DEAD ISLAND: RIPTIDE – a Review

Mutants, zombies, viral outbreaks….what else makes for a thrilling 1st-Person Perspective Survival Horror game? Dead Island was a monstrous hit when it was first released in September of 2011. With various characters to choose from with different special abilities and strengthened attack variations, you knew, as soon as you put the disk in your home gaming console, that you were in for a wild ride! Here, we have Dead Island: Riptide, the 2013 release from Techland / Deep Silver. This sequel adds a new member to your ‘hero’ roster: ADF Sergeant John Morgan. This character, who teams up with the veterans Sam B, Purna, Xian Mei, and Logan Carter, claims he was supposed to be part of a humanitarian effort on some nearby island, until Serpo appeared and ruined everything.

When they finally escape the ship they were on, they end up meeting a highly attractive survivor named Harlow Jordan, who ends up being more than she appears. Surviving surging horde after horde of the volatile zombies and mutants, you find temporary safe haven at different locations around Palanai. Although Harlow appears to be the genuine altruist, initially, you find out more about her than you cared to know. But I won’t spoil the game for you.

 Harlow helps you through a few missions with information and she does lead you right to a scientist you helps you with extra important information. You begin in the Paradise Survival camp, then you move on to the Halai Village where you find out about the scientist who more enlightening news, as well as disturbing information about your ‘immunity’. This leads to more startling revelations. But that’s all I am going to reveal as I don’t want to spoil the game for fans.

Not being a fan of 1st-Person Perspective games, I was skeptical about these titles, at first, but it was addicting and I was easily sucked into it after about ½ an hour of playing. Although you get a variety of new weapons and health aids, as well as meeting up with new enemies to challenge you, you do lose some classic favorites like the Tesla Sledge Hammer that Sam B utilized.

 Each character has a special skill where weapons are concerned. Sam B, a rap/hip-hop musician making a comeback, is an expert at utilizing blunt objects as sledgehammers and baseball bats. Logan Carter, a former professional football player, specializes in throwing weapons such as knives and small bladed weapons. Purna, a former Australian policewoman, specializes in firearms, but is also keen with knives. Xian Mei, a former Banoi Island waitress and hotel desk clerk, is excellent with larger bladed weapons like swords and machetes. An added bonus is that, throughout gameplay, as you gain more experience and money, you can modify weapons to make more devastatingly powerful weapons, as the Tesla Hammer (above) is a prime example. I’ve been able to send the Thug Zombies flying with this interesting weapon when my strikes were timed properly. But this weapon was in the first Dead Island game. I’ve not come across it, yet, in RIPTIDE.

Some returning enemies are still as dangerous as they were in the first game, such as the Ram, an escaped mental patient, still wrapped in its straight-jacket, that has two very powerful attacks: his running ram, and his kick. Attacking from the front does very little damage, if any at all. If you have a gun, shooting him in the head does some damage, but not a whole lot. The best method of dealing with the Ram is to leap out of the way as he charges you, then quickly turn and attack him from behind with a powerful weapon! This does the greatest amount of damage. A modified weapon such as a barbed flanged mace does plenty of damage.

A new enemy is the Drowner. It is known for being highly sensitive to activity in the water around them. When in a boat, they sense the motor’s running and they’ll awaken. They do run fast for being in the water, so be careful, as they can quickly climb in the boat and knock you out of it. Then, there’s the Screamer, who is slender, wiry, and fast! His/her smacks can drain you, fast, of your health. What makes the Screamer more dangerous is that its screams are highly ear-piercing and can temporarily incapacitate you…..long enough for it to smack you down and out-for-the-count! So, my best maneuver to avoid this was to keep jumping backwards away from it. You may briefly collapse from its screams, but this will not hurt you. While you’re down, nothing attacks you, surprisingly. You will know the Screamer by its brains popping out the top of its head, with their eyes being pried open by some maniacal-looking device. There are other new enemies, but I won’t spoil it all for you. So, as you progress through the game, you’ll find more weapons, better weapons, and gain more experience through modifying those important finds, as well as finding new weapon diagrams. Many of these diagrams and plans are obtained by way of completing important tasks and missions you encounter throughout the game.

There is another useful weapon that I found on top of a billboard-style sign when approaching the Panai Ferry that will take you to Henderson. You’ll notice a few hungry zombies at a billboard sign with a truck embedded on it. You dispose of the zombies and climb the ladder that’s behind the pillars. Once up top, you’ll see an already dormant zombie lying there in the back of the truck. By it is a sniper-style rifle! And there’s ammo with it, along with extra goodies like Molotov cocktails and some baggage with money or additional goodies for weapons modifications. Just be on the look-out for this useful gun.

I did enjoy this game, thoroughly. But my ONLY complaint is that it did not seem as long as the first one. But that was over-shadowed by the awesome gameplay and the new character, John Morgan, that is a soldier as well as a martial arts expert. You’ll, additionally, enjoy the storyline and the surprise ending, too. How enjoyable the game is, truthfully, is strictly relative and subject to one’s own opinions. If you love survival horror, this is a game to try! On a scale of 1 to 10, I give it a 9.5 as I noticed some slight errors within the programming. A male zombie screaming like a female zombie is one error I noticed. If it is not like that in other copies of this game, then good. But my copy has that error in it. I have the SPECIAL EDITION, for my PlayStation 3. Otherwise, this is a great game for the Survival Horror genre. Plenty of splatters, gore, and shocking surprises for any fan of this genre!

RATED “M” for Mature – not recommended for those under 17!

Dead Island: Riptide (Special Edition) | Buy Dead Island: Riptide (Special Edition) (US Version) for PlayStation 3 (PS3)

 

Dead Island, Riptide, Xian Mei, Sam B, Logan Carter, all other names, likenesses, pictures, music, etc. are property, license, and © Copyright 2012 and Published by Deep Silver Inc.

The Street Fighter Saga – Memory Lane and Where We are Now!

 Since its ‘birth’ in August of 1987, the Street Fighter games have taken the globe by a ‘violent’ storm! Gaming fans, both young and mature, flooded to the arcades to partake in this groundbreaking one-on-one fighting game. With a great challenge level to begin with, I am sure there was mixed emotions of energized rush, to complete discontent at the “Game Over” screen when players ‘lost’ in a match. It seemed that Capcom hit the nail on the head when they released this game.

The story, as every fan and fanatic is more than fully aware of, starts with a young Ryu Hoshi getting into heated challenge after challenge to match quick wits and heavy hits with different world fighters ranging from Kung-Fu experts to professional boxers. Of course, you do not start out with any special attacks like Ryu’s legendary ShoRyuKen (Rising Dragon Punch). I had only played the original game, once, myself, and it seemed that you earned these special techniques with a certain number of complete victories you gained during gameplay.

Sequel after sequel have spawned since then, such as the popular Street Fighter II and Super Street Fighter II. By this time, popular home-based gaming consoles had taken the world by storm with Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, and more rare consoles such as the Neo-Geo system. This Capcom title, though, was given a new breath of life with the release of Street Fighter III: The New Generation, and the addition of newer, more challenging characters such as the new Brazilian brawler Sean, the quick and deadly twins from Hong Kong (and alleged grandsons of Kung-Fu master, Gen) Yun and Yang, and one of a few new bosses to appear during the entire saga like Gill.

  It started out under the name “Fighting Streets” and consisted of a nicely-done rendering of Ryu as a youth (if you ask me, though, he looks more like Bruce Lee in a karate gi). From there, it spawned several roughly-translated renditions, some seemingly separate from the original such as Street Fighter 2010, which I believe was later renamed when it was released on the Nintendo Entertainment System back in 1990, but I may be mistaken. Under development, it was initially not associated with the Street Fighter franchise, but to draw a wider audience, they renamed the main character Ken.

If I am not mistaken, I recall the karate master, who trained Ken Master and Ryu Hoshi, was under two different names. When I had originally played Street Fighter II on my Super Nintendo system, Ryu had mentioned a sensei named “Sheng Long”. According to Wikipedia.com, Sheng Long was a hoax character introduced by E.G.M. magazine for April Fool’s Day, 1992. His true identity was not fully defined until 1997. He’s known, now, as Gouken, and he’s become a playable character as of Super Street Fighter IV. The hoax was attributed to the conception of two other Street Fighter characters, one being Gouken, and the other is the devilish and deadly Akuma, who later brings darkness upon Ryu.

With the inclusion of Super Street Fighter IV, we also have some additions from other Capcom fighter games. Cody Travers, the big city brawler and former hero of Metro City, had been included, prison garbs and all. Plus, his former sparring partner and constantly-training Bushin-style Ninjitsu practitioner, Guy, from Japan. One, an open-book, and the other, a stoic mysterious traditionalist, and both equally as dangerous in the street fighter world. Originally introduced in the 1989 coin-op co-op 2-player arcade game Final Fight, from Capcom, that involved 3 characters who set out to save the girl and save the city from an evil and dangerous gang known as the Mad Gear. It breathed extra life into the slowly-dying genre of side-scrolling games. Now with these characters, and more, in the Street Fighter saga, you were given more choices than ever! The fun never seems to end, nor does it seem to get old.

Street Fighter has also seen its fair share of various platforms and styles of gaming. Super Puzzle Fighter is one title. I know there are others, but the titles, presently, escape my memory.

What also makes Street Fighter enjoyable were the different backgrounds stories with each character. Each had a significant story that always ended with the final battle with the one boss. For the longest time, it was (in the USA) M. Bison, or, in Japan, Vega. This was/is a man/monster cloaked in mystery, as his true age is unknown. Then, along came Gill, an outrageously designed character with Ice and Fire powers combined with his unusual fighting style that seems similar to Muy Thai, but it’s a composite style taught by the Illuminati. This character seems more challenging to fight than M. Bison in a few ways. This guy seems to have a very interesting back-story, as well. Needless to say, the more advance our gaming consoles become, the more detailed and elaborate the Street Fighter games become. Additionally, with each character story ending with an Anime-styled mini-video, it sure adds to the fun of playing these games! On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d have to give this game a 10.5, as you are also able to challenge other players from around the world with the advent of online capabilities.

This amazing fighting franchise has seen its share of up’s and down’s, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to loose steam, again, anytime soon. With specialized 3-D rendering and new technology allowing for extremely talented voice-casting for the characters, there will never be another fighting game quite like this. With gaming-style variations, cross-overs, and inter-logo additions, and even animated features and comics being made, the Street Fighter saga, apparently, is going to be with us for a long time.

Auction of Street Fighter X Tekken (PS3 & PSV Crossover Platform Versions) (Chinese & English Version) (Asia Version) for PlayStation 3 & PlayStation®Vita

Street Fighter, Street Fighter II, and all related pictures, names, characters, etc., are property and Copyright © CAPCOM ENTERTAINMENT, INC. 2011 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

I have to state this…!

A jigsaw puzzle needs no more than 1 person to put it together. It can be assembled with a friend, but all the fun is removed when too much logic is thrust in. “You must first prepare the foundation by finding & assembling ALL the border pieces before filling it in.”
That’s where all the fun begins to disappear! Too much “logical process” and not enough “creative process” really gets old FAST and the fun begins to disappear. Not good!

A Look back at – BULLY

With recent rumors spreading like wildfire of a potential sequel to this slightly controversial 2006 release from Rockstar Games, I felt it necessary to look back at this highly entertaining video game. Originally released for X-BOX and Playstation 2, this game takes you into the free-roaming world of misunderstood youth Jimmy Hopkins, who came from a broken home. After being expelled from several schools and having a somewhat wild mother who’s been married numerous times, such life trials can be wearing on a young man’s psyche. Once left at the toughest school in the country, Bullworth Academy, he’s left to his own devices to figure out how to navigate the school grounds (and later, the town of Bullworth, itself), deal with the bullies, and all the other cliques. With the dubious help, at first, from Gary, and the innocent Pete Kowalski, he learns there are plenty of hidden gems to seek out in the school.

Another trick you will learn is how to get the girls to like you enough to kiss you, which gets your energy level raised higher than when you first start the game. Plus, there are plenty of hidden cheat codes within the game. You utilize these by using a 2nd controller to input them. These codes include infinite weapons usage, all the weapons in the game, and raising your spending money amount, just to mention a few. And, you will be happy to know, for those who own a Playstation 3, that this game in its original PS2 style, is available now for download from the Playstation Network online.

There is also an HD version of this game, released only for PC and X-BOX 360, BULLY – The Scholarship Edition, which I was not too fond of. But I did manage to grab a copy for the PC later on, which made me feel a little better. The difference for this, besides really awesome graphics, extra levels, and slightly elevated challenge of gameplay, was that I had to find a controller similar to the PS2 controller that could plug into the USB port of my computer. Then I had to get the controlling to where I was used to it. After that, it was pretty interesting playing it that way. But an added, though temporary, complication, I had to download some added programming to make it all work properly on my PC. Then it was good to go!

The news of the potential sequel came around when the composer for the 1st game, Sean Lee, leaked that he was on board to do the musical composition and score for the 2nd installment. Now this news is about 5 years old, so it cannot be completely confirmed as to how long this will take to happen. With mixed reviews of the first title as well as the Scholarship Edition, who knows what will actually come of this. But we will see what happens.

Content – i.e. pictures, names, etc. – are property and copyright © Rockstar Games.

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Video Game Review: Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage – PlayStation 3

既に死んでいる! This translates to the main character’s famous line to anyone he fights – to the death! For anyone who is a fan of the most graphically violent manga and anime series of all time, 北斗の拳, or Fist of the North Star, or the literal translation – Fist of the Great Bear, this is a familiar phrase. This translation of the classic graphic comic and cartoon series to a video game is probably the best ever! This was my wife’s gift to me this past Christmas 2010. It surprised me, to be honest. I had seen brief video clips of this game and pictures on the internet and in magazines, and having played previous versions of this title had me quite skeptical. After talking with some employees at some of my favorite video game stores, they told me they actually enjoyed it and that I ought to download the demo, which only featured Kenshiro and Rei, on my PS3. At their advice, I did, and was completely blown away! The graphics were awesome, the controls were really great, the upgrade programming was superbly challenging, and about ½ the soundtrack actually fit the game!

北斗の拳

 

Needless to say, I was quite impressed by this version of Fist of the North Star! Another impressive feature to the combat system is the button-pushing combo you have to hit when delivering your Finishing Moves to the boss enemies. Do it right, and you can watch the awesomely impressive Signature Moves of each character you play! If you miss it, or run out of time, you get blown back by the Boss’s recovery and you sacrifice some of your life meter. I’ve played four of them so far: Kenshiro, Rei, Mamiya, and Toki. Kenshiro’s fighting style is the most impressive and challenging. Of course, he’s my favorite character. When you beat Kenshiro’s legendary mode, it unlocks certain features, like playing him in Dream Mode. The game, on the whole, is worth the price and very deep in a few areas. It is easy to tell that the companies involved with putting this game together took their time to get it right, this time. PLUS, there are three different fight styles, depending on what characters you choose. Kenshiro and Toki are the Hokuto types, while Rei and Shin are the Nanto types. For the fans of this Japanese Animation series, you know what each type means. Characters like Mamiya and Jagi, however, are labeled as the Special Styles.

 

For those not quite familiar with the series, Hokuto style is also known as the Assassins’s Art. Being able to hit certain pressure points on your opponent’s body, you can cause it to do just about anything. The most obvious thing, with this series, is causing your opponent’s body to explode or rip itself in half, among other things; basically destroying your opponent from the inside out. Nanto style has it where you destroy everything from the outside in. Your fingers become like knives or razors! This obviously leads to some real graphic violence within the game.

北斗百裂弾

The other added incentive to the game is utilizing your environment. You have the ability to use whatever you can get your hands on to defeat the enemy. Fuel barrels, steel girders, and busted lamp posts, etc. Use these to get to enemies who’re probably too far from your reach. Along with an extensively detailed instructions manual at your disposal, playing this game should be very enjoyable for fans of the series or for fans of graphic fighting games.

 

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this game a 9, seeing as the only annoying thing about this game was some repetitive rock music in a couple of levels. That aside, it is the best translation of Fist of the North Star I have ever played!

RATING: “M” for Mature – not recommended for anyone under 17 years of age!

  

Fist of the North Star, Kenshiro, Raoh, and all related subjects, likenesses, materials, names, contents, etc. is Copyright © 1983 Buronson & Tetsuo Hara/North Star Pictures, Inc. All rights reserved.

Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage, pictures, likenesses, etc. is Copyright © 2010 TECMO KOEI GAMES CO., LTD  All rights reserved.

Sequel to Rockstar’s “BULLY” video game..?!

I suppose I should not be surprised. I recently read on a few internet blogs, some directly from popular video game websites, that musical composer Shawn Lee, who worked on the score for the original “BULLY” video game – named “Canis Canem Edit” in Europe – has confirmed, though probably accidentally, a sequel! I don’t know, yet, what the title will be, but the open-ended original left me hungry for another “BULLY” game! I purchased the original about 4 years ago and was instantly addicted. The original BULLY game was quite well received and sold millions of copies. Although I sold my old PS2 game console in exchange for an awesome PS3, I am praying I can re-buy a PS2 and get back a copy of “BULLY” if I can’t get it on my PC. I know there are copies out there of the Scholarship Edition, which was only released on X-BOX 360 and the Nintendo Wii. I don’t have either concole, since I am pretty much a Playstation purist. Anyway, I am drifting, here.

Shawn Lee stated that he is on-board for the sequel to do the musical score. In my opinion, he did a bang-up job with the first one! Adding modern flare to classical school-styled music, the score added quite a bit of charm. As well, utilizing 50’s-style music for the Greaser stages was a nice touch. Who will the characters be? One can only hope the originals will be back to reprise their roles……as well as getting the original voice-actors to jump in. There is no telling if ALL the originals will return, but we can only hope; wait and see. It would be nice to see some kind of revenge thing happen between Gary Smith and Jimmy Hopkins. I have loads of questions for this one! Will Russell Northrup, the head of the Bully Clique, return? What about Ted, head of the Jocks? What became of Derby Harrington and Johnny Vincent? What about the laughable Ernest? Will you have all the same weapons and pranks? Will the homeless military vet return, or is he gone for good? Will the controls be the same? So many questions……….

Well whatever the outcome, I am looking forward to this sequel. I miss playing the original and it stinks that it cannot be played on the newer PS3 consoles. Coincidentally, news is out that SONY has filed a patent for a device that should help bring back full backwards compatibility to the PS3 consoles so PS2 games can be played on them. This intrigued me, greatly. All we can do, though, is wait and see what happens. And, my words to Rockstar:  Keep up the excellent work!!

BULLY, images, names, characters, and all related materials: Copyright © Rockstar Games. All rights reserved.

Video Game I am currently playing – my Review

I have been enjoying, recently, the PlayStation® 3 video game “X-Men Origins: Wolverine™ / Uncaged Edition” and was blown away by the intense Hi-Def graphics, real-time regeneration of the character, true-to-character combat, and the over-all gameplay. Honestly, I cannot find anything wrong with this game. Voiced perfectly to the character by Australian actor Hugh Jackman, you take the title role of the fierce & dangerous comic book hero. With your weapons of admantium claws, feral senses, and uncharted regenerative abilities, you run through levels that switch back & forth from dangerous legendary Africa to present day to combat humans and mutants you’ve encountered throughout your puzzled and hectic life.

Epic cinematic battles, amazing mutant abilities, and Hi-Def stereo sound & graphics make this game almost stand out from the rest. I give this game, on a scale from 1 to 10, a 9.5! Although more blood than I expected, it does satisfy the comic book and vid game geek in me! I recommend this game for those who either love Wolverine, comic books, video games, Marvel, or all of the above!

The video game is rated “M” for Mature: Contains Blood & Gore, Intense Violence, and Language. No one under 17 unless under consent by a parent or consenting adult/guardian.

MARVEL, X-Men Origins, Wolverine, and all related characters: TM & © 2009 Marvel Entertainment, Inc. & its subsidiaries. All Rights Reserved.
PlayStation & PlayStation 3 names, etc., are TM & © of Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved.