Twisted Metal

Hello again and welcome to another installment of Tophat Gamer! We find our intrepid reviewer as he returns to some sort of a routine with his weekly posts... Ok, enough of that. This week, I've been trying to kick the habit of procrastinating in other games when I've already set one aside to review. As such, this may not have the sort of in depth detail about the game you're looking for. What it does have, is my honest opinion on the game, and I may even elaborate on why I found it hard to NOT play other games.

STORY
So the story of Twisted Metal follows three separate story arcs surrounding a vehicular combat tournament from which the game gets it's name. The driving force behind the tournament is a charming, if a little unhinged, man named Calypso. The three story arcs focus on the competitors Sweet Tooth, Mr. Grimm and Dollface, as they attempt to destroy the competition and win the wish on offer by Calypso.

The story is a little strange, in that it runs each story arc one after the other, thus making it difficult to try and iron out a continuity (as certain characters appear to die, then become the focus of the next chapter). Nonsensical issues aside, the somewhat reality removed campaign missions are bookended by nice little grindhouse style cutscenes, each elaborating on the twisted individuals in the contest. And the characters, while deranged, all sit at different points on the tragic spectrum, offering interesting personalities, back stories and goals (if nothing else).

PRESENTATION
Twisted Metal is an odd little game; it seems intent on keeping the personality of it's older, classic titles in the series. However, in doing so, it seems to have been left behind by the rest of the industry. Now, I'm not saying that Twisted Metal looks bad; it's graphics are certainly passable, and everything runs quite smoothly. It just doesn't hold up against other vehicle-centric games, such as Motorstorm and it's ilk.

What does look good however, are the cutscenes present in the single player campaign. The grainy texture, along with the often dark (yet somehow light-hearted) story presented remind me of the Grindhouse style of films. The only problem I can see with this, however, is that the darkness of the cutscenes tend to leave a massive disconnect from the somewhat ridiculous and sometimes silly gameplay sections.

The soundtrack is full of heavy, pulse pounding metal tracks from the likes of Avenged Sevenfold, Rob Zombie, and Judas Priest, which certainly fit the dirty, action packed gameplay to a t. The original soundtrack is mainly played during the story scenes, and are mostly quite creepy sounding (fitting the subject matter quite well). Voice acting, on the other hand, is mostly forgettable, but with special mention going to Calypso's voice actor, for being one of the creepiest, yet eerily charming character voices I've ever heard.

GAMEPLAY
The gameplay of Twisted metal is fairly simple, and hasn't been revisited for quite some time. For that reason alone, Twisted Metal would be worth a try. Luckily, it's also pretty good at what it does, however be warned if you aren't an online multiplayer fan. Much of this game is intended to be played online, as the single player campaign can be take down in an afternoon (if you're eager enough).

So, the basics: drive around a highly destructible environment and take down your many opponents before they do the same to you. It's essentially a shooter, but in cars. To help you in your carmaggeddon (yes, I realize that's actually another game), there a multitude of weaponry pick-ups that rain down destruction on the enemy. You also have your own side arm, which is usually either car mounted machine guns, or some form of standard firearm (used by your passenger).

On top of these murderous items, your vehicle also has it's own signature weapon. This can vary from the ice cream truck's robot mode, to the tow-truck's taxi launcher, to the motorbike's chainsaw... that you throw. What I'm getting at, is that there is a decent amount to diversify each vehicle from the others. Some have higher armor or speed, while some have more powerful special moves. It's easy to spot the overpowered vehicles, however none of them are at too much of a disadvantage.

The only problem with the vehicles in Twisted Metal, is that all vehicles can be used by all factions. This might just be me, but Sweet Tooth's Ice Cream Truck should really be limited to the clowns. I think a more elegant way of making (most) vehicles available to all factions would be to just make copies of them all, but with different visual tweaks. Making them all available to all factions cheapens the roster for me a little bit.

My only other complaint is with the number of game types. Most are just a tweak on the usual drive and kill formula, which works. However, when the game adds in further elements to the mix, it really shines. The "Racing" mode is interesting, despite the controls and physics not really lending itself to racing gameplay. The Nuke Mode is almost a capture the flag game type, where players must capture the opposing team's leader and drag them to a nuke launcher (using them as a sort of launch activation). Once launched, players must control the missile and blow up the opposing team's faction statue. It sounds ridiculous, and it is; but it's also very fun.

REPLAYABILITY
As I mentioned before, the game is very multiplayer focused. While I'm sure the four player splitscreen works well enough and is fun, chances are it won't match the insanity of a full 16 player twisted metal tournament. Problem: I'm really only inclined to play multiplayer alot on certain games, and only with people I know. For me, Twisted Metal lacks a certain amount of replay value, since it's single player section is not only laughably short, but also mainly functions as training for the multiplayer. Still enjoyable, but not as much as it could have been.
As per usual, there's also a bunch of trophies to satisfy all you completionists out there.

OVERVIEW
Twisted Metal brings back a genre and amount of over the top action we haven't seen in gaming in quite some time. While looking rather dated, the game still plays rather well, with a short but still satisfying group of 3 story arcs to fill the single player campaign. The game will (probably) satisfy anyone with a particular love of online multiplayer carnage, but single player enthusiasts should maybe only give this one a rent.

That's it for another week, I think I might pick up Prototype 2 tomorrow, or Tuesday. See you next time!!

Journey

Wow, I've been really slack with the reviews lately... I know they used to be on Sundays, then Tuesdays, now who knows..? And alot of that has been me being busy with work and work related activities, as well as just wanting to play some games that I haven't touched in ages, but really enjoy playing. Trying to squeeze full length game reviews into this time frame isn't working so well for me, but when there are Downloadable Titles like I Am Alive, and Journey, I find it frees up my time. Not much, but enough. Anyway, theres an insight into my life for all one of you. On to the review!


STORY
Journey is an interesting game, in that while it doesn't have much exposition or dialogue (at all), it still has an interesting and thought provoking story. It's also interesting that with so little explanation, the story can be so good at tugging at your emotions.

Without spoiling anything major, Journey is essentially about a lone cloaked figure making his/her way to the only truly noticeable landmark in this world; a large mountain with a holy beacon of light hitting it's peak. Your character does this at the behest of an ethereal god-like being, and on this journey, you find out some interesting things about the land and it's inhabitants via stone etchings.
It's certainly a unique way of conveying a story, and I'm sure that not every gamer will appreciate it. However, if you're one of those people who doesn't need a lot of details to piece a story together, and you enjoy filling in the blanks, then the ambiguity of Journey will suit you perfectly. It's difficult to understand how exactly a game like this can get my hair standing on end, but few games can get that kind of a response from me.

PRESENTATION
The first thing you'll notice about Journey is that it looks AMAZING. The animations of the characters and creatures are fluid like water, and it's interesting to see that a game set mainly in a large expanse of desert seems to have more in common with water. The flowing characters are on example of this, and the sand effects also lend to this. The sand flows like water down a stream and makes the environment seem all the more beautiful.

The music is very sparse, but when it does become more intense, it gave me goosebumps. I've never heard such a good use of silence, quite tones and orchestral music in a game before. Adding to the soundtrack are the little chirps that players are capable of making, which add to the atmosphere by themselves. The game's atmosphere, generally speaking, is one of loneliness. The Journey is across a desolate desert, through which you'll rarely come across a travelling companion. And when you do, communication is limited to untranslatable chirps. I'll speak more on this feature in a moment, but I thought I'd mention it as it really does help convey the mood of Journey.

GAMEPLAY

The gameplay, much like the rest of the game, is very basic but still very enjoyable. There are only two button functions, Jump and Chirp. The game functions mainly as a platformer, where players jump their way through the levels to the end. The jumping is floaty, but unlike games like LittleBigPlanet where accuracy is necessary, the weightlessness of Journey's jumping feels right.

Across the land you'll often find certain collectibles that will lengthen the jumps you can perform (presented visually through your character's scarf). Hieroglyphs can be found to lengthen the scarf, while little cloth creatures may re-energize it, allow you to jump again. The scarf essentially acts as a stamina meter, and the amount of light on it is how full it is. Very basic and very easy to pick up. This is good, because there's very little instruction.

There is another way to refill your scarf, and it involves Journey's very unique multiplayer. As I said before, the tone of Journey is one of loneliness, but also one of discovery. And while you discover power ups, you'll also discover the occasional travelling buddy. The chirping function here helps players refill their partner's jump gauge. But the interesting thing here is that there are NO identifying features about your partner(s). No Gamertag, no names at all. So it's really strange when you start feeling a connection to your travelling companion, and it's startling when you notice your new friend has been replaced by someone completely different.

It's a cool little gameplay mechanic, and I highly suggest at least two playthroughs; one with, and one without a companion. I noticed a difference I couldn't quite put my finger on, and I'd like to see if others could find this also. There really isn't much to the gameplay, but what's there is not only basic but fun too.

REPLAYABILITY

Journey is a really short game. As in, you could finish it in one sitting. So are you going to spend 20 dollars on a game you'll only play for 4 hours? Probably not. However, Journey is the sort of game that you could play over and over again fr various reasons. It could be that the music hit you in just the right way, or the visual style was just too good to not revisit. Or maybe you just want the same chills you got from that section of the game. And trust me, when it happens, you'll know. On top of that, there are a number of hidden features in the landscape that I'm sure to go back and discover.

OVERVIEW

Journey is an interesting game. Most gamers may pass it over because of it's basic gameplay and ambiguous story, but there are definitely people who will love it. It really is a love it or hate it game. So, if you're into amazing visuals over mega-detailed graphics, and a less is more approach to music and gameplay, then you should shell out the $20 for Journey. You won't regret it. Next week should be my Twisted Metal review. It's a load of fun, but I'm being distracted by alot of games at the moment. So anyway, see you next time!

I Am Alive

This week, I thought I'd review two downloadable games, seeing as I didn't do a thing during the Easter weekend. So let's start it off with Ubisoft's Survival Horror title, I Am Alive.

STORY
I Am Alive follows the journey of a lone man who has traveled across America, back to his hometown of Haventon, approximately 1 year after a cataclysmic disaster known only as the Event. As a result of the Event, massive quakes rock the city and have created massive chasms. The air is polluted with massive amounts of dust, making it near impossible to breathe at the worst of times, and obscuring vision like thick fog.

The survivor you play as has returned home in search of his wife and child, having not heard from them since (possibly) before the Event. He begins with few items to call his own, among which are a gun (with no ammo), some rope, a backpack and a video camera. It's with this video camera that we witness the "cutscenes" of the game, where the traveler leaves video diaries and records key moments in his journey. The playback of these moments are the framing device for this adventure, and it works quite well.

There's a large mystery surrounding both the details of The Event, and the whereabouts of the main character's family. It's intriguing to find out all these little bits of information as you play.

PRESENTATION
I Am Alive is a game that was in and out of development for quite a long time. Longer than the usual development time for a game (let alone a downloadable title). Normally, that would be a warning sign, but with I Am Alive, the effects of it's development cycle aren't quite as easy to see.

The graphics, for starters are quite noticeably dated, and for a full price retail release, that would be a massive problem. However, considering the price of the game and quality of it's other aspects, it's not so much of a dealbreaker here.

The game's music is haunting and ambient, which adds to the atmosphere of this run-down, dilapidated and lonely setting. On top of that, the majority of people you meet want to kill you; the remainder of which want you to give them your limited supplies. It's a harsh environment, a survivalist's paradise, and the music reflects that.

While the graphics aren't the best quality, the visuals aren't all bad. The environments are reminiscent of Silent Hill; desolate, deserted streets, obscured by a thick cloud of dust. The feeling of uncertainty is unmistakable as you try to figure out whether that shadow in the distance is an armed enemy, or an unarmed, injured survivor.

GAMEPLAY
The actual gameplay of I Am Alive all revolves around survival, however the basic mechanics switch between shooting and platforming regularly. The first thing you may notice is that your supplies are very low. Your character first states that he only has a few items, and the gun he carries doesn't have any ammunition. Supplies you find can recover your health and your stamina, as well as increase your stamina bar if it loses size.

While ensuring your survival, you'll often come up against other survivors who will kill you for your supplies. To avoid this, and stay alive, the game becomes kill or be kill. Limited ammo means that you'll want to avoid conflict if possible, and when firing your weapon, you'll have to take out the most dangerous foes first. In a one on one battle, it's easy enough to whip out the machete and perform a struggle kill on someone.

It's interesting to see, however, that even with no ammo, your gun can be used as a valuable weapon. When threatening opponents with it, you'll find that other survivors will freeze and put their hands above their heads in surrender. In this state, you can order them to back off, to the point where you may be able to knock them into a nearby hazard. It's an interesting mechanic, and it works well. The only problem I can see with it, is that your foes often forget that you have a gun the second you put it away.
Enemy types are pretty limited, but there are special variants with thick body armor that prefer a different approach.

The combat and scavenging is broken up with platforming which is somewhat reminiscent of Uncharted. However, the main character is no Nathan Drake or Ezio Auditore; his climbing does have limits. As he climbs, his stamina drops until the bar is empty. When the bar is empty, the length of it decreases until its gone entirely. With no stamina, the survivor will fall to his death. There are ways around this, such as using equipment to take a breather mid-climb, or using supplies to recover stamina.

As you can see, the careful management of supplies makes its way into all aspects of this game. However, your supplies may also buy information concerning the survivor's family. You have to make a choice, do you help these survivors and gain information, or do you keep the supplies just in case you get hurt or your stamina bar drops?

At it's core, I Am Alive is a survival game at its best. The things that I Am Alive does best work exceptionally well, while some of the basic mechanics (particularly climbing) can be frustrating do to a lack of polish.

REPLAYABILITY
While there are no multiple endings or multiplayer options, I feel that I Am Alive is worth more than just one playthrough. There are a number of supplies and survivors that need them, and the odds of you finding them all the first time through are very slim.
Finding out as much as you can about the survivor's family is interesting, and the unique approach to confrontations makes me want to play it over and over.

OVERVIEW
I Am Alive is an interesting game. It's long time in development is certainly noticeable with it's graphics, though the visual effects from the dust create an eerie, lonely atmosphere, that definitely makes up for it. The gameplay mechanics are mostly functional, while a little rough around the edges. Despite that, being able to threaten a thug with an unloaded gun is certainly a cool feeling.

While the game has some great ideas, if it was a full priced retail release, I'd have difficulty recommending it. As it is, however, I Am Alive is only $20, and I'd say that it's totally worth it.

Anyway, I'll be back tomorrow with my review of another downloadable review. See you next time!

SSX

It seems that lately, most of my posts are coming on Tuesday nights, so I may just make that the new post day for 2012. We cool with that? Awesome.
So a little bit of unrelated news before I get started, my girlfriend has recently started up a gaming related Tumblr, called The Gaming Bucket List. It would mean a lot to me if any of you with Tumblr accounts followed and submitted entries to her. And don't just say "Finish "game x"". Try and make it interesting, like "Free my people from Rupture Farms" or "Cleanse the Holy Land of Templars". Something along those lines.
Public service announcement complete, on to the review!

STORY
As with most games of this variety (sports/racing), the story is a barely there wrapping to hold all the events together. Not that we really need one. I don't need a reason to fling a virtual avatar down a mountain on a piece of wood, but what the hell.
You play as all the members of team SSX as they tackle the 9 deadliest mountain descents on Earth. Keeping them on their toes is ex member Griff, who's trying to beat them across these runs. This isn't the most coherent or interesting story out there, but as a means of giving you an excuse to tackle these runs, it works well enough.

The characters are barely elaborated upon past their little comic style intro cinematics, and are little more than a skin choice for your snowboarding adventures.

PRESENTATION
The first thing you'll probably notice about SSX is that it looks gorgeous. The slopes that you tackle have nice, welcoming curves, as well as a nice variety in obstacles to trick across.
The backdrops give a nice sense of scale to the environments, and the environmental effects used in the deadly descents give a powerful sense of realism.

The soundtrack is appropriately groovy, with tracks like "Young Blood" by Naked and Famous, and "Tricky" by RUN DMC giving the game a fun feel, while the effects on the "Tricky" track give an adrenaline surge as you fly down the mountain.

The voices are really quite forgettable, though the game must be commended for having one of the least offensive Australian accent I've heard in a game.

GAMEPLAY
When the game first debuted ages ago, it was under the title of SSX: Deadly Descent. This initially garnered some serious aggro from the old school fan base. Having heard the outrage, the developers seem to have switched the "hardcore, serious, gritty" game that we all expected, for something with the light tone and exaggerated moves that we all were used to. That's not to say that there have been no changes at all, however.

For instance, tricks can be pulled off in one of two ways. Either you can use the face buttons like an old school player, or use the analog control scheme, where tricks are managed via the right analogue stick (ala Skate 2). The face buttons work as well as ever, though I found that the stick controls were surprisingly smooth and tight when executing moves.
The slopes, as I said before, are nicely curved for optimal jumps, and the various obstacles are well placed for epic grinds and tricks.

The tricky and super tricky meters are filled by mastering and combining tricks, and when they become full, uber and super uber tricks become available, gaining you massive points.

The events are split into three categories: Trick it, Race it, and survive it. Trick it and race it are SSX standards, where players gain the most points, or race to the base of the run respectively. Each run has a fairly difficult top goal to reach, though they are certainly not impossible.
The third category, Survive It, is new to the series, and has you using special equipment to tackle descents with various natural occurrences that threaten to end your life and your run. This could range from using a wingsuit to glide across wide gaps, or a breathing mask to tackle the heights of Mt Everest.
These runs help keep the game nice and interesting.

REPLAYABILITY
Taking a cue from EA's other recent games (NFS in particular), SSX has it's own version of the autolog, called Ridernet. Ridernet allows players to keep track of their friends' runs, as well as global events that they're currently on the scoreboard for. It's a useful little addition, and allows easier management of the tracks that you may want to check out. Overall though, you'll basically be playing the tracks over and over again, which is nothing less than what we expect from an SSX game.

OVERVIEW
SSX is a great looking game that plays well and has a fun soundtrack to keep players on it for extended periods of time. It falls short in the story and voice acting departments, but this is a game where nobody should really care about these things. There's a nice variety of game types and tracks, and it just plays really well. If you're looking for a game to just pick up and play, this is one to try.

Next week, perhaps a review of the downloadable title "I Am Alive". See you then!