Since Activision isn’t going to send me my Guitar Hero World Tour kit for another few weeks, I’m not going to be able to review it for awhile. Which is good because I’m still stuck on Rockband 2 a game I don’t think I’ll ever be able to finish because I have over 300 tracks and the damn game is forcing me to play any tracks but the new ones. But if you ever wondered what the differences are between the two new games are, there are about 19 tracks that are on both. One of those weird YouTubers actually did a comparison between the two games and the one thing you come away with is how unrealistic both of these games are, when they both use different "notes" for the same sequences. If RB and GH were truly accurate you would think it’d be the same. For instance instead of hitting the green notes you hit the orange, which is at the complete opposite end of the scale. Check it out, it’s pretty neat.
After almost two years of unbelievable hype, the Playstation 3 savior has finally arrived. Little Big Planet hits the streets this week, the 28th. By the time you read this, you should be able to go to your local Target or Best Buy and pick this up. This game is truly unique and the greatness of it is the community they are building around the game. I’ve always been a proponent of games making level design more accessible than the standard PC Modding community where you actually have to know what you are doing. LBP’s level creation tools will hopefully open up a world of creative possibilities for it’s users. Check out the official press release after the break.
The more that I see of the new Tomb Raider: Underworld game, the more I’m looking forward to. Could this be the version that finally restores Lara Croft to the top of the gaming heap? In this NEW video, hope on board a motorbike with Lara Croft as she tramples through the rugged terrain in the stormy Mexican jungles, out witting wild beasts and narrowly escaping death! Tomb Raider: Underworld will be released on November 18th for the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, DS, PS2 and PC platforms.
The Incredible Hulk is out on DVD and Blu-ray this week in a super dooper 3 disk special edition and it includes digital copy. I actually kind of liked this version. I thought it was a solid, no brainer, popcorn flick with a horrible last act. I’m actually going to be speaking with the SFX honcho from this sometime in the next few days. Here are a couple of clips from the extras.
Last week Activision announced the availability of new downloadable tracks that will be available the week Guitar Hero: World Tour launches (this weekend, Sat. 25, 2008) and now in partnership with the evil Gamestop they are going to have a host of midnight launch parties this Saturday night. There will be air guitar challenges, rock star impersonation games and more. In addition to widespread midnight madness launches, GameStop will host three marquee events at retail locations located in New York City (33RD Street & Broadway), Dallas (Park & Preston) and Los Angeles (Universal CityWalk). Event goers will get a chance to showcase their Guitar Hero prowess with a Guitar Hero shred-off, see-and-be-seen with celebrity VIP guests and more. Attendees at marquee events will also have the opportunity to experience Guitar Hero World Tour before it goes on sale at midnight. Which store will Brett Ratner be at pitching his lame Guitar Hero movie idea?
I’ve been playing the new Call of Duty World At War Private beta for the last few days and I’ve come away pretty impressed. Many who read Eclipse know of my love of Call of Duty 2 and 4. I liked the single player campaign in COD 3 but thought Treyarch broke the multiplayer. So I had concerns knowing these guys were making the new version and taking it back to WWII. This latest installment doesn’t look as pretty as COD 4 but the game play is rock solid. This isn’t a gimped beta, it includes 3 multiplayer maps and six different core modes including: War, Capture The Flag, Team Deathmatch, something called “Pick Up TDM” which is a Team Deathmatch mode that doesn’t allow parties, Free For All, Search and Destroy. And two modes for the hardcore players Team DM and S&D. You have several classes to choose from at the start including Rifleman, Gunner and Assault. The RPG elements that made COD 4 a hugely addictive experience has returned. You can unlock different classes like Sniper and modes as you progress.
The maps feel both huge and intimate at the same time. Unfortunately two of them look and feel the same. The problem is they are too dark and pixilated to tell apart. You get the standard small village that has lakes you can hide in, a bland looking abandoned train depot and a beautiful Chinese Japanese Castle. I don’t like the look of World at War, at all. Graphically the game seems dated. The game play feels rock solid and nothing has changed. You still use your bumpers for your grenades, the blue button still reloads. Even though they have two different developers on the series and jump around in time it still feels the same and that’s a good thing. But there’s no denying that Infinity Ward makes the better, more gorgeous looking game. I don’t like that they went back to the traditional Capture the Flag game play, where you have to once again carry the enemy flag all the way back to your base. I loved the way it was done in COD 4. They also changed the Search and Destroy mode to a “survival mode” so if you die you have to wait until the end of the match before you can play again – not cool. Gone is the ability to call in helicopter strikes, it’s been replaced by calling in attack dogs. Somehow not a worthy replacement, but it’s hysterical watching the dogs maul your enemies – not so much when it happens to you. Also new, is your ability to use tanks and other vehicles. I’m on the fence as to whether this unbalances the game.
I wish game developers would figure out how to include an age filter in online play. My sessions were ruined by a bunch of kids cussing and acting like little hellions. Kids are one of the many reasons I really can’t stand Halo. This hasn’t been a problem with COD 4, hopefully it won’t be when this is officially released. You can mute players. Beyond the kid factor, I would say World at War is on par with COD 3 and not a leap forward like COD 4. It’s not the step back that many feared, but it’s not a radical step forward. This is a maintenance release. Keep in mind this is a beta and won’t be able to have a verdict until I see the final retail copy and get my hands on the single player campaign. The game will hit the streets Nov. 11.
A few weeks ago, Activision announced the full track list for Guitar Hero: World Tour. I’ve been so in to playing Rock Band 2 (Addictive as always, but they broke the game parts with this new installment) the last two weeks that I forgot to post this up. I’ve soured on the last couple of installments of GH due to the horrible Guitar Battles. GH Aerosmith only had one battle – that I remember, so hopefully they learned their lesson and will make them optional or kill them all together in this installment, as I think Guitar Hero is a better game than RB. But I’m not sure about this set list, I only recognize about 20 of these tracks. When are we going to get a R and B Hero (especially funk stuff like Rick James, The Brothers Johnson, etc), or Guitar Hero: Prince set? Here’s your complete listing. I’m tired of all the Grunge rock. Beat It seems completely out of place. Here’s the complete list.
• 311 – "Beautiful Disaster" • 30 Seconds To Mars – "The Kill" • Airbourne – "Too Much Too Young" • The Allman Brothers Band – "Ramblin’ Man" • Anouk – "Good God" • The Answer – "Never Too Late" • At The Drive-In – "One Armed Scissor" • Beastie Boys – "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" • Beatsteaks – "Hail to the Freaks" • Billy Idol – "Rebel Yell" • Black Label Society – "Stillborn" • Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – "Weapon of Choice" • blink-182 – "Dammit" • Blondie – "One Way or Another" • Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band – "Hollywood Nights" • Bon Jovi – "Livin’ On A Prayer"
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