The Game Guy Show

(Xbox, PS3; $59.99; Rated T for Alcohol and Tobacco Reference/Blood/Mild Language/Suggestive Themes/Violence; www.batmanarkhamasylum.com)

To say that videogaming has not been nice to the “Batman” franchise would be an understatement.  Second only to “Superman,” the ol’ “Dark Knight” has not been treated very favorably on video game consoles, despite his many appearances.  In fact, a high-quality “Batman” game has been the exception, rather than the norm.

So it was with great trepidation and hope that “Batman: Arkham Asylum” would turn things around.  Not being released in conjunction with a movie was the first thing in “Arkham’s” favor, but being developed by a relatively unknown and untested developer, Rocksteady Studios, pretty much kept everyone on pins and needles.  No one moreso than publisher, Eidos, who was looking to hit one out of the park after its recent string of so-so and terrible releases.

As screen shots and developer walk-throughs of the game started to emerge, it began to look as though “Arkham” was going to turn out as a great-looking title.  As long as the developer could keep the same quality of visuals in-game as they had in the cinematics, “Arkham” could be something fans could get behind.  Once it was announced that voice talent from the critically acclaimed “Batman: The Animated Series” was acquired to provide the voices- most notably Mark “Don’t call me Luke” Hamill would be returning as the voice of the Joker- the future looked even brighter for the Dark Knight.

As an aside- I don’t care how many Heath Ledgers you tape together and garnish with Jack Nicholsons, Mark Hamill is the greatest Joker, ever.  End of story.

“Arkham Asylum” has been released and it is, hands-down, the greatest “Batman” game ever made- but given its predecessors, that isn’t saying much.  So I’ll also say that it’s the greatest licensed superhero game ever.  Heck, I’ll even say it’s the greatest licensed game, period.  No other game has come this close to exemplifying all of the hallmarks that make the character, his enemies, and his environment so true to the source material.

“Arkham” opens with Batman bringing the Joker into the famed psychiatric hospital.  From the beginning walk down the Arkham Intensive Treatment Intake area, the feeling of the game and its well-known characters are set.  Arkham is far from the pastel-colored, serenity-filled rooms of modern psych wards- this is a dank, dreary place and danger can be felt around every corner.  Hope left Arkham Island a long time ago; and the buildings of the asylum, while fully functioning, are as decayed as its inmates’ minds.

As one would expect, Joker springs a trap once entering the Asylum with the help of his psychotic love-interest, Harley Quinn.  Harley enables Joker to have total control of the island, bringing a host of escaped convicts to act as the muscle.  It is, of course, Batman’s job to re-gain control of the island from Joker, save the staff of Arkham, and uncover the reason why Joker wanted to be caught in the first place.

“Arkham Asylum” is really three types of games in one: It is first a game that has its own influences from the “Metroidvania” genre, but in 3-D- players will visit and re-visit areas on the island in order to uncover secrets that originally couldn’t be accessed with the equipment Bats has to begin with.  As the story progresses, and after visiting some very key places in “Batman”-lore, Batman will acquire new upgrades to his equipment allowing for the opportunity to more meticulously explore the nooks and crannies of Arkham.

Doing so will help solve the puzzles of the “Riddler’s Challenges” that are strewn about the island and its buildings.  These side diversions involve picking up hidden “Riddler Trophies” and solving environmental riddles that unlock bonus art and achievements.  Some of the riddles can be simple- a riddle mentioning a Cat means to look for something that belonged to Catwoman, however others can leave your head scratching until the wheels of your brain finally kick into place with an “A-ha!” moment.   The only thing more rewarding than figuring out a challenging riddle, was to hear how irritated The Riddler was with my ability to have solved his puzzle.

Arkham Island makes for a great setting because it allows Batman’s Rogue’s Gallery to all take roles in the game- all of the expected foes are here- from the aforementioned Joker and Riddler, to Scarecrow and Bane, and a host of others.  Those who don’t make physical appearances in the game are still represented by objects, riddles, or references noting their existence- including obscure villains like Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum (yes, they are really are Batman villains) and Hush.  The attention to detail put into the game really makes “Arkham Asylum” a love-letter to fans.  And Bat-fans like me eat it up.

Finally, the stealth-action portion of the game that has Batman acting like the “World’s Greatest Detective,” gathering clues, setting up a crime scene, and analyzing DNA to track enemies; and stealthily moving through the shadows in order to take out goons along the way.  In true “Dark Knight” form, Batman uses the night to his advantage- from grappling onto gargoyles and springing on unsuspecting criminals, to scaring the guano out of enemies by picking off their compadres from the shadows one-by-one.  When engaged in combat, Bats moves effortlessly from thug to thug, dispensing vigilante justice with timed button-combos.  As more enemies are defeated, players will gain experience points which will unlock combat and equipment bonuses- why toss one Batarang, when you can toss three?

Of course, Batman never kills any of the thugs- only beats them into unconsciousness.  Because, as you know, killing is a line that The Bat doesn’t cross…

I have often said that the “Splinter Cell” stealth-action series was the best “Batman” game, despite the number of “Batman” titles on the market.  The feeling of slinking in the shadows as “Splinter Cell’s” covert operative, Sam Fisher, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike at an enemy, and using darkness as your personal hiding spot, conveyed the exact feeling that control over “Batman” should feel.  It’s so good that finally there is a “Batman” game that does Batman so right.  A must-have.

(Xbox; approx. $15; T for mild language/violence; www.xbox.com)

To end their “Summer of Games” promotion of bite-sized downloadable games, Microsoft released “Shadow Complex” for $15, a game that could have easily sold for $40 if pressed on a DVD and sold in retail stores.

But “Shadow Complex” has a value that far outweighs a $15 price tag: it not only shows that a high-quality game experience can be had for less than the $60 retail cost that the industry has gotten used to, but it also reminds us that 2-D action/exploration is not an mechanic that was lost back in the 16-bit days of the early 90s.

“Complex” is based off of famed sci-fi author, Orson Scott Card’s “Empire” novels regarding a civil war that takes place between liberals and conservatives in the not-too-distant future.  Intended as the bridge between the first “Empire” novel and the follow-up “Hidden Empire,” “Shadow Complex” tells the story of everyman, Jason Flemming, who’s girlfriend, Claire, gets captured by paramilitary thugs while on a simple day of hiking and cave exploration- talk about a bad date.

While searching the caverns for Claire, Jason quickly learns that the spelunking he intended to do that day was more than he bargained for, as the caverns are a front for a gigantic high-tech military complex that is gearing up for an attack on San Francisco after already successfully assassinating the Vice President of the United States.  Jason is pulled into the role of the reluctant hero, needing to foil the plans of the Shadow Complex while rescuing Claire.

Yep.  That’s a contrived plot with a whole lot of cliche video game story elements to it, all right.  Let’s hope the books are better.

Where “Complex” may be a little light on story, it more than makes up for it in play mechanics, control, graphics, and overall fun.  Developers, ChAIR Entertainment openly acknowledge “Complex’s” influences coming from classic 2-D action/exploration series like “Castlevania” and “Metroid.”  Those two historic franchises exemplified the style of game so well that it’s garnered it’s own genre, “Metroidvania,” to which “Shadow Complex” pays homage to a tee.

“Metroidvania” game mechanics focus primarily on map exploration and acquiring equipment to explore more of the map.  In this style, some areas are seen but not accessed until later in the game when the right weapon or equipment is acquired- making traversing full areas of the map a necessity in order to advance, or acquire bonus items.  Though back-tracking is often frowned upon in game design, back-tracking in “Metroidvania”-styled games is meant to further the element of exploration in the game- and rewards the player for doing so.

It’s here where “Shadow Complex” succeeds so well.  Each area of exploration is perfectly designed to leave the player satisfied, while still wanting to continue playing because the next reward or area is just around the corner.  Pacing in “Shadow Complex” is perfect, save points are always about 15 minutes of play-time apart, new weapons or abilities every 30 minutes- it’s a perfect game to pick up and play for a short duration, or to waste several hours in.

The only minor issue that I take with “Shadow Complex” is the character design of the protagonist himself.  Jason looks exactly like Nathan Drake, the protagonist of the “Uncharted” series, right down the half-tuck of his t-shirt into his jeans.  To make matters worse, Nolan North, who provides the voice acting for Jason, also is the voice of Nathan Drake- making the two characters virtual carbon copies of each other.

This begs the questions- did they design Jason before securing Nolan North’s voice? Did they intend Jason to be a Drake-ripoff? And can it be a ripoff if the exact same guy plays the exact same character? Has Nolan North become the Samuel L. Jackson of videogames? Mysteries abound.

The downloadable aspect of the game makes for a short game, around 6 hours or so the first time through.  But time-honored 2-D traditions of “speed-runs,” to see how quickly the game can be completed, are uploaded to an online leaderboard to see if players have got the skills to beat their friend’s best time.

Those needing a retro-revival of a long-dormant genre are wise to invest the small amount of money it takes to download “Shadow Complex.” For that matter, I’d rather  download “Complex” four times rather than play some of the junk that is passed off as a $60 title.  We can only hope that the sequel to the game comes quickly, and is as well received as “Super Metroid” was to “Metroid” back in the day.

Look how smart I am. Look!

With August here, we find ourselves in a barren wasteland of video game titles.

Which isn’t so bad because the weather is so surprisingly nice, you should be outside anyhow.

Nevertheless, titles that I hoped to review for this column either are unavailable to me (”Wii Sports Resort”), have broken code in desperate need of a patch (”Fat Princess), or release at the end of the month (”Batman: Arkham Asylum,” “Madden 10″).  As such, there’s not a whole lot to talk about until the next few months where there will be too much to talk about.

Which gives me room to espouse thoughts and philosophy on an unsuspecting audience for where I think this industry is headed and where it needs to go.  Undeniably, video games are a major pillar of entertainment- generating more sales than box office sales and music.  But the industry is still in its infancy compared to mediums like film, books, and music- there’s a whole lot farther we have to go until we get a “Citizen Kane,” an “Odyssey,” or an “Abbey Road.”

And so, I present the top three ways to improve the video game industry for business and consumers:

Read the rest of this entry »

(PS3; $59.99; Rated T for Blood/Drug Reference/Language/Mild Suggestive Themes/Violence; www.infamousthegame.com)

Despite the lack of a “Sly Cooper” game for the PS3- a title that I absolutely can’t wait to see make its way into High-Definition- Developer Sucker Punch, has given us the mechanics of their “Sly Cooper” titles wrapped in its stylish, edgy, and more Teen-oriented action-platformer, “Infamous,” exclusively on the PS3.

“Grand Theft Auto” defined the go-anywhere/do-anything style of sandbox gameplay on which many have iterated.  The Xbox 360’s “Crackdown” took the “GTA” sandbox and gave it verticality by allowing players to bound up buildings and across rooftops in its super-cop shoot-em-up.  “Infamous” continues to iterate by taking the width and breadth of city exploration, but adds moral choices and super-powers to give players the story of regular-Joe-turned-super-Joe and his evolution to become either the savior of the city, or its ultimate undoing.

Though moral choice is all the rage in gaming these days, “Infamous” experiences the same problem that other games have encountered when allowing the character to choose whether he will be good or evil: the narrative doesn’t support a character that acts truly evil and inevitably rewards doing good.  The game’s primary mission structure is the same regardless of what shade of character players choose; regardless of how dastardly you would like your character to be, he’ll ultimately have to do “good” things that help the city from destroying itself because the narrative calls for it.

There isn’t a separate story line for each branch of morality, but I can’t totally fault Sucker Punch from not developing the game that way- doing so would have required creating at least two games, not one- an undertaking that isn’t likely to be financially feasible.

Nevertheless, the differentiation between “good” and “evil” powers in “Infamous” is satisfying and adds to the characterization of Cole, the protagonist, even if the different powers don’t have a direct effect on the narrative.  Doing good allows players to play with more precision and subtlety which cause less collateral damage, enabling players to take down enemies without causing harm to civilians- thereby earning their respect and assistance from the police.  “Evil” powers throw caution to the wind and create more wanton destruction than necessary- if some poor schlep gets in the way of arching red lightning from your hands… well.. he should have watched where he was going, shouldn’t he?

The sandbox nature of the game is a blast to explore, while the mission that advance the story are fun and varied.  Sucker Punch never fails to deliver a striking and stylized game, and “Infamous” is no different- whether climbing up sky scrapers, gliding along power lines, or causing chain reactions that end up destroying a city block- the game and its cutscenes bring alive the comic-book nature of the story, making this a striking and edgy game appropriate for the high school crowd.

(Xbox 360, Ps3; $59.99; Rated M for Blood/Strong Language/Violence; www.redfaction.com)

For a game that stayed relatively low on the hype-radar, the newest edition of the “Red Faction” franchise hits with as much force as its main character’s trusty sledgehammer.

“Red Faction: Guerilla” is the first time the series appears in a third-person perspective as opposed to the first-person perspective of its two predecessors.  This turns out to be a welcome change: 1. Because there are more than enough first-person shooters out there, and 2. It makes for some very fun Geo-Mod shennanigans.

What the heck is a “Geo-Mod” shennanigan?

The “Red Faction” series’ calling card has been the ability to destroy parts buildings and assorted structures in order to make firefights more interesting.  See a need to get through a building, but the doorway is blocked by enemies? Blow a hole in the wall and flank them.  The previous games ability to destroy was limited- a basic skeleon structure would remain even if players blew the heck out of the stucture.  With “Guerilla,” the new Geo-Mod 2.0 allows players to completely dismantle every structure in the game- brick by brick.

The benefit of having free control of the camera in a third-person perspective allows players to actually get to see the glorious explosions they make in the game, while running away to get clear of the blast zone.  The Geo-Mod technology allows for some very fun mechanics in the, now, open-world game.  For instance, players can set remote-detonation charges all over a building, attract enemies into the building, and lead them up to the second level; then the player can leap out of the 2nd-story window and detonate the charges, trapping all of the enemies inside and blowing them to kingdom-come.

Sadistic? Maybe.  Entertaining? Definitely.

“Guerilla” is chock-full of game.  After arriving on Mars, the oppressive Martian government ends up killing your brother which pulls you into the middle of a band of freedom fighters.  In order to avenge your sibling’s demise, the Red Faction uses you and your demoltion skills to wreak total havok.  Progressing through a variety of mission types will recruit more guerilla fighters to the Faction’s side- but it’s all really a thin narrative as an excuse to blow more stuff up.

When not playing the single-player campaign, “Guerilla” has an offline multiplayer mode that challenges players to see who can cause more destruction in a short period of time, as well as a healthy and enjoyable online multiplayer that gives players power-ups like the “Rhino Pack,” which allows players to runs straight through a building in order cause its collapse on unsuspecting opponents.

Perhaps it’s appropriate that “Guerilla” was released in the summer- it is definitely on-par with blockbuster movie releases: no one really cares what the plot is, stuff blows up real pretty-like, and everyone goes home feeling like they got their money’s worth…

Unless you saw “Transformers 2;” but then again- you knew what you were getting into.

(Xbox 360, PS3, Wii; $49.99-59/99; Rated E10+ (Wii) for Comic Mischief/Fantasy Violence, Rated T (Xbox, PS3) for Comic Mischief/Fantasty Violence/Mild Language; www.ghostbustersgame.com)

To this day, the original “Ghostbusters” remains one of my top ten favorite movies of all time.

Heck, I even think that “Ghostbusters II” wasn’t half bad.

So it is without hyperbole when I say that “Ghostbusters: The Video Game” was my most anticipated title this year.  After getting tossed aside as one of the titles that Activision decided to not publish when it bought out Vivendi Games, I thought it might never see the light of day.  Surprisingly, Atari- a company up against the ropes financially- bought the publishing rights to it and released it in conjunction with the movie’s 25th anniversary.  The move was a win for Atari, and a win for Ghostheads all over.

Much ballyhoo and credit has gone to “Ghostbusters” writers, Dan Akroyd and Harold Ramis for penning the script to this “Ghostbusters.”  How much of the actual scribing Akroyd and Ramis actually will likely be debated in the same vein as the “writing” of “Good Will Hunting” by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.  Nevertheless, it’s clear that Akroyd and Ramis had at least some collaberation on the project and they have both stated that they intended “Ghostbusters: The Video Game” to be cannonical- for all intents and purposes, this is “Ghostbusters III.”

Nothing solidifies this more than having the entire cast of the original “Ghostbusters” back to voice their characters in the game- save for Rick Moranis and Sigourney Weaver, who’s characters do not appear in the game.

That’s right folks, they even got Bill Murray to come back and reprise his role as Dr. Pete Venkman- that’s huge.

Of all the characters though Akroyd really brings Ray Stantz back to life- he sounds just as he did back in ‘84; honorable mentions should be given for Ramis’ Egon Spengler and Ernie Hudson’s Winston Zeddemore, but as big of a “get” it was for Murray to reprise his Venkman, he phones it in a little too much.

Developers, Terminal Reality, obviously have as much of a love affair for the material as the fans do- “Ghosbusters” is littered with nods to the previous movies, opportunities to explore the firehouse, and chasing after Slimer in the Sedgewick Hotel.  Everything that a Ghosthead would want from a “Ghostbusters” game is here- wrestling a ghost with a proton stream and ultimately capturing it in a trap feels right, the characters look exactly as they should on the High Definition systems- and even on the limited hardware of the Wii, the stylized/cartoonish look of the Ghostbusters begs for an updated cartoon series.

It is with this care and downright enjoyable story that will ultimately propel the player, fan or not, through what is, otherwise, a mediocre gameplay.  Were there not all of the trappings and fan-service, and if there wasn’t such a rich property about which to create a game, the gameplay mechanics and level design would only be ho-hum and ultimately boring after a few hours of play- bustin’ makes me feel good, but a little more variety would make me feel great.

Still, it’s the nostalgia factor and the Hollywood talent that wins me over.  “Ghostbusters” puts me as a new Ghostbuster among the original four, the feeling and humor of being a Ghostbuster is right-on, and this is probably a better experience than any third movie could have been.

It’s cliche, I know, but for my money- “who ya gonna call?”

(Wii; $49.99; Rated E10+ for cartoon violence/comic mischeif; punchout.nintendo.com)

Originally appearing on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987, “Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!” was one of those games that eveyone who played an NES either owned, or knew someone who did. The original arcade version of “Punch-Out!!” gave us larger-than-life characters who, though not as iconic as Mario or Donkey Kong, are every bit steeped in Nintendo history and fondly remembered by fans.

Both the arcade and console versions of the game amounted to more pattern-recognition, than a deep boxing title- due, in part, to the hardware constraints at the time. Each boxer, from Glass Joe to Bald Bull to King Hippo had their own pattern of punches and “tells” that would clue the player into knowing when to dodge and when to strike. Opportunists could disrupt a pattern in order to get more powerful “Star Punches” and help them unleash stronger punches.

It was a simple game, with simple gameplay mechanics and a whole lot of personality.

Fast forward more than twenty years and “Punch-Out!!” for the Wii continues to be the same simple game with a whole lot of personality- only updated for the use of motion-controls which families have become accustomed to over the past few years.

It’s fair to say that enough time has occurred between the release of “Super Punch-Out!!” for the Super NES in 1994 and the Wii version of “Punch-Out!!” to not feel that the current title feels like just a rehash. Though the Wii version shares the bulk of the original fighters from the past games and that the fighters still fight and “tell” the same way, the Wii version’s artstyle and embrace of the old games’ charm makes this version of “Punch-Out!!” feel truly like an homage or a “reboot” to the series, and not just some cashed-in remake.

Basically: the mechanics worked then, still work now; and where visuals and sound needed to be updated to suit current technology, “Punch-Out!!” delivers.

Of course for the new version, motion-controls can be used to control protagonist, Little Mac on his rise through the circuits. Punching left and right using the Wii remote and nunchuck feels natural enough; and for those new to the game- the Wii motions will suffice. A bonus needs to be given to the development team for including the use of the Wii Balance Board to dodge left and right by leaning if players choose to do so. The combination of all three certainly encourages players to get up and move with the game.

But even more kudos need to be given for the inclusion of “Punch-Out!!” being able to be played using the original controls from 1987. For those looking to purchase the game for nostolgic purposes, the original control scheme will fire up the long-dormant muscle memories players have on how to defeat those old characters.

To the new kids having their first exposure to “Punch-Out!!” with the Wii-mote and nunchuck: that’s fine and dandy, but the original controls are where it’s at- it’s faster, its more responsive, and it’s the way “Punch-Out!!” is meant to be played.

Additional modes like multiplayer and the “Title Defense Mode” give “Punch-Out!!” some legs, especially because there’s very little incentive to play through a game like this once all of the opponent’s patterns are learned. These added modes were another wise move by the develoment team, who obviously had a love for the original game and wanted others to share in that love.

It was great in ‘87, and still classic in ‘09.