reviewer: Will Kirschner
Title: Stars Wars Battlefront II
Platform: Playstation 2, Playstation Portable (PSP), Xbox, Xbox 360, PC
Price: $19.99
ESRB Rating: T for Teen (13+)
Developer: Pandemic
Publisher: LucasArts
Age Range: 8+
Buy? Three questions you need to ask yourself before you answer this all-important question: Do you like Star Wars? Do you enjoy shooting games? Do you have friends? If you answered yes to more than one of these, this game is a must have. However, if you do not have anyone to play it with you might just want to rent it.
Summary: The storyline follows a veteran clone/stormtrooper through the events of Star Wars: Episode III to Episode VI. You will experience familiar things to Star Wars fans like the battle of Endor and also deal with side-plots like putting down a revolt on Naboo. You serve as part of the 501th legion, known to the most serious of Star Wars fans as Vader's personal legion, things are guaranteed to get hot and heavy.
Difficulty: This game's major flaw lies in the difficulty of the the two modes. Easy is a joke after 15 minutes of gameplay and hard gives even the most experienced players trouble. Since the prime joy of the game lies in the multi-player realm it isn't such a deal but it makes this game less of a classic.
Learning Curve: There is a very slight learning curve to this game. Basically, you just need to learn the controls to get the game down.
Total Hours of Play: 6 to finish the campaign on easy, 10 to finish the campaign on hard. Limitless hours of play in the multi-player mode.
Family Factor: This is a game that the whole family can play. Disregard the T-rating this game has simulated violence, that begins and ends with guys getting shot and crumpling(no blood, no gross noise, very clean violence). The plot themes are not adult either.
Review:
This game is, in my mind is the pinnacle of first-person shooter (FPS) for the PlayStation 2. It combines a winning format of Star Wars and action gaming. The system battlefront uses is unique for combat games. The teams start out with an equal number of troops and then they fight until one team destroys all of their troops. Now, there won't be hundreds of soldiers on the field but about forty soldiers give the game the feel of a giant battle. The battles are amazing in their simplicity. The controls are intuitive and make playing this game an even more enjoyable experience. The varying modes of play are nice. For example, Galactic Conquest brings the option of buying all your units and their upgrades and choosing your attacks with the same gameplay. You use credits you earn for victories to buy troop types and bonuses for units, starting with the most basic unit of stormtroopers and buying more advanced units as you progress. This can take six hours for you and your friends to finish, providing a night of fierce competition. There is an all-heroes mode, capture the flag, assault and a new mode which allows you to hunt some memorable beasts like the sand people or the giant spider like beasts from the Geonosian arena in Episode II.
Problems with this game are few but are big. The single-player experience would be best experienced in a single rent. The campaign is not exactly riveting and there is no character development to speak of. Playing this game with a friend, however, makes up for this because there is nothing better than the teamwork of taking the wheel of an AT-AT while a friend blows the rebel generator. The experience system is good but could use more bonuses. Most of the weapons have their own challenge, and make you want to try every class. The rank system is cool just because it gives you bragging rights.
Two things that are new from the old system are heroes and space combat. There is nothing cooler than blasting a TIE-Fighter while dodging turbolaser blasts from a Star Destroyer. There is a slight problem with the ships all being basically cookie-cutter clones in ability. If an X-Wing and a TIE could take the same damage the Rebellion would have ended in a week. I know that this presented a problem for the developers but I wish they would have gone a different way with it. For example, three TIES equal one X-Wing in point value. Making the ships all uniform is goofy,because to the hardcore Star Wars fan, TIE's should be falling faster than villains in a Rambo movie. The heroes are classic Star Wars canon stars like Vader,Yoda and my personal favorite Boba Fett. This game did a great thing with their huge amount of heroes and varying weapons. Getting to fry Luke Skywalker with a flamethrower solved years of issues I had with the original Star Wars. The enemy heroes can drive you insane with their ridiculous AI on the tougher mode.
This is another game that is a most have for the FPS lover. It is currently in my top ten list and I still play it weekly. A must have for any fan of Star Wars and a good pick for anyone else.
Related Games: Battlefront I, The Battlefield series, most FPS(first person shooters
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
New at Your Family Games...
Note from the editor:
Lately, I've been considering the completely sensical idea of having a regular update schedule for Your Family Games.
So for now, I've settled on Tuesday. Why? Weekends are a good time to sort out extracurricular stuff and, by Tuesday morning, I should have survived Monday's six-hour onslaught of class. This new, long overdue strategy is based off my current mash-up of tips I've been given for building a website:
More updates -> more visitors/traffic -> people who may be interested enough in the blog to visit again -> people who might sign up for a newsletter -> newsletter consistently reminds them to come back -> potential regular audience!
*Ta-Dah* That easy? Right?
Anyway....
This Tuesday, we have reviews for The Orange Box (Xbox360) and Lumines 2 (PSP) online. So with Tuesdays, I plan to include either a short column, interesting newsbits from the videogame industry or both. I will have my first column posted later this evening.
______________________________________________________
Lately, I've been considering the completely sensical idea of having a regular update schedule for Your Family Games.
So for now, I've settled on Tuesday. Why? Weekends are a good time to sort out extracurricular stuff and, by Tuesday morning, I should have survived Monday's six-hour onslaught of class. This new, long overdue strategy is based off my current mash-up of tips I've been given for building a website:
More updates -> more visitors/traffic -> people who may be interested enough in the blog to visit again -> people who might sign up for a newsletter -> newsletter consistently reminds them to come back -> potential regular audience!
*Ta-Dah* That easy? Right?
Anyway....
This Tuesday, we have reviews for The Orange Box (Xbox360) and Lumines 2 (PSP) online. So with Tuesdays, I plan to include either a short column, interesting newsbits from the videogame industry or both. I will have my first column posted later this evening.
______________________________________________________
The Orange Box (Xbox 360)
Reviewer: Erich Hiner
Title: The Orange Box (Xbox 360)
Platforms: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC
Price: $59.99
ESRB Rating: M for Mature
Developer: Valve Corporation
Publisher: Valve Corporation
Age Range: 17+
Buy?: YES
Because The Orange Box is essentially five games for the price of one, the value of this product cannot be overstated. Each game stands well on its own while some suffer from a few forgivable mishaps. The Orange Box includes a great shooter, a fantastic puzzler, and an off-the-wall multiplayer game. Five great games for the price of one. Enough said.
Summary:
The Orange Box is a collection of games developed by the Valve Corporation that functions more as an anthology of the company’s greatest hits rather than a single piece of software. Click here to read descriptions of each of the five games.
Total Hours of Play:
Half Life 2, Half Life 2: Episodes 1 and 2, and Portal will clock in at roughly 20 hours. Due to its multiplayer nature, Team Fortress 2 can be played for any length of time.
Difficulty: MEDIUM to HIGH
Most of the games in the collection are appropriately difficult for their target audience. Players who have experience with first-person shooters will find most of the fighting and puzzle solving to be exciting and balanced. However, it should be said that certain segments of some of the games in The Orange Box seem almost unfairly difficult. While the opening levels of Half Life 2 are simple and fun, the final level of Half Life 2: Episode 2 is aggravating at best and poorly designed at worst. Players should also be aware that the unorthodox puzzles of Portal may prove difficult for some gamers.
Learning Curve: MEDIUM to HIGH
As The Orange Box is a collection of games, the learning curve varies based on which game is being played. Most players should find Half Life 2’s control scheme and mechanics to be simple and textbook. The only difficulty some players will find is in mastering the unique physics-based puzzles in the game. The controls for Team Fortress 2 are similarly simplistic to allow for greater ease of play. Portal, more so than any other game in the collection, will cause confusion for many players. While the game functions flawlessly, it may take some gamers a while to wrap their minds around the concept of the portal as it applies to movement and game mechanics.
Family Factor:
This collection is not for children of any age. Half Life 2 contains graphic violence and strong language. There are many points throughout the game where the player is forced to fight “zombies”, humans who have been corrupted by a parasitic animal. The firefights that ensue include glimpses of burning corpses, dismembered limbs, and horrific images of maimed human bodies. Half Life 2: Episodes 1 and 2 include a similar amount of gore and adult content. Parents should also be aware that the game’s dialogue includes some subdued sexual references. Team Fortress 2, while cartoonish in appearance, includes intense combat and scenes of animated gore. Portal is only game in The Orange Box to receive a rating of T for Teen from the ESRB. Nevertheless, parents should know that the game includes brief sequences of violence and a very dark, adult-oriented sense of humor.
Review:
Coming out years after the initial launch of Half Life 2, The Orange Box accomplishes exactly what it was designed to do. In bundling the original game with two expansion packs, a multiplayer game and an experimental project, Valve has given gamers what is perhaps the best deal of the current console generation. Each game functions well on its own. When taken as a whole, the collection truly stands out. Although some of the games suffer from some minor missteps, the transfer from PC to console has been smooth.
The original Half Life 2 has been brought to the Xbox 360 in all its glory. Players will be treated to one of the most gripping storylines in gaming as they blast and think their way through this enjoyable epic. The game’s weapons are standard fare with an arsenal of pistols, shotguns and rifles. Even when using these shooter standbys, the action is always sharp and exciting due to the excellent enemy intelligence programming. Enemy soldiers will actively flank your position and use the environment against you. Where the game takes a strangely satisfying turn for the unorthodox is in the introduction of what is perhaps the greatest use of the game’s real-time physics: the gravity gun. Using this device, players can use grab large objects and heave them at their adversaries. Sheet metal can be used as mobile cover while leaking oil barrels can serve as ad-hoc grenades. This simple weapon is what gives Half Life 2 much of its charm. Although the game’s graphics may be considered slightly outdated, the voice acting of the characters is easily some of the best in the industry. The music, which plays only rarely, is appropriate to the sci-fi setting. Where Half Life 2 falls short is in its unreliable vehicle controls that are the result of the game’s transition from the PC to the Xbox 360.The simplistic and frustrating control style will confuse and fluster many players. As well as these segments functioned on the PC, they translated very poorly to the 360 controller. That said, the game is mostly enjoyable with only a few hiccups to be found in the core gameplay.
Half Life 2: Episodes 1 and 2 function as direct extensions of the original game. As such, they share many of the successes and failures of their predecessor. The story fleshes out through well-written dialogue and the action remains fresh. Although each of these expansions flows very well from the original game and into one another, they should be considered separate games due to the fact that the player is forced to begin each with only the gravity gun at their disposal. The sound quality and music are identical to the original game. As fun as these installments can be, I found that the level design paled in comparison to that of Half Life 2. Levels were often as simple as running across open ground a number of times or avoiding a formidable enemy until a more powerful weapon became available. Both of these additions serve to continue the narrative that Half Life 2 began and both accomplish this task. As individual games, they simply lack the depth of their source material. As extensions of Half Life 2, both are solid experiences that expand an already competent game.
Every game in The Orange Box is expertly rendered and enjoyable. Only Portal, however, shines as a true gaming masterpiece. The graphics are decent and the music sets a superb mood. What Portal lacks in length (the entire game clocks in at roughly 2.5 hours) it more than makes up for in innovative gameplay. The game is based around the idea of a portal and how it would function if such a thing actually existed. Using the same physics engine as Half Life 2, the developers of Portal used this deceivingly simple device as the basis for what may be one of the greatest creative leaps in recent gaming history. The only tool at the disposal of the player is the portal gun, a device that allows the player to open the beginning and end of a portal wherever they wish. Once the players master this gadget, the appearance of the game shifts considerably. Need to climb that cliff? Shoot a portal on the wall near the top. Need to reach that platform? Shoot a portal on the ceiling above it and fall to your goal. Need to get over that wall? The solution is as simple as “falling” over it. The concept of portal is guaranteed to stretch the limits of the player’s understanding of physics and space. Not surprisingly, the learning curve for this off-beat puzzler is quite high. The game requires that the player think about their world in new ways and use the realistic physics as a tool to overcome obstacles. The game does not include any fighting in the style of Half Life. Rather, Portal asks the player to use the tools at their disposal to think their way through the puzzles that this M.C. Escher-esque game lays before them. The fun of Portal is only helped by the disturbing and hilarious remarks made by GlaDOS, the game’s antagonist. The signature sense of humor of the developers is alive and well in Portal as the most ominous situation is always made comical by the robotic drawl of this eerily emotionless machine. Many of the lines uttered during the final sequence of the game help make the confrontation with GlaDOS one of the most memorable moments of any game in recent memory. With its outstanding gameplay and delightfully dark sense of humor, Portal is easily the crown jewel of The Orange Box.
The last game in The Orange Box, Team Fortress 2, is a stark contrast to the dark, foreboding worlds of Half Life 2 and Portal. Functioning as The Orange Box’s multiplayer appeal, this cartoony game has taken a number of different approaches to the standard team-based shooting games. Unlike many of its fellow shooters, Team Fortress 2 asks that the player select a “class” at the beginning of every match. Each class fills a different role and allows the team to function as a single unit. The quick Scout is responsible for recovering enemy flags while the Demo Man is adept at placing explosive traps for his foes. The game is designed with teams in mind. Players must work together in order to achieve victory. Valve has done an excellent job of balancing the classes so that no one type can dominate the battlefield. However, I found the class system to be somewhat limiting. Players are essentially stuck with a class until they are killed. Changing classes mid-fight requires that players give up a life. Part of the fun of multiplayer shooting games is being able to adapt to changing situations. If my base is infiltrated, then my Sniper, with his low health and weak sidearm, is next to useless. Throwing down my rifle for a shotgun is out of the question. Furthermore, many of the stages lack inspiration and seem ill-designed for some of the classes. Snipers are sometimes useless due to the lack of hiding places and Medics, while essential to the team effort, are cannon fodder when caught alone. The kooky art style and humorous tone of the game help to rescue it from obscurity, but the design flaws of the levels and the limited roles of the classes drag down Team Fortress 2. Many players will also be disappointed to find that the game can only be played via Xbox LIVE or a local area network. There is no split-screen play. As a stand-alone title, Team Fortress 2 is worth a few fun hours before the novelty ultimately wears off. As a part of The Orange Box, however, it satisfies the need for a fun, albeit shallow, multiplayer experience.
As a developer, Valve has a long-standing reputation of giving gamers a solid, innovative experience. No better is this expressed than by The Orange Box. This collection of games exhibits Valve’s creative prowess and professionalism like no other product on the market. Those who have not experience the greatness of Half Life 2 should certainly make an effort to acquire this compilation. When one factors in all the other games, the value of this package is obvious. The masterpiece of Portal along with the original Half Life 2 is easily worth the price of this excellent anthology. The Orange Box is all about value. Each game in the set easily stands on its own as a sound experience. As a whole, The Orange Box is a solid edition to any gaming library.
Related Games: Half Life (PC), Team Fortress (PC), Time Splitters: Future Perfect (Xbox, PS2, Gamecube),
Title: The Orange Box (Xbox 360)
Platforms: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC
Price: $59.99
ESRB Rating: M for Mature
Developer: Valve Corporation
Publisher: Valve Corporation
Age Range: 17+
Buy?: YES
Because The Orange Box is essentially five games for the price of one, the value of this product cannot be overstated. Each game stands well on its own while some suffer from a few forgivable mishaps. The Orange Box includes a great shooter, a fantastic puzzler, and an off-the-wall multiplayer game. Five great games for the price of one. Enough said.
Summary:
The Orange Box is a collection of games developed by the Valve Corporation that functions more as an anthology of the company’s greatest hits rather than a single piece of software. Click here to read descriptions of each of the five games.
Total Hours of Play:
Half Life 2, Half Life 2: Episodes 1 and 2, and Portal will clock in at roughly 20 hours. Due to its multiplayer nature, Team Fortress 2 can be played for any length of time.
Difficulty: MEDIUM to HIGH
Most of the games in the collection are appropriately difficult for their target audience. Players who have experience with first-person shooters will find most of the fighting and puzzle solving to be exciting and balanced. However, it should be said that certain segments of some of the games in The Orange Box seem almost unfairly difficult. While the opening levels of Half Life 2 are simple and fun, the final level of Half Life 2: Episode 2 is aggravating at best and poorly designed at worst. Players should also be aware that the unorthodox puzzles of Portal may prove difficult for some gamers.
Learning Curve: MEDIUM to HIGH
As The Orange Box is a collection of games, the learning curve varies based on which game is being played. Most players should find Half Life 2’s control scheme and mechanics to be simple and textbook. The only difficulty some players will find is in mastering the unique physics-based puzzles in the game. The controls for Team Fortress 2 are similarly simplistic to allow for greater ease of play. Portal, more so than any other game in the collection, will cause confusion for many players. While the game functions flawlessly, it may take some gamers a while to wrap their minds around the concept of the portal as it applies to movement and game mechanics.
Family Factor:
This collection is not for children of any age. Half Life 2 contains graphic violence and strong language. There are many points throughout the game where the player is forced to fight “zombies”, humans who have been corrupted by a parasitic animal. The firefights that ensue include glimpses of burning corpses, dismembered limbs, and horrific images of maimed human bodies. Half Life 2: Episodes 1 and 2 include a similar amount of gore and adult content. Parents should also be aware that the game’s dialogue includes some subdued sexual references. Team Fortress 2, while cartoonish in appearance, includes intense combat and scenes of animated gore. Portal is only game in The Orange Box to receive a rating of T for Teen from the ESRB. Nevertheless, parents should know that the game includes brief sequences of violence and a very dark, adult-oriented sense of humor.
Review:
Coming out years after the initial launch of Half Life 2, The Orange Box accomplishes exactly what it was designed to do. In bundling the original game with two expansion packs, a multiplayer game and an experimental project, Valve has given gamers what is perhaps the best deal of the current console generation. Each game functions well on its own. When taken as a whole, the collection truly stands out. Although some of the games suffer from some minor missteps, the transfer from PC to console has been smooth.
The original Half Life 2 has been brought to the Xbox 360 in all its glory. Players will be treated to one of the most gripping storylines in gaming as they blast and think their way through this enjoyable epic. The game’s weapons are standard fare with an arsenal of pistols, shotguns and rifles. Even when using these shooter standbys, the action is always sharp and exciting due to the excellent enemy intelligence programming. Enemy soldiers will actively flank your position and use the environment against you. Where the game takes a strangely satisfying turn for the unorthodox is in the introduction of what is perhaps the greatest use of the game’s real-time physics: the gravity gun. Using this device, players can use grab large objects and heave them at their adversaries. Sheet metal can be used as mobile cover while leaking oil barrels can serve as ad-hoc grenades. This simple weapon is what gives Half Life 2 much of its charm. Although the game’s graphics may be considered slightly outdated, the voice acting of the characters is easily some of the best in the industry. The music, which plays only rarely, is appropriate to the sci-fi setting. Where Half Life 2 falls short is in its unreliable vehicle controls that are the result of the game’s transition from the PC to the Xbox 360.The simplistic and frustrating control style will confuse and fluster many players. As well as these segments functioned on the PC, they translated very poorly to the 360 controller. That said, the game is mostly enjoyable with only a few hiccups to be found in the core gameplay.
Half Life 2: Episodes 1 and 2 function as direct extensions of the original game. As such, they share many of the successes and failures of their predecessor. The story fleshes out through well-written dialogue and the action remains fresh. Although each of these expansions flows very well from the original game and into one another, they should be considered separate games due to the fact that the player is forced to begin each with only the gravity gun at their disposal. The sound quality and music are identical to the original game. As fun as these installments can be, I found that the level design paled in comparison to that of Half Life 2. Levels were often as simple as running across open ground a number of times or avoiding a formidable enemy until a more powerful weapon became available. Both of these additions serve to continue the narrative that Half Life 2 began and both accomplish this task. As individual games, they simply lack the depth of their source material. As extensions of Half Life 2, both are solid experiences that expand an already competent game.
Every game in The Orange Box is expertly rendered and enjoyable. Only Portal, however, shines as a true gaming masterpiece. The graphics are decent and the music sets a superb mood. What Portal lacks in length (the entire game clocks in at roughly 2.5 hours) it more than makes up for in innovative gameplay. The game is based around the idea of a portal and how it would function if such a thing actually existed. Using the same physics engine as Half Life 2, the developers of Portal used this deceivingly simple device as the basis for what may be one of the greatest creative leaps in recent gaming history. The only tool at the disposal of the player is the portal gun, a device that allows the player to open the beginning and end of a portal wherever they wish. Once the players master this gadget, the appearance of the game shifts considerably. Need to climb that cliff? Shoot a portal on the wall near the top. Need to reach that platform? Shoot a portal on the ceiling above it and fall to your goal. Need to get over that wall? The solution is as simple as “falling” over it. The concept of portal is guaranteed to stretch the limits of the player’s understanding of physics and space. Not surprisingly, the learning curve for this off-beat puzzler is quite high. The game requires that the player think about their world in new ways and use the realistic physics as a tool to overcome obstacles. The game does not include any fighting in the style of Half Life. Rather, Portal asks the player to use the tools at their disposal to think their way through the puzzles that this M.C. Escher-esque game lays before them. The fun of Portal is only helped by the disturbing and hilarious remarks made by GlaDOS, the game’s antagonist. The signature sense of humor of the developers is alive and well in Portal as the most ominous situation is always made comical by the robotic drawl of this eerily emotionless machine. Many of the lines uttered during the final sequence of the game help make the confrontation with GlaDOS one of the most memorable moments of any game in recent memory. With its outstanding gameplay and delightfully dark sense of humor, Portal is easily the crown jewel of The Orange Box.
The last game in The Orange Box, Team Fortress 2, is a stark contrast to the dark, foreboding worlds of Half Life 2 and Portal. Functioning as The Orange Box’s multiplayer appeal, this cartoony game has taken a number of different approaches to the standard team-based shooting games. Unlike many of its fellow shooters, Team Fortress 2 asks that the player select a “class” at the beginning of every match. Each class fills a different role and allows the team to function as a single unit. The quick Scout is responsible for recovering enemy flags while the Demo Man is adept at placing explosive traps for his foes. The game is designed with teams in mind. Players must work together in order to achieve victory. Valve has done an excellent job of balancing the classes so that no one type can dominate the battlefield. However, I found the class system to be somewhat limiting. Players are essentially stuck with a class until they are killed. Changing classes mid-fight requires that players give up a life. Part of the fun of multiplayer shooting games is being able to adapt to changing situations. If my base is infiltrated, then my Sniper, with his low health and weak sidearm, is next to useless. Throwing down my rifle for a shotgun is out of the question. Furthermore, many of the stages lack inspiration and seem ill-designed for some of the classes. Snipers are sometimes useless due to the lack of hiding places and Medics, while essential to the team effort, are cannon fodder when caught alone. The kooky art style and humorous tone of the game help to rescue it from obscurity, but the design flaws of the levels and the limited roles of the classes drag down Team Fortress 2. Many players will also be disappointed to find that the game can only be played via Xbox LIVE or a local area network. There is no split-screen play. As a stand-alone title, Team Fortress 2 is worth a few fun hours before the novelty ultimately wears off. As a part of The Orange Box, however, it satisfies the need for a fun, albeit shallow, multiplayer experience.
As a developer, Valve has a long-standing reputation of giving gamers a solid, innovative experience. No better is this expressed than by The Orange Box. This collection of games exhibits Valve’s creative prowess and professionalism like no other product on the market. Those who have not experience the greatness of Half Life 2 should certainly make an effort to acquire this compilation. When one factors in all the other games, the value of this package is obvious. The masterpiece of Portal along with the original Half Life 2 is easily worth the price of this excellent anthology. The Orange Box is all about value. Each game in the set easily stands on its own as a sound experience. As a whole, The Orange Box is a solid edition to any gaming library.
Related Games: Half Life (PC), Team Fortress (PC), Time Splitters: Future Perfect (Xbox, PS2, Gamecube),
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