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Prince of Persia
January 19th, 2009
When the Prince of Persia was born in 1989, it began as a simple side-scrolling platform game. At the time, the graphics were beautiful, and the gameplay put a refreshing twist on the genre that Mario had set not too long before. After a few sequels and several years, PoP saw new life from Ubisoft, where it evolved from a 2-D scroller to a 3-D adventure title. And again, the graphics looked great on the current generation of console, and the gameplay took the breath of many gamers, myself included. Of course, the Sands of Time was followed by two more sequels, ending in 2005. With a new wave of consoles at their disposals, Ubisoft has revived the old franchise, and again it has seen many changes.
Logitech Cordless Vantage PS3 Headset
January 3rd, 2009
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The Sony Playstation 3 as a console has so far offered up a questionable gaming experience for those who have purchased it. Realistically, however, the system does have its own distinct titles – many of which deliver solid multiplayer content. Resistance 1 and 2, LittleBigPlanet, and Warhawk all serve up delicious online fare just for starters and with the inception of Home for the PS3, it’s safe to say that like the Xbox 360, online play is an integral part of the PS3 experience. At this point, in order to maintain an edge in an online game, a headset is basically required in order to establish proper teamwork. Since Sony hasn’t seen fit to provide their supporters with an official Sony headset as of yet, it’s up to the third parties to pick up the slack. This is where Logitech comes in with their Cordless Vantage headset, an interesting device fit to take advantage of the PS3’s Bluetooth capabilities. They were kind enough to send us one, so that we might put it to the test.
Rock Pedal Kick Pedal
November 12th, 2008
So how many times have you broke a Rock Band kick pedal while playing “Run to the Hills” on expert? None? Me either. Drums are too damn hard. I have, however, managed to break two while playing savagely through the medium career. All this serves to prove is that the Rock Band peripherals are terrible. Not that this is news to anyone at this point. It’s a good thing that some people have taken up a proactive solution to this problem. The visionaries at Rock Pedal have formulated an answer to kick pedal woes: the Rock Pedal. Coincidence, or company name based off the product? You be the judge. Silly comments aside, they were kind enough to send us not one rock pedal, but two in preparation for the LanOC v3 Drum-off. Since then, we’ve had the opportunity to test the product proper, and this is what we thought….
Soul Calibur 4
August 20th, 2008
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When I first started playing Soul Calibur 4, I was convinced it was going to be simply an upgraded version of the previous titles. The main menu screen presented several familiar options- single player, versus, character creator, and the museum. Anxious to see how the new installment ran, I jumped straight into the classic Arcade mode. Like everyone who bought SC4, Star Wars fan or not, I was curious to see how the new guest characters performed. Since I had the 360 version, my special character was Yoda, a fighter whose height often gives him an advantage parallel to that of Oddjob. While in the previous SC games one could select from several costumes and weapons, the only customization available was between two appearances. So I chose one at random and began my first match. The screen that reveals which two characters will be matched up has been upgraded; a black background with the character striking some battle poses now introduces each side. And, of course, the on-stage character intro that allows for some trash talking and taunts still exists, and even seems to posses a higher CG quality than the actual gameplay, similar to a cut scene. Read more…
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
July 1st, 2008
The vast majority of individuals who put their MGS4 disc into their system had been waiting for it since Hideo Kojima announced it as the final chapter of Solid Snake. Being the first in the series to be on the current next-gen systems, expectations were all the more elevated. There are few sequels that actually deliver on such prospects, especially when carrying on a storyline that has spanned over seven titles. Guns of the Patriots is really nothing new; same Snake, same stealth action, same particularly loud sound blip to let you know that yes, they’ve seen you. Which is one of the most impressive aspects of the game: its still an unbelievable experience. In an era of sequels, developers attempt to pull gamers back to a series by introducing some new aspect of gameplay, which usually ends up second-rate. MGS4 may not revolutionary, but fans of the series didn’t necessarily want something new. Besides, the series has already established itself as leader in the stealth genre. The only two features that have seen some adjustment are the camera view (Guns of the Patriots takes a more first-person view) and, of course, the graphics.
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