque landscapes, tons of side-missions, random events and player challenges, there could very well be a substantial amount of time between the actual story missions you decide to embark on. There’s plenty of fun to be had just roaming around the giant open world, taking in the sites of the large map.

Making the world feel more alive, New Austin is populated with many different species of animals and plant-life that can be collected and sold in various towns for a profit. Though the animations for the different actions of collecting flowers or skinning animals (don’t worry, the gore is kept off-screen save for a few splashes of blood) can get a little redundant, it’s a minor complaint in the grand scheme of the game.

Controlling Marston is similar to past “GTA” games, though selecting weapons has changed slightly and the addition of the Dead Eye mode helps with dispatching large groups of enemies. Using an upgraded Eurphoria game engine (the same from “GTA IV”), characters move and react in incredibly realistic ways. The animations and movement of horses is also some of the best looking I’ve ever seen in a game. “RDR” controls perfectly fine most of the time, but its flaws start to show through when the action picks up. Too often you’ll wind up in cover that you didn’t intend to be in and it’s sometimes difficult to do something as simple as walk through a doorway without getting stuck on an edge and wind up walking into the wall instead. It’s even more upsetting, although not unforeseen, that these tiny problems are even more noticeable online.

Rockstar improved the online experience with one of the most innovative ideas in sandbox multiplayer gaming – turning the entire game world into an online lobby. If you’ve ever played a game online, you know that pretty much every match of every game begins in at a lobby screen where you and the other people participating are listed along with the game options. When you select multiplayer in “RDR,” you’re put in the lobby, a.k.a. Free Roam. You can be joined by up to 15 other players in a Free Roam, start/join posses, complete challenges and gang hideouts or select competitive game modes. New weapons, characters, mounts and titles are unlocked by gaining levels and completing challenges. It’s fun to be able to form a posse with your friends online and take on the game’s various modes but with such a large world, the options presented to gamers can feel underwhelming at times. Though there are many competitive game types, I find myself sticking primarily to Gang Shootouts (Team Deathmatches) or completing gang hideouts in Free Roam.

In terms of ambition, “RDR” is a new milestone in its genre and is what all future sandbox games should strive for. Unfortunately it does little to break new ground in terms of gameplay and mission structure and, with the exception of the Free Roam lobby, offers the same online experience as “GTA IV.” Thankfully, what it borrows from Rockstar’s most popular series, it borrows exceptionally well and presents it in a beautiful and unique landscape. Gamers who yearn for the tall buildings, fast cars and huge explosions of Liberty City may not be impressed with the wide open spaces of New Austin but those who give it a chance will undoubtedly be mesmerized by the living, breathing world of the Wild West and will calling the open range their home for some time to come.