Marvel Vs Capcom 3 Trophies

I got a chance to have a preliminary look at the trophy list (achievements for you XB360 nuts) for MVC 3 and I must say that nothing looks too crazy. I could be wrong, but this looks way, way easier than the trophies for Super Street Fighter IV (or Street Fighter IV for that matter).

Anyway, you can check out the list here.

Kratos in Mortal Kombat

I know that this is old news, but I am pretty stoked about Kratos being in the PS3 version of the new MK game.

I love the crazy additional characters (Link, Vader, Spawn, etc) that fighters can throw into the fix. Mostly they are over-powered and broken, but always lots of fun to use.

Check out the trailer here.

Haggar is in Marvel VS Capcom 3!

Awesome news fight fans, Haggar from the Final Fight series will be in MVC 3.

For those who don't know Haggar is the Mayor of Metro City and also a professional wrestler. We can only hope that Zangief will also be in the game as well so we can finally have the Zangief, Hulk, Haggar fight we always have dreamed about.

You can check out the video here.

Gran Turismo 5

Readers should be reminded that the Gran Turismo series is not a racing game; it is a racing simulator. The distinction needs to made because those who pick up GT5 thinking that it will be like Mario Kart with Lambourginis will be disappointed.

The game is quite impressive. It has over 1000 cars, tonnes of customizable options, and track after track to test your racing mettle. However, the game has a very steep learning curve and the menus and options are difficult to navigate.

Other reviews have mentioned this, but it bears repeating; the new 'damage' feature is non-existent. So much so that a patch is coming soon, but that makes one wonder if the game was rushed out the door.

If you love cars, you will love this game. If you don't love cars this game will make you love them.

Tale of the Tape

Cost: $60

Length: The game is long. Very long. I will probably never be good enough to finish it. 

Is it worth it?: Yes. There is less than $1 per hour of entertainment here. Minor quibbles aside this is a new killer app for the PS3. 

X-Men Arcade Game Coming to PSN

Pretty sweet news from the New York Comic Con. Konami has finally gotten their act together and will be porting the arcade classic X-Men game to the XBLA and PSN.

You can be all 6 characters (Wolverine, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Storm, Cyclops, and Dazzler) and 6 people can play at once with a combination of online/offline play.

This is one of the many arcade only games that fans have been waiting for. Now hopefully we will see a release of the Simpsons Arcade game as well.

Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One Trailer

A pretty interesting trailer for the next title in the R&C series can be viewed here. 4 player simultaneous action can be fun, but also brutal and filled with many, unnecessary deaths. I will be interested to see if there is a good single player game or if it will be only online.

Modnation Update: Fail

So the big Modnation update hit late last night and I must say that I am unimpressed. While I am happy that I can can invite friends to xp matches, I was disappointed in the two biggest problems with the game: namely, load times and difficulty.

I can see no discernible difference in load times or the difficulty of the game (and yes I did make sure that the race was set to casual). The load times are still achingly long and the rubber-band AI is brutal.

I want to like this game but Sony is making it very hard.

Marvel Vs Capcom 3: New Characters

Another video out on the net shows the Super Skrull, Chun Li, Trish, and Dr. Doom. DOOOOOOOM!

Doom is great, but normally he isn't very good in the MVC games. Hopefully he'll have a better showing. My excitement for this game is continually growing.

The folks at That Video Game Blog have the video posted here.

Gran Turismo 5 Trailer

You can view the E3 trailer to Gran Turismo 5 here.  I am a big fan of racing games, and GT5 looks pretty sweet. I should mention that the Gran Turismo series are designed to be racing simulators, so speed, turns, and damage are are accurate to real life.

If you only like cart racers where you can shoot someone in the back with a missile this will not be the game for you, but the gaming community has been waiting for this ever since the poor showing of GT4 on the PS2. Gran Turismo 5 Prologue just whetted our appetite, and on November 2nd we get the real thing.

Prepare yourself for Mortal Kombat

Any fan of fighting games knows and loves Mortal Kombat. Wait, back that up: any fan of fighting games knows and loves Mortal Kombat 1-3, after which the series became Krappy.

Warner Brothers interactive is bringing back MK by issuing a new title in 2011. The story will be a re-telling of 1-3 and will include 24 of your favourite fighters with more available post launch via download.

All new fatalities and a new x-ray system will bring back the over the top gore that made the series famous, but the solid juggle system looks like it has made a return as well.

Check out the trailer here.

Modnation Getting a New Patch

The folks over at That VideoGame Blog have reported that a hefty patch is coming for Modnation Racers. Sony has heard the outcry of fans and the patch will include new mods, levels, but most importantly a lower difficulty level.

I am a fan of racing games but the rubber-band AI is brutally hard at times. Sure, you can still beat the game with perseverance and tenacity but there should be an easy mode option for the casual gamer. The other problem with the current high level of difficulty is that beating the computer AI is necessary for unlocking different mods.

Thus, unless you are good at the game you cannot really create or share very well with only a few options. No word on when this patch hits, but it will be a welcome addition to a potentially great game. Still no word on the load times though.

Marvel Vs Capcom 3 Gameplay Trailer

Marvel.com has a series of trailers showing some of the gameplay for the upcoming title. It looks quite good and I was surprised to see some variation on the classic finishers like Iron Man's Photon Cannon.

Any character with a gun  (Dante, Deadpool, Chris) looks like they have a pretty similar moveset, so I will be interested to see if the characters play differently.

This is my most anticipated release of 2011 and it should be yours as well.

Tales of Monkey Island

Once upon a time PC gaming was a magical land of point and click adventures instead of a black-hole of FPS where the main objective is shooting as many people as possible in the face. The Monkey Island series is a fantastic puzzle game where the player controls the unlikely hero Guybrush Threepwood, Mighty Pirate.

The series did zombie pirates before they were cool and the puzzles are excellent. Last year, Telltale games released the latest adventure, Tales of Monkey Island. Originally released serially in 5 separate parts, the whole game has recently come to the PSN as a package, and fans will not be disappointed.

The voice acting is top notch and the humour is well-placed. My only issue with the game is the controls. They were obviously designed for the PC and the mouse-based controls don't work well with PS3 controller.

If you enjoy puzzle games, point and click adventures where you can't die, and would like to return to a more innocent age of gaming, this is the title for you.

Tale of the Tape

Cost: $20 (way cheaper than the $50 on the Wii or the $35 on the PC)

Length: It depends on how often you get stuck on some puzzles (avoid checking the internet for hints), but you should get at least 20 hours out of the whole tale. 

Is it worth it: If already love Monkey Island you should pick up this game, and if you have never played a MI game you should give it a try, but if you only like games where you get to yell "Boom! Headshot!" let this one pass on by. 

Pelican Dual Triggers

One of the criticisms consistently laid on the PS3 controllers is that the L2 and R2 buttons are strangely curved downwards. Many games use these buttons as a trigger or attack button, so it is pretty important that usage fells natural and comfortable. The bizarre curve forces your finger to slop downwards off the controller and your hand needs to compensate.

The folks over at Pelican thought this too, so they came up with some neat little plastic accessories that clip onto the PS3 controller (pictured above). Selling at $5 per pair these little beauties create a more natural and comfortable feel for the PS3 controller.

I was skeptical at first but have since come right around. If you play any shooter on the PS3 this is a must purchase item, but even if shooters aren't our bag you'll see (and feel) the difference in any game you play.

Modnation Racers Demo

The demo for the upcoming release Modnation Racers hit the PSN last night and I so I thought I'd check it out in anticipation for next week's release of the full game.

Despite the fact that majority of parts, clothing, and tracks are locked, you have a lot of choice in creating your own racer, car or track. You cannot use your creation in the demo but you can save it to your hard drive and use it once you buy the full game. Customization and the play, create, share philosophy will be the major driving force of this game.

The controls are tight and have a bit of a Mario Kart meets Burnout feel to them. This is not a racing simulator, so those of you who hope for some kind of Little Big Planet Gran Turismo will be disappointed. The weapon selection seems limited, so I hope that the final game has a wider variety.

I was disappointed in the brutal rubber-band AI. There were several races where I was in 1st place until just before the finish line: I was then shot with a missile and came in second or third.  A lot of racing games use rubber-band AI because it is a easy way to program difficulty into the game. However, this is a lazy programmers way out of creating a game with a good, balanced AI that provided a proper level of challenge. This won't stop me from picking up the game next week, but I am disappointed that they went the easy route in terms of AI.

If this game interests you in the slightest you should download the demo. It is free after all and you will get $0 worth of fun out of it.

The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition

Back in 1990, before Johnny Depp made pirates cool, Lucasarts developed a point and click adventure that revolutionized the genre. In The Secret of Monkey Island you took control of Guybrush Threepwood, a wannabe pirate who used, gave, pushed, pulled, picked up, walked to, and talked his way to victory over the villainous Ghost Pirate LeChuck. In my youth this was one of my favourite games. I remember my brother, father, and I spending countless hours trying to figure out what to do with that rubber chicken with the pulley in the middle.

Thankfully my childhood memories were not shattered and the recent HD re-release still holds it own as a point and click adventure game full of puzzles, excellent music, and zany humour.  The game requires you to walk around a series of islands, pick up items, and use these items to solve puzzles. It may seem pedestrian or boring compared to Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto but this game represents the pinnacle of its genre, and wouldn't it be nice for children to play something that require more strategy and problem solving than deciding what kind of machine gun would best kill their online foes?

Tale of the Tape

Cost: $10

Length: At least 5 hours

Is it worth it?: A definite yes. If you have never played the game before you will get $2 worth of fun out of the game and if you have played the game before you will love the nostalgia factor: a great touch in the game allows you to switch between the HD graphics and the original MS DOS visuals.

Street Fighter IV Alternate Costumes

I picked up the extra costumes for SF IV a while back. They were on sale for half price (which still was outrageous at $6.50). Check out the pictures and decide if it was worth it.

Zangeif and Fei Long have the best of the alternates.

Haggar from Final Fight.

Bruce Lee from Enter the Dragon.

You can check out the rest of the costumes here.

God Of War III

The God of War series really needs no introduction, but those who want to do their homework can read previous reviews here and here.

God of War III gives us everything that we would expect from Kratos' tale of bloody revenge against the gods. There is plenty of over the top violence, which, while cartoonish, definitely earns the title its M rating.

The story unfolds well and really ties in all the previous games. The gameplay is tight and the graphics and sound are top notch.

My only quibbles with the game are relatively minor: quick time events are much easier as the button appear on screen is approximately the same area as a controller (square is on the left for example), and the lack of chapter select makes the game feel very last generation. Games should really be taking a look at what Uncharted and Resident Evil 5 have done in terms of chapter breakdown. A solid chapter select greatly increases the replay value as you can easily retrace your steps to collect trophies or revisit your favourite part of the game. GOW III is lacking a game + which makes the cheats somewhat redundant.

All that being said the game is a solid title and a must have for any hack and slash fan over the age of 17.

Tale of the Tape

Cost: $60 CDN

Length: 10 hours

Is it worth it?: Yes. For $6 per hour you will get yours money's worth of gorgon decapitations. 

The 100th Post: Final Fantasy XIII Review

With this entry the Nerd Alert has reached the milestone of 100 posts, and I can think of no better entry than a review of the new Final Fantasy game, Final Fantasy XIII. And when I say review I actually mean preliminary thoughts. The game clocks in at about 60 hours for the main story, so I have not yet had the chance to complete the tale; however, I have played enough of the game to provide my readers with an unbiased assessment of the game and its value for money.

From the opening credits I was pulled into the story. FFXIII is a far more sci-fi entry into the series than some of the previous games, but hardcore fans wanting a pure fantasy tale will not be disappointed. I won’t reveal too much of the plotline, but it will please any fantasy or sci-fi fan. It isn’t original, but done very well (I doubt this will bother anyone; it didn’t for Avatar). The characters are some of the best in the series, with each character having a unique personality, design, and a name that is easy to remember and pronounce. Lighting is a much better name than Vaan or any of the extra vowel names from XII; this is a video game, not the appendix from the Silmarillion.  

The battle system is one of my favourites from any of the FF series. It could best be described as a combination of the ATB system with aspects of the gambit system thrown in. It makes for excellent fast-paced action and battle strategies. I am disappointed in the lack of FF victory music though. Maybe it shows up later in the game, but I would like the classic notes after every win.

Levelling up is also new for this game. There is no experience and you gain hp, attributes, and spells by spending crystarium points (CP) in the crystarium: a mix of the experience nodes and grids from FFX and FFXII respectively.

The game has taken a bit of flack online for being too linear; it does not have huge overworld map to explore. I can only say that the linear pathway really works for this game. You don’t ever feel limited, but you are sent down a pretty specific path. This creates a very movie-like feel for the game. Much like the Metal Gear or God of War series you feel as though you are directing a story instead of playing a level grinding RPG.

Love or hate a Final Fantasy game, I am always impressed in the way that Square Enix reinvents the series to feel new and familiar with each release. It is hard to stay innovative after two decades of working on a series.

Tale of the Tape

Cost: $60 CDN

Length: 60 hours+

Is it worth it?: A resounding yes. At $1 per hour for entertainment you can’t go wrong, and even those who don’t usually like RPGs will enjoy the fast pace and linear path of the game. This is a killer app for the PS3. 

Heavy Rain

Intense. That is the best word to describe this game. The tightly woven serial killler whodunit keeps you on the edge of your seat from the beginning to the end. Well almost from the beginning to the end; the prologue is boring and probably should be shorter. Throughout the game, you control four different characters who are racing against time to save a child from the Origami Killer.

The entire game is made up of quick time events (QTEs) that require some combination of button pressing (indicated by onscreen prompts) to progress through the story. I will be honest: the controls are garbage. Walking around was better in Resident Evil on the PS1. Luckily, the game is more about the story, and how decisions you make affect the story, than tight controls.

Each chapter of the story seems to intensify the overall experience. Your characters are always in danger, and you can never shake the feeling that if you make a wrong choice your character will die. Actually, you can get all the characters killed and still complete the game (you just get the worst ending). In fact, the trophies require several playthroughs to obtain the platinum, often with you making the exact opposite decision than before.

This game is not for children (who would find it either terrifying or boring), but any fan of crime drama should give this title a try.

Tale of the Tape

Cost: $60 CDN

Length: This will provide at least 10 hours of bone-chilling suspense, probably more. 

Is it worth it?: For a mere $6 per hour you get a very unique and interesting gaming experience. The game is a landmark for a new sub-genre in the industry. But if episodes of Law & Order: SVU make you squeamish, let this one pass on by.