My Day Will Come

Review: American McGee’s Grimm Episode 1

Last modified on 2008-08-15 22:47:36 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

American McGee is best known for his work on DOOM, Quake, and Alice.  The latter, which I found to be a deliciously twisted romp through the wonderland of Lewis Carroll.  McGee’s past games have earned him an automatic “I gotta check out what he’s doing next” pass.  His latest project is entitled American McGee’s Grimm and is a 24-part episodic game available exclusively on Gametap.  New episodes are released every Thursday and will be available free to play for a 24-hour period, much like a television show.  Grimm is based on the idea of “f’d up fairy tales,” with each episode centering on the corruption of a particular fairy tale, like Little Red Riding Hood or Beauty and the Beast.  Gameplay is very simple and casual friendly.  It plays kind of like Katamari Damacy in that you are guiding a character in a world with the objective of covering the most surface area possible.  There is some light platforming as well.

What I Liked:

• Art direction/Presentation – The Unreal Engine 3 isn’t pushed to its full potention in this game, but the blocky, simplistic character models do exude some personality.  The changes between the “original” fairy tale world and the “Grimm-ified” fairy tale world (once you get your stinky paws on it) are quite apparent and is the biggest accomplishment of the game.
• Simple, relaxing gameplay – This game is almost built for casual gamers as you can use one hand to play it!  Either the mouse or the WASD keys will work in controlling Grimm.  The only other action he can do is jump and butt stomp, which is done by jumping twice.
• Short length – The first episode is divided into six “sections” that each take between 3-5 minutes to complete.  After cut scenes, you can finish the entire episode in under 40 minutes, possibly less.  This is good for those who can’t afford long periods to game
• Potty humor – If you stand still for a couple of seconds, Grimm starts peeing.  ‘Nuff said.

What I didn’t like:

• Shallow gameplay – If it weren’t for the short play sections, you would get tired of the game very fast.  The game is fairly linear and doesn’t involve much more than rudimentary platforming skills.  Most of the time you are just running around an area trying to cover it in filth.
• “Meh” story – I’m not too familiar with the tale of “A Boy Learns What Fear Is.”  It might have been better if Gametap led off the series with a more recognizable tale, such as “Little Red Riding Hood.”
• Simplistic graphics – You wouldn’t have guessed the game uses the Unreal 3.0 engine by just looking at it.  While the great art-direction and atmosphere make up for it slightly, there’s no avoiding the fact that the game world looks dated.

What I Didn’t Care For:

• Leaderboards – I barely had enough motivation to finish the episode, much less replay it for time.

The first episode of American McGee’s Grimm is a mixed bag.  While it’s basic premise and goal are intriguing and show signs of promise, the execution of the first episode falls a little flat.  I’m curious to see whether later episodes have a noticeable improvement in story quality and deeper gameplay, but it’s definitely not at the top of my to do list.

If you’re looking for a relaxing and short gameplay experience on your PC, you could do a lot worse than episode 1 of Grimm.  Since the first episode is downloadable for free here, you really have nothing to lose.  For those of us with a backlogged games stack, though, there’s nothing here that will make you want to put it at the top of the queue.

Verdict: Passable, Try The Demo First

My Day Has Come: New Releases For The Week of 8/11-8/15

Last modified on 2008-08-13 07:16:07 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

With the number of quality music and games releases increasing as we inch towards the fourth quarter, we here at My Day Will Come will be starting a new weekly feature entitled “My Day Has Come,” where we’ll spotlight the most noteworthy releases of the week.

This week sees a couple of great downloadable games along with the 800 pound gorilla in the room.

Madden NFL 09 (PS2/PS3/Xbox/Xbox 360/DS/PSP/Wii) – 8/12/08 – The latest edition of EA’s golden goose promises to be the best edition in years.   A really cool feature of the 360/PS3 versions is the ability to save a highlight from a game and immediately upload it to the web youtube-style.  Get the Wii version if you’re planning on playing a lot of local multiplayer, otherwise go 360/PS3 if you want a deeper single player or online experience.

Strong Bad’s Game For Cool Attractive People (Wii/PC) – 8/11/08 – Strong Bad and the Homestar Runner cast star in their first point and click adventure game.  It’s the first episode of five monthly releases.  Definitely check this one out if you’re a Homestar and/or adventure game fan.  Read our review from yesterday for more detail.

Bionic Commando Rearmed (Xbox 360/PS3/PC) – 8/13/08 (360) and 8/14/08 (PS3/PC) – I loved the original Bionic Commando on the NES back in the early 90’s.  Capcom reimagines Bionic Command for modern game platforms.  The game is a 2d platformer/shooter combo with the unique twist in that you can’t jump.  You can only use your bionic grapple arm to navigate.  An early review from IGN’s Hilary Goldstein calls it “the best downloadable game to date on XBLA and PSN.”  Strong words from the dude who gave Braid an 8.8 rating.

Review: Strong Bad’s Cool Game For Attractive People

Last modified on 2008-08-13 04:01:58 GMT. 4 comments. Top.

I gotta admit, Homestar Runner was a huge part of my college days.  Every Monday my friends and I would eagerly wait for the latest animated Strong Bad email to be posted so we could watch and quote it for the rest of the week.  Though I stopped following the site in recent years, I was still very excited when Telltale Games announced an episodic adventure game based on the Homestar Runner characters and world.  After a two month delay, the first episode was finally released yesterday on Wii Ware and for the PC.

What I liked:

• Presentation – It’s obvious the creators of Homestar Runner were heavily involved in the creation of this game, as the writing and voice acting are straight out of the website.  It plays like an interactive Strong Bad email and that’s what fans of the site want.  The menu of the game is even structured the same way as the site.
• Controls – Point and click adventure games are perfect for the Wii.  I played the game lounged on the couch with the Wiimote in one hand like a TV remote.  It was surprisingly relaxing and natural.
• Graphics – Though the game isn’t in high definition on the Wii, the “2.5d” graphics are well suited for the console.  The simplistic, cartoony style of the web-cartoon is held intact while also offering the smooth interactive animation that 3d modelling brings to the table.
• No dying – It’s never fun to have to continually save and reload in order to try out new solutions.  Fortunately this game does not go there.
• Quick Jumping – Being able to warp to any location on the map was a huge time saver and helped out with the need to backtrack several places.

What I Didn’t Like:

• Obtuse puzzles – I got stuck in the game several times as it wasn’t quite apparent what my next goal was.  Some of the tasks in the game aren’t very free-flowing and natural.  Fortunately there’s a walkthrough conveniently placed on Telltale’s site so you can easily get “unstuck,” although it did feel like cheating.
• Tedious gameplay – Adventure games are by nature tedious, as oftentimes you need to resort to trial and error in order to progress.  Though SBCGFAP is not an egregious offender, there is room for improvement.  I hated how Strong Bad walks so slowly.  I wished I could have held down a button to make him run faster. EDIT: Thanks to the many people who notified me that you can make Strong Bad run by double clicking/pressing.
• Dependency on prior knowledge – The humor and charm of SBCGFAP is almost entirely dependent on knowing the characters and references to the web cartoon.  I didn’t understand the Whale Drive-Thru reference, but smiled knowingly at the tire in Strong Badia.

Things I didn’t care for:

• Mini Games – There’s a Snake Boxer 5 mini game that you can play in-game on Strong Bad’s Atari system knockoff as well as a Teen Girl Squad comic creation game.  I didn’t really care for either, as I’m more of a main story kind of guy, but they’re there for you if you like that sort of thing.
• Photo Booth – You can pose Strong Bad in different costumes and take screenshots to send to your friends on the Wii Message board.  A fun novelty, but not too compelling.
• “Achievements” – You will receive medals and commendations for collecting certain objects in the game.  Without a tangible reward for doing so, I just didn’t feel compelled to go on scavenger hunts.

Strong Bad’s Cool Game For Attractive People is a fairly average adventure game on its own.  The characters and world are what makes it stand apart from others.  If you’re a big fan of the series, definitely buy this game as you will most certainly enjoy it.  The writing for this game is equivalent to an above average Strong Bad email.  It won’t blow you away, but won’t have you cringing, either.  For those unfamiliar with the Homestar Runner world, watch a few of the cartoons (preferably from the early years) and see if you would enjoy it.  The characters have great personality and lend themselves well to be the stars of an adventure game.

I played the Wii version of the game and it took me about 2 and a half hours to complete.  At a $10 price point, you’re looking at about the same cost of entertainment as a movie ticket.  If you don’t like adventure games or the Homestar Runner characters, you’re better off spending your money elsewhere.  PC owners pay only $8.95 for the first episode ($34.95 for a season pass of 5 episodes).  There’s also a demo you can download here for the PC if you want to try it first.

Verdict: For Fans Only

Playstation 3 Firmware 2.40 Impressions/Reactions

Last modified on 2008-06-30 19:34:12 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Millions of Playstation 3 owners can rejoice finally as the Holy Grail of firmware updates hits this Wednesday, July 2nd. Firmware 2.40 brings in-game XrossMediaBar (XMB) access along with infrastructure for the achievement trophy system. If you have eight minutes to kill, watch the video above for a walkthrough of the XMB features, otherwise here’s the Cliff’s Notes version of what you can actually do with the new XMB access in game:

• View your friends list and send/receive text messages
• Play your own music stored on the hard drive while playing a game that supports it (The list of games supported is unconfirmed right now)
• Connect/fiddle with your bluetooth device settings – this is most likely going to mean hooking up your bluetooth headset for voice communication in game
• Check the progress of your queued downloads from the Playstation Store

While this goes a long way in bringing the online feature set of the PS3 to parity with the Xbox 360, it’s still missing a few key features. Namely:

• Private voice chat
• Voice message capability
• Invite friends to a game

Arguably, these features are the most important for an easy online gaming experience. I always use private voice chat whenever I’m playing with a buddy because you can talk with them through game loading screens and such – something that you can’t do if you simply use the in game voice communications. Text messaging on a console is just a pain and being able to send invites directly from a friends list is a no-brainer. Still, one shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth, I guess, as being able to see and communicate with your online friends in any form is better than the status quo.

Sony is also introducing the Trophies system with this update, which looks essentially like a carbon copy of the Achievements system on Xbox Live. Only a few first-party titles will support this at first:

• BUZZ! Quiz TV
• LittleBigPlanet
• MotorStorm Pacific Rift
• NBA 09 – PS3
• PAIN
• PixelJunk Eden
• Resistance 2
• SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation
• Warhawk

The main differentiating factor of the trophies system seems to be that instead of a composite “Gamescore,” you’ll be gaining endless “levels,” much like a MMORPG. There will also be three tiers of trophy “difficulties,” bronze, silver, and gold. Platinum trophies also exist, but you can only receive one for collecting all the other trophies in a game. It’s nice to see such a system in place, achievements have been a runaway hit in providing gamers with new goals to achieve and show off to their friends. Ideally, you would receive retroactive trophies for games you’ve already completed. Time will tell if that will actually happen.

Realistically, I see all future games for the PS3 supporting trophies as it’s low-hanging fruit for developers to bring further feature parity to cross-platform releases.

Sony hasn’t shown whether or not you can show off your PSN trophy profile on the web like you can with your Xbox Gamercard. Hopefully they’ll build in that community functionality as almost half the charm of achievements is being able to show off your e-penis to your friends and world when you’re not at your console.

Firmware 2.40 is a huge step for Sony in making us take the PS3 seriously when it comes to online gaming. However, it’s still missing some key features and hasn’t differentiated itself as being superior than the Xbox Live system in any way yet.

Here’s a video of Eric Lempel from Sony walking through the trophies system:

What I’m Listening To (March/April ‘08 Edition)

Last modified on 2008-04-24 23:52:34 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

Ok, I apologize for the massive delay in getting last month’s music picks out, but as a bonus for waiting you get a double dose of music! A pretty good month for new music, with South By Southwest bringing exposure to a lot of new great artists.

The Wombats – A Guide To Love, Loss, And Despair

http://www.myspace.com/theairbornetoxicevent

Track to start with: Let’s Dance To Joy Division

The Wombats are

Operator Please – Yes Yes Vindictive [AU Import]

http://www.myspace.com/operatorplease

Track to start with: Just A Song About Ping Pong

Five-piece band from Australia, these kids are lots of fun. Operator Please takes the exuberance of The Go! Team and focuses it with the brattiness of The Donnas and the confidence of Shirley Manson.

The Helio Sequence – Keep Your Eyes Ahead

http://www.myspace.com/theheliosequence

Track to start with: Keep Your Eyes Ahead

Signed to Sub Pop, these Oregon natives have a fundamentally ethereal, decompressed indie-pop sound, much like a Band of Horses or a Shins. However they manage to distinguish themselves by adding electronic elements to their songs that range from the subtle (The Captive Mind) to the obvious 8-bit sound effects on “You Can Come To Me”. The end result makes for a diverse album that fans of The Postal Service or even Kevin Devine might enjoy.

The Kills – Midnight Boom

http://www.myspace.com/thekills

Song to start with: U R A Fever

Midnight Boom is The Kills’ third studio album due out in the middle of March. I’ll have to admit, I never really was a fan, but Midnight Boom has turned me into one. The Kills are a male (Hotel)/female (VV) duo from the UK and US, respectively. I know what you’re thinking, but no, this is not the couple from the Oscar winning movie, Once. Wikipedia has a cute story about how they met though if you’re into that kinda stuff.

Anyway, the music has a dirty, raw, sexy vibe to it. It’s meant to be played LOUD so you best do that. There’s just something very alluring about the dark, staccato beats that permeate many of the songs on Midnight Boom.

Nobuo Uematsu – Lost Odyssey Soundtrack [JAP Import]

Unfortunately, Nobuo Uematsu does not have a myspace page with his music streamable.

Song to start with: Lost Odyssey Theme

I’ve been fully immersed into Hironobu Sakaguchi’s latest RPG on the Xbox 360 for the latter half of February. It’s arguably the best Japanese RPG title I’ve played in the last 5 years. Lost Odyssey represents a return to form for renowned Final Fantasy music composer, Nobuo Uematsu, as much as it does for Sakaguchi. The soundtrack to this game is the best Uematsu’s done this century. The main theme is memorable and epic. I find myself humming the battle themes at random times throughout the day, something I haven’t done since Final Fantasy 7. While his work here isn’t groundbreaking or revolutionary, it serves as a firm reminder that Uematsu is the best at what he does. Think of it as Bruce Springsteen – Magic, but for RPG soundtracks.

Review: Crisis Core Final Fantasy 7 (PSP)

Last modified on 2008-04-09 00:55:28 GMT. 0 comments. Top.

If you’re a fan of Final Fantasy 7 and own a PSP you owe it to yourself to play Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 ASAP. Just stop reading and head over to your favorite retailer and pick up a copy – you won’t be disappointed. If you’ve never played a Final Fantasy game before, or are on the fence about starting with this one, then read on.

Crisis Core is the prequel to what is considered one of the greatest role-playing games of all time, Final Fantasy 7. However, unlike other titles in the series, Crisis Core does not have a turn based combat system. Rather, you control one character (Zack Fair) in an almost real-time action title. Combat almost reminded me of my time with God of War: Chains of Olympus as there is a button to roll/dodge and one to defend. Quite often I would play encounters like I did with GoW, dodging and blocking judiciously. Make no mistake, though, the game contains elements that are undeniably Final Fantasy.

You’ll be able to use staple spells such as Cure, Firaga, and Esuna by equipping various materia. Final Fantasy’s signature summon spells also make a return. Thankfully, you can skip through the longish animations for the summon attacks once you’ve seen them. Zack can also use restorative items and equip materia that give him special melee attacks or boost his statistics. You can also customize your materia further by combining them via a process called “materia fusion.” I mostly ignored this option as it was very confusing as to what kind of materia you would end up with after combining two. Most of the time it felt as if I was not getting anything of value for my troubles. The option is there, though, if you like to customize every facet of your character.

Crisis Core’s “gimmick” is the Digital Mind Wave (DMW) system that governs when Zack gains an experience level as well as special attacks and bonuses while in combat. The DMW is essentially a constantly spinning slot-machine that doles out bonuses as certain number and portrait combinations line up. It may seem random and chaotic, but the underlying game calculations ensure that Zack will level up at a relatively steady pace throughout the narrative. The short term bonuses such as “invincible” or “no MP cost” make combat a bit more interesting, albeit slightly easy. There are no negative outcomes from the DMW, so you never feel cheated by it.

I finished the game with about 18 hours of time logged. If you rush through and only complete the main storyline segments, I imagine you could finish in about 12-15. However, that’s not all there is to the game. Crisis Core includes about 300 “missions” that you can access at any save point in the game. These missions are perfectly designed for portable gaming as they usually only take 3-5 minutes to complete. All of them have the ultimate goal of killing a monster, but some may require you to traverse more territory or kill more monsters along the way. Missions are a great way of progressing Zack as in addition to the experience you gain, you also receive at least one piece of treasure that will help you out in the main game. A word of warning: the missions may feel a little repetitive if you plow through a bunch in a row. They’re designed to be played in miniature chunks of time, such as when you’re waiting in line for something.

The pre-rendered cutscenes in the game are positively breathtaking. You’ll be amazed at the level of detail and presentation of the cinematics. The game’s plot starts off kind of slowly, as there’s a lot of cheesy dialog and cartoonish posturing by the characters. However, it picks up midway through and doesn’t let up until you finish the game. And let me tell you, the ending sequence of Crisis Core is absolutely epic. It’s done very well and definitely tugged at my heartstrings. I would go as far to say that it is one of the best game endings of all time.

If you’ve never played a Final Fantasy title before, Crisis Core would be a great way to jump in. The combat is very intuitive and fast-paced, but still introduces many concepts and abilities integral to the Final Fantasy experience. You’re not going to be able to get the inside jokes and character cameos that you would have if you had played Final Fantasy 7, but the game does not require you have that knowledge. Be prepared to do a lot of text reading and cutscene watching though.

And hey – any game that breaks the fourth wall and mentions an internet meme gets bonus points in my book.

(photo credits: rpgamer.com and neogaf forums)