Monday, June 24, 2002

Josh Calder's Sci-Fi Rankings If you love lists, you'll enjoy Josh Calder's site (he's a contributor to Wired Magazine's "Futureplex, The Wired Sci-Fi Top 20" list).It is not film criticism. Movies are included and ranked from many angles. 10:22:15 AM    comment []

WarCraft III: Reign Of Chaos - scheduled for a late June release From what we've seen, the game looks absolutely superb. Detailed graphics and wonderful animations abound - while the voices are a treat. According to Bill Roper the best fun they've had is sitting around getting drunk and coming up with more things for in-game characters to say. And of course you'll have a chance to do this yourself thanks the to World Editor that is due to ship with WarCraft III. It's claimed that this will allow you to pretty much create your own single-player campaigns, complete with scripted cut-scene intros, and the detail is impressive. Character stats and attributes can be changed, events scripted, and the use of MP3 files for all sounds means that you can customise pretty much anything. You'll also be able to record normal game scenarios to play back to friends. They will be around 160k in size and run using the WIII engine. Uses for this will include being able to study strategies used by veteran players - scoping their build order, etc - as well as recording cheats in action. Rounding off the demonstration we asked Bill for his impressions on the success of the continuing beta test on both the single and multiplayer aspects of WarCraft III. He had this to say: "It's been amazingly successful. It's actually a little frightening - we're kind of used to people saying that some of the stuff is just bollocks, that they don't like it, and we've been surprised that the comments in general have been so great - the feedback we've got has been very refined and very focused and that's fantastic. The great thing about having really core RTS players involved in the beta is that right away they pick up all the most gratuitous loopholes, they found the cheesiest tactics to use and right away we could see that a particular unit was too powerful or that a hero wasn't powerful enough - nobody was using it. That was something that I think was a huge benefit from the beta - it is not what units got used, almost as much as what units didn't get used. Then we had to decide, gosh, why isn't anybody using this. We did a lot of reviewing - we added some units, we did a lot of changes to the heroes, a lot of changes to unit abilities. The feedback has shown us what's been too good as well as what's not good enough." WarCraft III is now scheduled for a late June release in the UK. We just can't wait. 9:40:16 AM    comment []

Classic videogames site Houses the largest public collection of working pre-1987 arcade games.  Annual International Classic Game Tournament 9:28:55 AM    comment []

Review of Minority Report     Tom Cruise plays chief of the Precrime Department John Anderton in the year 2054.  Precrime is a new experimental crime-fighting technique.  Using psychics nicknamed precogs that can see murders before they happen, the precrime unit has been able to turn Washington D.C. into the place with the lowest crime rate in the U.S.  There is about to be a national vote on whether or not to make precrime nationwide.  But before that happens, a justice department official (Colin Farrell) is doing a checkup of the facilities to make sure everything is kosher (and the justice department isn’t very fond of the precrime unit because it could put a lot of them out of work, so he’s looking for a reason).  Anderton starts checking the files on past cases to make sure there are no mistakes.  But he finds that certain records on cases have been deleted.  He does a little digging, even asking his mentor about it, but finds nothing conclusive.  He comes into work the next day, and the precogs have a vision of murder.  He looks at the vision, and realizes that the murderer is himself, but he’s never seen or heard of the man he’s supposed to kill.  Suddenly, he’s finding himself on the run being chased by his own men.  He thinks he was set up, but of course as the clock clicks closer to the time of the event, you keep wondering if he was indeed set up.     This is the quintessential futuristic action thriller.  The pace is incredibly fast, even at 2 hours & 20 minutes it still feels short.  Cruise is at top form in this kind of movie, as the ultra slick super cop hero, he is pretty much tailor-made for this role.  The action sequences are extremely original and genuinely tense, and the plot is complicated enough to keep you guessing, but not so complicated you can’t figure out what’s going on at the end.  This is very much in the style of some of my favorite sci-fi action thrillers like Total Recall with the great effects, action, and a genuinely good story to get hooked on. This is easily the best sci-fi movie of the year so far (although, granted, it hasn’t had much competition). Final Grade: A 9:11:54 AM    comment []

The Bottom Rope (King of The Ring Preview)     Ok, it’s time for one of the biggest events of the year, KOTR.  As anybody who watches wrestling knows, this is always a chance for somebody to really move up to the next level, usually into main event.  This year will be especially interesting since the winner gets a title shot at Summerslam.  The Rock’s official return will also no doubt be a big deal, but I do wish that he officially had a match setup (Storm or Christian would’ve been a good choice).  This is a much more solid card than lost month, as I am pretty much looking forward to all but two of the matches.  So let’s get on to the preview: Hurricane vs. Jamie Noble-Cruiser: Yawn.  I like Hurricane; he’s a real personality in a division of people with all the talent in the universe, but no personality.  But why Jamie Noble is going after the title is beyond me.  His deep-south inbred gimmick is annoying, and quite frankly I’ve seen him in action a few times before coming, and he is easily the least talented cruiserweight the WWF has.  Since Hurricane came out on top on Thursday, and Noble is new, I’m guessing he will get the win, as a loss here would kill any kind of momentum he has going for a long time.  Rey Mysterio would be a much better opponent.Winner: Jamie Noble Trish vs. Molly-Women’s: It’s nice too see another quality match in the women’s division (hey, they are happening on a regular basis).  This won’t be a match of the year contender, but it will be a good match between two very talented women.  Molly got a clean win over Trish to get the shot, so my guess is that Trish will get the win here to retain and even the score.Winner: Trish Flair vs. Guerrero: Flair said he had one good run left in him.  Yeah, 5 years ago he did.  The fact is that the last truly good match Flair was in was with Sting on the very last Nitro over a year ago.  Since then we’ve been subjected to one horrible match after another, the only one be close to decent was his match against Hogan.  Not even a worker of Guerrero’s ability may be able to bring Flair to a good match at this point.  I pick on Hogan, but at least he’s worked some good matches since his return, Flair has yet to deliver on so many levels, and add to the fact that his promising angle with Austin was cut short makes the fact that there is no heat to this match.  My guess is Guerrero will win with some help from Benoit and possibly a third guy to make up a new faction.Winner: Guerrero Hogan vs. Angle: I really think this feud should continue through Summerslam.  These two work very well, together, and Angle is the kind of worker who can carry Hogan through to a great match.  I have to admit that as much as I was against Hogan coming back, he has overall made some really good choices as to who he feuds with aside from Taker.  I think this won’t be a great technical match, but it will be a very fun match that the crowd will eat it up.  My guess is Hogan will win because he lost to Taker last month, and losing won’t hurt Angle.  If this feud continues like it should, however, I wouldn’t be surprised if Angle won. Winner: Hogan King of the Ring: Well, I honestly think the Big Valbowski should’ve been KOTR this year as the other guys in the tournament who made it that far obviously didn’t need it or wouldn’t be able to use it and he could use it as a badly needed catalyst in his career.  Out of the four guys remaining, Test, as much as I like him has been given chance after chance and just has not been able to make anything out of it, and the same would happen with a win here.  Jericho just doesn’t need it.  He’s main event as is, and the whole idea of this KOTR is to have a fresh contender for the title.  So that leaves RVD & the next big thing; Brock Lesnar.  Again, RVD doesn’t really need it, but he’s who I want to see going for the title at Summerslam.  Nevertheless, Brock just seems destined for this whether he’s actually ready or not, and only time will tell.Winner: Brock Lesnar HHH vs. Taker-World: Ok, I am actually pumped about this match because HHH has proven that he’s one of the few guys who can carry the dead man to a good match.  HHH badly needs to take the title off Taker, and Taker needs to go crawl into a hole for the rest of his career.  I am so tired of his whole no respect bs, not too mention the lame names like “big evil”.  HHH needs to win this match, because I think we’d all rather see HHH vs. Lesnar/RVD than taker holding the title for any longer amount of time.  Not too mention that HHH badly needs to redeem his loss of the title two months ago.  Winner: HHH 9:08:38 AM    comment []

Review of ICO for the PS2 Publisher: SCE Developer: SCE Genre: Adventure/Puzzle # Of Players: 1 Origin: Japan Peripherals: None     A mysterious boy with horns is born in a village, and in his particular village, being born with horns is considered a bad omen.  So, to appease the spirits, the elders sacrificed him on his twelfth birthday, aking him to an ancient fortress ruin, and sealing him in a statue inside.  The boy somehow breaks free, and discovers that a ghostly princess is also imprisoned in the fortress, and frees her as well.  Together, they must escape the fortress, as well as defeat the queen who rules it.  Somewhat a mix between Zelda and Tomb Raider, Ico is a game that uses your wits, as you must rely on them on how to figure out to get from one area to the next, but you also must help the princess, who needs a lot of help getting to the same areas you do.  But is this a revolution in puzzle/adventure gaming, or a tedious Tomb Raider knockoff? Graphics: Very much reminiscent of the adventure game Hearts of Darkness, the animation and detail of the characters is extremely fluid and quite impressive.  The scale in the backgrounds is just astonishing, as you get a true sense of just how huge each level is.  Every stage has a very distinct look and feel, with a lot of great little details added in (like dust coming up when you jump). Sound: Well, the music is honestly barely there, but the lack of it actually works quite well.  The voice acting is odd, but well done.  The sound effects are excellent; you can hear walls crumbling, footsteps, monsters, and even the birds hanging outside the fortress.  And sound can be necessary sometimes in this game, where you have to keep an eye out not only for yourself, but the princess as well. Gameplay: Well, Ico controls beautifully, and responds extremely well with hair precision to all of your commands.  My only wish is that the game was a little less intuitive.  Everything is blended so seamlessly, it is ometimes hard to tell what you can use and where.  Also, the enemies can be a little cheap, but it's not anything too annoying.  I also wish you could save more often; as you can really only save at the beginning of each stage, but this is nothing that massively affects gameplay. Features: Just the basics, no hidden stuff.  You can save load, and continue.  Nothing else is honestly needed, though. Funfactor: Wow, a game that is this good-looking, responds so well, and actually makes me use my brain?  So why isn't it longer?  There are only 6 stages, and if you really wanted to, you could probably beat this in a day or two, and then there is really no reason to pick it up again.  Still a very fun game, I just wish it were a lot longer.  Oh well, there is always sequel possibilities. --Final Scores- Graphics: 9.0-Honestly a little dreary, but great detail and animation in the characters and backgrounds. Sound: 8.5-Little music to speak of, but it's appropriate, given the atmosphere, and sound effects are excellently done. Gameplay: 9.0-Almost perfect, I really just wish you could save more often, and I wish it were a little more obvious where what you can use is. Features: 5.0-Just the basic new, load, and save options, but nothing else is really needed. Funfactor: 8.5-Needs to be longer!!!! Overall (not an average): 9.0-Honestly, about 5 more levels, and I would've given this game a 10.  Any fans that want a game that will actually make them think should go out and pick this up right away. 9:03:54 AM    comment []

Review of Devil May Cry for PS2     Publisher: Capcom     Developer: Capcom     Genre: Survival Horror     Origin: Japan     # Of Players: 1     Peripherals: None Well, Capcom finally tries for some originality in the survival horror department with the drastically different Devil May Cry.  You play as private investigator that happens to have devil blood running through his veins that gives him special powers.  You use these powers to destroy evil.  And now with the help of a mysterious woman named Trish, you go on a quest to defeat the lord of darkness, who has resurrected and is attempting to take over the world.  So, is this finally the burst of originality sorely needed in the survival horror department?  Or is it another cheap Resident Evil clone?  Read on to find out. Graphics: I am extremely impressed.  Extremely detailed backgrounds, well-designed characters, creepy looking enemies, and awesome animation, and oh yeah, there’s no slow down even if you’re taking on ten baddies at once.  Looks and moves like he’s a John Woo style character, and there’s just an ultimate coolness factor to the game’s look and style. Sound: Awesome music that gets louder, faster, and much more intense in tone when it’s time to fight.  Excellent sound effects.  You hear everything very clearly (especially the intimidating sounds of god knows what lurking in the next area.  Unfortunately, the one weak point here is the voice acting, I was laughing my butt off at how bad it was (think original Resident Evil, then think 10 times worse than that).  The sound been perfect if not for the horrible voice acting, but it’s not really a gameplay factor, so I’ll try to look past that. Gameplay: Ammo? What the hell is that?  That’s possibly the best thing about this game, you have UNLIMITED AMMO!  That’s right, UNLIMITED AMMO!!!  And thank god, cause with all the massive baddies in this game (that usually reappear after you leave a room, you’re gonna need it, although your sword is usually better for dispatching them.  Dante has a wide variety of kick ass moves, and they are all pulled off quite well thanks to the best controls ever in this type of game.  You can even learn new moves and get power-ups and health replenishing items by collecting red orbs from the demons you kill.  And the coolest part is pulling off all the cool stuff you can do (you haven’t lived until you launch an enemy into the air and riddle his body with bullets).  My only minor complaint in this department is that you can only save at the end of each mission.  The missions aren’t really all that long, but it still would be nice to have a save point in there somewhere. Features:  Ok, there’s hidden missions, an option for easy mode (which makes it easier to pull off cool moves), and knowing Capcom, tons of cool hidden stuff I haven’t discovered. Funfactor: Well, this is the first time ever I’ve actually gone repeatedly into a room where I know enemies might be just to kick their asses over and over again.The awesome music moves and effects, just make this not only a huge step forward in the genre, but I say a new king has been crowned, as this is the best title I have played on PS2 this year, and a very possible contender for Game of the Year.  Any fan of video gaming should go pick this up immediately; it’s a true masterpiece. --Final Scores— Graphics: 10-Excellent character animation background design, and just an excellent look to the whole game. Sound: 9.0-Fantasic music and sound effects, but can’t make up for horrid  voice acting. Gameplay: 10-Best control ever for this style of game, tons of cool maneuvers, lots of cool innovation, and UNLIMITED AMMO!!!!! Features: 8.0-Hidden missions, easy control mode, and there’s always tons of other hidden stuff in these games, I just haven’t found it yet. Funfactor: 10-You’ll spend lots of time on each mission pulling off all of the awesome maneuvers. Overall (not an average):  9.5-The only thing missing from this game is good voice acting, otherwise this is so far the front runner for PS2 game of the year, but this is the first major release of the holiday season, so it will most likely have plenty of competition in the next couple of months. 8:54:14 AM    comment []