E3 2009: G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra..the
interview

post from Gaming Nexus on 10 June 2009 10:11:00 AM. © Gaming Nexus

by: John Yan
NEWS - So here I am taking a look at G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra video game at the EA booth. Considering how exhausted I was as well as being pretty much unprepared for the interview because Chuck just handed me the mic, it didn't turn out too bad. The game kind of reminds me of the old G.I. Joe arcade game a bit. Anyways, check out the demonstration of the upcoming movie tie-in game.

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Review: Zoomaroom

post from Destructoid on 10 June 2009 10:00:00 AM. © Destructoid

Review: Zoomaroom screenshot

Zoomaroom generated a decent amount of critical buzz when it was released for Xbox LIVE Community Games. Since then, we’ve learned what to expect from the platform and perhaps raised our collective expectations. I fully believe skilled developers can create feature-rich, quality titles on the downloadable platform.

Zoomaroom sounds great on paper: it’s a platformer with light puzzle elements. It also allows players to create their own levels and upload them via Xbox LIVE.

So, does the title rock? Hit the break for the review.

Zoomaroom (Xbox 360 Community Games)
Developer: 4bros
Released: February 20, 2009
MSRP: 200 Microsoft Points
Read more about our Community Games Review Challenge

I began playing Xbox LIVE Community Game Zoomaroom before I abandoned my Xbox 360 and apartment for Los Angeles, California, to attend E3 2009. I didn’t miss the game during the week I spent at the busy convention center. In fact, I was relieved I didn’t have to mess with it -- there are some games I don’t miss.

After returning home to my lovely ladies -- my cats, those little darlings -- and my gaming machine, I grimaced and hoisted the controller once again. The bad impression stuck with me throughout the rest of my play for a good reason: it is indeed the clunky title I thought it was before E3.

Zoomaroom -- it’s killing me to smash those words together -- is a physics-based platformer with a dash of puzzler. In the game you control a, uh, monkey with a sphere for a chest. The monkey doesn’t move traditionally. Instead, he rolls on his magical sphere, which I suppose contains a heart, rib cage, colon and so forth.

As this magical monkey ball, it’s always your goal to reach endpoints clearly designated by doors. The problem is, of course, reaching these end points: enter the platformer and puzzler elements.

The more the monkey rolls, the more steam he gathers, which allows him to jump higher and traverse the game’s innumerable basic stumbling blocks -- ramps and the like. But the game doesn’t stick to a Mario Bros. mold. Several physics-based obstacles will impede the monkey’s journey: obstacles like boards balanced precipitously on triangular foundations, teleports that push the monkey in one direction hastily, and traditional falling beams that collapse under pressure.

And that’s just a short list of stuff in your way.

The game’s driving force is momentum, something I take issue with. The controls are floaty: I’ve missed hundreds of jumps, collided with countless enemies, and have vastly overshot goals.

The physics-based objects -- especially the boards -- are also a hassle. Unlike the monkey, the objects in the game have some weight. The problem lies within their erratic behavior: a board will move one way one time, and the next time, it’ll move differently. In the mini-roller coaster levels, the manic behavior drove me nuts. Riding a board down a steep slope and losing because it randomly flips is a bummer.

If you can stomach bad controls, the game has plenty to offer for a Community Game. It has a robust item system: grappling hooks, flamethrowers, jet packs, rockets and bombs are all available to solve the game’s numerous, yet simple puzzles.

The level design is superb. Each level -- and there’s a ton of them -- is unique. Some emphasize the puzzle solving, others momentum (falling, jumping) and still others good old platforming of the maze variety. I rarely did the same thing twice.

The game certainly has charm: the bright visuals and playful arenas are cute and worthy of a look if you're not down with brown and tired of Locusts.

There’s also a level editor that allowed me to add and subtract any asset in the game that my little black heart desired. It also gave me the option to share it with others, but unfortunately, there was never anyone around to share it with. I suppose you can also download other people’s levels, but again, there was never anyone around.

Zoomaroom is definitely worth a trial. Just be careful with your money. The bad stuff in the game (the floaty controls, erratic behavior of objects and obstacles) ultimately outweighs the good (the character, the creation options, and puzzle element).

Score: 4.5 -- Below Average (4s have some high points, but they soon give way to glaring faults. Not the worst games, but are difficult to recommend.)

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Cyril compares 1 vs 100 to the canceled TV show

post from Gaming Nexus on 10 June 2009 09:51:00 AM. © Gaming Nexus

by: John Yan
NEWS - I watched 1 vs 100 once or twice but never got into it. I know Microsoft's trying to turn it into a game but like the TV show, I really don't know if I can sit through more than a session or so. Cyril did get into the beta to try it out and you can read his thoughts on the game as well as how it compares to the show. Has anyone else tried to beta and liked it?
This is Cyril after learning he was in the beta.Comment

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EA: Motion control games to take 'half the
market'

post from Destructoid on 10 June 2009 09:40:00 AM. © Destructoid

EA: Motion control games to take 'half the market' screenshot

The term "motion control" is starting to make me feel slightly queasy, not least of all because the industry has flocked to it and considered it the future of gaming, when we've been doing nonsense like this since the mid-nineties. Electronic Arts has been more than happy to jump on the bandwagon, declaring that motion controls will take half the market.

EA CEO John Riccitiello believes that games will have an even split between waggle and traditional controls, at least stating that proper controllers won't be obliterated by things like Natal: "My guess is that where this ends up is: motion controllers end up with half the market. And the other half still ends up with a more traditional game controller.

"I really don't know if you're going to want to play FIFA with a motion control device. First off, a 75-minute session would be frigging tiring, jumping all over the place. And frankly the traditional controller is pretty fun. I don't know where, for example, shooters end up, but the camera and/or infra-red reception doesn't give you the precision for a shooter that you get out of a traditional controller. While you can certainly look at Natal and say, yes I can have a gun and do this with it, I don't know that that's necessarily how I want to play."

You and me both, John. Fat people like me don't even want to stand up to pee, let alone play videogames.

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Scans of Game Informer with Max Payne 3

by: John Yan
NEWS - The next Game Informer magazine is going to have a big story on Max Payne 3. You can see some scans of the magazine from GOOnl!ne if you don't have access to the magazine or just want an early look. The game takes place 12 years after the second one and will feature a cover system. I'm looking forward to this one after an OK first game and a very fun second game.Comment

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Ex GN-staffer, James Stevenson demos Ratchet &
Clank Future: A Crack in Time at E3

by: John Yan
NEWS - I ran into James at E3 the first day actually at the Ratchet & Clank area of the PlayStation booth. It's always good to meet up with folks who have worked for the site in the past. James is now with Insomniac Games and here is demoing Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time at this year's E3. Take a look and see what's been added to the series.

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