Reloaded Review: Resident Evil 5 (Xbox 360)

Publisher: Capcom
Developer: Capcom
Player:(s) Offline 1-2, Online 1-2
Genre: Survival Horror
Release Date: (NA) March 13, 2009 (JP) March 5, 2009 (PAL) March 13, 2009
Platform:(s) Xbox 360 (also on PS3, PC)
Rated: Mature

Resident Evil 5 is a game I have been meaning to review for a long time now since I have a lot to say about it. Keep in mind that I am a huge fan of the franchise and have been since the original game's release in 1996.

This game features series veteran Chris Redfield as he is deployed to Kijuju, Africa to join his new partner Sheva Alomar as they attempt to capture a man named Ricardo Irving who is attempting to sell a bio weapon on the black market. As the story begins, they quickly realize that something is going terribly wrong in the town.

I'll begin by discussing the pros of the game before I delve into the bad aspects of it. Resident Evil 5 features some of the best graphics on any console to date. The environments, character models, special effects and everything else look nearly photo-realistic. Everything in the game is so highly detailed that it's sometimes hard to tell what is real and what isn't.

One of the biggest features implemented in RE5 is the new co-op mode. You can literally play through the entire story with a friend and quite frankly, this is the only true way to play the game. Co-op is available both offline and online and any items and weapons you have obtained during your single player campaign are transferred over to online play. It's a very fun way to play through the story without having to deal with the A.I. and I'll get into that later.

RE5 features one of the series' best musical scores to date featuring both ambient musical pieces and adrenaline pumping music that cues in at perfect moments in the game which only adds to the intensity of your situation.

Seeing some of the characters from the older games like Chris Redfield and Albert Wesker was a huge bonus in my eyes and it was great to see how a story spanning over five games finally came to an end. The voice acting was also very good as far as most of the characters go. Some of them have pretty annoying voices and I wouldn't be surprised if they caused your brain to bleed in agony.

Replayability is also something this game does very well. Every time you clear a stage, you earn points to use in a library where you can purchase alternate costumes, weapon upgrades, trophies, and other in-game bonuses which will definitely keep you playing for a while so the price is worth the amount of content this game has.

Now onto the bad. The controls are really annoying and take a lot of getting used to. You cannot move while aiming and vice versa and considering they are pulling the Resident Evil series further and further away from it's horror roots and more into the action genre, they should have seriously made this an option at least.

Like I said before, the A.I. in this game is terrible and I'm not talking about the enemy A.I. Sheva is one of the dumbest characters in gaming history. She will constantly get hung up on obstacles, get lost somewhere in the level, walk directly into an enemy and get herself killed, and in one level in particular where you have to travel across a bunch of conveyor belts, she will constantly get pushed to the very end. Capcom did put a switch there to turn off the belt so maybe they knew they had screwed up on Sheva's intelligence from the very beginning.

My final and biggest complaint is that Resident Evil 5 is just Resident Evil 4 with a graphical overhaul. It's exactly the same game with very few changes, if any. Don't get me wrong though. Resident Evil 4 was a great game but you'd think Capcom would have improved upon this title in some way and you know it isn't a good sign when you're playing a game and suddenly start to feel deja vu.

If you are looking for a typical Resident Evil experience, you aren't going to get it here. The only thing that makes RE5 anything similar to the old games is that it features the characters. If you were introduced to the series through RE4 and have not been exposed to the older games then you will no doubt enjoy this one. I mean I enjoyed it, I just didn't like it as much as I thought I would. Adrenaline junkies and fans of fast-paced action games like Gears of War should definitely check it out, and even fans of the franchise itself should at least give it a rental to see how the story ends.

7/10

12/10/09 Colton West

GamesThirst Review: Super Mario Bros. Wii

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer: Nintendo EAD Tokyo

Player: (s) 1-4

Genre: Platformer

Release date: (U.S.) Nov. 15th, 2009 (Europe) November 20th, 2009

Score: 8/10

The story that takes place in New Super Mario Brothers Wii is very straight forward and fits in perfectly with the Super Mario universe. Princess Peach is kidnapped by Bowser once again and Mario, Luigi, and two other worthless toads must work their way through various worlds to get her back. As you can tell, it's a Mario storyline plain and simple.

New Super Mario features gameplay similar to that of the old school Mario games back on the NES and Super Nintendo days. The game features two main ways to play. You can either go through the story by yourself which I think would be far easier to do, but not as enjoyable as the multiplayer version which is where this game truly shines.

From the beginning, up to 4 different players can choose from a selection of 4 characters including Mario, Luigi, a blue Toad, and a yellow Toad. Once you have selected your characters, you begin to work your way through the entire game from start to finish. Now, you can either put in a helping hand and work together to make it to the flagpole at the end of each level, or you can battle it out and attempt to be the first player to arrive at the finish.

NSMB feels very much like a remake of the original Super Mario Bros on the NES as the levels are similar in design ranging from the Mushroom Kingdom sections to the underground levels and even the underwater worlds make a comeback. In the middle and end of each world, you must work your way through a castle and do battle with one of the Koopalings (Bowser's children) in duels that are very similar to the boss battles in Super Mario Bros. 3 on the NES.

Items from the series make a return like the mushroom that makes you big and allows you to take two hits, the fire flower which allows your character to hurl fireballs, and the star which makes you invincible for a short time. Aside from these classics, new items are also introduced into the game like an ice flower that allows you to turn enemies into blocks of ice, a propeller hat that allows your character to fly into the air, and a penguin suit that makes swimming much more precise.

The graphics are actually quite good for the Wii, but don't be expecting anything similar to Super Mario Galaxy as far as quality is concerned. You play 3D characters running along 2D backgrounds which allows for some rather stunning set pieces and the music overwhelms you with a sense of nostalgia.

Almost all of the music is reworked classics from the NES and SNES Super Mario games including the airship and boss music from Super Mario 3 and much more. Yoshi even makes an appearance just like back in Super Mario World where you can ride each Yoshi you come across. Yoshi can also swallow the other players as well which makes getting to certain sections in the levels much easier.

Now you may be thinking to yourself, "Wow this game sounds perfect!" Well no, it isn't perfect, but the faults can definitely be overlooked. When a character dies, the screen will freeze for a second, which can and most likely will distract the other players causing them to die as well. Also, sometimes you and another player will collide or accidentally jump on each other's heads which will more than likely cause one of the players to die which is why I believe playing through this game would be easier alone, just not as fun.

My last complaint with this title is that aside from all the accidental deaths caused by each player, the game is far too easy. Most of the time I found myself just running through everything, not needing to take time to plan out what I was going to do.

Overall, if you're a fan of Mario and have a bunch of friends to play with, this game is definitely for you. Multiplayer is where it definitely makes it's mark but the single player can be just as fun. For Wii owners wishing to quench their Mario craving and pass the time until Super Mario Galaxy 2 is released, this is definitely for you.

11/21/09 Colton West

Gametrailers responds to Gamesthirst, Gamesthirst is not moved by response

Recently I wrote an article sharing my disgust with our online family concerning Gametrailers 9.3 score they gave to Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. In the article, I pointed out that there was heavy bias in the review and some worthless comparisons to Gears of War 2 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. The reviewer said Uncharted 2 took ideas from CODMW and ripped off horde mode directly from Gears of War. He also said Uncharted 2 has no thrills but the game makes you feel like it does. There's a lot more in the review that I was not pleased with hence the inclination to write an article about it. Unsurprisingly, that piece circulated the web in countless forums, here are just some of them:

1) tech.metro.co.uk

2) pointofexistence

3) colonyofgames

4) tweetmeme.com

5) Trigeia

All of the above including Gametrailers were talking about the article, the pressure then became unbearable and recently, Editor-in-Chief of GameTrailers Shane Satterfied responded. Well we have news for Mr. Satterfield and Gametrailers, their responce to our article is straight up nonsense, and their Uncharted 2: Among Thieves review still reeks of bias.

"As far as people's criticism of the review are concerned, what I saw the most was people were upset that I dinged it so much for not being original. And that's the comment I saw the most on message boards and our comments. And the truth of the matter is it's not original. It doesn't really do anything that hasn't been done in other games."

"And people say 'oh well you compared it to gears of war, why did Gears of War get a higher score?' Gears was released a year ago. The original Gears of War was released way before that. So the expectations change overtime. You can't just create a 'me too' game where you grab all the features from all the games that are over a year old and expect to get the same score a year later for those same features."

"Now honestly, there was nothing original in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves to be perfectly honest with you, the 9.3 that game got is about as high a score a game like that is ever going to get on GameTrailers and that's the bottom line."

There's more, oh yes, there's way more, but I felt the need to stop now and respond to his seemingly grudge ridden chatter.

How can you sincerely say Uncharted does nothing new, therefore it could not receive a score higher than 9.3, yet you gave Halo 3 which brought NOTHING new to the table 9.8? I am no Halo or Gears hater, if you browse through GamesThirst you'll see the diversity of the news we deliver and the articles we post. That being said, I ask you, didn't Gears of War 1 & 2 borrow ideas from those before it? Sure, all games do that, yet still you gave them no flak for it; That's why I said in my first thread that sometimes I feel shady dealings go on behind the scenes where rich men call the shots dictating what is shown on the surface.

Your response is so sad, truly, how can you say Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is a "me too" game? You claimed it took all the "features from games before it, that were released a year ago and so a higher score cannot be expected. Yet, Forza took many ideas from the GT series, did you complain about it? Nope you didn't.

At the end, you try and redeem yourself by telling gamers to go out and buy Uncharted 2, but you know the damage has already been done, your stone has already broke through the glass; But you know what Mr. Satterfield? In four days Uncharted 2: Among Thieves will be in the hands of gamers the world over, and when they experience the genre defining title that's in their PS3, you and your site will lose credibility because of your score.

10/10/09 Ernice Gilbert

Quotes from around the web: Singing Uncharted 2 praises

Sometimes it's easier if you allow people to speak for themselves, in essence it's more authentic, more telling. So here are some quotes taken from around the web, made by journalists who've reviewed Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, hint: they're in love.

Kotaku's Brian Crecente: "Uncharted 2: Among Thieves succeeds in as many ways as possible: It had me telling my self "Just on more chapter" form the first to the 26th. It made me laugh at jokes and mutter in annoyance at characters. And for a moment at the end, touched me. Crecente continues, "I am not one to say something is the best ever or to dole out perfect scores, and Uncharted 2: does have its shares of trivial flaws, but to date, Naughty Dog's second adventure with Nathan Drake appears to be the best experience hitting a console this fall."

G4TV's Adam Sessler: "I'm not a 100% certain when it happened. I think its when I had Nathan Drake atop a building in a war-torn Nepalese city, cornered and being fired upon by a helicopter, engaged in a fist fight with the screen slowly draining of color, snapping my enemy's neck and quickly rolling into cover to reload my grenade launcher only to turn and fire upon the chopper once last time as I watched it crash and explode. I think this is when I realized that Uncharted 2: Among Thieves was the best single player game I have ever played."

Eurogamer's Tom Bramwell: "Whether or not multiplayer sticks, however, is arguably a footnote, because at the core of Uncharted 2 is an action adventure masterpiece whose minor flaws are washed away on a tide rhythm and spectacle - one that would still be and essential experience even without the option to pull your friends off cliffs and play capture-the-heirloom. For over a dozen pulsating hours, Nathan Drake is among thieves, just as Naughty Dog was when it made the first game by ransacking surrounding genres. By the end of Uncharted 2 though, Drake has found his place in the world, and so has the developer - among giants."

Joystiq's Justin McElroy: "The quality of story telling, from visual fidelity to the writing, embarrasses other games. Seriously, its almost depressing when you realize no other developers are putting this level of effort and heart into supporting gameplay with story. Of course, the narrative is helped in no small part by Nolan North and the rest of the cast that appears to have never been told that video games voice actors didn't try this hard."

1up's Thierry Nguyen: "What Uncharted 2 proves is that games are, at the very least craft. Just as Raiders is Speilberg at the top of his game, Uncharted 2 is Naughty Dog at the top of theirs, and further proof they are masters of their craft."

Gamepro's Tae Kim: "Uncharted 2 is just as good, if not better, than most Hollywood action movies. With fantastic production values, a cleverly written script, great voice-over work and a refined gameplay, Uncharted 2 is the second best thing that could have happened to the PS3 going into the holiday shopping season. With Kratos riding the pine until 2010, Nathan Drake steps up to the plate and delivers a home run for Sony."

These are just some of the journalists who've reviewed Uncharted 2 among thieves. What's that saying, if the crowed knows the song, then it must be good. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves will be out on October 13th in North America and October 16th in Europe and is available exclusively for the PS3.

09/30/09 Ernice Gilbert

GamesThirst Reviews Wii Sports Resort: Hand me the Sword please

Publisher: Nintendo

Developer: Nintendo

Player (s): Multi-Player

Genre: Sports

Release Date: July 26th 2009

Score: 8.9

With twelve new family-friendly mini-games and Nintendo’s new MotionPlus add-on, should you run to the store and spend your cash, or should you be content and get your game on with Wii Sports? In Wii sports Resort, not only do you get Nintendo’s new Technology, but also a chance to test your luck at Archery, Power Cruising, Bowling, Basketball, Golf, Canoeing, Frisbee, Wakeboarding, Table Tennis, Cycling and Swordplay.

So what’s my take on Nintendo’s latest effort you ask? Well after spending some long hours on this one, the verdict is in. For the most part it’s a very fun experience, one that’ll keep you coming back for more. You’ll also want to get your family and friends so they can play with you, since it’s way more fun with company. But I had issues with the some of the mini-games and also the fact that I had to cough up more cash to get another Motionplus for the extended family. Here’s my verdict.

What Quenched my Thirst

First off, Motionplus works marvelously. Wii Sports Resort is a respectable example of that, hence paving the way for third party developers to take full advantage of the Wii, (finally something to work with!). Let’s talk sports shall we?

Cycling: When I was a teen (that’s a long time back), my first good gift was a bike. Cycling is one of my favorite things to do, so experiencing it in my living from, albeit virtual, was fun. Nintendo made sure of that. Here’s how it works: you hold the remote and nunchuk like they were the handles of a bike, then take turns swinging them down and up as if they were pedals. Steering is simple, just tilt both controllers back and forth. I love the simplicity of the game, it includes one or two player road races, where you test your skills against a gang of Mii and a head-to-head two player race.

Air Sports: Hold the remote like a paper airplay, lead it around to control a Plane or a Skydiving Mii. There are three modes in Air Sports: Dog Fight, Island Flyover, and Skydiving. What I enjoyed most about this one was the Dog Fighting mode, where you essentially fly around the Island with a friend, all while balloons follow. You win by trying to burst each other’s balloons. It’s loads of fun.

Frisbee: To play Frisbee, you hold the remote like a Frisbee, then snap it, just like you’d throw the disc, only you’re not throwing anything. The dog then runs and catch it. Your objective is to get as close as possible to the glowing circle. It’ll take a good bit of practice to master Frisbee, but once you have, the rewards are satisfying. You can also unlock Frisbee Golf once you’ve played Frisbee Dog.

I also enjoyed playing, Table Tennis, Basketball, and Bowling, but my favorite was:

Swordplay and Archery: Maybe it’s because I love karate movies, or maybe it’s just the feel of fighting without being hurt by your enemy. I believe it’s the latter. In Swordplay, you simply swing the remote like a sword, holding the B button to block in four directions. To attack you swing in the same directions. You could play two-player duels, a speed slicing contest and the mode which pits a player against an armada of enemy Mii as you find your way along the map. Swordplay is definitely the best game I played on the resort. The game comes with ten maps and can be played in reverse. Archery on the other hand has three different settings of difficulty. To play hold the remote in your left hand and the nunchuk in the right, pull back the nunchuk and release the Z button to fire. The controls are ultra sensitive which balances out the game, giving a more rewarding experience.

What left a Bitter Taste

Wii Sports Resort comes with only one Motionplus which makes it almost impossible not to spend cash on and extra one, two or more if you want to enjoy with you friends and family.

Also why are there so many calibration breaks? The game tells you to put down the controller for a few seconds on a flat surface so it can recalibrate, but this becomes very frustrating because of how often it demands breaks.

Golf was not much fun either, you’ll feel like you were playing Wii Sports over again because of how unchanged it is. No extra modes, nothing to make your ears peak. It almost feels like they slapped Golf on for more variety.

And as for the Water Sports, it felt more like work than fun. There’s Wake Boarding, Power Crusing, and Canoeing. Canoeing is also very mundane, i never got attached.

The graphics were almost identical to Wii Sports, although the visuals look brighter.

So should you go down to your favorite retail joint and pick up Wii Sports Resort? My confident answer is yes. From the very moment you land on the Resort, you’ll be hooked and won’t want to leave. Ignore the faults in this one, because the good overshadows the bad.

08/03/09 Ernice Gilbert

GamesThirst Reviews Prototype: After Infamous, I’m left unimpressed

Publisher: Activision
Developer: Radical Entertainment
Player (s): 1
Genre: Action
Release Date: May 26, 09
Score: 7.0

It’s kinda hard when you’re huge fan of The Incredible Hulk series watching him roam the streets of New York City, feared by the helpless while being chased by the military, and another game becomes a clone. In many ways you feel kinda…..well….. Disappointed. Prototype, Activision’s new action adventure in many ways is The Incredible Hulk with a brand new character named Alex Mercer.

Go figure, the game was developed by the same guys behind the Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction (Radical Entertainment) and follows down twin paths. Both have super natural abilities, both takes place in New York City. Both are open world allowing characters to do almost anything, from climbing atop buildings and doing massive damage without thinking about insurance.

What Quenched my thirst
The freedom of roaming New York City, pushing through crowds, jumping over cars or running on rooftops gives you the feeling that you own the city. Your movement capabilities will be upgraded as you proceed on your journey. Gliding long distances will become child’s play later in the game as you blaze across the skies of New York. Speaking of journey, the sweet juice of Prototype’s story isn’t found on just a run through of the game, you literally have to stop and grab specially marked pedestrians which then triggers flash backs in your mind hence helping you fill in the blanks as you learn what your victims knew about the dangerous plot that made Alex Mercer the way he is. The flashbacks add a deeper intensity to the action and an added incentive for the player to scour the vast city adding more length and replay ability to the game.

Ever wanted to be a super hero? Well Alex’s you guy. His journey begins with powers already not natural to any human being. For example running up buildings and as you proceed you’ll notice that Prototype’s upgrade system will transform Alex Mercer into an astounding monstrosity. There are several power sets to utilize, each with their own unique uses and moves mostly manifested about the super hero’s hand. My favorite is the blade power which turns you arm into a massive edged weapon.

Alex can also take on the look or appearance of any NPC in the game allowing him to blend in seamlessly with the population and in doing so erasing any trace of his whereabouts. You will find yourself using this technique multiple times throughout the game, sometimes to escape and other times to get through enemy strongholds. Also, certain NPCs can be absorbed to learn new skills, example helicopter piloting proficiency.

Another neat aspect of the game is being able to hijack helicopter and tanks, moving towards your objective and laying the smack down on your prey. There’s also a special feature titled: “New Game Plus” Once you’ve completed the game, you can play through again with all the powers and abilities you’ve unlocked. This makes for a good payback because believe me you’re gonna get your butt kicked the first time around.

What left a bitter taste
The game’s difficulty is unbalanced, and that’s extremely irritating. One minute you’re proceeding while kicking some butt, the other you’re dead because they just yanked 3 then 4, plus 1 brand new foes at you, hence finding yourself back at the same check point too many times. The game is not well paced at all, you’re not gradually introduced to new enemies; they just come at you fast and furious. That’s very frustrating.

Apart from the flashbacks that occur when you grab specially marked pedestrians, the story of prototype is bland. No taste at all. The voice acting is so-so and it makes it very difficult to be stoked about what will happen next. You won’t be very intrigued by the characters, especially Alex’s sister; whoever did the voice acting for her character needed to wake up. She’s dry.

The side missions also left me confused. Though some missions synced well with the storyline, some just made no sense at all. What’s destroying a mutant hive has to do with the original plot? I mean, c’mon! I know it’s a side mission but at least make it be relevant in some way to the original plot.

Overall
The game is decent to say the least. While strikingly similar to The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, it’s good to see Radical Entertainment try something new. (most developers are afraid of new IPs). Prototype unleashes a monster’s share of power in your hand and it’ll feel good to scour New York City doing just about anything in order to attain victory. But after playing the master piece that’s Infamous, it’s hard to recommend Prototype as a must buy. Rent first because you might really enjoy playing this one, or you may not. Different strokes, different folks.


07/21/09 Ernice Gilbert