Activision never has a presence at any of the Penny Arcade Expos instead they choose to focus their attention on press/industry events like E3. 2013 is no different for the Santa Monica publisher. This year their game roster is smaller compared to other publishers but what it might lack in quantity, it sure delivers in quality.

Destiny

Bungie has long since left the Halo world and is now focusing their efforts on Destiny. This game is labeled as a “shared world shooter” that is set in a “mythic science fiction” setting. Some might think of Destiny as a MMO but Bungie is quick to point out that it is not. Rather the game will “match” you with players that you can view and even interact with at times. Presently, the game is slated to release on the next gen systems (PS4 & Xbox One) as well as PS3 and Xbox 360. Bungie and Sony agreed to an exclusive partner relationship but at this time what that entails has not yet been revealed.

The demo we witnessed was being played on the PS4 and had seven players in one game. The game looks drop dead gorgeous. From the landscapes, dust particles, details of the Aliens, and the real geometry, Bungie once again developed one of the best looking console games.

Sega has the distinction of having one of the lamest, yet most mysterious showings at E3 this year. 2Old2Play Editor in-Chief, Tiffany "ElektraFi" Nolan visited the Sega booth this very afternoon, and she sounded a bit disappointed. Sega is focusing on PC and mobile devices in the immediate future, but there's something that Sega is not telling us.

Company of Heroes 2 (PC)

The biggest draw at the Sega booth this year is the PC title Company of Heroes 2. This generation of consoles has seen more than its fair share of WWII shooters: we've stormed Normandy beach, parachuted into France, and even shot Hitler in the ball sack. It's a rare thing to fight Nazis as a Soviet soldier. Relic Entertainment plays dev for this squad-based, Twitch-integrated WWII experience. Tiff describes this strategy game as "easy to learn, hard to master." The game boasts three different game modes, one of which is brand new. Enhanced AI is featured and the ability to zoom in and out gives the game a sense of scale. An attention to detail, like leaving footprints in the snow, provides an impressive amount of realism. This one hits Steam and retailers on June 25th.

Sonic Lost World (WiiU)

Castle of Illusion (PS3/XBox 360/PC)

Total War Rome II (PC)

The Cave (ios)

Spectrum

Sega is sporting a new logo this year for something called Spectrum. Rumors are floating that Sega may be re-entering the console business, and that Spectrum is the successor to the Dreamcast. Other speculation includes a tablet device or perhaps a new digital service. The Japanese above the logo translates to “A New World of Entertainment.” For all we know, the Japanese have invented fucking Skynet. For now, the venerable Japanese publisher seems content to let the rumor mill grind, but I would expect some kind of announcement from Sega regarding Spectrum in the very near future.

Deep Silver has been fairly busy recently, just releasing sequels to both Dead Island and Metro 2033 almost back to back. Their recent acquisition of THQ gives them the reins to Volition, and their Saint's Row 4 is causing a stir at E3, as well as a playable demo on the floor of Grasshopper's Killer is Dead.

Killer is Dead (PS3/XBox 360)

Kurokawa Games and Suda 51 showed off their newest offering, Killer is Dead, at Deep Silver's E3 booth. Although XSeed plays publisher in North America, Deep Silver covers the European market. Killer is Dead is one of those comic book noire hitman games and reminds me a bit of XIII. Players assume the role of Mondo: armed with a cybernetic machinegun arm and a samurai sword. Expect things to get messy.

Saints Row IV (PS3/XBox 360/PC)

In Volition's newest tale of the Third Street Saints, the main character is now President of the United States, and apparently Keith David serves the country as Vice President. Okay, why the hell not. This time, however, it's not the rival gangs from Steelport stirring up shit, it's aliens from outer space, and they're using the Wachowski Brothers' World Domination Playbook. It looks like it might be time for some hostile immigration reform, Mr. President. There's violence, there's nudity, and there's Benjamin "Motherfucking" King...expect a mature rating on this one. Saints Row IV hits current gen consoles and PCs on August 20th.

If you’ve ever watched a game video, you’ve heard of the company Hauppauge. At this year’s E3, Hauppauge announced some awesome advancements to their popular game capture devices. Hauppauge Digital announced the HD PVR 2, the successor to its popular high definition game capture device, the HD PVR. Along with the launch of the HD PVR 2 comes the launch of “Hauppauge Capture,” a powerful video capture application that allows console and PC gamers to record and live stream their gameplay with commentary.

The HD PVR 2 features:

•        One touch recording that allows instant capture of live game play

•        Quick editing with the “cuts only” video editor makes editing video quicker and easier

•        Live stream game play with chat via Twitch or Ustream via the built-in SteamEez application

•        Personal logo inserter allows true customization of your videos

•        YouTube upload makes for sharing your videos even easier

•        Built-in audio mixer allows you to adjust the audio volume from game play and microphone audio

Hauppauge Capture also features a built-in audio mixer that allows you to combine game chat with game audio. This audio mixer can be used for both recording and streaming game play.

With an independent volume control for game and chat audio, Hauppauge Capture's mixer supports the HD PVR 2’s built-in record button that allows users to instantly start and stop recordings directly from their HD PVR 2.

Live game play can be streamed to Twitch or Ustream via Hauppauges’ SteamEez application while gamers can create high quality, low bit rate streaming game events for Twitch or Ustream followers. This built-in hardware video encoding lets live streaming over the Internet require minimal system resources while optimizing system performance.

The HD PVR 2 records Xbox, PS3, WiiU or PC gaming play in full 1080p HD using a studio quality video encoder chip. The new Hauppauge Capture application utilizes the HD PVR 2 device to the fullest to provide high quality video recording and streaming for game play. Hauppauge Capture will run on a Windows laptop or desktop PC using Windows XP, Vista, 7 or 8.

Turtle Beach, one of the first third party accessory manufacturers to partner with Microsoft for the Xbox One, announced a new line-up of gaming headsets that feature the latest audio technology as well as global partnerships with Activision, Marvel Entertainment and Microsoft at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) this week.

Xbox One next-generation headsets!

Just when you thought it was safe to put your wallet away, Turtle Beach and Microsoft announce two new headsets for the Xbox One that are available at launch in November: The Ear Force XO SEVEN and the Ear Force XO FOUR.

Taking from the tournament-grade SEVEN Series, the Ear Force XO SEVEN is a premium wired surround sound headset that connects to the Xbox One controller and places game and chat audio controls conveniently at your fingertips. With a detachable boom mic, the XO SEVEN is compatible with mobile devices, and comes with a breakaway mobile cable with an in-line mic for phone calls and audio chat. The XO SEVEN will have a US MSRP of $149.95.

Another wired headset, the Ear Force XO FOUR, brings next generation surround sound. LIke its big brother the XO SEVEN, the XO FOUR features an adapter that connects to the Xbox One controller and places game and chat audio controls conveniently at your fingertips. The XO FOUR also features a 3.5mm cable for use with mobile devices and has a detachable boom mic as well. The XO FOUR will have a US MSRP of $99.95.

Call of Duty®: Ghosts limited edition headsets!

In addition to the FOUR and the SEVEN, Turtle Beach will launch a limited edition Call of Duty: Ghosts edition headset. In an exclusive agreement with Activision, Turtle Beach brings you the ultimate Call of Duty accessory for the ultimate Call of Duty fan. With premium finishes featuring the Call of Duty: Ghosts branding this headset also features bonus content developed with the games’ developer that include voice prompts and audio presets.

Marvel customizable entertainment headset!

Marvel Comic Book fans rejoice! You can now show your comic book pride with the officially licensed Turtle Beach Marvel SEVEN Premium headsets that feature interchangeable speaker plates with over 5000 collectible comic-based characters. This versatile wired-headset can be used for gaming on the Xbox One but is also compatible with PC’s, Macs, and mobile devices.

Just off of the heels of E3 and the launch of the Sony PS3 exclusive, The Last of Us, this week unfortunately has no significant new game releases for the Xbox or PS3. That's good news for gamers on these consoles as it means that they can continue playing a couple of great games that released a few days ago. For PC and Wii U gamers, there are a couple of releases that may pique your interest.

PC

Neverwinter, Cryptic Studios (PC)
According to a recent article in Eurogamer.net, Neverwinter, a free to play MMORPG from Cryptic Studios, releases out of beta on June 20th. Neverwinter is sure to attract long time Dungeons and Dragons fans as it takes players to many beloved and besieged areas from the Forgotten Realms Campaign settings. Interested gamers can register here.

Nintendo

New Super Luigi U (Wii U)
If you own New Super Mario Bros U for the Wii U and either finished it or want more, this New Super Luigi U DLC gets you 80 new levels of jumping and dodging frustration. New Super Luigi U DLC drops on June 20th in the Nintendo eShop. Gamers who don't own New Super Mario Bros U can purchase a standalone version of New Super Luigi U on August 25th.

Are you a gamer who likes the challenge that old school platformers used to bring? Do you also like to crank some of your favorite songs while gaming? Well, Rush Bros., might just be for you. But lets stress maybe, shall we?

As the story goes, two DJing brothers decide to settle their differences not by ripping up some hot wax but by instead racing to the finish, or more likely to the death. With 41 levels at your disposal, there are plenty of chances for you to one up your bro, friend or even an internet nemesis. Featuring cel shaded characters, with various color options, Digital Tribe’s game offers up three modes: Arcade (solo or online challengers), local multiplayer (split screen: top and bottom) and Steam multiplayer. Each mode comes with a remix ability which adds two new dynamics: Fast Forward speeds things up, while Survival gives you one chance at glory. Careful though, as one wrong move could end the game.

In all three modes the object of the game is simple-be the first one to cross the finish line. It is a racer, after all, but not without its flaws. The controls are not as fluid as one would like to traverse such an obstacle course. In key situations, your character feels like it gets caught on the environments. Some levels require you to move the traditional way, left to right, but in many cases you are required to move up, down, right then left, and occasionally retrace your steps. All fairly straightforward stuff until you factor in power-ups, checkpoints and your custom music.

For Those About To Rock

Run, jump, and slide are the moves your little DJ dude comes equipped with-at least without the help of any power-ups. During these short spastic journeys, you’ll find the occasional double jump and sprint power-ups. Collect them as you find them as some arenas can be downright challenging or, dare I say, cheap. For whatever reason, certain levels feature checkpoints while others do not. When you die in a level that has a checkpoint, it’s not a big deal as you usually respawn pretty close to where you left off; think Supermeat Boy. For some unknown reason, other levels have zero checkpoints. Thus, if you die, you start back at the very beginning. The fun factor on these levels quickly turns to frustration. As soon as you get over one problem area, the game may then take you to another treacherous section without warning. Part of the learning process on platformers is the repetition (muscle memory). If the game offers you no checkpoints and you don’t know what’s coming next, that isn’t learning or fun, that is being difficult just for the sake of busting you know what. It would have made more sense to toggle checkpoints on or off, depending on the difficulty level you selected.

A big selling point for Rush Bros. is the games’ use of custom soundtracks. The game reacts differently depending on the tempo of the music you play. If techno is your thing, then you won’t need to adjust your playlist as the game comes equipped with many in your face beats. For those who do not like European dance clubs, you’ll probably opt for adding in your own tracks. To test this theory out, I played some Slayer on the harder levels. As expected, the saw blades, trap doors and moving spikes all moved at a faster clip. If you enjoy more easy listening music, the games’ pace will move at a slightly slower clip. While the difference is somewhat noticeable, it is not a night and day comparison. Importing tracks into your custom playlist was easy and intuitive. However, you are limited to MP3 and OGG file types.

My What Pretty Eyes You Have

Rush Bros. features a two fold art style. The character and playable levels are sleek, modern cel shaded areas while the backgrounds, as demonstrated below, are more artistic and lush. Everything looks so elegant, you might think that they are trying to disguise the games’ shortcomings with picturesque landscapes.

 

In the interest of full disclosure, 2old2play.com received the game review code later than some other media outlets. When the publisher first sent out review codes, there were rumblings of frame rate and system resource issues. During the review, I did not encounter any such issues. I would suspect that either they patched those problems or my PC was capable of keeping up with any performance blips.

Final Verdict

Overall, Rush Bros. is a fun little romp with plenty of levels and modes that should, on the surface, keep you entertained for hours. I’m just not sure with the combined control issues, lack of over the top power-ups and cheap game layout if there is enough to keep you coming back for more. They recently added levels that feature the music and likeness of Infected Mushroom. I am not familiar with them so I’m not sure if this is really a plus or minus. As of this review, the games’ price already dropped a few times. Currently, the game is being sold for $9.99 on Steam. Once the price gets closer to $5, I believe this game is a no-brainer but until then you might want to look elsewhere for your platforming fun.

This is a great game. It plays well but minor issues keep it from being a release day purchase. Keep an eye on it and pick it up once the price drops.

It’s been five years since the code monkeys at Codemasters got off the dirt and gave us some tarmac racing with Grid. While playing the first Grid, I had a sense that there was a good game hiding under the clunky controls and complacent track layout. I didn’t play it for very long and it was soon forgotten-buried under fresher memories of better racing games such as Blur and Split Second.

The Story

Racing fan and money man, Patrick Callahan, is throwing down some cash to start his own racing league: The WSR. All he needs is a hungry, talented street racer, named Sarcasmo Jones, to win big in other racing league events to gain the fanbase and momentum to realize his rich boy dream of being a racing mogul. Players make a name for themselves losing traction in Miami, Chicago, and California before taking the show across the ocean to exotic locales in Europe and Asia.

Mechanics

Losing traction is a perfect description of the racing in Grid 2. Even cars designated as “grip” cars require a drifting race style to be competitive in the game. The cars are not tuneable, so learn how to control the throttle early to keep momentum in the turns. Codemasters did not provide players with a paint or livery editor, so the only way to change the appearance of the cars is to change sponsors. Sponsors line up to get their name on your buggy. Most have some sort of race achievement requirement, such as finishing five seconds ahead of another racer, that must be met before you get paid. Podium finishes gain fans which are required to advance in the league races, earn invitations to promotional events, and, of course, get the WSR a foothold in the racing world.

Very little of the racing in Grid 2 occurs on actual race tracks. Most of the tracks in the game are varying configurations of street races in iconic cities such as Chicago, Paris, and Barcelona. Change the routes on these city streets and voila-a brand new track! Race types vary from circuits, point to point, and endurance. Some types feature live routes that change as the race progresses.

The Garage

Forza veterans will, naturally, find the car list almost claustrophobic, but there’s a taste of everything. The Ford Focus, a Subaru, a couple BMW’s, a pair of Nissans, and a few classic American muscle cars represent the budget-minded side of the list. Koenigsegg, Ariel, Caterham, McLaren, Pagani, Aston Martin, BAC, and Mercedes are some of the higher performance options available later in the game. There’s even a handful of Indy cars on the roster.

True racing fans may be interested in the Grid 2: BAC Mono Edition. Not only does it include a copy of the game, but a genuine Bell racing helmet and BAC Mono racing car, for the unbeatable price of $189,000. Maybe you can talk Patrick Callahan into buying you one...

Bitch Bitch Bitch

While Grid 2 is a lot of fun, it isn’t all sunshine and lollipops. Here’s the deal breaker: if you don’t but the game new, you must buy an online pass to race online multiplayer. I’m so sick of fucking online passes I could choke someone. I don’t give a fuck if it is only ten bucks. I’m drawing a line in the sand. My second complaint is the lack of grip. Why does Codemasters assume that everyone likes drifting? That whole gymkata shit in Dirt 3 made me want to hurl a controller. I don’t want to drift, I want to race. If my car is losing traction, then that’s something I should be able to tune out, or at least minimize. No, not in Grid 2: you’ll drift whether you fucking like it or not. Lastly, what’s the deal with the car selection? Did they intentionally rip off the car list from NFS Most Wanted? Hey, you forgot the Ford Raptor! No Porsche, no Ferrari...at least there’s a Ford Focus I guess.

Final Verdict

While Grid 2 is a vast improvement, both visually and technologically over its predecessor, it’s a long way from being a threat to Criterion or Turn 10. Grid 2 is fun, challenging, and offers a considerable amount of replay, but for every high point there persists a countering low, low point. Wait for the price drop, amigo.

Our E3 team managed to survive a week of Southern California heat, crushing masses of unbathed gaming journalists, conferences, playable demos, parties, spontaneous photography, endless walking...

...and the exhausting experience of having to deal with one of our most disturbed 2o2p members and LA resident, Lbsutke (LB).

I need a bike with LED lights that spell “I EAT SOULS”...it’s for a friend.

The Arrival

Despite taking separate planes from different cities, Joel, Tiff, and Derek arrived, as a group, at LAX. Weary from the long ride, the team wanted nothing more than a short nap at the hotel before taking in a bit of LA nightlife. However, their hotel shuttle was boxed in by an ominous figure driving a 64 Chevy Impala...Lbsutke. He urged the group to hurry up and get in the car, due to the fact that the airport is the first place that the cops will look.

A few hours spent relaxing with beer samplers and gigantic fucking pizzas took a turn for the worse when LB demanded entry into E3. He ranted the he quit taking his meds so he could drink with them, and that letting him tag along was the least they could do. Goodnight LB.

Day One

The first day at E3 is usually the big one, and this year was no exception. The team was scheduled to attend the Microsoft and EA conferences. Sony’s press conference was also on Day One, but chose to snub 2Old2Play this year, because they hate mature gamers....and they throw kittens at the elderly when no one is looking.

But at least Microsoft knows how to treat our E3 team, graciously providing early priority seating for Derek, Joel, and Tiff. Thank you Microsoft, for not making the three amigos stand in line with the common rabble. They were likely too dehydrated to sob properly.

EA is always a big draw at E3, and there was no way that the team was going to miss that conference, despite the fact that all three of them have expressed animosity towards EA at some point. Metal detectors at the door meant that Joel had to stash his “Revengemaster 2000”  rifle in a trash can outside the conference room. He’s not a big EA fan.A long day of conferences and game reveals ended, and it was time to call it a day. However, LB had been waiting for the E3 team in the hot SoCal sun all day, and was immediately jealous of Derek’s Titanfall shirt, demanding that he hand it over. Derek would not give up the shirt and LB vowed to get even.

Remember, I know where you are staying and what room...AND I GIVE ZERO FUCKS ABOUT WARNING SIGNS!

Oh yeah, there may have been a Twitch party that night.

Day Two

The guys took on Bethesda while Tiff prowled the Square Enix show. The guys were still providing reasonably coherent notes, which indicated that the Twitch party didn’t get too out of hand. However, the crowds on Day Two were relentless, since there was no huge conference to keep them off the floor.No sign of LB...and there may have been a Wargaming party that night.

Day Three

The late nights were beginning to take their toll on our intrepid trio. Derek and Joel switched from beer to the hard stuff to make it through Activision and Deep Silver. Joel was supposed to accompany Tiff to the Sega booth, but claimed he would puke if he had to look at another Sonic the Hedgehog game, so Tiff went alone. The notes, by now, were almost illegible, if the writing staff received them at all. I’m still waiting on those Deep Silver notes, Derek.

That night, a sober (looking) and somber Lbsutke arrived at the hotel with a sack of Subway sandwiches for our hungry E3 team. The food poisoning lasts nearly two full weeks, and all three of them still become violently ill when they hear the Subway jingle.

I brought you guys some dinner. Eat Fresh!

Day Four

Still passing lunch meat and honey oat bread at both ends, the three E3’ers troopered on, but the heat, crowds, alcohol, and salmonella had pushed their constitutions to the limit. The group was sick and weary, and in no mood to pose for any pictures. The plan was to blow through Hauppage and Turtle Beach, then get the fuck out of town.

There was a bit of a problem at the airport, and the Nolans were unable to return home that night, prompting Derek to tweet: “Hey @USAirways, how about you fuck yourselves for being completely incompetent.”  However, they managed to score a very nice suite at the Sheraton, then caught a plane back home to Boston the next day.

Hello, US Airways, this is Derek Nolan and I wish to cancel my return flight to Boston, please.

The End

Thanks to Derek, Tiff, and Joel for providing awesome notes and a healthy supply of pictures and impressions. We can only hope that you had as much fun as it looked like you had.

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to real people (living or dead) or actual events is purely coincidental.

Ron Gilbert (Maniac Mansion, DeathSpank and The Cave) and Clayton Kouzlaric (Voodoo Vince and DeathSpank) teamed up to bring a new dose of their signature humourous gameplay magic to gamers in the form of the iOS game Scurvy Scallywags (an Android version will soon follow). As the name implies, there are pirates involved....and goblins, and skeletons, and giant crab monsters and any number of other elements that illustrate that this game is a beast unto its own.

 

First Impressions

At first glance the game appears to be nothing more than another Bejeweled clone with some collection elements added to support the story of the production of a pirate-themed play. However, Messrs. Gilbert and Kouzlaric aren’t known for developing straightforward games that are easy to categorize. Here they take bits of fruit from several genres of games and blend them all together into a refreshing smoothie. Unfortunately their blender seems to be on the fritz, because this smoothie has quite a few lumps. The game is far from bad, it just suffers from the same problems as most of the match three/collection games, with a few new ones all its own thrown in for good measure.

Gameplay

You play the star of an opening night play telling the story of two pirates vying for possession of the ultimate pirate sea shanty. As you sail from port to port, solving multiple puzzles in each, you collect pieces of the shanty. To beat the puzzles, you must eliminate groups of cutlasses to increase your character’s attack power so you can defeat the enemies that appear on the puzzle field. Throughout the game you are also given side quests to collect items needed for the play (rolls of tickets, bandages, etc.) and reward you with experience points and attribute buffing gear. Collecting items is accomplished by moving your character across the puzzle. Each puzzle mixes together elements of puzzle solving, item collecting, RPG character management and battle strategy. It just becomes too much in the later levels. You find yourself desperately trying to steer your character to a quest item while avoiding the three enemies on the puzzle field because their attacks are all still twenty points higher than yours and there are no power-up matches available. You begin to find yourself having less fun while looking for a good reason to keep playing, and that is the sign that a game has lost you.

Final Verdict

While the game is entertaining, and very funny at times (as is expected considering it’s creators), it just didn’t hold up for me after the first several levels. It felt like I was being given busy work to keep me occupied, and that isn’t what I look for in a game experience. Your experience may differ, especially if you are more of a puzzle fan than I am, but the novelty just seems to wear off a little too soon to hold attention through to the game’s end.

From the developer that brought you Ratchet and Clank, Spyro the Dragon, and many other popular titles, Insomniac Games introduces  Fuse, a third person cooperative shooter. Fuse, available now on both the PS3 and XBox 360 platforms, is Insomniac’s first foray onto the XBox 360 platform.  

A fun game but not quite worth purchasing at full retail. If you really want to play this game revisit Gears of War, Borderlands, and Mass Effect as they are but a few games that have “lent” this game some elements of inspiration. Keep playing those games until Fuse drops in price and when it does, you may want to consider picking it up.

On May 28th, 2013 I received my OUYA. The little silver box that was created on the hopes, dreams and dollars of thousands of Kickstarter supporters found its way to my door.

A month ago I was ready to chalk up the OUYA as a $99 experiment. Today, I am impressed with how far OUYA has come and excited for what its’ future holds. If you are a fan of the arcade games on XBOX Live and PlayStation, if you want a cheap and solid streaming box that can handle one of the best utilities out there, if you like tinkering around, if you have an extra hundred bucks laying around or a tonne of cans to cash in and you have a bit of “Gamer A.D.D.,” then you should seriously consider OUYA. If you are “COD or Die!!!”  then keep walking my friend...there’s nothing to see here.

Marvel Heroes is a free to play ARPG with MMO elements by Gazillion Entertainment made by some of the same developers involved in the Diablo series and the Marvel Ultimate Alliance series.  This team has a lot of potential, first releasing Marvel Super Hero Squad and now Marvel Heroes (formerly known as Marvel Universe).  

THE FREE PART

Marvel Heroes does not employ any ‘pay 2 win’ elements.  You can pick a character and play through the campaign and endgame content and hit max level all without spending a penny.  Your road to max level will not be any different than someone who paid money.  Out of a roster of approximately 22 heroes, you can pick one character out of four (Hawkeye, Thing, Storm and Scarlet Witch) to start your journey and honestly these are some of the best most balanced characters in the game.  You will also get a random character drop of those same four after you finish the tutorial.  Lastly when you complete the campaign, you will be awarded another character (it seems like this character is Daredevil from speaking to a few people).  All the other characters are capable of dropping as ultra rare loot (think Legendary drops from other ARPGs).  However since it’s random, it may take a long time before you get the specific character you want to play.

THE MONEY PART

Marvel Heroes has it’s own virtual game currency, I’ll talk in real money terms here but basically 100G = $1 USD.  Gazillion is employing the ‘people can’t figure out the value of fake currency’ system to try and make you not realize exactly how much you’re spending.

All the characters can be purchased for G.  There are four tiers of pricing, $6, $9, $12 and $20 which seem to be based on popularity. At the $20 price point we have Deadpool, Spiderman and Ironman.  On the low end we have the starter characters plus Daredevil and Black Widow.  

Each character has a number of costumes to modify their look.  These costumes honestly are over priced and in a lot of cases cost more than the character.  There are a few costumes that are very expensive because they are ‘enhanced’ which means they come with all new voice over work and effects such as Deadpools pirate costume.  Costumes can drop for free in the game as well at the same rarity as character drops.  Gazillion has made an effort to create at least one ‘cheap’ costume at either the $2 or $4.50 price point depending on the character, otherwise costumes run about $11 which is disappointing and overpriced in my opinion.

There are other items you can purchase for real money include inventory stash tabs, boosts, companion pets, respec pots to re-assign skill points and Fortune Cards which give you a random consumable or item from a list which can include pets, characters and costumes.

HYBRID MMO / ARPG

As you move through the campaign you will experience different player populations.  Each chapter has a main MMO ‘city’ area where you will see many other players running around doing their own thing.  The mob density is pretty high and there are random environment events you can work together on for rewards including boss fights.  From the city area you’ll find exits to other areas, these other areas may be solo side quest areas where it’s you vs the yellow mob inside and usually there’s a reward chest but no boss fight.  Then there are story areas where if you have the auto-party option turned on, the game will party you with up to 4 other heroes and you will work together through this area usually concluding in a boss fight.

CAMPAIGN

Marvel Heroes is split into 8 chapters, and the story will swing significantly from Chapter 4 to 5.  In the first four chapters you’ll be chasing down escaped super villains and a  tablet with great power.  In the last four chapters you’ll be brought into the anti-mutant wars and visit some more interesting places and even fight Dinosaurs.  Along the way you’ll fight many big name Marvel villains like Kingpin, Doc Oct, Elektra, Venom and Magneto to name a few.  You will also fight against many enemy factions such as Hydra, The Hand and Sentinels to name a few of those.  The campaign will conclude fighting against a bunch of super villains you’ll encounter on your way to the mega boss which is a multi-stage fight.  When you finish that, you will be awarded a character (most likely Daredevil) and can do the campaign with a new character or move on to end-game content.  The campaign is very enjoyable and the cutscenes are done in a motion comic format which compliments the content of the game perfectly.

END-GAME

I’m just going to say it flat out, the end-game content in Marvel Heroes is lacking.  There is stuff to do but this part of the game is not finished development yet.  Basically there are three different terminals: a green, red and purple.  They also go up in difficulty across the main hero bases of the game.  As an example the green terminal in Avengers Tower is the easiest, the green terminal in Xavier’s School has the same missions, they’re just a lot tougher and the green terminal on the S.H.I.E.L.D. harrier is even tougher still.  Each mission in the green terminal is a boss fight, you’ll move through the environment fighting along the way to the boss.  When you kill the boss, you’ll be awarded a cube shard once every 20 hours which you can accumulate and trade in for a Fortune Card.  Once you complete the first mission, the second will unlock and you can do that and so on and so forth.  When you enter a green terminal mission, you will be auto-partied with up to four other people.  Unfortunately this mostly just becomes a boss rush for players who just want their cube shard which means XP gains are pretty minimal since you’re not clearing each stage.

The red terminals are exactly the same thing except a bit harder and the loot rewards are a little bit better.  They used to require a random drop called a Cosmic Key as admission into a red mission.  However as of the 7/2/13 patch, this requirement has been removed to open the areas up to everyone and increase player population in these areas.  Also XP earnings have been increased and hopefully loot tables have been increased as well.

The purple terminals have challenge missions and survival missions.  In the challenge missions, you need to go in with a pre-formed party, for whatever reason it doesn’t seem to auto-party.  Your party is given 12 respawns, a time limit and you need to navigate a very large map closing four gates.  Your party will be fighting a vast array of different enemy types on the way to each gate and then fight a final boss.  When you finish the first challenge mission, the first survival mission will be unlocked.  This is where the real fun is.  Not only is the survival mission widely regarded as the place to go to grind XP, but you will be partied up with 15 other heroes and it’s mad chaos for 25 minutes.  You will fight multiple waves of different enemy types on a large map and it will conclude with a boss fight.  While this mode is a lot of fun, 15 heroes all firing off powers and auras and ass kicking from one end of the map to another can make it hard to figure out what to attack, find loot drops or at times even get an attack in before everything’s dead.  Needless to say frame rates are an issue in this mode as well even for high end systems.

There is a PVP mode but it’s a mess, unbalanced and needs a lot of work. It’s so broken that it’s not even worth acknowledging that it’s there at the moment.  But Gazillion has said they will step up and fix this mode in future patches.

Also in the works for a future patch is the ability to replay the campaign as your current hero with the difficulty increased.  This will be added to the game in a future patch release.

LOOT

Loot is the foundation of any ARPG.  Marvel Heroes uses the same color system for loot rarity that pretty much everyone else uses.  White stuff is trash, Blue stuff is worth picking up for reasons I’ll discuss under crafting and Purple stuff is the stuff you want to be equipping.  Absent in Marvel Heroes is an orange drop, there is no traditional legendary gear in this game at this time.  What would be considered legendary drops would include characters, costumes and pets, basically stuff for sale for real money.  Other items that you will find as drops include Costume Cores which modify a specific stat attribute like ‘fighting skill’, Boss Medals which give you some random properties and artifacts which also give you random properties and you can equip two of those.  In-game currency also drops to spend at venders, XP/health/spirit (mana) orbs, health packs, cube shards and crafting elements.  One thing I really appreciate about Heroes is that there is no auction house or player to player buying/selling.  You get what you get or what you can craft for now, however player trading is being talked about as coming soon with a game currency auction house in the distant future.

On the subject of crafting, instead of selling the stuff you pick up for in game money, you can donate it instead.  When you donate gear to venders, they will increase in level and the quality of stuff they have for sale will also go up.  The crafter is especially important to level up as it will allow you to turn blue gear into purple gear, add offensive or defensive powers to your costume, craft potions, combine or break apart crafting elements, add a core to your costume and allow you to unbind gear from one character so you can give it to another character.  The crafter is very useful in Marvel Heroes and is well worth the time to level up.  You will find plenty of money in world as you move through the campaign, so donating gear to venders is the way to go.

CHARACTER PROGRESSION

Like all other MMOs, RPGs and ARPGs, you progress by leveling which is done by gaining XP.  In Marvel Heroes, you get XP from killing bad guys but also picking up XP orbs which diminish in value the longer they sit on the ground.  When you level up, you will gain some skill points that you can spend on your skill tree.  At specific level tiers, you will also level up a costume stat such as your fighting skill which among other things increases the damage you do per attack.  If you want to level up at an accelerated rate, there are 1 hour XP boost pots you can buy for G (real money) and they will boost you up 50% for 1 hou and 5 can be stacked for a 100% boost..  On the topic of XP, your character earns ‘rested’ XP on their XP progression bar when you aren’t playing as that hero.  As your XP bar fills in over top of the rested XP amount you’ve earned, you get item find and XP earning boosts.  For me this is a unique feature to Marvel Heroes, I haven’t run across this in other ARPGs.  However it seems to punish you for sticking with one character and leveling them and seems to reward playing multiple characters at a time which is easy because you can bring up your roster and switch heroes on the fly.

The skill trees themselves are fairly simplistic, similar to the depth you saw in Diablo 3 if you played that.  Coming to Marvel Heroes from Path of Exile’s skill tree I found it extremely simplified but I also didn’t mind it.  Making point assignment decisions took a lot less consideration time.  You’re early skills can pretty much be upgraded every level if you have a favorite, the later skills will only let you put a point in every so many levels.  Each skill has a max level of 20 points that can be assigned, but a skill can be over-leveled by another 20 from gear attributes which is really nice.

THE VERDICT

If you are a Marvel fan and/or enjoyed playing the Marvel Ultimate Alliance games or even just like ARPGs, Marvel Heroes campaign is a fun time.  With being able to party up with four buddies or randoms, the ability to join a SuperGroup aka Clan and the interesting mix of MMO, party and solo areas, the game varies itself quite a bit.  The game shows it’s weakness once you get to the end-game content though.  The green/red terminals are just re-plays of stuff you did in the campaign, PVP is a mess and many heroes have a hard time keeping up with the difficulty curve of endgame content for various reasons.  This keeps them stuck re-playing Avengers Tower content which is the easiest level of endgame content.  To Gazillions credit, they are active in the forums and listening to gamer feedback and making weekly changes to the game.  As an example, the 7/2/13 patch fixes a lot of hero issues to make more builds viable in end-game content and removes the Cosmic Key (which is a random drop) restriction from all end-game areas.  So while the game doesn’t feel like a complete product just yet, there’s a good amount of fun content here to play now and even more to look forward to in the future.

Movies and video games have shared a rocky relationship over the years. Great movies often inspire terrible video games and sometimes great video games cause Hollywood to shit out a movie-shaped turd based on that hit game. Very seldom do these two different mediums share the same measure of success. Firebrand and Activision teamed up to monopolize on the success of the Fast and Furious series of films with Fast and Furious: Showdown.

I started to suspect that I may not be playing a quality racing title almost immediately, and a half hour later my wife had to talk me down from the ledge of the Bank of America building. I did many things I didn’t want to do for the benefit of our valued 2old2play readers: I spent hours writing and researching new game releases; I tuned, researched, and tested every car in every Forza car pack; I even played Aliens: Colonial Marines all the way through to the end, and I was happy to do it, dear reader, but there is no fucking way I’m putting this putrid piece of shit back into my console.

The first, and most evident, problem with Showdown is the fact that it rewrites, recasts, and reassembles every Fast and Furious movie. Remember in Fast 5 when Dom and Brian dragged a stolen vault through the streets of Rio de Janeiro in a couple of Chargers? Maybe I’m confused, because Firebrand has Tej and Brian driving the strangely wide and deserted streets of Rio, in a pair of Chargers, dragging a feather fucking pillow shaped like Hernan Reyes’ vault. Who knew that a vault that size has no actual weight, or maybe that was due to the stupidly absent game physics, because it seemed much heavier in the movies.

Hey, do you remember that time that Brian invited his friend from Miami, Tej, to come to Los Angeles to race on a freeway straight out of Cruisin USA? Yeah, me neither. The incredible lack of imagination and originality on these tracks almost makes me think that they owe the Pole Position programmers some royalties. Why is Tej even racing? I cannot honestly remember him even driving in any of the movies. Did I miss that part or something? I saw Dom race, and Brian, and Han, and Roman, and Letty, but never Tej. Why didn’t they just stick fucking Agent Hobbs behind the wheel? It would make about as much sense.



Hey, do you remember that time that I recommended that everyone go out and pick up a copy of Fast and Furious: Showdown? Yeah, that’s not going to happen either. This game is the equivalent of Carrot Top: The Movie. I would rather grind my lips off with a cheese grater than play another fifteen minutes of this game. The physics are bad..way, way bad. There’s no rhyme or reason for the plot, the shooting part sucks almost as much as the driving, the levels are preposterously uninspired, and the difficulty switches from super easy to Ninja Gaiden for no reason. At 40 dollars, Activision is still charging 60 dollars too much. Don’t buy it, don’t rent it, don’t even stand next to it.

Final Verdict

Fast and Furious: Showdown can suck it.

Summer is typically a little slow for game releases. This week however isn’t so bad with a new Sid Meier game and NCAA Football 14. If culture wars and college football are your type of thing, this may be your week.

 Microsoft

 Playstation

 Nintendo

 PC

NCAA Football 14 (July 9, 2013) is the latest entry in Electronic Arts’ long running college football franchise. With NCAA 14 gamers can take their favorite Division I programs to gridiron glory. EA makes changes to every annual sports series it publishes and NCAA Football 14 is no exception. This year’s version includes several features as well as the inclusion of a staple only Madden NFL players previously had access to, Ultimate Team.

The good

Ultimate team, assemble! In Ultimate Team players assemble a football team from a virtual pack of trading cards. Card packs are unlocked by earning virtual coins or they can be purchased through download. Last year’s NCAA title gave gamers a chance to take Heisman greats and see what their careers would have been like if they’d of gone to different schools. This was a ton of fun and is still available, but Ultimate Team takes that concept one step further by allowing the use of former and current NFL players in EA’s college football title.

Players can now take former college football greats and put them on the same team. Imagine Peyton Manning as a CU Buff. Or better yet, how about Bo Jackson as a UC Santa Cruz Banana Slug? That’s right, even though he’s been retired for years Bo still knows football. He’s available as a free download in Ultimate Team during NCAA 14's  first week of release.

New car smell.NCAA 14 is chock full of tweaks that enhance gameplay. There are 30 new Option types, improvements to the offensive and defensive Hit Stick, and an improved physics engine. These are just a few of the many upgrades players will notice, but where gamers will really dive deep is in the restructured Dynasty mode.

As players earn XP through meeting goals and signing players, they can use points on one of the 18 upgradable, multi-level abilities that span across two separate skill trees. Players can choose to use points that give a bump to their team in a game or help themselves land a coveted recruit. NCAA 14's new Dynasty features give the game an RPG-like depth that fans of the series will appreciate.

The bad

For a price Ugarte, for a price. I’ve always enjoyed Ultimate Team and I’m glad it’s finally making its NCAA debut. However, this mode does have some issues. It can take a very long time to earn coins to build the team that you want. And like many sports trading cards, Ultimate Team card packs come with plenty of duds. To expedite the process you might be tempted to purchase a pack of cards through download. This will cost you real money. While I have fun with Ultimate Team, there are times when it feels like another gaming money grab.

No guts. Road to Glory mode, where players work their way up from high school to college star, is still included but it remains unchanged. Some upgrades or improvements would have been welcome.

The verdict

The question every gamer asks themselves whenever a new EA Sports title comes out is, “Is this years version worth the money?” The answer to that question this year is a resounding, “Yes.” NCAA 14 feels like a revitalized game all around and I was constantly (and pleasantly) surprised by how fresh this title felt. This is a game packed with things to keep college football fans occupied and happy for a long time.

About the author

Gazette Media Columnist Terry Terrones is a veteran video game journalist. He has written for numerous publications including GamePro, PC World, GameZone, and Official Xbox Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/terryterrones.

NOTE: This review was originally published on gazette.com on July 8, 2013 and is republished on 2old2play with permission from the Author.

It's another weak week of new releases. Read on to see if there is anything you can add to your pile of shame.

Multiplatform

Turbo: Super Stunt Squad
Remember the character in The Neverending Story who rode a “Racing Snail”? He jumps on it and everybody’s like “Snails be slow as shit!”, but then it takes off at like a thousand miles an hour and everybody was like “Damn! That snail be fast as shit!”. Well, apparently DreamWorks made a movie with snails and other small bugs and mollusks racing each other, and (like all kids’ movies) a game tie-in is being released on every conceivable console.  

 

Dynasty Warriors 8
Hey! You, there! Yeah, you! Do you like repetitive stress disorder? Does your thumb have a callus the size of a grape on it from constantly hammering away on the “Strong Attack” button? Do you like massacring thousands of nameless Chinese soldiers for no better reason than that they were in your way? Then Tecmo Koei has the game for you! In fact, they have the exact same game that you’ve played for the last decade, but with slightly prettier graphics. Here comes Dynasty Warriors 8: The Same Old Shit! (subtitle subject to change).

Nintendo 3DS

Shin Megami Tensei IV
The Persona spin off (Or is it the other way around? These are two seriously convoluted series.) continues on the 3DS. Get ready for more incomprehensible plot twists and weird fight sequences that still somehow tell a riveting story. Plus, as it’s a JRPG, someone will have amnesia. It’s a rule. Plus, it’s on the 3DS, so.....free headaches! Bonus!

PS3

Time And Eternity
American PS3 owners finally, finally get the chance to play the game that has a Metacritic rating of 37%. There’s a wedding, assassins show up and somebody has a “dark alter ego”.  More generic JRPG goodness from Namco Bandai.

Xbox 360

The Serious Sam Collection
Four downloadable Serious Sam adventures are presented here in one package, along with all their available DLC. You get both volumes of Serious Sam HD, Serious Sam 3: BFE (with the Jewel Of The Nile DLC) and  Serious Sam Double D XXL.  All four games have added Achievement support, so your friends can see just how many headless, bomb-carrying, screaming guys you’ve killed.

2old2play scored a couple of MOGA Android controllers at E3. Apparently, most of our writing staff must be firmly in the Apple, Windows, or Crackberry camps since I scored both of them to review. Here’s a quick look at the MOGA Pocket (~$35) and MOGA Pro (~$50).

If someone has one you can borrow it’s worth checking out. It’s not terrible but the Pro isn’t much more expensive and is far superior.  

The Moga Pro is a solid controller. If I didn’t already have a Bluetooth adapter for an XBox 360 controller I’d probably hook it up to my PC and try it out with Steam Big Picture. I don’t see this being the killer device to get me to start mobile gaming. Maybe if the available library grows and begins to encompass the types of games I play elsewhere I’d give it another shot. For now its pretty much my overkill toy for playing Zen Pinball.

Deadpool has led a troubled life, even by comic book hero standards. His background was rewritten so many times it’s a wonder that he doesn’t suffer from dissociative identity disorder...oh wait, he does. Nevermind. His manic mental state is tied to his regenerative healing abilities, as well as his physical disfigurement. In the comics, Wade Wilson was given Wolverine’s healing ability, which in turn exacerbated an underlying mental disorder as well as supercharging an undetected cancer, ultimately responsible for his disfiguring tumors, and he might have been set on fire, a bit.  Part hero, part villain, Deadpool is known for his mixture of martial arts and gunplay, his manic split personality, a compulsion for breaking the fourth wall, and a love for portable Mexican food. He is an unlikely anti-hero for the latchkey generation.

So, High Moon Studios teamed up with those bastards at Activision to bring Deadpool, who ranked 182 out of the top 200 Comic Book Characters of All Time, to your game console: sounds like a bit of a gamble. Deadpool is presented in a third person brawler style. Now I know what you’re thinking: third person smart ass with swords and guns...it’s Devil May Cry without the white hair, or is Dante’s hair brown now? Does Deadpool even have hair? How did I get so far off track already?

 
All of Deadpool’s weapons are upgradeable, and players are able to purchase additional upgradeable weapons like giant hammers, SMGs, shotguns, and crazy plasma energy rifles, all of which are dual-wielded. Gunplay is impressively tight, so kudos to High Moon for that. Melee, however, is a button mashapalooza where combos build to a momentum attack that can dispatch several enemies at once. Several Marvel heroes and villains make cameo appearances in Deadpool’s adventure, so expect to see a few familiar faces like Wolverine, Rogue, Cable, and Darth Vader...okay, maybe not that last one. Deadpool also frequently calls Peter, from High Moon, to complain about the game.

The Mind of a Manic Mercenary

Wade has one foot in reality and the other in a boob and taco-filled fantasy land, and the dev does a fair job of representing the protagonist’s shattered perception of reality. He perceives Cable as a talking taco in one part of the game and mistakes an enemy lair for a strip club. The guy just ain’t all there.
 
This split with reality is also represented by in game achievements: I was awarded an achievement for making a thousand pancakes and for playing with shit in Deadpool’s apartment. That’s never happened before. Sneaking up and dispatching enemies by surprise was much more fun in this game than other sneaky games, such as Hitman or Skyrim.

This is the Part Where I Shit on the Game

Unfortunately, one of the most appealing aspects about the game, Wade’s signature Merc with a Mouth personality, tended to get on my nerves if I played for more than an hour. The guy never fucking shuts up. Since a lot of his schtick is repeated frequently, frequent breaks are a necessity. Enemies are also very repetitious, and players will find themselves fighting the same group of guys everywhere they go, with a couple of bosses thrown in for spice.

Deadpool is not a great game, but it is a very, very entertaining game. It’s a must have for Marvel fans, but a must have at a reduced price for everyone else. There’s just too much button mashing and same old shit to give it a top rating. Wade can take players to to some very entertaining places, for a short time, just don’t let him fly the Blackbird.

In Boston, we’re in the midst of one of the worst heat waves in recent memory. A good way to beat the heat is to stay inside, preferably with some sort of AC or fan to cool you off. This week, while not as busy some, features a decent amount of niche games that will help you forget the humidity outside. Stay cool and game on! 

• Four-Player Co-op: Play with four players on the screen simultaneously.
• Jump in and jump out seamlessly.
• Play as Your Favorite Smurf: Become your favorite Smurf to help bring Smurfette home!
• The Right Smurf for the Right Job: Mix and match the Smurfs you play as - Papa can freeze enemies with his magical potions and Vanity can strike a pose to become a temporary platform to reach new heights!
• Six Worlds to Explore: From the Enchanted Forest to the Spooky Woods, through the streets of New York, to the majestic city of Paris, and everywhere in between.

 PC

 Playstation