Portal 2

Many readers may remember when I indulged myself last May with Valve's Orange Box. It was great value for money with some of the best games I've played in recent memory, and if you haven't played it I suggest going to get it RIGHT NOW. Almost a year has passed since then, and we find ourselves presented with Portal 2, a follow up to the short, but awesome puzzle fps that promised us cake, and gave us neurotoxin. How did lengthening a 2 hour story into a full length game work out? Does it recapture the same lightning that was the original Portal?

STORY
For those who didn't play the original, Spoiler warnings follow. At the end of Portal, the protagonist, Chell, had escaped Aperture Science and the demented tests of GLaDOS, the rogue AI. But as Chell lay semi-conscious in the A.S Parking lot, she was dragged back in by an unseen force.
As the game begins, we find Chell attempting to re break out of the labs with the help of an AI by the name of Wheately. In the course of this escape, Chell encounters GLaDOS again, and thus the tests begin anew.

Its worth noting that the game is roughly 3 times longer than the original, and the story surprisingly holds up for the entire play time. It is split into 3 acts, the first of which is your re introduction to GLaDOS, as well as the introduction of Wheately. It's here that basic portal skills are implemented to re-teach old players and ease new players in.
The second act focuses mainly on Aperture Sciences background and it serves to tell us how the facility got to the point it's at now. It's extremely enjoyable to hear the many recordings detailing Aperture Science's history and eventual downfall.

The third act is the climactic lead-up to the final battle, and (assuming you don't look at the trophies/achievements) you won't see the twist coming until it actually happens in an earlier act. This changes everything, and I wonder why the trophy/achievement wasn't made secret.

As a whole, the story is enjoyable and serves to give the game a sense of place in the world. We learn about GLaDOS as well as the failing Science labs, and it's really enjoyable. As with the last game, there is a lot of humour injected into the plot, and it works perfectly.

PRESENTATION
Theres been a massive graphical overhaul since Portal, and theres an added layer of polish in Portal 2 that makes the experience that much better. Don't get me wrong, the game looked and played fine before, but theres so much more character and depth to the world than what was found in Portal. On top of this, theres a lot more colour and variety to the settings. Some of the test areas are recyclyed from Portal, but are unrecognizable due to the overgrown vegetation.

The voice acting talent of Ellen McLain is again put to good use as GLaDOS, and Stephen Merchant plays Whetaely perfectly. Almost every line he says is funny or endearing in some way. J.K. Simmons (who some may remember as J. Jonah Jameson from the Spiderman movies)was born with a voice perfect for spouting insanity, and was cast perfectly as Cave Johnson (Aperture Science's CEO).

The music is some of the best I've heard in any game, with some very cool electronic tunes during the test chambers, and some dynamic flourishes while doing certain things, like soaring through the air. And Jonathon Coulton works his magic again during the credits. Its a nice little reward for playing a fantastic game.


GAMEPLAY
The base of Portal 2's gameplay remains the same as the original: get from point A to point B using Portals. The game increases it's puzzle repertoire, however, with the addition of gameplay mechanics like Light Bridges, Excursion Funnels and Propulsion and Repulsion Gel.

While a lot of the puzzles aren't as difficult as in the original, they're still challenging. In addition, nothing gets you bogged down enough to get frustrating. The game flows nicely, and it's unlikely that you'll get stuck for extended periods of time. The challenges do get gradually more difficult, but thats par for the course. Theres no point in continuing if the challenge will always stay the same.

There is also a co-op campaign with a story and challenges seperate from the single player. Using 2 sets of portal guns, players have to communicate with each other to pretty much get from point A to B. Teamwork and communication is paramount here, and the addition of the "Ping" feature, means playing online without a headset won't be too frustrating.
As with all Co-Op games, theres a lot of potential for betrayal here, and lets face it... Who doesn't love screwing over their mates??

While there really isn't alot to the gameplay here, it's presented in enough ways as to never get uninteresting. While the last game ended quickly as to not outstay its welcome, Portal 2 introduces enough new elements regularly so that it maintains interest.

REPLAYABILITY
O.K, so there isn't a whole lot to the gameplay here. After single player and co-op completion, all you really have is trophy/acheivements to get, and some user created content if you're connected to steam (though PS3 counterparts may not have this function. Not sure).
Personally, I've played through the single player 3 times; if only for the humour and creativity on display here.

OVERVIEW
I had fun here. I honestly did. The game looks great, plays smoothly, the controls are well thought out and the story is both interesting and funny. The voice acting is pretty awesome here, and the story comes through strong, despite their being only 3 major voiced characters. But theres still no cake, so I'm conflicted.

Only kidding. Pick this game up if you can go without killing someone for a few hours. Portal 2 is just more of the same, and this isn't a bad thing for once. Oh, and the ending is out of this world. Just saying.


Hope everyone had a Happy Easter, and to all the Aussie and Kiwi readers, Happy ANZAC day! Lest We Forget.
Suggestions for next week would be appreciated, also feedback. Should I keep doing this?
See you next time!!

Mass Effect 2

This may seem a bit odd, I've had quite recent games to review lately, when all of a sudden, whoosh! We're back in early 2010, with a Mass Effect 2 review! Well, calm down, because its not THAT much of a retrospective. This is the PS3 edition, though it can be taken as generally similar to the 360 edition, minus the free dlc additions and the engine upgrade. And with that out of the way, let's get into it!

STORY
Following directly after the events of Mass Effect, ME2 puts you in the shoes of Commander Shepard; an Alliance Spectre who's gender and appearance tend to go un-noted in the history records. The game starts with a bang as your ship, The Normandy, comes under fire and is destroyed, leaving your lifeless body floating in the darkness of space.
The game starts by killing you, but its a good set up for the character customization, class choice and beginning conflict within the story.

After you recover from your death, Shepard is informed that human colonies have started disappearing, and it's up to him/her and a band of misfit alien combatants to save humanity, and perhaps all life in the universe.

Mass Effect 2 is billed as an Epic Sci-Fi adventure, and thats pretty much it. The ME Universe has a lot of history, and likable characters. The story has you exploring many planets with their own atmosphere and cultures and it really helps to immerse players into the world. On top of that, it's well written, with lots of plot twists and interesting dialogue (although Bioware don't get points for this anymore).

PRESENTATION
Mass Effect 2 on the PS# looks amazing. I'm willing to bet that this isn't a huge departure from the X-Box 360 graphics, however the PS3 edition is utilizing the engine for Mass Effect 3. On top of this, Mass Effect 2 has a large amount of varied and interesting settings and characters, in a wide range of colours that really make the game look stunning.

The voice acting in ME2 is superb, with actors like Martin Sheen, Yvonne Strahovski (of Chuck fame), Seth Green and Steven Blum portraying just a few of the many interesting characters that Bioware has envisioned. The musical score of this game fits perfectly with the setting, and the sound effects all work well.

One problem I have with the presentation, however, is that the subtitle or conversation text is sometimes unreadable, whether it's too small or blends in with the background.


GAMEPLAY
With such a strong story and presentation, it would be a shame if Mass Effect 2 fell down in the Gameplay department. Luckily, here you'll find solid cover based shooting, with some tactical gameplay thrown in for good measure. Unfortunately, the gameplay is ONLY solid, and not as spectacular as the other aspects.

Nowhere near a deal breaker, but the rest of the game is damn near perfect. When I'm actually playing, I tend to enter a trance, where I don't have to take much notice of anything, because everything I'm presented I've seen and done in countless games before ME2. But still, if you ARE just looking for solid 3rd person cover based shooting, I'm sure you can do a lot worse than ME2. Like Kane and Lynch 2. God I hate that game.

Upgrades and resource gathering have always been a part of RPGs and I didn't expect ME2 to be any different. However, the resource gathering here is soooo boring! Theres nothing exciting or fun about scanning the surface of a planet from orbit, then sending probes to do the dirty work. This isn't a necessary part of gameplay, but you need to do it if you want to upgrade your shit, or get the best ending.

For PS3 owners, you also get about 6 hours of free content that had previously been DLC on the XBLA marketplace. Some of the gameplay gets mixed up here, and theres a vehicle section or 5, but nothing so alien that it seems out of place.
In all, theres good gameplay here, but it's outdone by the story and feel of the environments.

REPLAYABILITY
An RPG with multiple choice based missions, with a variety of different endings? WOW! Never seen that before!... But in all seriousness, there is certainly enough content here to keep you more than busy enough on one play through. If you're crazy enough to double that time with another playthrough, doing the opposite of all your choices last time, then theres that option too. And it's always nice to know that if you played good one time, you can be a real asshole the next time through. Its rather cathartic.

OVERVIEW
Get it. Get it now! X-Box owners, if you don't have it already, you've had a year, no excuses! PS3 owners, it's been out for a few months, why not go pick up one of the most intriguing story based games of this generation? Sure, the gameplay is pretty by the numbers, but the story, the effort put in to making this look and sound amazing, and the universe as a whole makes up for anything lacking in the cover-based shooting area.
No, it isn't perfect. There were occasionally bugs during conversation where the NPC's would stop talking a word too soo, or the enemy AI would run into walls, but these are minor gripes on something that is spectacular as a whole.


Not a clue what I'm going to review next weekend, any suggestions? Well, see you next time!

Split/Second: Velocity

Thought it's been a while since I reviewed a racing game so, here it is, Split/Second:Velocity! Regular readers may remember that it was one of my nominees for best racing game of 2010 and there is a reason for that. But like many racing games, it's far from perfect. Also, imagine my surprise when I realised it was developed by Disney Interactive Studios.

STORY
Split/Second sets the games races as events in a TV series, called Split/Second (oh dear, who saw that coming??). As far as racing game stories go, it's a decent enough reason to fly around race tracks in cars I couldn't imagine owning. To seperate this show from it's more professional counterparts (grand prix, V8s, what have you), it takes on a Michael Bay approach, that is, blow the shit out of everything to appease the A.D.H.D crowds.

Honestly, this premise alone makes it interesting enough to warrant a few hours of playthrough in the Season (campaign). It does raise a few questions though. Where are these explosive races being held? Who are the racers, and why do they have death wishes? But alas, the questions go unanswered. But who didn't see that coming. It's a premise, and not much more.

PRESENTATION
Like most games these days, Split/Second looks pretty amazing, but the explosions and scenery destruction are some of the best I've seen in games. And so they should be, the game centres around these things. The cars look great, and the tracks are fairly varied. Unfortunately theres a shortage of them, as they get repeated over and over. While they do look different at first, they start to blur together the more they are played.

The soundtrack is fast paced and fitting for a game that is meant to be so high octane. Adding to this, the sound effects and end-episode re-cap voice overs sound like any prime time tv show would. It honestly feels like it could be a TV show, if the premise and colateral damage weren't so preposterous.

GAMEPLAY
As far as racing games go, Split/Second: Velocity has solid driving mechanics. The vehicles honestly feel really fast, and the explosive tracks add a sense of danger to the mix that can't be found in serious racing sims, or even the more arcade racers. No, the explosive power up system is more reminiscent of mario kart and company, with collapsing buildings and such taking the place of tortoise shells and the like.

I do have one small issue though. No matter how far ahead you are, or how many times you crush an AI opponent with a building, they catch up so easily. This happens, even if you make no mistakes and drive perfectly. It gets pretty annoying, but maybe thats just my Noob driving skills.

The games campaign plays much like a TV series, with each episode being split into about 6 events. Theres around 12 episodes in the entire season, and it works well enough to frame the gameplay. In each episode, there are races, time trial events, elimination style events and many special races that vary on the them of "People trying to blow your shit up". This could be attack helicopters, or tankers with explosive barrels. They serve well enough as slices of excitement to break up the somewhat repetitive standard events.

The multiplayer works well enough, and is completely passable. The inclusion of splitscreen events makes this a far more friendly title to me than, say, Need For Speed: Most Wanted, or the original Motorstorm.

REPLAYABILITY
A lot of the races are entertaining enough to play over and over again. If you like car chase sequences in movies, or just love Michael Bay films, then you'll get alot out of the set pieces in this game. As far as replayability goes, most racing games rely on multiplayer, and Split/Second: Velocity is no different. I'm just glad that it allows online and splitscreen multiplayer.

OVERVIEW
OK,it's no secret I dislike the more serious racing sims, but arcade racers often give me headaches as well. Split/Second is unique enough for me to more or less ignore its faults, and blow up more racers with what would appear to be Centrepoint Tower. The set pieces are awesome, and the TV show presentation works well enough to be somewhat entertaining. Do I recommend this game? Yes, mainly if you want something full of excitement and speed. If you're loooking for a little more depth, look elsewhere. Like... another genre?

Mass Effect 2 review next week, finally. Hope you guys don't mind me doing retrospectives at this stage. I'm a bit strapped for cash. See you next time!

Crysis 2

Readers who have been followers of this blog on Facebook or Blogspot may remember the last Crytek game I reviewed. Those same readers may also remember that I pretty much didn't like it. Far Cry 2 had some redeeming qualities, but none were awesome enough to completely redeem the bad design choices. And with that, here we are x amount of months later, with Crysis 2. Sadly, Crysis 2 doesn't deserve the written abuse that Far Cry 2 got. Oh well.

STORY
The game is set in New York City, in the year 2023, three years after the original Crysis. Society has broken down due to the outbreak of some virus that causes complete cellular breakdown, and fears of an alien invasion by the Ceph (the aliens behind the incident in Crysis [Spoilers], or so I'm told). You control "Alcatraz", a marine saved from certain death by Prophet (also seen in Crysis), a soldier wearing a highly advance nano suit.
After your rescue, Prophet decides to put you in the suit, and promptly take his own life; leaving very little explaination as to what's going on, aside from "Find Dr. Gould". From here, we learn more about the invading Ceph, the suit's powers and purpose, as well as Prophet's experiences in the first Crysis.

Now, being someone who never played the first game, it took me a while to understand exactly what was going on. However, not a whole lot of the backstory is crammed down the players throat, so Crysis 2 could easily be treated as it's own game.
Once we get past that, Crysis 2 is certainly interesting, with some obvious, yet still entertaining, plot twists. It's got enough mystery surrounding the suit and the aliens and everything else to keep me playing on to find out more.

PRESENTATION
When the first Crysis came out, people were pretty much jizzing themselves over how beautiful it was. And while I do admit, Crysis looked amazing, Crysis 2 drops the ball somewhat. It's not bad looking, it's just not as good as I've seen Crytek do. And this isn't just a console problem either; Killzone 3 was fucking beautiful.

The environments in Crysis 2 get somewhat repetitive after a while; some time after you're flanking PMC's through the 8th sewer. But, as repetitive as they are, they're interesting enough to not notice too much.
The scenery starts to vary about halfway through it, and it left me wondering why they didn't change it up sooner. For one thing, I've seen Central Park in ALOT of games set in New York City (or Liberty City even), but I will NEVER forget Crysis 2's rendition of it.

The music is fairly ordinary most of the time, but the voice acting is rather excellent. Prophet sounds like the nanosuited god of manliness that I'm sure he is, while Hargreave is voiced in such a way that you're never quite sure if he's trustworthy or not.


GAMEPLAY\
The main draw here for Crysis 2 is the nanosuit mechanic. Without it, the game would be your run of the mill first person shooter affair. Not to say it doesn't have solid controls or anything, but fire one gun in first-person in a game, and you've fired almost all of them.
The nanosuit seeks to give players a more tactical approach to any situation, with Armour, Stealth and Power modules to customize the way you play. As well as these power modules, your visor also lets you scan for tactical points on any given situation.

While these are pretty interesting mechanics, and they serve well to differentiate Crysis 2 from the crowd, the enemy AI throws it back in with the rest. While alot of the game CAN rely on your stealth skills, it doesn't really work when once a single grunt spots you, every soldier within 5km knows where you are. The fact that they can spot you from a mile off, hidden behind cover, is astounding.
Also, why would people know where you are if you shoot someone else, four rooms away WITH A SUPPRESSED WEAPON. It's sheer stupidity! Far Cry 2 had the same problem!

Luckily, not all encounters are decided by your sneakiness factor. If the shit hits the fan, you can pump up your armour and go fucking Rambo on everyone in the street, which, in itself, is its own gratifying reward.

Other than that, Crysis never really evolves past your standard shooter. Gunfight-->cutscene--->gunfight--->first person cutscene---> vehicle section---> gunfight.
Everything about it is rather by the numbers, aside from the nanosuit. Maybe that's enough, but its strange that Crytek can't get stealth sections right when frnachises like Call of Duty and Killzone have for ages!

One last thing, all the freedom that Crysis 2 gives you is an elaborate illusion. It basically tells you what to do at each tactical point, and the incredible awareness of the enemy AI almost destroys any chance at a successful stealth attempt.
BUT, these problems aside, Crysis 2's gameplay is fairly solid (apart from stealth problems) and fun when it comes down to it.

REPLAYABILITY
Crysis 2 is a first person shooter with an online multiplayer mode! How unique!!!!
But seriously, it does have a multiplayer mode, and it is fun. While the shooting mechanics (hit detection especially) need some tweaking, it didn't stop me wasting a couple of hours on it. The nanosuit abilities make an appearance in this mode, and its partly because of them that this could possibly stand up to the CoD behemoth, despite ripping off plenty from it.
The campaign is interesting enough to warrant another playthrough, and if you truly believe theres a better way to do a certain mission, then you can jump straight to it and attempt it again. Plenty of trophies and achievements too, but I reckon that goes without saying anymore.

OVERVIEW
Crysis 2 was fun, but not everything I was led to believe it was. The freedom it offers seemed like more of an illusion to me, and the graphics weren't as amazing as we were promised, console or not. I was surprised at the depth of the story, however, and the multiplayer amazed me in that it was almost as solid at its core as Call of Duty. But it had superpowers, which is an added bonus for me.
My recommendation: If you like FPS games, and you want something slightly different, there are worse picks than this. It was interesting, to say the least, tedious at its worst, and really fun at its best.


No idea what I'm going to review next week. Maybe a retrospective on Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, considering Skrim comes out this year. Anyway, see you next time!