Impressions - WWE All-Stars (PSP)

/

WWE All-Stars, the latest wrestling game by THQ. The difference between All-Stars when compared to the WWE Smackdown vs. Raw series is that All-Stars takes a more arcade style approach with its exagerrated character models and over the top finishing moves.

Now in hindsight it may look all fancy and flashy but from what I've played on the PSP version this game is horrible. The graphics are not as horrible as I initially thought from seeing screenshots and videos of it so I have no issue with that. What I do have issues with is everything else.

The controls feel horrible, not to the point of being unplayable but are still very stiff and unresponsive. I can see the point of having some moves such as strong strike attacks take a while to wind up but trying to run in this game or even moving around is very unresponsive. Walking is very slow and you run by holding down the R button but it takes a second before the move and when they do move, its like watching a drunk hamster trying to escape your hand by running around in his cage hitting everything else in the process.

Combat isn't good either, the feed back when you hit your opponent doesn't feel like its even there. The Smackdown vs. Raw series may still have a lot of clipping issues but when you punch someone in the face, you know you punched him, It may not be the most solid feed back in terms of video game violence but at the very least the soundeffect nails it. The grappling isn't so bad cause when they slam an opponent in the ground its fast and hard though trying to pull off a grapple move is a different story.

The flashy high air finishing moves aren't as impressive as they wanted it to be. Sure the colored motion trails are there and it does go into slow motion but it gets really old reall fast. One really annoying thing that bothers me in the game, aside from fighting the controls and the opponent at the same time, is the soundeffect of the canvas matt. It sounds like something off a PSX game or even a SNES game. They could've cheaped out and used the Smackdown vs. Raw matt soundeffects but no, they had to go with an old school artificial canvas soundeffect that rattles with ever damn step you take.

The PSP version does come with a create-a-wrestler mode which is decent but doesn't have nearly enough customization options as Smackdown vs. Raw. Aside from making a wrestler that look like who ever you what him to be, half of the fun was giving him a unique moveset. In All-Stars, you just pick who his base character will be and then select a finisher. Not fun at all.

I don't know if the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions suffer from the same problems as the PSP one but I think that the PSP version is a port of the PS2 and Wii version. Imagine playing this bad game... with bad motion controls! O_O

Bottom line is, stay away from this game. If you really want to try it, maybe theres a demo out there that you can play or maybe a friend of yours already has the game. Last option would be getting a 2nd hand copy but do not buy this game brand new.

Screenshots from http://www.ztgd.com

Weekend, what are you playing

/

The weekend is here again. What are you playing?

Migoy: Beat the original Dissidia 013 story and did the reports that I've unlocked. Gotta grind before I can face 000. Just unlocked Prishe and Gilgamesh and they are fun to use. Also booted up Muramasa The Demon Blade on the Wii. I beat Kisuke's story last year but stopped at half of Momohime's story. Dammit, I want the Momohime figure again.

Arlie: I just finished Portal 2 yesterday. The whole game was really fun. For those who haven't played it yet, you have to at least give it a try! From GLaDOS' sarcastic lines and fat jokes to Wheatley's British humor who is actually voiced by Stephen Merchant (Hot Fuzz, The Ricky Gervais Show). Having a NPC companion who blabs too much really adds to the experience. I also liked the ending song. Watch out for those hidden easter eggs.

Portal: "The cake is a lie."

Portal 2: "The deer is a lie."

I don't want to spoil any more shit to you guys, but all I can say is "Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, holy fuck you're in space!"

You can watch parts of my playthrough here. (4 hours total including long pauses for pee breaks)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVVZaZ8yO6o]

Quash: Did a full Mortal Kombat marathon! We started off by watching the first Mortal Kombat movie(hilarious) then we popped in the new Mortal Kombat and did an all day 4 player tag versus matches. We were set to watch the second movie but couldn't stop playing. It was technically 2 versus 2 and the tagging system seemed similar to Tekken Tag's tagging system, pressing one button swaps in your teammate.

It was a lot of fun and we were constantly shouting at each other because there's no coordination with the tagging at all. Some people just tag themselves out without telling their teammate catching them off-guard or them eating a X-Ray. When i got back home i continued to play some more Mortal Kombat. Did a few challenges in the Challenge Tower(up to 45 now) and practiced with Nightwolf. He might actually be my main character for Mortal Kombat.

Great game and i'll have a full review on it soon.

Earth Defense Force 2 Portable

/

Earth Defense Force 2017 may not be the best looking Xbox 360 game but its sheer insanity and over the top action makes lovable and hard to hate. Giant insects and aliens going about terrorizing a city while you gun them down, destroying any sign post, foot bridge, or building that gets in your way.

With its sequel, Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon, coming to PS3 and Xbox 360 later this year. I was surprised to see Earth Defense FOrce 2 Portable, a port of its original PS2 form, out on the PSP in Japan earlier this month. I couldn't picture the intensity of the game being fit into a small package but after playing a few missions, I can say that a lot of "WTF OMG HOLY $#!7!" moments are present in its portable version.

Obviously the amount of monsters present at one time has been reduced but the number of giant ants on screen can still be overwhemlming. You do not have any CPU allies though and are forced to face the invasion alone. The game offers ad hoc support and I've tried it with a friend, its hilariously fun.

D3 has released the game as a two-pack in Japan costing only ¥6,279 ($76). Alone the game costs¥5,040 ($61) Definitely better than buying two copies of the same game separately and with the popularity of Monster Hunter over there, I'm sure anybody who's anybody has a PSP.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trkKer8JvDU&w=640&h=390]

Ads in video games

/

Now I don't know exactly how big Tiger Direct is in the States but I'm sure most of the people in our country haven't even heard of it.

In the most recent released first person shooter, Homefront, we see a ads for Tiger DIrect. I don't know how often these ads appear but I've heard people say that it you see it quite often. Maybe not as often as I make it out but perhaps more than enough for you to notice it.

Personally this is very funny. I won't disclose what my profession is but I have had some work experience with Tiger Direct and seeing it in a video game is just hilarious.