theFunkList: You got the Touch!

Is it just me, or have the iPhone/iPod Touch games been getting more and more recognition from console developers these days? Case in point: the two most recent “big title” games that were released in the App store both come from Konami’s Digital Entertainment division, with Dance Dance Revolution S and its most recent release, Metal Gear Solid Touch.

DDRS is something that I’ve been enjoying a lot lately, and the ramp in difficulty in later modes only makes me appreciate the blister-less glass screen all the more. I’ll probably check out MGST at some point (its retailing for $7.99 right now), but reviews seem to be mixed.

Other games I’ve been playing: Resident Evil 5 co-op with a friend – only two chapters in, but I’m having fun; Watchmen: Justice is Coming – another iPhone game, a simplified MMO actually, but while it was only $0.99, connection/server problems make it almost unplayable. I also have a Killzone 2 review still waiting in the wings (finally!), but I have to survive a few finals first =(

Mass Effect 2 hitting Xbox/PC next year, PS3 shunned

With the San Francisco Game Developer’s Conference ready to kick off next week, one in which Bioware’s Mass Effect 2 will be a part of, the developers have officially lift the lid off the sequel to its critically successful sci-fi RPG, Mass Effect. 

While plot details are understandably vague at this time, Bioware CEO Ray Muzyka had this to say about the second game in the planned RPG trilogy:

“We’re going to surpass the extraordinary gaming experience we brought our fans in Mass Effect by delivering intensified combat and expanded weapon options as well as increased depth of planet exploration, all while delivering a powerful, emotionally engaging story… 

Mass Effect 2 is shaping up to be an unforgettable RPG-shooter experience, taking players on a non-stop roller-coaster ride filled with stunning plot twists and no-holds-barred action.”

Scheduled for an early 2010 release, Mass Effect 2 has only been confirmed for the 360 and PC. This may come as a surprise to those who were hoping that, since EA’s buy-out of Bioware, and as such, EA’s tendency to release games for every possible platform out there, the next game in the ME series would land on Sony’s console.  It also didn’t help that EA’s own head honcho, John Riccitiello, was quoted earlier in the year during a conference call as saying only that ME 2 would arrive on “multiple platforms”. 

It seems clear then that Microsoft’s contractual agreement with Bioware (MS published the first game, with EA taking over those duties now) still has a firm control over what platforms they are allowed to make it for.

Source: Shacknews

Capcom is Here to Take Your Monies with RE5 DLC

Oh, Capcom. You give us great franchises like Street Fighter, Devil May Cry, Dead Rising, and yes, even Resident Evil; yet you must pull stupid, stupid practices like this. If you’re not aware of the recent controversy with the newly-announced Resident Evil 5 downloadable content (DLC), where the game itself just released a mere 2 days ago, then let me catch you up: Capcom is readying some “new” content for RE fans in the form of the franchise’s first ever online multiplayer modes, Versus, Survivor’s Rule and Slayer’s Rule. 

From Kotaku: 

“Versus allows up to four players to match wits in online battles across two very different game types. Slayer’s Rule is a point-based game that challenges players to kill Majinis. In Survivor’s Rule, players hunt the most dangerous game, each other! Players can begin the hunt as Chris, Sheva or other secret characters, and choose from either one-on-one or two-versus-two team matches for either of the two gameplay styles.”

For a game that already emphasizes co-op game play, this would seem like a nifty extra right? Wrong. Why? Because Capcom execs have seen the need to actually charge, for essentially, a new online multiplayer mode – you know, something which is practically standard in the industry these days. Not saying that all games would do well to fit the multiplayer option – RPG’s for instance, are single player only affairs – and RE does seem a peculiar pick given its stop-and-shoot controls, but when DLC is only a few weeks off of the game’s original release, one has to wonder why this couldn’t be a part of the on-disc content. 

To justify the $5 (or 400 MS points) cost on the 360 and PS3, Capcom has attempted to explain the reasons behind it at CVG:

“Although Versus mode makes use of the assets that exist in the game, the functionality is not currently in the game and is above and beyond the initial scope of Resident Evil 5,” Capcom told us.

“We have never included a Versus mode in Resident Evil before, and as well as the costs of development of the feature, there’s also additional bandwidth costs associated with it,” it added.

For content that already utilizes all of its art/character/graphic/environment assets on the disc, is it really necessary to charge for what amounts to the new modes and net code? Now I’m not going to pretend to know the ins and outs of video game development, but for a game and franchise that is practically guaranteed to be a certified blockbuster in sales due to its rabid fanbase, can’t that profit cover those “functionality” costs?

And if the Versus modes are described as being “above and beyond the initial scope” of RE5, then why were there already Achievement/Trophy listings dedicated entirely to the paid content? That’s because that the modes were already pre-planned, already a part of Capcom’s business decision making, probably knowing full well it was going to be charged ahead of time. Coupled with the fact that this DLC is set to arrive in a few week’s time, one can even venture to speculate that the DLC was being developed alongside the original game in the first place – which in itself seems to be common practice for developers these days and only supports the negative stigma associated with DLC.

Remember, it’s not the cost of DLC that has generated backlash over Capcom and other similar situations, but rather the principle of it: if people keep on blindly buying supposed “add-ons” assuming that that’s just the way the industry works, then more companies could continue down this path of utter ridiculousness and greed. While the paid-for DLC market is still in its infancy stages (only being introduced in this current generation of consoles), we have quickly seen that there have been right ways and wrong ways to do this. Capcom have unfortunately, fallen in temptation for the latter.

Big Daddy? Meet Big Mom- er, I mean, SISTER

Game Informer magazine proves yet again its incredible tenacity to score exclusive info on the most anticipated games, this time with all new details on Bioshock 2: Sea of Dreams. That big thing on the cover? Oh boy, you’re gonna like this: they are the rumored-but-now-confirmed existence of the game’s latest addition to its iconic cast of villains, the Big Sister. 

Not much more info than that, I’m afraid. But feel free to board the speculation train until the inevitable picture scans show up on teh interwebs one of these days.

Hands on with Wanted: Weapons of Fate

Let me first preface my impressions by saying yes, Wanted: Weapons of Fate is yet another movie tie-in game. But before you close the browser in disgust, take heed oh ye of little faith – if the demo is any indication (which was released on Xbox Live and the PSN today), W:WoF has some solid mechanics  that could make for an incredibly fun shooter in the crowded genre. Not only was this game not rushed to meet the opening release of the movie – Wanted has been on DVD and BluRay for some time now actually – as many other licensed games are want to do, it also serves as a direct sequel to the events of the movie. So far, so good.

Developed by GRIN and published by Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment, Weapons of Fate  continues the journey of Wesley Gibson as he settles into his new role of super-powered assassin. Along the way, players will also have a chance to play Wesley’s father, a much revered assassin himself, in the form of flashbacks – in fact, the demo only allows you to play as his father on an assignment taking place on a turbulent airplane ride. If you’re familiar with the movie, you’ll notice that one of the main focuses of the game’s shooting mechanics is the ability to curve your bullets, which is especially useful around blind corners and obstacles that your target might be taking cover from. 

You can’t just curve your bullets whenever you want, however; you must build up Adrenaline first, represented by the bullet casings on the top right of your screen, by killing enemies the old fashioned way. This includes peeking out of cover and shooting normally, or to earn extra Adrenaline, sneak up and go for a brutal melee kill. Once these casings fill up, you have one of two options, curve bullets or execute a slow-mo quick move that has you sliding from one cover to another, but giving you ample time in between to take out any enemies nearby. While this Matrix style of slowing down time has been done before in shooters, it feels right at home in Weapons of Fate, and only encourages you to earn more of that plentiful Adrenaline. 

Another major factor is the game’s cover system: think more “sticky” cover of Gears of War/Uncharted fame than the more free-form mechanic seen in the likes of Army of Two. When near an object that could serve as cover, pressing A will automatically have the character slide, jump, or roll his way into it. Pushing out the left stick will indicate other sources of cover nearby as represented by a green arrow. As mentioned before, when you have enough Adrenaline built up, a new option for sliding from cover to cover pops in as a yellow arrow and executed with the Y button, giving you time to mow down enemies with ease.

Due to the cover mechanics and the way Weapons of Fate encourages you to move quickly, the game has a heavy emphasis on forward-movement and momentum: if you’re not moving your ass to cover, any other movements will seem awkward and slow to control. If you happen to accidentally come too close to an enemy, or if he ends up directly behind you, for instance, your only hope is to mash the melee button; turning around to face him would be too slow and costly otherwise. Thankfully, there doesn’t seem to be much need to backtrack aside from ammo clip droppings from your dead foes. 

Will Weapons of Fate avoid the curse of licensed tie-ins and actually prove to be a decent game? As always, it’s up in the air. All I know is that I had tons of fun playing around in the demo, experimenting with the curved bullets and slow-mo action moves to see how smooth I could chain successful attacks together. My biggest criticism so far? That, sadly, Angelina Jolie is nowhere to be found … which would make sense given the outcome of the movie, but still.The game is scheduled for a March 24 release on the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.

New Details on Left 4 Dead’s “Survival” mode

So now that we know that Valve’s popular online zombie shooter will get some free DLC lovin’, what exactly can one expect from the the update? Well, IGN has got the hands-on scoop from the developer and are all too ready to kiss and tell.

First, let’s get to the good stuff: namely, the brand new addition of the Survival mode. Unlike previous guesses of a wave-after-wave affair a la Gears of War 2, Survival will immediately thrust players right into the bloody thick of things: once the initial wave of the common undead passes through, special zombies (ie, Tanks, Smokers, Hunters and Boomers) are introduced to the chaotic mix. Not too bad yet right? Well, that is until you consider that multiple numbers of Smokers, Hunters, and Boomers can show up at a time, with Valve even claiming that it’s possible to get two Tanks if you happen to be so unlucky…

Apparently, Survival is so intense that matches will rarely last more than 10 minutes due to the sheer mayhem that it entails. The only reprieve players get is at the beginning of the round, before someone (the host perhaps?) signals the the unleashing of the horde; during this time, players can prepare themselves by searching for weapons and med kits in the level, as well as the familiar gasoline and propane tanks. Once the match is over, your group’s best times are tallied up, with medals being awarded the longer you last. 

In total, Survival mode will sport 16 levels, with all but one being tweaked versions of areas from the original 4 campaigns. The lone new level is called Lighthouse, which is exactly what it sounds like… according to Valve though, this is the most difficult level of them all. For more on the DLC, including how the two “new” Versus maps play, head on over to IGN’s original article, including short video clips of the Survival mode in action.

Hands on with Watchmen: The End is Nigh

It’s a funny thing: when one thinks of the Watchmen graphic novel or the upcoming movie opening this week, few would immediately think the source material would lend itself to a beat-em-up video game title. Yet, that’s what the folks over at Deadline Games have chosen to do with their downloadable “long form” series, starting with Watchmen: The End is Nigh. 

Just released on the Xbox Live Marketplace and Steam (it will hit the PSN tomorrow), W:tEIN is the first chapter of Deadline Game’s series of episodic content that serve as a prequel to the comic and the film. Taking place in 1972, which if you’re familiar with the storyline is before the passing of the Keene Act, Rorschach and Nite Owl are the playable stars of this adventure, covering their younger days of busting criminals and going after the Underboss. At the outset of the game, players are able to choose which character to play, both of whom reflect slightly different styles of fighting: while Rorschach is more evasive and brutal in his tactics, Nite Owl is more about finesse and gadgetry.

The gameplay is simple enough at first: you have your fast and heavy attacks, along with a blocking or dodging move (depending on who you play as), and any combination of those buttons will string together basic combos. However, throughout the levels, new combos and tips can be found as floating icons or posters, expanding the move sets of your character such as throwing, counters, and stun combos. Additionally, Rorschach can build up a “Rage” meter with each successive hit in battle, allowing to use much more powerful physical moves, while Nite Owl’s “Charge” meter will allow him to use his electric attacks from his personal arsenal. 

Visually, the game is fantastic looking. Just as in the movie and the comics, Rorschach’s mask is constantly shifting to form new patterns, while Nite Owl is meticulously rendered to look exactly like his movie counterpart. The environments are gritty, but believable and the lighting only emphasizes the quality that the devs have put it in the downloadable title. Comic-panel cut scenes and authentic VO from the actors who portray the characters in the film string the story along, and it does an admirable job of reflecting the style from the original graphic novel (Watchmen’s original editor, Len Wein, penned the storyline). The only downside though is that – despite being just a demo – it’s easy to tell that enemy designs are few and far between; you’ll be seeing the same 4 or 5 thugs recycled over and over again, at least that’s the impression the prison level gave me (and also confirmed by various review outlets).

Despite perceived repetitiveness, the other obstacle to the game is its asking price: $20. While producers of the game justify this because of the game’s “obvious AAA quality” in respect to other titles in the downloadable market, the price is still a bit hard to swallow. This is especially true when you consider that Rockstar Game’s own piece of $20 DLC, The Lost and the Damned, is brimming with hours of content, as well as the Playstation Network’s Wipeout HD, a full-on racing game for the same price. Meanwhile, many reviews are clocking in W:tEIN as hovering around 3-4 hours of gameplay throughout its six chapters (barring playing through again with another character) , thus making $20 seem much too expensive for a game that I would have bought no-questions-asked for $10 – the standard price of most downloadable games these days.