G-pinions

This month had some pretty huge stuff on it, the quality of which ranged from pretty disappointing to shockingly entertaining. It also took me a hell of a long time to get to writing this, what with my gaming time being chock full of flaming wreckage and goody two-shoes behavior. In fact, several of the demos on here come out this Tuesday in completed game form. Oh well, let's hear it for consistency.

Demos:

Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War - Look, Ace Combat is the best flight combat series out there (that I've played). The problem is, it's been that way since the second game in the series, and hasn't changed much since then. There just isn't much competition. So by now, although still fun, and still "gee whiz those planes look purty", I'd rather be doing something else. It's just not that compelling nowadays, and if I do want to do some flying for the sake of flying, I'll pop in Crimson Skies. The whole new wingman mechanic is pretty cool, and the story bits are decent, but I was really expecting something new from the gameplay. I just feel like there's no way I'd play this unless I was forced to for review purposes.

Asterix & Obelix: Kick Buttix - I'm fairly sure I'm the only one who will ever read this site who has heard of (and used to be a big fan of) Asterix & Obelix, the best thing to come out of France since baguettes. These two Gauls spend their time boozing, eating wild boar after wild boar, and smacking around Romans. The comics are great, and have been translated admirably into this game. The sense of humor is there, the moves are there, and the charming story and characters are there. If you've never heard of the series (and you haven't), you'll probably find it to be a decent platforming collect-a-thon with some fun combat, and if you're me (and have heard of it) you'll probably pick it up one day for $5.

Def Jam Fight For NY - I was fairly weary of the license when the first game in this series came out, but it turned out to be a decent wrestling game with a goofy hip-hop sheen. DJ:FFNY, on the other hand, has turned out to be a fantastic fighting game with a goofy hip-hop sheen. The combat is gorgeous, smooth, and visceral, and the cast has plenty of colorful characters even if you're not a big rap fan. The background interaction kicks ass too, with crowds pushing you back into the action if you get too close and brooms and bottles to be picked up and used. Another title I'll be picking up when it's nice and cheap.

Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone - This plays pretty much exactly how you'd expect it to, based on what it is - an action game using the Lord of the Rings engine with a lesser-known license and three characters you can switch between at any time. The enemy designs are cool and the combat is fun enough, but unless you're a fan of R.A. Salvatore's work I doubt it's worth picking up.

Second Sight - Alright, here comes the disappointment. After one brief playthrough (well, not even through, as we didn't even finish the demo) with Tom, he declared it a crappy game. I told him we needed to give it more time, and more time for oursleves to learn the controls. Well, after playing it again, I'm inclined to agree with Tom. Well, it's not so much a crappy game as it is an average game (though they are fairly interchangeable), and not at all of the quality I've come to expect from Free Radical. It's true that they've never made anything besides an FPS, but based on those I would have figured they could handle any genre. Second Sight, based on what little I played, just feels sloppy. The Psi powers aren't intuitive to use, and the level in the demo doesn't really encourage their use at all. So unless the final game is drastically more tightened than this demo, I'd say this has slipped to the very bottom of my 'must-play' list for the next sixth months, which probably means I'll never get to it. A shame, really.

Spy Fiction - It is indeed the most derivative Metal Gear clone I've ever played, but at least the basic game mechanics are solid because of that. I really just didn't want to play this one, but I was surprised at the quality of the presentation. Really, there's no reason to ever buy or play this game, but know that if it accidentally finds it's way into your collection, you won't be entirely let down.

Star Wars Battlefront - So, I suppose that I can't vouch for the online play (though most reviewers so far have have loved it), but this multiplayer demo rocks. It's a very good-looking game, especially on the PS2, and no matter what side or character class you pick, it's lots of fun. It plays similarly to Socom, with the emphasis on run-and-gun gameplay over any sort of stealth. The vehicles are awesome too, and more importantly, well-balanced. I know that any Star Wars fan would micturate themselves over this game, but anyone would enjoy the hell out of it even if they haven't seen the movies. It's just lots of chaotic fun, and who doesn't like that? The only slight complaint I have is with the somewhat slow default walking speed, but I get the feeling that won't matter as much online. Pandemic is now 2-for-2, let's see what else they can do.

Everything else:

Meh. Monthly MGS3 and Gran Turismo videos, blah blah blah, some nice Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne and Champions: Return to Arms trailers, an awesome Neo Contra one, and a bunch of other stupid crap like a feature on Playboy: The Mansion. It's tough to compete trailer-wise with the internet, but it's still cool seeing some of these on my tv. They just need more Japanese game demos and extra features to keep me entertained. Oh well, I'm sure I'll find something to like next month.