The Charge:
“Welcome… TO DIE”

Opening Statement:
Konami can go straight to hell. Do you hear me, you greedy bastards! I’ve already given you six hundred dollars worth of quarters playing X-Men: The Arcade Game in the arcades throughout the nineties.

Now you want me to pony up on Xbox Live and PSN to play it again? Forget it!

Hey, wait a minute. Where did my credit card come from? Hey, I never entered that… wait… “Download Complete”? What the—?

Grumble, grumble. You win this round, Konami.

Facts of the Case:
Experience the classic 1992 X-Men arcade game right in the comfort of your own home! Choose from some of your favorite classic X-Men characters including: Cyclops, Colossus, Wolverine, Storm, Nightcrawler, or Dazzler. Fight your way through hundreds of Sentinels and battle classic super villains such as Pyro, The Blob, Wendigo, Nimrod, The White Queen, Juggernaut, Mystique and the Master of Magnetism himself, Magneto!

There is no reason for Dazzler to be here.

The Evidence:
A beloved arcade beat-em-up, X-Men was a game created by a group of Japanese programmers who, having never actually read an X-Men comic before, spent the morning leafing through some vintage back issues before getting down to some light programming after lunch. Anachronistic story elements and bad English translations aside, this is pure vintage nineties multi-player action at its most cruel and unfair refined.

Best known for its groundbreaking six-player “double cabinet” housing, this arcade brawler let up to six players (or up to four, if you had a cheap arcade that refused to shell out for the fancy version) take on members of the X-Men to battle Magneto and a nonsensical grouping of other people who have never once been on the same page in an actual comic before. And for some reason, the Sentinels are only five feet tall, and they work for Magneto.

In the arcade, X-Men was at its most frenetic and fun with as many wealthy friends as you could muster up — and they better be packing serious coinage. While not exactly a hard game in the pejorative sense of the word (you mash buttons until everything dies) the sheer volume of enemies thrown against you, and the utter lack of health regeneration or healing ensured you were pumping in a quarter every sixty seconds or so.

There is no reason for Shadowcat to have this haircut.

Now faithfully ported to Xbox Live and PSN, the game looks smashing. The cinematic have been touched up into HD, and the gameplay looks better than it ever did on a flickering cathode ray tube. Controls are tight and work exactly as expected. This is a three-button game: attack, jump and MUTANT POWERRRRRRRRRRR (a button you will be hitting a lot, much to the annoyance of all other game players not playing Colossus). Gamers even get the choice of playing the Japanese edition of the game, which (gasp!) actually adds power-ups into the game, which is a much-needed improvement. Even the HUD gets a new high definition revamping. Everything looks tight.

Konami has even been kind enough to assume you may not have five extra controllers (or friends) hanging about, and have included online co-op gameplay. Joining a game on Xbox Live was effortless, if a bit on the boring side. The game is no easier or harder with the addition of human players — just more crowded on-screen. Aside from a few on-screen slowdowns here and there, online gameplay works like charm. It doesn’t exactly capture the magic of being elbow-to-elbow with your friends, screaming curses at Magneto (“Master of Magnet”) in the arcade, but it’s a nice addition.

In terms of gameplay, X-Men: The Arcade Game hasn’t aged particularly well. This was a clumsily executed game back in 1992, and it remains so now. Characters walk as if encased in chocolate pudding. Forget about the jump button — just do not even press it. Odds are good you will not even connect with an enemy. Even if by random chance you manage to propel yourself forward, any aerial attack you make will lead to immediate punishment by enemies who will magically evade your attacks and retaliate with laser beams, or flaming breath. As for AI sophistication, forget it: you can beat the entire first two levels by standing completely stationary and jamming on the Attack button. Every enemy (including the bosses) will be kind enough to indulge you by walking directly into your fists.

A slightly irritating (yet faithfully accurate) feature is the inability to change characters once committed to a Player number position. If you pick Cyclops as Player 1 — even in a single player game — you’re stuck with the guy, just like you would be standing at the six-player arcade cabinet.

This has never occurred in the comics.

Rebuttal Witness:
X-Men: The Arcade Game is the textbook definitional of tremendously poor replay value. With no financial penalty in place, the game allows for endless continues at the push of a button, so a ruthless player can simply jam on the MUTANT POWERRRRRR button to kill all on-scree enemies, die and re-spawn with full charges, then rinse and repeat. You will beat the game in twenty minutes if you do this.

Closing Comments:
X-Men: The Arcade Game is a faithful port of a beloved arcade classic, warts and all. The fresh coat of HD paint looks and sounds fantastic, and the game is no better or worse than you remember it.

If you enjoyed it the first go-round in the arcades of your youth, you’ll have a blast (especially with a living room full of friends) but the one-note gameplay and short duration make this an expensive trip down memory lane.

The Verdict:

Platform: Microsoft XBOX360 (Xbox Live) / PS3 (PlayStation Network) (XBOX360 Version Reviewed)
Developer: Backbone Entertainment
Publisher: Konami Digital Entertainment
Release Date: Dec 15, 2010
Rated: E10 (Everyone 10+)

The Charge:
A new world will rise from the ashes of the old.

Opening Statement:
Square Enix once again attempts to bring their long running giant robot series to North American shores, this time with an American developer at the controls, and a pretty huge shakeup in the gameplay department. Does their gamble pay off?

"AMBUSH! pyew! pyew! pyew!

Facts of the Case:
In the year 2171 AD, a cold war rages between the two dominant world powers, The OCU, and the UCS (essentially huge amalgamations of the old school East and West). When an unprovoked attack on the New York City orbital tower of Percival sparks an all out war, Dylan Ramsey, a civilian test pilot, finds himself pulled into the conflict. The weapon of choice in this future war? Giant robot fighting machines called “Wanzers”.

The Evidence:
I was never much of a proponent of the Front Mission series, though my love of giant bipedal robot killing machines knows no bounds, it was tempered by my relative distaste for turn based strategy. With Front Mission Evolved, Square-Enix, through North American developer Double Helix (Silent Hill: Homecoming) has taken quite a chance. Fans of the long running series, barely represented on North American shores, have been bitching and moaning about the transition to 3rd person action game since the first mention of this particular title. They feel as though Square-Enix has betrayed the small but reverently loyal fan base that the series has amassed over the years, and in some way, perhaps they have. For me, personally, the shift was a more than welcome change.

"Sorry, you're weapon only has a range of four hexes! I'm six hexes away! Nyeah nyeah!"

The guys at Double Helix have no doubt spent a ton of time with From Software’s long running Armored Core series. The venerable Mecha series immediately comes to mind the moment you kick in your jets and start skating around. The controls have that same smooth feel, the giant war machines move in virtually identical fashion, and even the button layout is very similar, having you using the shoulder buttons on your controller to fire shoulder and arm mounted weaponry on your left and right sides respectively. If you’re one of those hardcore giant robot guys who’s played a ton of AC, Front Mission Evolved will be an easy fit.

Anyone who enjoys a good giant robot shooter also loves to customize their 100 ton implement of robotic genocide, and again, Front Mission Evolved delivers. There’s some robust customization tools that allow for the swapping out and replacing of virtually every piece of your walking tank, complete with a healthy assortment of projectile weaponry and melee tools. It’s not quite as robust as what you see in Armored Core 4 or Chromehouds, as your machines do maintain a similar feel in terms of speed and agility, but there’s enough of a change to make it worth your while.

Where Front Mission Evolved really changes things up is in the storyline, and the level design. Other Mech shooters love throwing you up against fodder, and are often structured in a non-linear “choose your mission” structure, with meta-narratives that are spread through ancillary things like e-mail messages (I’m looking at you, Armored Core). FME’s storyline hits the ground running with some awesome cutscenes and a tale of violence and war. It’s not pioneering storytelling in video games or anything, and it certainly borrows some elements from “Giant Robot Anime 101”, but there are distinct characters, some endearing, some repulsive as hell, and there’s a narrative flow to the action that really helps to immerse you into the ongoing war.

"Who needs machine guns when I got this big ass club!"

Rather than chucking gigantic bullets and rockets at foot soldiers and tanks repeatedly, the game almost immediately introduces enemy robots, and combat becomes a hectic game of boost, shoot, dodge, and scramble for health and ammo replenishes. It doesn’t take most weaponry long to chisel through your mech’s metal, and while the proper reflexes may make things easier, combat is no walk in the park. There are some boss fights in here that require mad skills, close timing, and incredible patience. Thankfully the checkpoint system is pretty forgiving.

The level layouts are pretty linear, but varied and interesting as well. The game doesn’t often degenerate into an all out shooting gallery, and the combat is mixed up quite a bit. The levels are also pretty lengthy for this type of game, but mix things up perfectly without overstaying their welcome.

Every so often a mission pops up that requires you to hop out of your towering collection of steel and guns and go human-sized against other human opponents. The experience here is functional, but entirely rudimentary. You crouch behind solid cover and shoot at anything your crosshairs lands on. Shooter fans may find these segments rather blasé when you compare them to something like Gears of War, but I enjoyed them for the altered perspective from the remainder of the game’s combat, and they come in at the perfect times to break up the robot sections and keep things interesting. I’ll also readily admit that I mght have pooped my pants just a little bit the first time I had to fight an enemy “wanzer” on foot. It turned out to be disappointingly easy, but it was still impressive.

"Maximum Firepower, bitches!"

Rebuttal Witness:
While the “core” gameplay in Front Mission Evolved delivers, the presentation is a bit more of a mixed bag. The visuals, while diverse, are pretty simple, with rudimentary textures that get the job done, but run the gamut from average to ugly. Some of the lighting gets pretty garish, particularly on the opening levels set in the streets of New York City. Many of the levels, including the New York level, feel sparse and empty, with simple geometry and little in the way of depth or detail. The levels get a little more colorful as you go, and there are some simple tricks like light bloom that elevate things to the point that things almost look appealing. The Mech designs capture that classic Battletech chunkiness and generally look awesome in motion, but it’s kind of a shame that the backdrop in which these cool looking robots play is so vanilla.

The ‘on foot’ levels suffer from similar blandness, and the human characters look rather plain. The general lack of tricky lighting effects combined with the rather lackluster facial animations and the wretched in cockpit camera view during cutscenes gives the presentation a very dated, borderline “last generation” feel.

The sound is a little more passable, with a decent enough, if slightly generic soundtrack, and passable voice acting that manages to deliver the anime-lite script decently enough. It never quite thunders like you feel it should, and the rattle and hum of giant machine guns doesn’t shake the foundations like you want it to. It isn’t bad at all; it sure gets the point across, but it doesn’t stand out either.

There is a solid multiplayer component included as well, complete with Call of Duty style ranking mechanics and unlockable weaponry. The problem is that the unlockable weaponry completely throws off the game balance, with noobs being utterly useless. It breaks the game completely. There’s also a significant dearth of maps and gameplay types, which will definitely limit the longevity. If you can find a dedicated community of mech modders to hang with (maybe some refugees from the long terminated Chromehouds servers) and get some action happening, this COULD be the kind of game you stick with, as long as Square-Enix can pump out some new maps as DLC.

Lastly, there’s the question of the Front Mission legacy. As soon as “Evolved” was announced, the small but vicious cult of fans of all things Front Mission immediately lost their minds. The series has traditionally been a turn based rpg strategy title, complete with slow and arduous turns where each opposing force moved their mecha like chess pieces on grid based terrain. The knee-jerk hate reaction is not at all surprising, given the series pedigree as a strategy title. There’s nothing worse to the braniacs than the “dumbing down” of their complex game of war into just another shooter. So, if you’re a fan of the series, know that the story is a decidedly western imitation of what has been a very complex and multi-game spanning, nigh impenetrable story, and there’s not a lick of strategy to be found. If you can accept “Evolved” as a continuation or a side story, or a look at the setting from a different perspective, you may very well find yourself satisfied. However if the idea of playing a shooter set in your beloved tactical world makes you wretch, give up now and walk away. Let those of us who enjoy this sort of thing have our good time.

Closing Comments:
At its heart, Front Mission Evolved is a competent mech shooter with fun mechanics and a solid story that will no doubt appeal to fans of the genre. The narrative drive kicks it a notch above Armored Core 4(or Armored core: For Answer as well), even if the gameplay is ever is ever so slightly more shallow. Stick around for the smooth controls, the lengthy (by today’s standards) campaign, and the Anime storyline, but don’t count on getting much longevity from the multiplayer, unless you really devote yourself. If you like giant robots, there’s currently no better option on a console.

The Verdict:

Platform: Sony Playstation 3/Microsoft Xbox360/Windows PC (PS3 version reviewed)
Developer: Double Helix
Publisher: Square – Enix
Release Date: September 28th, 2010
Rated: T (13+) for Teen

The Charge:
Experience 48 hours of hell!

Opening Statement:
When you look down through the lengthy list of high profile titles that hit shelves in 2007, Kane & Lynch: Dead Men certainly distinguishes itself as one of the least likely titles on there to receive the sequel treatment. It’s probably most well known for single handedly annihilating the integrity of one high profile gaming site in particular, skirting a healthy dose of controversy to go along with middling reviews. Here we are, three years on, and lo and behold, here comes Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days. Does this unlikely sequel succeed where the original fell short? Or is this one dog that should be put down.

Facts of the Case:
It’s been a few years since our “Dead men” went their separate ways, and Lynch, now working for a British mobster named Glazer, has pulled Kane in for one last job. They’re in Shanghai, China, tasked with smuggling weapons out of China and into Africa. They stand to make a lot of money, enough for Kane to settle down and retire, and for Lynch and his new gal live happily ever after. Things go wrong right from the get go, and after the wrong person dies, Kane & Lynch find themselves scrambling to get out of Shanghai alive, with every armed thug, cop, and mobster in China hoping to put a bullet or seven into their domes.

The Evidence:
I’ll just get this out of the way ahead of time, I was a fan of the original Kane and Lynch. I picked it up before reading any reviews, played the hell out of it, and was shocked when I finally started reading what others thought about the game. The cold reception that IO’s crime drama received soured me on video game reviewers and review sites, and I really haven’t recovered to this day (how hypocritical of me). When the sequel was announced, I was excited. When I saw what the mad geniuses at IO Interactive (best known for the Hitman series) were doing with the presentation, my excitement doubled.

"The Rogaine convention went bad when execs revealed that the popular product was actually fake..."

The gameplay is pretty standard fare for your average 3rd person shooter. Kane and Lynch 2 doesn’t rewrite the formula or anything; you move ahead through linear levels, taking cover behind any object that looks solid enough to take cover behind, and you rock and roll with whatever firearms you have on hand until the bad guys fall down. What differentiates the game is a sense of realism that permeates the cover mechanic and keeps you on your toes. It’s possible for enemies to hit you even when you’re in cover, and should a foe manage to get an angle of fire on you, things can go bad in a jiffy. This keeps you from turtle-ing up in one position and waiting for reloads, and keeps you moving about as you scramble for safe spots. It helps maintain the chaotic pacing of the firefights and keeps you in the game. It this chaotic nature that really keeps Kane & Lynch 2 feeling fresh. Moments of silence are few, and when they do hit, they are unsettling, ushering a sense of paranoia rather than safety. The firefights often hit with explosive force, they are frenetic and immersive, buoyed by the game’s unique presentation.

It’s the sparse production and “processed” look of the presentation that truly lies at the heart of Kane & Lynch 2. IO Interactive have mimicked the Youtube generation, presenting the game as though it were a poorly shot bit of video footage ripped from a stray cel phone cam or maybe a hand held 8mm. The camera is jerky, often extra close, grainy, pixilated, and every light source bands across the screen as though it were reflecting off of a tiny CCD lens. The effect is at once striking and disorienting, but it works. It feels intimate for a shooter, and in spite of the chaotic movements and the frantic pacing, the action generally doesn’t get disorienting. There’s an option to remove the shaky cam (but not the lo-fi filters), but it also takes some of the life out of the game as well. Still if you do find the camera disorienting, it can help with your enjoyment of the game. Graphically, the grain and digital noise are layered over a solid foundation of decent character models and texture work. The city of Shanghai feels remarkably well rendered and authentic, with a ton of light sources and crowded streets. It all has an air of realism that you don’t often see in shooters. Every bullet hit registers, whether on a crook, car, barrier, or innocent bystander, and there’s some subtle motion blurring in use on things like spent cartridges from your rapidly firing weaponry that makes things look pretty awesome in motion.

"Don't you wish you were as cool as me... check out my bitchin' skullet as I leap over this display case! OOH! Timex Inidiglo watches are on sale!"

The visual hook is backed up with some incredible sound design. There’s very little in the way of backing music, with every scene in the game punctuated by the resonant gunfire, explosions, and surrounding city. Even quiet scenes feature rustling and distant noise that fills the soundstage and is entirely convincing. This is some incredible soundwork that booms through a good surround sound system with all of the clarity and immersion of the best Hollywood flicks. Voice acting is also excellent, and wonderfully mixed. Everything from the roar of a high powered rifle to the tinkling of spent brass and shattered glass sounds phenomenal.

One of the most intriguing parts of the original game was the rather unique take on multiplayer, and it’s back in Kane & Lynch 2, in a much more fleshed out form. For starters, the entirety of the single player campaign is now playable in online co-op form, something criminally missing from the original. The co-op mode is about what you would expect, and a few of the levels make for a fun way to blow through some action with a friend in tow. It’s the game’s signature “Fragile Alliance” mode that is the real draw. Players take the role of a team of crooks on a heist, and each grabs as much loot as they can carry. The fuzz is onto them, however, and on top of that, each player can betray his gang and kill allies for their score. The more you score, the faster you level up, however you’re also marked as a traitor, and when you’re buddies get fragged, they respawn as SWAT. It’s a very strategic scenario, where the best players will succeed by avoiding the temptation to backstab early, and pace it so that there are enough of you left to make it to the getaway vehicle without being overwhelmed by the law. There’s also an undercover cop mode, where one player is notified of his “cop” status and must do what he can to halt the other players, the trick being he must wait until AFTER the heist has taken place. It’s intense as hell. There’s also your standard deathmatch mode in “Cops vs. Crooks”. It’s a robust suite of online features, with the requisite persistent levels and unlockable content you find in most online shooters these days. It’s hardly going to supplant Call of Duty for the masses, but it’s a different kind of game that’s targeted towards a more cerebral breed of multiplayer gamers. If you’re looking for something off the beaten path, give it a try.

Rebuttal Witness:
Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days is chock full of shooting. The entire game is a slow and steady forward crawl where every square yard of ground is gained with hundreds of rounds of ammunition. There’s very little in the way of downtime, character development, or story beats. The chaotic presentation serves the shooting well, but the mechanics are straight forward and as simplified as third person shooting gets. You snap to cover, spit lead, and avoid being hit by the lead spit from the mobsters, killers, cops, and soldiers who stand in your way. The first half is paced perfectly, with one or two truly twisted moments, and one level in particular that really shocked the hell out of me. When you near the finish the game starts just throwing wave after wave of tough to kill assholes in your direction, which slows down the pacing to frustrating levels. The final two chapters are pretty awesome, and make up for the third quarter’s total frustration, but there also isn’t much of an ending to speak of. You make it to the final objective in the last chapter, and you know it’s the end, but there’s no snazzy cutscene or story beat, just credits. Weak, and yet, I really don’t know how it could have been handled any differently.

"First those Army of Two guys, now this! And only 4 days until retirement!"

While many were inclined to bash the “last-gen” gameplay of the first game in the series, there was a great story in place, and a solid squad mechanic that worked well enough. All of the ancillary bits have been completely stripped out to focus on the shooter core, and the shooting lacks the sophistication of something like Gears of War or Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. The game is buoyed entirely by the unique presentation, but beneath the youtube/cel-phone camera sheen lies a rudimentary shooting experience. If you’re a fan of third person shooters, you’ll definitely find something to like, and the robust online mode certainly helps add value to the package, but the single-player campaign may not be the engaging experience some might expect.

"That SWAT guy on the left is on short time... he just christened a boat..."

Closing Comments:
Kane & Lynch remains a franchise entirely targeted at a specific group of gamers. It lacks the sophistication of some of its peers, but it wraps things up in a uniquely dark presentation that feels like it is an integral part of the game’s make-up, rather than a layer of filters applied as an afterthought. The single player campaign, while pretty awesome, is brief, chaotic, and doesn’t change gears much. Yet, the multiplayer component is deep, unique, and addictive, making for a worthy overall package.

The Verdict:

Platform: Sony Playstation 3/Microsoft Xbox360/Windows PC
Developer: IO Interactive
Publisher: Square – Enix
Release Date: August 17th, 2010
Rated: M (17+) for Mature

Join Steve, Dave, and Jon as they work the mic like vandals. Dave is (again) a PS3 owner, thus making the entire PixelVerdict Crew a bunch of namby-pamby fence sitting panzies who refuse to choose ONE side in the great World Console Wars. Dave rocks the DJ Hero (Renegade Version bitches! Fo’ Reals!), Jon plays some archaic fighting games, and Steve takes Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days for a spin.

Random questions are the order of the day, as Steve, in celebration of the announcement of Street Fighter X Tekken asks for some “Ultimate Fighting game throwdowns”, and Dave wants to know about the cheapest bossfights in video game history, Damn you Heihachi Mishima!

Are you man enough to fight with me? Do you have a suggestion for the most ultimate fighting game showdown? Can you rock two turntables and a microphone? Why not Let us know in the comments below, over in the DVD Verdict Jury Room forums, or by emailing feedback@pixelverdict.com.

You can listen to the show with the player above, download it here, or subscribe through iTunes or by adding our feed to your podcatcher of choice.

Opening Music: “Your Touch” by The Black Keys
Closing Music: “500 Years” by Hardliner

Dragon Age 2 is official, you’ll see it in the first Quarter of 2011 (perhaps on Feb 2nd? hmm? hmmm?)

The first trailer will make its presence known on August 17th of 2010.

Here’s your press release:

Rise to Power and Change the World Forever in the Sequel to 2009’s RPG of the Year

EDMONTON, Alberta–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Leading video game developer BioWare™, a studio of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS), confirmed today that Dragon Age^™ 2 is in development at BioWare’s Edmonton-based studio. Dragon Age 2 is the sequel to the triple-platinum-selling Dragon Age: Origins which was named “RPG of the Year” in 2009 by Game Informer, G4, IGN, and SpikeTV. With Dragon Age 2, the world’s preeminent RPG developer is revolutionizing the genre again, infusing the universe with more action, a new, more responsive combat system and a dynamic story that is already among the most multifaceted in gaming.Dragon Age 2 traces the rise to power of Hawke, a survivor of the Blight and a hero who will transform the face of the Dragon Age universe forever. The new game is scheduled for release in March of 2011 on the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC.

“Last year’s launch of Dragon Age: Origins was one of the most successful in BioWare’s 15-year history and one of the most successful new IP launches in the 28 year history of EA,” said Dr. Ray Muzyka, Senior Vice President of Electronic Arts and co-founder and Group General Manager of BioWare. “Dragon Age 2 will simultaneously deliver an epic story and set a new bar for intense action in the genre. We’re very excited to deliver this next bold evolution in the Dragon Agefranchise to our fans.”

“With Dragon Age 2 we are creating an exciting new entry point into the Dragon Age universe while ensuring that fans of the original game retain a sense of satisfaction and familiarity in the world,” said Dragon Age 2 Executive Producer Mark Darrah. “We are amplifying the things that made Dragon Age: Origins such a huge success while introducing a more dynamic combat system, improving the graphics, and telling the most important story in our world.”

Dragon Age 2 thrusts players into the role of Hawke, a penniless refugee who rises to power to become the single most important character in the world of Dragon Age. Known to be a survivor of the Blight and the Champion of Kirkwall, the legend around Hawke’s rise to power is shrouded in myth and rumor. Featuring an all-new story spanning 10 years, players will help tell that tale by making tough moral choices, gathering the deadliest of allies, amassing fame and fortune, and sealing their place in history. The way you play will write the story of how the world is changed forever.

Dragon Age 2 is in production for the Xbox 360 videogame and entertainment system, PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, and PC. For more information on Dragon Age 2, please visit our website atwww.DragonAge.com, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/dragonage or on Facebook athttp://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/DragonAgeOrigins.

About BioWare

BioWare develops high quality console, PC and online role-playing games, focused on rich stories, unforgettable characters and vast worlds to discover. Since 1995, BioWare has created some of the world’s most critically acclaimed titles, including Baldur’s Gate™, Neverwinter Nights™, Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republic™, Jade Empire™, Mass Effect™ and Dragon Age^TM. BioWare operates in Edmonton (Alberta, Canada), Montreal (Quebec), Austin (Texas) and Fairfax (Virginia). Currently announced projects at BioWare include the development of ongoing downloadable content for Mass Effect 2™, one of the highest rated video games of all time, Dragon Age 2, the highly anticipated sequel to 2009’s “RPG of the Year” Dragon Age: Origins, and the story-driven massively multiplayer online game, Star Wars®: The Old Republic™. In 2008, BioWare was acquired by Electronic Arts, a leading global interactive entertainment publisher. For more information on BioWare, visit www.bioware.com, or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/biofeed. To join the millions of fans already registered on our community, go to http://social.bioware.com.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS™, EA™, EA Mobile™ and POGO™. In fiscal 2010, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.7 billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million units. EA’s homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA’s products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.

BioWare, Mass Effect, Dragon Age and Jade Empire are trademarks owned by EA International (Studio and Publishing) Ltd. EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile and POGO are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. Xbox and Xbox 360 are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. PlayStation is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Opening Statement:
From Sega, and developer of cult-RPGs, Obsidian Entertainment (Neverwinter Nights 2) comes a new take on the action RPG. Forget outer space and fantasy kingdoms; Alpha Protocol is the world’s first tactical espionage Role player. Will it manage to successfully infiltrate your collection? Or will you be disavowing any knowledge of its actions.

"Who are you calling GENERIC!?"

Facts of the Case:
Michael Thornton has just been recruited by Alpha Protocol, an organization of rogue agents who operate outside the proper government channels and use whatever tactics they can to ensure global stability while furthering American interests. Mike’s inaugural mission takes him to Saudi Arabia in search of missing experimental missiles, one of which was used to knock down a civilian airliner. It’s up to Thornton to unravel a conspiracy involving terrorist groups, politicians, and the worlds largest weapons manufacturer, and with a mole inside the organization, he must trust no one in his search for the truth.

The Evidence:
I’m not sure what exactly it is that plagues Obsidian Entertainment. Born from the ashes of Black Isle, a name whispered with reverence amongst old school PC role-players, their output would never suggest they were responsible for legendary titles like Fallout 2, Icewind Dale, and Planescape: Torment. They’ve spent the majority of their time clinging to the coattails of Canadian RPG powerhouse, Bioware. Hitting first with a sequel to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, which saw its final act completely and savagely gutted to make a Christmas release date. They followed that up with an ambitious sequel to Neverwinter Nights, which arrived a technical mess, and still remains barely playable on cutting edge hardware. Whatever circumstances surrounded these noble misfires, be it Lucasarts’ aggressive development schedule, or Atari’s floundering fortunes, the guys at Obsidian seem unable to catch a break, unable to flex their ample muscles to the fullest. Perhaps with Alpha Protocol, their first attempt at a new IP, with Sega at the publishing reigns, their prospects could change?

No, not really. I’m really starting to think that Obsidian either has serious product management issues, or is otherwise under some unbreakable voodoo curse. Alpha Protocol comes out of the gate feeling like a collective of great ideas poured into a mold, and then cracked open before the clay has had the time to dry. The game, as a whole, feels raw and unfinished, like the developers reached the stage of development where a game is considered “feature complete” and then proceeded to dump the code to a gold master without any bug-squashing or quality assurance testing whatsoever. The game is hardly what I would call terrible, but for every idea that works, there’s an idea that is heavily compromised.

"Just call me Fisher!"

The gameplay, in a nutshell, is Mass Effect in a new skin. Built on the same engine, it’s as though Obsidian got their hands on the source code for Bioware’s Sci-fi RPG epic and replaced all of the art assets. Many of the faults that people addressed in that 2007 megahit are present here as well, and are considerably less forgivable almost three years on. The biggest bone of contention is no doubt the RPG-derived shooting mechanics, which rewards a bumped up weapon skill rather than a steady aim when it comes to landing headshots. Your targeting reticule could sit on some poor bastard’s forehead, only for the shot to whiz past him by several meters if your dice roll comes up “1”. For an international super-spy, Michael Thornton shoots more like an Imperial Stormtrooper.

Some will be able to rise above the crappy shooting, particularly those who stick with Assault rifles and pump their skills accordingly, but others will be immensely frustrated by their inability to hit a target, and pistol fans (like myself) will be tearing hair out in frustration as their silent killer is about as useful as a fart in a warm breeze. Hell, every weapon in the game outside of assault rifles is a useless effort. Shotguns are crippled by the fact that you have to be right next to a target, which makes it impossible to aim, and the sub-machine guns (which are duel-wielded for some unexplained reason) look stupid, and just spew forth a wall of lead that very slowly chips away at the health of even the lowliest of terrorist underlings. Sniper rifles pop up on occasion, but are usually a stationary affair that precludes you finding a lofty sniper perch and ventilating skulls. Once or twice I came upon a stationary sniper rifle only to find that I had no bitches to pwn.

Alpha Protocol doesn’t always rely on gunfights, thankfully. There are other alternatives, typically the stealth approach. Sadly, the stealth mechanics are about as weak as the gun fighting. Enemies seem to randomly be able to detect you on a whim (probably a result of comparing numbers under the hood like a bad guy’s perception vs. your stealth). Different body armour and load outs can make you a little tougher to detect, and if you can get close enough, there’s a neat option that allows you to either silently take down a baddie or otherwise knife his larynx out. Sounds great on paper, yes? Unfortunately, your silent take downs may randomly alert some dude in the adjacent room, separated by 10 inches of concrete, while dudes in the same room, mere meters away, remain oblivious to your presence, even while looking in your general direction.

What if Rambo were a Bond girl?

Yes, Alpha Protocol’s artificial intelligence is wretched. Whether you’re up against Arabic terrorists, CIA field agents, SWAT teams, private military bad-asses or fellow covert agents, they all follow the same set of arbitrary instructions: Run in circles, shoot, and die. Occasionally they dive behind cover, but it’s a pre-canned routine, they’d do the same thing if you were standing right behind them. Enemy awareness is busted, it’s as though everyone is wearing blinders and listening to Bell Biv DeVoe on their iPods while waiting for the one guy in the vicinity who actually has some sense of purpose to find you and raise the alarm, or otherwise get shot in the face/stabbed in the larynx by a covert agent. It’s as though every character in the game is hooked to a switch that has two settings, “docile” and “aggressive”. It’s the kind of “sneak n shoot” gameplay we got in 1998 with Syphon Filter on Playstation One. When you do raise an alarm, and oh, you will, it seems like everyone is automatically locked onto your location, and they come running like bees to honey. This in and of itself isn’t much of a problem, on easy and normal settings, bad guys are target practice, if you play on the hardest difficulty, shots are fired at random from bad guys who may or may not be in the room with you, and they will end your life in unspectacular fashion. After that, your corpse may either bounce around unnaturally or pass through a wall, floor, ceiling, or randomly placed shrubbery.

No, the technical limitations do not end at lousy henchman AI. Alpha Protocol is chock full of stiff animation, and technical glitches that have people passing through walls, walking on air, and otherwise defying the laws of gravity, physics, and common sense. On several instances, my Assault rifle magically belched brass shell casings even when it wasn’t being fired. Even after my still corpse hit the earth, and I sat slowly waiting for the prompt to reload from the last checkpoint, those 7.65mm shell casings kept ejecting from my rifle as though I were still standing upright in full on “Rock N Roll” stance. It doesn’t help that these stray bullets also clip through Mike’s body while he’s stuck in a run animation.

From a presentation standpoint, we’re looking at a mixed bag for sure. Menus are bland and utilitarian; they get the job done, but only just. The interface is likewise rather dull; full of nondescript icons that don’t always give a fair representation of your abilities. The game’s art design is bland and uninspired, with a bunch of plain, boring looking enemies that either lack any manner of personality, or have borrowed their charm from some crappy spy movie. Honestly, the character designs range from yawn-inducing to absolutely ridiculous (The pink-haired Russian commando or the Emo-teen hitman complete with running mascara come to mind). Michael Thornton is about the most boring frontman i’ve seen, and the miniscule customization options you’re given don’t help him improve any, at all. Then there’s the texture pop in that never ceases to make its presence known when you decide to hit menus in order to switch up an outfit or alter facial features.

Respect the beard!

That’s right, this is an Unreal 3 powered game, and about the only sign that alludes to that fact is the texture pop-in that plagued pretty much every Unreal 3 version 1.0 title. Lighting is rudimentary, the framerate is sluggish, textures are basic if serviceable, and everything is built with a minimal amount of detail, making for some mighty clunky looking characters and objects. Alpha Protocol may as well have been built on Unreal 2 technology. No, it’s not quite ‘Xbox’ ugly, but it definitely looks more like something that might have graced the 360 or PS3 in their early launch days. There are a few isolated incidents where Alpha Protocol comes close to matching some of the lesser U3-powered games out there, and on one or two occasions i did notice some genuinely sweet looking environments and effects. The biggest problem is that the whole thing suffers from screen tearing like a stray dog suffers fleas. Any panning of the camera results in disorienting tears as the “v” struggles to “synch”. If anyone were to want for a sample of the screen tearing issue that’s become pretty prevalent in this generation, Alpha Protocol is the new poster boy. Overall, if Midway’s WWII shooter, Hour of Victory didn’t exist, Alpha Protocol would probably take the ‘ugliest game powered by Unreal 3 Technology’ trophy.

Rebuttal Witness:
After all of that rampant negativity, you might be surprised to learn that does manage to get a few things right at the core.

For one thing, the game’s touted ‘Dialogue Stance System’ really works well, and as advertised. Again, think of Mass effect, but replace general comments with attitudes or emotions. Depending on the subject you’re conversing with, you can choose to be suave, professional, hostile, or courteous, and each Non-player character in the game reacts differently based on the stances you choose. Some characters have zero tolerance for bullshit, while others appreciate a hostile, stand-offish tone. The relationships you build throughout the game also play off of each faction you run into, and characters within each faction; become too close to one character, and you may find another won’t give you the time of day. Many of these characters become handlers for future missions, and depending on who’s got your back, mission parameters, storyline, and outcomes can change. It gives the game a sense of fluidity, characters who serve a major role in one player’s game may be mere footnotes in another. There’s really a sense that here, more than ever, your choices as a player really do have an effect on the outcome.

"Don't you ever call me Gabe Logan again!"

There’s an economy at work as well, that allows you to access a black market arms merchants and information brokers. Weapons are highly customizable, and different modifications do allow for a slightly more entertaining time when the guns come out. The intel you buy opens up new avenues for progressing through some of the games tougher levels. You can acquire weapon drops while in the field, or get rid of some of the more heavily armed foes in a region. It all feels authentic and logical, and here, Alpha Protocol really does a fantastic job of getting you to think like a spy. The espionage angle is taken that much further with a detailed e-mail and dossier system that gives you all sorts of tools and info. You can e-mail contacts (using the same stance system you use in conversations) and gather intel on factions and individuals that provides insight on how to deal with people when you run into them in the future.

When the game trades action for espionage, it actually succeeds rather brilliantly. There’s a significant amount of difficult choices, dialogue sequences, and safehouse shenanigans present in the game to really help take the sting out of the crummy action bits, and based on how you go about things, you may have less and less action to deal with. Play more like a spy, and less like Master Chief, and you’ll have a much better time with the game.

Closing Comments: There were many rumours circling around Alpha Protocol before its release, not the least of which was that Sega pulled support from Obsidian and basically put the brakes on development. Then they promptly delayed the ‘finished’ game for six months (possibly out of fear of Modern Warfare 2). None of it really makes a lot of sense, as given a bit more time in the oven, Alpha Protocol could have been a legitimate contender. As it stands, I want to love this game a hell of a lot more than i actually do, and I have no doubt that I won’t be alone. If you’re what one might call a hardcore RPG player and you’re looking for something a little a little off the beaten path, you may enjoy this trip through the world of international espionage.  However, it will almost certainly test the limits of your patience with some insufferably frustrating combat.

The Verdict:

Platform: Microsoft Xbox360, Sony Playstation 3, Windows PC(Playstation 3 version reviewed)
Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Publisher: Sega
Release Date: June 1st, 2010
Rated: M(17+) for Mature

Steve’s Take:

Kicking things off is Jack Tretton and a joke about ponchos! IN YOUR FACE! It is on!

Killzone 3 – Sony pulls a Microsoft amd comes out waving the big gun around. Unfortunately for MS, Killzone 3 looks amazing AND it’s exclusive. Lots of 3D gobbledegook that means jack to me. Killzone 2 hits in Feburary, is in 3D, and support Playstation Move! Thumbs Up!

Playstaytion Move – Prepared to hate, must resist stupid motion controller… Sorcery looks very very cool… i mean NO! Stupid gimmick! Unresponsive rubbish! Oh forget it – Move looks pretty damned amazing,and the tech behind it is goddamn impressive. Of all the games to sell me, a Harry Potter clone and Tiger Woods. Thumbs up.

Kevin Butler is in the HIZZOUSE! Preaching the message of unity between casual and hardcore. Y’know, for a highly paid marketing machine, Butler is without a doubt… the man! This is one of the most awesome moments ever, and the crowd is devouring it. “We are GAMERS! We have gigantic TV screens in one bedroom apartments!” I see this whole sequence becoming a classic moment in the history of gaming, where all console loyalties were tossed aside. It was an awesome, and very classy move by Sony, and i’ve no doubt that Kevin Butler has gone way beyond his marketing firm roots at this point. The guy has entered the Video Game hall of fame.

Move Montage – a barrage of titles for Sony’s mo-con solution, ranging from the party games you’d expect to some suprisingly hardcore offerings. Goddamnit! It all looks like fun! The pricing isn’t completely ludicrous either. Thumbs up!

God of War: Ghost of Sparta – Why can I not get excited about this? Or the other 70 titles supposedly coming between now and christmas for the PSP? Even handed gesture.

Little Big Planet 2 – While I certainly recognize the cleverness, the first game just didn’t grab me. This time around, they’re throwing every kind of minigame imaginable into the mix. Maybe this time… Even Handed Gesture.

Playstation Plus – A paid premium service for PSN users. 50 bucks a year nets you early demos, beta access, free PSN games and PSP Minis, and free PSOne classics. Also includes Cross Game Chat with any PSN member (as long as the chat is initiated by a PS Plus subscriber). Sounds like a solid value, and everything that was free remains free, Kudos to Sony! Thumbs up!

Medal of Honor – A new demo with a look at the Unreal 3 powered single player, brief, but incredible. Some more online multi stuff, and exclusive bonus for PS3 owners! Medal of Honor Frontline (arguably the best iteration on any console) for free, in HD, included with the PS3 version! Thumbs up!

Dead Space 2 – Continuing where we left off last night. That is one bitchin boss fight. I had zero interest in this one before now. The PS3 version also includes the wii flop, Dead Space: Extraction (currently holding a very lofty 83% average score on Gamerankings) with full on Playstation Move support. Thumbs up!

Portal 2 – Gabe Newell is on stage! BOMBSHELL! The former PS3 detractor makes a few jabs about his past anti-Sony sentiments before showing some awesome footage of Portal 2, which hits in 2011. Thumbs up!

Final Fantasy XIV – Still looks good. Still not much info floating around about this one – i have a feeling some slippage into 2011 is imminent. I still can’t wait! Even Handed Gesture.

Gran Turismo 5 – Smokin hot trailer! Over 900 cars, fully 3D, Nascar, F1, WRC, and Top Gear (the awesome show, not the awesome SNES game) are all in there. Releases November 2nd! Thumbs Up!

InFamous 2 – Not much to see really. Looks like more of the same, and it’s coming in 2011. Even Handed Gesture.

Twisted Metal – Original series creator David Jaffe takes the stage and shows off some multiplayer. I’ll be honest, i think it looks like ass, and i was never a huge fan of the series to begin with. Thumbs down.

Sony did what Sony does best. they worked the crowd, and were wall to wall with games, games, and more games. The 3D tech looks cool and all, and they gave it some time, but not enough to take away from what was really important. As much as I want to hate the hell out of Move, the tech just seems to work so damned well! This is what was promised in the weeks and months leading up to the Wii launch. We’ll see how well the software pans out, but the lineup looks to be classic PSOne era 3rd party loaded Sony. This whole conference for me really hearkened back to Sony’s glory days in the PSOne era, they were fun, easy going, not too stuffy or elitist, and not too particularly concerned about technology, with their focus squarely planted on how the new tech serves the software. They put on the best show of E3 thus far, but Nintendo is ahead by a hair in my book, more because of the content. At any rate, i look at what Nintendo and sony have done today, and i see two companies who are embracing their respective heritages, who are giving their fan base exactly what they want out of a video game console. While Microsoft just seems to be more out of touch than the ‘Big N’ were at their worst a few years ago. I know I can’t freaking wait to lay mitts on a lot of Sony’s product.

On the downside, Kaz is just not savvy enough for these things, and the early reveals kind of knocked the wind out of this one a little – imagine how awesome things would have been if Killzone 3, Little Big planet, and Infamous 2 had been kept in the dark until today. I would have liked to see some more of this fall’s big guns. A Socom 4 demo would have been sweet! The suprises, particularly Twisted Metal, definitely didn’t blow me away either. Ah hell, i’m just disappointed because there’s been no mention of Dragon age II!

Final Score: A

"That guy has my copy of Naughty Bear!"

Well, after the onslaught that was may, June delivers a barrage of less… desirable prospects:

June 1st
- Alpha Protocol (multi)
- Backbreaker (multi)

June 8th
- Green Day Rock Band (multi)
- Sniper: Ghost Warrior (Xbox360, PC)
- Metal Gear solid: Peace Walker (PSP)
- Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 (multi)

June 15th
- Kid Adventures: Sky Captain (wii)
- Naval Assault: The Killing Tide (xbox360)
- Toy Story 3 (multi)

June 22nd
- Transformers: War for Cybertron (multi)

June 29th
- Lego Harry Potter (multi)
- Singularity (multi)
- The Last Airbender (wii)
- Trinity Universe (PS3)
- Naughty Bear (multi)

I’m dug into Alpha Protocol right now, and enjoying it somewhat (look for a review later this week), but the rest of the month looks pretty barren for me (I may take the plunge and buy another PSP game that will just sit on the shelf un-played).

How about you guys? Looking forward to another Transformers game that may not suck? Perhaps muggles made of Legos are in your future? Another time-twisting FPS? Rocking out to Green Day, perhaps? Do tell!

It's about damn time!

With warmer temps comes a hotter release schedule, as May conspires to keep you indoors instead of out soaking in the late Spring sun! Everyone gets a bit of love this month, except for you portable guys, screw you and your capable of playing games while hangin’ outside portable machines!

5/04
- Iron Man 2 (multi)

5/11
- Lost Planet 2 (Multi)
- Skate 3 (Multi)
- Batman: Arkham Asylum – Game of the Year Edition (Multi)
- 3D Dot Game Heroes (PS3)
- Age of Conan: Rise of the Godslayer (PC)

5/18
- Split Second (Multi)
- Shrek Forever After (Multi)
- Red Dead Redemption (multi)
- Alan Wake (Xbox360)
- Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands (multi)

5/23
- Super Mario Galaxy 2 (wii)

5/25
- Blur (Multi)
- UFC Undisputed 2010 (multi)
- Modnation Racers (PS3)
- Backbreaker (Xbox360)

It feels like i’ve been waiting forever for Red Dead Redemption, and 3D Dot Game Heroes has definitely raised an eyebrow. Alan Wake looks like a winning single player title, and My credit card moans at the thought of reactivating my Age of Conan account. what’s going to keep all of you guys inside this May?

Steve’s pick for best of the month: RED DEAD REDEMPTION

It’s coming in 2011! Hopefully EARLY 2011.

Click on through for the full announcment!

WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: WAR IN THE NORTH
FOR XBOX 360™, PLAYSTATION®3 AND WINDOWS™ PC

GROUNDBREAKING ONLINE CO-OP IN NEW ACTION RPG ODYSSEY

Burbank, Calif. – March 18, 2010 – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment announces today that The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, an epic multiplayer action/RPG video game based on the renowned novels by J.R.R. Tolkien, is set to launch on the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Games for Windows® in 2011.

Developed in association with Middle-earth Enterprises, The Lord of the Rings: War in the North explores both original and familiar narrative elements as Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment holds the rights to develop video games based on both the literary and motion picture content from The Lord of the Rings. Breaking new ground as a mature RPG video game set in Middle-earth, The Lord of the Rings: War in the North advances the RPG paradigm through innovative online, interdependent co-op play for up to three players who form their own Fellowship to fight Sauron’s forces in the North.

“With The Lord of the Rings: War in the North we are taking a mature approach to the widely celebrated property with authentic portrayals of battles and all new storylines,” said Martin Tremblay, President, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “Utilizing the award-winning and passionate development team at Snowblind Studios, we are looking to evolve the RPG experience and deliver The Lord of the Rings game fans have been waiting for.”

“In The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, Snowblind will deliver an action RPG for core gamers featuring authentic narrative and environmental locations from J.R.R. Tolkien’s original The Lord of the Rings,” said Ryan Geithman, Founder and Studio Head of Snowblind Studios. “This game is a natural evolution of the acclaimed RPG gameplay that Snowblind has consistently delivered over the past years. Players and fans will experience an innovative approach to online co-op gameplay, woven throughout every facet of the game in a way that only Snowblind can deliver.”

In The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, players can become the heroes in the great battle of the North as part of the epic War of the Ring. Exploring unseen lands, story elements and characters from Middle-earth as well as elements familiar from past feature films, gamers will experience extensive character customization and development, expansive co-op gameplay options and upgradeable weapons, skills and special abilities.

For more information about The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, please visithttp://www.warinthenorth.com.

# # #

About Middle-earth Enterprises

The Saul Zaentz Company d/b/a Middle-earth Enterprises is the holder of worldwide motion picture stage, merchandising, and other rights in certain literary works of J.R.R. Tolkien, including The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Middle-earth Enterprises has been producing and licensing films, stage productions and merchandise based on the Tolkien work for more than 30 years and is headquartered in Berkeley, California. http://www.middleearth.com.

About Snowblind Studios

Snowblind Studios is an award-winning video game developer based in the Pacific Northwest with more than 10 years of experience. Utilizing a rich history of cooperative play games, they helped to define the growing Action RPG genre with critically acclaimed titles including Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance and the Champions of Norrath series. The studio was acquired by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group in 2009 and is currently working on The Lord of the Rings: War in the North.

About Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group, is a premier worldwide publisher, developer, licensor and distributor of entertainment content for the interactive space across all current and future platforms, including console, handheld and PC-based gaming for both internal and third party game titles.

Contact:

Remi Sklar
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
818/977-3023
remi.sklar@warnerbros.com

Megan Korns Russell
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
818/977-0526
megan.korns@warnerbros.com