Gaming Addict

The collector’s edition package for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed has finally been released, and dubbed the Ultimate Sith Edition.  This set includes the original game, as well as all of the DLC that has been released for Force Unleashed up to now.  That means here you get the Tatooine and Jedi Academy levels, as well as an exclusive to this edition Hoth level. 

 I remember being disappointed in both the Tatooine and Jedi Academy levels, especially considering how much they cost via Xbox Live, and how little gameplay they had to offer.  All in all I’m just not sold on The Force Unleashed.  I know the game sold horrendously well, but it still wasn’t a spectacular Star Wars game.  Rather, Force Unleashed was a glimpse into how great of a game we could have had if Lucasarts had put in a little bit more time and effort. 

Everything just felt overly simplified.  From the lightsaber combat, to the way your force powers function.  Everything could have used some polish.  Here you get that same unpolished experience, with three new levels.  This collection isn’t worth buying if you already have purchased the DLC levels.  But if you’re new to Force Unleashed, or haven’t sprung for the DLC, maybe the Ultimate Sith Edition is for you.

Just don’t expect a spectacularly different experience.  

I really wasn’t prepared to like Saw as a game.  I’m a big fan of the movie series, but normally games based on movies turn out to be terrible.  But what I got with Saw really impressed me more than I would have thought.  Of course the Saw game isn’t anything ground breaking or spectacular, but what you get is definitely worth of your play time.

The game starts out just like a Saw movie.  You’re introduced to the game’s protagonist Detective Tapp, who finds himself in a rather precarious position.  The gameplay picks up with Tapp regaining consciousness in a dark room, finding that Saw’s famous reverse bear trap has been affixed to his jaw.  You are then tasked with matching the button sequences on the sides of the trap to disarm the reverse bear trap.  You’ll have to do that quickly, or else Tapp’s skull will be pulled apart in a nice little gory game sequence.  

The first trap is very easy of course, but serves as a good set up of things to come.  Not to mention, including one of Saw’s most popular traps in the first few moments of gameplay is a brilliant stroke to capture the feel of the movies.

The gore won’t make you feel as queasy as anything in the films, as the game’s graphics leave something to be desired.  But they do stand up just enough to disturb where intended.  All in all not a bad game, but once you’ve gone through the traps for the first time, you won’t need to do it again.  So I’d suggest renting Saw, because you’ll only play it once if you buy the game.  

South Park Let’s Go Tower Defense Play! is ridiculously entertaining, but probably only if you’re a South Park fan.  Which I have been for the show’s entire run, and the unflinching brilliance that is Matt Stone and Trey Parker’s writing throughout the series.  South Park LGTDP captures this humor perfectly, which is just what this paint by the numbers tower defense game needed.  Featuring a story by the South Park scribes, and their custom awful and hilarious voice over work, LGTDP is a full South Park experience.

While many will be painfully reminded of the horrendous South Park gaming forays in the past, LGTDP is not among those.  I still remember the South Park FPS game that I had on Playstation, and how everything seemed like a good idea at the time.  But the gameplay got repetitive and severely boring almost immediately.  LGTDP suffers no such fate.  Rather LGTDP stays fairly fresh and always hilarious as you control Stan, Cartman, Kenny and Kyle throughout the games campaign.  Creatively sprinkling show references throughout dialogue, and enemy types like ginger kids, and hippies.  

LGTDP really shines when played with a friend, as the game can be fairly annoying when played alone.  But as long as you can find a buddy that’s also interested in South Park, you’ve got yourself a decent experience.  South Park combines traditional tower defense tactics, such as building your own defenses and then upgrading as levels progress, with the ability to take the reins of any character and unleash your own snowball based attacks.  Each character also comes with their own special powers that can be triggered during a level.  All of which offering their own level of uniqueness, usefulness, and hilarity.  

All in all worth the 800 MS points in my book.  While semi short, South Park Let’s Go Tower Defense Play provides endless replay ability.  As long as you’re a South Park fan, you can’t go wrong.  

The full set list for the upcoming DJ Hero has been announced, and considering the songs that have been confirmed, I’m definitely willing to give this a shot.  I’m still not 100% positive on how well this will play out, or how effectively the DJ peripheral will function.  I’m just not completely sure that this whole concept really translates to the music game format.  Just like with Guitar Hero, I wonder if your time would be better served actually trying to create your own mixes, instead of punching buttons in time to someone else’s.  

But, to each his own, and here’s the tracks you can look forward to fake DJ-ing in your living room:

• 2Pac - “All Eyez On Me” vs. The Aranbee Pop Orchestra - “Bittersweet Symphony (Instrumental)”
• 50 Cent - “Disco Inferno” vs. David Bowie - “Let’s Dance”
• 50 Cent - “Disco Inferno” vs. InDeep - “Last Night A DJ Saved My Life”
• Afrika Bambaataa - “Zulu Nation Throwdown” vs. Freedom Express - “Get Down”
• Beastie Boys - “Here’s A Little Somethin’ For Ya” vs. DJ Shadow - “The Number Song (2009 Version)” (Produced and mixed by DJ Shadow)
• Beastie Boys - “Intergalactic” vs. Blondie - “Rapture”
• Beastie Boys - “Lee Majors Come Again” vs. Daft Punk - “Da Funk” (Produced and mixed by Cut Chemist)
• Beck - “Where It’s At” vs. DJ Shadow - “Six Days (Remix ft. Mos Def)”
• Bell Biv DeVoe - “Poison” Beat Juggle
• Bell Biv DeVoe - “Poison” vs. Beastie Boys - “Intergalactic” (Produced and mixed by DJ AM)
• Bell Biv DeVoe - “Poison” vs. Cameo - “Word Up!”
• Benny Benassi - “Satisfaction” vs. Tiësto - “Elements Of Life”
• Billy Squier - “The Big Beat” vs. N.E.R.D. - “Lapdance” (DJ-Guitar mix)
• Black Eyed Peas - “Boom Boom Pow” vs. Benny Benassi - “Satisfaction”
• Bobby “Blue” Bland - “Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City” vs. 2Pac - “How Do You Want It”
• Bobby “Blue” Bland - “Ain’t No Love In The Heart Of The City” vs. Connie Price & The Keystones - “Fuzz And Them”
• Boogie Down Productions - “Jack Of Spades” vs. David Bowie - “Let’s Dance” (Produced and mixed by DJ Shadow)
• Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers - “Bustin’ Loose” vs. The Zombies - “Time Of The Season” (Produced and mixed by DJ Shadow)
• Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers - “Bustin’ Loose” vs. Young MC - “Bust A Move”
• Common - “Universal Mind Control (U.M.C.)” vs. Masta Ace - “Jeep A** Gutter (Aaron LaCrate & Debonair Samir RMX)” (Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts)
• Cypress Hill - “Insane In The Brain” vs. Classics IV - “Spooky”
• Cypress Hill - “Insane In The Brain” vs. David Axelrod - “The Edge”
• Daft Punk - “Around The World” vs. Young MC - “Bust A Move”
• Daft Punk - “Da Funk” vs. N.A.S.A. - “Strange Enough ft. Karen O, ODB & Fatlip”
• Daft Punk - “Megamix 1”
• Daft Punk - “Megamix 2”
• Daft Punk - “Robot Rock” vs. Hashim - “Al Naafyish (The Soul)” (Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts)
• Daft Punk - “Robot Rock” vs. Queen - “We Will Rock You”
• Daft Punk - “Short Circuit” vs. Boogie Down Productions - “Jack Of Spades”
• Daft Punk - “Technologic” vs. Gary Numan - “Cars”
• Daft Punk - “Television Rules the Nation” vs. No Doubt - “Hella Good”
• David Axelrod - “The Edge” vs. Eric B. & Rakim - “Eric B. Is President”
• Dizzee Rascal - “Fix Up, Look Sharp” vs. DJ Shadow - “Organ Donor (Extended Overhaul)”
• Dizzee Rascal - “Fix Up, Look Sharp” vs. Justice - “Genesis”
• DJ Shadow - “Six Days (Remix ft. Mos Def)” vs. D-Code - “Annie’s Horn”
• Eminem - “My Name Is” vs. Beck - “Loser”
• Fedde Le Grand - “Put Your Hands Up For Detroit” vs. Sandy Rivera and David Penn - “I Can’t Stop (David Penn Remix)”
• Foo Fighters - “Monkey Wrench” vs. Beastie Boys - “Sabotage” (DJ-Guitar mix)
• Foreigner - “Juke Box Hero” vs. DJ Z-Trip ft. Murs - “DJ Hero” (Produced and mixed by DJ Z-Trip)
• Foreigner - “Juke Box Hero” vs. DJ Z-Trip ft. Murs - “DJ Hero” (DJ-Guitar mix, produced and mixed by DJ Z-Trip)
• Gang Starr - “Just To Get A Rep” vs. Mobb Deep - “Shook Ones, Pt 2” (Produced and mixed by J. Period)
• Gorillaz - “Feel Good Inc.” vs. Blondie - “Atomic”
• Grandmaster Flash’s - “Boom” vs. “Tap” (Produced and mixed by Grandmaster Flash)
• Grandmaster Flash, DJ Kool, DJ Demo - “Here Comes My DJ” vs. Gary Numan - “Cars” (Produced and mixed by Grandmaster Flash)
• Gwen Stefani - “Hollaback Girl” vs. Gorillaz - “Feel Good Inc.”
• Gwen Stefani - “Hollaback Girl” vs. InDeep “Last Night A DJ Saved My Life” (Produced and mixed by DJ AM)
• Gwen Stefani - “Hollaback Girl” vs. Rick James - “Give It To Me”
• Herbie Hancock - “Rockit” Beat Juggle
• Herbie Hancock - “Rockit” vs. N.E.R.D. - “Lapdance” (Produced and mixed by Grandmaster Flash)
• InDeep - “Last Night A DJ Saved My Life” vs. Cameo - “Word Up!”
• Jackson 5 - “I Want You Back” vs. Gang Starr - “Just To Get A Rep” (Produced and mixed by DJ Yoda)
• Jackson 5 - “I Want You Back” vs. Third Eye Blind - “Semi-Charmed Life” (DJ-Guitar mix)
• Jackson 5 - “I Want You Back” vs. Third Eye Blind - “Semi-Charmed Life”
• JAY-Z feat. Pharrell - “Change Clothes” vs. 2Pac - “All Eyez on Me”
• JAY-Z - “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” vs. Eminem - “My Name Is”
• JAY-Z - “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)” vs. Jackson 5 - “I Want You Back”
• JAY-Z - “Excuse Me Miss” vs. Rick James - “Give It To Me”
• Jean Knight - “Mr. Big Stuff” vs. Masta Ace - “Born To Roll”
• Jurassic 5 - “Jayou” vs. Billy Squier - “The Big Beat”
• Jurassic 5 - “Jayou” vs. Herbie Hancock - “Rockit”
• Kid Cudi - “Day ‘N’ Nite” vs. Black Eyed Peas - “Boom Boom Pow”
• Kool Moe Dee - “How Ya Like Me Now” vs. Reel 2 Real featuring The Mad Stuntman - “I Like To Move It”
• Little Richard - “Tutti Frutti” vs. Shlomo - “Beats” (Produced and mixed by DJ Yoda)
• M.I.A. - “Paper Planes” vs. Eric B. & Rakim - “Eric B. Is President” (Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts)
• M.I.A. - “Paper Planes” vs. Wale - “Lookin’ At Me”
• Marvin Gaye - “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” vs. David Bowie - “Let’s Dance”
• Marvin Gaye - “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” vs. Gorillaz - “Feel Good Inc.”
• Motörhead - “Ace Of Spades” vs. Noisia - “Groundhog” (DJ-Guitar mix)
• N.A.S.A. - “Strange Enough ft. Karen O, ODB & Fatlip” vs. Isaac Hayes - “Theme From Shaft”
• Noisia - “Groundhog” Beat Juggle (Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts)
• Paul van Dyk - “Nothing But You” vs. Sandy Rivera and David Penn - “I Can’t Stop (David Penn Remix)”
• Public Enemy - “Shut ‘Em Down” vs. Beck - “Where It’s At”
• Public Enemy ft. Zakk Wylde - “Bring The Noise 20XX” vs. Justice - “Genesis” (Produced and mixed by DJ Z-Trip)
• Public Enemy featuring Zakk Wylde - “Bring The Noise 20XX” (DJ-Guitar mix)
• Q-Tip - “Good Thang” vs. Billy Squier - “The Big Beat” (Produced and mixed by J. Period)
• Queen - “Another One Bites The Dust” vs. Beastie Boys - “Brass Monkey” (Produced and mixed by DJ Z-Trip)
• Queen - “Another One Bites The Dust” vs. Daft Punk - “Da Funk”
• Rihanna - “Disturbia” vs. Kid Sister - “Control”
• Rihanna - “Disturbia” vs. The Killers - “Somebody Told Me” (DJ-Guitar mix)
• Rihanna - “Disturbia” vs. The Trammps - “Disco Inferno”
• Shlomo - “Beats” vs. Billy Squier - “The Big Beat”
• Street Sweeper Social Club - “Fight! Smash! Win!” vs. Beastie Boys - “Intergalactic” (DJ-Guitar mix)
• Tears For Fears - “Shout” vs. DJ Shadow - “Six Days (Remix ft. Mos Def)”
• Tears For Fears - “Shout” vs. Eric B. & Rakim - “Eric B. Is President” (Produced and mixed by DJ Jazzy Jeff)
• Tears For Fears - “Shout” vs. Eric Prydz - “Pjanoo”
• The Aranbee Pop Orchestra - “Bittersweet Symphony (Instrumental)” vs. LL Cool J - “Rock The Bells” (Produced and mixed by DJ Jazzy Jeff)
• The Scratch Perverts Beats and Pieces (Produced and mixed by The Scratch Perverts)
• The Killers - “Somebody Told Me” vs. Eric Prydz - “Pjanoo”
• Vanilla Ice - “Ice Ice Baby” vs. MC Hammer - “U Can’t Touch This”
• Vanilla Ice - “Ice Ice Baby” vs. Paula Abdul - “Straight Up”
• Wale - “Lookin’ At Me” vs. Black Eyed Peas ft. Tippa Irie - “Hey Mama”
• Weezer - “Beverly Hills” vs. Evidence, The Alchemist, Aceyalone, Rakaa & 88 Keys - “Fresh Rhymes And Videotape” (DJ-Guitar mix)
• Wild Cherry - “Play That Funky Music” vs. Gang Starr - “Just To Get A Rep” (DJ-Guitar mix)

I still can’t tell if I should be excited for Borderlands or not.  I was when the game was first announced, as the concept sounds endlessly entertaining and brilliant.  The game centers around Diablo style RPG looting action, but with an FPS twist.  The game will actually create new weapons on the fly, so each time you loot there’s a huge potential to find something you’ve never seen before.  That sounds pretty cool to me, I love FPS, I love hordes of enemies to fight, I love Diablo style dungeon crawling. 

But the more and more that I see on Borderlands, I’m just not sold on the cartoon-y cel-shaded style.  I wasn’t really bothered by the style when used in a game like Crackdown, but Borderlands seemed like a game that took itself seriously at some point.  Now the whole thing feels like a big joke.  I’m not rightly sure how I feel about that.

How much of a 60+ hour campaign can I really play through if everything is a cheesy cartoon with repetitive gameplay?  

Top down viewpoint Left 4 Dead clone Zombie Apocalypse comes out on Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network tomorrow, and I’m excited.  I thoroughly enjoy playing Left 4 Dead, but Zombie Apocalypse just has that old school feel that makes me really want to play.  Looking at the screenshots I’m reminded of Zombies Ate My Neighbors, and the time I would spend playing through that with friends on SNES.  Of course I never beat ZAMN, because of the ridiculous difficulty you find on the game’s later levels, but I’m thinking I can tackle Zombie Apocalypse.

I’m drawn to this for the crazy zombie gameplay, and HD graphics in an old school style.  Zombie Apocalypse will provide the standard top down shooter controls with one analog stick serving as your movement, and the other for shooting.  ZA provides a wide variety of crazy weapons to take out the zombie hordes looking to make a meal of you.  You’ll also be able to find objects in the environment to interact with, and blow up the hordes.  

All in all this looks like a mix of Zombies Ate My Neighbors and Left 4 Dead.  Two zombie games I love, and would have fun playing mixed together.  The ability to play with up to 3 other people online just adds to the fun.  

 New announcement regarding the upcoming awfulness that is Lego Rock Band.  Iggy Pop has been confirmed as one of the first musicians to appear in the game.  In case you weren’t aware Lego Rock Band is the Harmonix alternative for parents that think Rock Band’s rock music is inappropriate for the younger gamers.  So Lego Rock Band is going to offer a more family friendly music experience, and if you know Iggy Pop, he definitely falls into the family friendly category.  So this move doesn’t confuse me at all.

Although I don’t really see the point of a Lego Rock Band.  I understand you want to protect your children from music you find offensive, but Rock Band’s track lists have always been fairly tame.  The announced songs for LRB really sound terrible, and not very entertaining for faux instrument play.

• Blur “Song 2”
• Carl Douglas “Kung Fu Fighting”
• Europe “The Final Countdown”
• Good Charlotte “Boys And Girls”
• Pink “So What”

I’m not saying they’re not entertaining from a technical stand point, but if you’re a concerned parent, do you really want to have to listen to your kid playing The Final Countdown or Kung Fu Fighting 8 million times?  I’d consider that right up there with waterboarding for interrogation methods that should be avoided because of their classification as torture.  Why not just buy your kids The Beatles Rock Band?  The Beatles are extremely non-threatening by today’s standards, and they have a much richer catalog of music that you can both enjoy.

I’d much rather hear The Beatles over and over again, personally.  And I’m not even a fan of The Beatles. 

Well, I figured it would happen sooner or later, and now it finally has.  The Star Wars franchise, in terms of videogames is officially dead to me.  I just played the demo for Stat Wars Clone Wars: Republic Heroes, and am shocked at the level of laziness shown by Lucasarts in producing quality Star Wars based content.  When they could be making another classic like Jedi Outcast, or Shadows of the Empire, or any of the Star Wars Battlefront games.  Hell I’d even take another Republic Commando game, because at least that was pretty decent.  But Republic Heroes?  Seriously, this is what it’s come to???

Clone Wars: Republic Heroes isn’t just bad, it’s obnoxiously bad.  I’m reminded of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, where they took the greatest concept in the Star Wars universe, the freaking Clone Wars, and made it lame.  Here you have another game that could have been fantastic.  The whole principle is fighting battles from the Clone Wars, and the whole thing has been reduced to an awful third person button mashing fighter/shooter.  With appallingly bad controls, appallingly awful graphics for a ‘next-gen’ game, and horrendous gameplay. 

They’ve slaughtered everything cool about Star Wars, and delivered a game experience that’s every bit as good as the awful animated series.  

Skate looks like it’s established itself as a franchise that will be around for some time, as EA announced the upcoming Skate 3.  This time around the series will have more of a focus on cooperative play, whether with a friend in person, or via Xbox Live/PSN.  In Skate 3 you’ll be able to build your own skate team from the ground up, which you’ll use to compete against rival skate teams in the area.  The new zone for Skate 3 is Port Caverton, where you’ll have to make your own turf, and then fight to defend that zone.  

You’ll be able to edit your own skate park, creating your own dreamland to skate within.  You’ll also be able to cut your own skate videos, and skate team graphics.  So essentially the entirety of the game is all about building your own skate franchise from the ground up, and taking on the world with your own personal dream team.  And as an added bonus if you preorder the game, you get access to the Black Box Distribution Skate Park, the home of Zero, Mystery, and Fallen skate teams.

Given the more customization options and the same fantastic gameplay that Skate has been offering for years now, I can’t wait to build my own team.  

Eidos has announced that a new Batman Arkham Asylum DLC map pack will be released via PSN, Xbox Live, and PC, and will be completely free of charge.  Why can’t more game publishers follow this lead and give us all a lil something extra for free, after doing the right thing and supporting your game with our cash?  The new DLC pack will include two new challenge maps for your Batman enjoyment.  Promising to challenge your skills like never before, even if they’re lame at least they’re free.

One map is to be called the Totally Insane Freeflow Combat map.  In this pack you’ll have to fight your way through hordes of escaped lunatics as Batman attempts to escape Arkham’s secure records facility.  These lunatics are much faster than your average psycho, so your combat reactions will be pushed to the limit.  Timing will be key as you fight off the hordes of fast and strong foes that will be swarming around every turn. 

The next map, which is called Nocturnal Hunter Invisible Predator map, will focus more on stealth opposed to brute force.  You’ll have to make use of Batman’s gadgets and Arkham’s watchtowers to avoid the massive army of the Joker’s goons patrolling below.  This map will force you to become that fear in the darkness in ways that will push you to your limits

Sounds pretty cool.