Now THIS should become a game….

Move over Left 4 Dead and Resident Evil 5, cuz’ Marvel’s awesomely awesome (really, that’s the only way to describe it)  “Marvel Zombies” series should be turned into the ultimate zombie game out there. Classic super heroes and villains pitted against zombified superheroes and villains? Yes, Please.

While I am far and away an expert on video game design, and I can’t even begin to fathom how a game in the world of Marvel Zombies would work, deep in my gut I know that it must be done. I was aware of the existance of the series since late last year; however I never bothered to read it all up until last month. And my, my, what an entertaining read that turned out to be. It has become like a mini-obsession with all things Marvel Zombie since I picked up the first hardbound collection, and now that I’ve finished them all, I need more! Another sequel to the comics would be nice, but I can only imagine how much fun can be had with a MZ game to mess around with….

If you haven’t had the chance to read the series yet, I highly suggest you stop whatever else you’re doing and run to the nearest bookstore chain near you. Now. Trust me, it’s that good.

White Knight Chronicles coming this December

Developer Level 5’s much anticipated PS3-exclusive RPG, White Knight Chronicles, finally has a release date . . . well, in Japan at least. Early scans from this week’s Famitsu magazine reveal that the game is slated to be in store shelves for a December 25th release, a date surprisingly close given general lack of information about the game. Aside from a promising trailer first shown two years ago at E3 2006, and various soundbytes of information since, virtually nothing is known about how the game particularly plays. However avid gamers would know that Level 5 is no stranger to quality RPG’s, as they are the same studio responsible for such acclaimed PS2 RPGs like the Dark Cloud games and the space-pirate themed Rogue Galaxy.

More information and media about the game should be available once the Tokyo Game Show rolls along in the next few weeks.

Source: Kotaku

Force Unleashed: To Buy or not to Buy?

With so much hype and anticipation for the latest game in the Star Wars universe, a lot is riding on The Force Unleashed: not only does the game feature seemingly awesome/exaggerated force powers and a honest-to-goodness revealing storyline set between Episodes III and IV, the game has the potential to erase a rather tumultuous history of quality in SW games. But after mixed impressions from its demo and equally varied review scores, will the game still make the cut for your $60 come its release tomorrow?

Well let’s fire up the ol’ review aggregator and find out shall we?

Site/Magazine: GameTrailers.com

Review Score: 6.9

Excerpt:

“With all the force lightning, gripping, pushing, and lightsaber combos, you’d think that the battles would be things of legend, but the combat isn’t really challenging, with all the big enemies being finished off by now-blasé quick time events. The only real power that the masses of troops possess is annoying you with extended lifebars that seem oblivious to half your lightsaber swings.

What’s worse is that later enemies can’t be thrown around like ragdolls–the game’s biggest charm. It’s something we’ve seen in Psi-Ops and Half-Life 2, and here it can feel wonky at times. The occasional swell of opponents creates choke points, and these encounters eventually simmer down to monotony. The enemies aren’t as scared of Starkiller as they should be—instead lining up for the slaughter.”

Site/Magazine: IGN.com

Review Score: 7.3

Excerpt:

“Going back to the enemy units in the game, including bosses — this is probably my biggest gripe with the experience. A good number of the stronger enemy units in the game can be rather tedious to fight, and oftentimes won’t let you use many of your powers against them. In the case of something like an AT-ST, you simply electrocute it, attack a couple times, retreat and then repeat a bunch more times. Large, lumbering but powerful stormtrooper variants in the second half of the game require the same technique, and it gets old quickly.

Boss fights are especially bad about this. In my experience, many of them will require some sort of trick to beat them, and in a number of the cases, the trick felt kind of cheap. The last couple fights were fortunately the most rewarding in the game, which are set up more along the classic lines of waiting for the correct moment to attack and defending when necessary. Had they all been like the last two, the other battles would have been more rewarding.”

Site/Magazine: Game Informer

Review Score: 8.75

Excerpt: (*Using the “Second Opinion” here)

“While using the Force is fluid and intuitive, the rest of the combat system isn’t quiet as refined or responsive, mainly due to dodgy targeting and blocking. It’s also a pity that the game’s awesome premise doesn’t have a chance to shine; you only get what you need to justify moving to the next level, and nothing more. On the other hand, true Star Wars fans will appreciate the conceptual groundwork (if not the details) established by game’s events. Despite some combat irregularities and plot holes, there is one constant in The Force Unleashed: It puts power at your fingertips in a way that no game – Star Wars or otherwise – has ever achieved. This is the first game that gets the Force right.”

Site/Magazine: Gamespot

Review Score: 7.5

Excerpt:

“Force Unleashed’s art direction sparkles and glows, injecting brooding, rich color into every environment–even corridors and control rooms. The junkyards of Raxus Prime are most notable in this regard, but other locales, both familiar and new, are beautifully lit and feature lightly stylized textures and other subtle touches. It’s Star Wars, all right, but like the story, the art direction surpasses franchise standards. The graphics engine renders this artistic vision (along with the game’s overactive physics) well enough, but it often struggles to keep up. Visual bugs, momentary pauses, and frame rate drops are relatively common, and somewhat more prevalent in the PlayStation 3 version. We encountered instances of blinking textures, incomplete geometry, and on the PS3, multiple occasions when enemy character models would immediately disappear upon defeat. It’s certainly beautiful to look at, but throw in weirdly long load times just to pull up menus and jarring cutscene transitions, and you start to see the corners that were cut.”

Site/Magazine: PC World

Review Score: N/A

Excerpt:

” Google shop ‘The Force Unleashed’ and you’ll unearth specialty action figures, a deluxe lightsaber (thank you Hasbro), the audiobook adaptation, a supplemental campaign guide for the official Star Wars Roleplaying Game, and a booster for the Star Wars CMG (collectible miniatures game). Factor in a massive multi-platform launch that includes versions for the Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii, Nintendo DS (and if the rumor mill’s right, eventually the PC). Couple that with a mobile push for the iPhone, N-Gage, and various unspecified java-equipped others.

Then realize, therefore, that Star Wars The Force Unleashed is not a video game so much as a force of nature. If it were a hurricane, probably a Category 5.

How’s the actual game then?

In two words, ‘not bad.’

In ten, ‘initially dull, eventually much better, and cumulatively, a trifle disappointing.’ “

So what’s the verdict? Terribly average at best, it seems. While the demo was fun, the loose combat mechanics and the floaty presentation of said combat can’t be hitched to mere “early build” excuses; judging from these and other reviewers, those problems can be a real detriment to the game. However the main factor here – and at least to every other Star Wars fan who has heard about the game – are the new nuggets of information that the Force Unleashed supposedly reveals for the SW universe, ultimately bridging the gap to the “old” trilogy that many have fallen in love with over the last thirty years. But then again, as the reviewer from PC World mentioned, there is always the $20 novelization of the Force Unleashed to quench that curiosity.

Stay tuned for thatgamefunk’s own review.

wipEout HD coming next week for $20

After numerous reports of delays due to failed epilepsy tests, Sony is finally ready to roll out the high-def installment of their futuristic Wipeout series. wipEout HD is officially slated for a September 25th release to the PSN store, a download-only affair that’ll cost you a mere twenty dollars and feature 8 reversible tracks, 12 teams, custom playlists, Trophies, 8-player competitive online play, and of course gorgeous visuals at 1080p and 60fps.

Source:PS Blog

theFunk list: Checkup

Things that have happen since I’ve been gone:

- Brother’s wedding 3 weeks ago/onslaught of relatives visiting

- Had a brief trip to LA

- Working for a friend on and off on building their house

- Nabbed a Xbox 360 shortly after its price drop last week (specifically for upcoming Left 4 Dead)

- Getting ready for another brief trip this weekend, this time in San Diego

See ya folks soon.