Spartan Reviews: Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Doubles the Mayhem

Reviews in 300 words or less...

The King of the Iron Fist Tournament returns with double the action once again in Tekken Tag Tournament 2.

Like the first Tag Tournament, this game tries to spice up the traditional Tekken recipe by throwing in some two-on-two tag team action. The mechanic adds an extra level of strategy to the game, including tag attacks and life bar management. Fail to tag in a partner with full health when your other fighter goes down, for example, and you will lose the match. Tag in a partner at the wrong time and you could see the poor sap eat a combo on the way in and lose chunks of health.

Folks who like eye candy will love how well this game looks. The graphics actually are beautiful and tack-sharp, even on my ridiculously large 83-inch TV (yes, I know). The fighting itself also is fluid and fast. Button mashers might get far against scrubs, but the folks who master the timing for attack chains, bounces and juggles are the ones who still rule the day. You’ll need those skills, too, as the last boss in this game can be King-of-Fighters cheap (though a bit susceptible to the Law family’s somersault kick). Otherwise, you can test your might online, though just how smoothly that goes depends on the quality of your connection (or your opponent's). 

Offline admittedly could use more extras though the Training Lab mode with Combot and the cheesily "Excellent!" Lee can be fun. Ultimately, your enjoyment of this game largely hinges on whether or not you still enjoy fighting games. If your answer is yes, then you'll be happy to know that Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is an excellent, polished 3D fighter that’s even more enjoyable with a group of friends in your living room. "Excellent!"

Recommended if you like: Virtua Fighter, Dead or Alive

Cost: $60: PS3, Xbox 360
Official Tekken site

Spartan Review: Trouble Witches Bewitchingly Old-School

 

I love “shmups.”

No, I didn’t just try sneaking in some deviant, juvenile word past my editors. “Shmup” is how gamers in the know call “shoot-em-ups,” classic games where you pilot a ship or character and shoot enemies while moving sideways or vertically.

“Shmup” is also used by gamers to demonstrate their cool inside knowledge. That or shift precious brainpower resources from speech faculties to whatever part of the brain lets them dodge the insane amount of bullets shot by enemies in shmup games.

Which brings us to the charming, little shmup, “Trouble Witches Neo.” A cross between Cotton and Deathsmiles, “Trouble Witches” puts you in control of a squad of barely competent witches (and some non-witches) tasked with saving the world from an evil menace. Yeah, it sounds cliched. But if you like wacky anime plotlines, then you’ll love this game.

Just be warned that “Trouble Witches” falls under the infamous “bullet hell” category of shmups. That means your screen will be filled with a gajillion bullets for you — or a companion — to dodge. Fortunately, you have a shield that slows time and turns bullets to coins if you dispatch their source. If you don’t, well, then you’ve got that many more bullets headed for your likely soon-to-be-dead witch once your shield runs out.

The game also has power-ups you can purchase and a Boss Mode. English voice acting is comically bad but you can switch to the Japanese track if you like.

I heartily recommend “Trouble Witches” to shmup fans.

Recommended if you like: Cotton, Deathsmiles 

Cost: $10, Xbox Live Arcade

SNK-Playmore USA   

*This review originally ran in the Reno Gazette-Journal's Sunday Tech page.

New Shooter Just On 'Brink' of Goodness

In an industry flooded by shooters, it’s always nice to see a game that tries to be different.

 
“Brink” certainly strives to break the mold and deserves praise for that. But while the concept behind it sounds quite neat, the execution has some rough edges that leave the game just on the brink of total gaming goodness.

 
At the risk of sounding like an “It’s not you, it’s me” speech, lets enumerate the positives first. 

Character customization is definitely a strong point, providing plenty of options to edit your character. People who like options besides running and gunning will like the extra classes like medic, spy and operative. There’s also heavy emphasis on group cooperation, a boon if you’re a team player like me. The ability to pick sides in a civil war also adds extra variety.

 
On the down side, campaign mode is short and lacking in story, a bummer for campaign fans especially given the interesting setup for the game’s civil war. The AI also can be maddeningly inconsistent. Imbalances in mission design can heavily favor one team over another. Class-based load outs could use more diversity a la Team Fortress. “Brink” also lacks team death match and other classic shooter modes, relying primarily on “8 vs. 8” team objective missions.

 
Overall, “Brink” is a game loaded with potential but just falls short of hitting the sweet spot. It certainly has its high points and some gamers will, undoubtedly, love this game. But I recommend “dating” it first before committing to it, just in case.

Recommended if you like: Team Fortresss

 
Cost: $59.99; PS3, Xbox 360, PC

Official Brink Site

*This review originally appeared in the Reno Gazette-Journal Sunday Tech page.

 

Tron Legacy: The Complete Story App is Quite Complete

Remember Tron for Atari?

If that comment just gave you flashbacks of an old dude yelling at you to get off his lawn, then you’re likely too young to remember.

But if you do remember, my how times have changed from those old blocky days, eh? Granted “Tron Legacy: The Complete Story” app for the iPad isn’t a game but a digital book. But I’m severely jetlagged and can’t think of any better segways so you’re stuck with that analogy, buster.

A retelling of the “Tron: Legacy” movie in storybook form, this app trumps all other previous Disney storybook apps in sheer size. You’re basically looking at 150 illustrated pages for the main story -- practically a novel for little ones. Maybe that’s why it’s for ages 9 and up. You also get a slideshow of more than 30 stills from the actual movie, which can also be accessed via interactive icons in some of the storybook pages.

A pretty neat feature is the “Episode 1” motion comic that’s included, which features animated comic panels. If your wallet just shrieked and jumped out of your pockets from the thought of paying for extra episodes, the remaining five will be available by winter this year for free.

It would be nice if mini-games were also included. The app is also a bit pricey. But with its sheer breadth of content, the Tron Legacy digital storybook is worth a read. Now, seriously, get off my lawn.

Cost: $8.99, $3.99 for limited time 

Official Tron Legacy App Site

*This review originally appeared in the Reno Gazette-Journal  Sunday Tech Page

'Lego Pirates' Connects With Families, Lego Fans

The Lego video game franchise gets another block in its ever growing Lego pile as Lego Pirates of the Carribean swings into most video game platforms.

Swashbuckling is the name of the game this time around as swordplay replaces the wizardry from the last Lego video game installment (i.e. Lego Harry Potter). Lego Pirates reaps the benefits from being the latest installment in the series, showing a nice amount of polish in the gameplay. Neat features include a treasure-finding ability via Jack Sparrow’s compass plus the ability to switch more quickly to your character of choice via a character wheel. Cut scenes should earn laughs from the kiddies. Jack also eerily sounds like Jack, despite being limited to the typical Lego grunting sounds.

Like past Lego games, though, platforming can still be frustrating at times. It’s still easy to fall off ledges and miss jumps, robbing you of some of your precious booty. While the retention of coop play is nice, the lack of online coop is a bummer, especially if you happen to be a certain cool, video-gaming uncle who happens to have a niece who just adores the Lego video game franchise but lives hundreds of miles away.

Even with the new Pirates angle, the Lego game franchise might be getting repetitive for some players. But if you still can’t get enough of Lego gaming then you’ll love Lego Pirates. Families looking for a fun game both young and old can enjoy will especially like this one.

Cost: $29.99-$49.99; PS3, Xbox 360, PC, Wii, DS, 3DS, PSP

Lego Pirates Site

*This review originally appeared in the Reno Gazette-Journal Sunday Tech page.

Spartan Review: Costume Quest a Wonderful Treat

I’m a sucker for cute-looking games. Add cute costumes, hilarious writing and old-school RPG-style gameplay and well, you already had me at “cute.”

Which brings us to Double Fine’s latest pimple-worthy game, Costume Quest. Why pimple-worthy you ask? Well, let’s just say I tend to get pimples when I stay up late. And up late I was recently cause I couldn't put this darn game down. Curse you, Double Fine!

Anywho, Costume Quest has you assuming the role of one of two siblings who decide to go trick or treating together during Halloween. Unfortunately, one of them gets kidnapped by IQ-challenged monsters who mistake the hapless sibling for a giant, talking piece of candy. Fortunately, your costumes grant you incredible powers against monsters, helping immensely in your quest to save your sibling and avoid getting grounded.

To make life easier, you can enlist allies in your quest while collecting new costume designs and materials to expand your monster-bashing wardrobe. You can also use the candy you’ve collected to buy helpful skill stamps from aspiring little entreprenuer Sadie to boost your strength, counter enemy attacks and stun enemies. Action is turn-based and relies heavily on timed button presses to boost your attacks and guard enemy attacks.

Dialogue scrolls a bit too fast to read in the beginning and there was also one time when my game froze while I was robot skating in my blue bot costume. But its simple and solid gameplay, along with its hilarious dialogue make Costume Quest a real yummy treat.

Cost: $15 download, PS3 and Xbox 360

http://www.costumequestgame.com

This review also appears at the Reno Gazette-Journal Sunday Tech page on Oct. 31, 2010.

It's Aliiiiive! Introducing Spartan Game Reviews

Ooh, check out my blog's new "retina display" display, ha, ha. Hey, try not to bring up the blog while you're surfing at Starbucks, OK? Lord knows I don't want you to be deluged by a swarm of females who suddenly find you irresistible even without an iPad.

So I, um, apparently haven't blogged about games for a while, which is kind of funny because I haven't played as many games as I have in the last few months since maybe college. But, hey, that's what happens when you work two jobs. After all, what is a man? Nothing but a miserable pile of lemmings in the old rat race. But enough talk, have at you!

Now, one of the things I do in my day job is review games for a certain publication, hence the reason I played a lot of games. With that in mind, I figure that I might as well post that stuff here for more mass multimedia penetration. (For those of you giggling after reading that, I'm telling your mom.)

Which brings us to my latest addition to the blog: Spartan Reviews. Basically, there are quick takes on a featured game in about 300 or so words — ya know 300, like that movie about the less-than ideally armored Spartans led by a Scottish dude? Not to brag but this kind of sharp, impressive wit is exactly the reason why  I haven't become a millionaire yet. Then again, "yet" kind of has the connotation that I might be in the future, which I wouldn't hold my breath on.

Um, what the heck was I talking about again?