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Star Trek: The Game [Review]

Submitted by Ian Fisher on Tue, 04/30/2013 - 11:15
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Overall Feeling: 

Dull, repetitive, and lifeless. These are words I would’ve never associated with the Star Trek franchise but they perfectly encapsulate the experience that’s to be had in Star Trek: The Game.  As a companion piece to the movies there may be an ounce of enjoyment to be had since the film cast actually reprises their roles, with some actual luster and energy to boot, yet that isn’t enough to save a game that feels dated and like it missed every ounce of potential it held. 

The Pros: 

+ The film cast does a good job retaining the vibe found in their theatrical performances, especially that of Chris Pine.
+ Some of the locales do provide a nice visual style worthy of the Trek franchise.
+ Music is absolutely stunning.
+ If you ever wanted a co-op Star Trek game then now you have it.

The Cons: 

- Levels drag on endlessly and it doesn’t help that the actual variety is low.
- Visuals are below average and fail to convey the style found in the movies.
- Gameplay is dull and overly repetitive.
- A.I., both that of the companion character and enemies, is shoddy and often glitch prone.
- Story is passable, but has some major weak points and an enemy that’s nothing more than a tool rather than an integral narrative component.

ShogunGamer.com Rating : 
4

For the last sixty years we’ve had the Star Trek franchise as a key part of our culture, or at least our pop/geek culture.  Starting off small in a TV series that was in some cases ahead of its time, which is partly why it got the boot, Star Trek has gone on to become a major element of both the sci-fi world and genre TV in general.  Now rebooted under the direction of J.J.

Fast & Furious: Showdown Officially Announced By Activision

Submitted by Ian Fisher on Thu, 04/11/2013 - 08:44
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Remember that one time when a new Fast & Furious game was seemingly outed by an EB Games Australia online listing? Well since then, and the listing page being mysteriously removed, Activision has officially announced the game and yes, it’s coming out in less than a month.

New Fast & Furious Game Set To Arrive Soon

Submitted by Ian Fisher on Thu, 03/14/2013 - 08:37
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Our dreams may finally be close to becoming a reality since a game based upon the Fast & Furious franchise is seemingly upon us.  Starting out as a mere street based racing film way back in 2001, the Fast & Furious franchise has gone on to become one of the premier action film franchises due to stories and scenes that are so dumb and insane that it’s hard not to find them appealing.  Now the ever chiseled visage of Vin Diesel may be appearing in a new Fast & Furious game from none other than Activision. Yup, good old Acti is at it once again.

Another Hollywood Figure Bails Out Of The Games Industry

Submitted by Ian Fisher on Sat, 03/02/2013 - 13:40
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Yet another endeavor in the video game space by a prominent figure from Hollywood has resulted in nothing, thus showing once again that not everyone is suited to work in the world of video games.  Keen followers of the video game industry may remember a while back ago prominent Hollywood film producer Jerry Bruckheimer announced that he was venturing into the video game arena.

Aliens: Colonial Marines [Review]

Submitted by Ian Fisher on Tue, 02/19/2013 - 09:13
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Overall Feeling: 

The bad far outweighs the infinitesimal amounts of good within Aliens: Colonial Marines since the game is riddled with poor design choices, bad A.I., and action scenarios which become old hat.  Feeling rather archaic right from the get-go, Aliens: Colonial Marines doesn’t have enough of a personality to get by on fan-service alone since the story and writing is simply abysmal and feels like it was shoe-horned in with what remnants of the game which remained that were deemed passable enough to ship by the development team.  With a multiplayer mode that’s as equally forgettable as the single-player campaign, Gearbox Software has delivered one of the most disappointing FPS games this generation since it entirely missed the opportunities the Aliens franchise provides.

The Pros: 

+ Trophies/Achievements are easy.
+ It gave actors Michael Biehn (Corporal Hicks) and Lance Henriksen (Bishop) an easy paycheck for their voice acting contributions.
+ The single-player campaign is short so the horror thankfully doesn’t last long.

The Cons: 

- Story is complete non-sense that is filled with dialog that strives to be funny and dramatic yet isn’t.
- Gameplay is boring, lacks tension, and feels ancient in what it attempts to do.
- Graphics and tone are flat and lacks any kind of detail to really make the world feel fleshed out.
- A.I. is horrendous. Seriously, enough with the door humping from my comrades and Xenomorphs doing floor shuffles in corners.
- Multiplayer mode is simply there and isn’t addicting enough to warrant a long-term commitment.

ShogunGamer.com Rating : 
3

As someone who is a video game journalist/blogger along with being a lifelong gamer, I think I’m a good judge of character when it comes to an actual video game.  Like everyone else, I may have my personal preferences along with a few games that are guilty pleasures of mine, but all together I like to think I have an astute understanding of how to judge a game – even if it’s in the form of a preview/early showing.

Avalanche Studios Teases First In-Game Image Of Mad Max Video Game [Rumor]

Submitted by Ian Fisher on Wed, 02/13/2013 - 10:09
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This year is poised to deliver some amazing debuts through the arrival of the next-gen consoles from Sony and Microsoft. We may be privy to getting a small taste of what’s to come through Sony’s press conference next week, which will likely unveil the new PlayStation, but developers are finally beginning to drop some megabomb teases on us.

From Celluloid To Polygons: The Problems Of Movie Games

Submitted by Ian Fisher on Wed, 02/13/2013 - 07:04
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If there’s one thing that was more than proven this past week its that there’s almost no hope for video games based upon movies. I may be stating the obvious given the rather torrid history that gaming sub-genre has within the industry, but the release of Aliens: Colonial Marines is proof that there are a lot of fundamental flaws when it comes to adapting a movie into a video game.

Pacific Rim To Receive Video Game Treatment

Submitted by Ian Fisher on Fri, 02/08/2013 - 16:13
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Deep inside us I think we all desire to see a good game based upon a film like Man of Steel or Iron Man 3, and thankfully one upcoming film which has the geek world buzzing is actually receiving the video game treatment.

If you saw the Pacific Rim trailer and thought “wow, that would be a kick-ass video game” then your wish has been granted as such a thing is in the works.  Announced today by Legendary Pictures, Pacific Rim will be adapted into a series of video games for both the consoles and PC. 

007 Legends [Review]

Submitted by Ian Fisher on Tue, 10/30/2012 - 08:55
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Overall Feeling: 

Instead of coming across as a love letter to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the franchise, 007 Legends comes across as a soulless and poorly conceived game.   A familiar presence may be felt through the inclusion of classic Bond films, but everything that made those films memorable is either missing or has been trimmed in a barely recognizable or cohesive form.  With gameplay that feels archaic and like it was merely trying to meet its assuredly short development deadline, 007 Legends is a huge missed opportunity and is yet another example of how future Bond games need to go in a different direction, specifically one that isn’t influenced by Call of Duty.

The Pros: 

+ It’s possible to play the game without any annoying technical hiccups.
+ Aiming at the countless goons of Auric Goldfinger or Hugo Drax is easy thanks to the responsive controls.
+ The fact that Eurocom created this whole game with a short dev cycle is commendable, despite the obvious shortcomings it has.

The Cons: 

- The retelling of the classic Bond films is horrible since its missing the character that defined those films.
- A constant shoot-em-up approach results in an experience that quickly becomes tiresome due to the uninspired level design.
- Graphics are ok but are nothing that screams of the high-production values and sleek presentation people associate with the 007 franchise.
- Multiplayer modes featured some noticeable lag alongside the rather tepid gameplay and predictability of everything.
- The voice over replacement for Daniel Craig works in some instances but sounds incredibly stiff at times.
- The ending is flaccid to say the least.

ShogunGamer.com Rating : 
3

For the last 50 years we’ve seen James Bond defeat massive crime organizations, save the world from the brink of WWIII, escape otherwise deadly situations, and of course make countless women fall in love with him in less than a week.  The character of James Bond may be legendary due to his extraordinaire feats as a master spy, but what’s more impressive is that the franchise itself has lasted as long as it has.

First "Screens" Of Rambo: The Video Game

Submitted by Ian Fisher on Fri, 08/03/2012 - 08:44
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Right now gamers can channel their inner 1980s action hero by experiencing The Expendables 2: Videogame, which to put it bluntly is a complete waste of money.  I won’t delve too deeply into what’s wrong with the video game adaptation of The Expendables 2, but suffice to say that it hasn’t exactly hit the chords gamers wanted it to achieve. Hope isn’t entirely lost though as we could have the ultimate dumb 1980s inspired action experience via another Sly Stallone vehicle – Rambo.

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