VentureBeat » Mike Minotti

Microsoft reveals Forza 5 for Xbox One (trailer and gallery)

Mike Minotti — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:49:52 +0000

Xbox’s popular auto-racing series, Forza, will get a new installment on Microsoft’s newest system, the Xbox One. Microsoft Game Studios chief Phil Spencer announced during today’s reveal event that Forza 5 will launch with the new system.

Check out the trailer and first screens from the announcement trailer below.

For more on the Xbox One reveal, check out our complete coverage or our liveblog and livestream.

Filed under: Games

GamesBeat 2013 is our fifth annual conference on disruption in the video game market. You'll get 360-degree perspectives from top gaming executives, developers, and analysts on what’s to come in the industry. Our theme this year is “The Battle Royal.” Check out full event details here, and grab your early-bird tickets here!

Xbox One system, controller, and Kinect (gallery)

Mike Minotti — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:24:15 +0000

Microsoft gave the world its first look at its newest home video game console, the Xbox One. While Sony has yet to show us the actual box for its PlayStation 4, Microsoft started its reveal event by immediately unveiling the new console, the controller, and the new Kinect, a motion-tracking camera and voice recognizer. Below is a gallery of photos of all the new toys, including some HD shots straight from Microsoft.

Here’s what the reveal looked like live:

For more on the Xbox One reveal, check out our complete coverage or our liveblog and livestream.

Filed under: Games

Google Easter egg lets you play Breakout with pictures of Breakout

Mike Minotti — Mon, 13 May 2013 23:55:40 +0000

Well, we can once again thank Google for ruining our productivity. This time, the famous search engine celebrates the 37-year-old classic Breakout, which tasked players to destroy a bunch of blocks by bouncing a small ball around the screen. Yeah, it was a simpler time.

You can play the Google version by searching for images of “Atari Breakout.” This clever take on the breakout (ha) arcade hit uses the image search results as its blocks. Clear them all and you’ll move on to new levels that use more random pictures, like adorable chinchillas or pancakes.

Thanks to Reddit user Techchris, whose post originally alerted us to this awesome Easter egg.

Filed under: Games

The crew of the Enterprise finds an unremarkable shooter in Star Trek (review)

Mike Minotti — Mon, 06 May 2013 21:29:49 +0000

Captain’s log. Stardate 5514. The U.S.S. Enterprise has come upon a strange relic from Earth’s past: Some archaic form of digital entertainment entitled “Star Trek.” According to our computer’s database, this was a “video game” of the third-person shooter genre, released back in April 23, 2013 for personal computers and two strange devices called the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

To better understand our history, I have assigned my crew to run a series of experiments on this … thing. What follows are the reports from my officers as they plodded through, struggled with, and eventually conquered this challenge. We have come one step closer to understanding our human ancestors.

And their questionable tastes.

What You’ll Like

It’s Star Trek

Lt. Hikaru Sulu’s log:

Captain, it’s almost hard to believe, but we appear as the characters of this simulation. Well, almost. We’re all here by name, but we look different. Younger, shinier, and sexier! It’s like someone made a play about our lives, but all the roles were recast.

But I have to admit, captain, this digital adventure did intrigue me. The plot reminded me of our own missions, just with a lot more shooting and explosions. Perhaps it wasn’t as exciting as some of our more prolific expeditions, but this was a tale of similar sensibilities.

Co-op

Ensign Pavel Chekov’s log:

The captain assigned me to experiment the cooperative action with Lt. Sulu. I controlled the awatar that resembled Commander Spock while Sulu directed the Captain Kirk character.

I feel running the experiment with Sulu was far more productive than it would have indiwidually. Much like the great, Russain-invented game of hockey, it was possible for us to do well enough on our own, but we succeeded much more easily when working together. Many cooperative scenarios forced us to engage in countless mundane tasks like opening doors together. However, other situations were much more adwenturous, like a segment where we used transporter guns to beam each other around warious obstacles.

Also, while the simulation presented us with countless “hacking” scenarios that were as fulfilling as watered-down wodka, a cooperative wariant on hacking was much more interesting, forcing both of us to match computer wave lengths by redirecting the left directional input dewice.

Music and voice acting

Communication officer Nyota Uhura’s log:

Captain, it’s … music! Beautiful, exciting music! It sounds like a style of accompaniment usually used for theatrical movies from Earth’s 20th and 21st centuries. Also, while the voices projecting out of these characters sound nothing like our own, I do find them to seem strangely authentic. Sometimes the dialogue can even be quite charming, especially between the Spock and Kirk characters. I must admit that I giggled when the Spock avatar sat in the captain’s chair, prompting Kirk to quip, “Don’t get too comfortable.”

What You Won’t Like

It’s not pretty

Chief medical officer Dr. Leonard McCoy’s log:

Jim, I’ve seen some ugly sights in my day. Hell, I once accidentally walked in on Spock using the public sonic shower. But this …”game”? Damn it, Jim! It’s about as disgusting as a Tellarite honeymoon.

I think whoever made this thing wanted these characters to represent humanoid lifeforms, but they’re all discombobulated! Faces looks squished together, mouths awkwardly open and close like a nutcracker, and they just don’t act natural! Hell, once my avatar slid halfway across the floor on his knees when I was trying to get him to go down a ladder.

These projections just disobey the law the physics. Often their body parts just pass through anything around them. Walls, weapons, other people — anything! I can’t make heads or tails of it.

But even without these technical blemishes, this girl isn’t going to win any beauty pageants any time soon. Every environment looks the same, either the clean, white corridors of the Federation areas or the brown, rocky locales of the Gorn. Damn it, I wasn’t expecting to see all the colors of Risa, but a little variation in pigment would have gone a long way.

It’s unoriginal

Science officer Spock’s log:

Captain, in order to better understand this specimen, I have examined over 200 other examples of “shooting video games.” It appears that Star Trek offers no new ideas, instead opting to replicate mechanics and experiences from other simulations, often with a lack of finesse usually seen in its contemporaries. Most of the “entertainment” involves ducking behind cover and shooting aliens, a task that quickly becomes mundane.

And while Ensign Chekov remarked that he enjoyed his cooperative experiments with Lt. Sulu, I opted to perform my examinations singularly. I can tell you, Captain, that I found neither enjoyment or amusement.

Conclusion

Captain’s log. After carefully reviewing the reports of my crew, it seems that Star Trek is an unoriginal example of an archaic form of entertainment. It appears that only those with bizarre, intense fantasies of being Mr. Spock or myself would get any enjoyment out of the experience, and even then only if they have a partner to share the experiment with.

Mr. Spock has informed me that it was customary to conclude analysis on simulations of this sort with a numerical score. It seems like an inefficient way to remark on the quality of entertainment, but we will follow suit in the spirit of tradition.

59/100

Star Trek is out now for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. The publisher provided GamesBeat with two copies of the 360 version game for the purposes of this review.

Filed under: Games

3 retro Disney games that don’t deserve remakes

Mike Minotti — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 00:25:14 +0000

After hearing that DuckTales and Castle of Illusion were getting HD remakes, GamesBeat decided to celebrate by listing some of the other old-school Disney games that deserve a little modern polish. Hooray for nostalgia!

But be careful! Those rose-tinted (and Mickey Mouse-shaped) glasses may make every 8-bit adventure look like a historic masterpiece, but plenty of those old Disney releases were outright terrible. Below are three of the worst. All of them deserve an HD remake about as badly as Goofy deserves a doctorate.

Mickey Mousecapade

What it was: The first Disney game published by Capcom, Mickey Mousecapade was a Nintendo Entertainment System platformer where Mickey and Minnie just wander around and throw ninja stars.

Why it sucked: Everyone loves the Capcom Disney games, but Mickey Mousecapade was a rough start for what would eventually be an awesome partnership. In Capcom’s defense, they only published the North American version. The game was actually developed by Hudson Soft (who also published the Japanese version). So what was so bad? For one thing, Mousecapade is hideous. Just look at that Mickey sprite and those boring backgrounds. I’ve played better looking platformers on calculators. They were probably more complex, too. Well, that wouldn’t really much of a challenge since Mousecapade made its sidescroller contemporaries look about 10 years ahead of their time.

What to play instead: Any of the great 16-bit Mickey games released on the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo, like Castle of Illusion, The Magical Quest, or Mickey Mania.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit

What it was: Who Framed Roger Rabbit was an NES adaptation loosely based on the plot of the popular film. Part sidescroller, part inventory-based adventure game, part isometric driving, and all boring mess.

Why it sucked: You rarely had any idea what you were doing when playing Who Framed Roger Rabbit. You spent most of your time searching every drawer and closet in LA for random items and then wandering the streets with some of worst driving mechanics ever conceived as you looked for boring platforming segments. Like most adventure games, you have to do events in a very specific order. Good luck figuring out what that order actually is, though. You’re far more likely to spend your time wandering around, occasionally punching the hell out of Roger Rabbit in a desperate bid for amusement.

What to play instead: Unfortunately, no one ever made a good Roger Rabbit game, but if you want to drive around the streets of Los Angeles and solve some murder cases, then try LA Noire.

Disney Adventures in the Magic Kingdom

What it was: This was another Capcom/Disney collaboration for the NES. Goofy loses the keys to the Magic Kingdom’s parade, so Mickey asks you to search the park before all the tourists ask for a refund. You have to beat several mini-games, each themed around a popular ride.

Why it sucked: The idea of travelling around a virtual Magic Kingdom is certainly an appealing one, but this 8-bit version of the park barely resembles the actual thing. Yes, I know they didn’t have much to work with on the NES, but they don’t even come close to matching the park’s real layout. Also, while some of the mini-games are alright (the Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion levels resemble decent platformers), most of them are dull, confusing, or overly difficult, like the Space Mountain-themed mission where you have to press certain buttons to avoid asteroids and stars with little room for error. You know, just like the ride!

What to play instead: Kinect Disneyland Adventures is a more modern collection of mini-games based on Disney rides, but at least its virtual park is identical to the real thing.

Do you remember any especially terrible Disney games? Share them with us in the comments!

Filed under: Games

5 other retro Disney games that deserve remakes

Mike Minotti — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 17:00:04 +0000

Today, most of Disney’s video games consist of lazy, licensed crap and disappointing platformers, but there was a time when Disney’s cast of characters starred in some of the best adventures of the 8- and 16-bit eras. With the recently announced remakes for classics like DuckTales and Castle of Illusion, GamesBeat began to wonder which retro gems might be next in line for HD makeovers. Here are the five that we’d like to push to the top of that list.

QuackShot

What it was: Inspired by the classic Indiana Jones films (which were themselves partly inspired by the comic adventures of Donald and Scrooge McDuck), QuackShot was a world-spanning treasure hunt released on the Sega Genesis console. Donald Duck, armed with a kid-friendly plunger gun, traversed Transylvania, India, the South Pole, and Duckburg on a quest for fortune and glory. He received aid from a familiar cast of Disney favorites, including his uncle Scrooge; nephews Huey, Duey, and Louie; and best friend Goofy.

Why it was great: Disney released a lot sidescrollers for the Genesis, but none of them were as epic as QuackShot’s globe-trotting adventure. While most games toss Donald into the role of comedic sidekick, this platformer made the world’s most famous duck the star. The labyrinth-like dungeons and upgradable weapons also gave QuackShot a bit of a Metroid feel long before it was cool to make endless “Metroidvania” clones.

What should be updated: QuackShot was a visually stunning Genesis game, and its colorful sprites still look vibrant and expressive. Still, it would be nice to see the graphics get a hand-drawn touch, sort of like what they’re doing for the DuckTales remake but less cartoony. Instead, the developer should draw inspiration from the classic Donald Duck comic books. Also, the confusing menus could use some streamlining.

Disney’s Aladdin (the Genesis version)

What it was: Released a year after the film, Aladdin for the Genesis was 2D platformer that loosely followed the plot of the film. Unlike the movie, the Arabian street rat armed himself with a deadly scimitar, which he used to hack away at palace guards and vicious animals.

Why it was great: Disney actually released two completely different Aladdin games for the Genesis and Super Nintendo. While Capcom created the SNES version (itself a fine title), Virgin Games worked with actual Disney animators for Sega’s platformer. The result was some of the best sprite animation seen on the system. Along with the fast-paced action and catchy soundtrack that recreated the movie’s classic songs, Aladdin remains one of the best game adaptations of a film.

What should be updated: Aladdin’s sprites did a great job of capturing the look of the movie, but now a developer can replace them with HD art indistinguishable from the real thing. Also, the incredibly hard magic carpet sequence, which tasked you with dodging an army of incoming boulders, could use some toning down.

World of Illusion

What it was: A sort-of sequel to Castle of Illusion, World of Illusion was a co-op platformer for the Genesis starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck as magicians trapped in a strange, magical world inspired by Alice in Wonderland, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, and other Disney classics.

Why it was great: While you could play World of Illusion alone, it was most fun when experienced with a buddy. Mickey and Donald had a variety of co-op moves that they used to traverse the fantastical levels, including lifting the other player up cliffs with ropes and pushing a friend through a tight hole. World of Illusion was one of the best two-player platformers of the 16-bit era.

What should be updated: World of Illusion had some colorful visuals that would look spectacular re-imagined with hand-drawn sprites and backgrounds. I’d also love to see the cutscenes redone with traditional animation and complete voice acting. Oh, and let’s speed up the whole rope-climbing mechanic.

Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers

What it was: Similar to DuckTales, Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers was a Capcom game based off a popular Disney cartoon for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was another platformer, but this one offered two-player co-op.

Why it was great: Just like with DuckTales, Capcom brought the same level of quality it gave to classic NES franchises like Mega Man to a licensed game. Most of the action involved throwing apples, acorns, and other objects to attack enemies and create platforms — similar to Super Mario Bros. 2. But just like with World of Illusion, Rescue Rangers was best when enjoyed with a friend.

What should be updated: DuckTales Remastered producer Rey Jimenez already told Polygon that he’d like to tackle Chip ‘n Dale next if DuckTales proves a success. That remake would also benefit from the same cartoony, hand-drawn visuals that faithfully bring back the look of the show.

Mickey Mania

What is was: Mickey Mania was another platformer starring Disney’s mousey mascot — this time released for both the Genesis and the Super Nintendo (and later for the Sega CD and Sony PlayStation with slight improvements). Developer Travellers Tales based each level on a classic Mickey cartoon, making Mickey Mania something of a career retrospective.

Why it was great: While other 2D sidescrollers starred Mickey, Mickey Mania was a celebration of the cartoon icon. Animation fans and amateur Disney historians loved seeing classic shorts like Steamboat Willie and The Band Concert turned into stages. This sprite version of Mickey was also the best animated out of all his 16-bit adventures.

What should be updated: While each level faithfully recreated the look of its inspiration, Mickey retained his modern appearance throughout. Let’s have Mickey’s design change with the progression of time. Also, since Mickey Mania was a celebration of the mouse’s history, let’s add a new, more modern final level (1990′s The Prince and the Pauper currently serves as the last stage).

That’s it! Did we leave any retro Disney titles that you loved off our list? Let us know!

Filed under: Games

ShootMania Storm excels at shooter simplicity and customization (review)

Mike Minotti — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 17:03:42 +0000

Multiplayer shooters have changed. It’s hard to believe that we used to pay full price for packages like Unreal Tournament and Quake 3 Arena when the most popular takes on the genre today are either free-to-play (like Team Fortress 2 or Tribes: Ascend) or packaged with an expensive-looking, plot-heavy single-player campaign (like the Call of Duty series).

Now comes ShootMania Storm, a newly released competitive first-person shooter for the PC from Nadeo, the folks behind the popular racing series TrackMania. Bucking all trends, ShootMania doesn’t offer customizable outfits, experience points and player levels, a large collection of upgradable weapons, or melee instant-kills. For one price ($20), you get everything ShootMania has to offer and anything else its players can create.

This is a welcome return to a long-gone era.

What You’ll Like

Beauty in simplicity

For most of ShootMania’s standard modes, you have one gun and two bars of health. Additional weapons don’t litter the map. Sometimes you’ll enter specific zones that change your weapon as long as you stand in them, but these are few. You’ll spend most of your time with the rocket gun, which shoots slow, large plasma balls with a supply of unlimited, rechargeable ammo. And don’t let the whole “rocket” thing confuse you. Its rounds don’t cause splash damage, so you don’t want to aim at people’s feet. You need a direct hit to knock out your opponent’s health.

Compared to other shooters, this sounds almost archaic, but its simplicity has beauty. Everyone is on a level playing field. You’re not going to get stuck with a crappy pistol because you ran out of machine gun ammo. You also don’t have to worry about losing a fair firefight just because the other guy unlocked a level 99 assault weapon or knew the map well enough to always pick up the rocket launcher when it spawns.

Instead, almost all fights come down to skill, with two combatants dancing around each other as they try to lead their shots. What a pleasant change of pace from knifing and no-scoping.

Easy creation

While the core mechanics are simple, ShootMania offers plenty of room for customization and creation. The in-game map editor is better than any other I’ve used. Even the “advanced” tools are easy enough to understand thanks to a grid-based system of building and a convenient copy/paste function.

I mean, I actually made a map. You don’t understand — I’ve never made a shooter map before. Even with supposedly user-friendly modes like Halo’s Forge, I’ve never been able to make more than a random field of blocks that better resembled a graveyard than a fortress. But not only did I make a map for ShootMania Storm, I was actually shocked by how much it resembled an actual level. It wasn’t the next 2fort or Blood Gulch, but it was pretty decent for a first try. Imagine what I can do with practice.

Better yet, imagine what people far more talented than I could do. Well, have done, really. The community has already unleashed new maps and unique ways to play the game. One of my favorites user-created modes is the Obstacle Course, where players compete to see who can run through a challenging test of movement skills the fastest. Not only is this fun, but it actually opens my eyes to some of the intricacies of the design. I had no idea ShootMania even had wall-jumping until I needed to do use it to beat a level.

Unique modes

ShootMania also comes with some standard competitive modes. My favorite (and the most popular) is Royale, a free-for-all game in which players can score points by getting hits, being the last person standing, and by capturing a point in the middle of the map. Once someone activates the beacon in the center, a cyclone begins to engulf the map, eventually forcing everyone into a small, hectic circle of death. You keep playing rounds until someone reaches the points goal.

This is a great variation on a survival game mode. Even though being the last player alive nets you the most points, you can actually win the map without once earning that distinction. I actually achieved this myself by focusing on rushing and capturing the beacon at the start of each round. This would usually result in a quick death, but I was able to secure victory by hoarding the capture points while the other 15 players shared survival-winning duties.

Some modes accommodate smaller parties, like the 3-vs.-3 Elite, which sets a single, supercharged player from one team (each player from the team of three gets a turn) against all three members of the other. There’s even a match for 1-vs.-1 battles, Joust, where competitors have a limited supply of ammo that they can only refill by capturing beacons.

The point is that even without all the community creations, ShootMania offers plenty of entertainment.

What You Won’t Like

Confusing menus

As much fun as ShootMania is, the menus are awfully confusing. At the start I was able to pick from a bunch of buttons labeled after modes or from a giant one simply titled Storm. After stumbling through, I eventually figured out that going to Storm would show me every server. Of course, you can then use filters from there to specify what kind of game you want to play, which makes all of the individual buttons at the beginning unnecessary.

While the creation tools are a giant part of the experience, they are hard to find. Half the time ShootMania directed me to a page asking me if I wanted to rent a server when I was really trying to make a map. Also, if it has an easy way to look at everything that the community has made, I couldn’t find it. Instead, I just had to hope I found something cool while looking through the server list.

Weapon zones

I talked earlier about specific areas that change your default rocket launcher to a different weapon. While this is a nice idea in theory, they come off as pretty useless. These zones are so small and few that almost no one really bothers with them, and the new guns aren’t much better or different from the launcher.

Conclusion

I’ve become used to my shooters practically bribing me to keep playing them. “Maybe one more round and I’ll unlock a new hat.” “Maybe if I get a few more kills I’ll reach a new level.” It’s nice to get back to basics with ShootMania Storm and recall a time when we played for the joy of playing.

And while the creation tools offer a potential for unlimited greatness, the truth is that ShootMania is fun today.

82/100

ShootMania storm is out now for the PC. The publisher provided GamesBeat with a downloadable version of the game for the purposes of this review.

Filed under: Games

If Uncharted’s Nathan Drake had a dating site profile

Mike Minotti — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 01:02:46 +0000

Welcome to another edition of our dating site for our favorite gaming characters, Extra Hearts. This time we’re unearthing the profile of Nathan Drake, the witty hero of Sony’s Uncharted franchise. Will the famed treasure hunter find love, or will his prospects for romance come crumbling down around him?

Likes: Rock climbing, traveling, history, and hiding behind cover.

Dislikes: The three C’s: clowns, cannibals, and commitment.

Our first date: I’d take you to a breathtaking lost city, and then we’d escape together as it comes crashing down around us minutes after we enter.

My best feature: My incredible fashion sense. I know exactly which occasions to use the half-tuck for while reserving the three-quarters-tuck for more formal affairs.

Most interesting thing about me: I’m a descendant of the famous Sir Francis Drake. Skeptical, eh? Well, I can prove it with a ring I stole — I mean, inherited.

You should message me if: You don’t mind a few cuts and bruises … or third-degree burns … or gunshot wounds.

Comments:

More Profiles:

Peach
Chell
Kratos
Samus
Master Chief
Aerith
Mega Man
Luigi
Kerrigan

Filed under: Games

If StarCraft’s Kerrigan had a dating site profile

Mike Minotti — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 15:00:52 +0000

Anyone can find love on the Internet, even if you’re a psychotic, mass-murdering insect woman. Yup, this edition of Extra Hearts celebrates the release of the anticipated real-time strategy game expansion, StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm, by showing off the profile of everyone’s favorite Ghost-turned-Zerg, Sarah Kerrigan. Let’s see if the Queen of Blades can find a little romance to balance her life of pain and destruction.

Likes: Arthropodal lifeforms, genetic perfection, and stabbing people with these bad-ass tentacle/knife things on my back.

Dislikes: Humanity.

Also known as: The Queen of Blades. I know that sounds intimidating, but don’t let it scare you off.

Occupation: Leader of the Zerg. I’ve killed over eight billion people. Um, don’t let that scare you off either.

First date advice: You better not rush things. That’s my job.

Most interesting thing about me: My psionic powers give me the ability to read your mind. And, yes, they are real.

You should message me if: You’re not a creep. If you ooze creep, however, that is actually a plus.

Comments:

More Profiles:

Peach
Chell
Kratos
Samus
Master Chief
Aerith
Mega Man
Luigi
Nathan Drake

Filed under: Games

MLB 13 The Show is an entertaining rerun (review)

Mike Minotti — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 19:58:41 +0000

I find it pretty ironic that Andrew McCutchen is the cover star for MLB 13 The Show. Don’t get me wrong, he’s an incredible player, but he’s also the star of the Pittsburgh Pirates, a franchise famous for an incredible losing streak (it hasn’t had a winning season in 20 years).

The Show, however, has been nothing but a winner. The Sony-exclusive baseball series has outperformed its competition (at least in terms of quality), the multiplatform MLB 2K, for years. With the release of MLB 13 The Show for the PlayStation 3 and Vita, that streak seems safer than Ichiro after successfully stealing second base.

But after spending years on top, The Show is starting to feel as stale as a 9th inning hot dog bun.

What you’ll like

Still the best in show

MLB 13 The Show takes one of the most complicated sports ever, which usually involves at least two teams of nine players to play adequately, and turns it into a great gaming experience. Not that it’s the first or only effort to do so, but none can match The Show’s depth and customization.

You can make The Show as complicated (or as simple) as you want with an incredible assortment of options. For instance, you can make pitching as easy as pushing a single button or as complicated as exercising precise movement and timing with the analog stick. You can also opt for the computer to perform some of the more complicated tasks, like baserunning and fielding, automatically.

The Show also excels at presentation, with cameras and commentary that closely resemble the real thing. Anything can happen in baseball, and it seems like The Show is ready for any and every possibility. A pitcher gets hit with a line drive to his driving leg? Yup, they’ve recorded commentary for that.

Even small details, like fans walking up and down aisles in the stadiums, really add to the immersion. Sony Computer Entertainment’s San Diego Studio really delivered an authentic baseball experience.

An incredible career mode

The Road to the Show has long been my favorite part of the series, and it’s still as excellent as ever. This is the The Show’s take on a career mode. You create a player with an assortment of customization options, assign him a position, either enter him in the draft or pick a team for him, and then play through his path from the minor leagues to the World Series.

It’s like a baseball role-playing game. You gain experience for good performances, which you can then use to increase your stats (for example, pitchers can improve their accuracy with the fastball, and hitters can beef up their batting power). Your manager gives you a checklist of goals every couple of weeks, often asking to you improve a single stat or telling you how many hits you need to accomplish during the time frame. Meeting all of these tasks can help further your career. Failing them can send you back to the minors.

Each game you play skips to the parts that concern your player, so a first baseman, for example, would only have to play each of his at-bats and any fielding play involving his position. It’s a fun, efficient, and rewarding way to play baseball, and it’s the closest most of us will come to achieving our big league dreams.

What you won’t like

I’ve already seen this show

I’ve established that MLB 13 The Show is a very good baseball game. The problem is that MLB 12 The Show also was. Same for MLB 11 The Show. And MLB 10 The Show. And … well, you get the idea. SCE San Diego figured out the formula for a great baseball experience a long time ago, and while yearly releases are the norm with sports franchises, the incremental improvements from year to year really haven’t added up.

This year’s version does offer some new additions, namely an improved Franchise mode that, frankly, is still far too complicated for my feeble mind. Better is the new beginner mode, which eases inexperienced players into the complicated tasks of hitting and pitching. Of course, that doesn’t mean much to veterans of the series.

It’s a tough problem. I’m certainly glad I’m not a developer, because I have no idea how to fix it. You can’t exactly change the game of baseball, but the market demands a new game every year. Still, the series can’t escape fatigue. From an impassioned critical eye, The Show is as good as ever, but I’m far less enthusiastic about it as I was four years ago.

Conclusion

MLB 13 The Show is still an incredible baseball game. If you’ve enjoyed previous installments in the franchise, then there’s no reason you won’t find a good chunk of entertainment in this year’s edition.

Still, if you own MLB 12 The Show, you’re mostly paying for the updated roster. Some of the incremental changes are nice, but they’re nowhere close to being game-changers.

Score: 83/100

MLB 13 The Show is available now on the PlayStation 3 and Vita. The publisher provided GamesBeat with a copy of the PS3 version of the game for the purpose of this review. I was not able to test the PS3/Vita Cross Play features for this review.

Filed under: Games

Uncharted 3′s multiplayer goes free-to-play

Mike Minotti — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 16:57:12 +0000

We don’t have to wait for the PlayStation 4 to see the future of console gaming, at least when it comes to how we’ll be paying.

Today, developer Naughty Dog releases a free-to-play version of the mulitplayer for Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, its popular PlayStation 3 third-person shooter from 2011. By downloading a client from the PlayStation Network, users can play with the same people who own the full version.

“From the beginning of Uncharted 3, we were always interested in doing a free-to-play option,” Uncharted 3 game director Justin Richmond told GamesBeat. ”And during the two-year production cycle that was not a reality that we could ever look at. It was just too complex to start separating the multiplayer into its own thing. So for the past year we’ve been working constantly to figure out how we can do something like that.”

Naughty Dog’s solution is to offer the multiplayer component for free with a level cap at 15. Earning levels is how you access extra content like guns and characters. But even though you stop earning unlocks, you can keep playing the game, or you can pay to have the level cap increased or removed.

“But we actually keep track of the unlocks,” Richmond told GamesBeat. “So if you play hundreds of hours of the free-to-play and are like, ‘You know, I really want to get all the stuff that I earned,’ then the second you pay for that level unlock you get everything that you earned over those hours.”

Players can also buy certain items separately via microtransactions, including characters and guns (but not the mods that make weapons more powerful. You’ll have to earn those by leveling). While many free-to-play titles let users exchange real money for in-game currency (which, ironically, is actual dollars in Uncharted 3), Naughty Dog isn’t planning a similar feature. Nor will it allow players to buy temporary boosts that double the amount of experience or money they earn in a certain amount of time.

“The player base is vibrant,” said Richmond. “We have half a million people playing a month, so this isn’t some sort of grab where we’re like, ‘Oh my god, the game’s dying!’ We think we offer something very unique. The barrier of entry to multiplayer, in general, is very high. Not only do you have to buy the game for a fair amount of money, but then you have to jump into an online component as well. We wanted to give the lowest barrier of entry possible to the most number of people, and we think the free-to-play option is the way to do it.”

Naught Dog provided GamesBeat with some samples of how the pricing will work:

Competitive multiplayer with level 15 cap: free
Raise level cap to 25: $4.99
Co-op Arena (W/Shade Mode): $9.99
Co-op Adventure (W/Fort Co-op): $11.99
Level cap removed: $19.99
Uncharted 3 Game of the Year Digital Version: $39.99

Uncharted 3 won’t offer the first free-to-play shooter experience on the PlayStation 3 (that honor belongs to Dust 514, which is currently in open beta), but it’s interesting to see Sony commit one of its biggest franchises to a pricing format that we usually see on PC games.

“This model works,” said Richmond. “Obviously, it works. I think we’ll be seeing more of it going forward.”

Filed under: Games

The biggest PlayStation 4 disappointments

Mike Minotti — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 23:51:25 +0000

We should probably be excited that we’re getting a new, powerful system with a bunch of pretty looking games, but it’s far more fun to complain. And Sony’s unveiling of the PlayStation 4, a two-hour long display of hardware specs and game trailers, gave us plenty to moan about. Whether it was the absence of an expected title or an underwhelming announcement, the event had its share of disappointments. Below are some of the biggest.

The announcement of a Final Fantasy announcement

As disappointing as: Your best friend telling you he has a big secret but refusing to spit it out until next week.

Why it was disappointing: Square Enix had a weird showing at the event. The Japanese publisher and developer started with a tech demo for a graphics engine that it already unveiled last year. That’s already plenty underwhelming, but it wasn’t as bad as announcing that a new Final Fantasy would be coming to the PS4 without giving us a single picture or even a full title. But Square did promise to tell us all about it … at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in June.

We don’t even know what kind of Final Fantasy game to expect. Will it be the next installment in the main role-playing series, Final Fantasy XV? Or will we finally see Final Fantasy Versus XIII, a game long stuck in the deepest depths of development hell? We have no idea. Guess we’ll just have to wait (waiting is the worst).

Where was The Last Guardian?

As disappointing as: Your fiancée leaving you at the altar, later reconnecting with you, and then leaving you at the altar again.

Why it was disappointing: The Last Guardian is one of the most anticipated PlayStation 3 games. Many consider developer Team Ico’s last two efforts, Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, as some of the best classics released for the PlayStation 2. The Last Guardian looked like an adventure similar in spirit but with improved visuals.

Team Ico announced the game back in 2009, and we still don’t seem any closer to release. Meanwhile, we hear constant rumors of a troubled development. Many were hoping that we would finally hear news during Sony’s recent event, specifically that The Last Guardian was now a PlayStation 4 title. That didn’t happen. Once again, the much-anticipated Sony exclusive was a no-show.

Blizzard’s gigantic announcement … of a port

As disappointing as: Having your dad tell you to hop in the car for a surprise trip, fulling expecting that he’s about to take you to Disneyland. You end up going to see the La Brea tar pits instead.

Why it was disappointing: We’ve long known Blizzard as a company that focuses exclusively on PC gaming, so it was a huge shock to see exec Chris Metzen on stage during Sony’s event. We were beginning to expect something big to happen. Maybe the follow-up to the historically popular massively multiplayer online game, World of Warcraft, would be coming to the PS4. Maybe Blizzard was going to announce an entirely new game, built to take advantage of Sony’s new hardware.

Instead, Metzen announced a port of Diablo III, an action role-playing game that came out for the PC last May. Not that Diablo III is a bad game, but a console version was something we were expecting last year. It’s not like the gothic hack-and-slasher is a technological wonder that’s only possible on next-gen hardware. The fact that Metzen also announced a PlayStation 3 version proves that.

We didn’t see the PlayStation 4 at the PlayStation 4 event

As disappointing as: Dating a girl online who refuses to send you a picture of herself.

Why it was disappointing: We got to see plenty of the new system’s controller, but the actual box that houses all of that delicious hardware was strangely absent. This continues a trend originally started by Nintendo, who also put the emphasis on the Wii U’s new controller without showing the actual system during its unveiling.

But Nintendo may have actually been more justified to make a such a move than Sony. The controller is the Wii U’s biggest selling point, since the hardware isn’t anything special. But Sony is touting the PS4 as a graphical powerhouse with streaming and social features, while the controller, despite a few added gimmicks like a small touchscreen, isn’t all that different from the PS3′s (which was basically the PS2 controller to begin with).

Filed under: Games

If Luigi had a dating site profile

Mike Minotti — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 16:30:54 +0000

Welcome to another edition of Extra Hearts, GamesBeat’s dating site made especially for video game characters. We’re celebrating the Year of Luigi by looking at the green-clad plumber’s profile. Will the famous brother find a special someone, or is he doomed to stay second best in all things, including love? Let’s find out.

Likes: My bottom bunk (where I’m repeatedly told is where I belong). Silver medals. Clay Aiken.

Dislikes: Ghosts, darkness, and those third-party controllers I’m always stuck with when playing Mario Party.

Our first date: Whatever you’d like to do. I’d rather not make any decisions.

My best feature: I can jump slightly higher than Mario.

Most interesting thing about me: I went through a bizarre growth spurt in 1986.

You should message me if: You aren’t already in love with my brother.

Comments:

More Profiles:

Filed under: Games

Show some love with GamesBeat’s gaming valentines

Mike Minotti — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 16:00:53 +0000

You’ve probably seen gaming-themed valentines before (like the digital cards we received from multiple developers and publishers), but the ones in the gallery below are special. Why? Because I made them! I originally drew most of these masterpieces back when I was an intern at Bitmob (which later turned into GamesBeat).

I included all of the old valentines and a few new ones. These lovely cards feature characters from games like Mass Effect, World of Warcraft, The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Mega Man, and more. Please share them with your friends, and let them know how much you care! You must expose the world to my artistic genius!

Filed under: Games

Fan screwed out of Ni No Kuni Wizard’s Companion makes his own

Mike Minotti — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 19:32:42 +0000

Sometimes wizards have to get creative, especially when they’re up against the evil of canceled preorders.

An error affecting publisher Namco Bandai’s online store jilted many would-be buyers out of the Wizard’s Edition of Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, a new PlayStation 3 role-playing game (you can read our review here). While the special edition includes a lot of goodies, the best was a real version of an in-game book called the Wizard’s Companion, which contains detailed information on the world’s monsters, items, spells, along with some charming fables and stories.

Not only is the book cool, but it’s incredibly useful. You can read the Wizard’s Companion inside Ni No Kuni’s menus, but it’s a pain to scour through a digital encyclopedia to find a single alchemy recipe. Besides, you have to unlock the tome’s pages slowly as your progress through the story. Having a physical version of the thing right next to you while you’re playing is incredibly convenient.

Reddit user PrimeJunt was one of many who missed out on the special-edition preorder after Namco Bandai oversold the $99 package, so he decided to make his own version of the ornate wizarding guide. You can see the process that went into his book’s creation below. We also included some pictures of the official Wizard’s Companion for comparison. PrimeJunt’s version might actually be nicer than the real thing. We commend him for using a crappy situation as an opportunity to get inventive and make something awesome.

Filed under: Games

Resident Evil’s iconic mansion re-created in Minecraft

Mike Minotti — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 15:00:57 +0000

We all love ogling at inventive Minecraft creations, but it’s especially cool to see something from another game brought into the popular world of blocks and building. That’s why we’re so impressed with this re-creation of the Spencer mansion from the original Resident Evil, the famous survival-horror pioneer for the original PlayStation.

Moltenpanther, who originally shared his creation on Reddit, went to ridiculous lengths to build the interiors and exteriors of the mansion, courtyard, and residence building. Check out just how frighteningly detailed his creation is in the gallery below. We also included some comparison shots from the actual game.

Filed under: Games

Dude blasts through Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 in about 4 minutes

Mike Minotti — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 23:43:03 +0000

I enjoy a good speedrun. I love watching someone who’s infinitely better at video games than I am beat one of my favorites in a ridiculously short amount of time. Now, I considered myself a pretty decent Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater player, but I’m questioning my manhood after watching YouTube user GeorgeThePlushie beat the third installment of the series in 3 minutes, 55 seconds.

Mr. ThePlushie claims this run of the PC version of the 2001 classic is completely natural, meaning he didn’t use any cheats or tool-assisting software. Now, he doesn’t complete 100 percent the game, but he does earn medals in all three of THPS3′s competitions. He does this by smartly completing only the minimum number of challenges necessary to unlock new levels.

Really, you need to just see the video for yourself, especially if the thought of linking a 540 tailwhip into a manual tickles your nostalgia bone. Thanks to Akumies, who’s post on Reddit introduced us to this tubular speedrun.

Filed under: Games

GamesBeat Giveaway: Hitman games and goodies

Mike Minotti — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 20:14:45 +0000

This contest is now closed.

Assassins and hitmen, heed us! We know that you usually like to work for your bounties, but wouldn’t you prefer to just win something for a change? We’re giving out prizes from the popular stealth series Hitman:

Hitman HD Trilogy: One Xbox 360 copy, one PlayStation 3 copy
Hitman: Absolution Collector’s Edition: Two 360 copies, two PS3 copies
Hitman: Absolution: Two 360 copies, two PS3 copies, two for PC (Steam codes)
Two Hitman mouse pads
One Hitman drawstring bag

Here’s what you need to do win one of our prizes:

Follow us on Twitter (@GamesBeat). Not only is it the best way to get instant updates on all of our game coverage, it’s also important when we need to direct message you if you’ve won. You’ll then have to reply with your address so we can send you your prize (if you didn’t win a code).
Tweet the below message, changing the platform (360, PS3, PC) for whichever you want:

I want @GamesBeat to give me a 360 Hitman prize: http://wp.me/p1re2-2zEB #gamesbeatgiveaway

Regardless of your choice of platform, all entrants will be eligible for the mouse pad and drawstring bag.
We will contact the winners in a few days on Twitter.
Entering more than once a day will disqualify you.

Filed under: Games

Fire Emblem: Awakening is one of the deepest and best 3DS games (review)

Mike Minotti — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 17:00:10 +0000

Fire Emblem has never achieved the popularity of Nintendo’s biggest franchises. It doesn’t have the mainstream appeal of Mario, the merchandising potential of Pokémon, or the cutting-edge technology of Zelda. But Fire Emblem: Awakening, a turn-based strategy game coming out Monday for the Nintendo 3DS, easily matches the quality of those legendary series.

What makes Awakening so special, especially considering it’s the 11th game in the series (the sixth to come out in North America)? Sure, the gameplay will feel familiar to fans of the franchise, but this newest entry complements those great mechanics with impressive production values. Developer Intelligent Systems has refined and molded the core experience into an incredible portable game.

You play Awakening on a small screen, but the adventure you’ll experience is anything but tiny. This quest is an epic, complex test of your skills as a military commandeer.

What you’ll like

Hardcore strategy

Awakening is like a complicated game of chess (or, if you already find chess difficult, a really complicated game of checkers). You take turns against the computer positioning your army around a grid and attacking your opponent. A number of factors decide the outcome of each battle, including your unit’s level (which increases from experience earned while fighting), the weapons you wield, and your relationships with adjacent allies. (For tips, check out our Fire Emblem guide.)

Any one of these things can make the difference between life and death, which is a huge deal in Awakening. Death is permanent. Any character you lose in a battle is gone for good. Actually, you do have the option in the beginning of the game to have dead fighters respawn after a battle (a first for a U.S. entry in the series), but I recommend against it. Permanent death may seem like a rough penalty, but it forces you to act extra thoughtfully. Are you really willing to risk a character’s life against 50/50 odds of survival? The strategy aspect becomes a lot more … well, strategic. You can’t just throw units against a wall of enemies and hope for the best.

If you want to keep your crew alive, you have to act intelligently on and off the battlefield. You want to fight those optional skirmishes so you can earn some extra levels. You have to buy the best equipment and make sure your characters will have enough weapons to last a battle (most items only have a set number of uses, after which they break and disappear). You need to figure out how you want to upgrade your units, making sure you have a good mix of fighters, fliers, ranged attackers, healers, and more.

If it all sounds complicated, that’s because it is. It’s delightfully complex. If you love to pour over the details and plan for the bigger picture, then you’ll find Awakening incredibly rewarding.

Love can bloom on the battlefield

Characters gain bonuses to their stats by standing next to an ally, but those gains increase the more the two units like each other. Fighting alongside a friend can unlock conversations between the two outside of battles. After watching these often hilarious skits, their relationship will increase. A paired-up character also sometimes offers an additional attack. Again, the odds of this happening increases the further along their relationship is, so it’s smart to position friendly characters next to each other as often as possible.

Many characters can even marry each other. Spouses gain astronomical stat bonuses when fighting together, and marrying your fighters can lead to new side-missions that unlock powerful new recruits.

I actually spent days just playing matchmaker for my army and pairing off characters that I thought looked cute together in skirmishes just so that they would hook up. You can also pair units on the same square of the battle grid, which only lets one of them move and attack but makes it easier to increase their love for each other while saving some space on the field. This is also a great way to protect weaker units.

It was like playing a Japanese visual novel. Just, you know, with a lot more swords and fire spells. It also opens up a large variety of possible coupling, and each marriage comes with special dialogue. Who you hook up your main characters with can even have an impact on the game’s story, adding incentive to play the game more than once for completionists looking to see every possible conversation.

Filed under: Games

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Disney closes Epic Mickey developer Junction Point Studios (updated with comments from Warren Spector)

Mike Minotti — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 16:54:49 +0000

Junction Point Studios, the developer behind the Epic Mickey series of platformers for consoles, has shut its doors and terminated all employees.

A Disney spokesperson confirmed the closure with a statement sent to GamesBeat:

It was with much sadness that we informed our teams today of changes to our games organization, which include the closure of Junction Point Studios. These changes are part of our ongoing effort to address the fast-evolving gaming platforms and marketplace and to align resources against our key priorities. We’re extremely grateful to Warren Spector and the Junction Point team for their creative contributions to Disney with Disney Epic Mickey and Disney Epic Mickey 2.

Junction Point developed just two games: Disney Epic Mickey and last year’s sequel, Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two. While the original sold over a million copies, the sales of the sequel are disappointing. Game-sales tracking firm The NPD Group told GamesBeat that Epic Mickey 2 sold over 529,000 copies in its first two months. (We originally reported a number from the L.A. Times that had it at 270,000 in sales for one month).

Famed game designer Warren Spector founded the studio in 2005. Spector made a name for himself with first-person titles that incorporated role-playing elements, like the original System Shock and Deus Ex. It was a surprise to many when Disney bought his studio and put it to work on a Mickey Mouse game.

Leaked concept art showed up online before Disney even announced the original Epic Mickey. Those early images, like the one above, revealed a darker, grittier world than the one Junction Point would ultimately create.

Disney has been shifting its gaming business toward less hardcore experiences. The media giant recently revealed Disney Infinity, which allows consumers to buy a potentially endless supply of characters and accessories that can all play together.

Warren Spector commented on the closure of his studio on Facebook. “Yes, it’s true,” Spector wrote. “The Junction Point journey is over. To all those who’ve asked, or want to ask, I’m sad but excited for the future. JPS had a good eight year run. I got to work with some amazing people on some amazing projects. I’ve had some of the most magical times of my life, fulfilling several life-long dreams. I’ve gotten to know Disney fans and Disney cast members, gotten hands on with Disney’s history, walked where Walt walked. Magical really is the only word.”

You can read his full statement here.

Filed under: Games

League of Legends summons a Mac client

Mike Minotti — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 03:29:43 +0000

Mac users can finally run one of the most popular free-to-play games available, the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) League of Legends.

Steve Mieczkowski, associate producer at developer Riot Games, announced that the Mac client is available now in a public beta environment. Mieczkowski provided a link for the download on the same forum post where he made the announcement.

“To make this happen, we’ve been hard at work,” Mieczkowski wrote in his post. “Riot engineers rewrote a lot of the underlying game engine so that both PC and Mac platforms share the same code base and assets. This means Mac players will receive all future features, bug fixes, and new content at the same time as PC users.”

More than 10 million people play League of Legends every day. This Mac client can’t hurt that number.

Filed under: Games

New 3D Mario, Smash Bros, and Mario Kart will be at E3

Mike Minotti — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 15:23:58 +0000

Good news, everybody! I’m going to get to play a bunch of new Wii U games at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo! What? Aren’t you happy for me?

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata announced today during a Nintendo Direct video stream that the publisher will show off new installments of some of its biggest franchises at the June gaming conference. These games will be for the company’s newest system, the Wii U, which launched last November.

The Nintendo EAD Tokyo Software Development team, who previously gave us the Super Mario Galaxy series on the Nintendo Wii and Super Mario 3D Land for the Nintendo 3DS, is working on a new 3D Mario game that will be playable at E3.

We’ll also see the Wii U versions of racer Mario Kart and fighter Super Smash Bros. at the show. We know that Project Sora, the development team behind Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii and Kid Icarus: Uprising for the Nintendo 3DS, is working with Namco Bandai on the new Smash Bros. Iwata said that Nintendo will show the first screenshots of the game at the conference. Mario Kart will be playable.

Nintendo has a history of showing off new software at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. Last year the venue gave gamers their first glimpses of Nintendo Land, Pikmin 3, and other Wii U exclusives ahead of the system’s launch. This year’s show will take place June 11-13 in Los Angeles.

Filed under: Games

Earth Defense Force 2017 Portable brings B-movie fun to the Vita (review)

Mike Minotti — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 23:24:15 +0000

Some games can open your eyes to new possibilities. They can make you question the world around you or even your own being. They are profound, intelligent, and important.

Earth Defense Force 2017 Portable is not one of these. This PlayStation Vita game is about shooting giant bugs. It is ugly, stupid, repetitive, and uninspired.

And yet, somehow, fun.

What you’ll like

Portable shooting

If you’re looking for an entertaining shooter on the Vita, you don’t have many options. Well, not many good ones, anyway. Too many attempts at bringing the genre to Sony’s handheld feel like half-cooked versions of their console counterparts, like Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified and Resistance: Burning Skies.

EDF 2017 is actually a port of an Xbox 360 third-person shooter from 2007, but it feels like it was always meant for a portable system. Instead of a continuous campaign, developer Sandlot spreads the bug-slaying over 50 missions. These bite-sized chunks of action are well suited to on-the-go play. Even if you only have 10 minutes, you can still complete a full mission. You can also enjoy cooperative play with up to three friends (or strangers) with local and online multiplayer.

Getting gear

I’ve described EDF 2017 as a shooter, but its role-playing elements are what really make it entertaining. No, you don’t gain experience points or learn new skills by leveling up you character, but every defeated enemy can drop new weapons, an item that’ll regain some of your lost health, or a permanent increase to your maximum health that persists throughout the entire game.

The new weapons are the most rewarding, and EDF 2017 offers a lot of firepower. The trick is that you’ll have to play missions on harder difficulties if you want the best loot. So even if you play through it on normal mode, you’ll be in for a rough ride if you don’t go back to earlier levels on a more difficult setting and grab some advanced weaponry.

Make no mistake; you’re grinding for items, an activity that many gamers find tedious. However, I adore spending hours searching for optimal gear, and I love destroying the later missions with my overpowered guns. My favorite was a rapid-fire rocket launcher that defied all logic as it caused many a bug to explode.

So bad it’s good

Earth Defense Force 2017 Portable is the gaming equivalent of a bad sci-fi movie. Its plot is simple and ridiculous. Giant bug aliens are attacking the planet, and you have to stop them. That’s pretty much it. And I really mean giant bugs. They aren’t some sort of monster that resembles an insect. They are oversized ants and spiders. I had to laugh sometimes when I saw a swarm of them running toward me. I probably giggled even more when they died, since their carcasses just froze up and fell weightlessly around the map.

Oh, but let’s talk about my favorite gameplay mechanic. Is that giant skyscraper obscuring your shot? Then blow it up! Yup, just one shot from any explosive can take down the tallest of buildings. Nothing like leveling an entire city while you’re “saving” it from invasion.

I don’t even know what to say about the voice acting. I like to pretend it’s intentionally bad to help re-create that B-movie vibe.

Again, this stuff is admittedly stupid, but it’s a large part of 2017′s charm. And as goofy as the game is, the actual mechanics, like aiming and shooting, are sound. You just have to learn to not take it seriously.

What you won’t like

It’s not pretty

Earth Defense Force 2017 Portable is not a pretty game. Remember when I compared it to a bad sci-fi flick? That includes the visuals. If Far Cry 3 is Star Wars, then 2017 is Plan 9 from Outer Space. Its textures are muddy and blurry, and character models are blocky. You’ll also experience some significant slowdown when the screen becomes crowded with bugs, which happens a lot since, you know, that’s kind of the whole point of the game.

The Vita has shown off some incredibly beautiful games that can sometimes look as good as what we’re used to seeing on a PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360. Unfortunately, 2017 looks more like a PSP game that can barely measure up to the PlayStation 2.

Bad vehicles

Some missions give you a few vehicles, like tanks and helicopters, but these were the worst-handling machines of destruction I’ve ever had the displeasure of driving. Each vehicle felt like it was operating under a lake of molasses. Simply turning left and right was a monumental task requiring the depths of my patience. This is a big problem when most of the enemies have a tendency toward quick, jerky movements.

You’re better off just staying on foot.

It’s repetitive

As much fun as you’ll have shooting aliens and bugs, that’s pretty much all EDF 2017 has to offer. Playing it a little bit at a time is great, but you’ll easily go brain-dead if you spend a few straight hours working through missions. You really only fight a handful of the same enemies over and over. Sometimes it introduces a “new” foe, but it’s often just a bigger version of some alien you’ve already been battling for hours. Sometimes it’s just a slightly tougher bug with a different color.

Conclusion

I almost don’t want to like Earth Defense Force 2017 Portable. It offers nothing outside of mindless shooting and gun-looting. But that’s also why I admire it. It’s a throwback to an era when technology limited storytelling and games were simpler. EDF 2017 is not a deep experience, but it’s a very pure one.

Score: 72/100

Earth Defense Force 2017 Portable is out now for the PlayStation Vita. The publisher provided GamesBeat with a copy of the game for the purposes of this review.

Filed under: Games

GamesBeat Giveaway: We’re giving out codes for 5 random games

Mike Minotti — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 17:30:14 +0000

This contest is now closed.

Do you love free games? Of course you do! First off, they’re games. If you’re here, I assume you have a certain affinity for electronic entertainment. Secondly, they’re free!

Well, we’re here to satiate your wants and needs. We’re giving away five codes from our (figurative) vault of gaming treasures. These are:

Ninja Gaiden (NES classic on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console)
Dunwall City Trials (Dishonored add-on pack for PlayStation 3)
Art Academy: Lessons for Everyone! (Nintendo 3DS)
Crosswords Plus (Nintendo 3DS)
Home Run Stars (Xbox Live Arcade Kinect)

Want one of our codes? Here’s how to enter:

Follow us on Twitter (@GamesBeat). Not only is it the best way to get instant updates on all of our awesome content, it’s also important when we need to direct message you if you’ve won.
Tweet the below messages (changing the game name to whichever code you want):

I want @GamesBeat to give me Ninja Gaiden: http://wp.me/p1re2-2x6z

We will contact the winners in a couple of days on Twitter.
It’s fine if you want to enter for all five codes, but doing so for the same code more than once a day will disqualify you.

Good luck!

Filed under: Games

GamesBeat’s PlayStation 2 memories

Mike Minotti — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 16:00:50 +0000

It was a good run. After 12 years, Sony has ended worldwide production for its incredibly successful PlayStation 2 video game console.

Affectionately called the PS2 by fans, Sony’s second system dominated the market even though it was less powerful than its competitors, the Microsoft Xbox and Nintendo GameCube. How? With games. The PS2 (warning, opinion incoming) had one of the best gaming libraries ever, including Japanese role-playing games like Final Fantasy X and bloody action titles like God of War.

So let’s not mourn the end of an era. Instead, GamesBeat is going to celebrate this magnificent machine by sharing our favorite PS2 memories.

Contributor Stephanie Carmichael

I remember going from GameStop to GameStop before a cashier finally told me that my copy of Gauntlet: Dark Legacy wouldn’t work on my PS2 because it was a blue-backed, CD-based disc, and those could cause problems. Also, my original PlayStation games would skip all the time on my PS2, but I still loved that console, especially for games like the Jak series, Final Fantasy X, Prince of Persia, and Silent Hill 2.

Staff writer Jeff Grubb

I held off on getting a PlayStation 2 because I was young and stupid — like so stupid. I kept close tabs on Shadow of the Colossus though, and when it finally came out I picked up a system with that game. I had an amazing time playing through the incredible battles. When I beat the game, I made a list of PS2 classics that I missed out on but wanted to go back and finally try. One day, I got my check from my job at the time, went out, and bought three games (Maximo, Sly Cooper, and God of War.)

When I got home, all of my game systems were gone. Someone opened my front door, which was never locked since I lived with a couple of other cretins, and they walked in and stole my stuff. I couldn’t afford to replace my consoles, so I just returned the games and started saving up again to buy new hardware.

I eventually got a PS2 again a few years later, but I’ve still never played Maximo, Sly Cooper, or God of War. Still, I loved the time I had with the system and feel like now is the time to go back and dig into the stuff I missed.

Contributor Jason Lomberg

I was working at Electronics Boutique when the PS2 came out and — along with the rest of the gaming world — weathered the insane shortages. I distinctly remember one customer offering my manager $500 to “move up on the list.” But that was nothing compared to the secondary market.

Intern Sam Barsanti

I have a similar story to Jeff (though not as bad): In highschool, once a year they would let nerds (like me) hang out in the library on a Saturday and play video games on the school TVs and projectors. One year, I brought my PS2 and one of the Grand Theft Auto games (which had come out maybe a week or so before). At some point while I was there, somebody stole my PS2 and swapped it with a broken one, which I figured out the next day by breaking the PS2 open and realizing my GTA disc wasn’t inside. Of course, nobody believed me, and they thought I had just broken my PS2, including the teacher that was in charge of the event (who I’m pretty sure was in on it).

A few days later I went to the store and bought a new PS2, cause it was such a rad system and I didn’t want to go without it.

Oh, wait … favorite PS2 memories ….

Intern Jasmine Maleficent Rea

My favorite memory is actually the great memory card shortage. Remember that?

I got a PS2 around that time and picked up a copy of Baldur’s Gate Dark Alliance. Since I didn’t have a memory card, I had to set aside seven hours to rush through the story. A month later, when my dad finally found a card, I could burn through the game in less than five hours.

I’m really good at Dark Alliance, you guys.

Intern Giancarlo Valdes

The PS2 shortage was especially memorable/painful for me:

I was so hyped for the console after reading the news in my PSM and OPM magazine subscriptions, but I always came up empty-handed when I would visit EB and other stores. Around three months after its launch, I finally came across a big blue PS2 box behind the cash register at a KB Toys store, and I was stoked. I barely managed to convince my mom to buy it at the time, but she told me we didn’t have enough to get any PS2 games. I got it anyway — I was more in love with the idea of owning the console itself than playing any of its new games just yet.

So, for a few months after that, I played nothing but old PS1 demo discs and role-playing games, geeking out over how much smoother some of them looked (heck even Final Fantasy VIII looked like a totally different game to me). I didn’t get a PS2 game until Zone of the Enders came out, mostly for that gorgeous Metal Gear Solid 2 demo. I must have played that like a million times before actually starting ZOE.

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Black Ops II Revolution DLC let’s you be a zombie — and it’s coming to Xbox first

Mike Minotti — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 22:15:37 +0000

Publisher Activision has announced the first major downloadable content pack for its blockbuster shooter, Call of Duty: Black Ops II. Titled Revolution, the upcoming DLC adds five new maps (four for regular multiplayer and one for zombies). Speaking of the popular mode in which players to fight off hordes of the undead: A new twist on the popular game type, called Turned, turns you into a zombie so you can compete against your friends.

Activision will release Revolution first on the Xbox 360 on Jan. 29 for $14.99. Activision didn’t say when we might see the content pack on other platforms, including PC, PlayStation 3, and Wii U.

“With Black Ops II, the team set out to challenge assumptions about what fans should expect from Call of Duty, and there’s no exception with Revolution,” said developer Treyarch studio head Mark Lamia in a press release. “It starts with the massive amount of content that Revolution offers: four distinct multiplayer maps, an entirely new zombies map and new zombies mode, and a new bonus weapon. But quantity is just the start — it’s the variety of new gameplay options in Revolution that sets it apart, making it our most compelling DLC offering to date, and a must-play experience for Call of Duty fans.”

The new weapon Lamia is talking about is the Peacekeeper, a new sub-machine gun included in the DLC. The new multiplayer maps take place in the French Alps, a dam facility in Pakistan, a ruined luxury resort in the sand dunes of the Gobi Desert, and … Venice Beach? Huh?

“Finally, Grind transports players to the historic birthplace of skateboarding, California’s Venice Beach, where they will battle it out through the ramps and half-pipes of this massive, epic skate park in a multiplayer environment comprised of unique curved architecture requiring players to adapt and learn new ways to take cover,” details the press release.

Well, that’s hilarious. A ruined Chinese city is the setting for the new zombies map, but now I kind of wish we could fight off the undead in a skate park, too.

Call of Duty is a massive franchise. Black Ops II earned $1 billion in sales during its first 15 days at retail. DLC like Revolution helps to add revenue on top of the initial game purchase. It’s the first of four major content packs planned for release. You can see the new content in action in the video below.

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If Mega Man had a dating site profile

Mike Minotti — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 20:01:18 +0000

Dating is already hard enough, but imagine how difficult it would be if you didn’t even exist! Complicates things, doesn’t it? That’s why we created Extra Hearts, a dating site for our favorite video game characters.

This time we created a profile for everyone’s favorite blue robot, Mega Man. Let’s see if he’s able to destroy loneliness and gain the power of love.

Likes: Dogs, new technology, shades of blue.

Dislikes: Spikes, bottomless pits, and those stupid things in the yellow hard hats.

Our first night together: I’m going to find and exploit your weakness

What I’m looking for: I don’t just want a one-night stand. Then I want to see you again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again, and again.

Favorite pick-up line: What’s your favorite color?

Second favorite pick-up line: Have you met my “rockman”?

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The most popular GamesBeat stories of 2012

Mike Minotti — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 03:47:53 +0000

Games journalism is not a popularity contest. It’s about writing the best, most informative content you can. But it’s always fun to see which stories proved the most appealing to our readers. That’s why we created this list of GamesBeat’s 10 most popular stories from 2012.

1. Ocean Marketing: How to self-destruct your company with just a few measly emails. We detailed one of the greatest PR blunders in gaming history. It just doesn’t pay to pick a fight with Penny Arcade. Also, this story was technically published at the very end of 2011, but since it received most of its hits in 2012, we’ll count it. This is the only article that also appeared on 2011′s list.

2. Educational outreach program Pixel Academy looking for a place to call home. Offering workshops on topics like video game design, 3D printing, film making, and app development to children ages 8 to 18, this worthy program turned to crowdfunding to help keep itself afloat. A good cause and a great story.

3. Google Zerg rush attacks your search results with this fun Starcraft-inspired easter egg. The search engine giant paid tribute to the famous real-time strategy game by swarming the computer screen with the famous Google O. It was a pretty simple gag, but the immense popularity of StarCraft helped make this one of our biggest stories ever.

4. Breaking Borderlands 2: Easy money, XP, Eridium, boss fights, and tokens. We tell our readers how to bend the world of Pandora to their wills in this popular guide. People must have found this story useful considering how many of them kept checking it out.

5. Can’t find Franchise/Dynasty mode in Madden NFL 13? Let us explain. I guess a lot of people were having this problem if this was one of our most read stories of the year.

6. Bethesda reveals Skyrim dragon mounts, house-building, Kinect shouts, and more! Developer Bethesda originally showed these ideas during a gaming conference as potential additions to its incredibly popular role-playing game — most of which became a reality in Skyrim’s downloadable content.

7. FYI: PlayStation Network down today at noon PT for planned maintenance. A lot of people were wondering why they couldn’t get online with their PlayStation 3s and PlayStation Vitas.

8. Minecraft (Xbox 360 Edition): Tips, tricks, and achievement guide. Another one of our great game guides. It helps when the title you’re writing about is as complex as Minecraft.

9. The world’s most wanted alleged pirate was also the No. 1 multiplayer player for Modern Warfare 3. You have to admire a guy who can top both an FBI most wanted list and a Call of Duty leaderboard.

10. Survive the real zombie apocalypse in an abandoned UK shopping mall. Zombies are huge in all forms of media right now, including gaming. But what can compete with the chance to fight off “real” zombies with Airsoft guns?

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My mom previews Tomb Raider, Dark Souls II, and other big games of 2013

Mike Minotti — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 18:18:27 +0000

My mother (pictured with me above) doesn’t know much of anything about video games. However, I discovered that making her watch trailers for upcoming releases and recording her reactions can lead to comedic gold.

This time, I exposed her to a few of the trailers played during this year’s Video Game Awards, which showcased some of the most anticipated games coming out in 2013.

Below each video is the dialogue that took place between my mother and me while we watched. Her words are in red. I know some people accused me of making this all up last time. Again, I swear that this is all 100 percent real.

Dark Souls II

This one’s called Dark Souls II.

Oh, jeez. Why are they all so dark? Why aren’t some happy? No wonder the world’s going to pot.

You said that last time.

‘Cause that’s how I feel. There’s blood. There’s a sword. Oh, he looks like a mad knight. What’s this called?

Dark Souls II.

Is this in medieval times?

I think it’s more of a made-up fantasy world.

But there’s no electricity.

No, there’s no electricity.

Oh, my lord. Are they in the clouds?

I think it’s just misty.

Is he a good guy or a bad guy?

I think that’s the good guy.

What’s he searching for?

Probably things to kill.

Things to kill?!

Like, bad things. Like monsters.

Why does he want to kill them?

Because they’re monsters!

Why doesn’t he just leave them be and get the heck out of there? Oh, he looks like Freddy Krueger. Who’s the guy who wore the mask?

Oh, that’s Jason.

Jason! That’s what he looks like. Oh, there’s a dragon. Is the dragon his friend?

Probably not.

Wow, look at all the arrows in him. How was Dark Souls 1? Was it the same thing?

Yeah. It was really hard.

Well, they must have liked it because they made a Dark Souls II.

Yeah, well, Dark Souls was a sequel to a game called Demon’s Souls, so this is kind of like the third one.

God save your souls.

What did you think of that?

Nah.

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5 worse BioShock Infinite covers

Mike Minotti — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 16:00:24 +0000

Box art isn’t usually a magnet for controversy, but plenty of gamers voiced their displeasure when developer Irrational Games recently unveiled the cover (pictured to the right) for BioShock Infinite, a shooter coming out on March 26 for PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3.

Now, a lot of (indistinguishable ) modern games feature a male protagonist holding a gun on the cover, but Infinite takes place on a floating city that houses an assortment of bizarre and magnificent creatures. Yes, BioShock Infinite will involve a lot of shooting, but the series has always stood out because of interesting settings and creative monsters. This game will give you the chance to visit a strange world while giant, robotic birds and mechanical, gun-wielding George Washingtons terrorize you. You wouldn’t know any of that just by looking at the box art. You’d just know that it’s “another” shooter.

Lead designer Ken Levine tried to explain the controversial cover in an interview with Wired . He wants the box art to appeal to more casual gamers who have never heard of BioShock (like the college frat boy crowd). Essentially, military shooters like Call of Duty are really popular, so he wants the cover to look like one you’d see on a Call of Duty game . That might be sound marketing logic, and you have to appreciate his honesty about the situation, but it’s sad to see unique, creative ideas (giant robot bird) pushed aside to emphasize familiar ones (dude holding a gun).

Of course, it could be worse. Don’t believe us? Then take a look at the five fake covers we created for BioShock Infinite in the gallery below. That generic hero pose is looking pretty good now, isn’t it?

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