The Ponza Report
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The Ponza Report
Just can't stop... Just can't stop... Gotta keep going...
Wow. I don't have a review for today yet, but good things are in store. I finally got my hands on TWO, not one, but two MadCatz Street Fighter IV Tournament Edition FightSticks for PlayStation 3. Broke in one last night, and getting used to the square gate is taking some time. Not really a big fan of it. Kind of wish it was an Octagon, so I could feel it better. Always a critic, I am, but if it's realistic for the Japanese arcade machines, it's good enough for me.
Also coming soon, my pet project is finally coming into fruition.<< MORE >>
Ponza Review - Outrun Online Arcade
Outrun Online Arcade
Developer: Sumo Digital, AM2
Publisher: Sega
System: Xbox 360 (played), Playstation 3 (coming later today for European regions)
Rated E for Everyone!
Publisher: Sega
System: Xbox 360 (played), Playstation 3 (coming later today for European regions)
Rated E for Everyone!
For more information regarding the ESRB, visit www.esrb.org
"Splash Wave, Musical Sound Shower, or Passing Breeze?"
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"Splash Wave, Musical Sound Shower, or Passing Breeze?"
P.Reviews: Street Fighter IV and Tekkoshocon VII
Street Fighter IV
Developer: Capcom USA
Publisher: Capcom
System: Xbox 360 (untouched), Playstation 3 (reviewed), PC (soon), Arcade (untouched)
Rated T for Teen, includes Alcohol Reference, Mild Suggestive Themes, and Violence
Publisher: Capcom
System: Xbox 360 (untouched), Playstation 3 (reviewed), PC (soon), Arcade (untouched)
Rated T for Teen, includes Alcohol Reference, Mild Suggestive Themes, and Violence
For more information regarding the ESRB, visit www.esrb.org
"Straight Uppercut The Mounds That Brought You That Love Again."
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This Weekend: Tekkoshocon VII, Pittsburgh PA.
http://www.tekkoshocon.com
Will you be there?
I'm getting predictable. In a bad way.
So yeah, as my cousin so lightly put it, I haven't updated with a new show. In reality, there was a live stream of Street Fighter IV up, but with 2 viewers total, it's hard to say when that might be reattempted. Possibly if I EVER get the SFIV Tourney FightSticks that I preordered, then there will be another shot at it.
Why there hasn't been a audio show: Last 5 weeks, I've either been in training for management coverage or actually DOING the management coverage. That coverage is over now, so I'm back to part-time until the summer. Also known as back to regular hours and having days off where I'm not slacking off.
The trip to Pittsburgh and Tekkoshocon VII is merely two weeks away. I'm getting excited, as it's my first trip to another country (albeit the United States) and my first trip to a con (at least if you don't count me accidently stumbling upon...<< MORE >>
Why there hasn't been a audio show: Last 5 weeks, I've either been in training for management coverage or actually DOING the management coverage. That coverage is over now, so I'm back to part-time until the summer. Also known as back to regular hours and having days off where I'm not slacking off.
The trip to Pittsburgh and Tekkoshocon VII is merely two weeks away. I'm getting excited, as it's my first trip to another country (albeit the United States) and my first trip to a con (at least if you don't count me accidently stumbling upon...<< MORE >>
Yes, there's an episode coming soon!
I'm typing up the draft of what I want to talk about as this gets posted on the site here. The show will be recorded on Tuesday. There's a reason for that, which will be explained later. If anyone wants to take part in the episode, drop me a line on Skype, the account ID is ponza.report (That's ponza, then a period, then report).
Also, this week, possibly Wednesday or Thursday night, there'll be a live stream of the East Coast launch of Street Fighter IV (assuming my area gets it by then). I'm going to try to set up the Ustream in a bigger area, as my desk is getting cluttered to show off the new console setup. It's either that, or I'll have to do some cleaning. Not fun.
I'm not going to slack off this time, honest.
Ponza's Hands On - Halo Wars, Killzone 2, Auditorium
Relatively new to the blog will be a hands-on series, especially for new releases that I will be reviewing, or demos that are now available via console stores. This week, I've got my hands on 3 different games, so I thought I'd mash my thoughts about each one into one post.
Let's start with Halo Wars. The demo just hit Xbox Live Marketplace for Xbox Live Gold subscribers. Set 20 years before the first Halo game, you set foot on Harvest during the last missions on the planet. The UNSC Marines are in a power struggle with the Covenant for key battlefields. Unfortunately, you've got some cleaning up to do. This time around, things aren't like you're used to: Halo Wars is a real-time strategy, much like Age of Empires and Warcraft. Using very simple controls, you build attached structures and towers around your base to fortify and make units. Resources are shipped in, and troops are limited, but you can make more to an extent. Missions are scored based on completion of objectives and side-objectives. Basically, for an RTS, it's very simple. Selecting units is all A-button stuff, while attacking is with X, and secondary attacks are with Y. Some examples of secondary attacks are, say you've got some grunts in front of your Warthog. Press Y while selecting the Warthog to get grunts all up in yo grill! Satisfaction guaranteed. Just don't ram buildings, that'll deplete some of your Warthog's health for sure. Halo Wars looks promising, I don't have it on preorder, but you never know, you might see a P.Review soon.
Next up is the incredibly short Killzone 2 demo. Killzone is an FPS with some very wicked visuals, possibly the best I've seen ever on a console game. Not a whole lot of gunplay in the demo, but plenty of things to cheer about. The lighting effects are stunning, and I can't stress that enough. Blood splats on the screen when you get shot, and there's even some co-op interaction, like when you reach the elevator, you can press circle to have a teammate prop you up onto the ledge, then you reach down and help him up, usually with a cheeky joke tied in. (For my 2 run-throughs, I was told not to mess up his hair, and not to drop him this time.) For a short, really hyped demo, it's partly worth the praise. The action is intense, but the AI for your side is pretty decent. Lots of ammo around too. Too bad on the shortness of it all.
Lastly, head here for a good game to try: www.playauditorium.com It's an upstart game that a lot of people are excited for, as it may be coming to iPhone. For now though, it's on PC, and it's fantastic once you get your head around it. As well, there's music that you can listen to afterwards, if you buy the full version. There's 15 acts in the whole thing, and lots of puzzle fun using the pieces each level gives you. I'm having a blast with it, whenever I can get a chance to play it that is.
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Let's start with Halo Wars. The demo just hit Xbox Live Marketplace for Xbox Live Gold subscribers. Set 20 years before the first Halo game, you set foot on Harvest during the last missions on the planet. The UNSC Marines are in a power struggle with the Covenant for key battlefields. Unfortunately, you've got some cleaning up to do. This time around, things aren't like you're used to: Halo Wars is a real-time strategy, much like Age of Empires and Warcraft. Using very simple controls, you build attached structures and towers around your base to fortify and make units. Resources are shipped in, and troops are limited, but you can make more to an extent. Missions are scored based on completion of objectives and side-objectives. Basically, for an RTS, it's very simple. Selecting units is all A-button stuff, while attacking is with X, and secondary attacks are with Y. Some examples of secondary attacks are, say you've got some grunts in front of your Warthog. Press Y while selecting the Warthog to get grunts all up in yo grill! Satisfaction guaranteed. Just don't ram buildings, that'll deplete some of your Warthog's health for sure. Halo Wars looks promising, I don't have it on preorder, but you never know, you might see a P.Review soon.
Next up is the incredibly short Killzone 2 demo. Killzone is an FPS with some very wicked visuals, possibly the best I've seen ever on a console game. Not a whole lot of gunplay in the demo, but plenty of things to cheer about. The lighting effects are stunning, and I can't stress that enough. Blood splats on the screen when you get shot, and there's even some co-op interaction, like when you reach the elevator, you can press circle to have a teammate prop you up onto the ledge, then you reach down and help him up, usually with a cheeky joke tied in. (For my 2 run-throughs, I was told not to mess up his hair, and not to drop him this time.) For a short, really hyped demo, it's partly worth the praise. The action is intense, but the AI for your side is pretty decent. Lots of ammo around too. Too bad on the shortness of it all.
Lastly, head here for a good game to try: www.playauditorium.com It's an upstart game that a lot of people are excited for, as it may be coming to iPhone. For now though, it's on PC, and it's fantastic once you get your head around it. As well, there's music that you can listen to afterwards, if you buy the full version. There's 15 acts in the whole thing, and lots of puzzle fun using the pieces each level gives you. I'm having a blast with it, whenever I can get a chance to play it that is.
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P.Review - Skate 2
Skate 2
Developer: EA Vancouver - Black Box
Publisher: Electronic Arts
System: Xbox 360 (reviewed), Playstation 3 (demo reviewed)
Rated T for Teen, includes Alcohol Reference, Language, Mild Violence and Suggestive Themes.
Publisher: Electronic Arts
System: Xbox 360 (reviewed), Playstation 3 (demo reviewed)
Rated T for Teen, includes Alcohol Reference, Language, Mild Violence and Suggestive Themes.
Things have changed, but one thing remains the same: You're the dude of New San Van.
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Must... Find... Traffic
Alright, seriously, going to start working on that Episode 5.<< MORE >>
P.Review - Gears of War 2
Gears of War 2
Developer: Epic Games
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
System: Xbox 360 (Exclusive franchise)
Rated M for Mature
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
System: Xbox 360 (Exclusive franchise)
Rated M for Mature
Bigger, Better, and More Badass.
Unfortunately, I'd have to agree, on many levels. I did say unfortunately, didn't I? I'll explain as things progress. This is my first review of 2009. I thought I'd start it off with the 2nd most hyped title in the Xbox 360 lineup from last year. Gears of War is a franchise strictly created to push the power of the Xbox 360, and the egotistical might of Epic Games as a developer. While the Unreal engine is at work giving great visuals and stunning graphics in long doses, it's certainly not the engine that needs work. The game itself needs work.
Let's start on the positive here: Gears 2 has this awesome new mode called Horde mode. It's phenomenal, a true testiment to the way online gaming should be treated. You and four friends, that's 5 players, can get together online and defend a map from 50 waves of Locust enemies. Teamwork is demanded, and the difficulty increases as the waves rank up. Ammunition is somewhat limited, and a different array of guns come to you as do the Locust horde. Strategy, toughness, and comradery are the ways of this mode, and saving your friends from near death is definitely a help. Any map can be used, so it's definitely a thrill, and can help you learn the locales of multiplayer.
If you wanted to play the multiplayer, that is.
Everything that is awesome about Horde is scrapped in multiplayer due to an extreme amount of glitches and bugs. Attacking through walls, lag issues, matchmaking woes that have been patched, only to suffer more, the list goes on. A game "so awesome" that problems rise up everywhere in a hurry. There are many people who abuse those glitches too, making the experience not a laughing matter, it's more sad than anything.
The campaign levels in this iteration of Gears are also kind of sad. The first game was all about co-operation and tactical movement. This second game is all about railshooters (seriously?) and vehicle driving. The main problem with railshooter levels is if you don't know what to shoot, you'll become frustrated. I became frustrated rather early. Word to the wise: if you make a shooter, and you have a turret level, don't make the levels to chance. If I'm firing a turret, and it overheats when I need it most, I have to start the level over. Especially annoying considering I played most of those levels by myself. There's absolutely nothing wrong with working these levels into the story, it's just difficult to play unless you have friends there with you for the campaign there. The vehicle levels are plenty, with a couple of shockers in the story, but really, it feels like half the game relies on driving or shooting guns while being driven. I thought Gears was a tactical shooter? Odd.
The gunplay is as always top notch. You feel good hitting that active reload perfect enough times to get the achievement. There's satisifaction when shooting a foe in the head with a sniper rifle, or catching a larger enemy with a Torque Bow round. Blood splatters the screen when you chainsaw someone else in half, and the ass-kicking you're leaving on the battlefield is evident. The boss battles are alright, and keep you moving, but are forgettable. Finishing the game was a chore and a half for me, but I found comfort right away with the things I unlocked after completing campaign.
Gears of War 2 is a bloody mess, figuratively and literally. The story you know gets turned upside-down, around, and right back where you expected. It's just a shame that all of the problems with matchmaking and online play keep appearing, which is a sign of terrible quality assurance. With the recession around, skimping on QA for a high-profit franchise like Gears of War is only going to turn off the fans. As a result, this game only deserves the following score from me: RENT.