Stronghold 2 (-)

Stronghold 2 is a disappointing sequel to an amazing castle building game. I was excited to finally get a chance to try it out, but don’t bother.

The graphics are okay, but they’re nothing especially different from what you can find elsewhere. There are thousands of bugs, which you can try to avoid by picking up quite a few patches. The graphics would be a lot better though if the audio quality were better. The music, though maybe it’s appropriate maybe, It just doesn’t really do justice to the game. I shut it off and played my own music instead. The music does the game justice when you play the game, and the music immerses you in the world that you ONLY experience when you’re listening to THAT music. That was WAY off here.

There are a few different gameplay types. Firstly, you can either choose the path of peace, or path of war. Peace is okay, especially the free build mode that is offered. With no interference, you can choose from a few maps to just build on by yourself, and well, free build. In the war mode, you can do a skirmish with up to 7 AI players (don’t, they are terrible.) or follow the campaign.

The campaign is just bad. The characters are bad, the levels are bad (the first level is basically a point-click movement tutorial to get your guys across the map, kill a few guys, and then get on a boat.), and it is not very fulfilling. In the skirmish type, Kingmaker, you play on a large map with different regions, much like Lords of the Realm II, but of course it’s in real time. Building up a castle is kind of fun, but it can be difficult to learn how to do it effectively so that the computers will not destroy you in moments, or so that they won’t continuously destroy your mines.

Economics are handled really well. The city-simulation features are really great. They include everything from the chain-of-industry type of work, where the wheat farmers take wheat to the mill, where the millers will take the flour to the baker, etc. There is a new torture feature that is surprisingly necessary in order to keep your villagers in line, from thieving to being caught by guards, to the court, and eventual public torture on a stretching rack, or a flogging post, for example. There is also a birds eye view feature which helps greatly in planning and building, especially walls. The graphics, which are mediocre 3D, but greatly improved since the original Stronghold, make it fun to sometimes just people-watch as your peasants go about their routine.

The combat really is the issue. The game’s learning curve is pretty quick, but militarily, unless you play ‘Seige Mode’ is pretty difficult to actually start from scratch. Also, the tutorial is very very limited, but learning on your own is kind of intuitive. Regardless, this game definitely receives a stern MINUS.

Project Gotham Racing 3 (+)

Ever raced with a real sense of speed and drifting? Ok it has been done before, but PGR3 is the most enjoyable simulation racing game around the block.

As history has taught us, launch titles can either make or break a system. Thankfully Project Gotham Racing 3 does not do the latter. With its stylistic gameplay and gorgeous graphics Bizarre Creations, the developer, has proven why the Xbox 360 can stand strong.

What makes PGR3 stand out among the crowd is its drifting system. In previous versions players had to work their way up to receive the powerful cars, but thankfully PGR3 starts the player off with a great lineup of cars – we’re talking Class A! Each car presents is own challenges in mastering the way it steers. This actually might be where gamers either like or dislike the game. Choosing the right car to use and learning how to control it takes time.

There is no ‘pimp my ride’ gameplay, which considering the beautiful cars that are pre-packaged in the game – it doesn’t matter! The game does feature both 2 player multiplayer and online play with up to 8 players total. While sometimes the online play lags, it’s overall a great experience. Online play is definitely great for those who do not want to play against AI opponents whom usually tend to be either too easy or too difficult. Of course with the online play there are plenty of trash-talkers and cheaters.

The visuals in the game are breathtaking. With its high-definition graphics, screen blur techniques, and overall high-polygon and well textured models PGR3 is a treat to look at. Racing through cities such as London, New York, and Tokyo is stunning every time.

The music is a mixture of random genres such as classical, punk, rock, etc. Thankfully there is the option of playing music off of the Xbox 360 harddrive.

All in all PGR3 is a fantastic game that greatly improves upon its predecessors. While its single-player can get a little boring, experiencing the game online makes this game a racer that arcade and simulation fans will love!

X3: Reunion (-)

There was this game that you saw in stores, and you thought it was a video game for X-men 3. You either ignored it straight up, because you didn’t want to play an X-men video game, or you picked it up and were sourly disappointed that it wasn’t. Either way, it’s probably okay that you skipped out on this one.

X3 is a space simulator that is mainly from the first or third person views of your spaceship, and the player can choose to fight, trade, pirate, protect, all sorts of stuff. You can do practically anything; even follow the story, if you feel like it.

The graphics are pretty amazing, and the universe that is created I definitely enjoyed. I not only love hard sci-fi settings, but the expanse and area of exploration you pretty much can’t argue with. Unless you have other things to do, or a very short attention span: the loading times I definitely give a minus. Even on my high-end PC, I experienced horrendous wait times, on my 2006 PC on a 2005 game. I can’t imagine playing it on something else.

Okay, so the graphics are great but load really slowly; so what? I enjoy great settings and usually will sacrifice loading screens for beautiful graphics, something I value greatly. Problem is, the loading screens only magnify the already slow game play. This is a game I got excited about, because, in theory, with enough time and effort, concentration and talent, one could build an expansive commercial trade empire, defended by a considerable private militia while making side trips to pirate goods from competing traders and at the same time find contracts with local authorities to hunt down enemies. Or just look at stuff.

Problem is there is a lot of looking and not quite enough stuff, because even with the time compression feature, it takes so long to start up, to get enough funds to even BEGIN to start making more money.

Straight up: the game is hard. It has a pretty steep learning curve. This game is pretty much right up my alley, but maybe a little bit too far. I love customizable exportable settings, and component features on spaceships and the patient economic maneuvers in video games; this was just a tad too slow.

Marble Blast Ultra (+)

Control your marble through a series of different mazes while collecting gems and competing for the high score.

Written by: Andrew Cefalo

While searching for free demo’s on the Xbox 360 Marketplace and in the arcade I stumbled upon this little beauty. Marble Blast Ultra is a great party game that even the StuffWeLike team has gotten together several times to play and naturally Spencer usually gets the high score.

The gameplay is easy to pick up but takes a little more effort to master. You play as a marble and you can control any direction the marble moves. Unlike other marble games, you can defy gravity and often do. Maps start off simple with ramps, walls, and cliffs to navigate around and/or over. Naturally as the game progresses they start implementing other tools you need to use for navigation. Objects include:

Super Speed – A rocket propelled power up
Super Jump – A spring jump power up
Ultra Blast – A quicker way to power up the turbo boost
Mega Marble – Makes the marble giant
Time Travel – Stops the clock for a couple seconds
Gyro Copter – Makes the marble a helicopter

One key element becomes the gravity modifiers you can pick up. While the mazes are for the most part one directional, you can use the gravity modifiers along with the checkpoints to do free falls through the open space. The game requires you to pick up gems on a quest to the finish while racing a clock.

Overall, there are 60 levels to be unlocked and 10 additional multiplayer levels. Multiplayer levels are rather flat and are races to random locations for gems. I found these a little less exciting than the single player because it did not offer the same challenging experience that the single player levels did.

I highly recommend downloading the demo from Xbox Live Arcade, if you just want to check this game out. It provides hours of fun for a low cost ($10).

Viva Pinata (+)

Grow and harvest your very own garden to attract all different species of Piñata’s. Work hard and you will be rewarded with ways to make your job easier. Viva Piñata is a must have for kids of all ages.

Written by: Andrew Cefalo

I would consider it rare that we stumble across a game rated E that really is for EVERYONE. Games for kids are usually too simple for teen and/or adult audiences.

The concept behind Viva Pinata is ridiculous; the developers agree that it sounds silly. Growing a garden to attract pinatas that are supposed to be reproduced, not broken open. Sounds like a kid’s game. The game is completely addicting and is really hard to put down. It has frequently been compared to Animal Crossing as it revolves around similar principals.

Game play is intriguing; I have never been left with a ‘now what’ feeling and there are even times when I feel like I have way too much to take care of. Pinatas that I do not want are entering my garden and are fighting with my residents. Usually a quick whack of my shovel gets them to leave but sometimes I need to clean up the mess they leave me with. There is a background storyline that occurs in your game storybook, yet as the developers pointed out it is not really necessary to follow. I got bored with it and rarely pay attention as it progresses. This is a very open ended Sims-like game yet it maintains structure that keeps gamers focused on a goal. There are several restrictions (such as land space) that keep you working to remove; things like money (chocolate coins in the game) motivate you to start harvesting. Of course, even growing these plants can be a challenge and you must first ask Seedos for some seeds. The game moves at your own speed as you only advance when you have completed enough tasks. Attracting new pinata works almost as a timeline for your progress through the game (we found out at the game release that there are a total of 68 different pinatas).

Not all pinata’s get along (the bees and the ants hate each other), and they will fight to the death. Obviously, when a pinata kills another pinata it explodes, and candy comes out. The interesting part is that when this happens a faint cheer comes from little kids, which we found to be a little disturbing. Once we were able to move past that sick and twisted element of game play we loved the concept.

We tried to play multiplayer as it says there is online play as well as up to 4 local players. Multiplayer is weird though as you both control the same game. It works well for taking turns but do not be mislead, there is no verses mode.

Viva Pinata has now become my motivator to complete homework. That is correct, I set boundaries to keep myself from playing. I am very much looking forward to winter break when I can play this all day without worrying about how much time it is consuming. And no, I am not embarrassed to admit that I own both Gears of War and Viva Pinata but elect (from time to time) to play the latter over the former.