Medal of Honor Review By Chris Moxon

BOOM...that's nice. BANG...ok. Another cut scene that has my character on the floor looking around because he was hit by a grenade, only to be saved by his brother in arms...seen it. Nothing about this is wrong, but it has been done many times over in just about every military first person shooter (FPS) title. The difference this time is that Medal of Honor does it just to do it without reason. Everything about this game feels uninspired and rushed.

As I fired up the game, the first thing I noticed were the load times when switching from multiplayer and campaign. The load times could last up to several minutes (this is after installing the game onto my hard drive). The load times in general are bad in this game. There was more than one occasion that the in-game loading resulted in either the screen freezing completely with the in-game action still going on, leaving me to play catch up. and the game began to have heavy lagging problems which in return the music would cut in and out, non-playable characters (NPCs) began to lag and the sound effects brifely didn't exist. As annoying as this sounds, this was the least of my complaints.

The dialog seemed to be full of itself. I always felt like I was either watching a cheesy 80's action movie or the militay chatter between the NPCs seemed clich'e. I don't mind profanity, especially when it comes to military games, it bring a certain reality, but whenever profanity was used it seemed forced and more for shock value. As far as the story goes, it makes Modern Warfare 2 look like it could be nominated for an Oscar, because it doesn't have one. It's just the player going from one battlefield to the next without explaning what you are doing and why you are doing it.

The developers stressed in every interview that they were focusing on being the most realistic military shooter around, and in some ways they succeeded. The sounds of the gun fire (when it worked) was incredible. The guns felt like they had weight and power; but for every technical achievement, it fell behind on three other things. For example, the details. If I'm on a night mission why is my partner wearing sunglasses? If I'm on a sneaking mission why am I riding an ATV, the loudest vehicle possible? Again, if I'm on a night mission and I'm told to switch to night vision why are none of my squad members wearing them when I put them on?


FPSs in general are a linear experience. Great developers decieve the player by making him or her believe that they are choosing their own route. Medal of Honor instead streamlines the experience giving the player an extremely point A to point B level design which results in this so called realistic shooter feeling less like an FPS and more like a shooting gallery. Medal of Honor's A.I. doesn't help much either. The A.I. in general is clumsy on both sides. The few times I died was because of my own mistakes (cooking a grenade for too long, miscalculating a grenade throw, etc.) which was even on it's hardest difficulty.

There aren't that many redeeming qualities about Medal of Honor. It has many glitches, the draw distance is laughable, character design is uninspired along with the script and their big set pieces. The only aspect of this game that was decent, was their multiplayer that was developed by DICE (who created the Battlefield Bad Company series). Even though it has small problems like spawning points, the maturity of DICE as a developer is present throughout this mode. The multiplayer alone saves this game from earning its spot in the bargin bin any time soon.

Over All Grade: C

Not You Again By Chris Moxon

Every console has them, companies needs them, and everyone hates them. Who could cause such loathing and needing all at the same time; Fanboys. These ill informed, borderline illiterate morons spread their obnoxious thoughts through online message boards and countless forums. No matter what the topic is on the result is unfailing; " I'm smarter than you even if my thoughts are narrow minded and I can barely speel...I mean spell." Even though their existence is detested they are still a valuable part of the video game industry.

The earliest fanboy rants could be found between Sega and Nintendo, mainly the fueds stemmed from their mascots ( Sonic and Mario) and how may bits each console had. The commercials and other factors between the two companies began the console war and in turn spawned the " Fanboy" which lead to numerous debates in school lunch rooms and recesses. Unfortunately, what once started as a harmless dispute eventually assumed the form of the ill-tempered, modern day, baseless "Fanboy."

What the "Fanboy" provides is an unwaivering support to a console, pc, and franchises. In other words they are "guaranteed" money. If the fanboy loves Sony, he or she will buy Sony's first party titles and hardware. If a fanboy loves Halo, then he or she will buy Halo products. So, because the fanboy is willing to go out of their way to buy software, books, hardware, and subscribe to various magazines, they are in return keeping their favorite products and studios successful and most of the time guaranteeing themselves more of what they want.

Fanboys also create opportunities. For example, suppose that a fanboy enjoys the software that EA publishes, that fanboy is willing to put forth money to venture out of his comfort zone to try new products from that publisher. If the fanboy feels that he or she benefitted from the new experience they become a loyal consumer for that studio.



Without the "Fanboy" franchises would never happen, sequels would never try to out due the last, there would be no exclusives. Everything would be neutral and video games would never be as exciting as they are now, and being a gamer would be an absolute bore. As much as people hate the fanboy; these people should be thanked for their loyalty to whatever flag they wave

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow CE

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Collector's Edition was annouced today at GamesCom. For $79.99 the collector's edition for the U.S will include the game, the original soundtrack, and an artbook. The Europe edition will include the game, the original soundtrack, and the God Mask. Any thoughts?

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow.

Today at Gamescon the new Castlevania game developed by Mercury Steam and Kojima, was given an official release date. October 5th 2010 is when players can grab there whip, some holy water and take on The Lords of Shadow.

Jewel Spinner: By Chris Moxon

Jewel Spinner is a flash game created by Dream Forge Games. The premise is simple, match the colored jewels on the manually directed spinner to the other colored jewels that are on the lanes. If the player becomes stuck they can tap on the center of the spinner to find a selection of jewels that better suit the situation. Now that the idea of the game is laid out let's begin to discuss the game.



Jewel Spinner is a good game that doesn't have many flaws. The gameplay is solid and the controls handle very well. The difficulty has a nice pace and it delivers a good sense of tension as the player progresses through the levels. As I played both verisons ( flash and iPod Touch) I found that the iPod had the better adaptation. Mainly, the spinner was easier to navigate on a touch screen then a mouse. The only gripe I have about this game is the music. The music never really changed throughout the levels, if it had the differences were very minute. In conclusion it's good game and for $2.99 on the Apps Store, it's a title that is well worth the download.

OVERALL GRADE: A

Why Have The Game Gods Forsaken Me By Chris Moxon

In recent years a new type of gamer has emerged, the casual gamer. Casual gaming itself has been around since the begining of video games, but it has never been more predominate than this console cycle, leaving the hardcore audience feeling left behind resulting in some consoles becoming nothing more than a dust collector or a living room ornament. This extreme group has now adopted a self fabricated outcome that video game companies do not care about those who have been loyal to their products. This E3 has not helped this situation either. Microsoft's conference was solely dedicated to "Kinect" (their new motion controller) which is targeted to the casual gamer. Sony's conference dedicated most of there time as well to their motion controller "Move" which showcased their casual titles. In many ways it seems that the hardcore have a legitimate gripe, but before this group can begin to think that the game gods have forsaken them, this casual gaming should be viewed in a different direction.

The pros of this new genre might not seem visually beneficial, but what the casual market creates is an opportunity for those who were confused, frightened, or unsure about the idea of utilizing more than two buttons and a directional pad . The payoff is the world of a gamer was no longer unfamiliar. It can be understood by appling a simplier control scheme and creating games that are accessible. Companies like Nintendo were able to experiment on products like Wii Fit, which became a absolute success spawning a sequel (Wii Fit Plus) and Wii Music which failed miserably. Without this genre, experiments like these would never happen. Regardless if these games are casual these casual gamers are buying both hardware and software and in turn they are supporting the indusrty that the hardcore embrace.


On the other hand this market has been handeld carelessly. For ever success like Wii Fit that is produced, there are hundreds of substandard titles like We Cheer, Wii Music, Kung Fu Funk, Ping Pong Pro: Frat Party Games and Hannah Montana: The Movie The Game . This genre is still young and can be promising, but the light at the end of the tunnel is hard to see when this market is being saturated with software that is less than satisfactory. The lack of quality has resulted in this type of entertainment being seen as nothing more than a joke from gamers and the media.

The key to solving this problem is rather simple. The first step is for Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony to focus their efforts on the hardcore crowd at every E3 conference. The odds of a casual gamer putting forth the effort and money to go to an E3 conference to see what casual games they will be looking foward too are dim. If a casual gamer were to attend this event he or she has already proven that they are not a casual gamer from the money they had to spend to get to the event thus, they themselves have become a hardcore gamer, so the idea that casual games should be shown at the major conferences is completely reduntant. The next and final step is quality control. Nintendo has created a grey area in their first party titles. With their attention to details and their expectations on projects they are able to keep a high standard for their major franchises. Mario in all aspects has been re-tooled to become more friendly to the casual crowd while still retaining the challenge of what die-hard Mario fans crave. What has emerged are games that compliment both demographics, so in order for this type of gaming to survive and not become a fad; quailty must be enforced.

Every gamer at one time was a casual player who eventually become a loyal consumer. By this market being created; support for this entertainment is growing in rapid numbers and in times like these were this type of entertainment is being misunderstood and scrutinized gamers need all the support they can get. When it all comes down to it gaming is for everyone no matter what age, gender, or type of gamer.

Modern Warfare 2 Map Pack

On March 30 Infinity Ward will be releasing their first map pack for Modern Warfare 2. The map pack will be called " Stimulus Package". It's exclusive for the Xbox 360. No word yet on when it will be released on the PS3 and PC .

Has Infinity Ward left Activision?

Today Activision announced that a developer named Sledgehammer Games will be starting a new Call of Duty franchise. It's reported that the new franchise will be an action aventure game; a first in the franchise. In other news coming from Activision, Vince Zampella and Jason West ( Both head of Infinity Ward.) have left the company. There is no report on why this happened, but there is a rumor that it could be because of a new IP that they were working on. Finally in relation to Infinity Ward. Activision has asked IW to make a Modern Warfare 3, but the company is relunctant to do so. Does this mean that the well know and one of the best selling series be on it's way out as well and onto a new publisher? Let the rumors begin.

Dante's Inferno: First Impressions

"I cant shake this feeling like I've done this before...No I have done this before, it's extremely similar." This was my inner monologue while I was indulging myself in the experience of Dante's Inferno. Before I dive into the un-settling aspects of the game I would like to start out with the positives. Viseral has outdone themselves when it comes to the visuals. The erriness of being in hell really hold up thoughout the game. The character models are well done and the voice acting superb. It never seems out of place or context. The story is engaging and avoids becoming irrelevant by reminding the player what they are fighting for. As for the un-settling parts it boils down to mechanics. The God of War mechanics are without a doubt present. From how you pull off attacks to how you gain health and mana, it is very reminiscent of the God of War series, but as I keep investing time in this experience I cannot see myself playing this game in any other fashion. So big kudos to Viseral Games for giving me an experience that is worth my 60 dollars so far.

Final Fantasy EZ's Thoughs

My partner Nemo currently wrote a blog about his experience with the Final Fantasy series. Well this time around I am going to share a recent experience I had. Not with the whole series but with Final Fantasy XIII.

I currently only own a Wii and a 360. I have not yet picked up a PS3 but I plan on getting one in the near future. With that said I was excited to hear Final Fantasy XIII was coming to the Xbox 360 as well. I went to pre order my copy last night but as I left GameStop I felt a weird sense of emptiness and confusion inside, not to mention I kinda felt ripped off.

The night before last I was up really late browsing Wikipedia, reading about the history of the Final Fantasy series. The first ever Final Fantasy game I played was Final Fantasy VI (III in US). I remember being blown away by the story line, gameplay, and graphics. I've never played anything like it on my SNES. This was the game that introduced me to the world of RPG. Soon after completing the game I went on an RPG rampage. Wanting to play nothing but RPG's, not only that but I expected every RPG to have a great story and look as good as FFVI. I played everything from Mario RPG to Chrono Trigger. Not to long after after I finally had got my hands on FFVII. "WOW!" was my first impression. After that, "WOW!" pretty much became standard when playing a new FF game.

You see there are several things that make Final Fantasy what it is... gameplay, story, and graphics. Each new game just manages to surpass the last one in graphics. FF games are one of the few games where I actually can sit back, enjoy, and be blown away by the cut scenes. Not once do i feel the need to constantly press buttons just to skip the scenes to get back to playing my game.

As I was reading Wikipedia that night I learned something that settled in my brain and has been bothering me since. While the gap between memory in Blu Ray vs DVD is huge I never really thought about how it might affect the games I play. The PS3 version of FFXIII will be all in one Blu Ray disc while the 360 version will be packed into three DVDs. I really don't mind swapping discs but, what I do mind is how much the game will be compressed into those three DVDs. The PS3 version will feature lossless audio and uncompressed 1080p cinematic cutscenes. The Xbox 360 version will have 576p cutscenes using Bink video and compressed audio. 576p!? Really? They couldn't at least make it 720p?

I know some might think I'm over reacting but hey, I want to sit in front of my TV drooling as I watch the amazing graphics and action packed scenes in their highest quality with amazing audio coming from my speakers! PS3 owners get to do it, why don't we? I mean isn't the reason most of us invest in high def TVs and gadgets is to enhance our viewing experience? Isn't the point to be blown away while sitting in front of the sofa? 576p is not even high definition by today standards anymore!

So as I was leaving GameStop I couldn't help but to feel ripped off. I'm paying just as much as PS3 owners will for their version yet I don't get the same quality for my money. Not to mention that playing Final Fantasy on Xbox feels just... weird... lol

Transformers: War for Cybertron New trailer

Released today is the new trailer for the upcoming game Transformers: War for Cybertron. So grab your loved one sit back open up a cold one and get ready to scream and giggle like a school girl. www.gametrailers.com/video/exclusive-gameplay-transformers-war/62342

PSN Update.

Released this week on the PSN demo section were the E3 demo of God of War III, a unheard of 90 minute demo of Darksiders, Eye of Judgment: Legends, and finally Sonic and SEGA All-Star Racing.

Metroid: Other M!!!!

Final news from the Nintendo Media Summit. Metroid: Other M was finally given a release date, June 27, 2010.










Cassamassina, Matt. " Nintendo Media Summit Live Blog." IGN. http:/www.wii.ign.com/articles/107/1071620p1.html

Dragon Quest 9?/ Prince of Persia

Today Dragon Quest 9: Sentinels of the Starry Skies for the Nintendo DS was announced to be published in America. For Dragon Quest fans this in incredible and very welcoming since fans of the series were unsure if this title would ever be released in America. It is also significant since this entry introduces a 4 player co-op.

Prince of Persia was also discussed during the Nintendo Media Summit. The Prince of Persia for the Nintendo Wii will come with an exclusive of the classic Prince of Persia that was released in 1992. Prince of Persia will be released in May of 2010.

Mario Galaxy 2!!!!

Mario Galaxy 2 will be released on May 23, 2010 as reported from IGN.com during the Nintendo Media Summit. No news yet on when Metroid: Other M and the release date, but stay tuned.






Cassamassina, Matt " Nintendo Media Summit Live Blog." IGN http:/www.wii.ign.article/107/1071620p1.html

Plants vs Zombies

Plants vs Zombies is a tower defense game developed by PopCap Games for Windows, Mac OSX, and now has finally made its way to the iPhone/ iPod Touch. This extremely addicting game has you using many varieties of plants to repel an attack of brain eating zombies from entering your house. Along the way your neighbor Crazy Dave helps you with tips and new items in exchange for coins that you collect during your battles with the Zombies. The battles take place in your front yard, backyard, and even the roof.

At the start of each round you choose a limited amount of plants for battle, although you can increase the number later in the game. The game also shows you which Zombies will take part of that battle and you will have to strategically choose which plants will do best to defend the attack.

The game includes a wide variety of gameplay styles. Some battles will take place during the day and some at night. This will affect what plants are available, how you harvest your sunlight (points that will let you buy more plants during battles), and the obstacles you encounter. There is a wide variety of different mini-games along the way as well. The game starts off pretty easy at first which helps you get used to things. As you progress it becomes more and more difficult.

The thing that makes this game so addicting is in discovering or unlocking something new at the end of each level. With 48 kinds of plants, and 26 different zombies this game will keep you involved for a long time. Even after completing Adventure mode you can go back and be faced with new challenges and more items to unlock.

The soundtrack and voice acting gives the game its charm and makes battle more intense as waves of zombies close in. The game characters are animated nicely and the game looks great in action.

Plants vs Zombies is a must have game for your iPhone/iPod Touch and priced at $2.99 this game is a steal!

Street Fighter IV (iPhone/iPod Touch)

One of the best thumb smashers of all time is finally making its way to the App Store in March. With a rooster of 8 character (Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, M. Bison, Abel, Guile, and Dhalsim) and priced at $9.99 this is looking to be a must have game for your iPhone/iPod Touch. The action is controlled by a on screen joystick and virtual buttons which you are able to position anywhere on the screen trough the in-game settings. Controls have been tweaked a little to make the game easier to play on the touch screen device. The graphics are pretty impressive with the character models and special effects looking a lot like the console version.

Yakuza!!!!!

Released last week was the Yakuza 3 demo on the PSN which is scheduled to release March 9th of 2010.

Why I love Final Fantasy. By Chris Moxon

Recently I've found myself wanting to divulge my spare time on a Japanese Role Playing Game (JRPG). With my Xbox 360 in storage I was left with only my PS3 and Wii, so naturally I began my search for a JRPG on my PS3. After an extensive search and talking to an employee at my local Gamestop, I was told that a great JRPG would be Star Ocean: Last Hope( A recent game that was released originally for the Xbox 360 early in 2009 and ported to the PS3 in Febuary 2010.) and White Knight Chronicles which was also released in the same month of this year. By the description that was given to me these were supposed to be games that took this genre to a whole new level. As soon as I popped these games into my Ps3 I soon realized that I wasn't wanting a JRPG, I was craving, yearning for a Final Fantasy game.



Final Fantasy (FF) is truely a unique experience and one that is not very easy to match when it comes to story,dialog and recently in the last 11 years, voice acting. My earliest memory of this series is Final Fantasy I. I went to my uncle's parents house for a family get together. I immediately went up stairs because I could hear a video game being played. I went down the hallway to see a door slightly ajar. My curiosity had peaked and I opened the door to see my cousin's eyes being engulfed by the television. I cannot articulate how I felt about the game except I had no idea what was going on. I do however remember that I enjoyed the music and graphics and being 5 thats all that really mattered to me at the time. My next encounter with the series was Final Fantasy III or VI (In Japan). It was the first entry of the series I actually played; I was immediately hooked. The graphics were crisp, The characters were engaging, the music empowered the mood, and the story was a staple for entries to come. From that point on I played every entry of the series that had a roman numeral next to it.





Why do I love this series? What makes me keep coming back? I have a handful of answers. Time and effort, The series is know for these two things to the point where the last two entries have been years apart. XII was nearly 5 years apart from X( I wont count XI because it was online) and XIII is nearing 4 years, but they achieved what they were going for no matter how off putting it may have been for some fans. Next is evolution . Whether it be a job system, a battle system, limit breaks, or buliding weapons from parts, the series is constantly evolving. FF IV was the first in the series to bring an actually storyline. FF VI gave fans a deeper storyline while also giving their characters more depth with dialog and clearer, bigger sprite actions. FFVII introduced 3D cut sceens and 3D characters along with limit breaks. I could keep going on but I feel I have made my point. Finally, personal feelings. This is core reason of why I find myself wanting more. I never hated a villian more than Kefka (FFVI). I remember the anger I felt when he was almost succeeded in destroying the world. I remember how I was fretting on facing sephiroth (FFVII); thinking that the task of defeating him was going to be near impossible. In FFVIII I felt the sense of closure and at the same time sadness when I beat Ultimecia because I knew that my time in that world was over, I would never see these characters again, their journey had come to an end.



As I end my thoughts I find myself looking foward to see how this series will keep growing, what new paths it will take, what other emotions Final Fantay will draw out of me and how they will keep me engrossed in their characters and stories. I have hope that my love for this series will keep on growing as I watch this magical series evolve because I believe that the best is yet to come.

Hello

Hi everyone, welcome to United Gamer. We are your host Nemo and EZduzit.We are dedicated to bringing you updates on upcoming games and consoles as well as, articles and hopefully videos. If you want to contact us you can email us at united-gamer@hotmail.com