The next two weeks are extremely light in terms of new releases for consoles. In fact there’s only one really worth mentioning on next week’s slate. Because of there I won’t have a hot pick of the week but we do have some interesting news and two reviews for you to check out.
God Of War Meets Mortal Kombat
Kratos, the hero of the God of War series will be a PS3 Exclusive character in the upcoming Mortal Kombat reboot. In addition the new game is said to include the following characters: Ermac, Goro, Kabal, Noob Saibot, Quan Chi, Shang Tsung, Sindel, Smoke, and Stryker. There may be more characters still to be announced, but it looks like the roster will at least include these in addition to those we already know about, like Raider, Scorpion, and Sub-Zero.
Tomb Raider Reboot Coming
Developer Crystal Dynamics has released some information about their long-rumored Tomb Raider reboot. The story will be a bit of a prequel to past games involving a young, 21 year-old Lara Croft shipwrecked on an island. The Island will be a completely open world. Like many adventure games today Lara will gain weapons and abilities along the way but she’ll also need to gather food and water to survive. The lock-on targeting of previous games will be dropped in favor of a free-aiming system.
Neil Patrick Harris Hosting Spike Video Game Awards Show
Be sure to tune into Spike TV this Saturday at 8 PM for this year’s Spike TV Video Game Awards. In addition to Harris, other celebs slated to appear include: Danny Devito, Kaitlin Olson, and Rob McElhenney, Tony Hawk, Chris Hemsworth, and Dane Cook. But of course the big attraction is the previews of upcoming games.
New DLC Coming for Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit
EA and Criterion are releasing twelve new events and six new cars for Need for Speed Hot Pursuit. New cars include: Bugatti Veyron SS, Bugatti Veyron SS Interceptor, Porsche 911 GT2, Porsche 911 GT2 Interceptor, Gumpert Apollo, and Gumpert Apollo Interceptor. No release date or prices have been announced as of yet.
EA Sports Announces Plans for MMA 2
Despite only modest success, EA Sports has announced that there will indeed be a sequel to MMA. Associate Producer Jeff Ecker stated, “There is definitely going to be an EA Sports MMA 2.” The question is can MMA overtake THQ’s UFC as the #1 fighting game?
Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime Coming Spring 2011
Atari officially announced the next generation of ghost-busting adventures --- Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime! Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime takes players on a brand new paranormal experience, as they suit up with their proton packs and assume the role of a rookie hired by the Ghostbusters to save New York City from a disaster of ghoulish proportions. The first ever Ghostbusters digital title is action-packed with ectoplasmic threats, haunted environments, gigantic bosses and destructive weapons including the Proton Stream, Plasma Inductor, and the Fermion Shock. Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime will be available on Xbox LIVE Arcade and the PlayStation Network.
Qlione Evolves onto the PlayStation Network
Sony Online Entertainment and Rockin’ Android join forces once more to launch Qlione Evolve, a bundle including the original Qlione and its sequel! Now available on the PlayStation®Network, Qlione Evolve takes players into a dangerous, microbe-eat-microbe world where they must dodge enemy assaults as they fight their way to the top of the ecosystem. Qlione Evolve includes full versions of Qlione and Qlione 2 plus PlayStation Network extras such as custom soundtracks, online leaderboards and trophies. Qlione Evolve is now available for $6.99.
Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition (Nintendo) Rated E
Enjoy this collectible reissue of 1993's Super Mario All-Stars for SNES, now for Wii. Collection includes four classic games for Wii: Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, Super Mario Bros. 2 and Super Mario Bros. 3. CD soundtrack containing themes and sound effects pulled from Mario games ranging from the original Super Mario Bros. through Super Mario Galaxy 2, as well the "Super Mario Bros. Ground Theme". A 32-page Super Mario History booklet featuring interviews, concept art and interviews. All games support multiple controllers, including: Wii Remote controller, Wii Remote Plus controller, Classic Controller, Classic Controller Pro or the Nintendo GameCube controller.
Splatterhouse (Namco) Rated M Reviewed on Playstation 3
Grade: B-
Splatterhouse has been around a long time, over twenty years, first appearing on the old TurboGrafx-16 game system in 1988. Inspired by horror films such as the Friday the 13th series and Evil Dead, Splatterhouse was a side-scrolling adventure game that had later incarnations on the Sega Genesis. Now comes the next generation edition released both for the Xbox 360 and PS3. Now for nostalgia fans, the good news is that that all of the earlier games, Splatterhouse, Splatterhouse 2, and Splatterhouse 3, are available as unlockables for some old school gaming.
The game owes a great deal to H.P. Lovecraft’s works as well as the antagonist is the evil Dr. West of Miskatonic University. Rick is the hero who is left for dead when West’s monstrous creations kidnap his girlfriend, Jennifer. Near death, Rick finds the Terror Mask which he puts on and immediately is possessed by its spirit, transforming him into a hulking powerhouse. The mask is powered by the blood of the creatures it kills and Rick has to traverse West’s house of horrors, battling multitudes of monsters to rescue his beloved Jennifer.
Rick’s primary weapons are his bludgeoning fists. Along the way as you gain experience, you will unlock a variety of combos and splatterkills (think Mortal Combat-style fatalities). Rick powers his health bar by absorbing blood from the enemies he kills or by using a move that sucks the blood out of nearby attackers. Rick will also find a variety of weapons like spiked clubs, meat cleavers, and chainsaws. Heck there are times when your own arm is ripped off and you can grab it to use as a club (don’t worry it grows back quick!) These are limited use weapons however that disappear after so many hits. You can purchase upgrades to make weapons last longer and extend your heath bar.
The enemies come in many forms including zombies, skeletons, killer clowns, demons, and others that defy description. Although you have a great number of combos and moves, you’ll find that simple button-mashing often is all you really need to destroy most of the enemies. Some of the moves even become detrimental to Rick such as trying to charge up for a heavy attack which leaves Rick all too vulnerable. Some of the combos will come in handy, particularly when surrounded by a lot of foes who are pounding the living crap out of you.
Splatterhouse is bloody. No, very bloody. NO! Extremely blood! It might well be the bloodiest game ever made. Blood flows in rivers and sprays like a fire hose, splattering in fact right against the screen. You can’t help but think however that the abundant amount of blood is being used to hide some of the game’s deficiencies. Sometimes the blood spraying on the screen only serves to obscure your vision temporarily. The enemies are numerous and yet are not drastically different from level to level and the repetition soon becomes blatantly obvious.
As a nod to its old school roots, there are levels of the game that turn into a side-scroller platform-style adventure. This is cool but unnecessary since the older games are already included. On top of that, these side-scrolling sections can be frustratingly difficult due to clumsy controls which have you missing jumps and falling to you death. For a guy built like the Hulk Rick’s got the vertical jump of a fifty year-old accountant. The splatterkills, while fun are sometime difficult to pull off and have to be timed just right when your enemy starts to glow. Often as not, you find you continue to pummel him to death before you get a chance to do the splatterkill.
While cheesy the voices are a lot of fun. The voice of the mask both urges Rick on and chastises him for being a wuss when he fails. The problem is with the sound modulation which alternates between loud and barely audible behind the sound effects. Voices should rise above sound effects rather than be drowned out by them. The same often happens with the soundtrack.
Despite some of the awkward mechanics and repetition involved, Splatterhouse still manages to rise above mediocre to be a challenging, gory beat-em up.
Batman: The Brave and the Bold (Warner Bros.) Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS Rated E
Grade: B
For Batman fans looking for something a bit lighter than Batman: Arkham Asylum, Warner Bros. Batman: The Brave and the Bold offers a fun and nostalgic look at Batman as he teams up with a number of co-stars from the DC universe. The game is a side-scrolling beat-em-up/platformer that is produced in the same style of animation as the TV show. Each level plays like an episode of the TV show with Batman teaming up with another hero such as Robin, Blue Beetle, Guy Gardner, and Hawkman. In addition Batman, can call in one of several other heroes to assist for a short period. The “guest-star” heroes include Aquaman, Black Canary, Red Tornado, Flash, Green Arrow, Booster Gold, and Plastic Man.
Batman and his partner (either co-op or computer-controlled) Punch, kick through each episode consisting of several levels. Gadgets can also be purchased such as Batarangs and staffs which not only make good weapons but are also necessary to unlock certain levels such as throwing a Batarang to hit a switch from a distance. If you find your progress stuck on a certain level its likely you need the proper gadget to continue.
The levels themselves are wonderfully designed and unique. Bright bold colors make you feel like you are playing the animated show. There’s great interplay between the characters featuring some thoroughly inspired, humorous, and keeping with the show’s theme, campy dialogue. The voice acting features several member’s of the show’s cast including Diedrich Bader as Batman, along with John DiMaggio, Corey Burton, Tom Kenney, and James Arnold Taylor. One of the highlights is the fantastic cut scenes between Batman and his partner for that episode which again plays up the whole cartoon feel of the game.
The controls are simple to use making it a good game for kids but still captivating to more experienced gamers. There are combo attacks available but the combat system is rather basic. The main issue with Batman: Brave and the Bold is that it is too short. The gameplay is linear and there are no unlockable areas or modes that offer any replay value once you’ve completed the game. Seasoned gamers should be able to play this to completion in 4 – 6 hours which isn’t very much.
While the play is simplistic and won’t present a stressful challenged to most older gamers, Batman: Brave and the Bold is an enjoyable game that gives you the chance to play a lot of different characters and beautifully captures the spirit and feel of the TV show.
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Got B&B for my son and he loves it. It's fun to play, simple for the kids to master and the dialouge kills for the adults.