Posted in: Game Reviews by Michael Durr on December 16th, 2012
Another year for the franchise NBA video game of the console, portable and pc world has come. NBA 2k13 is automatically the best NBA game you will play this season before you even flip on the game menu because no other outfit can get their act together long enough to produce a viable game. With that aside, I suppose NBA 2k13 could have rested on their laurels but instead we get a game that is introducing a lot of new concepts. Let us go forth and play this hardwood smash of putting the ball into the ole peach basket.
Ultra realism is the mark of the hour for NBA 2k13 graphics and they are arguably the best the game has ever been in that department. Player's faces look reconditioned, custom animations have improved dramatically and uniforms are tailored to the slightest detail (with updates). It looks and feels like a television broadcast worthy basketball game. There are so many players to get right (including members of classic teams) but I think we can safely say that all of them are covered correctly here.
Posted in: Game Reviews by Michael Durr on November 2nd, 2012
When a company decides to adapt a made for pc game into something a console can play, it can either become a nightmare or something very rewarding. It simply is not a game of system requirements but rather adapting a keyboard layout and game play into something that allows for more bite sized morsels. But at the same time, one cannot produce a dumbed-down game and must pay homage to the classic. After years, I think we might have one of the very few games that has underwent this transformation and done it fantastically. Enter XCOM: Enemy Unknown.
The first thing the player will find themselves doing upon entering the game along with other options is changing the gamma setting on this game. In some cases, players such as me will be placing the cursor pretty close to the right. This game is very dark in theme and graphics and regardless of whether you advance the gamma meter towards the right or not, the player will always be looking towards the inevitable darkness.
Posted in: Game Reviews by Michael Durr on October 14th, 2012
Rarely in my video game reviewing do I get the popular game. I seem to gravitate more towards the forgotten gem or the niche cult hit. I do not mind it of course, it has lead me to discover many awesome smaller games such as the Darkness or Mafia II. However, today the story is different. In my hands is a contender for the game of the year. A game that blends first person shooters with role playing and enough loot to make a Diablo player blush. The game happens to be the Gearbox Software smash, Borderlands 2.
The first thing you will notice dropping into the world of Pandora is the cell-shaded environment. Admittedly, I was not in love with the graphics on first sight. I thought that the frozen wastelands was not all that impressive. However, once I found my way out of the ice and the snow, like Sanctuary for example, I noticed a more lush world full of color and details. It almost acted as a reward for those who finally worked their way out of the starting zone.
Posted in: Game Reviews by Michael Durr on July 14th, 2012
Looking over my video game collection, there is certainly a feel of games that are either set in the past or set in the future with the exception of sports games and a couple of driving titles. In particular, I do not look at a shooter and think that I want to play something that takes place now. I am a sucker for fantasy and sci/fi shooters primarily. But today, I have just the opposite, a very realistic present day third-person shooter in the name of Spec Ops: The Line. Let us see how it plays.
Spec Ops: The Line is set in Dubai of the United Arab Emirates. As you might guess, the game plays out like one huge desert. There are sweeping winds and an environment that looks trashed and forgotten by time. Even when the game takes to inside various buildings, there is still the sense of the dusty environment close outside. It is wonderful to look at but gives you the eerie sense that something horrible and deadly is right around the corner.
Posted in: Game Reviews by Michael Durr on February 29th, 2012
The quickest way I know for me to like a game is to give it a strong story. Games like Bioshock, Mafia and Skyrim succeed based on the fact that they provide entertaining and engaging stories. The player wants to unravel the mystery, take down that crime family, and slay that dragon because the story compels them to do so. This time around, we look at the game of the Darkness II, which takes a look at the story of Jackie Estacado and his ever going battle with the demon simply known as the Darkness.
For a game that participates so much in a dark setting, one might think that things such as detail might be tucked away and hardly ever seen. That could not be further from the truth. This game blends light and dark elements almost seamlessly. It is fairly easy for example to tell the difference between a dimly lit street light and by the same token, a large spotlight that Jackie needs to avoid.
Posted in: Game Reviews by Michael Durr on November 6th, 2011
Despite some of the highest television ratings in recent history for the sport of basketball, the NBA announced a lockout on July 1st of this year. Even more disturbing was that just a few weeks ago on October 10th, they announced that the first two weeks of the season would be cancelled. For the time being, we are devoid of great shooting from Dirk Nowitzki or the spirited play of Derrick Rose. Heck, we can not even boo LeBron James. But 2k and Visual Concepts could have the cure, NBA 2k12 for the Xbox 360.
NBA video games have been increasingly realistic when it comes to recreating players with their signature jerseys, hairstyle and shooting motions. This year with the NBA’s Greatest mode, we can see legends move in familiar ways like Hakeem Olajuwon’s dream shake or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s skyscraper tall sky hook. This is recreated beautifully. The retro look of the game in this mode is also a neat thing to see with faithfully created arenas and slightly washed-out color to emulate an older broadcast.
Posted in: Disc Reviews by Michael Durr on October 23rd, 2011
When these 31 Nights of Terror started, I was pretty much set on spending time with both Condemned: Criminal Origins and the sequel Condemned 2: Bloodshot. As I got farther into researching the first adventure, I realized I rather keep on writing with the same material. There was certainly more story to tell and furthermore I liked what I was writing. Hopefully, you as the audience enjoyed it too. So here we go with the second part. Ethan's story has only begun.
Before I go ahead and continue with Part two, I do want to spend a few words on what I did with Part One. If you have not read it, please step back for a second and go back to Part One. Most will notice that for the most part, I followed the dialog word for word. However, I removed one character entirely. Lieutenant Rosa. Or as I like to call her, the cell phone character. Throughout the game, she analyzes crime scene data and gives Ethan all sorts of information. She was very much the epitome of a character created for a game. In a book or movie context, her role would be significantly reduced or perhaps even eliminated.
Posted in: Random Fun by Michael Durr on October 17th, 2011
Perhaps it is a cliché for a lot of review writers on here to aspire to be “published writers”. To go beyond the webpages that we put out two and three times a week (and in case of some hard working site owners and webmasters, two to three times daily) and produce a physical, published book. For many of us, it is a dream that we wish we could make a reality. Personally, I have had that dream for over twenty years and after hardships, setbacks and general depression, I find myself in a place where I finally feel I can write. Hopefully in these pages, we can consider this another step towards that fulfillment.
Let me step back and briefly describe what the next three thousand words are going to be like before I plunge in. This is my attempt to put a video game in print. I am describing the situations and bringing words to life about feelings and thoughts from the playing the video game on the screen. I assure you that there is no plagiarizing here except pieces of dialogue that flow from the game itself. To be honest, this is a piece of fan fiction about a game that is incredibly rich with story and intrigue.
Posted in: Game Reviews by Michael Durr on June 29th, 2011
“Hail to the King, baby.” That phrase through the years has escaped my lips on plenty of occasions. Most of the time, it has also ended by me being pushed onto the floor with a blanket and pillow and/or the eruption of laughter. Since Duke Nukem 3d debuted in 1996, I have always found new and not so appropriate situations to spew his catchphrases. Fifteen years later, nothing has changed, I still speak the Duke and I am still waiting for Duke Nukem Forever. Well today I shall wait no more.
When development for Duke Nukem Forever largely came about, the Playstation 2 and Xbox combination were ruling the console airways. As a result, this game looks straight out of that era with dated graphics that at best could be labeled as an early Xbox 360 first person shooter. The video is fairly rudimentary and detail can be found to be severely lacking or blurry.
Posted in: Game Reviews by Michael Durr on April 18th, 2011
Most people my age grew up watching tennis with the likes of John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors or those who went for female competition went with Anna Kournikova and the Williams sisters. Maybe with the later, competition isn’t the right word. Needless to say, tennis can be a very entertaining sport to watch. For the most part, the video game world really hasn’t made too many tennis games that are entertaining to play. Hopefully that changes with 2k’s latest game: Top Spin 4.
After the cut scenes with a bevy of tennis action, we are introduced to a rather bland looking menu screen. Once one selects a mode and then the opponents along with the location, the court is opened. There, we are witness to some wonderful sights. There are forty different locations included and they can each stand on their own as fun places to play. All of the different surfaces show up brilliantly and even ones like clay show the tiniest of details including footprints and areas where you had to slide.
