Review: Portal 2

So, last week Valve dropped the second installment in their Portal franchise. Once again, the player takes control of Chell and must go through a series of tests to progress through the game. GLaDOS also returns to the series, much the same as before. However, there are also new characters introduced in the game. The first character you meet is Wheatley, an AI that is helps Chell through the opening sections of the game, and becomes more heavily involved in the story of the game later on. At a certain part of the game, you also encounter Cave Johnson speaking over a PA system, as well as his assistant, Caroline. Cave Johnson is the former CEO of Aperture Laboratories. He directs the player through the testing area during this section of the game. His assistant, Caroline, is more involved in the story than she seems at first. However, the story is one that you really must hear to understand. It is quite an interesting story, though for those that don't know the story from the original Portal, it can be a little harder to understand. In the separate co-op campaign, the players take control of Atlas and P-Body, two robots that are directed by GLaDOS. Also, just like the original, one of the main attractions of the game is the humor that is strewn throughout the game. The Portal sseries is known for its sarcastic, dry humor, and Portal 2 is no exception.

Now, let's get to the main point: the gameplay. Just like its predecessor, Portal 2 has the player going through a series of tests and challenges. It teaches the player the basics of the portal mechanics, then sends the player through a series of tests that focus around the portals, getting progressively more difficult as you move along. This pattern is repeated with new features, such as Aerial Faith Plates and Repulsion Gel. However, this fact is hidden by the progressing story and the witty banter that comes from GLaDOS and Cave Johnson. The overall difficulty of the game is relatively moderate, with some chambers being really

easy and others being truly difficult. With the addition of the new elements, even the Portal veteran's mind will be challenged by the new tests. However, the place where the difficulty really ramps up is the co-op. The tests themselves are not so much more difficult per se, but they

are made more difficult by the fact that they require both players' minds to be working together to overcome the obstacles. This can be frustrating when a player is killed because the two are just a little out of sync, but most of the time, the tests do not require perfection. In particular, one test I remember required the players to collide in midair in order to reach a platform to continue onward. The tests in the co-op campaign are really well-planned and Valve has done a good job of implementing the multiplayer system into Portal despite the fact that at first they didn't think it was a good idea.

Next, let's talk about the graphics. Personally, I think the long-abandoned, ruined state of Aperture was a really nice design choice. Seeing areas from the first game in such disarray brought a sense of both nostalgia and strangeness. The rat man's dens were a nice easter egg, and the drawings in his dens invoked a sense of wonder and awe. They give the player a hint that there really is a lot more to this story than just Chell going through some tests. The Cave Johnson sections also were a really cool design choice. I very much got a Bioshock feel from them. Overall the game is truly beautiful, as the graphic design is integrated nicely into the story. It may not be the most photorealistic game on the market, but that's okay because the graphics are still really good.

As for any problems I had with the game, the only complaint I could have is that sometimes the movement feels a little weird. At first, I felt a little floaty when moving around, but I slowly became used to that. However, it is very easy to get caught on tiny corners, which can be frustrating. However, these problems are very small in comparison to the extremely fun time I had playing Portal 2.

Now, some might be wondering about DLC for Portal 2. Valve has talked about new maps made by the community being integrated into both Xbox LIVE and the Steam Marketplace (which now also serves PS3 users), so it shouldn't be too long before we can get our hands on some new maps to test in. Also, there might be some new character skins for Atlas and P-Body, as the pre-order DLC from Gamestop showed.

CONCLUSION: Portal 2 - Highly Recommended

Homefront Review

This past week was the release of THQ and Kaos Studios’ patriotic video game Homefront. The basic story is a not so far into the future video game rendition of the movie Red Dawn. The year is 2027; North and South Korea have united and slowly began to take over the world. They take Japan and of course the next logical step would be to invade America. Of course I may have a slight bias against the game due to the fact that there’s really nothing that new about this game. You play as pilot Jacobs and are picked up by the resistance forces to fight against the Korean forces. Your man objective is to get fuel, which has become a rare commodity, to the U.S. Army in San Francisco to aid in the war effort. You with your rag-tag group of freedom fighters must fight into heavily militarized areas and highjack the oil trucks against all odds. Jacobs is put with hardened solider Conner, the compassionate Rianna, and tech-savvy Korean Hopper. The majority of the game takes place in rural suburbs where you are fighting either from house to house or sometimes inside a super market. Of course you will manly be fighting Korean soldiers, there are levels that have you fighting against crazy survivalist Americans. While this isn’t a “bad” game by any means there isn’t a lot that sets it apart from every other army game out there, and with the monster of a franchise that Call of Duty has become games like HomeFront need to be over the top amazing to be truly recognized for what it is. The campaign is your average hid behind walls, shoot, and then hid some more. Don’t expect to get friendly with a certain type of gun because the lack of ammo keeps you constantly picking up different guns which gives the game a nice feel of finding tools of survival whereas in games like Call Of Duty your given a gun with enough ammo to carry you through the game. There is emphasis on the fact that you get to fight in stores that many people would recognize such as Hooters and White Castle. I thought this would be really interesting until you actually get into the restaurants. Other than the fact that they have the logo on the store the insides look nothing like a Hooters I’ve ever seen so really it’s just product placement. But really what many people buy the game for it for the online multiplayer, and to be honest it is probable one of the better online army shooter games that I’ve played. You a placed onto a huge map with the standard array of guns and items but instead of just being a solider you can earn enough points to unlock tanks and drones and all kinds of cool things. The maps are usually set big enough with amble roof room for anyone who wants to snipe and truly being outside of where all the madness is happening. It is a little buggy though, there were a few times when I was clearly shooting someone and it would never register and many times the server kicked everyone from the match. All this are problems that can easily be fixed with a patch but the one thing that kills this game and honestly would have kept me from buying it is the fact that there is no co-op available in either campaign or online. I still simply do not understand how in this day an age of video games companies do not get that we want to be able to play games with the people beside us. Regardless of how amazing a shooter is if it has no multiplayer at the end of the day I’m still going to be switching back to a game like Halo or Call of Duty that will let me play with my roommates.  With all that said the game is a pretty fun game. Story mode is a little bit short and again with no ability to play co-op I’d say that this game is worth picking up when the price goes down a bit. As always let us know what you think of the game if you’ve managed to get a hold of it yet. 

Mario Sports Mix

      Mario Sports Mix came out last week and it has been one of my most anticipated games to come out so far since E3 2010.  I have been really fond of the sports games that Nintendo have made with their poster boy Mario.  For the next installment in the series, if you would consider it a series, you can pick to play basketball, hockey, volleyball, and dodgeball. As far as gamestyle it is set up so that you can play tournament mode, which takes you through three different tournaments and also lets you go on alternate paths once you have beaten the cups.  This of course leads to unlocking more levels and more characters. I originally got the game because I was super excited to play a dodgeball game but the more I’ve played them the more my opinion changed on them. While dodgeball is really fun it is a bit confusing to get used to how it’s played. The one that I really started to like was basketball it’s a little more fast-paced than the other three but once you get down the passing and shooting it becomes fun.  As far as volleyball and hockey go, they are both pretty fun but I feel easily forgotten about compared to the other two. The gameplay could be a little better four all four of the games. I consider Mario Super Strikers to be one of my favorite games and all the motions are very fluid and enjoyable but for Sports Mix the characters seem to be a little tough to manage and don’t respond correctly all the time.  The charge system they has been used in many of the previous sports games is added but only to a certain extend. It is still a bit hard to use. Also when you unlock a character or level you only unlock it for that particular sport so it makes it very tedious to go and beat ever tournament on every mode just to unlock the same thing over and over again. They have a few mini games to play and also allow you to play with your Mii, but I feel like 4 mini games isn’t really enough and should have been better thought out. It adds online play which is always fun but it’s cursed of having Nintendo’s bad wifi capabilities and impossible friend codes. As much as I have complained, I do really enjoy the game and it’s a good game to have if you like playing with your friends in a casual setting. Perhaps this is a game you should wait until the price drops on to pick up but I would still suggest getting. 

Call of Duty: Pay to Play

I recently read an article talking about how Activision will be making a new studio called Project Beachhead. This studio is said to be basically adding a pay to play system to the Call of Duty franchise. They hinted to instead of 15 bucks every time they put a new map pack out to instead switching to a monthly rate in which those who pay will be allowed to use all the content available for the game. One of the reasons behind this I honestly believe is the fact that PS3 users do not have to pay for using internet browser or online gaming. Activision sees money to be made and is wanting in on it. The problem with this is for gamers like me who already have to subscribe to a 60 buck a month fee just to play online are going to have to pay another fee just to play a single game. When I read the article I was thoroughly pissed.  I love playing the online multiplayer but do not play it enough to pay extra for it. I’ve heard rumors of this thing happening before but I wrote it off as an idiotic idea that they wouldn’t be dumb enough to try. From the looks of it though I appear to have been wrong. I’m not sure of when this is actually going to go into effect but I can speculate that when it does a lot of people are going to get pissed and move away from Call of Duty. Of course that’s just my opinion what do you think about it.

Follow-Up: Ocarina of Time for 3DS

Adam posted about Ocarina of Time 3D on Monday. I decided to follow that up with a little bit of speculation. One topic that has been brought up when discussing Ocarina of Time 3D is the possible inclusion of Master Quest, a modified version of the game that functions basically the same as the Second Quest in the original Legend of Zelda did. The inclusion of Master Quest would mark the second time that the game was available in North America, as Master Quest was not originally released in North America, though it was part of a pre-sale promotion for Wind Waker. Nintendo has neither confirmed nor denied the inclusion of Master Quest in Ocarina of Time 3D, so this one could go either way. What do you guys and gals think? Would you be more excited for Ocarina of Time 3DS if it included Master Quest, or do you simply want the original Ocarina of Time experience? Let us know in the comments!

Call of Duty: First Strike

             I recently purchased the Call of Duty map pack and have been able to play it for the past few days to kind of get an opinion on it. The pack is a five level pack consisting of The Berlin Wall, Discovery, Kowloon, Stadium, and the new zombie level Ascension.  The pack is exclusive to Xbox 360 as of right now but will be coming to PS3 in March.  For fifteen bucks you get these five new maps and in my opinion I would have to say it is worth it. I was a little skeptical to fork out the money especially since I have heard mixed reviews from different sources.  I intended on buying the map pack just for the zombie level but as I’ve played the other maps I have really started to like them more and more. To give a brief breakdown of the levels:

Berlin Wall: Personally it is my favorite of the new level’s it’s a level more or less broke into two sides so great for any kind of team battles.  It is a medium size map that is imaged after the Berlin wall. It has a no-man’s land that runs through the center as a divider. It has several builds in which to hid in and shoot at the streets below which are very fun.

Discovery: This level is a snow-covered level with a couple two-storied buildings and several small crates and vehicles to hide behind. It adds a nice element by having a few of the snow-covered walkways to be destroyed. This level like Berlin Wall and Stadium is a pretty good level if sniping is the way you like to go. Several of the buildings have really good vantage points one the center bridge of the map and also there is a railing that goes from one side of the map to the other and has a great view but no where to really take cover so it doesn't make for a good place to camp. 

Stadium: This map is about the same size as Berlin Wall and consists of several building in the edges overlooking a central point. I really enjoy this level as well, you have a lot of hiding spots and there is one area in one of the buildings that is good for straight up firefights. There are a few places that I wish they could have fixed such as one building that could have had a great vantage point but they stuck a a/c unit up there which renders it more or less useless, but it is still a really fun map.

Kowloon: The only map that I don’t really care for. This map is about medium size with a ton of different buildings on different levels. I find it almost impossible to play here without getting mad about it. All the different buildings seem to have four or five entrances so it’s becomes a problem to try and watch your back, but also trying to keep moving without the shelter of a building leaves you sticking out like a sore thumb. This level is definitely my least favorite; hopefully it will grow on me though.

Ascension: The next chapter in the Nazi zombie story line has you in a Russian space facility. It’s the biggest zombie map to date and it is massive! They have taken away a few things while adding more such as monkeys to replace the hellhounds and the crazy scientist, as well as two new perk machines. The monkeys are much more annoying than I was hoping for, how they work is only show up after you get a perk and after that they try to destroy the machine which will make you lose your perk. If you are able to kill them before they take any of your perks you will get a random perk in addition to max ammo. As far as the zombies so they are more at lower levels, they are slightly stronger than on the other two maps, and have to ability to dodge or roll to avoid getting shot.  With how big the level it is, it makes it very confusing to get around at first but once we got the hang of it we really just stayed in one area. They replace the teleporter with a Lunar Lander, which takes less time to recharge and has saved our butts way to many times. The monkey bombs are replaced with the Gersch Device, sucks zombies into a black hole, and the Matryoshka Dolls, a bouncing bomb that keeps exploding. It is really fun once you get the hang of it but the size still seems to become problematic and my roommates and I were disappointed that they didn’t give us a few new guns.

   All in all I would have to say this is a great map pack to pick up even for fifteen bucks. Although with five maps that’s about three bucks apiece so really it’s not so bad. Tell us what you think about it and what’s your favorite level? Also if you have any strategies you like to use please let us know.

Pictures from:

Call of Duty: www.daxgamer.com

Discovery: www.codforum.com

Stadium: www.gamebolt.com

Berlin Wall: live.drjays.com

Kowloon: www.bifuteki.com

Ascension: www.wegotthiscovered.com

Thoughts about Dead Space 2

So I’ve recently got done playing the Dead Space 2 story mode and would have to say that I am pretty impressed with it overall. I bought the collector’s edition cause I’m a nerd and if someone stamps the word collector or special and throw in a few goodies I’m all over it. Can’t say I was too thrilled when the plasma gun I thought I was getting turned out to be about half the size that I thought it was, but I digress the game as far as the single player aspect is pretty solid it. It has the same grotesque sci-fi horror feel as the first and continues to add onto it. To tell a little about if for those unfamiliar to the series, you play as Isaac Clark. An engineer in search to rescue his wife on the Ishimura, a mining ship, when he arrives he must fight his way through scores of reanimated monsters called necromorphs. In the end you must escape and destroy the Marker, a mysterious artifact that has caused the people of the Ishimura to go insane and turn into the Necromorphs. In Dead Space 2 you find yourself in another space station called Titan. The same necromorphs that decimated the Ishimura are now on this station and you must fight to find out why. As far as for gameplay, it is very similar to the original. As you progress through the game you unlock more guns and are granted the ability of kinesis, allow you to throw items, stasis, slow down enemies, and an upgradable suit. There are a few added enemies such as the stalker, which hides behind crates and attacks in groups.  It builds on the last game really well and the story line is thrilling all the way to the end. There were a few problems I had with it of course. All the guns are neat and it is cool that you can upgrade them but just like in the first one they are all kind of subpar and the only thing you really need is the plasma gun. The stalkers, as cool as they were, seemed to be very typical. I knew when they would attack and would just sit in a corner until they came after me, and while that may not be bad typical is not something I want in a game that did a really good job at freaking me out. It does add more by adding dialogue from Isaac himself instead of making him the silent protagonist he was in the first game. Lastly the boss battle at the end bothered me a little. It was interesting of course but as far as difficulty I’d have to say I was let down especially since the game itself was hard I don’t see why the boss was so easy to beat. All in all I think it’s a great game and a good follow up to its predecessor. I plan to play through a few more time to unlock everything and get that stupid Ping Treasure. I haven’t played the multiplayer so I’d love to hear what you guys think of it as well as the story mode itself. Also if 60 bucks is too much to pay for a game there are several places you can go to get it for a bit cheaper. One place that I have found that it’s a great site to know is http://www.cheapassgamer.com/. It keeps up to date post of deals that are out there and will link you to the sites.

Ocarina of Time for 3DS

With the release of the Nintendo 3DS this spring there has been a lot of talk of what games are going to be coming out with it’s release. With Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time being remade for the new handheld many consider it to be the most anticipated of the releases. Unfortunately it and Kid Icarus Uprising have been postponed until after the launch. I guess that really comes to no surprise when Nintendo is one of the best at delaying their hard-hitting titles. Reggie Fils-Aime, Boss of Nintendo USA, talked in a recent article about how they wanted to make sure the games “made sense” before release. But on the bright side there was talk that while the games would not be ready at launch, they would not be pushed back very far. With their release dates pushed back until after E3 but still in the calendar year, hopefully that sticks. To read the full article you can click the link here.  So what do you guys think of the new system? Is it worth the price tag or is Nintendo just trying to cash in on the whole “3D experience

Halo: Combat Evolved HD Remake?

Once again, the rumor wheels are turning. The rumors of a 2011 remake of the first Halo game, Halo: Combat Evolved, have come to light again. This time, it's in the form of an article from Joystiq that sounds very confident. You can view this article here. But how much should we believe from this rumor? Well, these rumors go as far back as November. At that time, the Halo 1 remake was supposed to be an internally-developed title at 343 Industries, the team set up by Microsoft to take the reigns of the Halo franchise from Bungie. However, this new rumor suggests the game is being developed at Saber Interactive, a New Jersey based company. However, Saber Interactive's partner page has no mention of Microsoft, which casts doubt on this possibility. Also, soon after the first rumor, a Microsoft spokesperson issued a statement saying that Reach was the company's current focus and they had nothing to announce. This seems to suggest that a Halo: CE remake is not at the front of the company's priorities right now, but the rumor did not die, especially with talk about the tenth anniversary of Halo: CE's release in 2011. Then, OXM posted an article containing an interview with Frank O'Connor, the franchise development director at 343 Industries. In the article, O'Connor says "...we've no new games to announce right now," when asked about the future of the franchise. This seems to discredit the rumor of a 2011 Halo: CE remake, but he did just say "to announce right now." This doesn't mean that a Halo 1 remake couldn't be announced later in the year. He goes on to talk about how Reach will be supported by DLC in 2011, so there is also possibility of the remake being a huge DLC for Reach, though this seems unlikely. He also once again speaks of the tenth anniversary of Halo, which lends credit to the rumor from Joystiq. Now, we even have a release date: November 15, 2011, the tenth anniversary of Halo 1's release. The rumors seem to fit, but the responses from Microsoft and 343 Industries are discouraging. What do you think? Is a Halo 1 remake on the way, or are these just baseless rumors? If there is one, will you play it, or stick with Reach (or any other game you play)? Leave your opinion in the comments to let us know!

Nazi Zombie: A Perspective

For our first official topic we chose Nazi Zombie. With the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops, many people have begun to lose their lives to the first person shooter that we know and love. The Zombies mode in Black Ops has become an obsession with some of my roommates and me. While we have missed several classes due to the game and sometimes bailed on friends, we have tried several ways to get as far as we can. We have gotten to level 32 once and mostly out of luck. We only play on Kino der Toten and enjoy it the most. What we usually do is make our way around upstairs and try to get as few guns off the wall as possible. The only guns we really get off the wall are the MP 40 for me and the Stakeout for my teammate. We used to get the M14 at the start, but we have started to avoid it just to save money. We only play with two people because from what I can see, the more people you have playing, the larger the amount of zombies that come, so we feel one or two people is the best way to go. Our preferred guns are one person with the Thunder Gun and a Ray Gun, while the other person has a shotgun, usually the Stakeout, and a light machine gun, such as the HK21. We use the teleporter nearly every round past 15, and that’s where a lot of the luck and running start to take play. If you have any ideas of better ways to do it and preferred guns, please let us know. Also, tell us what your highest level is, and maybe we can help you out

Hey Guys !

Hey I'm Adam West and with the help of Derek have made this blog to just kinda talk about one thing we love and that's playing games. I am super excited to be putting this together and would love to get feedback on what you guys want to see or talk about. A little about my own gaming preferences, I really love Nintendo, Super Smash Brothers being my all time favorite game, but play the crap out of whatever i can get my hands on other that Katamari that game sucks. To list some of my personal favorites i'd have to say Smash, Halo series and anything Bethesda touches. As I said we are just two guys who want to talk about games and tell people what we think. We'd love support  and hopefully we will really be able to expand on the site and cover more areas such as reviews, tips, and general news.

Welcome to Game It Up!

Hey everybody who reads this post! Welcome to Game It Up!, a blog about general video game topics, including reviews, gaming news, speculation, and more. My name is Derek, and I co-founded this blog along with Adam. This blog will cover pretty much anything we care about, regardless of system, company, or other factors. A little bit about myself - I'm a huge retro-Nintendo fan. I have tons of old games that I still love. I'm also a huge Halo fan, but I also enjoy Call of Duty, Gears of War, and other shooters. Another series that I love is Elder Scrolls, which I have lost countless hours to over the years. On another note, I could be considered a Sony-hater by some. Personally I dislike the Playstation systems, but I try to present information on them fairly. I'll do my best to keep my bias in check during posts about Sony, but if I do begin to sound like a hater, Sony-fans, you'll just have to forgive me. About Adam, well, he's his own person so I'll let him tell you about himself at a later time. Anyway, we hope you enjoy this blog, and if you have any suggestions, just leave them in the comments section!