EA Sports Active 2

EA Sports Active 2

PS3/X-Box 360/Wii

“Train, don’t strain” - Arthur Lydiard (Runner)

During 2010 I let my exercise routines drop due to other commitments and, like most people after the Christmas indulgence period, I need to start working out more. So I’ve decided to give EA Sports Active 2 (EASA2) a chance.

EASA2 has been released across all 3 consoles and utilises a different control method on each, I’m using the PS3 version. The PS3 version comes with 3 sensor straps, one for each arm and one for the right leg. The left arm sensor also acts as a heart monitor. Setting up the sensors is easy, load the game, insert the USB dongle and turn the sensors on.

EASA2 starts off lightly with avatar creation, choosing a virtual coach and then picking a starting work out. Thankfully the game has 2 workouts pre-programmed; a short one and a long one, and both programs have 3 difficulty levels. Great for those of us which are getting back into excises, those that generally don’t exercise and those that are fitness fanatics. If 2 work out programs are not enough for you, there are also options to create your own workouts or have your coach create you a personalised workout from the exercises available in EASA2.

I am currently working through the shorter “Cardio” work out to break back into an exercise routine. This workout sees me exercising for around 20mins a day, 4 times a week. The games diary keeps track of my workout routines, with optional tracking of diet and exercises out side of the game. I was originally a little apprehensive of how much good 20 mins of exercise would do me, but it made me sweat and left my muscles aching the next day – so I’m taking it as good exercise.

EASA2 mixes the exercises up with mini game type routines, where the player saves goals in football, shoots baskets in basketball and rides down mountains on a mountain bike.

To help work out, EASA2 gives players the option to customise the games soundtrack. I found this to be a great feature, as I prefer to workout to rock music.

Graphically, EASA2 doesn’t push the PS3’s abilities but it gets the job done. Textures are smooth and people look like people, what more could you want from an exercise game?

My partner and I have hit a few issues with the sensors, where they seem to forget where the player is when squatting, but it is only a small hiccup that doesn’t occur regularly. The other issue with EASA2 is that multiplayer is currently not possible without buying to copies of the game (so that player 2 can have sensors as well). Hopefully this is something that EA will resolve in the future.

EASA2 also has the option for downloadable content, so if the player does somehow get bored of the exercises, more should be available in the future.

Should EASA2 replace gym visits? Probably not, but using it to aid exercise regimes can help your fitness. Think of EASA2 as a big step up from the horrid exercise DVDs that c-list celebs pump out when their careers are dying.

And readers, please remember, exercising only helps if you are eating healthy in the first place

 

Sony NGP Announcement

On January 27^th 2011, in Japan, Sony announced its follow up the PSP (Play Station Portable). This new device is going under the codename “NGP” (Next Generation Portable) and is looking to be the rival/competition to the Nintendo 3DS.

So what is looking to change from the PSP to the NGP? Well, for starters, the UMD (Universal Media Disc) drive is gone. Sony’s1000 to 3000 series of PSP’s utilised the UMD to play games and movies; however they removed it from the Go series of PSP. It has also gone from the NGP. In its place, games will be stored on a flash based media card.

The next big change is the controls. The PSP suffered from a poor unresponsive d-pad, which Sony tried to improve in the 2000/3000/Go models, and only having one analog stick. The NGP has the d-pad (hopefully more responsive), dual analog sticks (making it feel more like a Playstation controller), however the changes do not stop there. The NGP features a touch pad on the back, an OLED touch screen on the front, and gyroscope and accelerometer controls. Sony is hoping all these control functions can help gamers be part of the game more.

On the connectivity front, the NGP will boast 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS connectivity. The NGP will also be able to connect to the Playstation Network, and will support trophies (a feature missing the PSP).

Graphically, Sony are hoping to deliver “near” PS3 level graphics on the NGP. This will be an impressive feat on a portable gaming device, but with the PS3 nearing 5 years old (it was launched in 2006) it should be possible.

The NGP’s user interface is currently going by the name “LiveArea”, and it replaces the PSP’s “XMB” interface (which is also used on the PS3).

The NGP will be backwards compatible with the PSOne titles currently available on the PSN Store…but it’s the launch titles that gamers want to read about/see in action. Sony have showed a trailer showing the following titles; Killzone, Little Big Planet, Wipeout, Resistance and Uncharted. That’s a lot of PS3 heavy hitters heading to the NGP.

So when is the NGP going to be released and how much will it cost? The NGP will have a 2011 release in Japan but for the rest of the world Sony kept both of these key pieces of information tightly under their belt.

The full on tech specs are:

CPU:
ARM Corte-A9 core (4 core)
GPU:
SGX543MP4+
External Dimensions:
Approx. 182.0 x 18.6 x 83.5mm (width x height x depth) (tentative, excludes largest projection)
Screen:
(Touch screen) 5 inches (16:9), 960 x 544, Approx. 16 million colors, OLED Multi touch screen (capacitive type)
Rear touch pad:
Multi touch pad (capacitive type)
Cameras:
Front camera, Rear camera
Sound:
Built-in stereo speakers, built-in microphone
Sensors:
Six-axis motion sensing system (three-axis gyroscope, three-axis accelerometer)
Three-axis electronic compass
Location
Built-in GPS
Wi-Fi location service support
Keys/Switches:
PS button
Power button
Directional buttons (Up/Down/Right/Left)
Action buttons (Triangle, Circle, Cross, Square)
Shoulder buttons (Right/Left)
Right stick, Left stick
START button, SELECT button
Volume buttons (+/-)
Wireless Communications:
Mobile network connectivity (3G)
IEEE 802.11b/g/n (n = 1x1)
(Wi-Fi) (Infrastructure mode/Ad-hoc mode)
Bluetooth 2.1+EDR (A2DP/AVRCP/HSP)

Iron Man 2

Iron Man 2

PS3 / X-Box 360 / Wii

“What's the point of owning a race car if you can't drive it?” Tony Stark (Iron Man 2 – The Movie)

2008 put Iron Man into the general publics mind with an excellent film. Sadly, the game of the film followed the typical “cash-in” game rule and was a bag of rubbish. 2010 saw Iron Man return to the big screen (with Iron Man 2) and a chance for Sega to “make it right” with another Iron Man game (aptly named Iron Man 2).

This time around there is the chance to play as two different characters, Iron Man (agile) or War Machine (brute force) and comic scribe Matt Faction has been pulled in to weave a storyline. Weirdly, said storyline happens after the films plot…and if you’ve not seen the film it may ruin a few plot lines for you.

This time around comic villains Crimson Dynamo (think Russian Iron Man) and Ultimo make appearances, which is an improvement over the mafia level villains from the last game. Sadly, the repetitive “helicopter/tank” enemies have been retained.

The games controls have slightly improved from Iron Man (2008), but are still troublesome and most players will probably find themselves just pelting the trigger buttons rather than trying to get to grips with melee combat. Speaking of things that are hard to grasp, could Sega have made the “module/weapon” upgrade section any more complicated? The option to choose classic Iron Man armours is great, but to then have to outfit each one with weapon selections, then ammo selections and ammo modifications is just too much.

Graphically…Sega what the heck are you playing at? This is something the original Playstation could probably have pulled of. Scarlett Johansson probably sued after seeing a square version of Black Widow that looked blockier than 1994’s Virtua Fighter models. Even the cut scenes look horrible. When you’ve got games like God of War III, Batman: Arkham Asylum and Star Wars Force Unleashed propelling the story through cinema level cinematics…well, lets just say they make Iron Man 2 look like a poor VHS pirated copy of the film, when a nice Blu-Ray edition is available.

Then there is the camera. The camera that decides that hiding behind walls, turning to face away from enemies and just generally being a pain in the bum, is a good idea. In other words, the camera work is shoddy.

Finally, there are the glitches. The main one being a major flaw in the final fight that sees the game restart the whole PS3. My control nearly went through the TV.

If you can put up with complicated flying controls, poor camera and bad graphics, give Iron Man 2 a chance (it should be very cheap by now). If you’re after seeing impressive armour, Scarlett Johansson looking like a woman (and not a butch man) and great camera work, then watch Iron Man 2 (the movie).

Nintendo 3DS Launch Info

Today Nintendo held their “3DS Preview Event”. Sadly I did not get an invite, and by the looks of it little was really revealed about the 3DS. What was revealed I’ve collated below:

Launch date: 25^th March 2011

Pricing (£) will be set by the retailers:

Expect prices to be around £220 to £230, and expect the prices to sky rocket in the first few weeks due to low stock in the UK. Amazon (and Play) has confirmed they are going to initially sell the 3DS for £219:

 

25 Launch games:

At launch the 3DS will have 25 games available. This is more than Japan, however, Japan does get the console a whole month before us in the UK. 25 should mean a nice variety of games, which will hopefully show off what the 3DS is capable of.

Black and blue:

The 3DS will be available in 2 colours at launch – Aqua Blue and Cosmos Black. Beats the “clam shell gray” that the DS was limited to at launch. I’d expect a red soon after launch date.

Backwards compatibility:

Laurent Fischer (Nintendo) says the 3DS will be compatible with “nearly” all DS / DSi titles. I guess DS titles that need plug-ins (e.g. Guitar Hero) will not play on the 3DS.

3D TV:

Yep, its looking like Eurosport and Sky TV will be offering some 3D services to the 3DS.

Region Lock:

Erm, neither confirmed nor denied.

So that’s all the information from the preview event. Personally I feel that £220 is a little steep, but then again the Sony PSP launched at a similar price point. However, will gamers pay over £200 for a portable device when the 3 main consoles (Wii, PS3, 360) can be had for the same amount? And how will a new portable device hold its own against the newly developing tablet (iPhone OS / Android OS) and smart phone gaming platforms?

Fallout New Vegas

Fallout: New Vegas

PC / X-Box 360 / PS3

“They asked if I had a degree in theoretical physics. I told them I had a theoretical degree in physics. They said welcome aboard.”

A nuclear war has happened. Cities have been reduced to rubble and ruins. The majority of the human race has been wiped out. Society has collapsed and all that’s left is small factions of people looking after their own interests.

This isn’t Mad Max or Terminator Salvation. This is Fallout: New Vegas. Set in a post apocalyptic future, in the city of sin and flashy lights. The world has mutants, rival gangs, monsters and robots all wandering. I missed the first couple of Fallout games and jumped into the Fallout universe with Fallout 3 (PC/360/PS3), where I spent 7 months exploring the wastelands of Washington.

Thankfully playing the previous games of the series is not a pre-requisite of playing New Vegas, the game does a wonderful job of introducing the player to the Fallout universe and gives hints/advice for the first quest.

I’ll admit I’ve not completed New Vegas and I don’t I will do for some time. I’ve been playing for several hours and only done a few side quests and 2 main quests. However, this being a Fallout game I’m expecting 30+ hours of game play. What I will point out to anyone that is new to Fallout is this – it is not a first person shooter. Do not go into this game expecting Call of Duty.

Fallout is just as much about planning, strategy, collecting items and maintaining relationships as it is shooting enemies. In fact, running in all guns blazes will more than likely end up with your character dying faster than Ricky Gervais at an American awards show. The game can feel a little daunting at first, but then again waking up in a in a nuclear wasteland would feel daunting as well. It takes a while to get your bearings and for the adventure to begin.

Talking to characters introduces you to new friends, enemies, quests and locations to explore. It also helps to unfold a rich storyline and gives the player more understanding of the massive world they can explore. Although some characters only have a few chat options, others have dozens, and these can lead to very different outcomes. Teaming with a faction or killing a random individual can cause whole factions to try and kill you on site.

Fallout: NV portrays the desert wastelands very well, showing destroyed vehicles and crumbling desolate buildings. Although the graphics don’t exactly compare to linear games (like Call of Duty) they do hold up extremely well. Wander the desert for a few hours and watch as the New Vegas strip lights up, and I would be surprised if it doesn’t make you stop and gaze at it. And the bullet-time slow down cameras show how utterly devastating a single bullet can be. Although seeing an enemy crouch on top of a recently thrown piece of dynamite can also be very funny.

The characters that the player can bump into feel like a wild bunch of 1950’s casino goers, mixed with insane ex-casino mafia/employees, soldiers and robots that are more confused than the humans. Add into the mix mutants, monsters and crazy scientists and you’ve got more wackiness than an episode of Looney Tunes.

The music of New Vegas varies from drab, dreary and slightly eerie tunes that play as the player walks around the desolate desert to up beat “Rat Pack” tunes when in the casinos.  I feel like it really adds to the games atmosphere.

If you want a game that you can spend hours exploring, planning the little details, making friends/enemies and decisions that can turn whole towns against you (as well as having the fun of out gunning a gang of enemies), then I’d recommend taking a trip to New Vegas.

Marvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet

Marvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet
PS3 / XBox 360 / Wii

Ok, I’ll admit it. From 1995 to 2008 I was a big comic geek. Over those years I racked up over 7,000 comics. Because of this I’m pretty much about to buy any games that Marvel releases. Yup, I’m easily swayed by Marvel games.

The Infinity Gauntlet was an event during the early 90’s, which saw Thanos (an insane demi-god, and lover of Death) gain the power to pretty much control the universe. It’s a good read and I’d recommend it.

Marvel Super Hero Squad is a kid’s animation…I haven’t seen it, but have seen the “cute” little figures that Hasbro produced.

Slap the two together and…you get a new cutesy video game that resembles a PS2 Lego game (if only Travellers Tales had got the Lego / Marvel license!). The storyline has been altered to include more characters and events (even a loose Annihilation tie in!).

As I said, graphically it looks a lot like a PS2 title, with some very nice laid out levels. However, the camera can be a massive pain in the bum as it is zoomed to far out and blocks the views of some objects.

As it’s a kid’s game I started playing this on the hardest difficulty before getting to most annoying boss fight I’ve played this year. A quick restart (there is no changing game difficulty mid-game) later and the same level is just as annoying on easy.

The game has a free-play mode where players can return to completed levels with different characters to complete more challenges, but I really can’t see many people playing through the game too many times. I can’t even call the game a good brawler as enemies don’t exactly flood the screen and most of the time the player is completing simple puzzles.

Would kids like it? I don’t know. Would adults? Probably not.

Looking Ahead In 2011...

In today’s blog post I’ll be taking a quick looking at 3 games I’m looking forward to playing this year:

Mass Effect 2

January 2011 (PS3, Already out on X-Box 360)
A space based adventure game with RPG elements and made by the team behind Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Sadly I don’t think I’ll be getting it on pay day due to time/money. However, expect a review mid’ Summer.

Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds

February 2011 (X-Box 360 / PS3)
Its been a decade since the last Marvel vs. Capcom game, and hopefully Capcom have been busy refining and updating the game. Tatsunoko vs. Capcom was very impressive on the Wii, and with the graphical power of the 360/PS3, Marvel vs. Capcom 3 should rock! Expect a review during launch weekend.

Batman: Arkham City

???? 2011 (X-Box 360 / PS3)
Batman: Arkham Asylum was an amazing game. In fact, I’d say it’s the best Batman game yet. Will Arkham City top the Asylum? Or will it be the “Batman & Robin” to the first games “Batman Begins”? Shame a launch date has not been confirmed yet.

What games are you looking forward to in 2011?

Pac-Man Championship Edition DX

Pac-Man Championship Edition DX
PS3 / X-Box 360

“Computer games don't affect kids, I mean if Pac-Man affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching pills and listening to repetitive music.” - Kristian Wilson, Nintendo (1989)

Pac-Man. He’s been around for ages (31 years!). I remember the 1st time I played a Pac-Man game, it was way back when on the Sega Master System II. He’s one of those video game characters that have become iconic. And yet, he’s not really done much for video gaming in the last couple of generations (except for that horrible Pac-Man doodle game on the Nintendo DS and the Google logo bit), although Pac-Man Championship Edition did make an X-Box 360 appearance.

Pac-Man Championship Edition DX hopes to fix this and bring Pac-Man back to the masses (this time on PS3 and 360), and it does show with massive amounts of speed and flashy graphics. Imagine the 1980’s arcade cabinets having LCD screens, HD graphics and colours so vibrant that they make your eyes bleed. It sounds so garish, and yet it works.

The game gives players several different modes to try out, Score Attack (5 or 10 minute bursts of game play) and Time Trial (complete objectives in the fastest time) being the main 2. There are also several maps (including the classic Championship map). A nice little feature is the ability to change the graphical styling of both the maps and the characters, so if you liked the classic look of Pac-Man or the “Lego” look over the newer looks, then you can have that look.

The game play of Pac-Man remains the same. Simple, gripping and yet a hidden amount of strategy, especially as the speed starts to increase for 1 to 50. Once the higher speed limits are hit, it becomes a game of furious (fun) button pressing with eyes darting round the screen looking for escape routes and the best paths to get a new high score.

Personally, I feel this is the best Pac-Man game made yet. My fiancée feels the same, although the hyper game speeds and flashy lights did sometimes leave her with a headache (her official quote is, “its an addictive game even for none gamers”). If you want a game to play in quick 5-10 minute bursts, or want to relive the 80’s arcade feeling – then this is one for you!

Star Wars: Force Unleashed 2: Endor Campaign

Star Wars: Force Unleashed 2 – Endor Campaign
PS3 / X-Box 360


Star Wars: Force Unleashed 2 was a very mixed game. On one hand it looked very nice, gave players the chance to wield the Force and proved easy to pick up & play. On the other hand, it was very short, the storyline did not resolve anything and the promised guest appearances (Yoda / Boba Fett) lasted as long as a fat guy on a diet in McDonalds.

To make up for this, Lucas has given us an Endor add-on pack (available for download from your consoles online store) for under £1.

The Endor campaign (2 levels that are about as long as 1 level from the main game) takes place in an alternative universe, where our hero (Starkiller) has gone all evil and Sith. Lucas has taken great lengths to point out that this is an alternative universe, because its obvious there is going to be a Force Unleashed 3, where Starkiller will once again be a hero. Lucas loves 3’s. 3 original films, 3 prequel films, 3 kids and probably 3 partners (2 are locked up on his ranch in Princess Leia bikinis, re-enacting the Jabba scene from Return of the Jedi).

Just looking at the storyline and fans can see that things are looking up. Playing as an all powerful Sith on the forest moon of Endor, against…Ewoks! Yep, Ewoks. Those furries little monkeys from “Return of the Jedi” that got many a Star Wars fans undies in a twist (until Jar Jar came along, then everyone jumped onto that bad wagon). I won’t ruin the story of the Endor campaign; however I will say you get to kick Ewoks in the face.

Graphically, the DLC (down load content) looks the same as Force Unleashed 2 (as you would expect), which makes Endor look amazing. Sadly, its not sandbox, so limited routes and no running off to find more Ewok camps.

Lucas has done fans well, a great piece of DLC, with a good storyline and all for under £1.

"Thank You Mario...

...But our princess is in another castle!"

Welcome one, welcome all to my blog all about video games. Soon I'll be posting reviews on the games I'm playing and I hope you'll stick around to read them.

I've been playing video games for around 20 years and I'm hoping my view point, that of a new father and a casual gaming geek, will create some entertaining reviews.

The title for this post, and the address for my blog are both in reference to Super Mario Bros. from the NES. A classic video game that recently saw its SNES incarnation get a re-release on the Wii as part of Super Mario Allstars.