Duke Nukem Reviewed!

Every so often, a game comes around and knocks you clean on your (insert explicative here). It doesn't happen to often, in fact a video game enthusiast can usually recollect a time in their lives when they've played "said" game. In a time wrapped around epic story lines, steroid injected graphics and explosions galore, video games of the 'now' have almost made us loose sight on just why we go so flippin' crazy for a good video game title. If it were not for the 1990's, we may have never gotten the Bioshocks, Halos, Mass Effects or Warcrafts. It's tough to fathom but it almost makes sense, doesn't it? Case in point, you need to pay homage to the past greats like Doom, Diablo, Final Fantasy and even Warcraft in order to get a true appreciation of present day games. With that said, it is with great pleasure that I, OverlordStrider, sit before you and write a review on one of the industries greatest triumphs...the one, the only: DUKE NUKEM 3D.

As of this past Wednesday morning (3:00am to be exact) Duke Nukem 3D has been ready for download on XBox's Live Arcade Service for a measly 800 Microsoft points. When the news broke "The Duke" (and yes I will be referring to him in the third person...cause "The Duke" demands respect) was coming to the download service, forum boards all around the "inter-web" went ablaze. To take one of the industries biggest games of all time and release it via download nearly 20 years later was not just a daunting task for the developers but an extremely big leap of faith that not only old school fans would download it but fans 'a new' would as well. Warp9 is proud to announce that "The Duke" has already achieved nearly 48-thousand downloads and has erupted, once again, on the scene. "The Duke" has nearly dethroned Doom (another past great) as the most downloaded game on XBox Live and looks to surpass it in about another week of being available.

Seventeen hours, thirty-one minutes and forty-seven seconds; start to finish. For a first person shooter nearly twenty years old, that's the length of time it has taken me to beat this gem from start to finish. An additional ten hours will most likely be poured in to snatch up the remainder of achievements still laughing at me...still locked. Ttypically, by today's FPS standards, that's a good chunk of game play! You'll spend hours looking for those hidden path ways, cracked walls and atomic orbs all while capping off those "pig-cops."

Graphically speaking, this isn't going to blow your mind. However, being from 1996 Duke Nukem 3D looks pretty damn good! There are some minor problems throughout the campaign, not many...but a couple. Some areas are really dark and hard to navigate as a result. There are also some blocking issues as well as pacing problems. At some points, the battles get so out of control that it's almost impossible to figure out what enemy to take down first...and by the time you make your mind up you're already splattered against a wall. Hard core fans will appreciate the insatiable difficulty level in some parts but new comers might be turned off.

Those little nit-picks aside, the game play is where "The Duke" shines! I had forgotten just how smooth the weapons fire, just how fast Duke really is, the ability to look up and down as well as jump (big plus) and the underlying fact of the matter: Just how downright fun the overall experience is. It brought me back to the glory days of PC gaming at its finest as well as showed me just how important these types of games really are to the industry as a whole.

One last extremely huge positive for DN3D is the fact at how much content they packed into this download. Every expansion pack is included as well as two new bonus screen shots of the upcoming Duke Nukem Forever game, that's huge! So, if your looking for hours and hours of game play, a huge re-play value, achievement farming, as well as being able to talk trash to cops, tip strippers, blow away big bosses and kick alien heads through football goal posts, then this game is a must own for you.

All things aside, DN3D is a very important game to the industry. It gave players the freedom to do pretty much what ever they wanted. Want to go head strong into a fire fight? Please, be my guest! Or even if you wanted to pull the old stealth sneak attack kills...there was always room for improvisation; and thats what makes this game such a classic. Man, it really felt good picking up that automatic pump action shot gun for the first time in years...seriously good! Duke Nukem scores big time and is now available for download at a measly 800 micro-points (10 beans). Do yourself a favor and download this epic FPS!

Duke Nukem 3D Gets a Whopping....
9.5 out of 10

-GAME HARD-

Uploading Frenzy!

FIRST OFF: Xbox's Live Service is down for maintenance and will be back up late tonight. They are trying to get their servers ready for the Fall update nobody wants. That's why your seeing the [Error HTML] on our Gamertag Boxes.

IN THE WORKS:

• This Weeks Minor Plethora (OverlorsStrider Pics Uploading Now)
  
• Full Review: Duke Nukem 3d (XBLA)
• Hands on with Fracture Demo
• Full Review: GTA IV (Better Late Than Never!)

UNTIL OUR SERVERS BREAK..........

-GAME HARD-

A Casual Delight . . .

The gaming industry (as a whole) is full of niches. There's just about any type of market you can think of. Whether it be Nintendo marketing its Wii towards the older generation or Microsoft's catering to the hardcore gamer with the XBox 360...you name it and its been marketed. One facet, however, has gained some "steam" over the past few years and now has the gaming industry pigeonholed not knowing what to do with it. The so-called "casual" gamer has erupted on the scene with cell phone games a-la-cart and Moh-Jong ready for download on their desktops. Never really privy to the scene, (I don't know if you can truly label someone a "casual gamer" simply because they only play a certain type of game or play for a certain amount of time) casual gaming has arrived and looks to be staying for the long haul.

Cut to the chase, right? Having said that casual gaming just isn't for everyone, there is however one game that might change the stagnant minds of action game enthusiasts. It is possible that because of its simplistic manner, addictive game play and superb minimalistic RPG leveling system, that this game has sucked millions into downloading the full version via the company web site. The game you ask? Peggle. The object? Shoot balls at little rectangles or circles causing them to disappear. Once you've hit your quota...your done and move onto the next scenario.

Doesn't sound to interesting does it? Wrong...so wrong. The game incorporates thinking, speed, accuracy and a little luck. Wiki:The game requires strategy to bounce the ball off pegs and other obstacles to clear as much of the orange pegs in the level as possible with the given number of balls. Scrolling across the bottom of the screen is the "free ball bucket" which awards the player an extra ball should the previous shot go in.

Besides the orange pegs, the game's levels have blue pegs (which have no effect other than increasing the score), purple pegs (which are worth 50 times the amount of the blue pegs), and green pegs (which activate a power-up based on the character the player has selected).

There is an option for those who are color blind which adds a triangle to the green pegs and a plus to the purple pegs to make them easier to distinguish.

Now, the cool thing is you have help through out the game; this is where the RPG element comes into play. After completing certain levels or challenges you unlock animal characters that help you through each match. If you hit a certain colour peg you activate you animal character which in turns gives you a significant advantage.

Peggle offers 10 different playable characters each with their own special power-up that one can use by hitting green-colored pegs.

• Bjorn - Power up: Super guide - Creates a guide showing part of the shot's trajectory.
• Jimmy Lightning - Power up: Multiball - Spawns another ball when activated.
• Kat Tut - Power up: Pyramid - Widens the free ball bucket by attaching a primitive pyramid around it.
• Splork - Power up: Space Blast - Lights up all pegs in a certain radius.
• Claude - Power up: Flippers - Causes lobster claw shaped pinball flipper to appear on either side of the screen—the player can "click" to remit the ball away from the bottom of the screen.
• Renfield - Power up: Spooky Ball - When activated, the ball appears again at the top of the screen after falling through the bottom.
• Tula - Power up: Flower Power - Lights up 1/5 of the orange pegs remaining in the stage.
• Warren - Power up: Lucky Spin - Randomly activates either Triple Score, Magic Hat (attaches a hat to the top of the ball, which can also light up pegs), Extra Ball or a random power up from the other characters.
• Lord Cinderbottom - Power up: Fireball - Replaces the ball with a fireball that can go through and eliminate all pegs in its path.
• Master Hu - Power up: Zen Ball - Tweaks one shot (up to 500%) to optimize scoring.

Packed with an assortment of game modes, Peggle is well worth the $19.99 price tag. Its even super easy to go to the developers web site (PopCap), look up Peggle, click buy and wham, your downloading one of 2007's best games. If you don't believe the hype, here's a quick list of significant awards this game has won over just one year:

• Top 100 Video Games of All Time (#40)
• PC Gamer Magazine (UK)(2007) 5 Most Addictive Video Games of All Time
• MSNBC.com (2007) Casual Game of The Year
• Salt Lake Tribune (2007) Top Ten Video Games of 2007 (#8)
• Joystiq.com - Top Ten Video Games of 2007
• Games For Windows Magazine (3/08) Downloadable Game of the Year Finalist
• Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences - Overall Game of the Year
• Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (2007) Best Downloadable Game of 2007
• JayisGames.com - Finalist, Most Innovative Game of the Year
• GDC Awards (2007) Finalist, Best Downloadable Game of the Year
• GDC Awards (2007) Finalist, Best Handheld Game of the Year
• GDC Awards (2007) Runner-up, Puzzle Game of the Year
• PC Gamer Magazine (2007) Alternate Award
• British Gaming Blog (2008)

With its sequel already available as of this week (9.22.08), Peggle has set the standard for "casual" games. With its beautiful visuals, mind blowing sound and hypnotic music I'm still sticking to my statement that even Peggle offers a boat load of content and depth; thus equalizing the tag "casual." Being a hardcore gamer like myself, I always hear that tiny voice in the back of my head saying, "Go play Peggle...dooo it." With that said, I'm off to download Peggle Nights and put in just as many hours as I did with the first one.

-GAME HARD-

This Week In "The Box" [9.22-9.27.08]

This week we have a pretty decent release list; variety...as I like to call it. There's a slew of retail releases and one major XBLA release worth taking note(lets call it a long overdue 'hello' to old an old friend). So sit back, relax and charge up those controllers as were about to take a trip down memory lane.

BROTHERS IN ARMS: HELL'S HIGHWAY

• Developer: Ubisoft
• Genre: Historic FPS
• Release Date: 9.23.08
• Retails For $59.99
• Warp Says: This venerable series makes it debut on the 360. With shiny graphics, spruced up command system and its "cover" system, Hell's Highway looks promising. Though the game has been flagged with online glitches in the past, developer Ubisoft looks to re-lite the torch so-to-speak with this historic-setting first person shooter.

PURE

• Developer: Disney Interactive
• Genre: Off-roading action action at its finest
• Release Date: 9.23.08
• Retails For $59.99
• Warp Says: Pure aims to deliver extreme off-road racing action filled with wild aerial tricks and spacious realistic environments. If you like pulling off front flips, nack nack's and superman's, then you owe it to yourself to pick this up. The game received multiple awards at this years E3 event as well as the prestigious "Best Of" award at SBSW. The game sure does look pretty, lets hope the game play lives up to the industry standard set by it predecessors like ATV Off-Road.

LEGO BATMAN

• Developer: Warner Brothers Interactive
• Genre: Lego Adventure/Platform
• Release Date: 9.23.08
• Retails For: $49.99
• Warp Says: Never really got into the Lego games too much. They always seemed a little shallow and repetitive. This installment, however, looks to set the record straight with haters. A little darker than previous Lego games, Batman seems to pack the same type of features as well as co-op; a very bright co-op system to boot

WARRIORS OROCHI II

• Developer: Koei
• Genre: Brawler with some strategy elements
• Release Date: 9.23.08
• Reatils For: $59.99
• Warp Says: Mehh, another Dynasty Warrior clone/rip off/boring brawler. It may look all fancy pantsy on your eyes, but never judge a book by its cover! Meta scores thus far have been mediocore at best (6.5) but sometimes...just sometimes I like to sit down and dish out 300+ hit combos. So who knows, it could be good...or it could be brutaly "OK."

BAJA: Edge of Control

• Developer: THQ
• Genre: Off Road ATV/Rally Racing
• Release Date: 9.23.08
• Retails For: $59.99
• Warp Says: New off-road racer from several former MX vs. ATV developers will feature 100 square miles of open terrain and 40 vehicles ranging from 4X4 trucks to dune buggies. This type of game really caters to the off road niche gamer and solidifies its place as one of the finer looking installments ever to be scene. Yet, its these types of games that wind up sitting and collecting dust on your gaming shelves. Zoom Zoom.

DUKE NUKEM 3D (IT'S ABOUT FREAKING TIME)

• Developer: The Legendary 3D Realms
• Genre: FPS
• Release Date: 9.24.08 (3am Eastern Time)
• Retails: 800 Microsoft Points
• Warp Says: Buy this game...Seriously. If you want to see just where 80% of the industry got its first person shooter ideas from, then download this game ASAP. Meta Critic Score of 9.5, new game modes and multi-player maps, a re-wind editor...The Ducke is back ready to kick ass and cheew bubble gum! Look for a full preview this Friday morning with screen shots and up to date hands on coverag showing all you noobs to the 'Duke' scene just why this epic FPS is looked upon as one of the greatest games ever created.

UNTIL NEXT WEEK, GO PLAY DUKE NUKEM 3D & ALWAYS.................

-GAME HARD-

A Minor Plethora

Looking at the list of new releases in the coming months just downright gives me the chills. From now until Christmas there is at least one, if not more, games per week that could be a potential blockbuster. I just feel bad for titles that have to be released during the month of November, which is when Gears of War 2 will steal the show hands down. Look, we know Gears is going to sell, sell, sell, but we can't turn a blind eye to other potentially great games that are going to be released during that time frame. Over the next few weeks, we here at Warp 9 will be sorting through some titles that you may want to keep an eye on, as well as some titles that you may want to search the bargain bins for, and others that you may want to rent and decide for yourself. We definitely welcome comments and questions on our posts, and you can even send us an email. Without further adieu...

SS SoulStealer's Big Ol' Weekly Deuce.....PLOP (eewwww, excuse me!)

This weeks selections caught my eye during the E3 coverage, as well as subsequent gameplay videos, and yes, developer generated hype. What I wouldn't do to be a tester and have these games in my hands right now, or rather, a controller in my hands and the disc in my console. Both of these titles made it onto my 2008 most anticipated games list and oddly enough both had the word DEAD somewhere in the title.

Left 4 Dead -- Release date: November 17, 2008 -- 360 and PC

• Zombies. C'mon, need I say more? Every games with zombies is a winner.
• An FPS where teamwork is the key to success. No solo 'I am going to kill everything' run and gun tactics in this game, it's purely team based where you play as 1 of 4 players with AI or friends at your side. Get separated from the group and you die.
• Singleplayer campaign, drop in drop out co-op, splitscreen, and multiplayer modes give you plenty of choices. You can even hook 2 360's together for 2X2 splitscreen. You can even play as the infected in multiplayer matches.
• Beautiful graphics and the guns sound awesome. Sound is always one of our concerns over here at Warp 9...especially shotguns.
• The action is super fast paced. The hospital stage was reminiscent of F.E.A.R but the action and gameplay looked even more intense.
• DLC rumored to have 'regular' updates that will include new monsters, maps, weapons, and items.
• BOTTOM LINE: While this game does not reinvent the wheel, it does provide a unique twist on the FPS genre that you will either love or hate. Little is known about the storyline besides that you are fighting off the infected during the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. Hopefully there is more to it, since a storyline can make or break a game. This is going to be a purchase for me and one you should all keep your eye on. Look for a hands on preview here at Warp 9 prior to release for the final verdict. You may just save yourself some cash.

Dead Space -- Release date: October 14, 2008 -- 360, PS3, PC

• A sci-fi third person shooter horror survival games where you solve puzzles, explore, and tear apart the necromorphs. What are necromorphs you ask? Well as it turns out it is basically the reanimated flesh of the ships crew that you were sent to investigate.
• Zero gravity environments will account for about 20% of the game meaning that you are free to jump around wall to wall and ceiling to floor etc. Can you say motion sickness? Also, since you are in space you will occasionally be in areas where there is no oxygen and you'll have to search out oxygen refilling stations.
• Ability to obtain upgrade 'nodes' throughout the game that can be applied to your suit and weapons etc.
• replaying the game will allow you to use all the power ups you already have an continue to upgrade yourself.
• BOTTOM LINE: The verdict still isn't out on this one yet but it does bear some watching. I think that you will NOT like this game if you are a fan of all out FPS warfare. It is going to be more slower paced than Halo or COD but hopefully somewhere along the pace of Bioshock. The zero gravity reminded me a bit of the annoying anti-gravity walkways in PREY that were very awkward so I'm a bit taken aback by that feature, although in this case you have a whole lot more freedom to move about. The game does look to provide a good story line since your lady friend is on the ship somewhere and is no doubt in need of her man, but there is no telling how long the game is yet. Games like these with multiple puzzles tend to be either fun or downright boring and monotonous. The game is still under tight wraps but as the release draws near hopefully more gameplay footage will shed some light on this title. I think I am going to give this one a rent and see what it is like before buying it. I am a little worried that the game will be short and have little in the way of replayability.

Earth Defense Farce 2017

Everyone might want to start getting ready because in the year 2017 the earth will be invaded by giant ants, giant spiders, giant flies, giant robots, giant spaceships, and a giant dinosaur. You may want to kill yourself before that happens though or else you'll be facing severe repetition that makes you wonder if you have died and gone to hell. Perhaps the only thing that isn't giant in this game is the entire experience itself. Then again, I have put in 16 hours so far which means it can't be that bad...right?




As you can probably guess, your job is to eradicate the creatures and save earth from its impending doom. Pretty simple. The game boasts a ridiculous 53 levels and 170 different weapons ranging from assault riffles to flamethrowers, and the ever so fun variety of rocket launchers and missiles. Although you can only take two weapons into battle at a time. There are also a few vehicles in some of the levels that aren't worth your time, but just in case you were wondering, you'll have a chopper, mech suit, tank, and speeder bike at your disposal. The levels are actually fairly large and expansive but you rarely ever use the whole map. Defeated enemies at times will leave weapons, health, and armor which increases your stamina through the game. Yes, I know it is hard to believe, but that is pretty much it.

Seriously, that really is it. I enjoyed the game for the first 10 levels before I started to get bored. It just became really monotonous shooting the same monsters on repeated levels over and over and over and over again. The vehicles are terrible to drive and are not even worth getting in. The mech suit came in handy a few times, but only standing still since it moves slower than dirt. The graphics are sub par, and the sound is just downright terrible. I really can't think of anything more to say, the game is really basic and perhaps could have been released a long time ago. I really can't believe that this is indeed a game for the 360.

I have been completely negative to this point but I suppose the game does deserve some credit. The large levels and grand scale of everything is impressive at times. Some of the explosions after taking down larger bots are just massive and take up the whole screen at times. The difficulty will provide plenty of challenge for those who don't mind the monotony. Then there are the controls. Shoot, jump, change weapons, and the two sticks is all you'll need to use. Woohoo, no crazy button sequences for once. Don't be caught half steppin with your weapon on safety, just run with the trigger down.




I was attracted to this game because, well, I kinda am an achievement hunter when I have nothing else to play. Plus, the local Blockbuster was all out of the 'good' games. Little did I know that they wouldn't be so easy to get. I beat it on normal and got the 100 points, but did not receive the points for easy like every other game usually automatically awards. Then it hit me on how to actually go about getting all the points. In short, start on easy and work through all the difficulties. Use the same save file and your stamina will continue increasing as you pick up all that lovely armor through the levels. The more stamina you have the more enemies you can withstand on the harder difficulties. Now this isn't a game where you will get all 1000 in a weekend, but something that can be done over time in a kinda 'few levels here, few levels there' mentality.

I'm not even sure if I can recommend this as a rental. If you don't mind the repetition then perhaps you could pick it up out of a bargain bin with the hopes of grinding out all 1000 points over time. I did trick myself a few times into thinking that I liked it, but that was just my economical side making sure I got my moneys worth out of the overpriced rental.

Oh, how could I forget. On level 4, headquarters radios in and says "the giant robots are beating off all the humans." Priceless!



5.0 / 10.0

In The Works [uploading]

In the works, Warp9 has the following:

1. Peggle write up and hands on with Peggle 2 (PC Gaming)
2. Full Review of Samurai Showdown II (XBLA)
   
3. Full Review of Earth Defense Force 2017 (xb360)

-GAME HARD-

A Minor Plethora (applause now)

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the sheer amount of games out there to play? Don't know which ones to pick or keep an eye out for? Look no further young grasshopper, for Warp 9 is here to weed the weak from the strong and hand deliver to you, the gamer, a list of buys, rents and bargain bin pick ups! Whether the games' already on store shelves or set for release in the near future, you can count on us to be putting the "Ki-Bosch" on "corporate spin" and giving you the straight facts.

This weeks emphasis rests solely on a kindred spirit; a rock within the RPG sub genre...The Dungeon Crawler! With that said, lets get started.

OverlordStrider's Weekly Deuce:

SACRED II: Fallen Angel
(360, PC) (Release Date: November 2008)

• For those who aren't privy to the Sacred name don't worry, the story lines are not really intertwined. The only thing that is consistent/connected to the first Sacred is the world and the character classes.

• The Sacred series has an extremely rabid fan base. In fact, it was due to user petitions that we are now being treated to another installment (I signed it...seriously).
• Visually, Sacred falls into one category and one category only: Diablo clone. It looks, plays and feels like something straight out of Blizzards (Diablo's Developer) "secrete black book of ideas."
  
• The genre of the Sacred series is and always has been a dungeon crawler RPG in the veins of Baldurs Gate, Diablo and Neverwinter Nights. Semi top-down camera angles accompanied by huge cavernous dungeons and cities.
• Battles are done in real time, of course. You level your character by fighting goblins, monsters, orcs, elves, thieves, zombies etc. etc.
• The name of the game in Sacred II? Loot hording and level grinding! There is more customizable armor configurations and weapon sets that it will leave your head spinning and thumbs twitching!
• BOTTOM LINE: If you enjoy dungeon crawlers, loot hording, massive battles with multiple subjects, bad ass looking armor and weapons as well as a pretty damn good story line, than Sacred II is right up your ally. Also, worth mentioning: Sacred II has been added to my list of "Most Anticipated Games of 2008," as of this past week (replacing the devastating smack to the face that was Too Human).

Diablo III
(PC) (Rumored Release Date: Q1 of '09)

• With the recent rumor of a potential early 2009 release date, Diablo III has the entire PC gaming community jumping for joy. It's been nearly a decade since we saw the last Diablo 2 expansion pack and that game alone left all of us frothing at the mouth for more.

• Diablo III will feature two brand spanking new character classes (The Witch Doctor and Barbarian). These two new classes were demoed publicly at Blizzards yearly BlizzCon event.
• Like its' predecessors, Diablo III will yet again traverse the hallowed halls of brilliant Dungeon Crawlers. In a nut shell, it was this series that brought us this revered genre of gaming!
• Like all other Dungeon Crawler, it's all about the loot and weapons you can customize your character with...Booo Yeah!
• There's truly nothing like meeting up with a buddy on Battle.Net (Blizzards online Server), teaming up and taking on the story together. Co-op mode has always been a staple within the series and Blizzard looks to keep it that way with D3. Dibs on the Barbarian!
• BOTTOM LINE: Diablo III is a must have for any Action RPG lover. If it werent for Diablo, we would have never gotten gems like Baldurs Gate and Never Winter Nights. I plan on upgrading my PC for this game, thats how important it is to me! Buy, Buy, Buy!

-GAME HARD-

For Monday (Buisness as Usual)

IN THE WORKS FOR MONDAY (9.15.08)

• Minor Plethora (I know, I know...I've been hyping this segment for over a month now...But, good things come to those who are patient!)

• RPG Bonanza (to end the year out, I've got a pile of RPG's we need to sift through. And I, OverlordStrider, am your man to do such a task!)

• NEW WEEKLY POLL & WHAT WE'RE PLAYING!

UNTIL MONDAY..................................

-GAME HARD-

Tales of Vesperia Review

To put it bluntly, the 360 really hasn't had a killer RPG since its inception. Sure, there was Eternal Sonata but even that didn't fulfill its true potential. Then you have Lost Odyssey; a whirl wind of moderate game mechanics that made you feel like you were playing something straight out of the 90's. With that said, RPG lovers can rejoice! For the first great role playing game for the XBox 360 has arrived: Tales of Vesperia.

If you're acquainted with the Tales franchise than you know the series has been around for quite some time now. From its debut with Tales of Phantasia back in 1995 to its monumental break through with Tales of Symphonia, this series has been a stapled stalwart here in the states as well as in far east. The series is known for its creative fighting scheme, its bright beautiful graphics and its frantic high pace battles; however, with Tales of Vesperia, developers Bandai-Namco have "upped" the bar and delivered yet another epic entry into the juggernaut series.

Lets make one thing clear first and foremost, Tales of Vesperia doesn't stray far from it's roots. The schematics of the game have pretty much stayed the same. There are no random encounters (thank god). In fact, on the map or area in which you are traversing you see the enemies walking or running around. You can either avoid these enemies or run into them, thrusting you into a battle. Once this happens you are taken to a fighting area of sorts where it is there you engage the enemy. These battles are done in real time allowing you to move freely in a designated circle, enemies can do the same. Want to rush in and just start walloping fools in the face? By all means! Or perhaps your the calculating type who prepares whole heartily before a battle by arranging which A.I. counterpart you want to join in? To each his own, I guess. That's the beauty of this game, it's all about personal preference.

You can customize your character to your hearts content as well in TOV. This adds to the strategy of battle as well as story line progression. There is no short of weapons, armor, tools, hats, pants, pipes etc. throughout the game. If you want Yuri (main character) to be a tank in battle, then you need to customize him with the proper armor set and weapon; each unique with its own look and feel! Overall, the customization options are easy to learn and even easier to master adding yet another pleasurable bonus to the "technical side" of this game. Other notable mentions are your magic/special moves (or artes, as they call them in the game). Each character can learn multiple magic spells as well as special moves that light up the screen in abundance as you progress the story line. This ties into the strategy of battle and plays an important role within the later half of the game. You can set your A.I. partners in the game to 'auto,' 'semi-auto' or manual thus allowing you to either control them all by yourself (which I don't recommend) or have them think on their own and do their own thing. Sound hard to do? It's not. In the menu bar, you can assign short cuts to the right analog stick. If you want certain characters to perform an attack, click the stick right, left, up or down in correspondence with what you have set. It's that simple.

One more bright spot that is in need of discussion is the visuals. This is probably one of the best looking games to come to fruition on the 360. Sure you got CG powerhouses like GTAIV and Bioshock to compete with but for what its worth, TOV packs a punch in the graphics department. Special moves fill the entire screen and light up in an array of fireworks and explosions. The colors pop and the character designs are tight. Even when your in a battle with eight enemies the frame rate never slows nor hampers your experience, this is something no other RPG has done on XBox 360; consistency in visual design is a rarity but also a well regarded asset to gamers!

Ok, enough gloating over all the "ushi gooshy" fineness that is TOV. There has to be something not so good, right? Of course there is. Tales of Vesperia lacks in one department and one department only...Story line. If one word was used to sum up the entire 50+ hours It took me to pile drive through the main quest/story line it would be: "Mehhh." It's your typical run of the mill, main character meets rag tag group of other "quasi" main characters and saves the world from total disaster. Granted, the main quest takes you a good 40+ hours to get through but if your feeling savvy and want to tackle those off-shoot side quests that kind of reflect on the main story line as well, than you'll get an additional 15+ hours of game play respectively. To sum it up gently, if the same effort was put into the story line that was put into the game play mechanics of this game, it would be a 10 for sure.

All things considered it took me almost two hours to come up with only one negative in regards to Tales of Vesperia. The story progression, though bland, was enjoyable and the mechanics/game play were flawless! In all actuality, TOV delivers on all fronts. If you are an RPG fan you need to check this out and if you've followed the Tales series and enjoy their counterparts, you owe it to yourself to go and actually BUY this game. Flawless representation of what a true RPG should be, Tales of Vesperia packs one hell of a zaa biff (that's a punch).

WARP SCORE: 9.0 OUT OF 10



Until I finish all the side quests in Tales of Vesperia......

-GAME HARD-

In The Works..........

Warp 9 Gaming has the following in the uploading phase:

• Tales of Vesperia (XB360) Review
• Minor Plethora
• Hands on with Samurai Showdown II (XBLA)

Tales Review will be fully uploaded by 9pm Eastern Time tonight [9.10.08]

This Week In "The Box" [9.8.08--9.14.08]

In the gaming industry, there is always that far chance that "anything can happen." With this weeks 360 releases, Microsoft has proven that they do cater to the 'niche' market from time to time thus furthering the notion that anything can happen, indeed. Scroll down the list to the very last game. Gaze upon its greatness. Take a deep a breath...and then poop your pants.

1. NHL 2009

• Developer: Electronic Arts
• Genre: Hockey Simulator
• Release Date: Sept. 9th 2008
• Retail Price: $59.99
• For Fans Of: Hockey and Sports Games (duh)

2. NHL 2k9

• Developer: Take 2 Interactive/Visual Concepts
• Genre: Ice Hockey Simulator
• Release Date: Sept. 8th, 2009
• Retail Price: $59.99
• For Fans Of: Yup, you guessed it...

3. Zoids Assault

• Developer: ATLUS/Takara Tomy
  
• Genre: Sci-Fi Turned based RPG
• Release Date: Sept. 9th, 2009
• Retail Price: $59.99
• For Fans of: Anime based games, RPG's with a Sci-Fi Twist

4. TNA Impact

• Developer: Midway
• Genre: Wrestling Sim
• Release Date: Sept. 9th, 2009
• Retail Price: $59.99
• For Fans of: Wrestling games, lots of manliness testosterone

5. Shotest Shogi (XBLA)

• Developer: Microsoft Game Studios
• Genre: Board Game
• Release Date: Sept. 10th, 2009
• Retail: 800 Micro points
• For Fans of: Board Games, I guess.

6. Samurai Showdown 2 (XBLA)

(Let The Giddiness Ensue!)

• Developer: SNK Playmore
• Genre: 2D Fighting
• Release Date: Sept. 10th, 2009
• Retail: 800 Micro Points
• For Fans of: 2D Fighters, Great Games That Pave The Way For Others!

Well, what do you think? Samurai Showdown 2 is heralded as one of the greatest fighting games of all time that paved the way for franchises like Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter. Personally, I'll be staying up late to download this one. Sam. Sho. 2 took up much of my youth's days and drained my pockets dry while "marathoning" in the arcade (mostly Aladdin's Castle). Those Neo-Geo cabinets were a blessing to us gamers and its about damn time we bring one of the greatest fighting series to XBOX's Live Service! Lets hope the conversion transitions well and nothing goes wrong with the online schematics. Here's to wishing for the best!

-GAME HARD-

A Minor Plethora Begins!

We here at Warp 9 are starting a brand spanking new segment entitled: Minor Plethora! Each editor here will be submitting two already released games or upcoming releases (any platform) that has caught their eye by surprise. It Could be a game we rented on a "whim" while trotting through the dark and hollowed corners of Block Buster or a tiny XBLA game you downloaded in demo format. This segment is to give the readers a chance to see each end of the spectrum within the gaming realm. The bright end with all the 'Triple A Titles' and the not so bright end where mainstream meets independent development. No more will cherished greats like Psychonaughts and Shadow of the Colossus go unnoticed...No more will beloved "no-name" franchises bewilder you, the gamer, while standing in your local game store pontificating on what to buy! Cooking Mama? Arc the Lad? Y's? Just some of the great games that came and went unnoticed by the human eye. Rejoice! For Minor Plethora is here to put the ki-bosch on the bargain bin!

BEWARE

MINOR PLETHORA STARTS THIS SUNDAY

[9.8.08]

"PUT'N THE KI-BOSCH ON THE BARGAIN BIN"

Spore at a Meta-Glance...

Perhaps if you have lived under a rock for the past two years you wouldn't know what Spore is. In fact you would probably think it was some kind of venereal disease transmitted through platonic osmosis and a one night stand; this is not the case. Spore happens to be one of the (if not the most) talked about PC Games to come to fruition in recent history. Created and developed by industry vet and legend Will Wright (creator of The Sims), Spore is a multi-genre "massively single-player online game." When a game is developed by Maxis (Will's Company) people tend to take notice seeing as though The Sims is the best selling game of all time. The question at hand? Does his new creation correlate into the realm of greatness as seen in Will's previous games?

In a nut shell, the game is a Virtual Life Simulator with a twist. From symbiotic cell structure all the way to "growing old," you take control everything. Wiki: The game allows the player to develop a species from a microscopic organism to its evolution into a complex animal, its emergence as a social, intelligent being, to its mastery of the planet and then finally to its ascension into space, whereupon it interacts with alien species across the galaxy. Throughout gameplay, the player's perspective and species change dramatically.

The game is broken up into distinct yet consistent, dependent "phases". The outcome of one phase affects the initial conditions facing the player in the next. Each phase exhibits its own style of play, and has been described by the developers as ten times more complicated than its preceding phase. While players are able to spend as much time as they prefer in each, it is possible to accelerate or skip phases altogether. Phases feature optional missions; when the player completes a mission, they are granted a bonus, such as a new ability. If all of a player's creations are completely destroyed at some point, then that player's species goes back to the beginning of that level, or the last viable point in species development. Unlike many other Maxis games, Spore has a primary win condition which is obtained by reaching a quasar placed in the center of the galaxy, and facing a large NPC race. However, the player may continue to play after the goal has been achieved.

OK, enough of the Wiki jargon and onto the "dumbed" down synopsis. You create a living org-anism and guide it through all phases of life; from cell form in "the womb" all the way to adolescence and then some. In scope, it may feel daunting at first, however the schamatics of the game are structured in a way that allows the player to easily navigate through each phase without hassel or deturance, Will Wrights signature touch.

The most important feature of this game and what makes it so important is the user content. Everyone, or at least the people who buy the game, has access to the 'community' section of the game (i.e. the online aspect). Spore's user community functionality includes a feature that is directly antiquated with YouTube thus granting players the ability to upload directly from within the game a YouTube video of their creatures' activity. This of course is simply entitled: "The Spore YouTube Channel", which will showcase the most popular videos created this way.

Ontop of that user enabled ability, all creations you make in the game are uploaded to the universal Spore network and mapped into the game each time you log in. This allows for players to interact with everyone else in the world who has bought the game and created a creature and or world...You can visit them in a sense or explore their world! Basically, the possibilites for endless replayability is extremely prevalent...and this is a good thing!

As of this past Tuesday, Spore has officially launched. It has been met with extremely good reviews (Meta Critic Score is hovering around the 85% mark) and has provided the industry with some unique and interesting in scope. If you have a PC you should at least give the demo or Spore Creature Creator a shot and see for yourself just why Will Wright is one of the most brilliant minds to grace to world. Oh, and byt the way...If you want to see something really out of this world and oddly addictive? Check out all the Sporn around the net. It's basically Spores version of porn with the user created content. It's freaking hilarious!

Until the next EPIC PC release...................

-GAME HARD-