LUCIDMEDIA

Lucid Gaming – March 2009

Written by Adam A. Donaldson Monday, 02 March 2009 10:58

NYCC Previews

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

“Everything you think you know about Wolverine video game – forget it,” begins Dan Vondrak, one of the developers on Activision’s game based on the upcoming movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine. I’m not usually one for PR hyperbole, unless I’m the one spouting it on behalf of a project I’m representing, but from the 15 minute demo I saw, Vondrak was right. I’ve never seen gameplay like this in any other Wolverine-related game, and for the first time it feels like the character’s been fully realized in a video game platform.

This Wolverine, if it remains uncut, will be an easy M for Mature, which is surprising given that the movie it’s based on will probably be a PG-13. It’s very bloody and very graphic, with points where even the “camera” gets splattered. And Wolverine has his healing factor too, which means that as he takes punishment from bad guys, the more graphic the effect is on the character. On the plus side though, seeing him regenerate muscle, skin and bone is very cool, but one must be careful because while you can heal, you have to balance the damage you’re taking. You’ve got a lot of killing to do and you don’t want anything slowing you down.

The game starts with a flash-forward to the dystopian future of “Days of Future Past” with Wolverine being hunted by soldiers. This is a film bit that sets up the game, and it immediately displays the brutal violence you’ll be capable of in the game. From there it’s a flashback to Logan’s pre-X-Men days as a merc. The chopper he’s travelling in explodes and Wolverine starts to freefall out of the sky, and this is where the game begins. Yes, you get to control Wolverine’s freefall and aim him at a bad guy in order to cushion the landing.

That’s the key to this Wolverine game: fidelity. There’s no “button mashing” in order to execute your attacks, you have to be somewhat precise. The reward is that you get a lot of neat moves to start and you get to unlock more and more of Wolverine’s signature moves as you proceed through the game. Another neat touch is that you get to play more than just the movie Wolverine, so fans that like the classic blue and white spandex duds of old will thrill to play a level and watch as the costume gets shredded as Logan’s attacked and regenerates.

The demo ended with a seriously cool level where Wolverine must bring down three choppers while they’re in the air. Basically you shred one with your claws, leap off, freefall onto the next one and repeat. All the demos ended with that shot, but at the Activision panel on Sunday, the team allowed the crowd an extra, “illicit,” sneak peak at another level in the game involving Sentinels. A sneak peak was all we got because the game froze twice. I guess they really want the Sentinels kept secret after all.

Prototype

Another Activision game that I checked out was Prototype, but this time I got to play with the helpful assistance of Kevin Umbrict, one of the games designers. At first, Prototype seems like just another zombie game, competently made and exquisite looking certainly, but another zombie game nonetheless. Well, sort of. There are zombies, but they’re not your primary target. Basically, you’re character is caught in a three way fight between zombies and the military with you, as the “prototype,” caught in the middle.

Why is your character a prototype? Shape-shifting abilities. As you battle you’re way through post-apocalyptic New York, you start to develop different abilities and powers. First I had hammer hands to bludgeon things with, and then traded up to giant claw hands before getting a scythe-like blade. Later on you get true shape-shifting abilities meaning that you can take on the appearances of different people, but my demo didn’t get that far. I had to settle for tearing through military guys and bringing down helicopters by throwing cars at them. My only complaint is that the powers you get gave me flashes of Venom from Spider-Man, which I hope is an unintentional imitation.

The action is frantic and quick. You definitely have to keep your wits about you because the game offers a veritable orgy of enemies to slaughter you way through, and there might be a tendency to lose yourself in the moment. Fortunately, there are helpful, on-screen prompts that will guide you to your objective and an even handier lock-on function that will help guide your attacks. The 3-D environment is incredible with lots of detail, plus the added coolness of playing the Armageddon-ified Times Square a few blocks away from the games setting in the real world was not lost on me. All-in-all, it’s a solid B-game that could easily get upped to an A once I’m able to explore it more thoroughly.

Burnout Paradise

Here’s a game that is just pure fun. There a number of ways to play - be it Race, Stunt run or Road Rage modes – and there are numerous ways to follow along with multiple monitor displays. Even just driving around and exploring the city is fun, as I discovered when I easily killed about 20 minutes just tearing around, crashing into stuff and causing accidents. But where’s the appeal? I think it’s the realistic-looking vehicles and environment. Reckless driving in a video game seems to be more fun when it looks like the real world. There are several new vehicles, including motorbikes, you can try; diverse day, night and weather driving conditions; and you can race upwards to eight people offline, or numerous racers online.

The Godfather Part II

I never played the original Godfather game, but proceeding on the basis that, like the films, the sequel will be better (discuss) I gave Part II a whirl. I picked up on someone else’s game and my first thought was that these Godfather video games seemed to be the thinking man’s Grand Theft Auto, except your taking territory. As a hired enforcer for the Corleones, you strike back at their rivals by collecting a crew of varying specialties and set out to kill, clobber and steal while avoiding or bribing cops and outrunning possible reprisals. I’m afraid I played the game far too briefly to get a decent handle on it, like I said, it’s all about strategy and execution.

Ghostbusters

First, I was assured that this game will indeed be released on June 16th of this year; the 25th anniversary of the release of the original movie. The version of the game I looked at was for the Wii, and while it lacks the photo-realism of the X-Box and Playstation versions, I think those are going to have a hard time competing with the gameplay of the Wii. You know the ghost traps? Well, in the Wii game you get to “throw” the trap using the controller. Now to anyone that grew up with the Ghostbusters, tell me that isn’t a bit of fantasy come to virtual life. Now, the version of the game brought to the con was rather old (in video game terms). Josh Parker, one of the artists on the Wii version, assured me that his company was working to improve the lighting and atmosphere to add a creepier effect on the finished game. But so far, so awesome, and I’ll keep the faith that there won’t be another delay.

Ready 2 Rumble Revolution

This Ready 2 Rumble will be coming exclusively to the Wii, and given the unique qualities of that system it’s easy to understand why. Anything sports related has been hugely popular on the Wii, and R2RR will undoubtedly be no exception, but what’s key is that this boxing game is subtle. You don’t need to heavy jab with the controller, simple wrist movements will suffice. And when you’re through pummelling your opponent you have the option to hold down the ‘A’ button and trash talk them a little. But before all that R2RR gives you the option to create your own brawler right down to the tattoos and choose one of five rings in which to set your fight. The highly detailed character art enhances the experience by personalizing the game for every player. It’s funny how much you get into even through it doesn’t require the same physicality of Wii Boxing. This will definitely be another Wii success story when it comes out on March 17th.

The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena

Although there’s been talk, it might be safe to say that there’ll never be another Riddick movie, but at least will have an awesome game set in the same universe. Naturally, you play as Riddick and for the most part it’s a first-person point-of-view, so you are Vin Diesel. The game’s got good atmosphere reminding me of my copy of Aliens Trilogy for the original Playstation. The look is original, but also inspired by the technical specs of the two Riddick films. As for gameplay, Riddick makes good use of the whole controller, although I did have some difficulties with weapons and the pick-up function. It’s intriguing, but I hope the whole game isn’t just a Doom riff.

DC Universe Online

This is another game we’ve heard a lot about for a long time now, and from what I saw it is, and will continue to be, worth the wait. The expansive universe created for the game is incredible. Playing the Metropolis of DCUO is almost like being there, feeling both new and familiar at the same time. But that’s just setting. The real fun in this game’s going to be the characters; over 150 heroes, villains and supporting characters taken right from the pages of the comic book that you’ll get a chance to interact with. And then there are the characters you get to design and play yourself. They can be heroes like After Burner, who looks like gold-headed Destro with Captain Flag’s outfit, or they can be villains like Laugh Riot, who looks like one of the Dark Clowns from Tripping the Rift.

But it all begins with a key power, for After Burner that’s flight. Now flight is a wicked power to have, but it’s also the trickiest manoeuvre to have in the midst of the game. Press too hard and you’re running to help a bystander suddenly see you floating in midair going nowhere fast. It took a minute to get used to controlling the flying, but once you did it was easily one of the most fun parts of the game. But the characters aren’t limited to one power, and have a series of accompanying moves and special abilities, but you’re only to able to use them once in turn before you have to let them power up again.

The level I played was called “Doomsday Dilemma,” so three guesses as to who the boss is that one-. You have to fight your way through an assortment of LexCorp goons and regular criminals in order to get to S.T.A.R. Labs and put the monster Doomsday back in suspended animation. Of course, you will get help from Superman through the A.I. function, but from what I saw don’t expect much of it. Against Doomsday: yeah, you’re on your own. Keep in mind that there is a rally mechanic so time is of importance. And with so many new characters running around you’ll be able to tell the heroes from the villains thanks to a red or blue indicator light.

Overall, from what I’ve seen, this game is shaping up very, very nicely. This is going to be a real treat for many fans from those into DC Comics characters to people that just like the freedom and creation of RPGs. And to think that it’s so far from completion that it doesn’t even have a release date yet.

Ultimate Alliance 2

Like Wolverine, I didn’t get a chance to play this game myself, but I did get to see the demo at Sunday’s Marvel/Activision panel. Following the first Ultimate Alliance game, part 2 adapts a more recent Marvel storyline: Civil War. The designers behind the game said that they want to avoid using the same heroes as last time, but they refused to divulge which characters you’ll be able to choose from. Sufficient to say that Iron Man and Captain America will probably be two of them, but the cool part is that no matter the heroes you choose, with a couple of notable exceptions, you can choose you’re side: registration or rebellion. How did they choose the characters? The designers trolled the message boards to see what gamers are playing, but they had to balance that and not make the game a popularity contest. And like the Wolverine game, UA2 promises to allow the full appreciation of a hero’s powers. Want to flatten 12 guys as the Hulk? You can.