Review: Batman Arkham City: Armored Edition

Platform: Wii U 

Developer: WB Games Montreal

Publisher: WB Games 

# of Players: 1 

ESRB Rating: T (Teen) 

Official Site 

Score: A- (95%) 

Nintendo-only console owners have most likely been hearing about how stellar Batman: Arkham City was on the PS3 and Xbox 360 for long enough that I've heard of some of the more hardcore fans of the Dark Knight plunking down the money for a competing console and a copy of the game. For the rest of you who waited it out, you're getting the definitive version of Arkham City that not only features every bit of DLC (on the retail disc (not as some download you need to buy or add before you play), but great new GamePad exclusive functions and some nice new costumes that make the experience even better than before. I'm console agnostic myself, so as soon as I heard this was coming out, it made it to the top of the list of "ports" that had to be played. While perfection comes thanks to the wealth of content old and new, some minor technical issues break the illusion from time to time. Nevertheless, WB Games Montreal has done some amazing work in bringing Rocksteady Studios' smash onto a new console in such fine order.

Incoming 2! NEOGEO X Gold... GET!

Yeah, yeah, yeah... I couldn't help myself. Pre-order placed (thanks Best Buy!), as people are already trying to sell these for almost $100 more (and up!) on eBay. Lovely on them, but not when you can get it at its actual price and with free shipping to boot. Some in the industry think and keep going on about dedicated handheld systems being dead thanks to the glut of me-too mobile devices, but I say they're dead wrong if someone manages to do something as cool as this. I'll get a review up on one of the blogs sometime in mid-December after my system arrives. Now, go get one of your own, I say...

Or maybe get one for that gamer guy or gal on your Nice list - they'll thank you 'til the cows come home!

Three More Wii U Quick Takes (Before I Go Back To Playing)...

I'm in a Sergio Leone sort of mood, what with all this chaos happening in my tiny corner of the blogosphere, so here you go: a tiny bit of humor to lighten the mood...

THE GOOD! TANK! TANK TANK! Is basically a riff on Sandlot's Earth Defense Force series of games, but with all tanks, all the time, a lot of them to unlock and some pretty fast-paced levels. Playing on the Gamepad is pretty awesome and you can even play multiplayer with bots in case you can't get online (or don't want to). Nice.

THE BAD! For some crazy reason, Nintendo seems to think EVERY potential Wii U owner has a HDTV (thankfully, the console supports standard definition TV's, but you need to set the system up correctly) AND a solid broadband connection. You absolutely CANNOT register the console unless you connect online, which is quite stupid. The company should have thought ahead and included a "low-fi" option (old-school reply card, toll-free phone number, online registration for dial-up users, whatever) for people who want to get those 160 Club Nintendo points for filling out the registration survey. FIX THIS!

& THE UGLY! The otherwise superb enhanced port of Tekken Tag Tournament: Wii Edition is GREAT and quite spectacular to play (long load times aside), but some of the Wii U exclusive features are silly to the point of distraction. In particular, the Mario, Luigi and Peach costumes for some of the characters just look really dumb (at least I thought so). It wouldn't be so bad if there were ONE character stuck in those ridiculous get-ups, but, noooooo - here you see too many of the same goofy costume. Granted, there are a bunch more Nintendo-themed outfits to see (and yep, anyone looks good as Link), but it would have been nice to have a choice from the beginning. Fear not, Namco Bandai - I'm not going to dock the game any points for having to look at Paul Phoenix and a few too many others in the game with those red overalls, bag, fake nose and familiar mustache.

OK, back to working on some games and plotting out some more reviews... Back in a bit.

To those who celebrate it - Happy Thanksgiving, by the way!

Random Film of the Week: COLOR ME OBSESSED: A Film About The Replacements

For a film that hasn't a single second of their music, zero interviews with surviving band members and only briefly shows a few photos of the band at its ending, COLOR ME OBSESSED: A Film About The Replacements manages to be one of the best documentaries on any subject I've seen this year. Whether or not you agree with the "Best Band Ever" status the Replacements have among their most avid fans, director Gorman Bechard (a seriously obsessed fan of the band himself) makes the case for this haughty title thanks to a series of outstanding interviews with their their peers of the period (fellow musicians and producers, that is), die-hard fans young and old and even a few Hollywood types, all who reveal their love (and sometimes hate) for the band as the film progresses.

Like any great music documentary, COLOR ME OBSESSED will make you want to track down the band's back catalog of releases because the stories you'll see told about their work are more than compelling enough to make you want to create a playlist based on the songs and albums discussed. One very cool thing here is how Bechard compares each of their releases to the biggest selling albums of the year they were released in. You'll find out that compared to top acts of the time, the "Mats never sold a ton of albums throughout their history, but the loyal fan base and critical acclaim they received all added to their legendary status. At least as far as their recorded works...

Video Game Appreciation 101 - Gallery: Wii U Stuff

 

Well, my crappy site destruction issues aside, things aren't a total freak-out here. My Wii U arrived as well as some games, so I've been buried in setting up and diving into everything so I can get reviews posted here while also figuring out my next move in terms of getting a new site up and running. In the meantime, here's some...

Fun Wii U info:

1. Low-Fi Gamers, Beware. It doesn't come with standard AV cables and the default screen setting is for 16:9 HD sets (you get a nice HDMI cable), so don't sell that Wii off if you've got an old analog TV or else you'll need to shell out for a new first-party cable when you buy the system. That sales clerk at Gamestop or wherever won't even bother to ask what sort of TV you have, I'd bet.

2. You don't need to download that update UNLESS you want to use the online features. Granted, Nintendo WANTS you to be social an all, but if you can't get online for whatever reason, you can still play single player or couch-co-op games out of the box. The system will play those games without setting up an account. It took me about 10 minutes to set up my system from opening the box to glancing over the quick start sheet and piecing everything together. Par for the course, Nintendo has made it pretty easy to get up and running. You get a bunch of stuff like a pair of "feet" for the Wii U that give it a nice profile) a charger cradle and GamePad stand (one's a dedicated charger, one's just a stand), but don't you dare toss anything you think you aren't going to use. You'll be buying a second GamePad at some point so yeah, you'll need somewhere to set it, right?

3. Nintendo Land is pretty cool (but EVERY game should have had a solo play component). I wasn't expecting much (and a few of the games could have been a bit better), but leave it to Nintendo to make mini-games that are basically extended tutorials VERY fun and even more rewarding. Pikmin Adventure is my favorite, and it needs to be expanded upon with bigger maps and turned into a full-fledged game. Heck, it's good enough as it is to get put on the 3DS, but what's here is addictive and has a nice old school meets new school thing going for it. More on the other games in my review...

4. You can play Batman: Arkham City completely on the Gamepad (and it's quite impessive). Yeah, yeah - everyone is talking about the new Mario game, but for me WB Montreal's super-duper port of Rocksteady's already amazing game will make Vita owners REALLY pissed. Granted, there IS some annoying slowdown in spots, but the incredible amount of content here (ALL the DLC packs, new costumes and added GamePad functionality) makes this the best version of the game to date.


There's a lot more to cover, but I'll get to some of that when I start putting reviews together...

OK, back in a bit - Tekken Tag Tournament is calling me and there's still a big chunk of Arkham City to explore.

Babycastles Summit Info - Get Ready For A Big Gaming Blast!

Are you going? This is looking like the event of the year for the NYC gaming "scene" (eek), but I'm not going to gawk at geeks and geekettes galore. No, sir - I'm all business, mister! OK, I'll dip into that game project thing and see what's what and maybe smile once or twice (I'm near my quota for the month already)... 

BABYCASTLES SUMMIT AUGUST 24th 25th 26th featuring KEITA TAKAHASHI IVAN SAFRIN KAHO ABE NEIL FRIDD Brought to you by NYU GameCenter CITE Game Innovation Lab TAKAHASHI TAKES NYC Special Interview with Keita Takahashi by Frank Lantz ✌ THREE DAYS OF ✌   BANDS ✌ WORKSHOPS ✌ TALKS Inspired by Keita’s kid-friendly play-scape designs and Anna Anthropy's book, "Rise of the Videogame Zinesters: How Freaks, Normals, Amateurs, Artists, Dreamers, Drop-outs, Queers, Housewives, and People Like You Are Taking Back an Art Form" Our goal is to inspire and encourage people who didn't think they could make games to make games. Babycastles will be building four video game play-scapes designed by Keita Takahashi In association with Kaho Abe, Neil Fridd and Ivan Safrin. They will be on display and available for play throughout the summit at the Museum of Art and Design. RSVP HERE. 2 Columbus Circle // NEW YORK // NY 10019 Sponsored By THE NYU GAME CENTER CITE GAME INNOVATION LAB ALSO ANNOUNCING: Join Gameifesto and Babycastles on a journey through videogame's dynamic history, from the arcade to the living room and beyond, we'll discuss how technology, design, culture, and commerce have all influenced each other to create the most important medium of the 21st century. Featuring Anna Anthropy, Nolan Bushnell, Phil Fish, Tim Schafer, Keita Takahashi, Doug Wilson + more! #WhatsInAGame CHECK OUT OUR DEBUT TRAILER PREMIERE NICE HAIR The Babycastles summit is a three-day series of talks, panels, bands, hands-on workshops and custom video game installations designed by Keita Takahashi, game designer of Japan’s Katamari Damacy.  The summit will be hosted by the Museum of Art and Design from August 24th through the 26th as part of the “Fun Fellowship”. GET YOUR TICKETS HERE JEAN CLAUDE VAN JAM A NEW GAME JAM ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★ celebrating the film career of the most excellent actor  JEAN-CLAUDE VAN DAMME ☜ ☚ ☜ ☚ ☜ ☚ ☜ Come make games with Babycastles & Eyebeam! --------- RSVP www.jeanclaudevanjam.com BABYCASTLES WANTS YOU to join our Volunteer List

☺ HELP US OUT AND VOLUNTEER  xoxox  - Syed Salahuddin, Colin Snyder and all of Babycastles

The Walking Dead Season 3 Trailer: So, Prison Was A Bad Idea After All, Huh?

 

I still haven't read the comics yet (other than six pages of the first issue), so I'm really not one of those complaining about anything different from the books or how Season Two wasn't packed top to bottom with zombie slaughterhouse action every single episode. I loved much of the pacing and tension in the last season and hell, that payoff was worth it in the last few shows, right? Season Three looks to be a bit more chaotic, but I'm hoping to hell the show's writers aren't going to respond to EVERY criticism about downtime by going full-tilt with the weapons to the head or flesh-chomping just to feed those who can't grasp a damn great story that takes TIME to evolve their weekly meal. Given that the comic has hit issue #100, I can see the show going on for a while... but I'd say they'd need to replace (or get rid of) some characters before they start getting too old to be the ages they're supposed to portray...

Free DREDD 3D Advance Screening Chance At San Diego Comic-Con!

 

Going to San Diego Comic-Con? Want to see DREDD 3D for FREE? Well, OK, then! Here's info direct from Lionsgate on how to get in on this:

We're excited to announce that Lionsgate is kicking off San Diego Comic Con 2012 with an Advance Screening of Dredd 3D!!  

**SCREENING:

When: Wednesday, July 11th, 10:00PM

Where: Reading Cinemas Gaslamp. 701 5th Ave., San Diego

Note: Star Karl Urban will introduce the screening!

To learn more about the above, and register for the exclusive screening, visit www.JudgementIsComing.com and retweet DREDD 3D's tweet! #JudgementIsComing

**MASTERS OF THE WEB PANEL:

When: Thursday, July 12th, 4:30PM - 5:30PM

Where: Room 24ABC

What: Masters of the Web - The annual gathering of some of the most prominent and influential film pundits on the web discuss the film industry, writing for film online, film fandom, and a whole lot more. Moderated by star of the new Lionsgate film Dredd, Karl Urban (Star Trek, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King), with special surprise cast members from the film. Panelists include Mike Sampson (ScreenCrush.com), Jen Yamato (MovieLine.com), Mali Elfman (ScreenCrave.com), Erik Davis (Movies.com), Steve "Frosty" Weintraub (Colider.com), Grae Drake (Fandango.com), Jenna Busch (Cocktails with Stan Lee), and Edward Douglas (ComingSoon.net), and hosted by John Campea (AMC Theatres). AMC is generously providing free movies passes to all attendees of the panel this year! Room 24ABC

http://www.facebook.com/dreddthemovie

http://www.twitter.com/LionsgateMovies

#Dredd3D

It's May, So That Must Mean It's Max Payne Month...

With Rockstar teaming up with Marvel Comics and rolling out a Max Payne 3 comic (digital and limited retail release), the game arriving soon afterward and a bunch of ads all over doing their thing, I'm predicting old Max will be feeling better about himself once he's back in the gamer eye for a bit. I'll be covering the game on the NEW DAF blog, so remember to boogie on over thataway to see what I think of Rockstar's wrap-up to the series (well, it's looking like some sort of finale, but I'm expecting to see Max pop up elsewhere at some point in some playable form)...

A Shadowrun Reboot Is On Kickstarter. That's All You Need To Know...

For me, FASA's Shadowrun was (and is) one of the great gaming experiences from the 90's back on the Super Nintendo and Genesis (I never played the tabletop games at all, my loss, I know) and now it's coming back as a Kickstarter project. Even better, it's a single player RPG, not some shooter, MMO or co-op focused game that goes far away from what the originals were. Hmmm... this crowdfunding thing is getting out of hand... but in an extremely good way. Still, I can see bigger publishers wanting to muscle in on things even if Kickstarter won't let them. How so? Well, I can't imagine some of the more important publishers today NOT being a bit ticked off that people are putting up MAJOR money to get smaller indie projects done while ignoring quite a lot of AAA titles for any number of reasons. My only problem with all this is the lack of retail versions of most of these Kickstarter games, or at least the promise of budget-priced disc versions that don't come with a bunch of swag some have no use for. One of these days I really HOPE someone puts out a few of these titles on something a lot more permanent than an invisible download...

It's 2012! Yay! Now Get Back to Work!

You'd think we'd be used to a New Year rolling in every year, but nooooo. All those people packed into Times Square don't realize that for 12 hours or so, inmates in prisons have MORE freedom than they do. Bathroom breaks, less security (in some cases), no standing 'til their legs go numb, and so forth and so on. Of course, at least those tourist get to go back to their hotels and most of them know who they're smooching when that ball drops... eek.

Anyway, Guys and Dolls... Happy New Year! Now, let's keep the damn planet around for 2013 and beyond!

TGS 2011: Inversion Teaser Trailer

Saber Interactive's innovative gravity flipping cover-based shooter is one of those games you HAVE to play to fully grasp. This action-packed teaser is a fun clip, but I can see some people mistaking it for yet another Gears of War clone (when it's FAR from it). As I've said previously, this one will surprise a lot of people once they get their hands on it. Hopefully Saber can make the full experience as rewarding and surprising as what I've seen and played so far. A Vita version down the road would be really sweet as well.. but let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet.

TGS 2011: Ni No Kuni Coming To PS3 In North America Next Year

Fantastic. Level-5 and Studio Ghibli's gorgeous single-player RPG Ni no Kuni: Shiroki Seihai no Joō has been one of the most desired for localization imports of the last few years. The game revolves around a young boy who enters an alternate world using a magical book in order to try and resurrect his late mother. The Nintendo DS version, Ni no Kuni: Shikkoku no Madōshi was released last year to rave reviews in Japan and excellent sales, so it's pretty much guaranteed that the November 2011 Japanese release for the PS3 will be equally successful. As soon as we find out who's localizing and publishing the US version, that news will become available.

While no word of an English localization of the DS version has been announced, I'd imagine Nintendo (and Nintendo of America) wouldn't let Sony steal all the glory by getting the only version of this eagerly awaited game to gamers outside of Japan. That and the Japanese version of the DS game came in a really cool over-sized box thanks to the game manual designed to look like the magic book the main character carries and yes, it would indeed be great to see a similar package hit US as well as UK and European retailers.

TGS 2011: Namco Bandai Trailer Blowout: TOO Many Good Games + Some Surprises

Yikes. I don't have time to write up separate posts for all of these, so I'll let the assortment of trailers above and below (and below the the jump) show you some of what's cooking at TGS from Namco Bandai. Between the nice support for PS Vita and 3DS plus the other key console titles coming, it's clear that the publisher is really intent on bringing it where it counts. There's definitely something for just about every taste in this lineup. I'll try and get some screens up this weekend or next week, as I'm swamped with a few reviews and such to get done. I will say that Katamari looks like it will be an absolute dream on Vita, especially with the double touchscreen deal...

Starhawk Trailer Shows Off Some Surprisingly Stellar Flying Combat

Excellent. Every time I see more of this game, I just KNOW it's going to be one of 2012's best in terms of both single and multiplayer action. Lightbox Interactive is going above and beyond the call here, that's for sure. The game looks gorgeous, is super fast and I love how the trailer manages to be funny as well as thrilling no matter how many times you watch it. Sony has been on a big roll with the first-party games and 2012 is going to continue the streak with a ton of solid titles.

TGS 2011: Street Fighter X Tekken Trailer Twofer

Hmmm... If Capcom and Namco somehow ever fail at this whole games thing, they definitely have a future in making some pretty funny comedies starring their Street Fighter and Tekken game characters. Of course, I'm kidding, but that TGS trailer above is pretty darn hilarious. Below is the new Pandora Mode, which looks like a ton of fun. I'm more of a sit down with someone on the same couch kind of player when it comes to these fighters, but then again, I'm no competitive player at all. I just love checking out all the animation and art that goes into the games, win or lose.

TGS 2011: Dragon's Dogma Trailer

The more I see of Capcom's action/RPG, the more I like what I see. Granted, I don't think it'll be as ridiculously huge as some of the other open-world RPG's from this or last year, but there's no doubt that it'll be one of those games that pulls in players willing to succumb to its charms. Hell, at this point trying to compare too many of these games is a losing battle, kids - just play as many of these epics as you can fit into your schedules and enjoy them based on their own merits. None take place in the same worlds, so it's a fool's errand to tackle criticizing point for point aspects (unless there's some sort of magic crossover system in your favorite console). I hope this pops up as playable at NYCC next month, as I need some hands-on time so i can see how cool it really is.

Max Payne 3: First Trailer

Rockstar's take on Remedy's modern noir character goes for a really intriguing mix of elements for its third installment, set for a March 2012 release on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. I'm liking the visuals, color palette and overall tone of the trailer. As usual, Rockstar KNOWS how to sell a story with a trailer that also shows off their latest tech in action. This definitely isn't the game some are "expecting" but it's sure as hell going to be washing the taste of that film out of the heads of anyone who paid to see it. I can't wait to get some hands-on time with this one and see how it plays. So far, I'm betting it'll be a hit (in part due to the pedigree). The trailer can be viewed by clicking on the image above. On a side note, someone needs to sue the ESRB (or at least make them see the light) so they can stop this nonsense about restrictive age gates and such.

TGS 2011: Dead or Alive 5 (Pre-Alpha) Gameplay Footage

Nice. Self-shadowing on the characters, still wickedly fast and while yes, not as "technical" as some other fighters, the game still packs quite a (wait for it) punch. PS3 and Xbox 360, sometime in 2012, I'm guessing. Expect more trailers with the ladies of DOA to show up at some point, as they're the draw for some of this longtime series' fans.

Super Monkey Ball Coming To PS Vita

Get it through your skulls, people: unless they can turn back time, Sega has NO plans to make a Dreamcast 2, period. Too much money down the drain in R&D plus the sad fact that the industry isn't going to support standalone home consoles in this rush to enforce digital evolution, which is a bad idea at the end of the day. Trust me, when there's a service outage along the lines of this year's PSN debacle spread across whatever set top "cloud" box is in your house, you'll be wishing you had a few consoles and physical games to fall back on while you're waiting for service to be restored. THAT said, those cute as hell monkeys are back, this time on the Vita. Sega may not be cranking out consoles these days, but they sure as heck know how to produce and publish some great games. SO, focus your attention and gaming dollars on cool titles like this and help Sega thrive where it's doing its best. That is all...