Mastertronic is bringing its second collection of PopCap’s finest casual games to shelves with PopCap Volume 2, releasing in March this year. This second instalment of hit games (again, coming exclusively to Xbox 360) features Plants vs. Zombies, Zuma, Heavy Weapon and Feeding Frenzy 2.
While all of these titles are available to purchase off the Xbox Live Marketplace, by providing a retail compilation Mastertronic are opening up the games to a completely new audience who may not have their system connected to Xbox Live. Furthermore, buying this game should work out cheaper than buying all of the games as downloads individually, and will also result in a hard copy in your hands rather than a digital download.
PopCap Hits Vol. 2, will be released on Xbox 360 on 11th March 2011 at a mid price point.
If you have had an itch for a new flight sim, Ubisoft have IL-2 Sturmovik: Cliffs of Dover hitting shelves in a little under a month to fill that craving. This brand new installment in the series will be PC exclusive and set players in the 1940 skies, during the battle between British, the German and the Italian air forces.
Here is a full list of features from Ubisoft for IL-2 Sturmovik: Cliffs of Dover:
New aircraft: incredibly detailed true-to-life modeling of aircraft systems based on thousands of hours of dedicated research. Every single aircraft component can be damaged for realistic and immensely satisfying results.
Flyable aircraft – Over a dozen famous and highly detailed English, German and Italian aircraft available, with all crew positions open to players. All flyable aircraft have been painstakingly researched, resulting in incredibly accurate cockpit interiors.
Non-flying aircraft – 13 additional AI-controlled aircraft are also available, created with the same attention to historical accuracy, for an even more varied and immersive combat environment.
Modes Include:
Exciting Single-Player Campaign – The campaign thrusts the player into the middle of the battle. The player will join the British Air Force to fight the German forces and renegade pilots on his own
Massive multiplayer – Customizable modes range from simple death match-style free-for-alls to epic, ongoing 128 player battles that can last hours, days, weeks, or even longer.
Interactive training – Comprehensive interactive training for new players – fly a real WWII trainer plane with a computer controlled instructor through a series of training missions.
Brand new setting – The battle will take place on a large area spanning London and southern England in the north, to Northern France and Belgium in the south. The huge map will contain thousands of historical cities, towns, roads, airfields, radar stations, ports, and industrial areas – all located exactly where they were in 1940.
New 3D engine – Latest-gen graphics engine with DX10 and DX11 API support. Huge variety of photorealistic ground vehicles, buildings and other environmental elements recreate minute details of 1940s Europe.
Customizable difficulty – dozens of realism options allow newcomers to the franchise to reduce the difficulty and focus on the fun while learning the ropes of being a pilot.
Week long battles certainly do sound interesting, but if all of these features are not enough for the hardcore fans, we also have a brand new collectors edition to look forward to as well. What is in the package? Take a look for yourself.
This edition includes:
The Windows PC version of IL-2 STURMOVIK™: Cliffs of Dover
A cloth pilot escape map showing The Battle of Britain strategic locations
A replica of the Pilot’s Notes on the Spitfire I Aeroplane, provided to RAF pilots during The Battle of Britain and reprinted from the RAF Museum original document
An in-depth 150-page ring binder pilot instructions
Those who pre-order from the UbiShop on either version will also receive a free digital copy of Silent Hunter III.
I am all for a jam-packed collector’s edition and this one great, especially since we don’t often see sets created for PC titles. IL-2 Sturmovik: Cliffs of Dover will land in stores in the U.S. on March 22nd and in the UK on March 25th. Australia & New Zealand will also see a release in March, but no official date has been set in stone as of yet but we will keep you updated as this title gets closer to touching down all over.
Unlockable outfits, additional cases, and a swingin’ soundtrack. If those sound appealing at all to you, then you might want to consider throwing in a pre-order for L.A. Noire as Rockstar have revealed all of the nice bonuses that will be given as incentive for early buyers. I really don’t have to go into much about the game itself, as from the realistic technology for facial features which let players distinguish truth or fiction, the crime-based story, and interesting take on gameplay, this title is really looking quite impressive as it is, but today we will touch base on exactly what each retailer will be specifically handing out to their dedicated customers.
Here is the full list of retailer specific DLC and bonuses for early buyers of L.A. Noire:
Gamestop/EBGames
‘The Naked City’ Vice Case In this bonus case from L.A. Noire’s Vice Desk, detective Cole Phelps investigates the supposed suicide of a stunning fashion model. Can you help Cole unravel the truth in a city blighted by drugs, corruption and greed, where the death of a beautiful woman is never as straightforward as it seems?
The Badge Pursuit Challenge Hidden around L.A. Noire’s beautiful recreation of 1947 Los Angeles are 20 police badges to find and collect. If you can find all 20 of these badges, the dapper Button Man suit will be unlocked which provides extra ammo for all weapons. Each badge also provides 5 additional XP which will help further unlock Intuition Points – special credits that can be used to give Phelps a key investigative insight when you need it most.
JB HiFi/ Wal-Mart
“A Slip of the Tongue” Traffic Case is a bonus case from the Traffic Desk in which a seemingly run of the mill car theft ends up sparking an explosive investigation into the largest auto fraud racket the city has ever seen. With the stolen cars piling up and questionable characters at every turn, can you help Cole Phelps crack the biggest case so far in his career?
L.A Noire Inspired Soundtrack
GAME / Best Buy
“The Sharpshooter” Detective Suit enhances your aim with rifles and pistols. Always a worst case scenario for any detective working a case, there are of course those occasions for Cole Phelps when pursuing a suspect escalates to gunfire. In these tense shootouts, the Sharpshooter suit provides that extra aiming precision to take the criminal down.
Amazon
‘The Broderick’ Detective Suit This unlockable detective suit boosts your fist-fighting capabilities and resilience to damage. Throughout L.A. Noire while working cases, you’ll encounter quite a few suspects and persons of interest who prove to be resistant to arrest. Your hand-to-hand fighting skills will be called into action on these cases – the Broderick suit with its enhanced fighting abilities may be that edge in helping make that collar.
Rockstar Warehouse
L.A. Noire T-Shirt Pre-order L.A. Noire through the Rockstar Warehouse, and receive a high quality, all-cotton official game t-shirt with your purchase. You can choose your desired shirt size when placing your order.
It is definitely getting harder to decide in where to purchase games these days, and most of these offerings are very tempting. I personally like extra missions or anything that extends the life of a game, so the Gamestop/EB one has me sold. Which bonus do you guys like the most? Leave a comment below and let us know.
You didn’t think that we would let the remake of such a great game of Beyond Good & Evil slip under the radar here now would you? Neither did Microsoft as they have included it in the Xbox Live Arcade House Party and boy is it a game to save near the end of the party. Ubisoft didn’t forget about the game either because they just released a brand new trailer for the game which they are calling Traitor.
Beyond Good & Evil was originally only available on the Xbox, Gamecube, PC and PS2 and achieved quite the following in its day. This HD remake has smoothed out the characters and provided the achievements that everyone loves. You will be able to pick up Beyond Good & Evil HD on March 2nd for only 800 MSP ($10). Currently the game is exclusive to the XBLA.
It seems that when Sony announces two games coming to the PSN at the same time, they usually release relatively close to each other. Just a few days after the release of Xenogears on the PSN, Vagrant Story will be available for download on the PSN for $5.99. This makes the fan favorite from Squaresoft (Square Enix) is finally available worldwide after a European release two years ago.
Square Enix has certainly expanded the PSOne classics section of the PSN on its own but there are still plenty of classic games that fans would be dying to play. What game would you like to see on there that hasn’t been released already in one form or another?
Worried that because it is a Lego game that Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars won’t have a bunch of boss battles from the main show? Then these recently released screenshots can put those fears to rest. In the latest batch of screenshots we see a variety of different bosses and characters from the television series The Clone Wars which this game is based off of.
Now Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars currently has a demo available now on the Xbox 360 so you can get a taste of what the game will be like when it is released on March 22nd. It will be arriving on any console or handheld you may want to play it on, minus any idevices of course.
Game Name:Dreamcast Collection Platform(s): Xbox 360 (reviewed), PC Publisher(s):Sega Developer(s): Sega Genre(s): Compilation Release Date: February 22, 2011 (US), February 25, 2011 (EU) Price: $29.99 BUY NOW!
In 1999, players everywhere got to experience the Sega Dreamcast in all it’s glory when it took the world by storm. The console brought about not just extensions to Sega’s Sonic franchise, but launched many new IPs which caught on quickly with fans and literally became instant cult classics. Sadly, the system itself just could not keep up with the competition from the Playstation 2 and Nintendo’s Gamecube and went out just after two years. Fast forward to today and Sega have released the Dreamcast Collection with four titles that either are, or will be on the Xbox Live Arcade and PSN for the Xbox 360 in a single-disc format. With a new coat of paint on each title as well as achievements and online leaderboards, these four remakes certainly bring back some nostalgia, but do they still stand up against the titles of today? Here is my review for the Dreamcast Collection.
Sonic Adventure
When you think of the Sega Dreamcast, Sonic Adventure is usually one of the first titles that comes to mind. Adventure was Sega’s little blue mascots first trip into a true 3D free-roaming world and brought about features which we still see in Sonic titles to this day.
This version is pretty much made up of the exact experience we seen on the Dreamcast. However, it does lack the DX edition’s extra content such as Mission Mode and the game gear titles which was brought to the Gamecube, but if you remember, we didn’t have those on the Dreamcast version so I overlooked this minor issue (There is however a game-gearless add-on which is on the XBLA for 400 points for those of you who crave a more complete version).
The main story as many of you know by now has the dastardly Eggman after the seven pieces of the legendary Chaos Emerald. Doing this he has also freed Chaos in the process, so it is now Sonic and his friend’s job to restore the emerald and stop Eggman from conquering the world with his new liquid ally. One thing I have always loved about Sonic Adventure was how the story branches out. There are six different characters to play as within Sonic Adventure, those being Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Big and E-102 Gamma, which all play quite differently from one another. After meeting each character in the story, their own unique plot which ties into the main story is unlocked so in a way this leads to many different experiences in one neat little package. It may not sound like too much now, but at the time, having so many different playable characters with such large roles was a big deal.
When I started playing this version, the first thing I noticed was how the whole game looked sharp and boasted some much fresher visuals, even if the picture is not as well formatted for current televisions like many remakes have been over the years. As far as the feel goes, the transfer to the 360 controller also went quite smoothly, but the problem with Sonic Adventure is not the presentation or even the controls really. My only true complaint is that you still have to fight with the camera quite a bit, especially during boss fights. This not only hurts the gameplay, but it also makes this much older release feel it’s true age. Don’t get me wrong, I still had a blast reliving memories of this title and when I entered the Mystic Ruins, it was like I was playing it for the first time all over again so the original charm is still very present. Sonic Adventure still has that nostalgic greatness factor and remains fun to play, but compared to the much more solidly built remakes we see today, it could have used some fine tuning before being released.
Space Channel 5: Part 2
The most unique title on this compilation is without a doubt Space Channel 5: Part 2. Though it was released for the PS2 under the name Space Channel 5: Special Edition, we never actually seen this title released outside of Japan on the actual Dreamcast console itself. SC5P2 is a Rhythm-action title through and through, and uses a “Simon Says” type method of gameplay where you must match the exact beat you hear in a funky outer space setting full of crazy characters.
Starting off in the game, you are quickly thrown into the role of Ulala, a reporter for Space Channel 5 who now must save the world from a new threat, the mysterious Rhythm Rogues lead by Purge, who have kidnapped many citizens including the very flamboyant President and Space Michael. Each character you come across is full of the same funky, bright, and cheery style that this game so well possesses which makes progressing through this gem a blast as there are a lot of interesting sights to see on your journey.
The graphics also do their job quite well and Ulala and friends have never looked better. Honestly though in this title, even though the visuals are wonderful and really fill the game with life, you could play it with your eyes closed as the control set-up is easy to use and make this one of the best examples of a rhythm-action game to date. There are a ton of different songs and beats players will have to match on their quest, each usually being different based on whatever stage you are in. The good thing though is that while the music varies, the controls always stay the same with the UP, LEFT, DOWN, RIGHT, A, B layout. This scheme makes it easier to concentrate on the vast amount of beats you must quickly memorize which gives the game a great pace and puts actual gameplay at the forefront of the experience.
Extra content on this title is also a huge plus, as this title is chucked full of secrets and modes which let you not only experience the core gameplay with Ulala in a 100 stage battle mode, but see a completely different difficulty and lyrics for each tune based on the way you play.
In my opinion, Space Channel 5: Part 2 was my favorite title on the disc for this compilation as it is full of ageless charm and songs that can still get stuck in your head hours after putting down the controller. If you have by chance never tried this small yet bubbly franchise before, now is your chance to get into the groove with one of the finest titles in the genre period or step into this humorous world all over again. Chu! Chu! Chu!
Crazy Taxi
Crazy Taxi is yet another one of those titles that made the Dreamcast so memorable to start with. For the version included in this set, we see the exact same release that hit the Xbox Live Arcade recently which had a few changes from the original. Not that there is anything wrong with that though, as this title still keeps it’s full arcade flare and is a very strong offering, being full of competition along with crazy one-liners and the same fast paced rush to make your clients happy to simply get some cold, hard cash in your pocket.
Our very own Travis Bruno wrote up a detailed review for this version of Crazy Taxi which you can check out for yourself by clicking HERE.
Sega Bass Fishing
Back when this title was released, I will be honest, I did not even give it a look as fishing titles did not appeal to me then, and really do not appeal to me much now except in certain cases. When I started Sega Bass Fishing, I let out a bit of a sigh, thinking it would be a bore and was blown away at how “hooked” I truly became. The main thing that caught me by surprise is that Sega Bass Fishing is not a simulation title whatsoever, instead it is a timed arcade-style title where you must catch fish in different locations, with the emphasis on obtaining a certain weight of fish to complete each level. That is pretty much what the arcade mode in this title consists of, and though it is pretty simple to complete the whole game in one setting, it is quite hard not to want to go at it again.
Consumer mode is also a hefty part in the game, and while it plays about the same, there is a lot more exploration to be had with this mode as well as many new and rare lures which can be unlocked, allowing you to catch bigger fish as your progress. I am aware that there was originally a rod-and-reel controller that was released with the original, and while something like that would have been nice to see, the full experience can still be had with the stand-alone controller.
Instead of just seeing your fisherman in a boat and waiting to see if your line gets a tug, you instantly get an underwater view of your lure as a fish consumes it, leading to an awesome sequence where the music suddenly changes and you must fully control your rod and reel with the analog and button controls to reel in your catch successfully. You are given a guide as well which gave this title a more of an arcade feel as he commentates your experience, giving direction when needed on how to pull in a fish.
The visuals are also nice as well, with the water being detailed and animations are also well done which make everything look and feel as it should. Even by today’s standards, aside from the fisherman’s model in the game, everything seems to have stood the test of time and could give many fishing titles of today a run for their money.
I was happy to find this title in the collection simply because I had no idea what I missed out on so long ago. Sega Bass Fishing is not only a fun fishing game, it also captures the essence of an arcade classic which can be a rare find in the current market of gaming and is simply a joy to play as you compete to land the catch of a lifetime.
Overall
When this whole compilation was announced, I was a bit taken back by the lack of other Dreamcast Classics such as Shenmue, Jet Grind Radio and Seaman, but after spending a whole lot of time with this disc, I can easily say all four titles can lead to hours of pure nostalgia and truly give those who might of missed out on the console a true taste of why it is still one of the most respected systems of all time. Online leaderboards are a great addition as well for the likes of Crazy Taxi, Space Channel 5: Part 2, and Sega Bass Fishing and add a bit more of a reason to compete against players all over the world for that coveted top score. Achievements are a nice addition, but the achievements are just made up of 200 points each, so while these are just four arcade titles on one disc, the way this was done makes the whole compilation feel like arcade titles, which may lead players waiting for these titles to become “Deals of the Week” in digital format rather that getting this disc as a whole.
As far as menus go, there really is a very generic one given that doesn’t boast any sort of extras or even a flashy presentation, which makes this collection more of a simple compilation rather than a true tribute. Honestly, this disc is not a tribute to start with, as it’s main purpose is to bundle together four releases rather than celebrate the actual Dreamcast and if you know Sega, they tend to celebrate their characters with the likes of Sega Superstar Tennis and Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing that have been released over the past couple of years as far as fan service goes. There is no doubt that there could have been more, but in this day and age you take what you can get, and Sega did a great job giving fans four spectacular offerings that all look sharper and play as great as they ever did (aside from the small flaws with Sonic, of course). Add in the discounted price-point for all and the fact that Space Channel 5:Part 2 and Sega Bass Fishing are still not out for download in the XBLA, and players now have one disc that can pack quite a punch for any Sega fan out there with this quite varied and simply fun to pick-up-and-play compilation.
Just like many other people, I am quite excited about the release of Portal 2. I loved the first game, and a second game that adds more puzzles and more elements is simply full of promise! Add co-op on top for you and a friend and we have a package asking to be played. The achievement list in a game is something that always tells me a good estimate of just how long the game is going to last me and how much fun I will have. With that knowledge, I am excited about this achievement list, while disappointed at the same time. You can see the full achievement list after my thoughts.
The list is simply too ordinary. By beating the game in both single player and co-op you will pretty much unlock almost 75% of the achievements. There also isn’t much incentive to go back and replay the entire game; just reload the level you need, get the achievement, and go to the next one. There are a handful of achievements that basically require you to do a random task in a specific chamber, but none of them seem that difficult. I was really hoping to see a few more like “Out of the Blue” from Portal: Still Alive; now that was a fun achievement! What more could you ask for? The achievement pretty much changed the entire way you think and play the game.
Keep in mind, I don’t know how hard any of these achievements will be to get and this is completely based on speculation, but the one achievement that may actually be challenging to get is:
Professor Portal – 75 – After completing co-op, complete Calibration Course online with a friend who hasn’t played before.
Honestly, once you beat the game in co-op will there even be a single person out there who hasn’t played the game? I guess it is time to trade 48 hour trial codes with friends so that everyone can make a new account just for this one achievement.
Overall, the achievement list isn’t that bad and I guess I was just expecting a bit more. I don’t know how long it will take to beat the game but once the game is beaten I only see about another 2 or 3 hours of gameplay to clean off the rest of the list.Check out the list for yourself and tell us what you think. There are also 5 avatar awards: 3 shirts, 1 hat, and a companion cube prop.
Pit Boss – 30 – Show that pit who’s boss
Preservation of Mass – 20 – Break the rules in Test Chamber 07
Pturretdactyl – 5 – Use an Aerial Faith Plate to launch a turret
Lunacy – 20 – That just happened
Drop Box – 20 – Place a cube on a button without touching the cube
Overclocker – 30 – Complete Test Chamber 10 in 70 seconds
No Hard Feelings – 10 – Save a turret from redemption
Schrodinger’s Catch – 20 – Catch a blue-painted box before it touches the ground
Ship Overboard – 10 – Discover the missing experiment
Final Transmission – 20 – Find the hidden signal in one of the Rat Man’s dens
Good Listener – 5 – Take GLaDOS’ escape advice
Scanned Alone – 5 – Stand in a defective turret detector
The Part Where He Kills You – 20 – This is that part
Bridge Over Troubling Water – 10 – Complete the first Hard Light Bridge test
SaBOTour – 10 – Make a break for it
Stalemate Associate – 15 – Press the button!
Wake Up Call – 5 – Survive the manual override
You Monster – 5 – Reunite with GLaDOS
Undiscouraged – 10 – Complete the first Thermal Discouragement Beam test
White Out – 15 – Complete the first Conversion Gel test
Tunnel of Funnel – 15 – Master the Excursion Funnel
Dual Pit Experiment – 15 – Do the same test twice
Tater Tote – 15 – Carry science forward
Vertically Unchallenged – 15 – Master the Repulsion Gel
Stranger Than Friction – 15 – Master the Propulsion Gel
Professor Portal – 75 – After completing co-op, complete Calibration Course online with a friend who hasn’t played before
Air Show – 20 – Perform 2 aerial gestures before touching the ground in co-op
Portal Conservation Society – 20 – Complete Chamber 3 in the Hard-Light Surfaces co-op course using only 5 total portal placements
Empty Gesture – 25 – Drop your co-op partner in goo while they are gesturing by removing the bridge under them
Party of Three – 25 – Find the hidden companion cube in co-op test chamber
Narbacular Drop – 25 – Place a portal under your co-op partner while they are gesturing
Asking for Trouble – 10 – Taunt GLaDOS in front of a camera in each of the five co-op courses
Rock Portal Scissors – 20 – Win 3 co-op games of rock-paper-scissors in a row
Friends List With Benefits – 50 – While playing co-op, hug 3 different people on your friends list
Four Ring Circus – 25 – Enter 4 different portals without touching the ground in co-op
Triple Crown – 15 – Solve 3 co-op chambers in the Mass and Velocity course in under 60 seconds each
Still Alive – 15 – Complete Course 4 with neither you nor your co-op partner dying
Can’t Touch This – 10 – Dance in front of a turret blocked by a hard light bridge in co-op
Smash TV – 75 – Break 11 test chamber monitors
High Five – 5 – Celebrate your cooperative calibration success
Team Building – 10 – Complete all test chambers in the Team Building co-op course
Door Prize – 20 – Examine all the vitrified test chamber doors
Portrait of a Lady – 10 – Find a hidden portrait
You Made Your Point – 10 – Refuse to solve the first test in Chapter 8
You Saved Science – 100 – Complete all test chambers in all courses of co-op
Iron Grip – 20 – Never lose a cube in Chamber 6 of the Mass and Velocity co-op course
Gesticul-8 – 15 – Perform all 8 gestures of your own volition in co-op
Confidence Building – 10 – Complete all test chambers in the Mass and Velocity co-op course
Bridge Building – 15 – Complete all test chambers in the Hard-Light Surfaces co-op course
Obstacle Building – 15 – Complete all test chambers in the Excursion Funnels co-op course
Fractale is a new anime airing in Japan at this moment. It’s an 11 episode science fiction anime, though it appears to still be airing in Japan so there is more to come. The best way to describe this anime is a mix between the Matrix and Castle in the Sky. The Anime is about a world ruled by the ‘Fractale System’ and how a boy who discovers the secret behind the system while searching for a girl called Phyrne.
So far the anime looks like an interesting one, the science fiction and matrix kind of feel intrigues me and makes me want to watch more. So I hope you all check it out with me and even if you don’t, you might as well watch out for some episode reviews :D.
You can even catch Fractale yourself on Funimation’s Website (here) . They currently hold the liscensing rights to Fractale while A-1 studios is animating the series now in Japan.
Crasher Publisher: Punchers Impact Developer: Punchers Impact Platforms: PC and Mac (available on Steam) Price: $15 on Steam Buy Now
Overview:
Crasher is a game that wanted to be good. It took the MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) genre of League of Legends, Heroes of Newerth, and DoTA Allstars and added fast cars, explosions, and sci-fi gravity weapons. Sounds like a winning combination, right?
But poor user interface design, painfully useless control schemes, and more bugs than Paris Hilton’s crotch have successfully brought what was potentially an innovative addition to the MOBA scene to its knees, and as is always the case with a MOBA, the community is what will deal the final blow.
Or should I say, lack of community.
Story: You want a story? Go read a book. MOBAs are about crushing people in PvP, grinding their bodies to dust, then insinuating things about their mothers that would make a Mexican donkey blush. The story in this game goes a little something like: “See that guy? Kick his ass.”
Graphics:
The game looks… decent. The graphics are okay. It looks fine, acceptable, alright, and passable. The game takes place in 4 different maps, each of which are varied enough to keep gameplay fresh, and some of the attack animations can be pretty mind-blowing, but all in all its appearance is entirely average. To quote Futurama, “I have no strong feelings one way or the other.”
Audio:
This is the first thing that struck me about the game, and it struck me like a punch in the ear. From the very first note of an extremely repetitive score, I was supremely annoyed by this soundtrack. Featuring synth-heavy percussion occasionally punctuated by a whistling melody, I have never heard music be so mind-numbingly dull and yet so rage-inducing at the same time. It’s like somebody took Polly Shore and turned him into a song.
Outside of the god-awful musical numbers, the audio mostly consists of explosions and revving engines, sometimes accompanied by the “SHINK”-ing of bladed weapons and even a “PEW PEW” or two. Maybe I was just glad to have something drown out the demonically screeching soundtrack, but the sound effects seemed well done. Not that they’re going to win any awards for it, or anything. The sounds play at the right time and sound close enough to how they should, what more is there?
Gameplay:
There’s a slight problem with gameplay I should bring up before we progress: Playing this game will be more difficult and time consuming than eating a bicycle, and about as painful a process. Mind you, the game isn’t hard, but getting to a point where you can start a game might take you an hour. Why? Because nobody plays this game.
For being a multiplayer-only game, it sure lacks a multitude of players. I have seen, at any given time, perhaps a maximum of 10 to 15 players online, which made it nearly impossible to review this game in the first place, especially since there is no way to play against AI players in any kind of practice game. In a game where 5v5 arena matches are meant to be commonplace, only having 10 players online creates an obvious problem. This isn’t really a problem inherent to the game itself, but rather a problem with the way the game was marketed.
Let’s compare it to the launch of another MOBA, League of Legends (LoL). Long before LoL was released, beta codes were given out at conventions across the country, playable demos were offered, and invite rewards were doled out. Before it ever came out, LoL had a thriving community, due to the developer, Riot Games, marketing it like hell. How did Crasher get marketed? I have no idea, I never even heard of it until I was asked to review it, which probably means it was not marketed anywhere near as much as it should have been, and it shows. Just ask any of the 30 people who play it.
But let’s ignore the lack of players, and proceed to the game itself; you’ve gotten a few people in the same game room, what now? The game offers 15 cars in 6 categories: melee destructor, ranged destructor, tank, constructor, defender, and repairer; and you have to pick one. It can be confusing at first, as each car will have 4 unique attacks or abilities which allow you to destroy your enemies, help your friends, and create tactical advantages, but after a few games you pick up on at least the general idea of what each class of car can do. The balance is a bit off, and some cars are more powerful than others, but these are problems that are often only corrected by trial and error, over time. This being a brand new game, I won’t put to much weight into balance problems.
Congratulations, you’ve started a game! Lets see if you can- oh, look you bugged out, and the game is now unplayable. I’d say that 1 out of every 3 games I played ended with at least one person unable to move, being locked into an attack animation, or simply getting kicked from the game. Along with a number of graphics bugs, lag, and general tomfoolery on the part of the game’s code, you’re never sure when the game will decide it has taken a sudden, unexplainable dislike to you, and will boot you unceremoniously from the game you just spent a full hour trying to join.
Gritting my teeth and trying again, I eventually started actually playing. The control scheme isn’t the best, but it’ll do, consisting of steering and aiming attacks with the mouse while using WASD to accelerate and strafe, while attempting to select abilities. As of now, there are 2 game modes: Territory Control, a straightforward territory capture game, and Battle Arena, a straightforward battle. According to the “tutorial” (a single screenshot), you can earn experience, level up, and earn new gear for your cars by winning games, a process that will take you an immense amount of time, not only because of the staggering wait between games but because of the advantage that higher level players will have over you. This isn’t a slight boost for them; no, these players can crush you with a thought, a balance issue that I WILL harp on because it is something that should never happen, and that will slow the pace of leveling down to a crawl. I spent several hours playing, and never got passed level 1.
The game might be fun, but I’ll never know, as attempting to play it through the filter of uninspired and nearly unusable UI, numerous bugs and glitches, and dubious wait-times is a similar experience to eating a pie that has been covered in excrement; sure, the pie might be delicious, but it’s just not worth getting through all the shit.
I guess my final verdict will be this: if you want to have fun, don’t play this game; at least not until some bugs are fixed and some people are actually playing. Unless the game suddenly spikes in popularity, I’m afraid I’m going to have to declare Crasher doomed to the mountain of failed online games.
Sadly, Crasher crashed headlong into a brick wall, forcing me to give it
