Unfettered Blather

Summertime typically brings drought both to my region and my hobby. This year we actually got a fair bit of rain but not much in the way of new games. I guess in places like Maine where you can’t fry an egg on the sidewalk in August they might actually like doing stuff outdoors, but here in Texas I don’t blame anyone for retreating to the air conditioning. We’re finally going to see some releases in August, but in the meantime I’ve managed to take advantage of some sales while continuing my fruitless quest of finding a quality game on X-Box Live Arcade.

GAME OF THE MONTH Marvel Ultimate Alliance
X-Men Legends really kicked off these Gauntlet/Diablo “RPG’s” on the consoles and the style has never really impressed me. Most of these games I buy for the kids and I actually own Marvel Ultimate Alliance for the X-Box already. I didn’t get halfway through the X-Box version when I resigned it to another attempt to do what X-Men Legends did and while I appreciated the improvements it still left me wanting. I really only bought this version for the kids and because it featured an even greater cast of characters. Surprisingly, the minor changes and improved roster renewed my interest in the game and I’ve found a new appreciation for it on the X-Box 360. I wouldn’t place it in the top ten but it’s still the best game I purchased in August. Would it hold this place if I had purchased anything less than the Gold Edition? Perhaps not. After all, only in the Gold Edition can you hear Dr. Doom have a debate with himself. I’d pay money for that.

BEST OF THE MONTH
	#1 Marvel Ultimate Alliance (360) I think this is as close as you can get with this kind of game and still go for the ridiculous “balance” they insist on having. I just don’t expect Captain America to hit as hard as the Hulk and bullets should bounce off Iron Man but hurt Spider-Man. These are not minor nitpicks, this is Superhero 101 and these games continue to get a solid “D-” from me when it comes to comic book physics and superhuman physiology. All that said, if you can ignore the game’s complete disregard for its comic book roots it actually plays fairly well and improves on some glaring design flaws that made me so disappointed with X-Men Legends. I would search out the Gold Edition since you can avoid the X-Box Live DRM issues with downloadable content and it’s actually cheaper to get the Gold Edition new for $30 than buy a used copy and pay separately for all the extras.
	#2 Rainbow Six Vegas (360) Picked up for a mere $10, the sequel has been my most played game for the Terrorist Hunt mode alone. Really, for the price I couldn’t pass it up and the chance to do a few more real missions. Now that I’ve played the original I really do see the reluctance so many had with the sequel. It really was a $60 expansion pack. Despite the age and slightly reduced graphics it’s just more Rainbow Six Vegas. Playing one is like playing the other and the variations between the two are minor.
	#3 Bionic Commando: Rearmed (360) Why is it in this console generation we still can’t get the straight arcade ports? Instead we’re still converting the old console versions of arcade games. The fault is entirely my own, I thought this was the original arcade version at last but I was wrong. I’ve never really been a fan of the console versions and while paying $10 is hardly going to break me I didn’t quite get the game experience I was hoping for. Ugh, platformers.
	#4 Fable II Pub Games (360) While there is some game theory going on here, for the most part the game is entirely based around random chance. At least there is some legitimate game theory in Poker or Blackjack, but most of the time the odds are stacked ridiculously against you. I can’t imagine what this game will add to Fable II when it finally comes out, except maybe give players a chance to become a gambling addict and live in debt for the rest of their lives. Maybe we’ll get a visit from a medeival Vinnie who can break our knees.

BEST SO FAR

1. Portal (X360)
2. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (X360)
3. Guitar Hero II (X360)
4. Mass Effect (X360)
5. Soul Calibur (X360)
6. Crackdown (X360)
7. Endless Ocean (Wii)
8. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii)
9. Halo 3 (X360)
10. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (X360)

WORST SO FAR

1. Call of Duty 3 (Wii)
2. Road Trip: Arcade Edition (GCN)
3. Carnival Games (Wii)
4. Yaris (X360)
5. Virtual On Marz (PS2)
6. Hexic HD (X360)
7. Pac-Man: Championship Edition (X360)
8. Bankshot Billiards 2 (X360)
9. Fable II Pub Games (X360)
   Congratulations! It has been months since the List of the Worst has shifted! Maybe I’m being too hard on the game but I think they were simply trying too hard to come up with games that essentially play as “Not Blackjack”, “Not Craps”, and “Not Slots”. Failure on all counts.
10. Small Arms (X360)

YOU’RE OUT OF THE RUNNING
And now we bid farewell to those games that won’t make either list.

• Bionic Commando: Rearmed (360)
  A solidly mediocre game that will be carried on the wings of nostalgia and the Capcom brand. I personally found it punishing and another reminder that modern Capcom hates players.
• Marvel Ultimate Alliance (360)
  Being the best in a bad game type is no way to make the top ten. A solidly entertaining title and still on my playlist but it’s not going to dethrone anything either.
• Rainbow Six Vegas (360)
  While similar to Rainbow Six Vegas 2, it is still the inferior product despite the minor improvements of its sequel. Seeing as how Rainbow Six Vegas 2 is no longer on the Best list, there is no way this will make it.
• Two Worlds (360)
  The Oblivion wannabe inspired me to buy the Elder Scrolls game instead, a gaming first for me. I’m actually happy to see it off the Worst Of List as I think the game’s critics are too harsh and I don’t want to look like one of them. All the same, it really is done pretty badly. I admire their ambition but the execution left a lot to be desired.

UNDETERMINED

• Pirates of the Carribean (XBX)
  Unless they release a backwards compatibility update for this game, I think I’m going to have to drop it. It simply will not run on my X-Box for some reason.

AUGUST STATISTICS -
Average Cost: $13.60
X-Box - 1 Titles (20%)
X-Box 360 - 4 Titles (80%)
5 Titles

STATISTICS SO FAR -
Average Cost: $16.58 per game
Gamecube - 5 Titles (5.5%)
PC - 2 Titles (2.2%)
Playstation 2 - 10 Titles (11%)
Wii - 13 Titles (14.3%)
X-Box - 16 Titles (17.6%)
X-Box 360 - 45 Titles (49.5%)
91 Titles

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