Company Of Heros Review - PC Game.

Another day another asthetically pleasing electronic enteractions. Today the game is an older PC release, Company Of Heros. This is not a new game but one worthwhile to check out if your a fan of good RTS games. The original game was released in 2006. An expansion (Opposing Forces) was released in 2007 and a third expansion (Tales Of Valor) was released in 2009. All of the expansions are worth owning. Like most expansions they add new missions, new skirmish and online maps and the ability to play as the British or German army. Oh by the way this RTS is set in the WWII era.
In 2006 this game won PC Gamer - Game of the year, Computer Games Magazine - Game of the year, Gamespy - PC game of the year, Gamespot - Best PC Game, and  IGN - PC Game of 2006, Best Strategy Game, Best Online PC Game.

I have always been a big fan of RTS games. Back in the day I tried pretty much every RTS that was released. The ones that I always looked forward to were the Command and Conquer series, and Starcraft. Both seemed a cut above the rest. I toyed a bit with Age of Empires and Empire Earth (loved the first release) also. I had COH game when first came out and liked it, but for some reason I didn't really give it a complete play. Likely to many other games pulled my attention away at the time. About 3 months ago, I gave it another shot. The first thing I found after installing it was there were tons of new updates to apply. They had really tweaked the gameplay and made it an even better game. After playing the original for about a week, I got all of the expansions!!

Gameplay

The player must control of certain points on the map. The more of these points a player controls, the more resources they acquire in which to build additional troops and weapons. In order to get these resource points the control points must be connected like a supply line. This means the player must try to expand the control or cut the other players supply lines. There are three resources: manpower, munitions, and fuel that can be controlled. Each point can be upgraded to produce more resource points.
Pretty much any building within a map can be occupied by your ground troops. Also most anything on the maps can be destroyed, including the buildings.
In addition to the single player missions, there are two modes of multiplay. Annihilation, where one army must destroy the other to win or Victory Control Point, where when one side has more victory points under their control than another, the other side's "points" start to decrease. It's much like the Battlefield series ticket gameplay. I love the Annihilation mode of play.
During game play you will also receive points that will apply to your armies doctrines. There are three different doctrines for each army and they will give you special abilities during game play. For example, the American army can have an Airborne doctrine which will allow you to drop in troops or Anti-tank wepons anywhere on the map.
The single player mission based games follow real battles, such as the Battle of Normandy and the Allied liberation of France for example. All are excellent.

Relic has very nice and free, multiplayer servers setup. When you first launch the game you will create an account and it will log on the the servers everytime you play after that. The servers have a built in automatch and ranking system. You can play against others online or as allies with others fighting the really good AI armies. Also after you have setup your account on the server, your DVD key is tied to your account, so you no longer need to have the DVD in order to play the game. Even now, when you log on the servers there are over 2000 multi-player games occuring at any time, day or night. There looks to be a large base of players of this game out there.

Graphics and Sound

The graphics in this game have to be seen to be appreciated. If you video card is up to it, the graphics are wonderful. All of the screen shots on this page are actual in game play, not video cuts. You can use the mouse to control how close or far away your view of the battlefield is. All of the wepons are items used in WWII. They are detailed and have realistic attributes. So battles are detailed and very realistic. Guess I didn't menton it but this is no a kiddie game. Even the language in the game is rated PG. The sound is just as good as the graphics. When my sub-woofer kicks in on a battle, its like a big budget combat movie. Just wonderful.

Verdict

This is the mother of all RTS games. I can't stress enough how well this game is done. Some would argue that Starcaft is the best RTS in the world. While I like Starcraft a lot, this game is on a different level. Relic has done a great job keeping this game up to date and continuing to provide updates and support for it. After months of playing this game, I still play it almost every day. For me that's saying something as I move from game to game quite a bit. If you search you can find a demo in order to try out this great game.


My first ever 10 out of 10

Child Of Eden Review for Xbox

Well producer Tetsuya Mizuguchi has been at it again and has released Child Of Eden. The game is much like a high tech remake of the Rez game from 2002. Like Rez it is really an on-rails shooter where you progress through the levels by locking onto items to purify them. There are some nice improvements to game play which make it a bit easier to play than Rez. The game was released on the Xbox and the PS3. I used the Xbox version for this review.
In Child of Eden, a girl named Lumi is the first human born in outer space. When she dies, her memories and personality are archived in the internet, which is referred to as Eden in the game. Two centuries after her death, scientists attempt to recreate her persona within the confines of Eden. The game begins as Lumi awakes in Eden. The player must go into Eden to destroy a virus attack that could derail the project. Or something like that.....

You can use the original controller or the Kinect controller while playing this game. I played this game on a projector so the Kinect was not used. I really can't say how well it works. I can report the controller works great with the game. As in Rez, you can have up to four controllers that vibrate to the on screen visuals and music.

This game is a trippy journey through a level of abstract geometry, music, and controller vibration. There are five levels, Matrix, Evolution, Beauty, Passion, and Journey. Each level is unique and has a theme. The first time I played the Evolution level I was awe struck at the ending. As you progress you unlock the worlds in order to play them. You can also unlock additional videos and art and even items that can modify the graphics as you play. If you complete the journey level a challange stage opens up, which is really another complete level, but I'm not sure it ends. You can also up the difficulty to hard at that time.
There are three types of weapons in the game. The normal lock on and release, a smart bomb called Euphoria that clears the screen for a short time, and a Tracer which will purify purple bombs that the virus will use to keep you from being successful. On purple enemies you must use the Tracer to destroy them. As the game progresses you can catch Euphoria smart bombs after some enemies are destroyed. The Tracer and the lock-on weapons are available all the time. When using the lock on weapon, if the maximum number of lock-ons is achieved, the player will get a score multiplier if released in rhythm to the music. The score multiplier can go up to 8. You know when you're in rhythm when the words "Perfect!!" appear on screen along with your multiplier. If instead you get "good", your multiplier does not change. If you do not get anything, your multiplier goes back to one.

The Good

This is a very unique game, which is all too rare these days. The only other like it is it's predecessor, Rez. The graphics are very psychedelic and the screen shots just don't do them justice. The music is mostly trance that changes in intensity as you play. If you can enable 5.1 sound do so. The sounds are incredible. Just like Rez, it combines all of the elements to create an experience when playing.

The Bad

The game is a bit short at five levels (really six if you count the challange state). You will replay these levels multiple times in order to unlock all the additional content. I didn't have an issues with this, although some players might. The title sales for $39.99 in most stores so for me the length was appropriate. There is a lot of additional content to unlock.

The Verdict

A wild ride in a very strange dimension. It excites the senses and is very unique. If your unsure if this is your cup of tea or not, give it a rent. I give it an 8 out of 10. I really had a hard time with this score. On one hand, I did not use the Kinect and this could be a completely different experience. Overall I dropped it one score because it really is a very nice remake of Rez althought it does add to the experence and moves it forward a bit.

Atari 2600. Bolder dash Limited Release

What an amazing run the Atari 2600 console has had. It was released in 1977. At it's birth it cost $199.00 and came with two joysticks, and a Combat game cartridge. There were eight more games available at the systems launch. They system was still being made up to the year 1992. There are an estimated 30 million units produced. There is no telling how many games have been made for this system. Some have said 7000 games were released, but that number includes hacks of other games. The amazing part is, some are still making new games for it even now.

The 2600 was one of the very first game machines to use a micro-processor and game cartridges. It contained a low cost version of the 6502 processor known as the 6507 which ran at a blistering 1.19 Mhz. It also contained a 6532 chip which combined RAM and I/O and a custom display and sound chip.  The unit contained only128k of RAM! The ROM was the game cartridge which contained 4k to 8k (bank switching to do 8k). In spite of it's super low technical specs, some very clever programmers made some excellent games. I have toyed with writing programs for this machine. It's is very difficult.

2600 Screen Shot

As said earlier, some are still making games for the system. One of the newest releases is a remake of the classic Bolder dash game. This game will be released by Christmas 2011 in a limited release. There will be only 250 copies available. The game has been blessed by the games original makers First Star Software, Inc. With the limited number of games released this will be one of those collectiable games in the future.

A video of the gameplay for the 2600 version can be seen here... It looks really good.

Youtube Video of Atari Bolder Dash Gameplay

The game can be ordered at the Atari Age web site. While your there review the forums. There is a wealth of information there.

Atari Age Web Site

Rez HD Review

Oh wow man... ....Dave's not here man..

Today I'm going to review the game Rez HD. It is available on Xbox live. This is not a new game, but it is a cult classic and no true gamer should miss it. The game has been described by others as the perfect game for stoners, and for good reason (read on). Rez was first released on the Dreamcast in 2001 and was later ported to the PS2 in 2002. Rez HD, on Xbox live was released in 2008, with the addition of HD graphics. They did not mess with the original gameplay.

This game is a bit difficult to describe. At it's heart it's a on-rails shooter, but the entire package makes it much more than that. They combine trance music, controller vibration and  psychedelic visuals to make a very trippy game experience. Rez HD allows you to turn on up to three more Xbox 360 controllers that will each vibrate with the music. Just what were they thinking.. The entire game is a immersive experience unlike no other I have ever played. It's almost like they took cyberpunk, trance, and psychedelic and threw them into a blender and out came Res HD


What's the story you say? My reply is who needs one, but in a nutshell here goes... You play as a hacker attempting to get access to the core of a computer mainframe that is known as Eden who is attempting to shut down. It’s up to you to stop her doing just that. There are 5 areas of the mainframe, your avatar has to fly through 10 layers of security, taking down defenses along the way and shooting down ‘nodes’ to take you deeper into the system. The end series of each of the areas are amazing and expanded. My wife watched me play this and she got dizzy..

The game’s designer, Tetsuya Mizugchi created something unique with the sounds in this game. He blended the player’s interactivity with the musical score and the accompanying visuals. As you progress, the music adds another layer of complexity to the overall score and by the time you reach Level 10 your audio and visual senses will be overload. Your ears are filled with a full on techno onslaught while your eyes see bursts of psychedelic color like you haven’t seen before. And all with the tactile feedback of the controller(s) throbbing to the music. 

This game is not just a game, it's an experience. A very rare treat. The pictures do not actually portray how this game looks in motion. Download the demo to get a taste of the goodness. If there is any downside to this game, it's just a bit short. Excuse me why I kiss the sky, I give this experience a 9 out of 10.  Now I must try the new game Child Of Eden.


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Burgertime World Tour Review

I just love old arcade games. Love the Burgertime arcade game a bunch. It always had a good balance to it and was unique. Pumped a bunch of quarters into it and have it on my Mame arcade. It's actually one of the top ten played games on my system. So when I heard they were going to do a remake of Burgertime, wow was I excited. I envisioned all sorts of gaming goodness.

It was released today and, well... I'm just not feeling it. After quite a few plays, I'm going to take a shot at a early review.

The basic game play of the original Burgertime is there, but they have added a bunch of things. You can now jump. You can now smack the condiments if you have picked up the spatula icon. You can perform a special move, like use a rocket to fly a short distance up, if you pick up a special item icon. Also unlike the original game, the game field is of course 3D and a cylinder. So you move around the screen in a circle and can't see the entire playfield.

Ok, lets get to the good. Well the graphics are alright. Not great mind you. Cartoon like comes to mind. The music and sound are also just alright, nothing special. The goal is just like the original game. Build a burger by stacking it so that's fine. They have also added a Boss level at the end of each world. There seems to be many peppers to pick up which comes in handy.

Ok, what I didn't like. The addition of the ability to jump. I thought great at first but it turns it into a platform type game. That would be alright, but if you do a platform game, it should be tight. As they added the ability to jump they also changed the platforms. There are platforms that fall apart as you walk on them (they regenerate), and there are platforms that move up and down like an elevator. Speaking of elevators, would someone make a great remake of Elevator Action please....

Anyway, the elevator platforms can kill your character. It's quite annoying to lose a life because you jump was not exactly right. It felt cheap more than once. I can understand it crushing your character, but sometimes it was just off a bit and, wham.. -1 life. Forget jumping over the pickles, they also jump at the exact time you try to jump over them. The special abilities also added just a bit to it, but it seems like a device to make the design on the playfield more open. This could be a good thing, but I have not seen it yet. Hitting the condiments with the spinning move is alright. Just make sure you hit it a bit early, and make sure you have one. You can take out two or three at once if you time it just right. You can also pick up a stunned condiment and throw it at the others. Oh, and to get bonus points you must finish the playfield under the allotted time. Between each level there is a video sequence that you can skip by hitting the B button. You might watch these once but they aren't that good and you have to skip them ever time you start a level. A bit annoying.

Bottom line, they added so much, it's Burgertime in name only.

I really, really wanted to like this game. I just can't say I do. Could be I expected too much. I would have been happier if they had included the original Burgertime in the package. So far I have not seen that.

I have to give this a 5 out of 10.

Too bad this game is not included....

Feel free to leave comments as there could be something I've missed.....

Dungeon Defenders Xbox Live Review

I usually give all the Xbox Live demos a try. Some are good, others just not my cup of tea. Dungeon Defenders was a blast! This game was created by Trendy entertainment and Reverb publishing and sales for 800 MS points ($10.00).

I would describe it as a third person hack ‘n slash with tower defense elements and RPG style level up for your character. The normal RPG sort of things, like equipping your character with better weapons, armor and the like. Many attribute items to level up as you progress through the dungeons.
There are four different character types: the Apprentice, a mage type, the steward, a tank type, the huntress, an archer type, and the monk, a healer type. I have only used the steward and the huntress so far and of the two the steward is much easier to fight with.

As the game starts, you will have a crystal that is located within the dungeon to defend. There are two phases to the game play. The build phase in which you will place your characters tower defense elements into the dungeon. The number of defense elements are based upon how much manta you have, which you collect from chest or from dead orcs. After you have placed these elements you then start the attack stage by activating it from the crystal. In the attack phase, orcs and demons enter the dungeon and try to destroy the crystal. You can use your weapons to attack them or upgrade and heal your tower defense items. This phase is done when all the monsters are destroyed. Each phase in a dungeon gets harder as you progress and they add different monsters.

Monsters drop jewels (manta), and sometimes weapons or armor which you can loot for sale or use. You can equip items or sell them in the build phase. Also saleing items gives you funds to upgrade your already equiped items if they have an upgrade attribute.

There's just so much to like in this game. The graphics are well done. The game play is really deep for a title like this. You can go online with 3 others and play the dungeons (they scale the bad guys up for multiplay). The RPG elements are just what you would expect. It's also a good tower defense type game. I would have to give this game a 9 out of 10. If you like tower defense, RPG, and hack and slash games this is for you. At the least, give the demo a try.

Dungeon Defenders Official Site

AMC Kicks Off New Western Series

The AMC network begins showing the first season of Hell On Wheels on Sun., Nov. 6 at 10PM | 9C. AMC has been on a roll lately with shows like Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, and Mad Men. Once can only hope this new western will be the start of something good. The show is set in post Civil War America. It examines the railroad's institutionalized greed and corruption, the immigrant experience, the plight of the newly emancipated African-Americans during Reconstruction, and the ravaging of the Native American land and people, in the name of progress.

Official Site

Q-Games Does It Again with Sidescroller

If there's one thing I love about the PS3 it has to be the Pixeljunk games. The latest entry is a game called Sidescroller. Now the name alone tells you what sort of game this is. A throwback to the sidescrollers that started almost at the birth of video gaming. This new take on it adds some excellent level design and some unique graphics.

One word of warning though, be ready for some tough old school shooting fun. This game is not a pushover by any means. By the third level I was wanting to reduce the difficulty back from medium, but I just couldn't do it. I had to press on. Thank goodness there are check points or it would be way too hard for the casual player to enjoy it. As for me, after I died, I just had to try the level just one more time, which is a mark of a good game. I didn't even attempt the hard difficulty, but be my guest if your a sidescroller expert.

There are three types of weapons that your ship comes equipped with (machine gun, laser, bomb). Each one has it's purpose. You can also grab powerups from glowing ships that you destory. The powerup will improve the current weapon that you have equipped. You lose all your power ups at the start of a new level (not cool). Also your ship can take two hits before losing a life. Also around lava, you must find water to cool your ship off or it will explode. Speaking of lava, there are items within the game that you can destroy that will change the environment.

Both the art and music is splendid. The screen warps at the edges of your TV, so you have the effect of an old CRT monitor.

Now the bad, Even on easy, this game can be tough. The game is a bit short, there are three stages made up of four levels each and then a end boss encounter. For the $10.00 prices I expected a bit more.

If you love old school sidescrollers like Gradius, Lifeforce, R-type but with some really nice updates this game should fit the bill for you quite nicely. For myself, I would have to give it a 7 out of 10.

Link to the official video trailer

Official Trailer

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New Pinball Arcade To Be Released Early 2012

Oh boy, the folks at FarSite Studios has announced their next Pinball software release, and it looks to be a great one. They have got premission to recreate great pinball tables from some of the biggest names in pinball. Stern, Williams, Gottlieb, and Bally. The initial release will include Tales of the Arabian Nights, Ripley's Believe it or Not, Theatre of Magic, and Black Hole. This will be followed by two new pinball releases per week. The product will also include additional features such as online tournaments and versus play. Exciting news for any pinball junkies out there. I will get it on day one and will post a review soon after.

This will be available on most popular platforms.

Black Hole

The official link is here...

http://pinballarcade.com/

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Android on HP Touchpad

The Alpha build 2 is not available to install on the HP Touchpad. The good folks at CyanogenMod7 have made this available. I was going to wait for at least the Beta, but I just could not resist taking the plunge, and guess what? The water is fine... I was shocked how easy the install was. Just be sure to read the instructions and follow them. After your finished you will have a duel boot Touchpad so you can go back to the WebOS anytime you wish. Very nice!

Right out of the gate, I connected to the Android market and downloaded some games to give it a workout. Everything I tried worked well, except for the camera which I'm sure will be fixed soon. I was new to the Android OS so I had to poke around to find the things I was looking for at first. I really enjoyed it.

If you are lucky enough to have one of these fire sale HP Touchpads give it a try.

This set of instructions are pretty easy to follow:

http://liliputing.com/2011/10/how-to-install-google-android-on-the-hp-touchpad-with-cyanogenmod7.html

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