Yesterday, when I was talking about Back to the Future -The Game I mentioned the fantastic Ghostbusters – The Video Game. When I said it yesterday I thought, “Wow. When are they going to make a sequel?” Today I find out that they already have. Set to be released as a DLC this April on Xbox Live and the Playstation Network is Ghostbusters – Sanctum of Slime. An all new adventure being developed by Wanako.

Unlike the last iteration, this will not have the voice acting of the original cast members, nor do you get to play as them. Seen as a passing of the proton stick you (and up to 4 players locally or online) play as a nameless Ghostbuster. This shouldn’t be that far of a stretch considering you played as a new rookie in the last game. The other noticeable difference is the change from the third person to an overhead perspective. The last bit of info that’s available so far, is that you can final drive an ECTO, but not the ECTO-1. Here you’ll be able to drive the ECTO-4WD and as seen above there is a heavy emphasis on teamwork.

I’m excited to see this franchise continue on even if just in videogame form, but when is the third movie coming out?!

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Finally! The world has come to its senses. If you were ever a child, especially one of the eighties, fans of time travel, Michael J. Fox or even deloreans then its time to get really excited. Telltale games have just released the teaser trailer for their upcoming episodic Back to the Future game.
No game play is shown in the teaser, but there is some insight into the story. Doc is in trouble, both in the present and in some other undisclosed time. From the trailer it seems like it’s still the old west, but really who knows? Then like out of one of my childhood dreams the delorean flashes back into existence. I have some questions about that, but Ill get to them later. For now check out the video below.

Back to the Future The Video Game

Like I was saying, it seems weird that the delorean is back. Everyone remembers the moment when the locomotive tears through it like a hot samurai sword through butter at the end of the last film,(Not that a samurai sword would need to be hot to accomplish this, but whatever.) so I’m really interested in seeing how Telltale will make any kind of sense of this. Probably some kind of time swapping awesome ridiculousness that would otherwise only been seen in a Doctor Who episode. I also wonder why Doc’s estate is up for foreclosure when I thought that his he or his family had owned it for years?
There’s also the curious absence of the Xbox and Wii logos at the end of the trailer. I even checked out Telltale’s website, but there’s no mention of them. Okay, Wii I can understand (Sorry Nintendo), but Xbox Live. I’m pretty sure there are thousands of Xbox owners that would like to get their hands on a digital version of the delorean or a real one for that matter. Not to worry though considering that it’ll be released for PC I can only assume that the Live version will arrive soon after.
Personally I’ve had an imaginary count down that I’ve actually never really had for this game, but I knew it was coming. I felt it back when our favorite media companies started scavenging through our collective childhoods for re-marketable material. Not that that was a bad thing we did get some awesomeness out of it, like the first transformers movie and Ghostbusters video game. Back to the Future: The Game seems to be set on the same track, if it captures even a fraction of what the original films were like I think it’ll be a huge hit. So far it seems that way and we’ll be able to get our hands on the first of the five chapters later on this month.

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The game play in this installment of the series seems gimmicky with a few basic RPG elements, a turn base battle system; and instead of leveling up your characters through the crystrarium to enhance them similar to Final Fantasy X, and you can also upgrade weapons and equipment similar to Final Fantasy VIII. The battles are no longer random enemy encounters happen when you come into the view of the enemy.Summonings are still in the game and can be commanded to attack similar to Final Fantasy VIII but now can transform into vehicles and assist in battle.  After playing 20 plus hours of beautiful movie quality cut scenes the game does start to get interesting, but starts to lose its shine due to  linear progressing before breaking to watch a beautiful story sequence.

The story takes place in Cocoon a utopian sky city that has had a long period of peace and prosperity due to its benevolent protectors the fal’Ce. With the discovery of a hostile fal’Ce from Pulse the lower world is awaken from it’s slumber, peace on Cocoon comes to an end. The fal’Ce curses humans making them l’Ce giving them magical abilities but forced to carry out their focus or be turned into crystals, a fate far worse than death. Players control a misfit group of I’Ce out to save a world that fears them and out to change their destiny. Unlike previous games this Final Fantasy focuses more on the character’s humanity than the esoteric creating a story you can grow feelings for the characters.

Battles in Final Fantasy XIII are about picking actions from the menu like previous versions but in this installment you only have control of one character while the computer controls the rest of your party. The new features do slightly raise the complexity, reducing an enemy’s hit points isn’t enough to defeat them; you have to fill up a separate gauge to “stagger” your enemy making them vulnerable to stronger attacks. Your also able to assign certain roles to characters, medic lets you heal, ravager lets you use attack based magic, and synergist lets you strengthen your party with support based magic, your also able to switch roles in battle using the paradigm shift to change your strategy during battles

While the new changes made to the series are always expected I was kind of disappointed in the execution with the linear game play, aside from the compelling story, beautiful CG movies , and entrapping story it feels like this experiment in the  series was a failure in delivering the ground breaking game play we have come to expect of the series.

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Like most action games combat is a key factor and if you ever played God of War you will do fine in Dante’s Inferno, your primary weapon is a scythe you also wield a cross for your ranged attacks to keep a good distance from you and your foes. Many elements similar to God of War are found throughout the game like the timed attacks and collection of souls, also your finishing moves give you the option of judging enemies by either punishing them or absolving their sins. Collecting souls gives you the opportunity to customize Dante and relics let you receive additional boost as well give bonuses such as increased damage, regenerative health and magic.

This game is targeted towards a mature audience with the levels based around the sins in the divine comedy. Dante’s Inferno pushes the mature rating to the envelope with plenty of nudity and shock value. All of the nine circle of hell are very nicely textured and graphic mixed in with beautiful CG movies for dramatic plot points and animated sequences. As well as pretty solid down loadable content with the dark forest and the trails of St.Lucia with new enemies and online co-op online play .

Overall the story and level designs are impressive me and the game play is very easy to get use to, it’s a great game once you get past over the God of war similarities Dante’s Inferno is a good game and the down loadable content  gives the game a very high replay value. And with the down loadable content with the prequel level the dark forest you get new relics , enemies , and puzzles, while the trails of St. Lucia offers co-op playing letting you play with a friend and create and edit levels you can play or let others play and rate. While not all that much original in game play Dante’s Inferno does stand on it’s own with the down loadable content and replay value.

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The first evidence of this was in their booth at PAX East. Collections of indie studios sat clumped around the expo hall. Rockstar Games stood next door, showing off the highly anticipated Red Dead Redemption to an endless line of salivating fans. But, towering over all of it, was the 20-foot tall structure that made up the 2K booth, and the banners for the three titles they were showing off within.

The first demonstration was for the new downloadable content in Bioshock 2. This, alas, I could not touch, because I have not finished the game yet and do not want to spoil the story for myself. The second demonstration was a hands-off showing of Civilization V, a game it seems will do wonders for the realm of turn-based strategy. Jon Huie has already published an article with his impressions on Civ V, and if you have not checked that out yet, I suggest you do.

The third demonstration is the one I got a close look at. This is the sequel to the highly acclaimed 2002 release, Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven. 2K has lived up to the reputation of the original title and then went far beyond. Mafia II is shaping up to be a well polished title that is fun to play, beautiful to look at, and easy to become immersed in.

The player takes on the role of Vito, an impoverished Italian-American who is looking to change his lot in life. He and his friend Joe become involved in…well…some “legitimate” business enterprises, and as one thing leads to another they get drawn deeper and deeper into the sub-world of organized crime. As time goes on, they begin to see that the glamor and prestige is really just a facade for something much uglier.

The gameplay itself runs very smoothly. When you take control of Vito, you find yourself operating a familiar 2-stick, 3rd-person control scheme. Vito moves where you want him to move, and the camera is easily adjustable. Hints appear at the bottom of the screen to help new players get used to the controls. Before you know it, the tutorial segment is over, and you find yourself in the middle of a turf war that forces you to sink or swim. You learn to fire a tommy gun, throw molotov cocktails, and work cooperatively with your brothers-in-arms to make the bad guys an offer they can’t refuse.

Mafia II boasts an excellent “cover system,” that allows the player to duck and dive behind obstacles to get quick cover during a gunfight. This system is both innovative and intuitive. Vito always jumps in the direction you want him to go, and always gets behind some kind of solid mass quickly. Aiming from behind a wall is a cinch, performed with only one button and done without sacrificing cover. This system, and the solid aiming and firing controls, makes combat a blast. It’s fun, and not too easy.

Everything in the world is interactive, too. Wooden panels are destructible, as the player learns in an early segment involving a bar and some machine gun fire. You can shoot weak materials like wood apart, and use molotov cocktails to set them on fire. Vehicles are a little tougher, but if you manage to get a spark into a gas tank, you’d better stand back.

The graphics…well, look at the trailers. All the cinematics are done using the actual game engine, so the crispness you see on any release video is exactly what you’re looking at throughout the entire game. You can see the pores and freckles on the characters’ faces. You can see splinters of wood chipping off under gunfire. I thought I saw a hangnail splitting from Vito’s trigger finger, but that was just some fuzz on the screen. Nevertheless, if he had a hangnail, I guarantee I would have seen it.

I also need to mention the sound. First off, the effects do wonders for actually immersing you in the world. You feel much more like a part of the mafia if you believe the clack of your Italian wing-tip on the cobblestone street is accurate. The sounds are realistic and the gunfire is loud. Secondly, the accents are dead on. The characters sound as though they are actually from the time period, which I raved about for Assassin’s Creed II and will continue to do for Mafia II. Taking the time to find and fund skilled voice actors is important, and they have done that here. Finally, when you hop into a car (GTA syle, mind you), the radio turns immediately to authentic music from the 1940′s. This is 100% necessary for cruising, especially since, in this game, the police are out to make sure you are actually abiding by the rules of the road. Personally I don’t mind. As long as Hank Williams stays out of my car’s stereo system, we’re good.

Speaking of authentic though, I got to talking with 2K’s PR department about some of the goodies in this game (children, cover your eyes). It seems 2K struck a deal with Playboy, a well-known adult magazine that was very popular and influential in the 1940′s. They struck a deal that allowed them to publish some classic Playboy covers in game, as they appeared on the original magazines. These covers can be found throughout the game as easter eggs, and naturally you’ll want to keep an eye out for them as you play through. I asked if the classic Marilyn Monroe cover would be present, but the 2K reps were not sure. Considering Monroe did the magazine in 1953, a little on the tail end of the Mafia II time period, I’d wager not. I’ve included it here, though, just in case. Don’t want to disappoint!

Overall, Mafia II is shaping up to be a smash hit for 2010. It will not have many of the console problems that its predecessor faced, it will provide diverse and entertaining gameplay, and a deep story that will have you chipping away at it until the very end. On top of all this, 2K is working at this in tandem with Civilization V, and Spec Ops: The Line, both of which are tantalizing as well. This is a good year for 2K Studios, and let’s hope for more of them to come. A good year for 2K means a very good year for us.

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This game was developed by Quantic Dream, who developed ‘Indigo Prophecy’ (or ‘Fahrenheit’ in other regions). It follows four characters, than seemingly unrelated, converge into one story. Without spoiling the story, the game centers on ‘The Origami Killer’, a psychopath who has a penchant for drowning 10 year old boys in rain water and leaving their bodies posed with an origami figure. Each character is seeking this deranged maniac for different reasons, but it is clear from the get go that it will take great personal sacrifice. Normally in a game like this, it would not bother me to take any path to see what the outcome will be, but Heavy adds a level of intensity by clearly stating that any of the main characters can make a decision that will affect the outcome, but there are no do-overs. If you die or make the wrong decision, that’s it but the game will continue.

This is probably of the focal points that makes this game a must for adventure fans. The story is completely streamlined, and very engrossing. It takes elements from mystery and horror films like Saw, Seven (these being the most obvious of inspirations), the Cell, and even Blade Runner. Then it blends them into a interactive hard boiled thriller with a hint of science fiction, introduced with the ARI glasses that one of the characters uses. This is definitely the strong point of the game, which is rare for a videogame. Each main character is determined to seek their answers, but also damaged; The father who isn’t sure of his mental health, the reporter with insomnia, the FBI agent with a drug addiction, or a private investigator desperately trying to patch it all together. Each story is engrossing in it’s own way and ultimately no two players will reach the same outcome or experience the same unless they do every thing identical to the other. That’s how much time and effort were put into the story.

Still, with the great story and character development aside, the game does have it faults. The controls are developed to try bind a physical connection to the visual, to draw the player in more. While sometimes controls are purposely awkward to convey the nature of the game, they are also very wonky when they are not supposed to be. Sometimes they are perfect though, so it’s very hit and miss. They game itself is mostly comprised of Quick Time Events, but definitely more involved than some other games on the market. Also, Heavy Rain can be a beautifully detailed game at times, then it can be downright ugly. The facial modeling and animating at times can be downright scarily realistic, but then the voice actors can be downright wooden and unconvincing. Still, with all these faults, it doesn’t detract too much from the overall experience.

That’s what this game is, an experience. It will draw emotions from you, some of them uncomfortable and tense. My own wife tried to play this game but, once the story took off, she found it unbearable to play. Well, that and the control scheme.

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As usual, email us at podcast@ampedgaming.com and please rate us on iTunes!

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The first thing you can see is that the grid is composed of what Firaxis likes to refer to as “Hexes”. These give the world a more natural feel than the square grids of old.

The time spent developing the console version, Civilization Revolution, was apparently time well spent. Not only did it sell very well, but it also led Firaxis to learn a few things about simplifying the game a bit and making things more streamlined. Not to say that the newest PC Civ is going to be a “baby game”, as it actually still seems complex. One of the things they did was bring the advisors back. They were missing from Civ IV, but the positive feedback from having them in Civ Rev made it possible for them to return.

A few new changes were shown as well. Notifications that pop up on the right side of the screen make an appearance once something that needs your attention happens. Rather than stop the gameplay and have you choose an item from a menu after you’ve researched or built units, these notifications make it possible to make these choices when you’re ready to, keeping the pacing of the game quite nicely. Another thing these notifications do is bring you straight to some action that’s going on off screen when you click on them, such as a ship sinking across the world.

In previous Civilization games, the leader of other nations was represented by half of their body that either smiled or glared at you in anger, not really saying much. Now once you open up dialogue with a leader, you’re taken to a different screen with a full-bodied representation of the leader, with a background that shows what kind of personality they have, like Tokugawa standing in an open, peaceful looking field or Napolean negotiating with you from a battlefield.

Not only is their presentation different, the way the leader’s AI adjusts to you as well. The example given was if you’re successful at thwarting Elizabeth’s attack at sea, she’ll change her strategy and try to go after you elsewhere.

Religion was taken out of this version of Civilization. In it’s place is a new City-State system that allows you to come across a small settlement of about a single city, which you can either choose to help or conquer. If you help these city-states, you’ll receive benefits based on what they specialize in, like a steady stream of gold coming in each turn or military units.

When you place settlers in an area, you can apparently buy up land around the unit. If you end up buying too much land near the territory of another nation, the leader will call you out on the problem.

Combat has received a nice overhaul as well. Before the outcome of a war between nations depended on how many units each side has stacked into one square. Now each tile is limited to one unit, which are now represented by a bunch of the same type instead of a single person. When these units are damaged, the number of people in the group goes down.  Where each battle use to last until one side’s Hit Points are depleted, now each fight seems to last longer and can end with a unit being injured instead of just dead.

Since each tile can only hold one unit now, city defense now relies on them being surrounded by protectors. The cities are also now able to fend off enemies on their own.

Archers and other ranged units can now fire over warriors or spearmen in front of them to soften up the enemy before a strike.

That’s about all we got to see during our presentation. Civilization V is set to be released in the Fall of 2010, a time when my roommate and I will once again be awake at 3 AM wondering where the time went.

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Back when I was in college, I was exposed to a little title known as Guitar Hero. I mistakenly believed that buying this game at finals time would be excellent way to unwind when I wasn’t studying my little ass off. I was sorely mistaken, as the best of us often are. Pretty soon studying wasn’t happening, but there is always a flip side. I managed to complete “Bark at the Moon” on hard mode before going home for the summer.

Since college, we’ve seen massive jumps forward for music games, in difficulty and in hardware. Rock Band pushed the envelope with drum and microphone compatibility, and the industry has now made this the standard. For a few years it has held at this point, but no longer. As you look at the above picture of a couple of average guys playing Rock Band, squint and take a close look at their hands (alternatively, just look at the second image). That’s right. Those are not buttons. Those are real six string guitars, and they are wired up to be compatible with PS3 and Wii versions of all music games.

A company called Open Chord has created a little device you can attach to the guitar strings to turn any electric six string into a game controller. With the accompanying program, you can choose to play your favorite music game in three different modes. In “fret mode,” you play the proper frets to hit the proper notes, much like the current norm. In “chord mode,” you set different chords to different color combinations. You can actually practice your chord progressions and start learning skills used in real guitar while playing the game. Lastly, you can use “note mode,” where specific notes are programmed to the specific colors and you’ll be fingering up and down the neck of the guitar until your hand is sore. If you can remember which note is which, that is.

This device is going to be available through OpenChord.org and will cost $35. The program that it uses is available, and the whole thing is open source. That’s right. Players can tweak the program to their choosing, and will be able to program their own chord and note patterns in.

The whole thing seems very complicated, but worthwhile for those who are looking to get just a little bit more out of their music games.

Additionally, a newer company called Seven45 is putting out a standalone game called Power Gig: Rise of the Six String. The guitar controller that is packaged with it is actually a six string in itself, and it seems it will function much in the same way as the above device although company representatives have revealed that they are also planning to incorporate power chords into game play. They were relatively tight-lipped about the project’s details, but said that gameplay, as well as the game’s other peripherals, will be revealed this year at E3. Their website is currently online with minimal content at www.powergig.com.

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