Video Games Today

Banjo-Kazooie for the Xbox Live Arcade has finally been released today! After two delays of nearly three weeks, the game has hit the XBLA. The game is priced at it's expected 1200 Microsoft Point($15.00 USD) tag. The game features new, updated graphics, HDTV support, easier control scheme, and possible future DLC for the title. Note, this is NOT a new Banjo-Kazooie title, it is the original 1998 title that was previously on the Nintendo 64. There are no additional story elements or missions added to this version, and there is not any expected or announced by Rare. We have already downloaded our copy and will have the review up for this game this weekend.

Enjoy!
The VGToday Crew

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Gears of War 2 is one of this year's most anticipated Xbox 360 exclusive titles. Gears 2 is designed by Epic Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios. This is a sequel to the Xbox 360 blockbuster, Gears of War. The game was announced during the 2008 Game Developers Conference by Cliff "Cliffy B" Bleszinski to be "Bigger, Better, and more Badass".

You play as Marcus Fenix, as in the first game, with your partner Dom Santiago. The game has added an extra mode of difficultly to try and sell some of the more "casual" gamers. "Casual" mode from Gears of War is now called "Normal", and "Casual" in Gears 2 is basically the easiest mode in a shooter you will ever encounter. The game starts you out in the last human refuge, Jacinto. Jacinto is the one city that cannot be sunk by the Locust, or so we are to think. You are told the Locust are advancing on Jacinto, and are becoming more "desperate". You are then put in command of Benjamen Carmine. This Carmine is one of the brothers of Anthony Carmine, from Gears of War.

The single player experience is a great improvement over the first installment. It is longer, and generally more of an actual experience. The first game was, and still is, criticized for the sever lack of story. Gears 2 follows the fight against the Locust, along with the side story of Dom and his long-lost wife Maria. The game should take you around 8-14 hours of game time to finish, depending on the level of difficultly you are on. Also, if you wish to get the 1000/1000 gamerscore for the game, you must play through a second time to play on the "Insane" difficultly mode. The difficultly of Insane seems "pumped" up from the first game, due to the improved AI and certain weapon balancing. The Lancer now nearly stops an opponent in his tracks due to "Stopping Power", and the shot gun only gets a "1 hit kill" if you are right next to the enemy. No longer will you see shotgun battles.

The story may not be a classic, but it atleast gives players a reason to be interested in why things are happening. The ending of the game does seem to come to an end abruptly, but it worked. Do not expect a Halo 2, stopping in the middle of a cut scene ending. The story leaves the series wide open for Gears of War 3.

The multiplayer is where this game really excels. Epic has brought in a new Matchmaking System, similar to the Halo 3 matchmaking, replacing the old lobby system seen in Gears of War. The system has had it's problems, including the long waits to find matches when you are alone, or in a four person group. Epic recently released a title update to Gears 2 that seems to have fixed that issue. There is also a ranking system on this installment. It is based off of Microsoft's True Skill, and includes 5 different ranks. These ranks, since they use True Skill, are only based on Wins and Loses in public matches. So no need to cry over a kill being stolen.


Overall, Gears 2 is not a "Gears 1.5". It is it's own single player experience that expands off of the original "story", or lack of one, and makes a really great single player campaign that wants you coming back for the next installment. Also, the multiplayer is a great improvement and will hold lots of fun for a long time to come, along with Horde mode keeping you entertained for hours on end.

Gears of War 2 gets an:
A
Pass -- Rent -- Buy
Enjoy,
Max Burke
VGToday Management; Review Crew

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Left 4 Dead is Valve's latest project which releases next Tuesday, the 18th of November. The game is a survival horror which brings the "survival" part of the genre to the fullest. You are one of four survivors of a zombie infection, which is very similar to the Resident Evil series, who must fight to stay alive in the infested city. From what I gathered from the demo you must work your way, in the campaign, to escape the city and get to a government refuge. At the intro of the game a government helicopter is shouting to the city for survivors to head to the hospital for evacuation.

So you pick one of the four survivors you want to play as, none of any has an advantage or disadvantage over any other of them. There is a table in front of where you spawn with a pump shotgun and what appears to be a MP5, or other SMG. You may pick one of them and grab the First-Aid kits on the table, which you will need. You also have a pistol that has unlimited ammo. As it stands, the pistol is way to powerful for it to have unlimited ammo. I found myself using the pistol more than my shotgun because of range. I'd only use the shotgun if the zombies got up close to be, which happens alot. Valve needs to make the pistols have an ammo cap, or lower damage. As is, it takes 2-4 hits with a pistol to kill. Also, if you find a pistol on the ground you can dual-wield.

The co-op element of this game, and it's major selling point, is great. It is probably the best co-op experience I've had it awhile, if not ever. If you are constricted by a smoker zombie, or tagged by a boomer zombie, or on the ground because of a hunter zombie you NEED the help of your allies to survive. There cannot be a lone ranger in this game because of that. Also, the AI Director keeps this game fresh. Each time I ran through it, it was different. The zombies never came the same way, nor in the same numbers or types. This will give the game untold amounts of replay value.

Since this is only a Demo Impression and not a full on game review I will stop here and give more time to reviewing this game when it releases. I highly suggest this game, and it will most likely have my vote for game of the year.

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Tom Clancy's EndWar released in North America yesterday and hit my front door this morning. First Impressions of the game will be up shortly followed by a full length review in a few weeks. Busy season is officially started with Fable, Fallout, EndWar, and others released! Also coming this Sunday are my Gears of War 2 first impressions.

We are also giving away a FREE Copy of Gears of War 2 later this November, so if you cannot get your hands on a copy...dont worry! Stay tuned for more info on this giveaway.

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With only a short while left before the release of Valve's Left 4 Dead, they release a video showing the opening scene of the campaign mode. In Left 5 Dead you can play as any of the 4 characters in 4 player co-op. This is sure to be one of the best zombie survival games this year!

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Fallout 3, one of this year's Triple-A RPG's (Roleplaying Game) hit shelves this past Wednesday. The game places you in post-apocalyptic Washington, D.C. The game begins with you being born "in Vault 101", an underground fallout shelter, where you can custom the appearance of your character to be. You then have segments of your childhood, at one year old and your first time walking. This fits great into the walking and movement tutorial. Then you eventually turn 10 years of age and receive your Pip-Boy 3000, which is basically a personal PDA device strapped onto your arm. At this segment you meet some of the people in the Vault like Butch, the Overseer, Amata, etc.

I am going to stop there with story details to avoid spoilers, needless to say you soon escape the vault. Note, this is just my first impressions not a review as I have not finished the game fully yet. The game controls handle well and the graphics look amazing on my HDTV. You should save before leaving the vault because the opening scene is one of the best scenes in recent video games. Stepping out from the vault, the first sunlight you ever see hits your eyes and you are blinded for a few moments before adjusting to the light and seeing the ruins of, what used to be, Washington D.C. Not only is the scene great, but once you realize, "Hey, I can go ANYWHERE I can see right now" you realize this is what "Triple-A Game" really means. From atop the hill you exit the vault from you can see famous buildings such as the Washington Monument and the Interstate Super Highway.

From there it is up to you. You can proceed with your Main Story and go to a town named "Megaton". Megaton is a city built around an atomic bomb that landed but never exploded. This transitions into what I will talk about next, the moral choices in the game. Many RPGs try to bring this into their games...but Fallout 3 really succeeds. You will soon face a hard decision in Megaton that will ultimately shape how you play the game. When you enter Megaton you can, and will, go to the local Saloon. You meet a Mr. Burke who wants help detonating the A-bomb in the city so wipe the town off the map. Now, you can agree to this and go through with it. Or you can run to the sheriff you met when you first entered Megaton. I choose to be the "goody-goody" during my first play through so I immediately run to the Sheriff. I tell him what happened and we heads to the Saloon. After telling Burke he is arrested and turns his back for a second, Burke pulls out his 10mm Silenced Pistol. This is another point in the game that sees how you react to what is happening. You can sit and let the Sheriff die, or you can kill Burke before he assassinates the Sheriff. This is what RPGs are supposed to be like, your decisions REALLY matter. This is not some Peter Molyneux "fake" moral decisions as seen in past Fable games.

I will stop there and leave you to think upon what RPG you will be picking up this holiday season. With the November rush of games this year, Fallout 3 really stands out well in the crowd.

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Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway is the latest Brothers in Arms by Gearbox and Ubisoft. Brothers in Arms brings the same tactical shooter as it's predecessors. If you're looking for a Call of Duty or Halo "run and gun", pass this on your to buy list.

Brothers in arms puts you in the role of Staff Sergeant Matt Baker who is part of the 101st Airborne Division. You start off the game in a fast forward where you talk to a soldier who's face is not shown. The game goes into a short tutorial to show you the basics and necessities, such as suppressing fire and flanking maneuvers.

The game controls are solid and can be changed to different layouts such as "Call of Duty 4", "Halo 3", and "Rainbow 6" for people that want to use a familiar style. This game builds off of the cover system that Ubisoft uses in most of it's FPS games. You can take cover behind nearly everything, but things like wood will not hold up as well. The cracking effects on wood cover are great, the wood does not just spontaneously combust like many other games, it chips away until the enemy, or you, have destroyed it all.



One major issue with the cover system is the lack of blind fire. You must reveal yourself to the enemy to shoot. And this will often hurt your squad more than you. They will stand straight up in the middle of a fire fight and shoot at the enemy, just to see a bullet aimed at their head.

Hell's Highway has been significantly "dulled" down from previous Brothers in Arms, in terms of the micro management of your squads. Flanking is still useful, and needed in harder difficulties and battles, but you find that you could more easily flank the enemy yourself while your squads try to figure out the cover system.



The major down point of this game is the replay factor. When you start the game you have a choice of easy or medium difficulty, you must beat the game once to get the hard difficulty. This is a turn off to me. Why can't I play the game how I want to first time around. It seems like Gearbox is trying to juice as many hours of playtime out of you before you realize that this game gets old after the first play through. Another sign of this is the achievement list. Instead of having achievements for beating the game on the highest difficultly like in the Call of Duty series. Instead they throw in the series of achievements for amount of days played. Like play the game for 7 days, the for 30 days, etc. In addition to the "Remember September '44" in which you must wait until September 17th of next year to achieve.

Along with lack of single player replayability, the multiplayer falls far short of expectations of FPS games. The multiplayer only has one mode with release, and not plans of yet for more to be added via DLC or patch. The single mode is a form of Capture the Flag. The Brothers in Arms games are good and known for their strategic shooter genre, with micro managing squads. In the multiplayer, Gearbox tries to bring that but falls short. The mutltiplayer has assigned "Team Captains", "Assualt Team", etc. The problem is that the team doesnt have to listen to the Captain, and that makes the captain useless.

Overall, a solid game with some replay problems and lack of a stable multiplayer. This game will make the fans of the series a bit disappointed in it's dulled down nature, but for the casual shooter fan it is great.

Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway gets a:
B
Pass -- Rent -- Buy

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...in bringing one of the best RPG experiences to date. Everything looks great and stepping out of the vault was one of the best gaming moments I've have in a long time. I even suggest saving before leaving the vault so you can see it again. It is one of those "Wow, this is what a good game looks and feels like!". I will have a full review up soon (Once I finish the story once). Below are the list of achievements:


Vault 101 Citizenship Award: 10 points
Got the Pip-Boy 3000

The G.O.A.T. Whisperer: 10 points
Took the G.O.A.T.

Escape!: 20 points
Completed "Escape!"

Following in His Footsteps: 20 points
Completed "Following in His Footsteps"

Galaxy News Radio: 20 points
Completed "Galaxy News Radio"

Scientific Pursuits: 20 points
Completed "Scientific Pursuits"

Tranquility Lane: 20 points
Completed "Tranquility Lane"

The Waters of Life: 20 points
Completed "The Waters of Life"

Picking up the Trail: 20 points
Completed "Picking up the Trail"

Rescue from Paradise: 20 points
Completed "Rescue from Paradise"

Finding the Garden of Eden: 20 points
Completed "Finding the Garden of Eden"

The American Dream: 20 points
Completed "The American Dream"

Take it Back!: 40 points
Completed "Take it Back!"

Big Trouble in Big Town: 20 points
Completed "Big Trouble in Big Town"

The Superhuman Gambit: 20 points
Completed "The Superhuman Gambit"

The Wasteland Survival Guide: 20 points
Completed "The Wasteland Survival Guide"

Those!: 20 points
Completed "Those!"

The Nuka-Cola Challenge: 20 points
Completed "The Nuka-Cola Challenge"

Head of State: 20 points
Completed "Head of State"

The Replicated Man: 20 points
Completed "The Replicated Man"

Blood Ties: 20 points
Completed "Blood Ties"

Oasis: 20 points
Completed "Oasis"

The Power of the Atom: 20 points
Completed "The Power of the Atom"

Tenpenny Tower: 20 points
Completed "Tenpenny Tower"

Strictly Business: 20 points
Completed "Strictly Business"

You Gotta Shoot 'Em in the Head: 20 points
Completed "You Gotta Shoot 'Em in the Head"

Stealing Independence: 20 points
Completed "Stealing Independence"

Trouble on the Homefront: 20 points
Completed "Trouble on the Homefront"

Agatha's Song: 20 points
Completed "Agatha's Song"

Reilly's Rangers: 20 points
Completed "Reilly's Rangers"

Reaver: 10 points
Reached Level 8 with Bad Karma

Mercenary: 10 points
Reached Level 8 with Neutral Karma

Protector: 10 points
Reached Level 8 with Good Karma

Harbinger of War: 20 points
Reached Level 14 with Bad Karma

Pinnacle of Survival: 20 points
Reached Level 14 with Neutral Karma

Ambassador of Peace: 20 points
Reached Level 14 with Good Karma

Scourge of Humanity: 30 points
Reached Level 20 with Bad Karma

Paradigm of Humanity: 30 points
Reached Level 20 with Neutral Karma

Last, Best Hope of Humanity: 30 points
Reached Level 20 with Good Karma

Weaponsmith: 30 points
Made one of every custom weapon

Doesn't Play Well with Others: 20 points
Killed 300 people

Slayer of Beasts: 20 points
Killed 300 creatures

Silver-Tongued Devil: 20 points
Won 50 Speech Challenges

Data Miner: 20 points
Hacked 50 terminals

Keys are for Cowards: 20 points
Picked 50 locks

One-Man Scouting Party: 20 points
Discovered 100 locations

Psychotic Prankster: 10 points
Placed a grenade or mine while pickpocketing

The Bigger They Are…: 20 points
Kill all the Super Mutant Behemoths

Yes, I Play with Dolls: 10 points
Collected 10 Vault-Tec Bobbleheads

Vault-Tec C.E.O.: 30 points
Collected 20 Vault-Tec Bobbleheads

Everyone enjoy!

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