Originally written for Gizorama.com

There are certain design concepts one can take to make an addicting game. Customizable class progression and equipment combined with random loot drops tend to have players coming back for more and more. A central hub with quick levels and drop in multiplayer is another good design. Trendy Entertainment understands these concepts and many more with their development of Dungeon Defenders for XBLA, PSN, and PC.  Published by Reverb Publishing and D3Publisher on XBLA, Dungeon Defenders mixes Diablo-esque hack and slash with tower defense goodness and 4 player co-op, which is where the real fun comes in and adds to the strategy of the game.

During character creation, there is a choice between four different heroes. The squire is a pantless knight that loves sword play and his towers are physical traps of doom. The Apprentice is a mage with a big hat and shoots magic from his staff while summoning towers that shoot elemental magic at enemies. The Huntress is the group’s busty ranged combatant that summons traps with a range of effects. The monk is a bald little guy that can melee or shoot ranged depending on weapon and summons auras that can affect allies, enemies, and towers.

After creating a character the player is dropped into a central hub called The Tavern... which not too surprisingly is a tavern. Here you can switch between your characters, buy/sell/trade, view trophies that represent accomplishments, view stats, check damage against target dummies, and start up a level. Starting up a level is where the fun begins. Dungeon Defenders is about surviving waves of enemies with the core crystals intact. Before each wave of enemies, players get a build phase where they can set up, upgrade, and repair towers/auras/traps at choke points to kill enemies. They can also swap out their heroes if they have more than one so towers from multiple hero types can be placed. This is especially useful if playing solo but not as much while playing co-op unless everyone decided to play the same class. Then the combat phase comes and hordes of enemies of different types will come at you, the crystals, and your defenses. Defeat them all and survive then rinse and repeat until all waves for the level are complete.

The difference between Dungeon Defenders and the rest of the genre is that enemies drop random weapons and armor for the heroes. Heroes gain experience, levels, and ability points to place in attributes and skills. During combat phases, heroes can run around and kill the enemies too. The level of customization and hack and slash gameplay puts Dungeon Defenders miles ahead of the competition.

Levels have four difficulties (Easy, Medium, Hard, Insane) and this allows higher level heroes to replay lower levels and not be overpowering. Beat a level and three new modes of play are unlocked. Survival mode pits the heroes against unlimited waves until they are overwhelmed. Pure Strategy takes survival a step further and only allows you to use towers, so no hack and slashing to save your butt. Lastly each level has a unique challenge level, such as Protect the Ogre or Assault the Horde’s crystals. These three extra modes and the four difficulty levels keep players coming back for more and more after the campaign is beaten. Leaderboards also provide incentive to get the highest score or best time on a level. Bottom line is that even after playing through the game, the player has only scratched the surface of the fun to be had.

Those looking to play the game solo should be prepared for a hard game until they level up. Dungeon Defenders was designed for co-op. Sure each additional player almost doubles the enemies in a wave, but having that extra person helps when trying to micromanage traps when enemies are coming at you from multiple directions. With the ability to swap heroes out during build phases, you get the benefit of multiple hero’s traps but still lose that help with micromanagement. The game is very do-able solo and is still fun...just not as fun as co-op.

Score (5/5)

Dungeon Defenders is one of those games that comes along once or twice a decade and is still played well into the next decade. It honestly feels like someone took the addicting elements from a great tower defense game and Diablo 2, put them in the oven, and baked a delicious cake called Dungeon Defenders.

Originally written for Gizorama.com

The Sega Saturn classic from 1996, Guardian Heroes, has been remastered and released on Xbox Live Arcade.  Developed by Treasure (best known for classics Gunstar Heroes & Ikaruga) and published by Sega, Guardian Heroes mixes a medieval style side scrolling beat ‘em up with a “choose your own adventure” story.  This mishmash is considered by many to be one of Treasure’s best works and the highpoint of the beat ‘em up genre.  Does the gameplay hold up after 15 years or is this title relegated to the libraries of the nostalgic?

The XBLA version has been upgraded from 32 bit graphics to HD in the new remix mode.  If one has to go old school, original graphics and gameplay are available in original mode. Besides changes to graphics, remix mode offers up new dialog translation, balanced gameplay, and a couple new moves.  Remix graphics can be combined with original gameplay and vice versa. 

The main story lets you choose between four characters that are the clichéd archetypes consisting of a Han (warrior), Ginjirou (monk), Randy (black mage), and Nicole (white mage).  An unlockable 5th character Serena is a mix between melee and magic.  The starting characters find a strange sword before stopping at the inn for the night.  They are awoken by Serena, who informs them that guards are coming to kill them and take the sword. As levels are completed, several dialog options are presented that will take the player to a different level per option.  With 7 possible endings and multiple paths to each ending, each playthrough is potentially a different story for the characters.

The gameplay follows the 2D beat ‘em up route of yesteryear’s titles like Streets of Rage and Gunstar Heroes. Besides magic spells, Guardian Heroes does something a bit weird to progress the genre;  instead of being able to move up and down on the screen, the player shifts rows.  As video games progress, gamers expect controls to get better.  We all remember how frustrating some of the old NES games were.  So the row shifting is a bit weird since it is a downgrade in the movement that was in place in the genre since the early days.  It is amazing how counter intuitive the row shifting is. 

Guardian Heroes gives the impression that it is trying to include some RPG elements in it.  The player gain experience and levels based on combat, and at the end of stages points can be placed in attributes.  Unfortunately there is no real way to get creative with character builds.  If you don’t place points in melee for melee characters or magic for magic characters then those characters are going to play horribly.  An interesting twist on the genre would be a Diablo-esque progression system with beat ‘em up gameplay but that is not what Guardian Heroes gives us.

The game also comes with modes beyond story.  Training mode allows you to practice moves one on one with a training dummy.  Versus mode can only be described as a local multiplayer free for all brawl of 12 characters.  Arcade mode is similar to versus mode but it’s just the player versus a huge army of enemies. All of these modes can be played with characters outside of the story playable ones.  When you beat a character in story it becomes available to play in these modes. Versus and Story can be played online over Xbox Live.  Co-op really makes this game shine even if it is the traditional fair from the beat ‘em up genre. 

The achievements require multiple playthroughs to get, essentially covering every path through the storyline on medium or higher difficulty.  Mixed in are a couple of online achievements and hardest difficulty achievement making this game a long 200 gamerscore but relatively easy completion.

Score (3.5/5)

This game holds up and is a decent beat ‘em up without nostalgia factored in.  The remastered package gives players more than the original.  Original design choices in the game such as row shifting and the RPG elements bring the score down a bit, but don’t let that fool you.  This game is still a treat to play.

Originally written for Gizorama.com

Developed and published by YUKE’S, Real Steel is a ten dollar downloadable movie tie-in game released on XBLA and PSN.  The movie is essentially a sports movie about robot boxing in the near fictional future.  Real Steel the game is a recipe for disaster.  It is a boxing game based on a bad movie about Rock Em Sock Em Robot Pro Boxing.  So the question is does the game step out of the shadows of the piles of bad movie licensed games that came beforehand or does it just add to the shameful pile of rubbish?

Going in with low expectations, the game starts off with the customizing of a robot boxer.  Unfortunately there are very few choices initially to customizing the robot.  A new player is going to want to beef up their robots in single player before attempting any kind of multiplayer so that leaves one option, grinding experience and cash against progressively more difficult robots.

There are 20 different AI robots split over 5 “stages” that are essentially progression ladders.  Unfortunately since there are so few opponents and that the player’s progression is so slow, time has to be spent grinding out on robots previously beaten.  Experience is gained from doing different techniques while fighting.  If you block and dodge, guard and speed experience is gained.  Punch someone silly and offensive experience is given until a knockdown in which performance experience is given. Eventually a level in a stat is gained and the robot performs a smidgen better. 

The real way to improve your robot is to earn money and buy new custom parts.  This is where the game gets kind of shady.  The rate of parts unlocked and cash to buy parts is low.  While navigating the store to buy the parts, one might notice that there is a secondary DLC store where full robot sets can be bought for 10 dollars or individual parts for 2 dollars a piece.  This secondary store can be completely ignored but it will take quite a bit of playing to get anywhere near the quality of items for sale for cash.  It almost seems as though the game was designed so people would buy DLC parts to progress.

Now that the bad of the game has been discussed, Real Steel does have some redeeming quality.  The actual gameplay of the game can be fun. Left and right head/body punches with block, dodge, and special move modifier.  It is very similar to the early Fight Night games.  It is just a shame that good gameplay is ruined by poor customization and shady DLC. 

Score (2.5/5)

The game is fun to play for all of 15 minutes until forced into the grind for progression (or opening your wallet).

Originally written for Gizorama.com

With the rise of the Tower Defense genre, developers are starting to add other gameplay elements to differentiate themselves from the competition.  Robot Entertainment follows the approach used in games like Toy Soldiers in their development of Orcs Must Die! No longer are you placing towers from a God like perspective but instead are in control of a 3rd person avatar that also fights the hordes.  So does the Microsoft Game Studios published, Orcs Must Die!, crush the competition with well laid medieval traps of doom or watch astonished as the traps fizzle like a Wile E. Coyote contraption?

The plot of the game is only used to setup a reason to kill large amounts of orcs.  As an apprentice war-mage, the player is the last war-mage standing between the orcs and the rift. Each level takes the war-mage to a new stage with hordes of orcs, trolls, ogres, dragons, kobolds, gnolls and others trying to get to the rift(s).  Every level played unlocks a new trap, weapon, or person to be used. 

At the start of a level the player chooses a set amount of traps/items/companions to be used during the level.  The player can run around the level to familiarize themselves with its surroundings and to place their initial traps. The player’s job is to funnel the orcs through their traps and assist in the killing.  Yes, you actually have to assist in the killing because the player is limited by funds on how many traps they can build.  This leaves the player with the impression that they are about to be overwhelmed every wave. By default the player has a crossbow to strike down the orc menace from afar, but if hands must get dirty there is a blade, staff and magical items.

One of the major issues Tower Defense games have is that their control scheme does not translate well to the console.  Orcs Must Die! does not suffer from the malady and it’s a testament to how controls should be done for the genre.  You select what your crosshairs do by hitting RB or LB to cycle through the list chosen at the beginning of the level.  Want to place a trap? Select it and then move your crosshairs to where you want to place it.  Want to run around shooting orcs with your crossbow? Select it and play the game like a normal 3rd person shooter.  Bottom-line is that the controls just feel right.

The one problem people will have with the game is that there is no co-op or multiplayer. It is purely single player with 3 difficulties and 24 levels.  This somewhat limits the replay value but it is still fun to go back to earlier levels with traps earned from later levels and really give them orcs a murdering.  The game is straight up with its achievements.  They are the usual fair of kill enemies this way; complete this level, beat the game, and beat the game perfectly.  Beating the game on the hardest difficulty might cause some issues but it is doable.

Score (4.5/5)

Orcs Must Die! is a great addition to the Tower Defense genre.  While it doesn’t do too many things differently than its genre brothers, it does it right and with enough variety and style to keep the player coming back... at least until they beat the game.

Originally written for Gizorama.com

BloodRayne is an interesting franchise.  With two previous retail game titles, a comic book series, a Playboy pictorial, and a trilogy of Uwe Boll movies, BloodRayne has surely seen its ups and its downs.  With the last game being released in 2004, Majesco decided to give the job of series revival to Wayforward; best known for it’s DS & Wii titles Contra 4, Shantae, and The Boy and His Blob.  Does BloodRayne Betrayal succumb to the baggage of the series or give it a fresh start?

Betrayal is a 2D side scrolling bowl of old school goodness. It is light on plot, much like the titles of yesteryear, so knowledge of past titles is not needed to enjoy this one.  The premise is simple, Rayne is a half-human half-vampire mercenary working for the Brimstone Society who needs her to assault a castle.  The vampire lord of the castle just happens to be her father.  This is reminiscent of the single paragraph plot lines for the 8 bit era games.  It gives the player just enough reason to slaughter the masses.

BloodRayne forgoes its more serious 3D roots, instead opting for a heavily stylized hand drawn cartoon look.  The graphics style change brings the game more in line with recent XBLA outings such as Shank and Outland.  The change also helps gamers to forget the fiasco of Rayne’s 3D rendered model appearing naked in a video games pictorial in Playboy.  Cute manga styled characters and  beautifully morbid backdrops mixed with an endless amount of blood and gore give Betrayal a very satisfying aesthetic not quite unlike Castlevania.

Combining platforming from hell with blood spraying hack and slash combat, Betrayal blurs the line between NES era and modern day gameplay.  BloodRayne’s melee attacks consist of pressing the X button and the direction of the left analog stick being the modifier on what move is performed.  BloodRayne can also dash, jump, suck blood, bite/infect enemies, trigger infected enemies to blow up, and shoot guns.  During later stages, she also gains the ability to turn into a raven that has a shriek like attack.  These moves combined with the slashing allow an agile and deadly vampiress to overcome the odds from the gauntlets of enemies she must face.  Combat sections tend to be split up with platforming that requires many of the same moves used in combat.  

Platforming is also where the true difficulty in the game comes from.  There will be detractors out there that say the games difficulty is due to poor design or less than precise controls.  It is obvious that the developers wanted to harken back to NES era difficulty where one wrong move equaled death.  Speaking of death, be ready to experience it... a lot.  You have to master Rayne’s skills to even beat the game.  To get the highest rankings on each level would require the player to be a sadist.  

The achievements are typical fair for an XBLA game.  Do this so many times, kill this many enemies this way at one time, beat the game, find all collectibles, and a couple others fill out the list.  The hardest achievement is to get S rank on all levels for 50 points leaving 150 points moderately difficult to attain and the last 50 being a pipe dream for many.

Overall: (4/5)

BloodRayne: Betrayal is a game that will make the player curse and it is definitely not for those that do not enjoy a challenge. It is still a beautifully drawn game and successfully resuscitates a dead franchise and puts it back on the prowl. 

Originally written for Gizorama.com

The 2009 hit iPhone game Implode! from Iugo Mobile Entertainment has finally been ported and published by Microsoft Games Studio as a Xbox Live game for Windows Phone 7. I've personally missed out on iPhone gaming because I didn’t get a smart phone until Windows Phone 7 so these re-releases to the Xbox Live brand is a huge plus for the gamer and achievement whore in me.

Implode! is a game of controlled demolition stylized with drawn on the chalkboard graphics. The game concept is simple.  Each level consists of 2d boards stacked to form 2d buildings and you have to place dynamite on the boards with the hope that the resulting pile of rubble will be shorter than the goal height.  As you progress through the game, levels get harder and more complex.  Sections of the screen are shaded in and rubble is not allowed to pass into these sections.  Solid white boards are added that bombs can’t be placed on. Different types of bombs are also added along the way allowing for more strategy and thinking than just straight blowing stuff up.

The controls are simple, hold your finger on the bomb and drag it to the board you wish to place it.  While you are dragging it, a circle appears above your finger with a zoomed in view of the bomb.  This is a great feature and I wish more of these touch screen phones would put it in because the one thing I hate is to not being able to see what I am doing because my hand and finger are blocking the screen.

The gameplay is designed to give the “Just one more attempt” feeling while playing.  There are two contributing factors to the scoring.  The player must get the rubble below certain height and do it with the least amount of bombs possible.  For each level you place your bombs and hit the detonator.  If you fail or don’t like your C rating  because you went Wile E. Coyote and want that A+ instead, retry is a press away on the results screen.   Outside of think time, levels can be completed in less than 20 seconds before you are in the next level or retrying the current one.

The game contains 150+ levels, more than the iPhone/Pad version.  With these simple physics style games, I think the level editor is a must have feature and Implode! does not disappoint.  The achievements are pretty basic unlock this many levels and get A+ in this many levels type achievements.  If one was to cheat, this game could probably be knocked out in 5 hours easy.  If you actually play the game, I could see it lasting weeks.

Overall: (4/5)

While Implode! is not the prettiest game on Windows Phone 7, it’s simplistic addicting demolition gameplay makes it a worthwhile purchase at $2.99. 

I made a decision last week that I would officially retire from getting achievements in video games.  I wanted to play games on difficulties I was comfortable with and not worry about missing achievements.  I was tired of forcing myself into playing games of poor quality just to get 1000 gamerscore.  So after hitting 300k, MajinFro is officially retired from achievements.  What does this mean for my gaming habits now?  I won't place requirements on my gaming.  I won't force myself to get full score in a game.  If I decide to play and not get all of the collectibles, then I will.  There may be cases where I do decide to get achievements.  In these cases, it will be because it enhances or extends the gameplay in someway.  I am still a completionist at heart though.  I will always want to try and do everything in games like GTA and rpg's.  I guess to sum it up, achievements and gamerscore will not affect my gameplay anymore.

The first game to get this new treatment was Call Of Juarez The Cartel officially.  I had started to boost it and realized how I felt.  So after getting everyone their achievements, I promptly sent back my copy of the game and do not plan on playing it again because the game is horrible.  The first real game I finished with this attitude was Tron Evolution though.  I decided to play the game because I loved the movie Tron Legacy.  I have to say that despite my completing the story, this was a pretty bad game.  The platforming was down right horrible.  It was Prince of Persia esque but completely unforgiving.  It was extremely to easy for the camera to swing and to throw you off your jump.  I stuck with it for the story which was eh quality.  I ended the game with about 355 gamerscore and only 19 of the 41 achievements.  It will be mailed back to gamefly tomorrow.  This is how I roll now~

I had this video posted on my old blog and I wanted to try out a youtube extension I added to blogengine.  This is by far my favorite guitar solo.  Eddie Hazel was told by George Clinton to play as if his mother just died and you can feel the emotion come through.  Clinton was so impressed with the solo that he faded out other instruments altering what the song was originally planned to be.

I was trying to migrate my blog over to the blogengine.net CMS to get away from blogger and possibly do more custom coding.  Unfortunately I have been having issues getting my blogger posts transferred.  I decided I am going to scrap the old posts on the blog and start fresh.  Every now and then I might go through the trouble and do a repost of an old post as I go back and clean out the blogger blog.  Since I am transitioning away from a xbox 360 achievement whoring focus to a programming and tech in general focus, it made sense to have a blank slate.  I have realized I am not a good blog writer but I still want to try and offer something to the internet so expect little nuggets of information I pick up in regards to all kinds of programming to be posted here.  You can still expect some video game based material, so if you were a previous reader...don't run away yet.