Review: Fifa Street 3

Repetative and no longevity. These two characteristics sum up the majority of ‘Street’ type games in what is slowly becoming a quagmire of a genre. So enter the latest football entrée into the bog of foreboding.

My first experience of the game pitted my team of 4* players against a similarly ugly looking bunch of 3* players. Pleasantries were not exchanged and the myriad of football balancing skills ensued. With enough skills performed under my belt, followed by a deflected shot, I had achieved my ‘gamebreaker’ – a special power, which on my next possession I activated, gave a goal on the first shot. I regained possession quickly after the goal kick and subsequently scored again – and again. Here we are, 3-0 up, and only 30 seconds played. What manner of madness is this?

OK, I’m a sore loser. Easy difficulty or lower is my best friend. The next hour of me vs. CPU games resulted in an entire clean sheet. Even a quick foray into the challenge mode yielded little resistive powers behind the three CPUs powering this Microsoft console. Team after team, challenge after challenge, all fall under my spell of apathy, despite all the players being of the same level.

I see many games like this recently – they insist on a five star rating system bt refuse to let anything have only one or two stars. Where are the crap players? Where is the team I can fob off to friends in local multiplayer?

Despite all of this, EA can yield some small home comforts – the menu system in this sports game incantation is clear and easy to navigate (unlike other EA regular outings), and the sounds in game are appropriate – not stellar, just appropriate.

Multiplayer on Xbox Live is very empty – little in the way of players online (just watch, EA will close this server too), and thus games with a friend are mostly what you’ll get. I was getting no lag with UK to US games. The five minute time limit on ranked games is also a downside, as it makes one Xbox 360 achievement a jolly waste of time.

As for the achievements themselves – a visit to an achievement website will quickly net you all but 2 ‘offline’ achievements and the online ones. But do not despair! The 2 offline ones to which I refer involve playing with certain teams you can unlock in challenge mode. Should one wish to not soil their boots by treading through challenge mode, find an online friend who has, have a game of Playground Picks, with them hosting the game and picking the relevant teams for the achievements. The online achievements require only a friend or gaming buddy, but each player will need 25 ranked wins * 5 minutes a game = 50 games total, or 250 minutes plus loading screens.

On the DLC front, 300MSPs gets a pack with teams to unlock and 3 new stadiums. Also, easy achievements.

Overall, a sub-par repetitive football game with no longevity. But easy achievements.

borandi

(NSFW) Zero Punctuation - Haze

ZP examines the next generic FPS to hit the market.

Review: Bionicle Heroes

I didn’t know anything about Bionicle Heroes when it first passed my eyes. All I saw was a LEGO symbol – a symbol synonymous with one sort of game: no voice acting, stupidly long linear levels and multiple plays of the same level. After playing BH, it holds up to this branding well.

As far as is ascertainable without investigating the Bionicle world, you play an androgynous ‘freak’. This ‘freak’ can switch persona with a simple change of its LEGO head giving it different powers – but this freak is pissed. Pissed at some random ‘dude’ who can create minions. This ‘dude’ hasn’t stolen the protagonist’s significant other, or an exceptional amount of wealth from some evil caper worth stealing. Thanks to the no voice acting or written story, this tale offers a mind fuck not worth thinking about.

Nevertheless, the game itself acts like a third person shooter. Each level consists of going from point A to point F via points B, C, D and E in typical LEGO sequential fashion. At each point, your goal is gain LEGO pieces by collecting or shooting enough ‘bad guys’ to fill a special meter. This power is unleashed and you proceed to the next point. Each level offers either a level or collectable to finish. Repeat 25 times, ‘story’ complete.

To be honest, the controls are the big let down here. I play the odd FPS/Third-PS, and you should get the normal forward/back/turn/strafe combo with the analog sticks. No such luck in BH, which only strafes if RT is held down. But wait, isn’t that meant to be the fire button? Alas, that is reserved for the myriad of options by ABYX. This combined with the level length and the lack if an apparent story constitutes the main flaws of BH.

On the bright side, the visuals are a credit to the game. When considering the target audience of ages 3-15, the children will like the highly coloured scenery and the responsive sounds BH offers. Unfortunately, not much comfort for hardcore players.

As a game, I can’t recommend BH. It’s dull, boring, and has no ‘yay’ factor after completing a task. In my case, due to the appalling save system the game uses, my save file corrupted at around 80% into the game. Unfortunately, looking at online forums, this problem is common. Nevertheless, with persistence (and another 8 months), I was able to complete the games achievements, totalled around 20hrs play altogether.

On the achievements side, BH is an easy completion in the grand schema of Xbox gaming. Finish the game, kill X amount of each monster and get 5 million coins – these achievements are all straight forward. The main achievement basically requires 100% completion – thus needing every level to be played again (once all the upgrades have been obtained) to get every special item in each level (~9/level), and finish the level with a gold medal (all special items, lots of LEGO pieces). This type of collection achievement is also detriment to the LEGO games.

Bionicle Heroes – one for the kids.

borandi

(NSFW) Zero Punctuation: Oblivion

During the summer lull of new games, ZP reviews a game revered by many.

99999 (point 99999999)

Well, here it is. The big 99999. My first achievement was on January 2nd, 2007 on Hexic HD - 539 days ago. That's 186.6GS/day on average, or 7.03 achievements per day. Along the way, I've completed 49 retail games, 25 arcade games, and PSU 1k GS, NHL 2k7 950 GS. My favourite genre should be the RPG, but my most played genre is the Music one. My favourite and worst games in various genres so far is are:

RPG: Lost Odyssey, Arcadian Warriors
Film: Surf's Up, Eragon
Race: Forza 2/Burnout Paradise, Fatal Inertia
FPS: COD 4, R6: Vegas
Music: GH3, DDR Universe
Sandbox: GTA IV, Assassins Creed
Sports: PES 08, Any Fifa game

My top three favourites are:

Lost Odyssey
Guitar Hero 3
GTA IV

Bottom three:

Eragon
Sonic (Retail)
Fusion Frenzy 2

According to MGC, I'm 525th in the world. That means at least 524 have the magical 100k!

23rd June: GS Update

The Update after the holiday! Yes, I now have a very bad tan. Menorca was great this time of year, but I still missed the thrill of achievement seeking - even when having a beer alongside the Mediterranean. Envious yet? =D

As a result of my 'week off', my 360voice had a field day, spouting all sorts of hatrid that my 360 was unhappy to be played. Take this excerpt:

If borandi doesn't play me tomorrow, I have this sinking feeling something really bad will happen... like a meteorite obliterates all life on earth and the EMP takes all electronic devices with it.

However, I've been busy since I've been back. Take a look at these games I've played:

Civilization Revolut'n 0 -> 855 of 1000 46 of 50 Achievements I've been a fan of the Civilization series since Civ II on the PC. I'd spend hours upon hours with the game. It would eat up my spare time. It would devour my sleep time and make me miss meals. This new game, CivRev, is no exception. No, seriously. I bought this game and starting playing it at 4pm. Last thing I knew, I was being messaged at 4am for some boosting on a different game. Then 20 minutes later, I was back on CivRev for another couple of hours. Now, I haven't spent that long on one game for ages. It's just something about the Civ series that makes players lose track of what day it is. Civ is a hard game to describe if you've never played it. In a nutshell, you control a Civilization (duh) - you decide whether to make new cities, to focus on science or money, to focus on attack or defence. Your surroundings determine whether you can attack, or whether it pays dividends to play one strategy over the other. It's turn based, so you move all your units and make all decisions, then it moves onto the next player. CivRev is fixed at 5 players (1 player, 4 CPU) on a fixed sized map. Each decision can yield 1000s of different combinations of potential outcomes, which is why CivRev games can take ages to finish. Compared to older Civ games, CivRev is essentially a dumbed down version in large print. The games are simpler, and the controls work well for a console. But CivRev captures the spark of Civ games. These games are still rough around the edges and need a little QA, but play beautifully and you'll want to keep playing them. The achievements of CivRev are fairly easy - win as every civilization, certain city achieves, a handful of easy ones that are unlocked in the first 15 minutes of play, and some hard ones, such as win on the hardest difficulty for every type of victory, and win by the year 1000AD. At time of writing, I'm 50th in the world on GS =D I play it too much maybe...

Big Bumpin 40 -> 60 of 200 4 of 12 Achievements This was the game that interrupted my CivRev marathon =D I was in a boosting party of four - we got one guy the achievements he needed, then he buggered off. The bastard.

GTA IV 580 -> 650 of 1000 38 of 50 Achievements A couple of achievements on GTA - win each type of MP game, and complete SP! I managed to do that final mission, eventually! In the end, I had to not focus on the main target - killing the guy. Only when I got to the final part (after the helicopter flight) could you actually kill him, so I did it then =D Now I'm on a quest for 100%. All that's left is - 200 pigeons, 50 stunt jumps, meet all random people and the 30 most wanted criminals.

Wits & Wagers 165 -> 200 of 200 12 of 12 Achievements Not much to say here - I got the final achievement, answer all 700 questions. It only took 150 games (2/3 nights with a turbo pad). However, it seems like it took longer for one guy on my friends list, who took nearly 400 games. Game Complete!

================================

GamerScore:	98,909 -> 99889
Zone:	Pro

Completed XBLA:	24 -> 25 / 59
Completed Retail:	49 / 201
GS Completion %:	46.10% -> 46.34%

Country Rank:	73 -> 71
World Rank:	515 -> 523
Completion Rank:	1,026 -> 990

===================

On a side note, I'm 111GS from 100k. I'll see if I can make 99999, not sure if exactly 100k is possible though if I go for that =P I have no plans to stop at 100k. However, I'm moving next week, so keep you're eyes peeled =D

No news

Sorry, no blog this week. I´m on my holiday here in Menorca!!! Unrelated, no new ZP either - they´re all at a show or something.

9th June: GS Update

A new look blog, with some frustrating/fun gaming this week =D

borandi likes to game, I like to game, this is a match made in heaven! It takes a gamer score like 98,884 to be as cool as him. That is a boost of 150 points over last time! He made some progress on NFS Most Wanted winning 1 achievement, Rock Band, PES2008, Blacksite, N+, Catan, Wits & Wagers finishing 4 achievements, and oh... don't tell borandi this, but I have been getting in a little video chat in the off-hours. Booyah!

I've noticed that I've been doing a lot of driving type games recently - this week, NFS:MW, but also the racing in GTA IV, etc. Along with that, some Rock Band, and pursuing various 360voice badges as well.

Wits & Wagers 165 of 200 10 of 12 Achievements I bought Wits and Wagers this week in order to go after that 3* Party Badge at 360voice. Along with Party Animals (see below) from LoveFilm, I should be getting this badge today. I've seen a couple of people with the full 200GS, and so far it's been quite easy to get GS. There is one main problem - as the questions are tailored to each region, I can't play with the US players (where the majority are) unless I change my Locale on my profile to the US. As such, I did and set up my Turbo pad to keep joining online games and answer the default answer for each question. Now I only need two more achievements - 'Play with 10 different people online' and 'Answer every question'.

Rock Band 50 -> 245 of 1000 13 of 50 Achievements Green Grass and High Tides, the final song on the guitar, was quite hard. With a few suggestions and an hour in practice mode, I finished the track, using the overdrive/star power only when I really needed it. As such, that makes all guitar difficulties complete! Along with that, Nellas and I are going through World Band Tour mode thing, and we've a couple of achievements in that mode. I've tried doing some singing on medium, only passing the tracks I actually know =D

NFS Most Wanted 10 -> 265 of 1000 11 of 15 Achievements Ah, what a frustrating game. My first achievement in this game was many, many moons ago. It's been labelled as an 'easy' game, and I was fed up with it sitting there on my profile with 10GS. I also want points towards my 1* Race badge at 360voice. So I'm about 1/2 way into this game now, and one controller fewer. The aim of this game is to meet certain requirements to race against particular people - win races, get police bounty. The downside is, in the races, a normal car/SUV/people carrier will appear out of nowhere, you crash into it, and the other cars will pass you, even though you've lead for 99.99% of the 8 minute race, meaning you have to do it again. Bleh. Also, with the police bounty, x360a.org has a nice guide to get bounty, but doesnt tell you how to lose the police in order to keep it. So I've had to devise my own method. This game is also very odd - the final two achievements are 550GS (iirc) in total, yet they'll probably be little difference in getting them.

Boogie Bunnies 30 -> 55 of 200 6 of 12 Achievements On Boogie Bunnies, I finished a level in under 2 minutes, got a large bunny combo and reached the jungle. I tried passing the beach levels twice now, but the bunnies never seem to line up nicely. Bleh. Still a bit away from my 1* Puzzle badge at 360voice.

Spider-Man 3 50 -> 110 of 1000 7 of 43 Achievements After large frustration at GTA IV (see below), in order to get my 1* Sandbox badge I decided to boot up this game (which is crap). It had several very easy achievements I hadn't bothered to get - Swing 50 miles, Ride 5 miles in a car, and go splat 25 times. Easy stuff.

GTA IV 550 -> 580 of 1000 36 of 50 Achievements Ah, another reason to get angry. On the achievements side, I completed all the assassination missions, and got further in the story. I actually only have 2 or so missions left, but the mission I am on is a biatch. It starts with a 15 minute or so gun fight, followed by chasing a boat in a bike then jumping into a helicopter. After the firefight, if you make one mistake on the chase, you fail. I've now done the firefight 5 times, only for the bike to crash, or the boat to glitch and speed off too quickly. Bleh.

Speedball 2 100 -> 130 of 200 9 of 12 Achievements A game I've neglected, but randomly decided to play when bored. Last time I left it, I was in the top division in league manager mode, and needed to win it to get the achievement. So I played the season, quitting out if it looked like I was losing. 15 minutes gave me that achievement.

Party Animals 720 -> 1000 of 1000 50 of 50 Achievements I got VP:PA from LoveFilm this week. Last time I got this, I should have finished the full 1000 - it's very easy. I had to do a 7 race game, then a few 1 race games to play as each characters second colour. Then find all the shortcuts, race every race, then play every game. Very easy. Game Complete!

BOMBERMAN Act:Zero 350 -> 425 of 1000 28 of 50 Achievements After some talk online about this game, I decided to put it in to get some more achievements. There are a few problems with the achievements of this game - some are online, and no-one plays it online; some take years of grinding. So I went online and actually found some players! I got the achievements for hosting 10 and playing as each colour/sex. With a boosting partner, I could probably get 600GS or so quite quick.

========================

GamerScore:	97,749 -> 98,909
Zone:	Pro

Completed XBLA:	24 / 59
Completed Retail:	48 -> 49 / 200
GS Completion %:	45.65% -> 46.10%

Country Rank:	262 (I switched to US for Wits and Wagers)
World Rank:	515 -> 508
Completion Rank:	1,026 -> 993

Liberty City Police Face Allegations Of Incompetence, Brutality

Taken from theOnion:

June 4, 2008 | Issue 44•23

LCPD officers deal with a shoplifting suspect.

LIBERTY CITY—With the city in the midst of a record crime wave, concerned citizens claim the Liberty City Police Department has done little to prevent the constant car chases, ongoing gun battles, and overall atmosphere of violence that pervade the area.

"I used to feel safe in Liberty City, but lately, it's been total mayhem," said night-shift worker Lola Del Rio, who spoke to reporters while sucking nervously on a red lollipop. "In the past week alone, I've been carjacked twice, run over 10 times, and witness to a half-dozen gunfights that ended with automobiles exploding. What are the police doing to stop all this?"

Officers respond to one of the 43,274 murders reported in the city last month.

Since the surge in crime, which began on April 28 at midnight, more than 830,000 civilians have been murdered—nearly one-tenth of Liberty City's total population. In addition, 35,000 vehicles have been reported stolen, many of which were then driven illegally over sidewalks and pedestrian walkways before plunging into the nearby Humboldt River. And according to startling figures released by local community action group Citizens for a Safer City, drug trafficking has become rampant and prostitution has increased by 800 percent.

"I was shot 14 times on my way to work today, including twice by police," said one Algonquin-area resident. "That is unacceptable."

Many blame the LCPD directly for the increase in criminal activity, citing the department's lax procedure for arresting criminals, which involves taking 10 percent of the suspect's money, confiscating his weapons, and simply releasing him from custody later that day. Outraged citizens say this is not enough, especially in a city where assault rifles can be found on factory roofs and grenade caches are located under the globe at the old World's Fair site.

"The police just let them go, and 20 minutes later they're shooting at the very same criminals from helicopters," veteran crime reporter Mike Whiteley said. "That is not proper law enforcement. We may be seeing a return to the bad old days of 2002, when the police, the FIB, and even Army tank battalions would leave countless bodies on the streets while attempting to capture just one man on some sort of joyful mass-destruction spree."

Perhaps even more alarming, city records indicate that more than 75 percent of perpetrators in mass-murder or vehicular-manslaughter cases escape, usually by simple methods such as driving into a car-repainting facility. Criminals have even eluded pursuit by walking into their apartment and going to bed for six hours, after which the search has been called off.

However, one LCPD official, who wished to remain anonymous, blamed the recent crime wave on the police department's lack of proper equipment.

"We are only equipped to pursue a suspect within a small radius on a very basic half-centimeter radar screen," the officer said. "If we were allowed to seek criminals who escaped this radius for more than 15 seconds, our results would improve dramatically."

"And to those who say the LCPD is too quick to resort to deadly force, remember that almost 850,000 police officers, FIB agents, and N.O.O.S.E. [National Office of Security Enforcement] team members have died in the line of duty in the past month," he added.

Nonetheless, residents say that their confidence in the Liberty City police force—low in the best of times—has eroded almost completely.

"I was buying a hot dog from a street vendor in Hove Beach yesterday when I saw someone run a red light, barrel down the sidewalk, careen into a garbage truck, exit his vehicle, steal a nearby convertible, and drive away," one Broker resident reported. "A nearby police car didn't even react. But when the car behind him nicked his fender, the officer shot the driver through the windshield and walked away."

"That is not the kind of law enforcement we want for our community," he added.

Most admit that the problem is not a lack of police presence, as the LCPD currently operates 15 different police stations throughout the city's four boroughs, and there is a seemingly infinite number of officers on duty at all times to respond to reported crimes. However, citizens say the officers' "shoot-first" mentality and willingness to accept bribes only contributes to the city's widespread violence and corruption.

"It's almost as if the cops in this town are as much an adversarial faction as the criminals," said public defender Kiki Jenkins, who is rumored to be instrumental in recent incidents of police being inexplicably pulled from chases and criminal pursuit. "Sure, we have excellent radio stations and an incredible range of things to see and do here. But if I were younger, I'd move to Mario World in a second."

(NSFW) Zero Punctuation: TWOWY (NDS)

ZP examines a JRPG. He hates JRPGs (whereas I love them), so I think this critique is a big pile of poo. Nevertheless, it's here for your benefit.