Tag Archives: Gaming

Tekken 6 (PS3, Xbox360)

Posted on by
1

I’ve been a fan of the Tekken series ever since the first game. There is something about the fluidity of the combat that is unmatched by any other brawler series.  As the series has come out with sequel after sequel, they have managed to stick to the core engine and gameplay that have made it so successful over the years. As good as it has been, does the game still hold up with the new standards set by today’s fighting games? Read on…

GRAPHICS (8/10)

There is nothing wrong with the graphics. Most of the polygons are smooth and the character models are fairly detailed. That being said, I feel that the graphics haven’t changed very much since the last incarnation. Unfortunately the last game was released for the PS2. While the graphics are definitely smoother than the last game, there isn’t the huge graphical improvement one would expect when making the jump from a previous gen console to the current gen. Even though the characters look good for the most part, there are certain angles which could use more anti aliasing and less jaggies. I may be nitpicking a bit, but seeing how smoothly Soul Caliber (produced by the same Namco family) looks and runs, I expected Tekken to look better than it does.

The fighting arenas are actually pretty gorgeous.  There are a few stages that are sub-par, but for the most part the environments are all very crisp and brimming with details. This is where the game’s graphics truly shine. While the character models may not be the greatest, the environments are pretty enough that you may wind up getting kicked in the face while zoning out on how nice everything in the background looks.

STORY (7/10)

The story is just as confusing as ever. I’m not even sure what the hell is going on to be honest. It centers again around the Mishima bloodline. As usual, all of the members of that family are fueding over who retains power and control of the empire. In a nutshell, another King of Iron Fist Tournament is held and there is some supernatural being at the end (isn’t there always??) and a ton of confusion leading up to that point.  To be perfectly honest, when did we ever need a reason to kick ass?  While the story isn’t that great, it doesn’t detract from the game much. Add to the fact that there are 40+ characters each with their own unique ending. I’m sure if you really pay attention and you unlock the endings for every character you should be able to piece together most of what is going on with the plot.

GAMEPLAY (9/10)

The gameplay hasn’t changed much from the last game or the game before that.  It seems that they have pretty much perfected their fighting engine and have taken the Madden route of adding minimal changes to an already successful formula. While the gameplay is very responsive and intricately deep, the gameplay is starting to show its age a bit. I guess its the old saying, “If it ain’t broke, just repackage it and charge 60 bucks for it.”

Even without much change, the game is still a blast to play.  Tekken freaks will be able to pick up and play this one right where they left off. The game boasts 40+ characters to choose from right off the bat. Unlike most other fighting games, no two fighters are alike. They all have unique move sets and abilities that will take a great deal of time to truly master. On the flip side, Tekken newbs will be able to pick this one up and jam right away. The controls are fairly easy to pick up, however in order to be truly good you need to invest some time to learn all of the little details of each fighter. Button mashing will only get you so far, as veterans of the series no doubt have their combos ready to counter any attack thrown at them.

Perhaps what is most interesting about this series is that is has a rabid following like no other fighting game. Tekken fanatics study the frames per second (FPS) rate of each move so they know which is faster and what moves can be used to cancel out other moves. If you allow yourself to get sucked into the deep gameplay experience, you can easily get wrapped up in this game for a while. I remember with Tekken 3, aruguably the best and deepest game of the series, I was a fanatic, studying every fighter’s move list and how to counter them. While I didn’t feel the same level of immersion with this game, its good to know that most of my knowledge and timing from previous games still holds true with this latest one.

MULTIPLAYER (6/10)

I have not tried the 360 version of this game, but my experiences so far with the online modes have been garbage. It takes forever to find a match and when you do, it is laggy to the point it is almost unplayable. I’ve read online that they may be releasing some type of patch to try and fix this, but the real question is: why release a game that isn’t ready yet?? Those looking to pick this game up with the hopes of kicking ass internationally will be sorely disappointed.

While the online is lackluster, the real gem of the series is fighting someone one on one, mano y mano. It is best fighting someone in your own living room, as it is priceless to see their face as they watch the replay of their character getting KTFO. While this may seem a bit old school, it is still just as fun as it was with the previous games, and at the moment, it is the ONLY saving grace of the multiplayer.

OVERALL (8/10)

Seeing as how the game came out yesterday morning and I’ve been pretty much jamming it almost non-stop, I haven’t gotten as in depth with some of the modes as I would like. Tekken has tons of goodies to offer even the most rabid fans of the series.There are a number of cool modes in this newest game, yet they are all things we’ve seen in the series before. Tekken Force mode (the game’s version of a “campaing” mode) weasels its way into this game also, and it is just as horrible as it was before. Honestly, besides all of the gimmicky modes tacked on, the real focus here is the arcade mode.  Arcade mode definitely delivers.

It seems like for everything the game does wrong, it manages to do something right. The gameplay is as tight and fluid as ever, even if it hasn’t changed much. If you are new to the Tekken series, this game is worth picking up as everything will seem fresh. If you are a casual fan of the series looking to pick this game up and relive some of the glory of past games, you may wind up a bit dissappointed. If you are a Tekken fanatic, you will like this game no matter what anyone says. Personally, I enjoyed this game a ton, but not nearly as much as I thought I would. Maybe my tastes have evolved a bit since the last few games in this series.  Bottom line- this is one of the best, if not THE best, 3-d fighting games on the market right now. If you have an urge to throw down, you should definitely give this one a try.

Entertainment Wrap #21

Posted on by
9

This week comes in with a pretty solid group of offerrings entertainment wise. While not too much going on, there is definitely more quality over quantity. Let’s check it out.

THEATERS

New out this week are: Surrogates, Fame, and Pandorum. Pandorum is a thriller / horror flick set aboard an abandoned space station. Two crew members wake up after being in cryo sleep only to find that they are the only ones left alive on their ship. To make matters worse, neither one has any knowledge of who they are or what their mission is. Then to make things even worse, the ship seems to be inhabited by some type of hostile alien space mutants (are there any other kind?). The movie looks pretty eerie and for those of you who have played the game ‘Dead Space’, this movie will remind you of that a great deal, which isn’t bad at all.

Fame is a remake of the classic musical turned movie turned t.v. show which follow the lives of a mix of students at a performing arts school in New York. This seems to be yet another attempt to cash in on a remake.  Fans of the original show may want to check this movie out, as well as teenage girls looking to ogle some new eye candy.  I haven’t seen too much else from the trailers.

Finally, Bruce Willis’ much anticipated ‘Surrogates’ makes its way onto the big screen this week.  Surrogates, based on the comic of the same title, is set in a future where humans are sheltered and interact with eachother only through thei surrogates, or robots under their control.  This way, people are free to say and do what they please without consequence, as whatever happens to the surrogate should have no affect on the person controlling it. When a serial killer begins killing off surrogates, mysteriously resulting in the deaths of the people controlling them,  Willis reenters the world of robots as a human in an attempt to find the killer before it is too late.   I haven’t read the comic but all of the trailers I’ve seen for this movie look intense.   This looks to be a new take on a somewhat familiar premise and Bruce Willis usually delivers on big movies like this.

DVD

On DVD this week are: Observe and Report and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. Both movies are very funny and worth checking out. For more details, there are reviews up for each of these.

GAMING

Earlier this week, Microsoft released its hotly anticipated Halo 3: ODST for the Xbox 360. The game takes place in the Halo universe between the events of the 2nd and 3rd games.  MasterChief, who was the main character of the first 3 games, is noticeably absent. This time around you assume control of various members of the ODST squad.  Trench and I have already put in some time with this one, and trust me when I say that it is a game that every Halo fan must have. The gameplay definitely requries a bit more strategy and teamwork than before, as the ODST squad is way more vulnerable to damage than the Masterchief. The increased challenge also adds to the fun and intensity levels of the game. Expect a full review of this one as soon as I get some more time with it.

SPORTS

No big MMA events scheduled for this weekend, but there was one fairly big announcement. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has announced that he will be retiring from MMA to pursue his acting career full time. Rampage will be appearing as BA Barracus (the role made famous by Mr. T) in the upcoming A-Team movie.  This announcement couldn’t have come at a worse time, as the newest season of The Ultimate Fighter pits Rampage against Rashad Evans as coaches who were also set to fight at the conclusion of the season. Unfortunately, his untimely reitrement puts that fight in limbo, which is a shame. Although we’re only one episode deep so far, the banter and trash talk between the two of them has most fans just dying to see them throwdown. Sadly, it looks like we might not get that chance.

We are also coming in to week 3 of the NFL season. Some of the better matchups this week are: Atlanta Falcons at New England Patriots,  Miami at San Diego, Indianapolis at Arizona, and of course my boys the Baltimore Ravens at home against the Cleveland Browns. For the MNF game we have Carolina at Dallas.  Overall some solid games going on this week.

Thats the week in entertainment and thats a wrap.

Entertainment Wrap #20

Posted on by
2

It’s been a while since the last installment, so let’s take a look at the newest developments in entertainment.  The summer rush is behind us so things have finally slowed down a bit. Luckily, there is still enough going on this week that is worth mentioning. Let’s get right into it!

THEATERS

New releases on the big screen this week are: 9, Sorority Row, I Can Do Bad All By Myself, and Whiteout.  9 is the latest CGI animated tale from producer Tim Burton.  The film is based on a short film by director Shane Acker, which follows the exploits of the last living creatures on earth, 9 sack like people.  The 9 must then find a way to survive in their post-apocalyptic world against the oppressive machines that seek to destroy them. Think of Terminator: Salvation meets Beanie Babies. The visuals look stunning, with some highly detailed environments and character models that would give even PIXAR a run for their money.

Sorority row is the latest in a string of B movie slasher horror remakes. When one of the Sorority girls is killed in a prank gone wrong, a mysterious serial killer shows up and starts murdering everyone. There is no shortage of eye candy in this film, as the sorority sisters are usually seen running around in some form of night time lingerie and coincidentally they all happen to be smoking hot. Which makes perfect sense, because with a serial killer possibly lurking around every corner, who better to trust than Victoria’s Secret?

I Can do Bad All By Myself is the newest Tyler Perry film.  Perry attempts to squeeze yet another dollar out of his Madea character, who is rapidly becoming the Jason Voorhees of black comedy. She’s been to space, jail, you name it; yet she still comes back movie after movie. Diehard Perry fans (yes both of you) will want to check this one out, the rest of us can do bad without paying admission. If you really want to watch this, wait for the video.

Whiteout is the film adaptation of the graphic novel with the same title. The story revolves around a lone U.S. Marshall (Kate Beckinsale) in Antartica who must track down a killer within 3 days before the sun sets for 6 months. Early word is that this movie is horrible and is nowhere near as good as the graphic novel. However,  I can think of far worse things than watching Kate Beckinsale run around for 2 hours so the movie doesn’t sound like a total loss.

DVD

The only DVD release this week worth noting is Crank: High Voltage. Jason Statham reprises his role as the ass kicking Chev Chelios, this time on a quest to recover his stolen heart. Thats right- stolen heart. For more details, check out my review of this one.

GAMING

Its a pretty quiet week on the gaming front, with the high profile release of Halo 3: ODST coming out in just another week and a half. This week, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 comes out on multiple platforms. If you listen, you can hear the sound of a million nerdgasms simultaneously occurring. This game allows you to play as nearly any character in the Marvel universe. Those familiar with the gameplay of the original will be right at home with this one, as it stays true to the original format.

Not only does the game feature an extensive roster of heroes/villains with future downloadable characters , it also incorporates the popular Marvel Civil War storyline. In a nutshell, the government has enforced the Superhuman registration act requiring anyone with super powers to register and become part of a government organization. Naturally this divides the superhuman community, with some supporting and others opposing. Both heroes and villains alike are united on both sides with the Pro Registration side being led by Iron Man and the anti registration side being led by Captain America.  In addition to solid gameplay and an insanely deep roster, the storyline sounds compelling enough to make you want to pick this one up and play it right through.

SPORTS

The NFL regular season kicks off this week.  Being a Baltimore Ravens fan I’m already prepared to take my fair share of lumps from slapping my own forehead at the offense. Regardless, I’m glad the season is finally upon us. The whole thing kicks off with a great game pitting the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Tenessee Titans. 

If nothing else, you can stay home and check out all the great matchups this weekend. Thats the week in entertainment and thats a wrap.