UFC Undisputed 3 demo thoughts: I will buy anything with Bas Rutten in it. Fact.

As you could’ve guessed from reading this blog, for even a short amount of time, I’m not too big into sports video games. If there aren’t any RPG aspects, guns, explosions, aliens, space marines or epic quests, I probably won’t be playing it. While I have plenty of friends to play those types of games with, there is another section of video game pals who only really get down with sports games. So when I want to play games with them, they usually don’t care for the all-out war of Battlefield and I’m not a big fan of Madden – so what do we do? Well, there is one sports series that I will partake in, and that is UFC Undisputed.

I’ll get this out of the way early – I’m not a big sports gamer for the main reason that I see most sports series updates as pointless, adding nothing to the series save for new visuals and roster updates. While THQ has worked hard to add quality updates to each new title (to save it from suffering the same fate as many sports), I was worried about “UFC Undisputed 3” starting the trend of “new title, few updates.” I hadn’t read too much info on it prior to playing the recently released demo but after playing, I can say for certain that any MMA fan will want to check this game out.

The coolest feature in “UFC Undispuated 3” is undoubtedly the Pride Fighting Championship mode where players can do battle under the (now defunct) Pride FC banner. The promotion, which was popular in Japan in the early 2000s, sports a roster of some of MMA’s most legendary athletes in their prime such as Don Frye, Kevin Randleman, Gary Goodridge, Dan Severn, Phil Baroni and Marcus Aurelio. Not only does the Pride mode feature some of the sports’ most notable fighters, but the mode also allows for the use of Pride’s rather, ahem, lax rule set which allows numerous maneuvers now banned in UFC fights (such as knees to a downed opponent’s head and soccer style kicks or stomps to a downed opponent). You’ll even get to enjoy commentary from two of Pride’s actual commentators, Stephen Quadros and MMA legend Bas Rutten. But Undisputed 3 features a huge list of updates, apart from the inclusion of Pride FC.

In the Pride FC mode, players can play as legendary fighters

such as Don Frye (left) and Mirko Cro Cop (right).

To justify another addition to the Undisputed series, THQ didn’t just add a single new fight mode (Pride rules) and a new roster of fighters but took great pains to make the game more accessible to the average gamer. For as complex a sport as MMA, I’ve always felt THQ has done an admirable job making the controls as easy to learn and remember as possible. Still though, if you’ve never played an Undisputed title before, the learning curve can be a bit steep – especially once a fight goes to the mat. THQ has done a wonderful job making transitioning on the mat and in the clinch much more fluid and simple to pull of but they’ve gone a step further, allowing two different ways to perform transitions. Pro mode is transitioning how it’s always been done – quarter circle flicks for minor transitions and three quarter circle flicks for major transitions – while Amateur mode simplifies it to a flick up for minor and a flick down for major, greatly simplifying the transitioning mechanic for the uninitiated. Other new mechanics such as a reworked sway system (which also allows for swaying while in the guard), a feint system and sweeps also have found their way into Undisputed 3.

But, being a demo, only four fighters are available to choose from. You can choose to play either a UFC match or a Pride rules match in the demo, with Jon Jones taking on Anderson Silva in the UFC match and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson taking on Wanderlei Silva in the Pride match. From the very get-go of either match, it’s apparent that a lot of work has been done to make every fight more fluid. From the way strikes are thrown, to transitions to even the way a fighter gets off the mat, every mechanic and animation in Undisputed 3 feels more natural and fluid than in either game before it in the series. Updates to the sway mechanics help the action feel less stiff and make the animations look smoother, allowing you to effortlessly mix sway shots into combos.

Plus, there is also a new submission system in the game, turning each submission attempt into a mini-game. In 2009 and 2010, submissions were applied by clicking the right stick and rotating it, hoping that your opponent was worn down enough to submit to it with no real way of telling how close you are to actually pulling off the submission. It’d be a little difficult to explain with words how exactly the submission system is handled now but trust me when I say they fully explain it in the demo and after trying it out once or twice in a match, makes attempting and fighting off a submission attempt a whole lot more interesting.

Anderson Silva rearranges Yunshin Okami's face with a head kick.

But the new additions don’t stop there. After a quick glance at the game’s Wikipedia page, I garnered several other, interesting tidbits about the game:

-New game modes (besides Pride) such as Stamina Simulation mode (no details), Competition Spec mode (removes all random elements such as flash KOs and doctor stoppages), and Stat Equalizer (sets stats of both fighters to 80 – so now your newly created fighter will be on equal footing as GSP).

-Stats in Career mode don’t decay (fixing one of my biggest gripes about Undisputed 2010)

-Any Pride or UFC fighter on the roster can now be taken through the Career mode (which, in 2009 and 2010, was reserved only for created fighters)

-Cuts now affect stamina and stamina regeneration. Also, damage can be healed between rounds (no word on any corner-man mini-games like in Fight Night though).

-Fighters now have entrances (like in pro wrestling games).

-Pride’s Gran Prix tournaments will be available to play, which feature multiple fights on the same night with damage from earlier fights carrying over.

-An absolutely huge roster of characters, with a separate Pride roster. Plus there are even DLC fighters listed already such as Alistair Overeem, Phil Davis and Nick Diaz.

Long story short – I wasn’t at all anticipating buying or even wanting to play UFC Undisputed 3. Now, after playing the demo, I eagerly await its release on February 14.

Grizzly Gaming's Most Anticipated Games of 2012

Welcome to 2012, gamers. 2011 was a great year for games and whether or not you’re still playing Skyrim, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Battlefield 3, Saints Row 3 or Gears of War 3 (there were a lot of third installments of series’ in 2011, weren’t there?), you’re not gonna be playing them forever. You may not have looked ahead to see what this year has in store but fear not, I’ve got you covered.

Being a die hard gamer since I was old enough to form coherent memories, I enjoy reading up on what’s coming soon just as much as I enjoy playing what’s out now. In this first part of a multi-part series, I’m going to outline a few of my most anticipated games for 2012. Be sure to be on the lookout for the next few parts in this series as I go over games I’m moderately excited about, games I have my eyes on as well as games that we may or may not see in 2012. Also, keep in mind that no matter how concrete a release date may seem, developers and publishers can push a game’s release back at a moment’s notice so any release date listed is subject to change. Oh and, just so we’re clear, this list doesn’t cover everything coming out this year – just what has caught my attention the most.

Well…what are we waiting for? Let’s dive into My Most Anticipated Games of 2012! (Part 1)

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City

Slated release: March 20 for PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3

The “Resident Evil” series has become the series known for creating the “survival horror” genre. Staples of the series were tight corridors, unsettling situations, finite resources as well as a little puzzle solving for good measure - a formula that has been used by games like “Silent Hill,” “Dead Space” and “Eternal Darkness” to great effect. Though other titles may have perfected the genre, Resident Evil will always be considered by many to be the first survival horror series.

Though the last two major console releases, “Resident Evil 4” and “Resident Evil 5,” have taken major steps away from the format the series has become famous for inventing, they have been two of the most critically and commercially successful games in the series. Embracing a much more action oriented style of play, the “RE” series has evolved to a point that not many could have anticipated. Capcom and Slant Six Games, however, aren’t done shaking things up in the “RE” universe and with the next title in the series, “Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City,” giving gamers an entirely new experience.

USS member Vector making good use of a zombie

In “ORC,” players find themselves on the other side of the conflict, that is to say, working for the globe-spanning pharmaceutical company Umbrella, rather than against. Set during the events of “RE2” and “RE3,” “ORC” will give gamers a different view on the events of those two games and could, possibly, rewrite series history.

As a member of the Umbrella Security Service, you’re tasked with erasing all evidence of Umbrella’s involvement in the Raccoon City disaster taking on tasks like burning evidence, silencing witnesses but the most important task you’ll undertake is hunting down and eliminating “RE2” protagonist Leon Kennedy. And since this game is taking place during the Raccoon City outbreak, members of the USS will have to contend with hordes of zombies as well as other Umbrella bio-weapons like Lickers and Nemesis-esque monsters. Not only will they have Kennedy and scores of zombies to worry about, but the USS must also contend with members of the U.S. Special Forces, who are working to expose Umbrella’s involvement in the outbreak.

I don't know who this guy is. Nemesis' brother?

Ever since I first heard about this game, I’ve been dying to play it. Just the concept alone of playing as a member of Umbrella intrigues me and the more I look into it, “ORC” gets even better. Players have a choice of taking up the mantle of any of the six members of the USS. Each character has different perks, attributes and abilities to suit different styles of play. Typical classes such as the heavy weapons expert and sniper are available while others, like the medic and scientist, should offer some interesting offensive capabilities. For instance, the scientist will be able to make use of Umbrella’s BOWs (bio-organic weapons) to crush any opposition.

Just four of the six USS members you can play as

“ORC” will also offer multiplayer where the USS will take on the Special Forces in different game modes, though details on specifics are still scarce. One interesting concept that caught my eye is the danger that your character can become infected and turn into a zombie. When a zombie gets too close they’ll engage your character who will have a chance to shake it off. If you aren’t fast enough you can become infected and if your infection is allowed to flourish, you can find yourself attacking your former teammates until they put you down. So not only will “ORC” allow you to take Umbrella’s side for once, but also letting you see what it’s like to be a zombie too. Do I really need to say any more?

Resident Evil 6

Slated release: November 20 on PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3

Ok so I literally just heard about this game the today (Friday, the 20^th) and it looks incredible. I have no idea what the story will be about, whether its T-virus zombies or Las Plagas zombies or what but I do know from the trailer that both Leon Kennedy and Chris Redfield are in it – perhaps both as playable characters. The trailer looks sick – I’ve already watched it a handful of times and will probably watch it a few more times. Check it out here.

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Bioshock Infinite

Slated release: August 1 for PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3

Whenever anyone asks me what my favorite games are or what are the best games out there right now, one of my first responses will undoubtedly be “Bioshock.” 2K Games’ FPS, action-adventure title set in the underwater city of Rapture is not only one of the most well-written and well-crafted games I’ve every played, but it’s also one of the most engaging, fun to play and inventive FPS titles ever made. Taking gamers on a journey of amazing discovery of not only an incredible, nigh-unbelieveable setting but also of self-discovery, Bioshock remains a ‘must-have’ title, despite the fact that it was released all the way back in 2007.

What made Bioshock so engrossing wasn’t any one particular aspect of the game but how it combines numerous different gameplay and story elements into a fluid adventure. From the very first minutes spent in Rapture, the city feels alive – teeming with places to go, things to do, and a tragic history just begging to be uncovered. Being set in the 1960s, Rapture’s architecture has a strong Art Deco influence, an artistic style not often seen in video games which only helps to enhance the unique setting.

"Bioshock Infinite" isn't short on inventive enemies

Bioshock was also enthralling because of the freedom (rather, perceived freedom) it allows players. The most intriguing mechanic from Bioshock was the Big Daddy/Little Sister dynamic. The duo, which are seen in every area of Rapture, harvest gene-altering material called ADAM – a substance which can be harnessed and used to increase all manner of physical and mental attributes. Despite a civil war that ravaged the city and turned a majority of its population into mindless Splicers (those who abused ADAM), the Big Daddies and Little Sisters continue to harvest the material and how to deal with the pair is one of the most important decisions players will make in the game.

After a lackluster sequel, (Bioshock 2, developed by 2K Marin) the property is back in the capable hands of designer Ken Levine and Irrational Studios (briefly known as 2K Boston, the dev that created the original). “Bioshock Infinite” literally moves in a different direction from Rapture, with the game taking place in the floating city of Columbia. Set around the turn of the century, Bioshock Infinite shares many similar themes with the original Bioshock, though any other connections between the titles are, as of yet, unknown.

Colombia - bright, colorful and a far cry from

the dank, dreary corridors of Rapture

In “Bioshock Infinite,” players take on the role of Booker DeWitt, a disgraced Pinkerton agent, hired by shadowy sources to infiltrate the city of Columbia and rescue a woman named Elizabeth. Though the floating city was originally built to showcase American exceptionalism and ingenuity, once aboard the city, DeWitt finds little but utter chaos as multiple factions have risen up, all vying for control of the city.

Elizabeth is the target of numerous

factions and wields untold power

Though not much of the game has been shown off yet, there are few new aspects of the game I’ve been able to glean from articles and videos. Being that “Infinite” takes place years before the original game, ADAM has yet to be discovered which means plasmids won’t have a place. But players will have access to powers to supplement their firearms in the form of vigors and nostrums. Vigors allow limited use of a new power or ability while nostrums add permanent effects. Also, being that Columbia is a city comprised of numerous floating structures, the preferred method of transportation between said buildings are Skylines – metal beams, originally used to transport materials – which can be hooked onto (with a special device) and allows the player to quickly zip around the game’s wide open locales.

But DeWitt isn’t the only one after Elizabeth. Apparently, she has incredibly strong psychic powers (that may or may not be natural) and is the object of every faction in Columbia’s desire. In a long, gameplay driven video I watched on Infinite before, after a long battle to keep Elizabeth safe from a rebellious faction aboard Colombia, she and Booker are attacked by a gigantic, winged creature named Songbird. We come to find out that Songbird is Elizabeth’s protector and goes absolutely homicidal when they are apart. As in the original Bioshock, Inifinite’s story will take place all in real-time, in-engine (meaning no cutscenes), a method to help keep players in the moment which makes encounters with Songbird all the more intense. Apparently, Songbird and Elizabeth has a sort of preliminary Big Daddy/Little Sister relationship, though, obviously, Irrational has been tight-lipped in regards to story details.

New details about Infinite, such as the ultra-difficult 1999 mode, are finding their way onto the internet all the time. Each new morsel of info make the game seem like it has, somehow, a broader scope than the original title – especially considering that creating rips in the time-space continuum is a central mechanic of not only the story but of the gameplay as well.

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Borderlands 2

Slated release: (UPDATED) September 18 for PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

Borderlands 2, even though it is third on this list, is pretty much the game that I’m most looking forward to in 2012 (and hopefully it is released in 2012). The first game expertly combined first person shooting with RPG character progression of a game like Skyrim and the massive amounts of randomized loot of games like Torchlight and Diablo into a genre developer Gearbox terms “role-playing shooter.”

Though Borderlands featured four distinct characters who specialized in various forms of firearms and who each were touted as having a different, unique reason for being on Pandora (a backwater, undeveloped world and setting of the Borderlands series), their backstories were never fleshed out and had little to do with the actual plot. Hell, the actual plot had little to do with anything besides “These guys are on Pandora looking for treasure and get mixed up in all sorts of nasty, violent hijinks.” And despite the paper thin plot and the fact that missions ran the gamut from “go here, collect something, bring it back” to “go here and kill everything you see,” I found myself returning to Boderlands more than almost any other game since I started playing Skyrim.

Salvadore, the gun-zerker, takes on a few Bandits

Perhaps it was the four play co-op (which also supported split screen co-op), perhaps it was bright, colorful cel-shaded art style, or perhaps it was the incredibly tight, fluid controls. Aw, who am I kidding – it was the loot. All that sweet, sweet loot. One of the selling points of Borderlands was the game engine’s ability to randomly generate an unbelievable amount of custom weapons to be discovered on your journeys across Pandora. One estimate I found on the web has the number of possible combinations of weapons (based on factors like weapon type, clip size, scope, color and elemental powers) at over 17,750,000. And from what I’ve read, Borderlands 2 will have even more – even though that barely seems possible.

And the new additions to weapons will be immediately apparent. Each weapon in Borderlands can be attributed to a certain manufacturer, with each company producing different styles of weapons. For instance, Jakobs guns tend to be incredibly powerful but have a low rate of fire while Maliwan guns all have some kind of elemental power attached. For Borderlands 2, Gearbox is looking to make these manufacturers even more distinct in both looks as well as characteristics of their weapons. For example, bandit weapons (now their own class) have a cobbled together look and usually have a faster rate of fire as well as extremely large reserves of ammo. Tediore weapons, which were characterized by their fast reload speed and rate of fire in Borderlands, are now meant to be disposable. In a video Gearbox showed off, we saw new character Salvadore using a Tediore weapon and instead of reloading it, would just toss it aside and pull out a new one. They also stated that with this particular type of gun, when discarded with extra ammunition still inside creates an explosion that can damage enemies. Little tweaks to the way weapons are procedurally generated should help immensely in keeping gamers coming back to Borderlands 2.

A small sampling of the new Bandit weapon class

I just hope that Gearbox puts a little more effort into creating an intriguing storyline this time around. From early reports I’ve read about Borderlands 2, it seems that each character could follow their own story arc and that how players carry out and complete missions can affect the way that mission or even their storyline plays out. Also, Gearbox has only revealed one new character who also happens to be a new class – Salvadore, the gun-zerker. It seems like the gun-zerker is replacing the berserker class from the first game and whose special power will be being able to dual wield any weapon in their inventory – two rifles, two pistols, two rocket launchers or even two sniper rifles. I think another character has also been revealed, though she is a siren – a class from the first game. The other two characters (and whether they are new classes) haven’t been revealed yet. Also, Gearbox has stated that the original cast of characters will appear in Borderlands 2 in some capacity but not as playable characters.

The Hyperion Corporation now employs robots to fight its battles.

These robots can even augment others' abilities in combat.

Gearbox has also stated that they’re retooled the co-op aspects of the game so that menus are more easily navigable when playing split screen. Also, though I haven’t read anything about this, I’m hoping Gearbox addresses the issue of players of various levels being able to play with one another. In Borderlands, it wasn’t so much that you couldn’t play with characters who were above you in terms of level progression so much as if you did, you would find yourself getting destroyed left and right when playing with people who were just a few levels above your own. If Gearbox were able to address this problem of level scaling, players would find it much easier to play with random people or jump into and out of friends’ game.

Warhammer 40k Space Marine: The Dreadnought DLC

It isn’t often I’m glad I’m wrong, but today I am. Recently, I did a post about upcoming “Warhammer 40k: Space Marine” DLC which seemed to indicate that formidable Dreadnoughts would be coming to “SM” in some form or another. I speculated on several possibilities for this Dreadnought DLC and even though I postulated that it would ridiculous for Relic to craft a DLC like this and not let players pilot a Dreadnought, I eventually reached the conclusion that they would probably only be used as boss characters on new Exterminatus maps.

Well, it looks like thankfully I was wrong. The new DLC pack, titled “The Dreadnought,” is set for release on Jan. 24 and adds new maps as well as new game modes. The biggest addition of the DLC, though, is a new multiplayer mode titled Dreadnought Assault. In this mode, players fight to control a central point on the map and, once controlled, can spawn a player controlled Dreadnought to wreak havoc and continue to gain control points on the map. The Dreadnought will be equipped with Assault Cannon or Auto Cannon, a Meltagun and a Power Fist or Power Claw (depending on whether Space Marines or Chaos Marines capture it). The three new maps are titled “Desolation,” “Dome Mechanicus” and “Chem Refinery,” a new team-based mode called “Capture and Control” where players battle for locations across the map and score points for maintaining control. This DLC will also introduce new achievements to “SM.”

Even the ruinous powers of Chaos will be able harness

the power of the Dreadnought.

Releasing “The Dreadnought” at this time of the year was a great move by Relic. With nearly zero quality releases in the post-holiday season gaming climate and most gamers (like myself) running out of quality things to play (or just looking to take a break from Skyrim), “The Dreadnought” is the perfect way to draw people back to “SM.”

If you know anything about the “WH40k” universe, you know that there is a wealth of different vehicles and mechanized monstrosities that “SM” could’ve drawn on. Prior to the release of The Dreadnought, fans had to make do with just Imperium vs. Chaos Marine battles, with only a handful of non-playable vehicles making an appearance in the single player campaign. I’m very much looking forward to seeing how this new mode plays out and just how the Dreadnoughts will handle. From what I read, once a Dreadnought is destroyed a new capture point will spawn so that another can be summoned to the battlefield.

Hopefully this is just the first of many vehicles we see added to “SM.” Though the Space Marines themselves don’t make use of many vehicles (save for a few like the Valkyrie Gunship and the Land Raider heavy armor transport), the Imperial Guard have a wealth of vehicles such as the Leman Russ battle tank (and its variant the Chimera), the Sentinel walker and the Baneblade super-heavy tank that would fit perfectly in “SM” – especially now that Dreadnoughts are being introduced. Only time will tell about upcoming “SM” DLC because honestly, I’m too busy salivating over the possibility of crushing some heretical Chaos Marines with a Dreadnought power fist to think about much else.

For more info, visit the official Space Marine website

Asura's Wrath demo: Cranking the insanity to 11

While most of the games I play usually land within the realms of science fiction or fantasy, they still have some kind of anchoring in reality. For example, even though you can fight dragons in Skyrim, the setting and the characters in Skyrim are still bound by the laws of reality (at least somewhat). A demo I played on Xbox Live the other day totally eschews any semblance of reality and normalcy, instead opting for complete and utter insanity. And you know what? It’s actually pretty cool.

“Asura’s Wrath,” an upcoming game by Capcom and CyberConnect2, I’m convinced, was conceived by crazy people. Heavily cinematic, “AW” is bold, grandiose, sweeping, bodacious, and a little gaudy with equal parts epic added to each of those adjectives. Relying heavily on quick-time events (QTEs), “AW” offers an unbelievably wild, colorful and amazingly violent (though not overly gory) experience. While some may love the feeling of playing an over-the-top cinematic manga, others may be turned off by the relatively small amount of input players have on the course of the events in the game (at least, from what I could tell from playing the demo).

The story of “AW,” allegedly, is a blend of elements of Asian mythology and science fiction to create a wild reimagining of that mythology. I had to do some extra reading to figure out just what the hell is going on in “AW,” too, because if all I went on was the info I could glean from the demo, “AW” is about the following – an extremely pissed off guy named Asura (who also may or may not be made out of some kind of reddish stone) fights everyone in the universe, including vaguely angelic figures, other pissed off guys who may or may not also be made out of stone, and supernatural giants who can grow so large that they dwarf planets. There’s something about his daughter being kidnapped and he often, randomly, remembers something awful about his daughter (or maybe his wife?) which only aids his enragement. Oh yeah, and Asura can grow six arms (well, four more for a total of six). Maybe he’s some kind of heaven robot? I don’t know.

Though I couldn’t gather any story-related info from the demo, I read up on its Wikipedia page that Asura was, at one time, a revered general in Heaven’s army. After defeating some enemy, Asura returned to Heaven only to find the Emperor (God?) dead with Asura being framed for the murder. Asura is pursued by all the forces of Heaven, his wife killed and his daughter kidnapped. After being forcibly exiled from Heaven, Asura spends numerous millennia on earth until he is awoken one day by the prayers of a little girl who is being attacked by some strange creatures. After his reawakening, Asura travels the world and the heavens to avenge himself and his family.

Asura's default emotion - intense rage.

Get used to seeing this look a lot.

So despite what seemed like the demo’s best attempt to keep the story a secret, there is a story somewhere in there, buried deep under layers of anime/manga nonsense. A very generic video game story, but it is there.

The biggest draw of “AW” is the spectacle of the battles Asura finds himself involved in. Each battle is mainly compromised of various QTEs (like mashing a button, timed button presses and patterns of button presses) where successfully completing QTEs builds Asura’s “burst” meter. As battles wear on, Asura becomes more and more enraged, like a white-haired, Japanese Incredible Hulk. Once enough rage is built up, Asura can activate a burst attack, which progresses the battle to its next stage.

But battles aren’t entirely made up of QTEs. “AW” is also part on-rails shooter as well as a simplistic brawler. It seems that as the game progresses, battles begin to combine these elements together to create faster paced, more intense fight sequences. For example, the “AW” demo contains two episodes – one on earth where Asura fights a giant named Wyzen and one where Asura fights a man named Augus on the moon (yes, that moon). The fight with Wyzen is fairly straight forward, with each battle sequence (separated by bursts) usually only requiring the completion of one QTE. The battle with Augus, however, blends brawling, QTEs and shooting (Asura can fire energy blasts from his arms. Are you really still questioning this game?) into the same fight.

See that little thing in the bottom left? That's Earth.

While the fight with Augus was more intense, it wasn’t exactly difficult, which makes me concerned with how difficult the full version of “AW” might be and whether “AW” would be worth a full price purchase. Some might be keen on playing what is essentially a cinematic, anime video game while others would be turned off by its linearity and how the game essentially decides the course of events, with the player along for the ride.

Personally, I don’t have a problem with a game that has a heavy emphasis on QTEs – if they’re used well. Since this is just a demo, I wouldn’t be surprised if these “Episodes” only constituted boss fights in “AW” and the full game featured more expansive, thought out levels in between.

It wouldn’t be the first time a demo for a game turned out to be completely different from the full retail release. “Brutal Legend’s” demo, for example, was the game’s intro – Eddie Riggs being transported into metal-land (that place didn’t have a name, did it?), finding his axe and fighting through a linear level capped off by a boss fight. You know how often Eddie fought through a confined, linear level in the full game, besides the intro? Never is how often. “BR” was an open-world game with tons of sidequests to complete – something not even alluded to in the demo.

The voice-overs in “AW” are exactly what you’d expect from the English translation of an anime/manga – just awful. The delivery of nearly every line is terrible, not to mention the writing and the lines themselves often make little to no sense. I don’t know if it’s due to the writing or just by virtue of it being made in Japan (a country that seems like it’s on a perpetual acid trip) but whatever it is, basically all the dialogue in “AW” is laughable. The majority of Asura’s lines are enraged screaming while Augus’ lines almost made me feel embarrassed for the voice actor who had to put his name to this game. The voice-overs are bad, is what I’m getting at.

Still, excellent delivery of lines isn’t why you’d play “AW” – you play it to watch Asura grow six arms, punch a planet sized giant into dust, fight a guy with a sword that cuts through the moon and get impaled from the moon to the planet earth by that same sword (Augus impales Asura, leaps off the moon, toward earth, with Asura on his blade, pinning him to earth, while the blade comes out the other side of the planet. Seriously). And that stuff is in the demo – what the hell could Capcom be keeping for the full version that tops all that nonsense?

And you know what? For all its ridiculous, utter lunacy, I think I love it. It’s simple, it’s over-the-top but the best part is it knows all of that and it plays off the knowledge that it should be absolutely bonkers. “AW” is supported by its stunning, eye-catching visuals that, obviously, draw a heavy influence from anime and manga. Thanks to the simplicity of its gameplay, its art style and its willingness to turn the insanity up to 11, “AW” will definitely be a game I’m keeping my eye on. “AW” is set for a North American release on Feb. 21. If the reviews of “AW” are generally positive and there’s an indication that it offers a little bit more depth than what was featured in the demo, “AW” could easily find a spot in my collection come spring.

WH40k Space Marine "Dreadnought" DLC: Even in death, I still serve

Relic’s “Warhammer 40k: Space Marine,” the first action/adventure 40k game offered on consoles, was not just a huge hit in my own opinion but received much critical acclaim after its release and is up for “Best Xbox 360 Action Game” in the IGN People’s Choice awards. “Space Marine” featured a short-ish single payer campaign and introduced a new character to the 40k lore, an Ultramarine named Captain Titus. Along with the campaign, “SM” also offers multiplayer, including both competitive and cooperative modes.

Though the game only shipped with two multiplayer modes – Annihilation and Seize Ground – the coop, score attack mode “Exterminatus” hit the net not too long after its initial release and a second DLC pack, “Chaos Unleased.” Well, Exterminatus was stuff that basically should’ve been included to begin with but was added later on (not to mention, free of charge for those who bought new) and “Chaos Unleased,” which includes a new Capture the Flag multiplayer mode, new skins and maps, is technically the first DLC pack. But whatever – moving on.

As 2011 was coming to a close, Relic posted the above screenshot on the “Space Marine” Facebook page with the caption, “We have a big metal surprise coming to Space Marine in January – Merry Christmas from Relic!” No other info was posted along with the screen shot (or since for that matter) so…let the wild speculation begin!

Just so everyone is on the same page, that screen shot up there shows an Ultramarine Dreadnought utterly dominating the face of a Chaos Raptor. A dreadnought, for the 40k uninitiated, is a lumbering, mechanical behemoth that houses a fallen Space Marine. Dreadnoughts have two very important functions in the Imperium of Man. They act as a mobile life-support system, keeping a broken, otherwise dead Space Marine alive for centuries to come, while at the same time being enormous death-dealing monstrosities that the Imperium can use in battle to bring vengeance to humanity’s enemies.

Now – onto the speculation. With literally no info to go on, it’s hard to say just what capacity Relic could be using a dreadnought in. Obviously, since he is decimating a Chaos Raptor, we can tell that at least the Imperium will have access to dreadnoughts. Secondly, since it is a Raptor being killed, we can tell it’s in a competitive multiplayer mode as Raptors don’t make an appearance in the single player and aren’t enemies in Exterminatus (at least not until the final, bonus round). On second thought, it could be in the new “Chaos Unleashed” Exterminatus – a mode which pits the forces of Chaos against hordes of Imperial Guard as well as Orks.

So where does this leave us – the players? First of all, it leaves me hoping that we’ll actually be getting to pilot one of the fearsome dreadnoughts. It’d be such a disappointment if, when said DLC is released, if it were only added in a support capacity – for instance, a special Exterminatus map where a Dreadnought shows up to deal justice – or if they were just an enemy.

But that couldn’t be it – the dreadnought has to be playable and that’s really all there is to it. Why would Relic even go out of its way to put something like a dreadnought in if we weren’t going to be able to use it? The answer to that riddle is they wouldn’t.

So it’s going to be playable in competitive and perhaps coop multiplayer modes. My initial reaction was this – a handicapped match (wrestling terminology) where a team of Chaos takes on an Imperial Dreadnought. It would make sense, fluff-wise, since a dreadnought can take a pretty serious pounding and has the firepower to back up its toughness. But it wouldn’t make too much sense, game-wise, cause no matter how powerful the dreadnought is, multiple people versus one dude would be pointless and not much fun (especially for the dreadnought). Perhaps they could be used in a team with dreadnought versus a team with dreadnought?

Then again, after some thinking, a dreadnought couldn’t really be featured on, well, any of the maps in “SM” to date – mostly because of its size. While there isn’t a function to get into cover, using cover to regain health is an important part of playing competitively. What I’m getting at here is, basically, the maps are designed for smaller, Space Marine, character models and a larger dreadnought wouldn’t fit. In the competitive maps, like the sewer one or the factory (it’s been a while, I don’t remember the specific names), a dreadnought would literally spend the entire time stepping on/over pieces of the environment or stuck in/on/against stuff.

Well, that kinda cuts out a lot of options, doesn’t it? So, no dreadnoughts in single player is more than likely. The single player is pretty narrative driven and throwing a dreadnought in wouldn’t make sense, either in terms of the story or in terms of how we experience the story. It probably wouldn’t be competitive multiplayer because it would either make matches too unbalanced and it probably wouldn’t fit in any of the maps. So Exterminatus seems like the only other option – except we already decided that there aren’t any Chaos Raptors in Exterminatus.

Unless, perhaps, the dreadnought is a new boss character for the “Chaos Unleashed” Exterminatus mode. Unfortunately, if this is the case, it doesn’t sound like the dreadnought would be a playable character and would be, probably one of the last, ultra-powerful foes you face before finishing Exterminatus. I’m rather saddened by this realization but after exploring the other avenues Relic could use to introduce the dreadnought, this seems like this only plausible answer. Hopefully all the rabid 40k and “SM” fans out there will get answers sometime soon.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution review: Not quite the future you were expecting

When the original “Deus Ex” was released in 2000 and “Deux Ex: Invisible War” in 2003, games that gave you the freedom to explore a huge open-world with numerous ways to complete quests and tasks were in short supply. After “Invisible War” received a lukewarm reception from fans and critics, the series went dark and many wondered if we’d ever see another “Deus Ex” game. It wasn’t until August of 2011 that new developer Eidos (the previous two games being developed by Ion Storm) released the latest in the dystopian cyberpunk series, “Deus Ex: Human Revolution” (which I’ll be referring to as DX:HR from here on out).

It’s odd that a popular series like Deus Ex would be put on hold so long. Now that it’s back, the DX gameplay formula – allowing players multiple avenues to completing missions – has shown its age. Not that the formula isn’t popular these days – it’s actually the opposite. In the eight years since the last DX game was released, multiple series have hit the market that allow gamers near total freedom in terms of playing the game and completing tasks. “Elder Scrolls: Oblivion,” for example, came out in 2006 and gives players an even bigger world to explore than any DX game and offers nearly the same gameplay style – allowing the player to tackle challenges as they see fit. I use Oblivion as an example for a reason; to emphasize that what DX offers, isn’t all that innovative anymore. Though DX:HR isn’t necessarily just a re-hashing of well-tread ground in terms of narrative and gameplay, it may get a little too close for the liking of some.

The events of DX:HR take place in the year 2027, 25 years before the first Deus Ex title. In it, you take on the role of Adam Jensen, chief of security for the bio-augmentation company Serif Industries. Though Jensen begins the game as a pure human, events quickly transpire that require Jensen to become augmented. As the head of security for Sarif, Jensen sets out to track down a group of mercenaries who attacked their headquarters in Detroit. One nice little touch Eidos added was giving players a recap of recent narrative events when continuing the game from the main menu so that even if you’re coming back to DX:HR after playing other games, you’ll always have some kind of idea what’s going on.

DX:HR is an open-world, first-person action/adventure RPG and its gameplay is divided into three different aspects – social, hacking and combat/stealth. Jensen begins the game in the city of Detroit as he searches for the mercs he will be able to explore Sarif Industries and some of the surrounding areas of the town. Most of the areas you’ll explore in DX:HR exist in large hub worlds where Jensen will have numerous opportunities to speak to people and hack terminals. You might notice I didn’t really mention getting into combat situations because, for the most part, I found playing DX to be more about avoiding combat as often as possible.

Depending on your personal preference in video games, you could love or despise the emphasis DX:HR puts on stealth. There isn’t an obvious penalty for choosing not to be stealthy, but you will find completing missions much, much harder if your first course of action is pulling out your weapons at every turn. I myself am not much for staying hidden and using cunning rather than bullets to solve problems so saving and reloading often became a necessity for me. I was able to stomach the constant “trial and error” feel that completing certain sections requires however many others may not have the patience needed to tackle DX:HR.

Though it is technically open world, there isn’t a whole lot to do in DX:HR besides following the main story quest and completing the occasional sidequest. A merchant may exist here and there to sell you new weapons or ammo (though you’ll hardly need it – more on that later) or Praxis points at the LIMB clinic to upgrade your augs but other than random terminals to be hacked, DX:HR doesn’t offer much to do outside of completing missions.

Over the course of the game, Jensen will earn XP from conversations (by talking his way into new information), hacking terminals, performing takedowns/kills, exploring, sneaking, etc. Eventually you’ll earn Praxis points that can used to upgrade one of Jensen’s many augmentations. Jensen’s augs are split between his head (where hacking abilities are found), torso (energy cells and lung/sprint duration), arms (strength, inventory capacity, aiming/recoil reduction), eyes (improved vision, seeing through walls), back (reflex booster for multiple takedowns), skin (increased health, cloaking), and legs (jump height, moving silently) and each has many different options for upgrades. It’s really up to your own play style to determine what to upgrade first, though hacking and social interaction enhancers seem to come in handy more frequently than being able to pick up vending machines, punch/see through walls or ignore poison gas.

Though I didn’t understand/like it at first, hacking in DX:HR is probably one of the most entertaining mini-games I’ve ever played. Each terminal you find (whether it opens a door, a safe or unlocks a computer) has a security rating and to hack it, your Capture software aug needs to be an equal or higher value. The goal of hacking is to Capture directories on the system until you reach the Registry.

Each system you’ll hack is made up of different icons, connected by bridges (some of which only allow travel in one direction). Most directories on a given system are meaningless go-betweens that allow you to access the next directory while some contain XP, money, hacking software (Nukes allow you to capture any point without being detected and Stops freeze security subroutines for five seconds), or other useful programs like Spam (which reduces the level of the security subroutine) or Clearance (which reduces the level of each directory on the system by 2). Captured points can also be Fortified to increase the amount of time it will take the security program to trace you, should your intrusion be detected. Each time you capture a point, there is a chance the security on the terminal will detect your intrusion and begin a trace to find and kick you out. If detected, a terminal will lock you out for about 30 seconds and sometimes they can also trigger alarms so be sure to save your game before hacking. Also, when hacking or using terminals, Jensen is still in the world in real time – meaning that there’s a chance you could be detected by guards while trying to hack a terminal.

I’ll be honest, it’s been a long time since I played Invisible War, since about 2003 to be sort of precise, and in that time I must’ve forgotten how DX games usually play out. I say this because I often found myself more frustrated with DX:HR than having fun. That’s not to say that DX:HR isn’t a well made game, because it is. I love the futuristic, sci-fi, cyberpunk dystopia that it presents and it blends RPG elements nicely in an action/adventure title. However, there is a fairly steep learning curve when it comes to completing DX:HR optimally (more on that in a bit) and it frequently, without warning usually, amps up the difficulty, leaving you needing to reload your game and play out situations numerous times until you find the right way to do it.

As in most games these days, DX:HR gives you a ton of freedom when it comes to completing tasks and missions. How you complete missions, such as the way you went about completing your objective and how you handled conversations along the way, also has a bearing on the outcome you’ll ultimately receive when the game is all said and done. Keeping this in mind while I played, I found myself, more often than not, playing situations over and over and over until I had cleared an area without being seen, gotten through a conversation successfully or hacked a terminal without being caught. Granted, this is mostly attributed to my need to obsessively complete games as perfectly as possible, I know the same can be said for many other gamers as well. And those gamers will eventually become more than frustrated with playing DX:HR, possibly to the point of putting it down entirely.

I’ll give two examples along these lines and I’ll try to keep it brief. At a certain point, Jensen confronts his boss, David Sarif, about a company security concern he wasn’t briefed on. I needed to play this rather lengthy conversation more than a few times just to make certain I was actually getting the best responses and not just finishing the conversation. My next point pertains to the sudden and jarring difficulty spikes that pop up in DX:HR. Eidos made a big deal about how every situation could be dealt with using stealth, combat or a mix of the two. However, the first boss you encounter is a tank of an augmented man who has a minigun for an arm and can tear Jensen to shreds in a matter of seconds. There’s no way to hide from him and you can’t talk him out of his decision to try and rend you limb from limb – there is only “fight” or “die.” I had to, and I’m not proud of this, lower the difficulty level to easiest just so I could advance past this particular boss fight. Because after the 10^th, 15^th, or 20^th time you’re gunned down by a near impenetrable, bloodthirsty cyborg, you’re willing to do whatever you need to to make it stop.

Luckily all-out firefights like this boss fight aren’t terribly common. The action areas of DX:HR have more in common with Splinter Cell or the MGS series than other action/adventure titles in that, despite your powerful augmentations, stealth is often your most powerful tool. Jensen’s inventory has enough room to carry a few weapons at a time, though I rarely ever used them outside of maybe popping a guard silently here and there. I really can’t stress enough how much emphasis DX:HR puts on staying out of sight and not relying on firearms. Despite his augs and weapons, Jensen can take a relatively small amount of damage before being killed and if you start a firefight, you’ll rarely survive long enough to finish it.

Despite its flaws, DX:HR is a very well-made, worthwhile game. Even on the normal difficulty setting, I found DX:HR to be fairly challenging – something most games these days can’t claim. That challenge did affect the fun I was having the game at times and if you only play games as a way to unwind and pass some time, you may want to look elsewhere. But if you’re up for a challenge and prefer sticking to shadows more than running-and-gunning, DX:HR may be right up your alley. And since it came out in the summer of 2011, you should be able to find it for a reasonable price.

So the world's gonna end this year...

Also...it's been a while hasn't it? Like a month? That can't be right.

I'm planning on doing updates more often. The plan is that I do more updates, but they're shorter so it'll even out in the end. Yeah...best laid plans, right?

Anyway, I do have a few more things in the works right now. Be on the lookout for a DLC update on one of my favorite games of 2011, a list of my most anticipated games of 2012 (or what is slated for 2012 anyway) and maybe even a new "Need to Know Basis." Who knows? I certainly don't.