Sega Bass Fishing Review (XBLA)

Game Review: SEGA Bass Fishing
Release: October 05, 2011
Genre: Fishing / Outdoor Sports
Developer: SEGA
Available Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, Wii
Players: 1
MSRP: 800 MSP or $9.99 US
ESRB Rating: E for Everyone
Website: http://www.sega.com/games/sega-bass-fishing/

Bass fishing is not the first thing that comes to my mind when thinking of video game content, but I do like to see games that stray from the highly saturated genre of shooters. So I loaded up Sega Bass Fishing, packed a lunch with a fried Spam sandwich and returned to the fishing trips of my childhood from the comfort of my living room sofa. Strapped into my virtual Bass Boat, I take to the lake to see if anything is biting.

Here is what Sega has to say about the game:

“In SEGA Bass Fishing, players can cast their lines at eight different fishing holes, utilising 14 unique lures while battling realistic weather conditions that affect fish behavior. Players also have the opportunity to master their angling techniques to catch as many fish as possible in four tournaments, where the best of the best cross fishing rods! In addition, exclusive to the PlayStation 3, you’ll be able to get that realistic fishing experience right in your living room with the PlayStation Move motion controller. Cast off and reel in with a simple flick of the wrist.”

At first glance, the game’s graphics will not knock your socks off. This is not a remake, but a port of the original Dreamcast game with some tweaking for HD widescreen. Once you cast your line into the water and see first hand how the control of you poles and speed of reeling effect the lure in the water, you will be hooked. It really feels like fishing – even if the fish always tend to be hungry – which makes for the best fishing trips. Am I right?

The game breaks down to three modes: Arcade Mode, Original Mode and Practice Mode.

• Original Mode puts you through a series of tournaments where you have limited windows of time in which to fish. Score is kept by the weight of you catch and placing in the (pre-determined) top 10 earns your progression to the next series. As you progress through the tournaments, additional lures are unlocked as rewards.
• Arcade Mode is exactly that.  This operates as if you walked up to a machine in an arcade and dropped in a quarter.  You begin with two minutes and must earn additional time by catching fish and meeting weight goals.
• Practice Mode is just kickin’ back and fishin’; no competition or time limits. This is the closest thing to a relaxing day of fishing, just jump in the boat, pick a time of day, a location and the preferred weather. This is my favorite mode.

The game mechanics are the star of this game. With the left stick you control the direction of your pole. The right trigger controls the speed of reeling. Combine this with the accurate rumble feedback and it’s not to hard to imagine that you are actually fishing. Getting a fish on the line is made truly enjoyable by the lure-cam, giving you an underwater view of the action. Getting the fish in the boat is a completely different challenge – just like real fishing. A meter constantly shows the amount of tension on the line – and if it is too slack the fish will get away, too taught and the line could break. The fight to get your catch in the live box feels just right.

Even though the game mechanics feel spot on, Sega should have gone further with the graphics. Even though this is an HD version (port) of a classic game, it would have been great to see the graphics completely overhauled with more detailed models and recreated menus and pictures. Many of the menu screens are just stretched to the HD aspect ratio unless the Display Mode is set to “Wallpaper” rather than “Full screen”, then they are displayed in 4:3 with a pad around the edge.

While this new HD version of Sega Bass Fishing is not all that much of an improvement over the original, it remains a fun-to-play game that is a pleasant departure from shooting stuff.  At 800 Microsoft points ($9.99) this is not a bad deal, but there is a better deal to be had.   Sega Bass Fishing is part of the Sega Dreamcast Classics for Xbox 360 (with three other games) at a retail price of $19.99 US (Amazon has it now for about $15 US).  Sega Dreamcast Classics also includes Space Channel 5 Part 2, Crazy Taxi and Sonic Adventure, so if you are also interested in these Sega remakes, this may be the way to go.

• Realistic Lure Use
• Varied Locations and Time of Day
• Three Modes of Play
• Blend of Crisp HD Port with Outdated Models and Graphics

Final Score: 8 out of 10

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Space Channel 5 Part 2 Review (XBLA)

Game Review: Space Channel 5 Part 2
Release: October 05, 2011
Genre: Music / Rhythm
Developer: SEGA
Available Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3
Players: 1-2 (Off-line co-op)
MSRP: 800 MSP or $9.99
ESRB Rating: T for Teen
Website: http://www.sega.com/games/space-channel-5-part-2/

Up, down, up, down, chu, chu, chu.  If this resurrects memories of infectious club music and dance combat then you are no stranger to Space Channel 5 Part 2.  Who else would you choose to save humanity from invading aliens but anime dream girl, and dance reporter, Ulala.

Here is how Sega describes the game:

In Space Channel 5 Part 2, follow Ulala, a dancer and reporter from Space Channel 5, on her quest to take down the Rhythm Rogues and their leaders, Purge and Shadow. The dancing Dreamcast diva must prevent them from creating the all-powerful dance-control weapon and ultimately end their pursuit of world domination. Along the way, enlist the help of Space Michael, based on the King of Pop himself, to prove Ulala’s prowess in rhythm and rescue Space President Peace!

The gameplay here is easy to learn but difficult to master.  Dance moves are represented by buttons on the controller.  The D-pad is used for up, down, left and right, the A button is “Chu” and the B button is “Hey”.  Battles consist of running into groups of aliens and doing battle through these dance moves.  First the aliens perform a dance routine then you need to repeat it using the correct keys at the correct time.  The difficulty ramps up quickly with longer and more complex dance sequences making the game fun and challenging.

If you can’t clap your hands or tap your feet to a beat then you should probably just move along citizen as this game will only frustrate you and make you miserable.  The sequences have some fairly complex rhythms and you are expected to not only press the correct buttons in the correct order, but you also need to get the rhythm dead on.  There isn’t much room for error.  I have been a drummer most of my life and I still found this game to challenging at times.

The great thing about this dance game is that you don’t have to stand in the middle of the living room, flailing around.  Your dancing is all done via the game pad so you never have to leave the comfort of your couch.  Having Ulala showing off her moves in HD is always a plus and is a welcome update to this classic game, even if the character models are still very noticeably blocky and angular.

Even though the game is being marketed as being in HD now, the absolute minimum has been done to get it there.  It appears all of the original character models are still being used, so don’t expect graphical miracles here.  Also, it would have been nice if Sega would have invested the time and effort to re-render the cut scenes in HD, but they are all still in fuzzy SD and have a 4:3 aspect ratio.

While this new HD version of Space Channel 5 Part 2 is not all that much of an improvement over the original, it remains a fun-to-play rhythm game that doesn’t require you to buy into the recent wave of motion controllers.  At 800 Microsoft points ($9.99) this is not a bad deal, but there is a better deal to be had.  Space Channel 5 Part 2 is part of the Sega Dreamcast Classics for Xbox 360 (with three other games) at a retail price of $19.99 US (Amazon has it now for about $15 US).  Sega Dreamcast Classics also includes Sega Bass Fishing, Crazy Taxi and Sonic Adventure, so if you are interested in these Sega remakes, this may be the way to go.

• Infectious soundtrack
• Easy to learn / Difficult to master
• Not for the rhythm challenged
• Recycled SD cut scenes

Final Score: 7 out of 10

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October 2011 To Bring The Best Gaming Tablet Yet

Possibly.  It is at least a serious contender.  All gaming systems require a few vital things: speed, great video, memory and plenty of storage for all of your games.  In the world of Android tablets, these elements are usually in short supply, especially at a reasonable price.  Archos is trying to change that with their G9 Android tablets.

The entry-level Archos G9 tablets will start hitting stores worldwide on September 30th, 2011 (available for pre-order on September 20^th) with the following configuration: Archos 80 G9

• 1 GHz dual-core processor
• 8 GB flash storage
• Retail price of $299 US

• OMAP 4 dual-core processor up to 1.5 GHz
• 10.1 inch multi-touch widescreen (four point)
• Android Honeycomb 3.2  with Android Market
• Adobe Flash 10.3 support
• 1080p HD video with HDMI out for mirrored output
• Storage capacity of 250GB
• Built-in GPS, compass and G-sensor
• WiFi and Bluetooth
• HD front camera (720p encoding)
• Microphone
• Kickstand
• Etc., etc., etc.
• Check out the impressive full list of tech specs for the 101.
• Retail $469 US

Archos G9 tablets also come with a suite of Google mobile applications including:

• Google Talk with video chat
• Gmail
• YouTube
• Google Maps with Street View and Navigation
• Google Calendar (beta)

With 250 GB to store games and media, you have to wonder what formats are supported.  Well, just about every format is supported.

To get the best multimedia experience on the G9 tablets Archos have replaced the standard Android multimedia apps with the Archos multimedia app suite: 12 years of multimedia experience distilled into Video, Music and Photo apps. Able to decode Full HD (H.264 HP, 1080p) videos and with massive codec, format and subtitle support – the days of converting video are over.

See the full list of supported formats and codecs

Plus the 250 GB storage is a hybrid configuration to save battery life.

 “Wanting to give users the best of both worlds, Archos paired the Seagate Momentous Thin hard drive with a dedicated 4GB flash caching system. This Archos engineered hybrid solution offered on all Archos G9 hard drive tablets is designed to limit spinning and to keep the drive powered down when not in use, which will protect it when on the go as well as preserve battery life.”

The dual-core 1.5 GHz G9 series will be available in stores and online in October with the following recommended retail price:

• Archos 80 G9 16GB  – 1.5 GHz at $329
• Archos 80 G9 250GB – 1.5 GHz at $369
• Archos 101 G9 16GB – 1.5 GHz at $399
• Archos 101 G9 250GB – 1.5 GHz at $469

All of the G9 tablets are also upgradable to 3G connectivity by simply plugging in the Archos 3G Stick.

Plus – they all come with Angry Birds pre-loaded so you can immediately start taking down those smug little egg-stealing pigs.

For more details on the Archos G9 tablets visit www.archos.com or follow Archos on Facebook and Twitter.

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Trials Evolution To Make Public Debut

You may recall during E3 2011 we brought you the official announcement of the sequel to Trials HD.  Now RedLynx is ready to give the public a peek at the new Trials Evolution.  Having spent many, many, MANY hours playing Trials HD and working with the Track Editor, I had developed a short wish list for future releases.  I don’t know how RedLynx got hold of my list but based on this press release, I can check every item off my list.

“The first chance to play Trials Evolution before its release will be at the Gamescom videogame exposition in Cologne, Germany during the week of August 15. The following weekend, the game will arrive at the Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle Washington, giving gamers on two continents an opportunity to preview what could be the most ambitious downloadable console title yet.”

The release goes on to list new features including:

• Multiplayer – both local and online
• Challenging but balanced single player game
• Outdoor environments and curved driving line
• Full-featured track editor
• Global track sharing
• Bike and rider customizations

I’m completely revved up and awaiting this release.  Even the quick glimpse we get near the end of the teaser (above) looks amazing.  For more info, see the official Trials Evolution website.

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Veks And Silence Review (XBLA)

Game Review: Veks and Silence (XBLA)
Release:  August 8, 2009
Genre: Side Scroller / Shooter
Developer: Edible Entertainment
Available Platforms: Xbox 360
Players: 1
MSRP: 400 Microsoft Points
Website: http://e2games.wordpress.com/

Once in a while there is an Indie game on XBLA that really impresses me.  Rarely do I see one that feels like a standard Arcade release as opposed to an Indie release.  Veks and Silence is a surprisingly high caliber side-scroll game hidden in a vast sea of mediocre Indie games.  This game has great looking 3D graphics, thirteen original episodes, maniacal humor everywhere, a comic-book styled storyline and a fairly good soundtrack to boot.

The story begins with you playing as Silence, a failed video game hero who has been locked away in the Game Asylum because his game, Veks and Silence, was banned.  Suddenly, after Hate Brand Industries (the makers of your banned video game) merges with Zombotrix Robotrix, and the world is over-run with zombies, you are released – oddly with all of your weapons in tow in a black bowling bag donning a white skull on the side.  Silence is a pot bellied, tattoo covered guy with a brown paper bag with eyeholes for a mask.  His “hero threads” consist of a sleeveless t-shirt and Hawaiian flowered boxer shorts making his sandals look very natural.  He is not your standard action hero.

The controls are a bit off standard for a side-scroller.  The left stick moves you left and right but also aims your weapon up and down.  X fires forward and B fires behind you (over the shoulder or via back bend) and is relevant to the direction you are facing.  A jumps and double jumps.  Y throws bombs.  The D-pad is used to select the main weapon, a semi-automatic pistol, a shotgun, a sniper rifle and a chain gun.  The weight of the weapon being used affects the height you can jump – so plan on swapping weapons a lot.

Enemies are varied from standard zombies to laser guided cannons to radioactive sharks that fly around with the aid of butterfly wings.  In true blood-bath fashion, bones and gore go flying and splatter the environment with each kill.  Do not think that the silliness of the enemies makes the game easy,  This is a challenging and addictive game where failure just makes you want to play more.  (Think Trials HD)

Scoring is tracked with money; you are paid for each kill, and the scoreboard is in the form of a continuously updating check at the top of the screen.  Silence has apparently been hired back by Hate Brand Industries to clean up their mess (the zombies and such).

The humor runs deep in Veks and Silence.  Billboards in the environment advertise fake films and products – as well as give you hints to how to defeat bosses.  The speech bubbles that appear above Silence as well as the enemies are a special treat, with zombies imagining you as a sandwich, or Silence threatening death to the undead.  The wit is not recycled so much as to get boring and will catch you off guard on occasion causing out loud laughter,

Even though there are extra lives to be picked up throughout the game to add to the initial four, the health system is unforgiving.  In fact, if you get hit you die.  No health packs, or hiding to recharge your shield – just a quick painless death  – even if you get hit only once.

Aside from the thirteen episodic levels, there are corresponding Survival Modes. These drop you into an environment and you kill until you get killed;  One life and that’s it.  It is a fairly straight forward horde style of play.  A new survival mode is unlocked after completing each of the thirteen sequential story mode episodes.

There are only a couple things missing from Veks and Silence when compared to non-indie releases.  The ability to compare scores and compete with friends would be nice and there is some room for some character voice work also.  It’s not really fair to expect these things in an indie title, but the rest of this game is so good, it makes you forget it’s an Indie title.

In the end – this game comes with my personal recommendation.  I will be enjoying this game for a long time to come, and for only 400 Microsoft points ($5 US) there’s no reason for side scroller fans to pass this by.  Grab the demo here and try it for yourself.

• Comic book style and story line
• Zombie bloodbath fun-fest
• Twisted humor throughout
• Reasonably priced – even at 400 MSP
• Difficult play not for the timid

Final Score – 9 out of 10

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