Sarcastic Review of The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct - Geek World Radio Ep. 34

Check out our very sarcastic review of the new video game The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct, based on AMC's hit series.

For more of our videos go to YouTube.com/GeekWorldRadio and be sure to SUBSCRIBE.

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance Review

Konami's newest addition to the Metal Gear franchise is a fast paced, anime inspired, non-stop biotech bloodbath. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is a different way to experience the Metal Gear universe, focusing more on large 3rd person battles and less on stealth and strategy.  Fans of the other games in the Metal Gear series need not worry though, Revengeance does not represent a new direction for the series, it's merely a super fun, over the top action game that lets MG's cyborg ninja with a past, Raiden, cut loose.

For the few of you who played Bayonetta (BTW all the rest of you are really missing out, that game was awesome!), the gameplay and look of Revengeance will feel familiar. The good folks at Platinum Games have crafted a supremely enjoyable hack and slash with Gundam sized bosses and enough blood to keep the Red Cross stocked for years. They also interweave elements of the Metal Gear Universe into the story, while bringing a sense of humor to the chaos you reign down.

I like to be called Mr. Lightning Bolt!

In Revengeance you play as Metal Gear's infamous cyborg ninja Raiden. After the events of Metal Gear Solid 4, Raiden is now a top member of an elite private security team called Maverick Security. After the fall of The Patriots, the world is now in constant unbalance as Private Military Companies (PMCs) create global conflict for profit. High frequency katana blade in hand, and with a soul full of revenge, Raiden cuts through enemy cyborgs, Gekko's, giant Metal Gears, and frankly everything else in sight thanks to the games Zandatsu cut mechanic (watch out ferris wheels and office desks!).  This mechanic means you can literally cut anything, anytime, anywhere. This is half the fun of the game and we really can't adequately express the thrill of hacking through waves of crazy enemies (or inanimate objects) at the speed of light.

While you take out enemies and make your way through the levels you are assisted via codec by your team. They provide you with vital information and comment snarkily on your apparent disregard for all evildoers and public property. As you make new friends along the way they will be added to your codec so you can call them and tell them all about your day and the many things you've been chopping up.

The look of the game is pretty great, especially the beautifully rendered cut scenes, which are a hallmark of the MG series. What is particularly impressive is that the gameplay graphics are nearly indistinguishable from the cut scenes. This makes for seamless transitions and an adds an incredibly smooth feel to the overall game.

In Revengeance, you are way faster than a bullet, in fact you can use your blade to chop through all projectiles launched in your direction, even rockets (that is, when you're not leaping from one to the next on your way to take out a helicopter). This ability to cut dangerous stuff hurled at you is one of the cornerstones of Blade Mode. Sort of a swashbuckling version of Max Payne's bullet time, Blade Mode allows you to slow down time and aim your sword slashes with precision to more strategically dispatch your enemies by targeting critical points, like limbs that you'll kindly dismember for them. Blade Mode is both really fun (you can completely obliterate an enemy) but it can also add a level of strategy to the combat, incapacitating enemies in large groups and also giving you much needed health thanks to a special Zandatsu move where you literally rip the energy out of your foes and absorb it to replenish your life and fuel cells (cyborgs have what Raiden craves, Electrolytes!). As the game continues the need to precisely aim your slashes is imperative, so doing the VR tutorials is a solid idea.

That stupid mounted gun will never see you coming.

Nothing stands a chance against your blade, especially inanimate objects. As we mentioned earlier you can destroy most of the objects around you during the game, some of them, like boxes and vending machines contain goodies, other things, like helicopters and buses, are just plain fun to cut up into little pieces. This destruction can be used to gain a tactical advantage during combat, like cutting the support pillars for a bridge or balcony where enemies are standing. Plus the more pieces you create the more points you earn (there is actually a hit and parts gauge!) and the more points you earn the more upgrades you can get to increase your life and energy gauges, and to improve your weapons, gain new skills, and much more.

Other Metal Gear games are based on sneaking around unseen, they require tactical precision and careful movement. When it comes to Revengeance stealth is not essential, especially if you're a real badass. Don't feel like sneaking around? You can just say "damn the alarms" and try to takeout the constant waves of enemies and bullet spewing machine gun turrets. Stealth however can be used for a quick and easy way through certain levels, but there are plenty of points to be earned if you choose to forgo stealth and instead run around leaving a wake of havoc and destruction in your path. Any time you would prefer to remain unseen, Augmented Mode can help you see through walls to identify enemies and find other goodies in your general vicinity.

Wait, it's the first level and I have to fight that? That's right, straight from the start you get to engage in what other games would call boss battles. That makes those other games lame! Sure there are plenty of cyborg soldiers to fight along the way, but a ridiculously large mech might be right around the corner. Of course ginormous AI monsters are only another small obstacle on your way to each of the actual boss battles.

Hey, check out this guy! This douche kidnapped a Prime Minister who was helping usher in a new era of peace because he REALLY loves war (he talks so much about it he probably has a podcast dedicated to it!). Each new boss you encounter takes a different set and style of skills to fight, so it can be challenging to defeat them your on your first try. As the game gets closer to it's climax you start praying for more checkpoints to come up midway through these battles.

This one woman arm-y is one of the early bosses that you'll face. Each bionic big bad is unique and freaky (we're pretty sure one of them ate the Chop Chop Fruit), and when they're not philosophizing over the meaning of war they are brandishing their own special badass blades that you can unlock after defeating them. These custom blades come in handy as the game progresses since each one has distinctive properties like stunning enemies or transforming into a whip to take down multiple foes.

All of the primary and custom blades in the game can be upgraded to make them more lethal, take less energy to wield, and absorb the energy from your foes. Also each new custom blade has a bevy of new moves that go along with it, bringing another layer of strategic usability when you wield the new blade along with your primary weapon. There's also talks of a series of DLC special blades in the future!

About half way through the game you are introduced to Ripper Mode. Those of you who are familiar with Raiden's history know that before he started fighting for justice and protecting the innocent he was a child soldier turned cyborg that used to be known as Jack the Ripper. Ripper Mode allows Raiden to reconnect to his crazy bloodthirsty side and take vengeance on anyone who stands in his way. For a short period of time your attacks inflict more damage, giving you an advantage against tougher villains. The temporary burst of power will fully deplete your energy but it's well worth it when you're facing a seemingly unstoppable foe.

I think these guys are getting a little handsy!

We won't get into the story too much, as not to spoil anything. Let's just say Raiden's dealing with his demons while facing off against private militaries and saving the children. Add in a dash of weird American politics, a cyborg dog, and one of the more memorable (and strange) final villains in video game history, and your on the path to revengeance.

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance may not feel like other Metal Gear games but that's part of what makes it so great. The reliance on swords instead of guns allows for a much faster paced experience than creeping around corners and hiding under boxes (don't worry, there are still opportunities to run around in a box if you want to). This is the perfect way to do a spin-off, it maintains characters and history from past games but feels like something completely new. The Metal Gear Solid series can continue as the tactical espionage action games we know and love, while this offshoot can give us a totally different way to experience the Metal Gear world. Konami and Kojima made the right choice leaving this spinoff in the hands of Platinum Games.

For the most part the game played smoothly, but once and a while during boss battles the game occasionally starts controlling the camera which can sometimes make it difficult to get where you need to go. While this can make it a little more complicated to win the fight, it doesn't make it impossible. The boss fights are the only time when camera functionality becomes limited and while it is probably done to keep you focused in the right direction it can definitely be a challenge.

Overall this game works as a great stress reliever. Had a tough day at work? Why not just slice up a car? or a tank? or a tree! While in battle you can go for the one hit kill or challenge yourself to see just how many pieces you can cut your quarry into. The game is ridiculously ultra-violent but it's done in a way that makes it fun rather than feeling obscene or unnecessary. The basic controls are easy enough for a novice to pick up quickly, but more hardcore gamers will enjoy using the variety of button combos for the a crazy variety of moves you can acquire.

The story mode of the game clocks in at around 6 hours depending on the player, but the massive amount of upgrades available for swords, skills and unique costumes (mariachi outfit anyone?) increases the game's replayability. Also there are 20+ VR missions that will test your abilities in combat and stealth, allowing you to rack up more points to spend on upgrades.

We look forward to seeing more Metal Gear Rising games in the future to complement the continued Metal Gear Solid series. Raiden is a badass killer trying to be the good guy, and his bushido chill matched with his ripper rage makes him a fun character to embody. Best of all if you've never played a Metal Gear game it really doesn't matter, the story was constructed to play to newcomers. This being said, diehard fans of the series will be excited to return to the MG world, and get a kick out of seeing  some familiar characters and foes. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is super fun, full of crazy and bloody as hell, if that doesn't make you want to play it... I'm sure there will be a new My Little Pony game out soon.

And now it's time to check out the Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance cinematic trailer straight from Konami's YouTube page.

E3 2012 Photos - Day 1

We had a great time checking out all the great games at E3 and now that the expo is over we finally have a chance to get some photos up! Here are some pics we got day 1 of the event:


Medal of Honor banner outside the LA Convention Center.


Sweet Tooth and Nate Drake get ready to compete in Play Station All Stars: Battle Royale!


Jill Valentine had better watch out that she doesn't end up like Kitana.


Not even Kratos can convince Fat Princess to share her cake.


Kratos and Sweet Tooth are ready to battle!


It's all fun and games...


...until Sweet Tooth tries to steal some cake from Fat Princess!


Nate Drake, Kratos, Sweet Tooth, Fat Princess, Sly Cooper, Jill Valentine, and Mileena!


Nariko, Sly Cooper, Sweet Tooth, and Nate Drake fight for Playstation supremacy!


Kratos waits for his chance to play.


God of War: Ascension booth.


Statue of Kratos.


Statue of Kratos.


Welcome to Nintendo Land!


It looks like everyone wants to go to Nintendo Land.


Nintendo Land is a magical place.


More Nintendo Land decoration!


In Nintendo Land, Takamaru's Ninja Castle lets you throw Ninja Stars in public (and not get arrested this time)


Control guide for Luigi's Ghost Mansion in Nintendo Land.


The Nintendo Booth.


A closer Look at the Nintendo Booth.


Halo 4 banner.


The Warthog from Halo 4.


Another view of the Warthog from Halo 4.


Majesco shows off their new game, NBA Baller Beats!


Tekken Tag Tournament 2 bus.


We Are Tekken!

Be sure to check back, we'll be putting more photos of this year's E3 up soon!

Max Payne 3 Review

The years haven't been kind to the iconic Max Payne. Our favorite Bullet Time badass cop has been reduced to an pill popping, alcoholic, bum ex-cop. After years of tragic loss and a truckload of bloodshed, by the time Max Payne 3 starts, Max is a broken man. Luckily for us gamers, no matter how low Max's character has fallen in the 9 years since Max Payne 2, Rockstar Games's Max Payne 3 soars as an intense and brutal modern shooter.

One of the best things about Max Payne 3 is the setting. After 2 outings in the snowy grime of NYC and NJ, Max Payne 3 has set sail to the sun drenched madness of Brazil. From million dollar penthouse suites and flashy nightclubs to the horrors of the Favelas, Max cuts a slow-mo swatch through the city of São Paulo, solving a huge mystery and riddling countless baddies with lots of beautifully rendered bullets. The story starts off with a world worn Max taking a job as a body guard for the family of a rich industrialist. Max being the grimly sarcastic NYC cop we all love, spends quite a bit of time "half-cut" (drunk) while lamenting his fall from a once great career in law enforcement to babysitting the coke fueled rich and famous.

Max's inner-monolouge is a really funny mix of John McClane-esque gruff and old beat cop metaphor. The great voice of James McCaffrey returns once again as our hero, but this time McCaffrey not only lends his voice and some of the movement of the character, but Max's appearance is now modeled after the actor himself. This adds a lot to the already cinematic nature of the story.

Like a lot of Rockstar games, Max Payne 3 feels like you're playing a movie. Max feels real and grizzled, and when the S- hits the fan and the wife of the rich industrialist gets kidnapped, Max's easy retirement gig deep sixes into a dark mystery set in some of most dangerous locations on earth. One of the most dangerous things about this environment isn't just the hundreds of armored commandos out for your crazy gringo head, but also the fact that Rockstar was brave enough to make a lot of the dialogue in Max Payne 3 the native tongue of Brazil, Portuguese. That's right, a lot of the dialogue in this game is not in English! This is crazy, even when you turn on the subtitles, most of the bad guys dialogue is written out in Portuguese, therefore unless your fluent in that language, you're just as in the dark as poor pill popping Max. This is one of those artistic choices that to some are WTF annoying, and to others is a stroke of genius. I for one thought it added a lot of reality and fear to playing the game, it's one thing to be hunted down by gun thugs and paramilitary forces, but to not even understand them when your overhearing their conversations? Amazing.

All this makes for a compelling, great story, but let's be honest, at the end of the day the joy of Max Payne is shooting bad guys... a lot. The bread and butter of this 3rd person franchise has been Bullet Time, a strong mix of slow-mo Matrix action with the 2 gun sensibilities of a John Woo Hong Kong movie. It occurred to me while playing this game that comic-book adaptation Wanted has has a lot in common with Max Payne. When you have adrenaline you can go into Bullet Time which slows everything down, allowing you to dive and roll around your enemies' bullets while you turn them into swiss cheese (wait, whats the native cheese of Brazil? That would be a funnier metaphor). In Max Payne 3, Bullet Time has never worked better, and this time there's an added edge of realism to the shoot dodge.   Max now reacts to the environment in a realistic way, so if you try to fly through the air Chow Yun Fat style and there's a desk a few feet away, you'll smash into it, bullet time abruptly ending and you'll take a little damage, and the bad guys will laugh at you (well not the last part, but that's what should happen for failing at trying to look so cool during a gun fight!).

Speaking of damage, Max Payne 3 continues with the idea of Max taking pain killers to give him health. Over the last few years we've all grown accustomed to hiding behind a wall from video game gunfire for a few seconds until your health goes back to 100%. May Payne 3 however is old school, if you're hurt and don't have painkillers, you're dead. If you're in the middle of a fire fight with a pocket full of painkillers and you get a mortal wound, Last Man Standing will activate, you automatically enter Bullet time and you get the opportunity to return fire. If you end up the victor, you'll receive a small boost of health for the price of one pain killer.

What really helps Max Payne 3 compete with other modern shooters is they've added a cover mechanic for the first time in the franchise. The mechanics work great, and especially help you deal with some pretty aggressive AI that will run at you mid-firefight, throw grenades, and try to flank you. I found myself really enjoying using Bullet Time for more than just reliving my favorite scene from Hard Boiled, but using it strategically while covering.  Since most of the levels find you continously fighting mini-armies, and many of them are well armored, Bullet Time + covering really helps you survive some tough battles. There's really nothings scarier than shooting a bunch of guys countless times, watching them fall over and get right back up again (Aim for the Head! and the Groin!).

One of the great things about Max Payne 2 was bullet cams. When you used a sniper rifle in MP2, the last kill would cut away to a glorious slow-mo shot, following the bullet into the brain of last bad guy. Bullet cam has evolved in Max Payne 3 so now no matter what gun you're using, once you take out the last enemy in a specific area or wave, a bullet cam starts. Not only that, but you can manually control the speed of the bullet in bullet cam, and fans of excessive gore can continuously fire into the fresh corpse of the baddie turning your quarry into a digital Jackson Pollack painting. The blood and bullet holes are really wonderfully rendered, and even without bullet cam, during firefights you'll often see blood spurting out of one of the dead bad guys lying on the ground, ahh verisimilitude!

Max Payne 3 also includes a melee function, when enemies get close Bullet Time kicks in and you're able to execute the bad guy up close and personal. There's also a huge array of weapons available in the game (Auto-Glock! That's all I'm saying), you can carry up to 3 weapons at once, 2 hand held guns (pistols or SMGs) and a heavy weapon (machine guns, rifles, shotguns, etc.). One of the interesting aspects of carrying the weapons is that at any time you can duel wield your hand held guns. This is essential Max Payne and also freaking awesome. That being said, beware, because if you chose to dual wield, you'll drop your heavy weapon, Max doesn't just strap it on his back. This didn't end up bothering me at all considering the nature of the game is picking up and dropping weapons as the game progresses. Rockstar has also made the weapons easy to access thanks to a weapon wheel a la Red Dead Redemption.

Along with the great non-linear story telling, Max Payne 3 continues the franchise's tradition of graphic novel cut scenes, but this time instead of static panels they've mixed in-game footage with specific words splattered across the screen for effect. This function is fun (especially with Max's pithy prose), but more importantly the graphics of the cut scenes are seamlessly connected to in game footage, making playing the game really feel like your watching a movie unfold.

One other fun thing to showcase during the story mode is the bit of treasure hunting involved. As you run through the game you mostly shoot up bad guys and examine evidence, but you can also find pieces of golden guns strewn throughout. Find the 3 pieces of each gun, and from then on every time you pick up that gun in the game, it's golden. There's nothing special about the way the gun functions, but I often found myself using the guns that we're golden even if there was a gun I liked better available (I guess I just like pretty things). Also unlocking the golden guns in story mode can help unlock the golden tint attachment in Multiplayer.

Before we get to Multiplayer, one other added functions of Max Payne 3 is Arcade Mode. This feature has 2 different modes that allow you to replay the levels from story mode, but this time it's to rack up points to earn medals and land on the leader boards of Rockstars Social Club integration. One of the modes is called Score Attack, where you play any of the levels you already beat in the game, and get points for where and how your bullets hit the bad guys (head shots are worth more). Getting consecutive hits and using Bullet Time and bullet dodge allow you to score multipliers, but beware, if you get shot or use painkillers in the mission, you will lose points.

The other mode in Arcade mode is called New York Minute. You start off the level with a 1 minute clock ticking down to zero. Each time you kill a bad guy you get time added, kills are worth 3 seconds, head shots worth 5 seconds. Both Score Attack and New York Minute are fun features that let you replay the story mode of the game with a new sense of strategy and urgency rather than just playing though the story mode again.

One thing I should note before continuing on, this game is VERY MATURE. There's certain scenes in this game that are not acceptable for kids to see, so unless you want your 12 year old to be familiar with the inner workings of Brazil's sex trade, you might not want them to play this game (boy I'm glad I'm not 12!).

Multiplayer

It's been 9 years since Max Payne 2, and as we all know console gaming has jumped leaps and bounds since 2003 (unless you're a kid and didn't know that, well... It has). With that, Max Payne 3 is the first of the franchise to have multiplayer, and Rockstar decided to challenge themselves by adding in all the functionality of Max from the story mode into the multiplayer. Therefore all the shoot dodging, rolling, and of course Bullet Time are included in multiplayer. This concerned me when I initially read about it, how could Bullet Time be used logically in an arena of 16 online players? The way they dealt with this was via Bursts. Their sort of like Perks in COD, but theres a large variety of them, and they all have 3 levels of power based on your adrenaline gauge.

Along with Bullet Time (which you can unlock pretty quickly), some Bursts allow you to get armor piercing rounds with one adrenaline gauge, that leads to a grenade launcher with a full gauge. Some deal with health that can be used on you and your whole team, others even go so far as tricking the other team into visualizing their own teammates as enemies (if this were Naruto I would swear this was Genjutsu!)

As for Bullet Time itself, it works on line of sight, if your adrenaline gauge is high enough you activate it and everyone in your line of sight is stuck in your Bullet Time. If someone has you in their sights while in Bullet Time everything slows down, and it's in your best interest to find cover fast to break it. I found Bullet Time most useful when you're caught off guard during a match, you hit a shoot dodge and the tables can turn quickly from you getting shot in the back to pwning your enemy.

Another neat aspect in multiplayer is Vendettas. If someone's killed you more than once you can call for a Vendetta, and if you in turn kill them you'll get more XP than a normal kill. You earn XP from kills and assists that help you rank up and earn cash to buy Bursts, weapons and weapon upgrades. You can also buy items to customize your avatar with flak jackets, helmets, and other helpful items (like a gorilla mask!).

There's a lot of different game mode options in Multiplayer. You have standard Death Match and Team Death Match, along with "Large" versions of each. There's also a function called Payne Killer, which is a king of the hill style game, where whoever gets the first kill becomes Max Payne, and whoever the first victim is becomes his partner Passos. From then on, everyone else in the game goes after the 2 players to kill them and usurp their identities. Max and Passos get special weapons and abilities to help protect themselves against the onslaught.

There's also a mode called Gang Wars, which uses characters and environments from the single player campaign to pit 2 teams against one another in a variety of missions. There's a bunch of different objectives, some are as familiar as capture the base and team death match, while others are stranger like "Passages" where one team flees for their life as the other team hunts them down.

Rockstar also wants you to build up your own crews via their social club to battle it out with rivals and earn extra XP by avenging fallen comrades and building feuds. Crews earn extra XP for battling with the crews they've already been feuding with (like digital Hatfields and McCoys!), and best of all, if you build a crew in Max Payne 3 it can persists across future Rockstar Games, including Grand Theft Auto V! Also, I should mention this is one of my favorite multiplayer games since the last COD, especially compared to other 3rd person shooters like Uncharted 3. I love the variety of creative bursts and load out items, as well as a really great mix of big and small maps (the office stage is a blast).

Overall I really loved Max Payne 3. Nine years was well worth the wait, Max feels real and totally badass, the graphics are great, and the cover shooting mixed with Bullet time make for some really intense and fun gameplay. All this with a solid story mode of about 12 hours, an Arcade mode, and a very impressive and robust multiplayer environment, Max Payne 3 continues the tradition of Rockstars dominance in making compelling, story driven, kick ass games. Honestly, it's been really hard to write this review, because I can't wait to get back to playing it.

Playstation 3 Glitch

Just a note for all of you PS3 users out there, there is a glitch that could screw up your saved data and trophies.
http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/patterson/65898

We've been playing a lot of PS3 lately and were planning on playing a bunch more tonight but now I guess we'll hold off, or in the least avoid all attempts to access the Playstation Network.  Playstation says they'll hopefully have it fixed within 24 hours so lets keep our fingers crossed.