Warriors...Come Out To...You Know How That Goes Already

Glass bottles clanging together gently accompanied by the shrill voice of a guy that kinda looks like Sean Penn. He's calling out a rival gang, The Warriors, trying to lead them to their death to keep his name clear in the murder of yet another gang leader. This scene from the 1979 movie, The Warriors is as iconic as any in modern cinema, and when Rockstar revealed that they were working on a video game adaptation of the film, which was an adaptation of Anabasis, a story by Xenophon. The Warriors recalls the quest of a handful of members of a Coney Island street gang to get back to their home turf after they're implicated in the murder of a rival gang leader, Cyrus, who was attempting to unite the assorted street gangs in New York. One of the Warriors sees the real killer, the Warriors are accused, and they make a run for it, hoping to make it back to their seaside lair. The film is set up a lot like the original story by Xenophon, but that's a story for another blog. The video game adaptation of the Warriors begins long before the events of the film, and give insight on the origins of the gang. You actually don't see the events of the movie played out in the game until the last few levels of the game, which gives players a more fleshed out experience. There's a little bit of everything for fans of action games here, from some team management (leading gang members into battle), item collection (breaking into cars and stealing stereos for money), and some serious boss fights. There's nothing overly intricate or complicated, it's just a great Beat em Up that came at a point in the video game industry that was flooded with really bad games based on movies and nothing really good in the Beat Em Up genre. The Warriors was a good game, period. It had roots in River City Ransom and Renegade, and it really showed gamers that there was still lots of life left in the Beat Em Up genre. Best part about it is that The Warriors can be found pretty cheap on Ebay. You Owe it to yourself to get a copy of The Warriors by Rockstar Games.

Video Games The Warriors Cleon VS Orphans

Xbox 360 PlayStation 3 Nintendo Wii PC Games

Fighting Shiny Turds: Some Of The Worst Fighting Games Ever

Mortal Kombat, King Of Fighters, Street Fighter, Tekken...I've played my fair share of fighting games over the years, but they've always fallen into either very good or very bad categories. You see, Fighting games, as graphics intensive as a developer wants to make them are pretty much defined by their gameplay. A fighting game can look like crap compared to the beautifully rendered high definition affair of today, but if it plays like a dream, I'll take that ugly one any day. I figured today I would discuss a few over hyped and beautiful for their time fighting games that proved to be pretty pieces of crap.

Rise of the Robots was highly touted for it's graphics, namely how the Arcade version would change the way fighting games would look. The buzz generated by the graphics quickly turned to outrage by reviewers who realized that while it was pretty, Rise of the Robots handled like a turd swimming in a tar pit. Strangely enough, a sequel was released, and it was worse (graphically and gameplay wise) than the original.

King Of Fighters XII was supposed to be the current gen introduction to SNK's grand flagship fighting game series. Fans of fighting games wanted it to be as good as KOF 98, which many considered one the fighting game genre's best moments, but alas, we were left with a stripped down, no AI having mess that was so laggy over Xbox Live and PSN that it went straight to the bargain bin. It probably didn't help that much like the in the 90s, SNK was playing catch up to Capcom and it's critically acclaimed Street Fighter 4 among other heavy hitters in the fighting game genre that released between 2008-2009.

In addition to the two I mentioned, there were a few mentioned by some of my twitter followers. A few I honestly forgot about:

Ballz: good idea, but that's where the good ends. the first attempt at a 3D fighter on consoles was choppy, controlled horribly, and the characters lacked personality.

Way of the Warrior: There have been some bad Mortal Kombat ripoffs, but Way Of The Warrior has to be one of the worst. The only good thing about it is the soundtrack, which was done by White Zombie.

Clayfighter: a fighting game featuring stop motion clay figures. An original idea to say the least, but horrible controls really messed with Clayfighter, which is sad, because part of my teenage self wanted to like that game.

Shaq Fu: What many considered the worst fighting game ever made, even though Rise of the Robots was far worse, Shaq Fu was probably number two on the list though. Bad controls, a nonsensical story mode on a game that was touted as having a deep story, graphics that were amazingly average at best, and a cast of characters that was as unimaginative a canned biscuit. Shaq Fu was an epic turd.

Like I said, Fighting games and Shoot Em Ups have the distinction of not really having a gray area. Either the game is good or bad, and no amount of gloss is going to change anyone's mind.

My Wii Library, Plus My Thoughts On "Video Game Journalists"

I've gotten tired of the hate the Wii has gotten over the years, mainly because some mega publisher is afraid to make good games for it. So just in case you thought there were no good games for the Wii, I figured I'd show you guys my current Wii library, and give my two cents on so-called "gaming journalists".




Any comments...post them below or email me at jmlagrande@gmail.com

Short Concentrated Bursts Of Anger: A Few Things I've Noticed

So, I haven't played much new in the last week, but the things I have played have lead me to a few interesting observations. I recently played the first Lost Planet game Sunday night after Wrestlemania ended, and it reminded me of something that I wish it hadn't. The game is set on a snow covered planet and you constantly run the risk of freezing to death while you wander around the incredibly bland landscape looking for the correct path to take. It took me back to Extermination, a really bad survival horror game for the Playstation two the went quickly from being $49.99 to selling for $1.99 in bargain bins all over the place. That's not the kind of game you really want to be reminded of. Got really bored and figured I'd start playing Indigo Prophecy again. I like the game, but there's some crazy stuff going on at the end of the game. I mean, the main character ends up being a zombie who conceives a kid, there's some gibberish about aliens and the Internet. It all falls apart towards the end. Why are there no African Americans writing for the bigger video game websites? I mean, it's bad enough that the only brother on G4 in the last decade was the guy that hosted that car show, then the only folks that play stuff other than Madden, GTA, and COD are White and Asian according to these gamer news outlets. Why does the Gamefly commercial refer as current gen games as "classics". That term is thrown around so much now, it's like world title runs in Pro Wrestling. The term "classic" when it comes to video games was once reserved for those games that can be played after the polish of the next console generation stops being a novelty. the latest game I purchased that I can look at and agree with it being called a classic was probably Okami. So calling every RPG that comes out a classic is pure crap, and the marketing folks who worked on Gamefly's advertisements need to cut that out. One more thing I've noticed: Resellers and used game stores jacking up prices. I regularly check the prices on retro games at various sites, and I'm noticing that folks tend to try and jack the prices of crappy games up to cash in some random event. Case in point: the death of Michael Jackson caused every copy of Michael Jackson's Moonwalker to go through the roof price wise. The thing is, the only Moonwalker game that's worth any money is the arcade version, and if you have a working cabinet, you should keep it for as long as you can. I saw a copy of Moonwalker for the Sega Genesis being sold for $65.00 on Ebay, and the seller only had the cartridge. Price gouging is getting ridiculous, almost to where I understand where the hackers and modders are coming from. That all the ranting I'm going to do today. I should be back to normal with the next post, but if you have something you want me to discuss, then post your comments below, or email me at jmlagrande@gmail.com.

What Could Have Been: Japanese Games That Could Have Been Hits In America

Over the years, a lot of really dope games came out the never saw the light of day in America. Many of which we didn't know about until the internet brought us information about these gems. Today, I'm going to take a look back at a few that would have been major hits if they were released in America.

Crisis Force - Konami - Famicom: Konami dropped this gem in 1991 and it was one of the most frenetic games made for the Famicom. The fast paced gameplay, driving soundtrack, and tight controls made Crisis Force a true gem from Konami.

Alien Soldier -Treasure -Mega Drive: Anyone who knows me knows that I love Treasure's work. They haven't made very many bad video games, and Alien Soldier was one of their best games. Big beautiful character sprites, highly kinetic action, a driving soundtrack, and one hell of a challenge gave me all the reason I needed to pick this one up on Virtual Console and you should do the same.

Namco X Capcom -PS2 - Namco: Long before The announcement of that Street Fighter X Tekken crossover fighting games, Namco and Capcom worked together on an extremely novel idea for RPG games. Namco X Capcom was one of those games that would've been big with folks who don't even like RPGs. Maybe this crossover will make Namco consider a re release.

Crysis 2: Better Than That Thing You Saw At The Movies

By: Louis Caston

FPS (First Person Shooters) have become a regular in the video game market. We all have played at least one in our lifetime. With such popular franchises as Call of Duty, Halo, and Battlefield, you can sometimes forget smaller FPS series like, Red Faction, Killzone, and Rainbow Six. Sometimes one comes out that exceeds expectations or gives the genre, a swift kick to the nuts. Epic Games’ Bulletstorm did it in February, and now Crytek’s Crysis 2 has done it in March.

You play the game as Alcatraz, a Marine whose squad was wiped out in a submarine attack, and on the brink of death, you are saved by Prophet and are given his Nanosuit (A suit that increases your tactical awareness, as well as your speed, and jumping ability), and the mission to stop the Ceph invasion. Without going into too much detail, the story was gripping. It almost had a movie feel, with the plot twists that happen throughout. Don’t get me wrong, the story is far from perfect, but it kept me more entertained than some movies I have seen.

The visual presentation in this game is fantastic. The fictional New York City comes to life as you play. As you progress through the game, you slowly begin see the city falling apart. Its good to see a building fall in a game, and dust engulfs the entire area around the building. Your Nanosuit’s powers are brilliant to look at. When in Cloak, your gun and arm disappeared with a water-like effect that reflects the light around you, while in Armor mode you get a honeycomb appearance around your HUD. Now everything wasn’t always perfect visually. You did have the occasional frame drop issue at the beginning of some levels, and some character models were stiff, but that wasn’t enough to take away from an already gorgeous game.

Gameplay in Crysis 2 is intense. At any given time you could have bullets flying at you from multiple directions. In most cases you have the option to be stealthy with your kills, or go all Rambo-like with them. When you come to an area, you have tactical options that come up when you look through your visor. Some positions are for sniping, while others allow you to flank your targets. Along with your Visor, you also have the abilities of Cloak and Armor. As the names suggest, Cloak makes you virtually invisible to targets, while Armor increases the amount of damage you can withstand. Both use your suit’s energy, so use them wisely. Basic combat in the game like shooting, running, jumping, and moving are your common button configuration you find in most FPS. Overall the gameplay of Crysis 2 was very smooth and fluent.

Crysis 2 does a lot right. From combat to visuals to story, it all works. It keeps the intensity high without giving you that feeling of helplessness. Your suit powers give a new feel to the FPS experience. Minus the occasional hiccup in the game, it’s not enough to stop me from playing this game over and over. If you haven’t played or even thought about playing Crysis 2 I suggest you give it a try. You might be pleased what you find with the game. ON a scale of 1 to 10 I give Crysis 2 a 9.5

WWE All Stars: THQ Is Officially Sorry For Legends Of Wrestlemania

Prior to the rise of the Smackdown Vs. Raw series, the best video games featuring Vince McMahon's squared circle juggernaut were primarily based in arcades. From the offerings by Technos Japan to the more over the top game from the folks at Midway to the oft-forgotten, yet very impressive Sega/THQ offering, WWE arcade games have lacked the depth of their home console counterparts, but made up for them with impressive gameplay. THQ's latest WWE game returns to the roots of those classic arcade games while answering one important question: "What would happen if the greatest superstars of the past were able to match up against the top stars of today?" The answer is an over the top, fast past, thrill ride that might be one or two minor flaws away from being a serious top tier fighting game.

One difference that fans of WWE's traditional wrestling games will notice is the art style. All Stars has a look reminiscent of 2009's lackluster Legends of Wrestlemania, but that is pretty much where the similarities with that debacle end. Each character in the game sports an overly muscled physique much like the old rubber LJN WWF action figures we grew up playing with. The animations are highly exaggerated as well, with moves like dropkicks launching opponents into the air while slingshotting the wrestler who performed the move in the general direction of a turnbuckle. and when it's time for a wrestler to perform a finishing maneuver, everything around them changes colors, and the resulting move is the most violently exaggerated thing seen in a wrestling game since the special moves seen in EA Big's Def Jam Vendetta.

One of WWE All Stars' tag lines calls the game's roster "the greatest ever assembled, and outside of a Fire Pro Wrestling custom roster, I'm hard pressed to argue. The legends side reads like a who's who list of Hall Of Famers or soon to be inductees, while the Superstars side sports a list of superstars that have headlined Pay Per Views, held championships, and are beloved the world over. To make things feel balanced, the wrestlers are broken into four classes: Big Man, Brawler, Grappler, and Acrobat. Each class has strengths and weaknesses, for example: wrestlers that fall into the Big Man category can typically take more punishment than those that fall into the Acrobat class, but acrobats are exponentially faster. Brawler can string can use charged strikes to juggle opponents, while Grapplers can chain together multiple holds and deal a great bit of damage.It typically pays to play to your characters strengths sense that leads to their signature and finisher bars filling faster. Much like Street Fighter 4, each wrestler in WWE All Stars can build a three level "signature move" meter while a second meter, reserved for "finishing moves" builds a little slower, but the resulting move deals enough damage to keep an opponent down for the three count or knock them out all together. That another element of the arcadey coolness of WWE All Stars.

As far as the gameplay modes, there is the Path of Champions mode, which is the standard arcade style ladder made famous by Mortal Kombat. (writer's note: a big chunk of the development team for All Stars worked for Midway during their arcade heyday). Next there is the Fantasy Warfare mode, which pits legends against active superstars. each match has a specific theme, so unless they add DLC characters to the mix, don't expect more than the 15 matches in this mode from the start. What's the benefit of playing through the various Path of Champions ladders or Fantasy Warfare mode, why the joys of unlocking characters, venues, alternate costumes, and the very well produced video packages that precede the matches in Fantasy Warfare mode.

Now for the the things I didn't like about the game. My main gripe is the computer catchup that seems to occur during some single player matches. Some computer opponents will take a tremendous beating throughout a match only to launch into a mainly unblockable combo that will instantly whittle your character's health to near nothing. Another gripe is a problem I've encountered after years of playing SNK fighting games: Many computer controlled opponents tend to turtle (constantly block) during matches, and since their is no such thing as "chip damage" in this game, this can slow down matches, and in this type of game, slow matches can prove disastrous. I noticed that the create a character mode, while present, was a bit thin on editing options, but in a game of this manner, there is only so much to expect, so the light pickings on the create a wrestler mode are not a big issue. The most glaring issue I had with WWE All Stars is an issue I've had with THQ's WWE product for years now. The loading times can be a bit long to say this is 2011 and loading times are something that most gamers barely remember nowadays. All of these issues are forgivable though, and a skilled player can overcome issues with turtling and computer catchup with relative ease.

All in all, THQ has done what most gamers have wanted since they dropped quarters into Midway's Wrestlemania game in the mid 90s and threw ghosts at their opponents with The Undertaker. if a sequel is made to this one, a bigger out of the box roster and a few more match types might make WWE All Stars become a must play fighting game.